Guitar Geeks, Go Forth

For a particular subset of music geeks, a guitar is more than just a means to a musical end. For these ardent acolytes, the guitar itself is the end, the mystical devotional object that imparts divine tone with the addition or subtraction of a pickup, the thickness of the body’s...

By Arielle Castillo

April 1, 2010

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For a particular subset of music geeks, a guitar is more than just a means to a musical end. For these ardent acolytes, the guitar itself is the end, the mystical devotional object that imparts divine tone with the addition or subtraction of a pickup, the thickness of the body’s wood, and the particular year and factory in which it was finished. And the annual Newport Guitar Festival is Mecca to these local gear heads. One of the world’s largest modern guitar festivals, it returns to South Florida this weekend at Hard Rock Live. Its booths and events are what an axe addicts’ dreams are made of. Buy, sell, trade, and talk shop with international vendors peddling vintage, boutique, and big-name guitars, which range from $400 to $400,000. But these are instruments that don't fully come alive until they’re, of course, played. So there will be some of the circuit’s most fleet-fingered players on hand, offering mini concerts as well as an ensemble show on Friday at Muriel Anderson’s All-Star Guitar Night. Look out for local guy Fernando Perdomo among the string masters.
Fri., April 16, 2010

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