Apr
25
Written by:
mblackett
4/25/2012 9:29 AM
The Dallas international guitar festival, perhaps more commonly knob as
the Dallas guitar show, is an interesting phenomenon. It's unlike other
trade shows such as NAMM or Musikmesse. It is at once more low budget and
more heartwarming. The lack of glitz and glam is conspicuous, even as the
cold lights shine down on Holy Grail level vintage pieces. It's a small
show, but nuanced and layered. It's easy to think that you can take the
entire show in in an hour, and, from strictly a square-footage
standpoint, that's true. But to truly soak up everything that the Dallas
show has to offer took me the entire three days. Here's how it shook
out.
The Vibe
The vibe and attitude at the show is casual, relaxed, and—in true Texas
fashion—just a little dangerous. ZZ Top beards are all the rage, as
are 11am beers that somehow keep refilling all the livelong day. With that edge, however,
comes a cool, jovial attitude. People are nice, and they seem genuinely
happy to be there. They come armed with their own knowledge and a wish
list of what they want to see, do, and buy, but they're eager to ask
questions and excited to share their latest discovery or purchase. It's
kind of like NAMM, only with a soul. And a sense of humor. And more beer.
The Gear
Despite the fact that this is known as a vintage show, manufacturers
brought a lot of new products to Dallas. Intellitouch debuted a super-cool
pedal tuner/wireless unit that blew a lot of minds at the show. Plenty
of others brought stuff that had been shown at NAMM and Messe but was
still new to most attendees, including Yamaha, PRS, Lotus pedals, Roland (with their new
100-watt amp), Keeley's Luna Overdrive, and B-Band's new pedals and
hygrometers. There were also impressive booths from Eastwood, Gibson,
Flaxwood, DR strings, Planet Waves, and many others. Several new companies
made some noise at the show, such as Copper Gear, who had cool looking and
great sounding pedals, one of which that allows you to swap diodes in and out right on the top of the pedal in real time—a tweaker's dream.
But anyone who has been to the Dallas show knows that the real deal
there is the vintage stuff. This year's selection was truly jaw dropping,
with '59 Les Pauls, '57 Strats, doubleneck Gibsons, Gretsch Country
Gentlemans, ancient Teles, old Martins, and period-correct Beatles gear
in great supply. Granted, most of this gear was violently expensive, but
plenty of Firebirds, Guilds, SGs, and Juniors were somewhat reasonable. The
there was the oddball stuff, like a Gibson V2, with the worlds weirdest
V-shaped pickups,
or a Fender Wildwood acoustic, or a perfectly wacky
Gibson Victory, that you could buy without mortgaging your house or
your future.
And stomboxes...You name it and it was probably there. I saw pedals that
I never thought I would ever see again at this show. Script logo Phase
45, 90, or 100? Check. Electro-Harmonix LPB1 or LPB-2? No problem. Foxx
Tone Machine? Ross Flanger? You betcha. It was not only great to see
this gear but also to talk to so many people who really got what it
meant to grow up with these cool products. Case in point: When I was
checking out Flaxwood guitars, I remarked that the cool
top-mounted trek systems reminded me of the Bowen handle of yore. Ed Klein at
Flaxwood said"I remember the Bowen Handle!" The very next day, when I
was admiring the uber-bitchin aforementioned Gibson V2 at Freedom
Guitars, the owner came up and introduce himself. When I said I was from
GP, he said that he used to advertise in
GP back in the '80s for the
Bowen Handle. He gave me his card, with his name, Dewey Bowen. Only at
the Dallas International Guitar Festival.
The Music
I don't want to shock anyone, but Texas has a few good guitar players.
Many of them were performing and killing it at the show. Carolyn Wonderland and Redd Volkaert both played kick-ass sets. Attendees
were also knocked down by
Pete Anderson and Johnny Hiland. Rick Derringer brought the house down with his set Saturday night on the Bugs Henderson stage. But it was Texas' own Eric Johnson who really got things started with his set
of Hendrix tunes. He absolutely packed the room to
claustrophobic proportions, adding his distinctive touch and tones to
well known Hendrix gems, including
"Love or Confusion." He's one of those
guys you recognize after one note and then you stick around for the
next 1000 notes because it's just too good.
But with all due respect to EJ, the man of the hour was Andy Timmons who
had the unenviable job of closing the show. The Texas native came out
and wowed the crowd with his amazing brand of instrumental guitar
wizardy.
He started out with a couple of blues-rock tunes that showed his deep
groove, great tone, and killer chops. But it was when he "dropped the
needle" on his guitaristic take on the Beatles' classic
Sgt. Pepper
album that he was truly the king of Dallas. Timmons demonstrated a
deep understanding of melody and a ridiculous ability to play
chords and lead lines at the same time. The whole record was
great but the high points were "It's Getting Better,"
"She's Leaving Home,"
and "Good Morning, Good Morning." When he would take liberties with arrangements and solo over the
changes, Timmons was unerringly respectful of the original and showed
himself to be not just a great guitarist but a huge fan as well. He
culminated a brilliant guitar performance with a heartfelt
acknowledgement of the fact that he was playing on the Bugs Henderson
stage, and that he was humbled to honor the memory of the late, great Bugs with his playing. For anyone who doesn't already know, Andy Timmons
is the real deal. Go see this guy.
And for anyone who has a chance, go to the Dallas International guitar festival. It is a guitar geek's playground.
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3 comment(s) so far...
Re: Matt Blackett: The Dallas International Guitar Festival
Hey there!
I'm Eugenio from Spain.
Although I've been playing for nearly 20 years now and I'm realising I don't know a word about guitars or guitar players...well, only one thing: Andy Timmos is just amazing. I do knew that. :)
Nice job and lucky you!
By Eugenio on
4/28/2012 8:35 AM
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Re: Matt Blackett: The Dallas International Guitar Festival
"Andy Timmons is the real deal." I have written to Guitar Player and other magazines on more than one occasion to scold them for almost never including Andy Timmons in their magazine. I eventually let my subscription lapse because I got tired of seeing the same players (many with half the talent of Andy) featured over and over, with barely a mention of Timmons or others who deserve recognition. Have any of you heard "That Was Then This Is Now" or "Resolution?" These alone should have secured him more of a presence in Guitar Player over the years. It's hard to imagine that most players to whom I mention him haven't heard of him and it is partially the fault of the guitar magazines. I hope he will finally get more of the recognition he deserves. Thanks!
By Joe Coppa on
4/28/2012 8:35 AM
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Re: Matt Blackett: The Dallas International Guitar Festival
WHERE ARE THE DEALS IN USED GUITARS?
Hi. It's just as you say the vintage gear is violently expensive with 2nd tier instruments being "somewhat reasonable".
I saw an 80's Guild Starfire II at the Philadelphia Guitar Show with a price tag that exceeded the original price of the guitar new.
It seems to me that the only reason used guitars are so expensive is because shmuck.s are willing to pay the money. The intersection of the Supply and Demand Curves as it were.
By Fred C on
6/11/2012 6:49 AM
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