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.”
Evans 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.”
Hosa Patch Pal Multi Adapter Kit — Selected by Cyph Shah
“This all-in-one kit has the adapters you’ll ever need.”
Yamaha EAD Electronic Acoustic Drum Microphone System — Selected by Robert Christie
“It’s like Yamaha asked, ‘What if we could make it easy to dial into your sound and make it easy to share with a bunch of people?’”
Yamaha Flute Assist Attachment — Selected by Gayle Beacock
“This allows our students to get an ideal sound out of their flute. It would save a lot more flute players.”
COMPANIES TO WATCH
Telepathic Instruments — Selected by Jim Tuerk
“Their product, the Orchid ORC–1, a chord-generating synthesizer, has internal speakers and is immediately a music maker. I wrote four songs in the first three minutes having it out of the box. I urge you to put it into the hands of someone who doesn’t make music.”
Conn Selmer — Selected by Laura Penrose
“They’re such a legacy company, and there’s so much on their horizon that I’m so excited about.”
Eddie Wang Instruments — Selected by Geoff Metts
“They’re based in Portland, Oregon, and make really cool stuff, like wooden cabinets. I think it’s awesome what he’s doing.”
Glassonic — Selected by Cyph Shah
“They just launched a curved glass wireless speaker system. Keep an eye on these guys. I can’t wait to see where they go.”
MakeMusic —Selected by Robert Christie
“For beginners, the problem isn’t inspiration. It’s not have the feedback to turn your practice into progress, so the student can feel successful sooner. MakeMusic helps with that.”
LEH Guitars — Selected by Gayle Beacock
“These instruments are custom, one-of-a-kind basses built Portland, Oregon. They have a big presence in Asian and European markets, and it’s time to get them in the U.S. markets. It’s hard to find a niche market in the bass world, and these fill that niche.”
BEST IN SHOW
Neural DSP cortex mini — Selected by Jim Tuerk
“It’s been a top product on Reverb for years. The tube amp category is not dying. People love the technology that’s driving these.”
Yamaha M-6300 Power-Lite series — Selected by Laura Penrose
“These percussion carriers are lightweight so you can have a 4th grader playing these in a drum line. It’s great and inclusive for all students.”
Boss GX-1 Guitar Effects Processor — Selected by Robert Christie
“I tried this. I loved it. It’s got an [application] for pretty much everyone — whether you need something to practice with or play live with.”
Electrotec Stage One Wireless Speaker — Selected by Cyph Shah
“These things have a bottom and a top. And they sound phenomenal.”
Fox Model 5800 Professional Bb Clarinet — Selected by Robert Christie
“These are new to Fox’s product lineup, and the team at Fox lets people find their own sound.”
Cannonball Black Sapphire — Selected by Gayle Beacock
“It’s a limited-edition model, and it’s just gorgeous. This is an amazing company and a beautiful instrument.”
