The Ultimate Guitar Showcase: 10 Mind-Blowing Highlights from Europe’s Guitar Summit 2026!

Players from across the globe united under one roof to share their combined passion for the guitar, and what a show it was!

Europe's biggest guitar show has continued to prove itself as an absolute unmissable date on every guitar fan's calendar. This was my second time at the Rosengarten in Mannheim, Germany, and I think I can say with complete confidence that it was even better than the last.

It had everything you'd ever want from a high-end guitar show. Plenty of high-profile gear drops, a whole lineup of big-name artists, and a generally excellent vibe that brought players from across the world under one roof with one single thing linking them all: a shared love of the guitar.

1. Matteo Mancuso Finally Gets His Signature Yamaha Revstar

At NAMM 2025, I was interviewing Matteo Mancuso about a potential signature model based on the Yamaha Revstar. This weekend, that dream guitar finally became a reality. Matteo Mancuso is thoroughly deserving of a signature model. One of the Revstar’s biggest champions alongside Chris Buck, the young Sicilian virtuoso has lit a massive fire in the world of instrumental fusion music over the past three years and is lauded by the biggest names in the game.

2. The Only John Mayer PRS SE Silver Sky Defender in Europe Made a Cameo

Last week, I spoke to John Mayer about his new collaboration with Land Rover and the new black pickguard PRS SE Silver Sky models. It’s been a sleek cosmetic feature that lots of fans have been eagerly waiting for. Given how recent (and limited) the launch was, I was surprised to find one at the official PRS booth. Apparently, it was the only Defender SE model in Europe at the time, and it was simply stunning. The black pickguard looks really sweet on the Silver Sky body, and I hope it becomes a permanent fixture in the SE range at some point in the future. And although I have no real interest in Defenders, I must admit they feature some breathtaking finishes. The Sedona Red model at the Summit (which was virtually impossible to get hold of owing to its popularity) was really effective: deep, almost burgundy, with a subtle metallic sheen.

3. Höfner Leaves Financial Troubles Behind

I spent plenty of time over the past 18 months following and reporting on Höfner’s struggles. The makers of Paul McCartney’s iconic Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass filed for bankruptcy in December 2025, but was bought out by GEWA Music a few months ago. Since then, it’s all been quite quiet, and no one really knew what the future would hold for Höfner. Well, if its Guitar Summit booth is anything to go by, the future is very bright indeed. The stand was huge—easily one of the biggest of the entire show. And it had plenty of fine instruments on display, including several acoustics and, of course, the classic Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass. It seemed like business as usual for the Höfner crew, one of whom mentioned that those famed models from the past will continue to be made alongside newer instruments currently in development. What a remarkable turnaround!

4. Wes Hauch’s $10k Ibanez Iceman Was on Display – But a Tube Screamer Stole the Show

Ibanez had a few awesome things I wanted to check out at its booth this year; chief among them was Wes Hauch’s custom seven-string Ibanez Iceman. But when I got there, something else stole my attention: a custom Ibanez AZ and Tube Screamer set from Bryx (think Lego). As someone who has built the Lego Fender Stratocaster and amp, this was right up my alley. At €49.99, I couldn’t quite justify it at the time, but now that I’m back on English soil, I kinda regret my decision. I mean, c’mon—a Tube Screamer pedal you can actually build?! But back to serious business: the Wes Hauch Ibanez Iceman was the absolute standout model on the booth. The $10k price tag is still a major talking point, but it looked and felt like the real deal when I took it for a quick spin. Let's hope a more accessible production model is on the cards down the line.

5. Eventide's H9 Harmonizer Gen 2 Might Be the Absolute G.O.A.T.

One of my friends swears by the Eventide H90, so I was very curious to get a closer look at the H9—the smaller spiritual sibling that does everything the larger next-gen H90 can do in a much smaller package. And my high expectations were fully met. It is way more intuitive to navigate than the older unit thanks to the redesigned UI, making it much better for immediate tone selecting and tweaking. All the effect algorithms were top tier, and best of all, it’s remarkably compact. If it wasn’t so expensive, I’d be picking one up immediately.

6. TONE3000 Is Set to Take Over the Digital Tone World

Guitar Summit also gave me my first chance to play through some TONE3000 NAM captures. You probably know what they are, but for a brief intro: Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) is a free, open-source amp, cab, and effects platform that’s taking the modeler world by storm. Several major companies are cottoning on and making their products NAM-compatible. The Beam Mini from Blackstar was one of the very first, so I made a beeline for Blackstar’s booth to give it a spin. The amp/TONE3000 compatibility was more straightforward than I imagined. NAM captures can be browsed and uploaded directly to the Beam Mini through the partner app. You can then drop it in your signal chain alongside some other Blackstar effects. I played through the Oil Can capture inspired by the amp used by the Foo Fighters on their debut album, alongside an AC/DC rig that sounded quite excellent. I also dabbled with the newly added Moises stem separation feature and had way too much fun riffing along to John Mayer. TONE3000 is undeniably the future of digital tone modeling.

7. Marshall’s Booth Was a Grand Tribute to Jimi Hendrix

Marshall has been having lots of fun at trade shows in recent years, always going big with its booth designs. This year’s Summit was no exception. Spread across either side of the main concourse, the booth was a grand ode to Jimi Hendrix, complete with a massive 60th-anniversary banner and those limited-edition purple swirl stacks taking pride of place. I also loved the relaxed bar-lounge vibe they had going on: plush leather chairs, a cozy sofa, and warm lighting choices. There was also the limited-edition Sex Pistols stack and the recent Dookie amp made in collaboration with Billie Joe Armstrong. Not to brag, but I got to watch Jared James Nichols rip through the Jimi Hendrix Marshall stack live—it sounded killer!

8. IK Multimedia Launches Its Touchscreen Modeler TONEX Board – But Is It Enough?

IK Multimedia has been trying to keep pace with its closest rivals with the release of its long-awaited flagship touchscreen modeler, the TONEX Board. With extra processing power and an improved user interface, this was definitely high up on my “gear I must check out” list. First impressions? It’s solid. The touchscreen definitely works well, and I like the overall layout. It was a bit chunkier than I expected—unavoidable, probably, given what’s going on underneath the hood—and from my brief encounter, I still think there are better tonal options out there. That said, it’s more affordable than some of its closer competitors and remains a solid option for both hybrid and all-in-one rigs.

Legator - Guitar Summit 2026

9. Uncountable Masterclass Artist Performances

Naturally, all the gear was fantastic, but one of the absolute biggest highlights for me this year was the sheer number of amazing artists that I was fortunate enough to meet, interview, chat with, or watch play live. I watched Andy McKee play the Nintendo Mii theme song on fingerstyle acoustic. I saw Jack Gardiner and Rabea Massaad play an anime-inspired track from their upcoming album. Jared James Nichols ripped through Folsom Prison Blues alongside Greg Koch, while Phil Demmel hosted an incredible workshop. Showgoers really were spoiled rotten. It’s one of the biggest draws of these events and a major reason why the crowds keep coming back.

10. Honorable Mentions

Given that I kept stumbling upon new areas of the Summit I had no idea existed, I’ve probably left a few things out. Please forgive me! But huge shoutouts to the Dime Guitarz Culprit, Boss EX-4, Strandberg Essential Boden Tremolo, Jackson Sleep Token signatures, Guild Starfire models, and just about every artisan builder in the boutique showcase room!

Suhr - Guitar Summit 26

Richter - Guitar Summit 2026

Boutique amplifier - Guitar Summit 2026

EarthQuaker Devices - Guitar Summit 2026

Bad Cat - Guitar Summit 2026

Marshall - Guitar Summit 26