Walking into the Taylor booth at NAMM 2026 felt like stepping into a sonic candy store. Jim Kirlin's words, not mine—but he's right.

I sat down with Jim to talk about what Taylor is bringing to the table this year, and it comes down to two distinct directions: the Next Generation Grand Auditorium series and the Gold Label Collection. Modern innovation on one side, vintage inspiration on the other.

The Next Gen guitars build on Taylor's flagship Grand Auditorium—that versatile middle-size body that works for everything from fingerpicking to strumming. But they've added three significant upgrades.

First is the Action Control Neck. It's a patented design with a long tenon joint that enhances resonance and tonal transfer between neck and body. More importantly, it lets players adjust string height in seconds through the sound hole. Climate changes, different venues, personal preference—you can dial it in on the fly. That's the kind of player-centric thinking that removes obstacles from the playing experience.

Second is Scalloped V-Class Bracing. Andy Powers introduced V-Class back in 2018, and this evolution adds warmth and low end while maintaining that clear, balanced Taylor articulation. You get more of everything without losing what makes a Taylor sound like a Taylor.

Third is the new Claria Pickup system. It's discreet—sound hole mounted with volume, mid contour, and tone controls. The goal was simplicity. Plug in, play, express yourself. No fussing with complicated setups depending on the venue. Just reliable amplified sound wherever you are.

Then there's the Gold Label Collection—a completely different approach.

These are non-cutaway guitars with traditional styling inspired by instruments from the 1930s and 40s. Andy Powers designed them to broaden Taylor's tonal palette and reach players who've never been drawn to the brand before.

The new square shoulder dreadnought caught my attention. Deeper body dimensions than a traditional Taylor dread, with serious lung capacity inside. You strum those chords and feel the low end push back. Fan V-Class Bracing gives it projection and response that traditional dreadnought fans will appreciate.

There's also round shoulder dreadnoughts and super auditoriums—the latter based on the Grand Auditorium but with all the curves pushed out for more air mass. Many feature torrified tops that give them an aged, played-in character right out of the case.

The headstock shape is different. The logo styling is older. It's Taylor paying respect to tradition while still building with modern precision.

What struck me most was how intentional both directions are. Taylor isn't abandoning their modern sound—they're expanding what's possible. Next Gen for players who want cutting-edge innovation. Gold Label for players who want vintage warmth and resonance.

Two paths. Same commitment to removing obstacles and inspiring players.

That's 50 years of guitar making at work.

Sean Martin interviews Jim Kirlin from Taylor Guitars at NAMM 2026 for ITSPmagazine.

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This is a Brand Highlight. A Brand Highlight is an introductory conversation designed to put a spotlight on the guest and their company. Learn more: https://www.studioc60.com/creation#highlight

GUESTS

Jim Kirlin
Editorial Director at Taylor Guitars

RESOURCES

Learn more about Taylir Guitars Strings Guitars: https://www.taylorguitars.com

Are you interested in telling your story?
▶︎ Full Length Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#full
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Wine Barrels, Duomo Marble, and Florence: Paoletti Custom Guitars at NAMM 2026

I've been away from Florence for 25 years. I didn't know there was a guitar company like this back home.

At NAMM 2026, I found Filippo Martini from Paoletti Custom Guitars—a boutique manufacturer based in the heart of Tuscany, building instruments that are equal parts guitar and artwork.

Paoletti does something no one else does: they build guitars from chestnut wood sourced from Italian wine barrels. The material offers a wide harmonic spectrum, but it's difficult to work with. You need to know how to handle it. Founder Fabrizio Paoletti figured it out, and now every guitar they produce shows the natural grain—no opaque finishes, no hiding the wood.

The craftsmanship runs deep. Bridges, pickguards, pickups—all made in-house. Necks carved from Canadian maple, roasted on-site. 99% of the process happens in Tuscany. As Filippo put it, "Kilometer zero." Zero miles. Everything local except the screws.

Their model is 100% custom. You don't buy a Paoletti off the rack. You tell them your style, your sound, the genre you play. They build around your vision while keeping the Italian essence intact—chestnut wood, Italian-made components, tailored to your idea.

But what stopped me cold was the Duomo collection.

Eight individual guitars, each hand-engraved by Fabrizio Paoletti himself. Three years of work. The subject: Florence's cathedral—the Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore.

This isn't just decoration. Paoletti secured an official partnership with the Opera del Duomo, the authority that oversees the cathedral. The back of each guitar reproduces the marble floor pattern from inside the Duomo. And when the collection is complete this October, every guitar will contain an actual piece of marble from the cathedral.

I got shivers standing there.

This is what happens when guitar making meets Italian heritage. It's not about specs or market positioning. It's about place, history, and craft passed down through generations.

Filippo invited me to visit the workshop in Florence when I return in April. I'm going. I want to see where this happens—where wine barrel wood becomes an instrument, where cathedral marble gets embedded into a guitar body, where a team of artisans builds one-of-one pieces for players around the world.

Florence is known for many things. Leather. Art. Architecture. The Renaissance itself. Now I know it's also home to some of the most distinctive guitars being made anywhere.

Paoletti proves that boutique doesn't mean small ambitions. They're partnering with galleries in Dubai, working with the Duomo authorities, and bringing Florence to NAMM.

Not bad for a company I didn't even know existed until I walked the show floor and heard an Italian accent.

Sometimes you find home in unexpected places.

Marco Ciappelli interviews Filippo Martini from Paoletti Custom Guitars at NAMM 2026 for ITSPmagazine.

Part of ITSPmagazine's On Location Coverage at NAMM 2026.

🌐 https://www.itspmagazine.com/the-namm-show-2026-namm-music-conference-music-technology-event-coverage-anaheim-california

__________________________

This is a Brand Highlight. A Brand Highlight is an introductory conversation designed to put a spotlight on the guest and their company. Learn more: https://www.studioc60.com/creation#highlight

GUEST

Filippo Martini
Managing DIrector at Paoletti Guitars | Florence | Tuscany | Italy

RESOURCES

Learn more about Paoletti Guitars: https://www.paolettiguitars.com

Are you interested in telling your story?
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What happens when artificial intelligence enters the arena of ethical hacking? Laurie Mercer, Senior Director of Solutions Engineering at HackerOne, joins Sean Martin for a look inside the ninth annual Hacker-Powered Security Report, where the headline is clear: the bionic hacker has arrived. HackerOne connects the global security research community with enterprises, open source projects, and major organizations, all working toward a shared mission of building a safer internet by finding, fixing, and rewarding the discovery of vulnerabilities.

How is AI reshaping the bug bounty landscape? Mercer describes a dramatic shift unfolding on the HackerOne platform. For the first time, autonomous AI agents are operating alongside human researchers, growing from a single agent to more than ten competing on the leaderboard. At the same time, customers are driving change from the other side, with a 270% increase in organizations placing AI models within the scope of their bug bounty programs. The platform has paid out a record $81 million in bounty rewards over the past 12 months, with an average payout of roughly $1,000 per vulnerability, underscoring the sheer volume of valid findings flowing through the system.

What makes these findings so significant? Of the reports submitted, 23,700 are rated critical or high severity, representing vulnerabilities capable of causing serious data breaches. HackerOne estimates these remediations have helped organizations avoid up to $3 billion in potential breach costs. The collectives participating on the platform range from venture-capital-backed startups building AI-powered offensive tools to informal groups of researchers pooling resources for greater efficiency. Mercer highlights three vulnerability categories that have surged over the past year: prompt injection, sensitive information exposure through large language models, and insecure plugin design. For any organization deploying AI-powered tools, these represent the most urgent areas to assess and secure.

This is a Brand Highlight. A Brand Highlight is a ~5 minute introductory conversation designed to put a spotlight on the guest and their company. Learn more: https://www.studioc60.com/creation#highlight

GUEST

Laurie Mercer, Senior Director of Solutions Engineering at HackerOne
On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriemercer/

RESOURCES

Learn more about HackerOne: https://www.hackerone.com

Are you interested in telling your story?
▶︎ Full Length Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#full
▶︎ Brand Spotlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#spotlight
▶︎ Brand Highlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#highlight

KEYWORDS

Laurie Mercer, HackerOne, Sean Martin, brand story, brand marketing, marketing podcast, brand highlight, bug bounty, ethical hacking, bionic hacker, AI agents, autonomous hacking, vulnerability discovery, hacker-powered security, offensive security, prompt injection, insecure plugin design, LLM security, AI vulnerability, cybersecurity, breach avoidance, bug bounty platform, responsible disclosure

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At NAMM 2026, Sean Martin sits down with Chuck Tennin, the President and CEO of Big Fish Music and Big Fish Music Publishing Group, for a candid conversation about the role of AI in the music industry and why the human element remains irreplaceable. Known as "The Big Fish" and "The Alligator," Chuck has spent more than five decades working as an engineer, record producer, music publisher, and consultant, and he pulls no punches when it comes to the limits of technology in creative work.

Chuck draws a sharp line between AI as a tool and AI as a replacement for human creativity. He points to organizations like ASCAP, BMI, and the Recording Academy as allies in the fight to protect the creative process, arguing that AI cannot replicate the feel, the instinct, and the emotional investment that go into producing a record. For Chuck, the difference between producing music and producing a record is everything: a record has to connect with an audience on a level that no algorithm can manufacture.

The conversation takes listeners through Chuck's journey from two-track analog recording to the digital era of Pro Tools, exploring how each technological leap brought efficiency but never fully captured the warmth and authenticity of tape. He reflects on the critical distinction between an MP3 and a WAV file, between convenience and quality, and between what sounds good enough and what sounds like a record.

Chuck also shares hard-earned wisdom about the business side of music: the perseverance required, the reality that 90% of aspiring artists fail, and the belief in oneself that separates survivors from those who walk away. Drawing on stories from legendary artists he has worked with over the decades, he reminds listeners that every big name started in the same place and climbed out of the same struggle.

This is a conversation about what technology can assist with and what it can never touch: the soul of music and the humans who create it.

Sean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine, Studio C60, and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast & Music Evolves Podcast | Website: https://www.seanmartin.com/

Chuck Tennin, President and CEO of Big Fish Music and Big Fish Music Publishing Group | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-tennin-3468b6105/

The NAMM Show 2026 is taking place from January 20-24, 2026 | Anaheim Convention Center, Southern California — Follow our coverage: https://www.itspmagazine.com/the-namm-show-2026-namm-music-conference-music-technology-event-coverage-anaheim-california

Music Evolves: Sonic Frontiers Newsletter | https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7290890771828719616/

chuck tennin, big fish music, sean martin, AI in music, analog vs digital recording, record producer, music publishing, Pro Tools, ASCAP, BMI, Recording Academy, NAMM 2026, music industry, human creativity, songwriting, music, creativity, art, artist, musician, music evolves, music podcast, music and technology podcast

More from Music Evolves: https://www.seanmartin.com/music-evolves-podcast

Music Evolves on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnYu0psdcllTRJ5du7hFDXjiugu-uNPtW

Music Evolves: Sonic Frontiers Newsletter | https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7290890771828719616/

On Location with Sean and Marco: https://www.itspmagazine.com/on-location

ITSPmagazine YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@itspmagazine

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At the Guitar Center Foundation, music is treated as a shared resource rather than a luxury. During this conversation at the NAMM Show 2026, Michelle Wolff, representing the Foundation, explains how access to real instruments can change the trajectory of a student, a patient, or a veteran simply by making music possible in the first place.

The Foundation’s work centers on donating thousands of instruments to schools, hospitals, and veteran centers, with a focus on communities where funding for music programs is often the first thing cut. Through a structured grant process, organizations apply for instruments quarterly, with roughly 150 requests reviewed each cycle. About 30 of those requests are fulfilled, helping sustain programs that might otherwise disappear.

Beyond instrument donations, the Foundation is expanding how it shows up in communities. Plans include live donation events that bring instruments directly into schools and hospitals, often paired with artist participation to create meaningful, memorable moments. New donor and ambassador programs are also taking shape, designed to broaden awareness and bring more voices into the mission.

Partnerships play a major role in that effort. The conversation highlights recent collaboration tied to the 100 Billion Meals initiative, where music, visual art, and social impact intersect to amplify multiple causes at once. These partnerships extend the Foundation’s reach while reinforcing the idea that music can support broader humanitarian goals.

Wolff also shares a personal connection to the mission. As a former vocal performance major at the University of Texas Butler School of Music, she understands how deeply musicians identify with their craft. After experiencing vocal injury herself, she speaks to the importance of supporting musicians through change and helping them build identities that extend beyond a single instrument, without losing music as a core part of who they are.

That perspective brings the Foundation’s work full circle. Access to instruments is not only about creating future professionals. It is about expression, resilience, and giving people the chance to discover what music can mean in their own lives.

Part of ITSPmagazine's On Location Coverage at NAMM 2026.

🌐 https://www.itspmagazine.com/the-namm-show-2026-namm-music-conference-music-technology-event-coverage-anaheim-california

__________________________

Guitar Center Foundation: https://www.guitarcenterfoundation.org

100 Billion Meals initiative: https://100billionmeals.org

The NAMM Show 2026: https://www.namm.org/thenammshow/attend

Music Evolves: Sonic Frontiers Newsletter | https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7290890771828719616/

More from Marco Ciappelli on Redefining Society and Technology Podcast: https://redefiningsocietyandtechnologypodcast.com/

Want to share an Event Briefing as part of our event coverage? Learn More 👉 https://www.studioc60.com/performance#briefing

Want Sean and Marco to be part of your event or conference? Let Us Know 👉 https://www.studioc60.com/performance#ideas

KEYWORDS: music charity, instrument donations, namm show 2026, music education access, supporting musicians, music nonprofit, guitar center foundation, music programs schools, music and community, philanthropy in music, guitar center, michelle wolff, marco ciappelli

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I had one of those conversations... the kind where you're nodding along, then suddenly stop because someone just articulated something you've been feeling but couldn't quite name.

Andrea Isoni is a Chief AI Officer. He builds and delivers AI solutions for a living. And yet, sitting across from him (virtually, but still), I heard something I rarely hear from people deep in the AI industry: a clear, unromantic take on what this technology actually is — and what it isn't.

His argument is elegant in its simplicity. Think about Michelangelo. We picture him alone with a chisel, carving David from marble. But that's not how it worked. Michelangelo ran a workshop. He had apprentices — skilled craftspeople who did the bulk of the work. The master would look at a semi-finished piece, decide what needed refinement, and add the final touch.

That final touch is everything.

Andrea draws the same line with chefs. A Michelin-starred kitchen isn't one person cooking. It's a team executing the chef's vision. But the chef decides what's on the menu. The chef check the dish before it leaves. The chef adds that last adjustment that transforms good into memorable.

AI, in this framework, is the newest apprentice. It can do the bulk work. It can generate drafts, produce code, create images. But it cannot — and here's the key — provide that final touch. Because that touch comes from somewhere AI doesn't have access to: lived experience, suffering, joy, the accumulated weight of being human in a particular time and place.

This matters beyond art. Andrea calls it the "hacker economy" — a future where AI handles the volume, but humans handle the value. Think about code generation. Yes, AI can write software. But code with a bug doesn't work. Period. Someone has to fix that last bug. And in a world where AI produces most of the code, the value of fixing that one critical bug increases exponentially. The work becomes rarer but more valuable. Less frequent, but essential.

We went somewhere unexpected in our conversation — to electricity. What does AI "need"? Not food. Not warmth. Electricity. So if AI ever developed something like feelings, they wouldn't be tied to hunger or cold or human vulnerability. They'd be tied to power supply. The most important being to an AI wouldn't be a human — it would be whoever controls the electricity grid.

That's not a being we can relate to. And that's the point.

Andrea brought up Guernica. Picasso's masterpiece isn't just innovative in style — it captures something society was feeling in 1937, the horror of the Spanish Civil War. Great art does two things: it innovates, and it expresses something the collective needs expressed. AI might be able to generate the first. It cannot do the second. It doesn't know what we feel. It doesn't know what moment we're living through. It doesn't have that weight of context.

The research community calls this "world models" — the attempt to give AI some built-in understanding of reality. A dog doesn't need to be taught to swim; it's born knowing. Humans have similar innate knowledge, layered with everything we learn from family, culture, experience. AI starts from zero. Every time.

Andrea put it simply: AI contextualization today is close to zero.

I left the conversation thinking about what we protect when we acknowledge AI's limits. Not anti-technology. Not fear. Just clarity. The "last touch" isn't a romantic notion — it's what makes something resonate. And that resonance comes from us.

Stay curious. Subscribe to the podcast. And if you have thoughts, drop them in the comments — I actually read them.

Marco Ciappelli
Subscribe to the Redefining Society and Technology podcast. Stay curious. Stay human.
> https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7079849705156870144/

Marco Ciappelli: https://www.marcociappelli.com/

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