Reasons Why Being A Guitarist Is Rubbish... In Autumn

Autumn isn't our time, but when Winter comes, oh boy...   02-Oct-13

Amped blogger and guitar reviewer Rich Beech talks about why Autumn is the worst time for guitarists, but promises that it will get better, honestly, it will...

Who'd be a guitarist in Autumn? With the flood of new guitars, amps and pedals to the market in January and April, it feels like Autumn is the time when we should be sitting indoors and practicing.

With Winter NAMM in January, and MuskMesse in April, major manufacturers of guitars coincide releases of their new products with these events to ensure maximum exposure through the mass of media and distributors who attend these trade shows.

Then in the ensuing months, people like us review the new guitars, amps and pedals, and we have jolly good time of doing it.

But then in July, Summer NAMM comes along in Nashville. It's no secret that it's a smaller show than it's Californian counterpart in the winter, and that companies don't take it so seriously when it comes to releasing new products.

Sad news all round, by September, guitar magazines and websites are working their way through their reviews list, and with no new guitar releases on the horizon at least until Christmas, we have a paltry few months of it.

Thankfully, what we do get is smaller workshops and luthiers releasing products all year round. Praise be to the little guy.

But let's face it, we all grew up looking at guitar magazines or music magazines and dreaming of playing a Gibson, Fender, Ibanez, Jackson, Gretsch, (insert favourite guitar from your teenage years here) and it's always interesting to see what these behemoth companies will release when January comes around.

Even with four and a half months to go until Winter NAMM, the inside track is that some of the big companies have got some great stuff planned. Watch this space.

So my advice to you dear fellows is this - hunker down, restring those guitars, redress the frets, replace any dodgy patch cables, make sure you've got a couple of spaces on your pedalboard ready to be filled.

Practice every night, reassure your girlfriend/wife/husband/boyfriend that "honestly, I'm not buying any new guitars or amps" while your fingers are crossed behind your back.

Then, when January comes along, you'll be ready to pounce. And pounce you shall, my friend, because January is going to be a good month.

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