Official Luthiers Forum!

Again, I fell blessed that I can pick your brains so to be able to make of the Montreal Guitar Show a better tool to help promote the work of the luthiers...

If you do not mind I will keep posting other questions posing as a newbie (wich I am in many ways...) to make sure I get to the bottom of things.

So here is another one...  I would like to post on our web site, print in our program and on posters the dos and don't of attending a show with high end guitars.  In a nutshell What would be a Guitar Show Etiquette...

We will do so without being snobish about it, but I think, as a show, it is my role to communicate this to the attendees.

So shoot! I'm listening

Here are a couple of things that come to mind:
1) Please ask before playing a guitar (it just serves as a reminder to the builder that someone needs his/her attention).
2) going along with that, it's a good idea for the builder to remove the guitar from the stand, hand it to the player. when the player is done, hand it to the builder to re-rack the guitar. (it's kind of scary to watch 5 guitars wobble because someone has an aggressive re-racking technique)
3)No picks unless you specifically ask the builder
4)be aware of belt buckles, shirt buttons, name tags, watches, etc.

That's all that comes to mind right now. Thanks for asking! Paul

Also breath mints and avoid baked beans and cabbage rolls the day of the show or the evening prior.

Seriously if you search the archives under HGF (Healsburg Guitar Festival) you will see lots of tips and tricks as well as expectations for exhibitors and attendees.

I might add that if some wants to put the guitar into an altered tuning that they restore it to standard tuning prior to returning the guitar.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

Attendees should be aware that not all hand makers use hard, modern finishes. I've spent as much as a month restoring the damage one player at a show has done in a few minutes to a French polished top.

Jacques,
When you are considering badges, passes, wrist bands, neck lanyards, etc... Keep in mind that all of these products should be made from a SOFT material that will not scratch or harm a guitar's finish. I have exhibited at many shows where name tags (with metal pins) neck lanyards (with metal chains, metal snaps, metal clips)wrist bands with hard plastic snaps, etc... were handed out to exhibitors and attendees. These will all destroy a guitar's delicate finish in a New York Minute.

For attendees, I like the soft but durable Tyvek wrist bands that attach with adhesive. For exhibitors, I like (easy to read) badges in soft plastic sleeves which hang on neck lanyards which will hang straight. So many of the lanyards will inevitibly twist the badge backwards so that it is un-readable. Some have metal swivels but it seems like you are always fussing with those too.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

Jacques,
Maybe you have heard of this one before but I seem to remember one of the other shows had a problem with some outside folks bringing their guitars into the showroom.
I had heard one person also had a sales pitch.

It would seem obvious not to bring your guitar to a show if your not an exhibitor but..

Wade

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Wade
Nashua, NH
http://www.wadefx.com

If you go the wristband route, you might ask them to wear those on the non-strumming hand.
-j.

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“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting”
-jack handy

[QUOTE=Wade S.]Jacques,

Maybe you have heard of this one before but I seem to remember one of the other shows had a problem with some outside folks bringing their guitars into the showroom.

I had heard one person also had a sales pitch.



It would seem obvious not to bring your guitar to a show if your not an exhibitor but..



Wade[/QUOTE]

Hi there, we have a guitar parking at the entrance, but lots of musicians come at the show and some do not want to leave their instrument.  However, we have a large security team and no sollicitation whatsoever is allowed.  I personnaly threw out guys last year (good to release tention

I think this was mentioned in another thread before. If you are a builder visiting the show, and you want to just hang out and talk guitars to the builders, be sure to tell the builder up front that you are not here to buy a guitar, but just to get ideas and ask questions. If the builder has some time to talk, great, then go ahead, but if they are in the middle of a sales pitch, don't cut in and start talking building. Let him do his sales stuff, after all, that is what he is there for.
Tracy

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Tracy
http://www.luthiersuppliers.com

I would fully agree with what Tracy said, while I would add a flip side to that: Exhibitors, please remember that A) a show like this is open to the public, not just to people who plan to buy a guitar, B) attendees, whether they plan to buy or have other reasons for being there, are giving of their own valuable time, as well as, often, spending a considerable sum in travel and accommodations expenses, not to mention the fee to enter the show, and C) attending the show to learn about guitars and guitar making, whether one is a student of the craft or not, is an entirely valid reason to be there.

In fact, my experience attending the Montreal show this past summer was that the large majority of exhibitors treated me warmly, respectfully, and graciously, and were very generous with their time and knowledge, with letting me play their guitars, etc... for which I remain very grateful. I believe they also did their own businesses a lot of good in the long run by taking this attitude toward everyone who approached their tables (at least, all those attendees who showed the exhibitors and their guitars the respect they most certainly deserve as well).      

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

Todd,
You make some very valid points. I appreciated the time you took to introduce yourself and to spend at our table at the Montreal Show. I love to talk shop with any builder. In my experience you (as a builder) will get the most "bang for your buck", attending GAL and or ASIA symposiums. These venues are geared towards learning and sharing ideas with other like minded people and are not aimed towards making sales. The attitudes and expectations are quite different at these learning events and I have found them to be both relaxing and renewing.

The thing that most hobby builders don't realize or who might not have experienced [yet] is that exhibiting at shows is EXTREMELY expensive. The average show costs us about $5,000 in expenses. We exhibited at 8 shows this year so that means I have to build 8-10 guitars JUST to break even. As you know, most of us are not independantly wealthy so exhibiting at shows takes a huge bite out of our personal finances not to mention it takes valuable building time out of the shop. If we don't make a sale then this is even more frustrating to the CFO. We are there for many reasons but the underlying goal is to cover our expenses with at least one or two sales.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

Tim,

Your points are all well taken and understood. And I thank you again for giving me some of your valuable time and attention at the Montreal show.

I've been to several GAL and ASIA conventions, and plan to continue going to those. There are two main reasons why a show like Montreal or Healdsburg (which I haven't yet had the chance to go to) is worth my time and expense to attend. First, there are many great builders who don't go to the GAL and ASIA conventions, so I don't get to meet them or discuss guitar building with them there; even more to the point, I don't get to see, play, and hear their guitars there, so I don't get to taste the pudding wherein lies the proof of, and firsthand insight into, what makes their guitars great, which I consider vital to my learning. Second, they never have quiet listening rooms at these conventions (and, IMO, the "listening sessions" they have are usually not really that useful beyond a fun show-and-tell time), so I never really get to hear the guitars in a way that gives me much information. Because of these two factors, I found the Montreal show extremely valuable to my education. It was really the first time I've gotten to give a serious listen to a variety of expertly made handcrafted guitars.

Thanks again, and I wish you all the best of luck in all your upcoming shows. If all goes well, you'll be seeing me there as an exhibitor sometime in the not-too-distant future.

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

Hi Todd,
Excellent points again and please excuse me while I have a ... ummm ... well ... a ... DUH!!! moment. Sometimes my left sided brain takes over all common sense reasoning. Looking forward to seeing you on the "other" side of the table in the not too distant future. I wish you the VERY BEST luck!!!
Thanks,

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com