NAMM 09: essential highlights from day three and four

Fender Tim Armstrong's The Hellcat signature acoustic
Fender Tim Armstrong's The Hellcat signature acoustic

While our weary NAMM-based colleagues attempt to remember where they left their passports, it's a perfect time to take a look at the highlights from the final two days of the show.

We've scoured the remaining booths and stalls of 2009's NAMM show to bring you the essential new gear we might have missed during the barrage of the first two days...

EVH Frankenstein Relic humbuckers
For Eddie Van Halen fans, this could be the ultimate pickup

Orange Tiny Terrors
A trio of new amp heads: Dual Terror, Terror Bass and Hard Wired Tiny Terror

MOTU Volta
Turn your audio interface into a Control Voltage (CV) device

Mapex Black Panther Lamb Of God's Chris Adler snare
The first ever signature Black Panther spotted, filmed and loved

ddrum Vinnie Paul drums and pedals
A match for Pearl's newly-launched Demon Drive pedal? We think so…

Nuno Bettencourt Randall NB King, Blackstar One Series, Hayden Classic Lead 80 and Mo Fo
Guitarist magazine just can't escape NAMM's amp section… there are just so many!

Numark NS7 DJ deck
Takes home the trophy for 'best name for a new

Ludwig Jason Bonham Vistalite, Epic kit and a 24K gold-plated snare
Ludwig celebrates its 100th anniversary with lots of gold

Craviotto Diamond snares
From gold to diamond, Rhythm magazine adopts a taste for the fantastic/expensive

Epiphone Apparition electric
Total Guitar magazine calls this a "truly evil looking guitar," and we can see why…

Fender Tim Armstrong's The Hellcat signature acoustic
Named after the Rancid frontman's record label, and based on his battered 60s model

Video: more love for Pearl's Eliminator Demon Drive bass pedal
Ninja bearings from a skateboard wheel? Allow us to explain…

GForce impOSCar 2 software synth
It's still in an unfinished state, but this update will include some wicked new features

Access Virus T12
This 'ubersynth' gets extra horsepower and gorgeous new stylings for '09

Keith McMillen Instruments' K-Bow
Computer Music gets strung out over Bluetooth MIDI violin bow

Duff McKagan
A true video highlight for any GN'R, Velvet Revolver or Loaded fan

From the basement…

Pimp my Korg nanoSeries controller

Guthrie Govan's ridiculous shredding

A pedal built like a fighter jet

Ovation iDea: guitar, MP3 player/recorder and mic in one… nice idea!

11 essential tips for throwing the perfect NAMM press conference

Finally, someone's made a 'foldable' keyboard

The Bettie Page guitar (cue wolf-whistles)

Leopard skin guitar cases

A 10-year-old drummer blitzes the Evans drum stand

Our US editor Joe Bosso pays the price of fame… with Coffin Case girls

If Hello Kitty made keyboards…

Tom Porter worked on MusicRadar from its mid-2007 launch date to 2011, covering a range of music and music making topics, across features, gear news, reviews, interviews and more. A regular NAMM-goer back in the day, Tom now resides permanently in Los Angeles, where he's doing rather well at the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).