Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitar Amps
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • "Worst rap album in history"
  • Superbooth 2025
  • Eilish vs Radiohead
  • 95k+ free music samples

Recommended reading

Deals of the week
Gear & Gadgets MusicRadar deals of the week: Enjoy a mind-blowing $600 off a full-fat Gibson Les Paul, £500 off Kirk Hammett's Epiphone Greeny, and so much more
Deals of the week
Gear & Gadgets MusicRadar deals of the week: Score over £400 off PRS and Epiphone guitars, $100 off Yamaha and Roland pianos, and so much more
A close-up photograph of the Harley Benton ST-Modern electric guitar in green and cream showing the strings and pickups.
Guitars Best Harley Benton guitars 2025: Cheap and reliable electric and acoustic models
Deals of the week
Gear & Gadgets MusicRadar deals of the week: Score an impressive £400 off a Rickenbacker 330, £200 off PRS, and up to 80% off a host of synth gear
Man playing Roland TD716 electronic drum set in a studio
Electronic Drums Best electronic drum sets 2025: Top picks for every playing level and budget, tested by drummers
Superbooth live
Synths Superbooth 2025: all the latest synth news from Berlin, as it happened
A Korg Minilogue bass synthesizer on a blue background
Electric Guitars It's your last chance to save an extra £10 when you spend over £100 in the massive Flash Sale at PMT with this exclusive deal for MusicRadar readers
  1. Guitars
  2. Acoustic Guitars

The best of NAMM 2012: guitar, tech and drum highlights

News
By The MusicRadar Team published 23 January 2012

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

This is how it was

This is how it was

NAMM 2012: The 2012 Winter NAMM show has now closed its doors, but not before spitting out four days’ worth of hot new music making gear.

The industry did a fine job of defying the economic gloom, giving us new twists on existing classics and a fair smattering of releases that could genuinely be described as innovative.

We've collated some of our most popular NAMM stories from the past few days into this handy catch-up gallery, but if you want the full story, go to MusicRadar.com's dedicated NAMM 2012 hub for more info and other highlights from the show.

FIRST: Arturia Minibrute

Page 1 of 14
Page 1 of 14
Arturia Minibrute

Arturia Minibrute

We weren’t expecting a real analogue synth from Arturia, but now that the Minibrute is here, everyone seems very taken with the idea.

VIDEO: Arturia Minibrute demo

Arturia Minibrute analogue synth announced

Page 2 of 14
Page 2 of 14
Fender guitars and amps

Fender guitars and amps

Electric guitars and amps: you always know what you’re going to get from Fender at a trade show, but that doesn’t make its haul any less impressive when it arrives.

VIDEO: Fender Pawn Shop Special Greta amp demo

Fender electric guitars and amps in pictures

Page 3 of 14
Page 3 of 14
Wave Machine Labs Auria

Wave Machine Labs Auria

A 48-track iPad audio DAW with VST plug-in support certainly sounds impressive on paper. Now we need to find out how well it works and decide if it’s an appropriate fit for the tablet platform.

VIDEO: Wave Machine Labs Auria

New iPad DAW with 48 tracks and VST plug-in support

Page 4 of 14
Page 4 of 14
Clavia Nord Drum

Clavia Nord Drum

Not just a drum machine, but an electronic percussion module that can be triggered by acoustic and electronic kits.

VIDEO: Nord Drum demoed

Nord Drum photos and info released

Page 5 of 14
Page 5 of 14
Behringer Xenyx iX mixers

Behringer Xenyx iX mixers

We’ve seen a lot of interest in these: three new small format mixers, each of which contains a slot for the iPad.

Behringer unveils iPad mixers iX3242USB, iX2442USB and iX1642USB

Page 6 of 14
Page 6 of 14
New Ibanez guitars

New Ibanez guitars

With a mixture of brand new models and redesigned guitars with updated specifications, Ibanez had NAMM 2012 in its pocket.

Ibanez unveils 28 new electric guitars

Page 7 of 14
Page 7 of 14
Waldorf Pulse 2

Waldorf Pulse 2

Another new analogue synth that no-one was expecting, the Pulse 2 is an updated version of Waldorf’s ‘90s classic.

Waldorf Pulse 2 analogue synth

Page 8 of 14
Page 8 of 14
Peavey AT-200

Peavey AT-200

Antares’ Auto-Tune for Guitar technology has come to fruition in a couple of new instruments this NAMM, and Peavey’s AT-200 is one of them.

VIDEO: Peavey AT-200 Auto-Tune guitar

Peavey announces AT-200 Auto-Tune guitar

Page 9 of 14
Page 9 of 14
Casio synths

Casio synths

Pre-show leaks ensured that one of Casio’s synth announcements wasn’t a great surprise, but it still managed to catch us off guard with the launch of a second model.

VIDEO: Casio Synths revealed

Casio XW-P1 and XW-G1 synths announced

Page 10 of 14
Page 10 of 14
PRS artist guitars

PRS artist guitars

What do Dave Navarro, Orianthi, Nick Catanese, Chris Henderson, Neal Schon, and Cody Kilby have in common? They all had artist guitars on the NAMM PRS stand, and very nice they were too.

VIDEO: PRS Guitars P22 and Dave Navarro SE signature model

New and improved PRS Artist guitars

Page 11 of 14
Page 11 of 14
Akai MPC Fly

Akai MPC Fly

It’s interesting that Akai’s iPad-powered MPC Fly seems to have outshone the new Renaissance and Studio MPCs in the publicity stakes. Could this be the start of something big in tablet beat making?

VIDEO: Akai MPC Fly on camera

Akai MPC Fly for iPad 2 has lift-off

Page 12 of 14
Page 12 of 14
Teenage Engineering Oplab

Teenage Engineering Oplab

The OP-1 manufacturer’s latest project is hard to explain a couple of sentences, but we reckon a lot of people are going to have a lot of fun working out what you can do with it.

VIDEO: Teenage Engineering explain themselves

Teenage Engineering Oplab Musical Experimental Board

Page 13 of 14
Page 13 of 14
Universal Audio Apollo

Universal Audio Apollo

A high-spec audio interface with UAD DSP and powered plug-ins? We like the sound of that, and suspect that a lot of other people will as well.

VIDEO: Universal Audio Apollo

Universal Audio Apollo - audio interface with UAD DSP

Page 14 of 14
Page 14 of 14
The MusicRadar Team
The MusicRadar Team
Social Links Navigation

MusicRadar is the internet's most popular website for music-makers of all kinds, be they guitarists, drummers, keyboard players, DJs or producers.

GEAR: We help musicians find the best gear with top-ranking gear round-ups and high-quality, authoritative reviews by a wide team of highly experienced experts.

TIPS: We also provide tuition, from bite-sized tips to advanced work-outs and guidance from recognised musicians and stars.

STARS: We talk to artists and musicians about their creative processes, digging deep into the nuts and bolts of their gear and technique. We give fans an insight into the actual craft of music-making that no other music website can.

Read more
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: Enjoy a mind-blowing $600 off a full-fat Gibson Les Paul, £500 off Kirk Hammett's Epiphone Greeny, and so much more
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: Score over £400 off PRS and Epiphone guitars, $100 off Yamaha and Roland pianos, and so much more
A close-up photograph of the Harley Benton ST-Modern electric guitar in green and cream showing the strings and pickups.
Best Harley Benton guitars 2025: Cheap and reliable electric and acoustic models
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: Score an impressive £400 off a Rickenbacker 330, £200 off PRS, and up to 80% off a host of synth gear
Man playing Roland TD716 electronic drum set in a studio
Best electronic drum sets 2025: Top picks for every playing level and budget, tested by drummers
Superbooth live
Superbooth 2025: all the latest synth news from Berlin, as it happened
Latest in Acoustic Guitars
Tommy Emmanuel
“It’s really weird: 400 students asking questions, and I’m the only person there - and I’m the instructor - who can’t read music”: Acoustic guitar hero Tommy Emmanuel plays The Beatles and Oasis as he discusses the glaring gap in his musical knowledge
Steven Wilson performs live onstage with his custom shop Fender Telecaster. The stage is illuminated in green stage lights.
“It’s a $20 plugin…I love it because sometimes the problem with digital sounds is they just lack a little bit of character”: Steven Wilson reveals his favourite plugin is a lo-fi cassette emulator and it is on all the guitars on his latest prog epic
Gretsch Limited Edition Paisley Penguin [left] and Honey Dipper Resonator: the Penguin dresses the famous singlecut in gold sparkle with a Paisley Pattern graphic, while the 99 per cent aluminium Honey Dipper makes a welcome return to the lineup.
“Gloriously adorned with a gold edge burst finish over a gold paisley and sparkle top”: Gretsch unveils the Paisley Penguin – a rare bird that growls – and the Honey Dipper Special, a resonator for all your roots rock manoeuvres
Martin DX2E 12-String Brazilian Natural: Patterned HPL gives this affordable acoustic a high-end look to match the name on the headstock
“For those on the hunt for a great quality 12-string electro-acoustic that won’t break the bank, it's a no-brainer”: Martin X Series Remastered D-X2E Brazilian 12-String review
Cort Gold-A10 Cocobolo: this stunning high-end build from the South Korean company features Adirondack spruce on top, with the eye-popping cocobolo on the back and sides.
“Beyond its beauty, the cocobolo contributes to the guitar’s overall projection and sustain”: Cort’s stunning new Gold Series acoustic is a love letter to an exotic tone wood
Martin Jr. Series: this new affordable run from the high-end acoustic brand comprises a range of travel-friendly instruments with a regular 24.9" scale. Here the range is pictured against a green background.
“Your full-scale companion. Anytime. Anywhere… the perfect companion to your full-size Martin”: Meet the Junior Series, the new small-bodied, travel-friendly acoustic range from Martin
Latest in News
Hall & Oates
“It was a joke and suddenly it became a genre. I don't even understand it. I never understood it”: Daryl Hall can’t get onboard with the concept of yacht rock - “It's just R&B, with maybe some jazz in there"
Barry Keoghan
“I met him at his house and he played the drums for me”: As he prepares to play him in the Beatles biopics, Barry Keoghan has been studying Ringo Starr’s technique up close
Tommy Emmanuel
“It’s really weird: 400 students asking questions, and I’m the only person there - and I’m the instructor - who can’t read music”: Acoustic guitar hero Tommy Emmanuel plays The Beatles and Oasis as he discusses the glaring gap in his musical knowledge
Sean Kinney
“While we were all eager to return to the stage, Sean's health is our top priority at this moment”: Alice In Chains pull tour after drummer experiences "non-life-threatening medical emergency"
syntorial
New to synthesis? This free synth plugin can help you learn how it works
Steve in the Top Gun Anthem video
“I remember saying, ‘Come on, you’re gonna edit it down to, what, four bars?’ Harold goes, ‘No, we’re gonna keep everything.’ And they did!”: How a guitar hero's epic 64-bar solo lit up a classic movie theme

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...