A Look Back on Guitar Summit 2025: New Gear, Lovely Crowd, and Guitar Gods Everywhere
A paradise for guitarists!
A Look Back on Guitar Summit 2025: New Gear, Lovely Crowd, and Guitar Gods Everywhere · Source: A. Cordes
The Gearnews team spent two very musical days in Mannheim, Germany, to spot the latest releases and experience the guitar scene. Was it worth a visit? Who is this trade show for, and what can we expect next year? Here are my impressions of Guitar Summit 2025.
Originally published on Gearnews.de by Andreas Cordes, translation by Julian Schmauch.
Guitar Summit 2025
This year’s Guitar Summit in Mannheim took place from September 26 to 28, 2025. My impressions of the past weekend were overwhelmingly positive, I can say that much already. My task was to establish direct contact with gear manufacturers and just to nerd out about news and potential upcoming releases for 2026.
Why is this important? At Gearnews, we aim to provide you with news from the guitar world as quickly and informatively as possible. This means that maintaining direct and personal contact with manufacturers is crucial. What’s more, a trade show like Guitar Summit (much like NAMM) brings together everyone who feeds our guitar universe with music, new products, and great ideas.
See and be seen
When I first arrived at the Rosengarten in Mannheim, I was a little overwhelmed. It’s easy to get lost on the premises if you don’t know your way around. There are several levels, floors, and wings. Sure, there are various signs that direct you to the different areas, but it’s still difficult to find your way around at first. So I decided to just dive in and take a tour.
The first thing I noticed was how remarkably quiet it was. No guitar sounds were coming at you from all directions. That was a bit strange. What’s going on here?, I thought. A couple of times, I saw several people gathering in front of small stages, all looking in one direction, but without any sound. Everything was through headphones! Up to 100 visitors, wearing Bluetooth headphones, stood in front of these stages and watched the performances. That took some getting used to for me. Concerts in 2025. What’s that all about? After a few hours, however, my opinion changed. With less cacophony, having conversations was much more pleasant, my stress level was minimized, and my mood remained consistently positive.
To what extent the sound of a guitar or an amplifier can be seriously evaluated under these circumstances is, in my opinion, only possible to an extent. But at least there were a couple of soundproof booths where really crank up an amp.
With a few exceptions, many manufacturers from the industry were present with their stands. But loads of small manufacturers of guitars, basses, amps, pickups, and effects units were also there, as were friendly guitar builders and amp and pedal makers. Only the two “big players,” Fender and Gibson, were conspicuous by their absence. I’m curious to see if they can continue to afford to do so, because the Guitar Summit has grown into a major event over the last seven years.
International stars up close
Many stars and popular content creators from the scene attended this year. On my first tour of the venue, I first ran into Billy Sheehan and Chris Buck. Andy Timmons, Rabbea Massaad, Philip Sayce, Andy Wood, Alex Skolnick, Dweezil Zappa, and many more were also there, giving workshops and concerts. It was even possible at times to have short, casual conversations and take photos with many of them. The overall atmosphere was super relaxed and pleasant. This was a meeting place for guitarists and people who were at least very interested in guitars.
Every night from 6 p.m. onwards, there were concerts in the large hall with great sound and an impressive atmosphere. Quite a few visitors came to the fair just for this. Many of the workshops and product presentations, which took place continuously, were also interesting and all excellently organized.
Play and Hear Everything!
What’s really great about the Guitar Summit was the unlimited opportunity to play all the new guitars, amps, and pedals. Touching and playing all of the new gear was expressly encouraged! Many manufacturers provided stations with guitars and headphones, allowing visitors to get a direct impression. And staff were available around the clock to answer questions. You could hear nerdy gear talk wherever you went!
We’ve already reported on most of the latest 2025 innovations here at Gearnews. But there was also some previously unreleased equipment to marvel at.
One eye-catching magnet was the Line6 booth. There it was: the new Helix Stadium XL and the brand-new active Line 6 Powercab CL Cabinet. Its delivery is scheduled for later this year.
In addition, Ibanez presented the new Ibanez BER10 Bernth Signature, and Rodenberg brought a small kill switcher back onto the market with the KillMister.
Harley Benton will also be releasing several new guitars and basses. Soon, there will be an HB Fusion IV, a Carlos Asensio Signature Stratocaster, and more. However, these will probably not be available until next year. We can’t wait!
What’s in Stock for 2026
The event is growing! My impression was that the Guitar Summit in Mannheim is a very attractive and informative trade show that is professionally run. It brings together a large community of guitarists, bassists, musicians, journalists, and lovers of guitar music and gear. I therefore expect high interest again next year, with many visitors from all over the world and another great lineup.
Until then, we will continue to keep you up to date with the latest news and more. The Guitar Summit 2026 will take place from September 25, 2026, to September 27, 2026. Tickets can be pre-ordered now. Those were my impressions of the Guitar Summit 2025. See you again next year.
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