The UK Guitar Show & London Bass Guitar Show 2019
By P. Salgado
Once again London received the influx of guitar and bass players from around the country for the show dedicated to instruments, gear and insights from top Pros. The 2019 version of the two in one event was a brilliant blend of new and old, loads of well know companies and lots of boutique builders.
The niche of the market for music gear looks very healthy indeed plenty of new guitars from the likes of Fender with their Vintera series plus more from the sister companies Gretsch, EVH and Charvel.
Excellent pieces from Ibanez, PRS and Mayones, to name a few, looks like guitar players love their vintage stuff with just a few modern features to make up most of the new products, a rare thing in this day and age of new app updates seemingly happening every other week.
The fact that so many luthiers are filling the stands gives the event a feel of high-end products all over, from the likes of PJD Guitars, Shergold and Gordon Smith. The future is bright!
For Bass players, there is as much to choose including stands with pedals and effects dedicated to the low end of the sound spectrum; the Aguilar stand comes to mind. There is a lot of innovation in this bracket.
To amplify the instruments, we come to the classic brands and they didn’t disappoint. Marshall with the new Studio line and Orange with the Rockverb ensure that the British sound is truly alive, but American brands are also on their toes and companies such as Peavey, Gallien Krueger, PRS and Fender keep those crystal clear tones kicking.
It seems like a lot of players these days love to use effects, either pedalboards, rack units or the software options. A great display of creativity by the likes of Beetronics, Earthquaker Devices, J Rockett and Thorpy. Discard the modelling side of things at your peril. Headrush and the like are getting better and better. We’ll have to wait and see if one day they’ll surpass the valves with no more than ones and zeros!
Without the musicians, this would’ve been a trader only show. There were some excellent masterclasses from the likes of Paul Gilbert from Mr Big, blues maestro Eric Gales or metal funny (and clever) man Devin Townsend meant that the Business Design Centre was buzzing all weekend. Excellent workshops from Guitarist Magazine and MusicRadar helped to bring people together.
All in all a great couple of days out surrounded by gear and live music. Add the Guitarist of the Year competitions to the mix and it gives the whole event a very lively feel. So, if you are a guitarist, bass player or simply a muso, this is the place to come and submerge yourself in what makes the music we love come to life. Don’t miss it next year!
