NAMM Guitars

[msbedard]

Help me understand..... Occasionally I will see a guitar posted for sale that has come from a NAMM show. Is the general consensus that these guitars are better built/finished then the same model that "rolls of the line"? Put another way, does being from a NAMM show add any additional value? Not looking to start a fire fight, not singling any one out. Just trying to get a better handle on it.

[Cameleye]

I have the SCGC 00 Skye from the last NAMM show. I see (and hear) no difference between it and a friend's fairly recent Skye.
Both amazing fingerstyle guitars, by the way.

[Joe M]

I have a Fender Custom Shop Strat that has "Namm Show" stickers on it and all the paper work it came with. LIke Cameleye said, I see no difference, good or bad, between it and my other CS guitars.

[HHP]

I bought a Mountain amp that was supposedly built for a NAMM show. It made of koa which I've never seen on another and there are a few other small differences like the location of the battery compartment.

[rogthefrog]

Originally Posted by msbedard

Help me understand..... Occasionally I will see a guitar posted for sale that has come from a NAMM show. Is the general consensus that these guitars are better built/finished then the same model that "rolls of the line"? Put another way, does being from a NAMM show add any additional value? Not looking to start a fire fight, not singling any one out. Just trying to get a better handle on it.

Not really. If anything, a NAMM guitar may have some wear and tear from being handled a lot.

Some manufacturers do make special NAMM models, with special finishes or woods or colors or what have you.

[Creekside Guitar]

I would say the majority of NAMM show guitars are special. These are made to show the best of the best. Wear and tear is a non issues as they all get taken back to the shop and made like new before being shipped to the dealers.

[rogthefrog]

Originally Posted by Creekside Guitar

I would say the majority of NAMM show guitars are special. These are made to show the best of the best. Wear and tear is a non issues as they all get taken back to the shop and made like new before being shipped to the dealers.

I'd have to disagree. I saw hundreds, possibly over a thousand guitars at the recent NAMM show, and the vast majority of them were stock production models.

[The Growler]

There are both custom and regular/production guitars that are shown at NAMM. Some of the dealers are looking for something unique to sell in their store, but most are looking to see the new production models they will order.

You'd need to know what you're looking at to see if it is really something unique or not.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by msbedard

Help me understand..... Occasionally I will see a guitar posted for sale that has come from a NAMM show. Is the general consensus that these guitars are better built/finished then the same model that "rolls of the line"? Put another way, does being from a NAMM show add any additional value? Not looking to start a fire fight, not singling any one out. Just trying to get a better handle on it.

Ms Bedard, just because a guitar was built to be displayed at a NAMM show does not, in and of itself, make it more valuable, even if it's a rare bird that never went into production. What happens at those trade shows is that manufacturers try to stimulate interest in (possible) new models. Naturally, the companies trying to sell these guitars to their dealers will sing their praises, and make it sound as though it's an exciting new model that will take the guitar consumer market by storm.

But the truth is that a lot of these efforts are one-offs that the R&D staff at the various guitar companies have put together in hopes of garnering enough orders to make it worth the company's while to put them into production.

The cost to the company of having their R&D luthiers run up a few prototypes is negligible compared to putting new models into production; in terms of actual company funds spent, there simply isn't ANY comparison between a prototype and a production model. It costs multiple thousands of dollars to start making a new guitar model in a factory assembly line setting, but the cost of a prototype is simply whatever the materials cost and the wages of the R&D luthier who put it together.

The only time a prototype ever becomes insanely valuable is if it's the prototype of an insanely popular iconic instrument: the prototypes for the Martin D-28 and the Gibson F-5 mandolin are probably worth more than your house.

But those are very much the exception, because most instrument models never become that popular. The fact is that there are plenty of prototype and NAMM guitars floating around, and there are more of them surfacing every six months. In those cases, especially when the prototype never goes into production, the instruments are worth about what run-of-the-mill instruments from the same manufacturer cost. There isn't any special premium or added value to them, even though plenty of folks attempting to sell these guitars on eBay will try to tell you otherwise. "Rare!" "One of a kind!!" "Great investment!!!"

Nope, not really. They're worth what they represent as utility instruments, and not much more, most of the time.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[ross748]

As others have noted, there are specialty "one off" models for various reasons. One that was overlooked was to showcase a manufactures "Custom Shop" specialty talents and may produce 1 or 2 of the same model.

They are handled and again, as stated, they do go back to the factory for review, setup, buff, etc. prior to being shipped to a dealer.

I have recently purchased a Summer NAMM guitar from a major manufacture. Two were produced. In researching, prior to purchase, I found it had been restrung and buffed prior to shipping to the dealer. It did come with the original factory warranty, in the factory case and shipped in the original box.

Said box had all the prior destination labels still intact. It is the best sounding of all the special models, standard or premium models of that manufacture that I have ever played.

I did not pay a premium at all. I actually paid less than the instrument would be valued as a trade in. Over 60% off list. Research and patience paid off dearly.

[Jabberwocky]

They are special for having been shown at NAMM but that is about it. It varies from maker to maker. Some makers choose a nice billet of wood or special inlays for a NAMM show guitar; some just show what they have got to show.

I would like to believe that NAMM show guitars are representative of the best efforts of the maker for that particular model. I would not pay a premium for it as I do not expect any maker worth his salt to make anything less than what he shows at NAMM. You have to play the guitar to know if it is for you, just like any other guitar.

I bought a Lowden that just happened to be shown at NAMM 2009. It suffered a ding during the show which George was not too happy about. The non-NAMM Lowdens that I have seen are certainly its equal in fit and finish. If anything, it is representative of the quality of Lowdens, not a buffed up special.

I was looking at a NAMM SCGC H13 of Cocobolo and Custom 45 ornamentation. A visual knockout. It says nothing about it sounding better than a "run of the mill" H13. It just looks visually arresting. Not for some but for me, I know that I am paying for looks only.

[markrj]

Do you mean guitars like these?





37 of the 50th Anniversary editions were sold at NAMM.

I now hear there are less than a handful remaining.

I placed my order before NAMM.

Those Austrian Walnut guitars are simply gorgeous. If I had unlimited funds, I would have one on order.

[Creekside Guitar]

Originally Posted by rogthefrog

I'd have to disagree. I saw hundreds, possibly over a thousand guitars at the recent NAMM show, and the vast majority of them were stock production models.

I was referring to the boutique and small builder booth guitars.

[mdunn]

My Alvarez Yairi DY99A was the center piece of the Yairi exhibit at the 1993 NAMM show. My wife purchased it as a Birthday present to me in 2013. It was a 20 year old NOS guitar at the time of purchase. The dealer she purchased it from was a Alvarez Yairi dealer then and now. At the NAMM show he purchased all the exhibit guitars. They were shipped to his Illinois store. He kept the DY99A and sold the balance. I found the guitar the day of a Taylor Road Show. My wife and I just happened to be in the store at the right time.

The guitar is unique for several reasons. First and foremost it has a carbon neck. That is what they called it back then. It is done as a layup of carbon strips and not the sheets they use now. About 50 Carbon neck Yairi's were made. It has the Tree of Life inlay on the fret board. The guitar came in a mahogany case with a canvas cover.

[msbedard]

Thanks to all who replied. I think I have a better understanding now. I was fairly confident that the big players would not stray far from their product line. I wasn't sure if the boutique shops would share that mind set or perhaps use the very best materials and pay even closer attention to fit and finish for their NAMM examples.