Namm 2025 predictions

GTR37 said:
I think for the very first time in a while the focus has shifted off the digital stuff
Smaller and modded Marshall amps as well as more affordable guitars and ""FRFR"" seems to be the main things
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We digital musicians are the new dinosaurs. The future is analog xD
 
mercifulfuzziness said:
We all get to keep our moneys in 2025. How nice!
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Shocked Pop Tv GIF by Nightcap


I'm sure we can figure out how to spend all too much money on the used market!
 
Fwiw, I'm actually wondering why we don't see more pseudo-analog digital amps in a sort of higher-endish category. Something similar to, say, a Marshall JVM410 or a dual Friedman IR-XYZ (hence with 4 full channels), just with all the options a digital version would allow for, as in having 4 completely independent channels, each of which could as well be identical.
The main difference to whatever modeling solutions would be that everything would be pretty strictly WYSIWYG, dedicated knobs for each parameter, no real presets (others than preselectable amp channels and IR slot switches that you might be able to "pre-define" in some software).
Could also feature the most often used FX (modulation, delay, reverb) controlled through a simplified panel, so you'd be able to use it just on its own.
Could then have a class D poweramp that you could use to feed a traditional cab or a FR monitor.
Perhaps that'd be a decent thing for those scared of menus but still open minded for something else but boring old tubes.

If something like that came as a combo amp (with an option to use the internal speaker in FR mode), even I might be interested.
Place amp, connect floor controller, plug in, power up and go.
 
GTR37 said:
They are beautiful guitars but the are 4000usd
Brisket burst would have been a cool name

He just released the Sterling
Same body carve and neck shape
Same inlays and luminlay glow side markers
$899
Even if the bridge sucks I could throw in a hip shot fixed for $200
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Have you played any Sterling guitars? I’m not remotely a cork sniffer, yet I have never touched one that I didn’t put back down pretty immediately.
 
dbagchee said:
Wow talk about a niche product! I mean it looks cool but seems like it make more sense as a custom thing for a band to do rather than a ready made product. Not much difference to this and just getting a large rectangular led panel (would probably weigh a ton less too)
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Maybe my kid can play Fortnite on it while I play guitar and we can build memories together instead of slowly growing distant and resentful of one another?
 
Sascha Franck said:
Fwiw, I'm actually wondering why we don't see more pseudo-analog digital amps in a sort of higher-endish category. Something similar to, say, a Marshall JVM410 or a dual Friedman IR-XYZ (hence with 4 full channels), just with all the options a digital version would allow for, as in having 4 completely independent channels, each of which could as well be identical.
The main difference to whatever modeling solutions would be that everything would be pretty strictly WYSIWYG, dedicated knobs for each parameter, no real presets (others than preselectable amp channels and IR slot switches that you might be able to "pre-define" in some software).
Could also feature the most often used FX (modulation, delay, reverb) controlled through a simplified panel, so you'd be able to use it just on its own.
Could then have a class D poweramp that you could use to feed a traditional cab or a FR monitor.
Perhaps that'd be a decent thing for those scared of menus but still open minded for something else but boring old tubes.

If something like that came as a combo amp (with an option to use the internal speaker in FR mode), even I might be interested.
Place amp, connect floor controller, plug in, power up and go.
Click to expand...
Hughes & Kettner Grandmeister is sort of in that direction, just without having several full channels.

ENGL Ironball SE has e.g built in delay, reverb and noise gate. While they got positive reviews, I don't think many would go for that. Many people have their favorite fx pedals or processors so they don't want an amp that contains all that.

By comparison the more beginner market is meant to offer a more comprehensive all-in-one solution so people don't need to buy the fx to get started.

The weird thing is that there don't seem to be that many complex amps with built in IR loaders. Most of them are bundled with 1-2 channel amps, 20 watters and whatnot. Maybe it would cost too much to have a loadbox that can handle above 100W on something like the JVM410?

You'd also think Synergy would jump at that but we seem to be getting a 20W head instead, probably basically a Soldano Astro 20 with a module bay? Where's the SYN2 with an IR loader and poweramp sim? That would be a pretty perfect usecase for what they have. Or is their expectation that if you can afford to buy the SYN2, you probably can also buy Two Notes Torpedo Live or whatever?
 
Boudoir Guitar said:
Have you played any Sterling guitars? I’m not remotely a cork sniffer, yet I have never touched one that I didn’t put back down pretty immediately.
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I have played the Sterling sabre it was decent
To me it depends on the neck
I can tell in one minute so what you are saying does not surprise me
My buddy actually had a silver JP EBMM that was like 4000 and I did not care for it
Too thin a neck
I have also played Suhr I don’t like
As far the the hardware and electronics those are easy fixes on a $900 guitar
If the feel sucks that would be a no
 
Sascha Franck said:
Fwiw, I'm actually wondering why we don't see more pseudo-analog digital amps in a sort of higher-endish category. Something similar to, say, a Marshall JVM410 or a dual Friedman IR-XYZ (hence with 4 full channels), just with all the options a digital version would allow for, as in having 4 completely independent channels, each of which could as well be identical.
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I agree with this really. Those Marshall pedals sound a bit duff to me, for that kind of size/money/usecase I’d find a digital emulation of those classic Marshall amps a lot more appealing than some distortion pedal approximation (which just ends up sounding like any other distortion pedal). At least with digital it’s easy to have things like different outputs with or without poweramp/cabinets, headphone outputs, channel switching, midi etc. Pretty sure Marshall have all their main amps modelled with Softube already (initially for the JMD:1 which has amps that haven’t been released as plugins yet).

They could have had a head start on most of the competition, the JMD was probably too ahead of its time and put them off the concept.
 
Boudoir Guitar said:
Have you played any Sterling guitars? I’m not remotely a cork sniffer, yet I have never touched one that I didn’t put back down pretty immediately.
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I think there's been a bit of a quality shift with some of the more recent models, which kinda had to happen when they started asking $1500 for Indo Sabre and John Petrucci Majesty models. More roasted maple necks, stainless steel frets (though not with the Rabea model), better pickups, just a little more fit and finish, etc.

I remember seeing the metal band Revocation play live here in Atlanta a couple of years ago. Their touring rhythm guitarist rocked a Sterling Jason Richardson Cutlass, and sounded great the whole show. I think he used it for the whole tour because he needed an inexpensive 7-string quick as he was filling in for their recently departed secondary guitar player.
 
mikah912 said:
I think there's been a bit of a quality shift with some of the more recent models, which kinda had to happen when they started asking $1500 for Indo Sabre and John Petrucci Majesty models. More roasted maple necks, stainless steel frets (though not with the Rabea model), better pickups, just a little more fit and finish, etc.

I remember seeing the metal band Revocation play live here in Atlanta a couple of years ago. Their touring rhythm guitarist rocked a Sterling Jason Richardson Cutlass, and sounded great the whole show. I think he used it for the whole tour because he needed an inexpensive 7-string quick as he was filling in for their recently departed secondary guitar player.
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From the vids it sounds great
Even the pickups sound great split clean and it sustains for days
It’s an interesting guitar the cutaway on the horn and back remind me of the Nuno N4 and the neck is more like an Ibanez AZ
If they have tight quality control on these they will sell a ton
I personally would probably change bridge to a Hipshot
Fixed and maybe a bridge pickup change and a setup but really a lot of it is appealing already
 
GTR37 said:
From the vids it sounds great
Even the pickups sound great split clean and it sustains for days
It’s an interesting guitar the cutaway on the horn and back remind me of the Nuno N4 and the neck is more like an Ibanez AZ
If they have tight quality control on these they will sell a ton
I personally would probably change bridge to a Hipshot
Fixed and maybe a bridge pickup change and a setup but really a lot of it is appealing already
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Yeah, my tech's pretty good at getting this stuff at below market prices and not charging too much for labor. You change the nut out and slap in a Gotoh 510....you should be pretty much set.
 
laxu said:
Hughes & Kettner Grandmeister is sort of in that direction, just without having several full channels.
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Well, it's a tube amp.
I really meant something fully digital, so it could be updated, so you could pre-select different models (into, say, 3 slots per channel, controlled by a 3 way switch), etc.

laxu said:
ENGL Ironball SE has e.g built in delay, reverb and noise gate. While they got positive reviews, I don't think many would go for that. Many people have their favorite fx pedals or processors so they don't want an amp that contains all that.
Click to expand...

Well, imagine you'd be able to preselect your FX from a great palette, such as what can be found in the HX series or such. Just what would be exposed would always be just 3-4 knobs with the most relevant parameters working WYSIWYG style (and again with another 3 way toggle to select different models quickly).

Seriously, a 4 channel amp with individual boost (gain and level) per channel, 2 mod FX, 2 delays and one reverb would very likely take me through each and every gig I could ever imagine (unless it's some deep soundscapery thing required, but for those puposes you'd be using other things anyway).

In the end, you'd have 100% analog style "editing" (unless you wanted to go deeper and do custom things - but even in that case, once it comes to playing, everything would be 100% analog style) with all the advances of digital, such as being able to go direct, play at any volume, use the same thing for recording, have independent levels for FOH and your monitor/cab, etc.
Such an amp could as well be used for literally any gig, as the editing software would allow you to preload each channel with whatever the style you're into required.
Really, in the end it'd be a pretty capable modeler, just that it could be operated as quickly as an all analog setup and would allow people not into *any* kind of menu diving to use the thing as well. Do a careful factory preselection of amps (3 amps per each channel) and you might find some folks never even wanting to touch the accompanying editor.

Obviously, there should be an accompanying floor controller that should be dead easy to configure on the unit (allowing you to switch to any status on any switch but also allowing for a hybrid or plain manual switching mode). Should have a dual function pedal option as well (typically wah/volume) so you wouldn't need to have any sound running off the board and the board should be mountable to the back of the top or combo, so your entire rig would really be a one-single-device affair (unless you wanted an external cab of your choice).

I'm absolutely not sure whether such a thing would be a success, but so far we simply can't know because nothing even remotely like it exists.
Realistically, *if* such a thing existed, for, say, 1.5-2k, it could even be an almost instant buy for me. It'd be the perfect best-of-both-worlds setup for my needs.

A company such as, say, Line 6 could develop such a thing with pretty much zero R&D cost as all the technology does already exist in their current products. It'd just be a vastly different exposure.
 
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