Welcome to the 2008 edition of the NAMM Oddities

The Oddities this year were in danger of being cut short. About three hours into the show my camera decided to shed this mortal coil. As I was pondering my options, I spotted some friends a few rows over and James Steele was kind enough to loan me his camera so I could continue my quest of collecting Oddities.

If you've perused the Oddities in the past, you'll notice a new look for the pages. Since its inception in 1998, the design of the NAMM Oddities has remained the same. If you measure its age in Internet years, it's about 100 years old and high time for a change.

A new feature is the ability to click on the pictures to view a larger version in a new window. Some Oddities really deserve super-sizing. But much like McDonald's, doing so may not be good for you.

-Barry

Oddity of the Year

In conjunction with the Museum of Making Music, the NAMM Oddities are pleased to present the Oddity of the Year.

This year's winner is from those innovative folks at the Square Drum Company for their (you guessed it) Square Drums.

For the next year, you will be able to see Square Drums on display at the museum in Carlsbad, California.

You can read more about them on the Oddities Percussion page.

A brief history of the NAMM Oddities...

After attending the Winter NAMM show for a number of years, I'd noticed that the exhibitors seem to fall into two categories: the established company showing its new (and sometimes vaporous) products and the independent start-up company looking to be noticed by distributors, music stores, potential investors and the music press.

It seemed that every year I spent more of my NAMM time checking out the various small companies that got stashed in some side room. Many of the products from these companies were never seen the by the mainstream visitor. This may be because their potential market was too small or that most people simply couldn't figure out what the hell to do with it.

That isn't to say that these products are ill-conceived or poorly executed. It's just that sometimes they're, well, a little odd. This situation made me think that there ought to be a place for people to come to marvel and wonder at all of these products. Thus, the NAMM Oddities were born.

Don't be surprised if you find that the product or the company you see on these pages has ceased to exist, particularly as the pages get older. One function of the NAMM Oddities is that of a historical archive of attempted products.

These web pages are not associated with or sponsored by the National Association of Music Merchants

Send your suggestions, clarifications, rants or praise to oddinfo@otheroom.com