Barry Wood's NAMM Oddities 2020 Edition

 Packrat Barry

You Figure It Out

Transcen-D-Boy

The 40-string recliner is supposed to give you a sound massage—someone else plays the strings while you sit there.

I'm glad I was wearing the mask because the look on this guy's face would have been off-putting otherwise.

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monchair

Natural Born Button Pusher

Someday this tendency of mine is going to get me into real trouble.

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Kicks With Kick

As soon as I saw these, I knew that they had to be Bluetooth-connected shoes with subwoofers.

To be honest, the effect was pretty cool once you dialed it in. I never expected that I'd ever be adjusting the bass levels on my shoes.

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droplabs

Yeti 'Nother Guitar Stand

Are Yeti hands more like rabbits' feet or monkey paws?

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schecterguitars

Les "Tetsuo" Paul

This is kind of a fractal guitar where it's made of smaller versions of the larger parts, or maybe it's something gone horribly wrong like Tetsuo from "Akira."

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Gratuitous Guitar Use

Gibson must have a high manufacturing rate failure to have enough guitars build these art pieces. Don't they know that there are kids in Africa who are guitarless?

I think I like the previous iteration of their iron throne better.

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ironthrone

Nope

And even more nope.

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eargasmearplugs

Rocky in the Sky With Diamonds

I think that Fender nailed the George Harrison guitar reissue and the trippy '60s vibe with this display.

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Of Course You Are

I was a bit dismissive of their t-shirt declaration because, well, with the climate these days, most musicians have a hard time being anything but independent. But after perusing their catalog, I have to give credence to their claim.

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cleorecs

Long Hair, Leather, & AARP

I can't help but think that the proliferation of wannabe rocks stars past their expiration date roaming NAMM were the target market for these products.

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theflawlessbar

I'm Sure They Were Really Grooving

When I saw these folks performing to people wearing headphones, it made me immediately think of the videos people have made where they redub it without the music.

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Phrasing

Had I been the one designing this display, I would have pointed out that it essentially says "Puke Bags." I can't help but think they might have been in for a surprise when they eventually broke down this display, especially with the high incidence of NAMMthrax.

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perris

Creepy AF

This was just done for kicks and isn't a product but it certainly deserves to be here.

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Even Creepier

She got tickets to the show but at what price?

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blacklabelsociety

Proving a Point

Since this headset mic isn't a hydrophone, it's unlikely to work while completely submerged but you get the point.

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lectrosonics

Light Showers

To prove just how weather resistant the Maverick Storm is, they put it in its own little shower stall for the duration of NAMM.

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Old Tech

The point of this display was to illustrate that speaker design hasn't substantially changed in decades.

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tectonicaudiolabs3

RoboTip

Whenever someone drops money in this tip jar, it kicks out a slip of paper. You could fill it with download cards or mini flyers for upcoming shows.

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Welcome to the Jungle

…just don't drop your mic while you're here.

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heilsound

When Geek Worlds Collide

This game is solidy targeted at board gamers who are into music theory.

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lordofthechords

Pimp Your Keys

Tired of boring old white keys? If so, stick these guys on your keyboard to add bling to the underblinged.

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ukeys

Indeterminate Purpose

I'm not quite certain if the additional metal piece is meant to protect the mic in a fall, prevent the singer from cupping the mic, or serve as impromptu brass knuckles in the event of unruly fans.

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bbsacoustics

Thar She Blows

This confetti cannon is a great tool to have if your goal is to really piss off the post-show cleaning crew.

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Selling to the Sellers

Nothing makes a 3D printed item look more like a real a product than sticking it into blisterpack.

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blisterpackaging

A Little on the Nose

I guess that makes it harder to forget their name.

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cloudmicrophones

What Nose?

I asked someone at the SKB booth why they had a Volkswagen bus in their booth. They said it had to do with the fact that those are Transporters and SKB makes case that transport equipment. Pretty weak connection if you ask me.

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skbcases

Dual Timezone Top Plate

Perfect gift for the string player who is a member of both the Berlin (UTC+1) and Rio de Janeiro (UTC-3) symphonies.

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westcoaststring

Hard Rack Cafe

If you can make a guitar from their trusses, you should be able to do anything.

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germanlightproducts

LOpSter Trap

I'm sure this is a clever product name but since I don't do TV/Film production audio, nor am I a New Englander, it was largely lost on me.

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lexproducts

Ear Balls

These spherical speakers can be mounted just about anywhere.

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jinbailing

Like a Virus

Every year loudspeakers are infected with more and more lights. Eventually there will be speakers that are nothing but light, leaving out sound entirely.

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Tunetown PA

I feel like I should be hearing announcements come out of these speakers with their accompanying speech bubbles.

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voidacoustics

Pneumatic Lift

I don't know quite why you'd need a speaker that size to be that far up in the air but if you do, these guys have you covered.

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Headphone Vacs Are For Kids

I've no clue why the mascot for these in-ear monitor maintenance tools is a rabbit holding an ear of corn.

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firaudio

©2020 Barry Wood