NAMM 2013: Amped Best Of Show Awards

The best guitar products from NAMM 2013   05-Feb-13

Best Guitar In Show

The award for the best guitar, this could be an acoustic or an electric, it's simply the guitar which impressed us the most.

All of the big companies had new products on display, and it's a really tough choice having to try and pick just one. But after mucho discussion in the Sonic State office, we've had to go for...

Winner: New Gibson ES-335 Studio.

With it's striking oily ebony finish, distinguishing lack of f-holes, Dirty Fingers+ pickups, and option between a stoptail and a trapeze, it's a truly beautiful stripped down entry point into the Gibson family.

Best Pedal In Show

So we've already given a 'Best In Show' award to a pedal, but we've got a separate award for the best pedal. Obviously we can't give it to the Wampler Dual Fusion, because it's already won an award, so we'll give it to another incredible pedal we saw.

This particular pedal had us grinning from ear to ear, and we actually didn't get to see it until the last day of NAMM. It's difficult to make a journalist smile on the last day of NAMM, we're usually too busy nursing a headache and trying to remember what our own names are.

But the Electro-Harmonix HOG 2 blew us away, this is premium gear right here, but it's worth every penny. There are a few 'synth' pedals out there for guitars, but this one can actually sound like a synth, rather than just a bit-crushed guitar.

Check out our video here.

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