Post by fatfingerjohn on Sept 15, 2014 12:58:13 GMT
Hi,,
Visited yesterday for first time and thought I'd give a bit of feedback. Really enjoyed the day.
Good points.
--Wide range of guitars on display plus accessories.
--Some lessor known/stocked brands; particularly liked looking at Lakewood (think Sungha Jung) and Rozawood (lovely guitars but pretty pricey) plus the usual goodies from Taylor, Lowdham, Collings et al.
--Not so busy that you couldn't look at the guitars and have a play on most stands, partuclarly if there was a performance on somewhere.
--Excellent programme of Live Performances and Masterclasses, including Nile Rodgers and James Dean Bradfield (Manic Street Preachers) who was doing solo acoustic covers of MSP songs, excellent. Highlight for me was 'masterclass' (really a chat in with playing snippets) from Newton Faulkner; he is the most naturally entertaining guy I've seen in a while and his closing performance of his version of Bohemian Rhapsody was brilliant; worth going just for that.
--Some good 'show' discounts
Not so Good points.
--Whilst you could touch and feel some great instruments it was a waste of time trying to play them and listen because it was so noisy from other stands that you couldn't hear a thing. So if you're going to help 'choose' a guitar then don't bother; if you're going with a guitar in mind then you might get a good deal.
--Entrance price at £20 seemed steep (particularly with annoying booking fee on top). But if you take account of the Live Performances and Masterclasses it made it good value. (By the way, they were trying to get you to pre-book the Live performances when you bought tickets, at £5.00 per performance! No need as they were giving them away 1 hour before each start and there was room in all of them. If I'd paid a fiver each I would have been annoyed.
Highlight of what I saw rather than listened to? An unusual one you might think, but some beautifully hand made multi-guitar stands made out of oak (or custom if you want) which take up to 5 guitars. I've seen cheaper but these were actually a lovely bit of furniture which looks worth paying for; just got to persuade someone at home to let me get one ... Here's the link (and I'm not on commission!).
stand-made.co.uk/home/4581756642
John