Hi all,
I’ve just realised that the UKs biggest guitar show is about 5 miles away from me next month at Cranmore Park in Solihull.
Has anyone been to a guitar show? Are they good? Is anyone going?
Liz
1 Like
Hire a van?
1 Like
I have been to guitar shows before, including the one that was held at Birmingham several years ago.
They are great if you want to explore new kit but, in my experience, you really only need about an hour to go around the whole exhibition unless you are really interested in every booth.
There will be a handful of big vendor booths (Fender, Blackstar, etc.) a bunch of smaller brand booths (especially for acoustic guitars, IME), some big guitar stores like GAK, some publishers trying to sell books and magazine subscriptions, a fair number of booths selling accessories like tuners, guitar stands and cables, and a few selling gimmicks.
I don’t know if there are any workshops, but it might be worth checking this out. Justin did some workshops at the Guitar and Bass show in London a few years back. I suspect he isn’t at this show, but there may be some interesting ones.
In general, I found the pure guitar shows a bit boring. They are a bit like visiting a large music store. They are great if you want to see and try out something specific or if they have some interesting workshops, but otherwise it’s wandering around looking at loads of booths selling gear.
The London Bass Guitar Show (LBGS) I sent to a few years ago was a lot more interesting because they seemed to arrange a lot more interesting side content including artist workshops, masterclasses, and Q&A sessions (I got front row seats to watch Bobby Vega, Jah Wobble, Steve Lawson and others play), and also because it was a meeting place for online friends.
The one Justin did was a combined Guitar and Bass show. It wasn’t quite as good as the LBGS for content, but it was still pretty good.
One of the best shows I went to was a general music instrument show in London at Excel many years ago which had loads to see across a wide range of instruments.
By the way, guitar shows tend to be loud. They hand out ear plugs at the door. Take them and use them.
Cheers,
Keith
2 Likes
It doesn’t look like it. Danish Pete will be there.
1 Like
Thanks for that, that’s really helpful. I’ll probably go as I don’t drive so it’s kind of a one off opportunity to go somewhere super local and I have a friend to go with. Be interesting to see what’s there and check out the live stage at least! 
2 Likes