Rikk's NAMM 08' experience.....

rikkbeatty · #1 01-21-2008, 03:19 PM

Where to even start with this..... Ok this was the first NAMM show where I was busy performing every day once an hour for approx 20 minutes at a time. I was done for the day at 3:00pm on Sunday and in all I did 30 performances in 4 days!!! Man I am tired... Ok now for the cool stuff....

Day 1 went by uneventfull but very cool. Lots of performances and getting into the basic groove of NAMM. Day 2... starts off with Slash (Guns and Roses/Velvet Revolver) coming into the booth and watching me play. He was smiling and digging the music and gave me props when finished. Later that day I am doing a show and am REALLY into my performance. I "pull focus" (sometimes I just zone out in my own little world when on stage) and see Yngwiee Malmsteen standing there with a VERY tall tattooed buddy (bodyguard probably). He has a huge smile on his face and his buddy was definitely into the tunes. When I was done the crowd (including Yngwiee) applauded. I said "thank you, thank you... and thank YOU Yngwiee" and pointed to him. When I did he gave me the "Rock On" hand signs with both hands smiled, and nodded his head in approvement. For me.... that was just friggin AWESOME!!! I mean to have a legend watch your performance and be into your music and what you are doing..... wow.... I dont really require validation from people for my music in order to keep me writing and playing and doing what I do but getting validation from someone like Yngwiee Malmsteen who has NO problem telling people what his true feelings are.... well that is just friggin AWESOME!!!!

Later that day Jennifer Batten came in the booth. My buddy Dave Martone was performing and he and she are good friends from the Guitar Workshop. We got a chance to speak. What a great person and INCREDIBLE guitar player!! I walked out and ran into Gary Hoey (Digitech's booth is DIRECTLY accross from Fender's booth. And talked to him for a few minutes. We spoke about the new gear from Digitech and he was going to stop by and watch a clinic and possibly do a duo jam on stage but it did not end up happening.

Day 3 started FIRST thing in the morning with the VP of Digitech and Eddie Kramer having a meeting and then watching me do my first performance for the day. Holy crap.... Eddie Kramer!!!! Um.... he has produced and engineered like friggin EVERYONE from Zepplin, The Beetles, Jimi Hendrix.... oh man about a ZILLION bands. THIS guy KNOWS tone and he said he loved my custom guitar and the tone I was getting!!!!! Ok so at this point I am just friggin thinking.... whats next!?!?!?! Well the day ended with the ultimate "whats next" and thanks to my Ibanez endorsement I not only got passes to "THE EVENT" at NAMM but I got VIP passes. A private concert with Mr. Joe Satriani. His 20th anniversary of Surfin with the Alien. He performed the album start to finish (I forgot to mention I was sitting in a booth with Gregg Bissonnett and his sister!!!) and then at the end he had a few special guests come out. Marti Friedman, Paul Gilbert, Herman Li, and a friend of Joe's from way back (cant remember his name). They then all performed "Foxy Lady, Rockin the Freeworld, and Goin Down". I left there start struck and deaf from the volume but high on addrenelin and a kickin great time!!! These private parties are all open bar and free food so you are well taken care of up there in the VIP section!!!

Day 4..... I performed my last 6 shows. Rob from Ibanez came by and checked out my performance and the custom Ibanez and to say hello. Later I grabbed another $15.00 cheeseurger, fries, and a pop for lunch then headed to the hotel to get my luggage. I am sitting here in the airport right now writing this but wont post it till tomorrow probably since I am going to be boarding the plane here pretty quick. I have 4 days off then I have to fly back out to do 2 shows in Hollywood and Sandiego then we are off to Arizona and Texas for 2 weeks. THEN I am home for 2 weeks. All I want to do is sleep for at least 24 hours straight........ NAMM this year was just off the friggin hook for me and I barely even had a chance to leave the Digitech booth!!!!!!! lol Thank god Summer NAMM is a ways off.......

-Rikk Beatty

wilch · #2 01-21-2008, 03:39 PM

That's awesome dude! Thanks for the write up

.

p.s. Are there pics of your custom Ibanez anywhere?

Ekim · #3 01-21-2008, 05:33 PM

I was wondering the same thing. Some closeups would be great.

rikkbeatty · #4 01-21-2008, 06:27 PM

Its not a LA custom shop (I am working on that one right now with Ibanez). What I have is a early model JS1 (2 hum configuration). I had a rainforest paintjob done on it, green/black Dimarzio FRED and PAF PRO pickups put in, green LED inlays on the fretboard and side dot fibre optic lights put in and then had the Ibanez logo redone in green. I had posted pics at one time of the guitar but that was before I had the pickups changed out. I will see if I have any pics of it from NAMM I can post...

plantboy · #5 01-21-2008, 08:26 PM

congratulations, Rikk. You've arrived. I saw the new Herman Li and Sam Totman signature guitars. Maybe next year it's your turn.

shotgunlew · #6 01-21-2008, 10:16 PM

omg.... amazing story brother.....one day ill be there, prolly not but a guy can dream right?

rikkbeatty · #7 01-21-2008, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plantboy

congratulations, Rikk. You've arrived. I saw the new Herman Li and Sam Totman signature guitars. Maybe next year it's your turn.

lol I wish! Although with all the amazing things that have happened to me in the last year I will never doubt any possibilities any longer!!!

LonePhantom · #8 01-21-2008, 11:52 PM

Sounds like an awesome experience.

Tubarão Guitars · #9 01-22-2008, 03:26 AM

was a blast, pal.
congratz, you deserve it.

rbjammin · #10 01-22-2008, 08:52 AM

Congratulations! It sounds like you had a wonderful experience, and that the people watching/listening to you really appreciated your enthusiasm for playing.

Wow....just....wow....playing in front of THAT group of people, and maintaining your composure....just awesome Rikk!

the.godfather · #11 01-22-2008, 10:01 AM

Congratulations Rikk, as I've said in the past you thoroughly deserve it. And getting praise from "the fury" Yngwie himself, wow! People make him out to be something he's not, deep down he's just an everyday guy like the rest of us.

Some photos from Namm would be awesome if you have any.

Batchimp RG · #12 01-22-2008, 10:17 AM

Rikk, that is awesome!!!! Eddie Kramer, Yngwie, Slash and more all in less than a week!!!?? That IS rock n roll, buddy! Good on ya, congrats!

eviltwin · #13 01-22-2008, 01:22 PM

you're livin'the dream...awesome.

Did any of your clinics/shows get recorded?

rikkbeatty · #14 01-22-2008, 02:16 PM

My friend Fish was with me for the 4 days. He got to roam around and see the rest of NAMM while I was pretty much just hanging out in the Digitech room. He took a bunch of different pictures. I have them all on my computer now but there are a ton of them.... I did get some video of the Satriani show which is cool but the pics did not turn out... :-( Fish was not in the booth when Slash or Eddie Kramer was there but he was there when Yngwiee was there. He wrote about it in his blog of NAMM on Myspace http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...iendid=2639361 under "Day 1, 2, 3, and 4". The only people I was able to take pictures with were Jennifer Batten and Gary Hoey. BUT I will always have the memory of the other people that I have watched on stage, watching me onstage. lol I did get some video of the clinic though. My camera did not turn out so hot but they had a professional shooting video there at the booth. When I get a copy of that I will post it. It had 2 different camera angles and whatnot which was real nice.