Check out our chat with Owen Matthews of Electro-Harmonix at Winter NAMM 2020 about what’s new for this year.
What’s new for Winter NAMM?
Our NAMM show special is our Dirt Road amp. The Dirt Road special amp. It’s a little combo, solid-state, and we’re having a NAMM show special on that.
We have some new pedals coming out this spring – the Oceans 12, which is the Oceans 11’s big brother. Also, we’ll have the Pitchfork Plus.
In the summer, we’ll release the 1440, which is our new stereo looper with midi and some other extra features, more time.
Another main part of the NAMM show is that we’re trying to promote our new headphone line. We have both wired and Bluetooth. We have earbuds and over-the-ear headphones.
What about some of your more perennial lines? How would you characterize your existing lines for a new audience?
The Big Muff is one of our flagship products, and we have our new Big Muff Rams Head. We also have the Russian Big Muff and our other Big Muffs. That’s one of our best pedals, and that’s still selling very strong.
What makes your products stand out from the others?
Well, we’ve been around for 50-plus years. This is going to be our 53rd year, and we have a reputation for making amazing, old-school, vintage effects pedals. At the same time, we’re introducing new products. So, people are always interested to come back for more.
All right. What artists currently are using your products?
Everybody. (laughter)
So, they’re very widely used.
They’re used by so many bands. I get a hundred emails every day.
What’s your favorite pedal, if you have one?
My favorite is our new Canyon pedal. I love that. It’s got great delay and reverb, and that’s my new favorite right now. It’s like the flavor of the month.
Beyond the show and the new products that you just told me about, what else does 2020 hold?
We’re just trying to expand into different markets with the headphones, get into stuff that’s not only strictly MI, but other markets for everyone. We also have our mini-synthesizer app on the app store. It’s only $2.99, and that’s cheaper than a cup of coffee these days.
For playing the synth on your phone?
Yeah, our mini-synthesizer app. It’s got a bunch of presets, and you can tinker around. It has amazing tones. It’s fun for everyone and great for the kids.
Owen, thank you so much for talking today. Can you let everybody know where to find you online?
Thanks for talking! Have a good rest of the show.
Thank you.