The Great American Guitar Show, 2008 Photos and Review

by Rick Landers.

The Great American Guitar Show (November 22-23, 2008) was held in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, at the Valley Forge Convention Center. The show targets those of us who love the vintage and eclectic axes you no longer find in pawn shops. Among the aisles, we passed curvy Mosrites, art deco Harmony acoustics, pointy B.C. Rich “plexi” models, and enough old Strats, Les Pauls, Gretsches, Gibsons and other guitar eye candy to warm our hearts and bleed our wallets dry.

One of the first exhibitors we came upon was Jim Singleton's Guitars, where he'd staged some exceptional early Strats and Gibsons. His assistant and a fellow guitarist, Shawna, showed us a few high quality instruments, then posed for a shot with a vintage Gibson.

Prices were all over the map. We saw an old beat-up Fender Squier for $99 and a ’58 Strat for $35,000 (It had a “Sold” sign on it), and everything in-between. I thought I heard a guy citing a six-figure price for a ‘50s Gibson ES-335.

Pennsylvanian guitarist Steve Kimock roamed the convention center staring at some of the more lustful gear, while a couple of jazz guys, Howard Paul and Jack Wilkins, drew a crowd when they grabbed a couple of Benedettos to take everyone for a ride. We bumped into master builder, Bill Cumins who was showing off some of his fine instruments, that sat next next o a couple of beautiful woody Alexandro amps.

Along with guitars, exhibitors showed and sold vintage parts, amplifiers, pedals and other accessories. Jodi Head had a table of her guitar straps and stationed with her was her terrier pup. We also passed by a greyhound rescue group where some of the hounds were wearing covers to warm them that were accessorized with guitar graphics in sequins.

We talked to a few old timers who’d been exhibiting at the Philly-area show for years and asked if the economic downturn affected turnout and the unanimous response. The crowd was bigger than last year and dollars were being exchanged for gear.

Master guitar builder, Matt Artinger noted, “The place filled up in the morning and people keep coming in the front door. It’s an impressive turnout!”

Although, the show tended to have more east coast folks displaying, there were a few from different parts of the country, including “Burst Brothers,” Dave Belzer and Andrew Berlin, from the Hollywood Guitar Center’s vintage shop. Dave and Andrew are two of the world’s experts on vintage guitars and were instrumental in the purchasing of Clapton’s Blackie Strat and cherry red Gibson ES-335, as well as Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Lenny guitar, a few years back at Clapton’s Crossroads Auction in New York.

We made a quick stop by the Vintage Guitar magazine booth to meet James Jiskra, Advertising Director, who was handing out copies of the magazine. We exchanged business cards before Modern Guitars photographer, Michael G. Stewart, and I joined up to stroll the aisles, sizing up guitars while trying to balance the potential reactions of our wives, if we decided to run up our credit card accounts.

You couldn’t take a step without having a “to die for” guitar in your sites. And the experts in the booths all seemed more than pleased to part with advice and detailed information on key points of historical interest about specific guitars. It didn’t seem to matter whether they had one of the guitars under discussion for sale or not. The Great American Guitar Show was filled with the spirit and enthusiasm for guitars that makes hanging out with fellow guitarists rewarding and just plain fun!

Photo Gallery

Related Links
Bee-3 Vintage: Sponsors of The Great American Guitar Show
Matt Artinger Guitars
Bill Comins
Jodi Head Straps
Howard Paul
Jack Wilkins
Steve Kimock
Jim Guitars
Guitar Center Hollywood
Michael G. Stewart

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