Post by leoroberts on May 20, 2018 15:41:17 GMT
I toddled along to this event this morning. Held at Haydock Racecourse in...ermmm...Haydock. Well, Newton-le-Willows, really - the home of Rick Astley. Not much of a boast but there you go.
I've been to other iterations of these events (I once was even the guest of guitbrett so got in for free!) but, this time, I had to pay the full £8. Now, so long as you're buying something, that's money well spent. If you're just browsing well, it's £8 you're not going to see again. I bought enough stuff that I covered my entrance fee. Had I been in the market for an instrument I could have saved myself many times that - some show discounts were very good indeed (check the Furchs from Forsyth's Music) but I wasn't. So I didn't.
To be honest, I only really went to say "hello" to RosieTGC and Karl (important to keep good relations with forum friends, I believe). Of course, Karl had left Rosie in the lurch in order to play golf but she was more than coping
She'd nabbed a really good, quiet spot on the top floor so you could actually hear what you were playing which was just as well because I played her new model (the middle one in the photo) and fell in love. There again, I always do with every Turnstone I've played so nothing new there.
Turnstone Guitars was the last stall I visited - here are some of the other highlights (for me) and low lights (again, for me).
Just along from the Turnstone stand was another acoustic builder - Nick Tinklin (nominative determinism?). Nick had two guitars (both OMs) on display and I had a little play with one. Very nice it was, too. And competitively priced at £1400 (the other - with different woods - was £1800). I was a bit put off by Nick's "I can build you anything you want - get me the plans and I can build it" assertion. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but he's only a young lad and I think it's sometimes best if you get comfortable, develop your 'sound' and build a small range before diversifying too much.
Then I came across Artur Dogiel...
This multiscale acoustic was by Artur Dogiel. Most of the instruments on his stand were electrics, this was the only acoustic, and was a prototype. It was very balanced on my knee, the big bezel made it very comfortable to hold and the multiscale wasn't too extreme. Artur had, unfortunately for me, someone also trying out one of his electric guitars through the obligatory (and necessary) amp so it was difficult to hear the acoustic - but what I did hear sounded more than decent. The fretboard logo doesn't actually mean anything - he just doodled it, liked it, and kept it. He tells me that "everything is customisable to the customer's wishes" and will lead to a price of about £3k...
I spent some time at the S Brothers stand. They build composite guitars and I was quite taken by them, I must say. There were 3 models on display - a braced dreadnought, an unbraced dreadnought, and a shallow bowl-back OM. If I did a lot of touring to places with varying humidity I might just have invested the £1k they quoted me. I don't, though.
The Forsyth stand (actually a room) was majoring on Auden and Furch acoustics - with demos and a small 4 song set by an engaging duo whose name I have already forgotten. They were good though. You could save a fair bit of money buying a Furch at the show - nearly £1k in one particular instance. I've always liked the Furch brand - I was going to get one (they were the only guitars I could find in my price range that offered a cedar top) before davewhite offered to make me Sybil.
I was grabbed by one exhibitor from gillettguitars. They have just developed a new electro-acoustic (they primarily make basses) and wanted feedback (no pun intended) from players. So I duly went along and had a play. It was fine. But it sounded more like an electric guitar than an acoustic when played through the amp they had set up and they wouldn't let me play it unplugged. Automatic fail, if you ask me. Which they did so I told them.
@standmade was there showing his exquisite oak guitar stands. New to me was a lovely double decker - enough for 10 acoustics. Beautiful to look at and touch, they really are pieces of furniture with both function and design in equal measure. £650 mind... but just LOOK at it! Worth checking out on Andy's website
Of course, it wasn't just acoustic guitars... there were plenty of places selling strings (I picked up a set of the new D'addario Nickel Bronze on the advice of the chap on the d'addario stand - who didn't actually have any with him). Apparently they're really good for open tunings. I'll have to try and learn some stuff, then...
There were ukuleles dotted around the place, but only one exhibitor dealing with them exclusively... and they were priced nicely, too. But I've got 3 ukes and there was nothing different enough to make me want to incur my wife's wrath by buying...
There were a few strap-makers there, too. I was particularly taken by Pinegrove Leather. He does a range of musical instrument related products - mouth organ and whistle cases and what have you, His straps were sumptuous and £10 off as a show price - so I bought one to get my entrance fee back. Yes, I'm that tight-fisted and stupid. He also had a lovely 'guitar strings'n'things wallet' . It's a neat idea, with room for strings, a capo and some plectrums (plectra?) - not thumbpicks, though. Also £10 off the normal price - so I bought one of those, too. I'm going to tell my wife that I technically made a profit. She'll see through that. She always does. Hey ho.
There were plenty of second-hand stalls - although they all described the instruments they had for sale as 'vintage' - image is everything, clearly. Also plenty of stalls selling bits and pieces - from pick ups and peg heads to fretboards and something else beginning with F to continue the alliteration.
And then there were those 'plug me in or I don't work' things. Lots of them. All, seemingly, with amplifiers ramped up to 11 and pedal boards the size of the deck on the Titanic. Some nice looking guitars, granted, I've just never really wanted one.
If you were so minded you could channel your inner-Beatle with a fiddle-shaped bass.
And then there were the ugly ones... I'm sure their mothers loved 'em but, honestly, these guitars will remain virgins til they fade to dust. Or they should. In my opinion...
From my photos you might think that Recording King have cornered the market in less visually pleasing instruments. But you'd be wrong because I've saved the worst til last... an abomination....
Still, a decent way to spend 3 hours or so on a beautiful sunny Sunday. I just hope Rosie gets home ok and gets a decent order or two from the day. There were certainly a lot of visitors to her stand.
I've been to other iterations of these events (I once was even the guest of guitbrett so got in for free!) but, this time, I had to pay the full £8. Now, so long as you're buying something, that's money well spent. If you're just browsing well, it's £8 you're not going to see again. I bought enough stuff that I covered my entrance fee. Had I been in the market for an instrument I could have saved myself many times that - some show discounts were very good indeed (check the Furchs from Forsyth's Music) but I wasn't. So I didn't.
To be honest, I only really went to say "hello" to RosieTGC and Karl (important to keep good relations with forum friends, I believe). Of course, Karl had left Rosie in the lurch in order to play golf but she was more than coping
She'd nabbed a really good, quiet spot on the top floor so you could actually hear what you were playing which was just as well because I played her new model (the middle one in the photo) and fell in love. There again, I always do with every Turnstone I've played so nothing new there.
Turnstone Guitars was the last stall I visited - here are some of the other highlights (for me) and low lights (again, for me).
Just along from the Turnstone stand was another acoustic builder - Nick Tinklin (nominative determinism?). Nick had two guitars (both OMs) on display and I had a little play with one. Very nice it was, too. And competitively priced at £1400 (the other - with different woods - was £1800). I was a bit put off by Nick's "I can build you anything you want - get me the plans and I can build it" assertion. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but he's only a young lad and I think it's sometimes best if you get comfortable, develop your 'sound' and build a small range before diversifying too much.
Then I came across Artur Dogiel...
This multiscale acoustic was by Artur Dogiel. Most of the instruments on his stand were electrics, this was the only acoustic, and was a prototype. It was very balanced on my knee, the big bezel made it very comfortable to hold and the multiscale wasn't too extreme. Artur had, unfortunately for me, someone also trying out one of his electric guitars through the obligatory (and necessary) amp so it was difficult to hear the acoustic - but what I did hear sounded more than decent. The fretboard logo doesn't actually mean anything - he just doodled it, liked it, and kept it. He tells me that "everything is customisable to the customer's wishes" and will lead to a price of about £3k...
I spent some time at the S Brothers stand. They build composite guitars and I was quite taken by them, I must say. There were 3 models on display - a braced dreadnought, an unbraced dreadnought, and a shallow bowl-back OM. If I did a lot of touring to places with varying humidity I might just have invested the £1k they quoted me. I don't, though.
The Forsyth stand (actually a room) was majoring on Auden and Furch acoustics - with demos and a small 4 song set by an engaging duo whose name I have already forgotten. They were good though. You could save a fair bit of money buying a Furch at the show - nearly £1k in one particular instance. I've always liked the Furch brand - I was going to get one (they were the only guitars I could find in my price range that offered a cedar top) before davewhite offered to make me Sybil.
I was grabbed by one exhibitor from gillettguitars. They have just developed a new electro-acoustic (they primarily make basses) and wanted feedback (no pun intended) from players. So I duly went along and had a play. It was fine. But it sounded more like an electric guitar than an acoustic when played through the amp they had set up and they wouldn't let me play it unplugged. Automatic fail, if you ask me. Which they did so I told them.
@standmade was there showing his exquisite oak guitar stands. New to me was a lovely double decker - enough for 10 acoustics. Beautiful to look at and touch, they really are pieces of furniture with both function and design in equal measure. £650 mind... but just LOOK at it! Worth checking out on Andy's website
Of course, it wasn't just acoustic guitars... there were plenty of places selling strings (I picked up a set of the new D'addario Nickel Bronze on the advice of the chap on the d'addario stand - who didn't actually have any with him). Apparently they're really good for open tunings. I'll have to try and learn some stuff, then...
There were ukuleles dotted around the place, but only one exhibitor dealing with them exclusively... and they were priced nicely, too. But I've got 3 ukes and there was nothing different enough to make me want to incur my wife's wrath by buying...
There were a few strap-makers there, too. I was particularly taken by Pinegrove Leather. He does a range of musical instrument related products - mouth organ and whistle cases and what have you, His straps were sumptuous and £10 off as a show price - so I bought one to get my entrance fee back. Yes, I'm that tight-fisted and stupid. He also had a lovely 'guitar strings'n'things wallet' . It's a neat idea, with room for strings, a capo and some plectrums (plectra?) - not thumbpicks, though. Also £10 off the normal price - so I bought one of those, too. I'm going to tell my wife that I technically made a profit. She'll see through that. She always does. Hey ho.
There were plenty of second-hand stalls - although they all described the instruments they had for sale as 'vintage' - image is everything, clearly. Also plenty of stalls selling bits and pieces - from pick ups and peg heads to fretboards and something else beginning with F to continue the alliteration.
And then there were those 'plug me in or I don't work' things. Lots of them. All, seemingly, with amplifiers ramped up to 11 and pedal boards the size of the deck on the Titanic. Some nice looking guitars, granted, I've just never really wanted one.
If you were so minded you could channel your inner-Beatle with a fiddle-shaped bass.
And then there were the ugly ones... I'm sure their mothers loved 'em but, honestly, these guitars will remain virgins til they fade to dust. Or they should. In my opinion...
From my photos you might think that Recording King have cornered the market in less visually pleasing instruments. But you'd be wrong because I've saved the worst til last... an abomination....
Still, a decent way to spend 3 hours or so on a beautiful sunny Sunday. I just hope Rosie gets home ok and gets a decent order or two from the day. There were certainly a lot of visitors to her stand.
Jo whoever he is.
