Melbourne Guitar Show is back and ready to shred
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18.07.2018

Melbourne Guitar Show is back and ready to shred

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Words by Zachary Snowdon Smith

Some festivals hang together around a single artist or a single genre – this one centres on a single instrument. For one weekend, the Melbourne Guitar Show will fill Caulfield Racecourse with thousands of electric and acoustic guitars, both new and vintage.

The 2017 show drew more than 5,000 guitar enthusiasts, and organiser Rob Walker hopes to expand on that this year. Performances will include not just folk and rock, but flamenco, gypsy swing and other genres where the guitar finds a home. English guitarist Albert Lee, whose past credits include records with Bo Diddley, Joe Cocker, Dolly Parton and Spinal Tap, will headline. Once labeled the “ultimate virtuoso” by Eric Clapton, Lee is known for his distinctive style of hybrid picking, in which picking is done simultaneously with a pick and the fingers.

“[Lee] has played with the world’s greatest musicians over his career,” says Walker. “His talents are sublime – I’ve seen comments from people suggesting he’s their favourite player of all time. I think the fact that it’s his 75th birthday tour is of huge significance. You’ve really got to look at his pedigree.”

The Melbourne Guitar Show’s 2018 lineup will also include prominent Aussie guitarists like folk artist Jeff Lang and acoustic virtuoso Daniel Champagne. Dave Leslie of Baby Animals will also be making his first onstage appearance at the show. Representing the jazz guitar will be Adam Miller, known for his freewheeling improvisations and his nimble finger-picking. Powderfinger’s Darren Middleton will also make an appearance.

“The lineup we present at the Guitar Show is always the best available players that we can present,” says Walker. “I think that Australia’s guitar players compare favourably with the world’s best.”

Attendees will also have an opportunity to see, hear and handle guitars from local and international manufacturers, including Gibson, returning after an absence in 2017. Effects pedals, amps and other accessories will also be available for demonstrations.

“It’s Australia’s biggest pop-up shop,” says Walker. “We have well over a dozen of the top retailers making stuff available for sale. There’s everything from effects technology to collectible items. It’s a real chance for people to see a range of guitars that they’d never see in a retail store, all in one place.”

Curiosity seekers should pay particular attention to the exhibit put on by Owen Ray, which will include relics like a Hofner Club 40 wielded by John Lennon, a Maton EML 12 signed by the Searchers and a spiky B.C. Rich Warlock signed by Slayer.

Intimate seminars by Dave Leslie and Nelson’s Brett Garsed will aim to give guitarists a chance to upskill. Workshops will focus on technique, including composition, the use of Fender effects pedals and the Boss Tone Studio editing suite.

“The workshops and seminars are really product-based this year,” says Walker. “The whole program this year is informative, and will help to make people better players.”

Despite the deep dives taken in some of the workshops, the show is also designed to appeal to more casual guitar enthusiasts, says Walker.

“There’s something at the show for everybody,” he says. “There’s something here for mums and dads and their kids – they can come and see great players to inspire them on their musical journey. It’s a pretty condensed and full program, so there’s something for the hardcore guitarists, with all the latest gear, but, at the same time, people who are just starting their journeys on the guitar will find a lot of worthwhile things too.”