‘Best in Show’ Showcases Top Gear, Companies at 2026 NAMM

The annual Best in Show panel kicked off the last day of The 2026 NAMM Show, bringing with it all the hottest gear, companies and services available at this year’s show.

Held Jan. 24, Best in Show was moderated by Frank Alkyer, president of Music Inc. magazine and UpBeat Daily, and featured a panel of six retail-buying experts who presented their top picks for the best gear and services they saw across the 2026 show floor.

The categories were:

Best in Show — The best product or service the panelists saw at NAMM.
Company to Watch — An exhibitor with trendsetting products or services.
Gotta Stock It — A product that retailers should stock right now.
Add-ons & Accessories — A great product from the small-goods arena.

This year’s panelists were:
ADD-ONS & ACCESSORIES

• Jim Tuerk, VP of Marketing at Reverb.com in Chicago
• Laura Penrose, Owner of Nick Rail Music in Santa Barbara, California
• Geoff Metts, Co-owner of Five Star Guitars in Beaverton, Oregon
• Cyph Shah, General Manager of Astro Audio Video Lighting in Glendale, California
• Robert Christie, President of A&G Central Music in Madison Heights, Michigan
• Gayle Beacock, Owner of Beacock Music in Vancouver, Washington

ADD-ONS & ACCESSORIES

Casio Dimension Shifter — Selected by Jim Tuerk
“With this new innovation from Casio, you use your body to create a more expressive sound. It’s really best accessory.”

Evan’s Pull Cord Drum Key — Selected by Laura Penrose
“This drum key is awesome. Drummers can just throw it right in their bag.”

Ernie Ball USB-C Rechargeable Battery — Selected by Geoff Metts
“When I saw this product, I thought where have you been my whole life.”

PMI SmokeNINJA PRO — Selected by Cyph Shah
“This hazer kit is safe to inhale and so unique because you don’t have to carry around a large machine.”

Vandoren Juno J5 Student — Selected by Robert Christie
“There’s a real need for a thoughtfully-made mouthpiece to get beginners into their instrument and this is it.”

Wesla Bay Weller — Selected by Gayle Beacock
“Their Baby Grand Kalimbas are made in LA and are crafted from abandoned pianos if not for the founder, these pianos would be in landfills. Everything’s vintage and reused which is a really trend right now.”

GOTTA STOCK IT

Earthquaker ZEDQ Pedal — Selected by Jim Tuerk
“Eartquaker makes some of my favorite pedals, and this one is a really cool pedal.”

On-Stage Guitar Stand Workbench — Selected by Laura Penrose
“This workbench/stand holds acoustics, banjos and electrics and you can do restrings and electronic work without needed a ton of space.

Bad Cat Purepath — Selected by Geoff Metts
“From a retail perspective, it’s a soliton to customers’ asks for before they even know they need it.”