Wow, what a weekend for us! TWS Guitars’ first NAMM show was an unforgettable experience. It was filled with way too much travel, not enough sleep, and some really great friendships – both old and new. Unfortunately, there was so much going on all weekend that we barely managed to snap any pictures! But hopefully, this will give you an idea of some cool stuff we got to see over the weekend.
Thursday was a day of chaos. We flew out of North Carolina at 6:30 am on the same day, which meant we were up long before that. After checking some bags, enduring a terrible plane sleep, and shuttling to pick up the rental car, we had officially landed and began the quick drive from LA to Anaheim.
Our first day was overwhelming. We had no clue what to expect and were flabbergasted by how large of an event this was. To be honest, I’m not completely sure that we saw even 50% of the booths and demonstrations that were on site. We took day one to find our feet and get the lay of the land. After dropping off the two Talia’s to the Bareknuckle Pickups booth, we were able to stumble around a bit before hitting the Metal Allegiance show down the street. In total, with the time change, we figured we spent about 26 hours awake and moving in some way.
Friday was on the much less hectic side. With some much-needed sleep and recovery, we made our way over to the show. We got to say hello to some of our favorite artist representatives at companies like Bareknuckle Pickups, Seymour Duncan, Floyd Rose, Gator Cases, Jim Dunlop, and more. I got the chance to really scope out some new products that we have been considering implementing into our builds. From different bridges to pickups/preamps and fret materials, we got to really get nerdy and learn about some products and how we could make them work for TWS.
Saturday was our final day in California, and we met with some of our last partners/colleagues and simply enjoyed the remainder of our time. I took the opportunity to experiment with numerous pedals, test out some uncommon instruments seldom seen elsewhere, watch various performances, and catch up with friends. One of the highlights of the entire weekend was having the chance to spend ample time with my former bandmate and one of my closest friends, Devin Shidaker, who works for Balaguer Guitars. This industry revolves around enjoyment, camaraderie, and appreciating the artistry involved. The TWS x Balaguer gatherings were particularly memorable this weekend.
TOM AND DEV MEET DEVIN TOWNSEND AND CELEBRATE THEIR BALDNESS
In all, this was an incredible weekend for both of us. A HUGE thank you to the Bareknuckle Pickups crew for helping make this journey possible! Myself and dad AKA TWS can’t wait to return and make NAMM a yearly occurrence. Hopefully some more guitars featured next year?
TMS
