The Birmingham Guitar Show on May 7th & 8th seems a little light on Pedal Brands compared to Previous Years

While the more typical and specialist guitar / luthier brands seems to be back in full force - there are seemingly somewhat fewer pedal brands featuring in this year’s Birmingham Guitar Show - in particular compared to the Last Show on February of 2020 - which had the record amount for that roster.

Some of the big brands are missing, including Boss - which on the back of some really strong releases could have capitalised on those great recent introductions to its range. They have always had a sizeable booth at the show before - while considering this is also parent group Roland Corporation’s 50th Anniversary - possibly they are focusing more on that this year! In fact I understand now that all the big Japanese brands - Roland, Yamaha / Line 6 and Korg are not doing shows this year because of Covid - but should all be back in the mix next year!

I always feel that with a good show you are usually able to capitalise on some recent strong releases - really play to your advantage, while for new and lesser known brands - these kinds of shows can often be expensive to attend and something of a mixed bag in their impact - particularly as regards supporting the general sales effort. While for a lot of brands it makes a lot of sense - especially as part of an outreach exercise for your customers.

I will of course be doing my usual rounds - and I have already committed to meeting several good friends exhibiting at the show. There also seems to be something of a paucity of homegrown UK pedal brands present here on this occasion.  So not exactly sure what is going on here. Again I’ve heard from a few, and for most of those brands they are still suffering logistics and parts supply issues - so don’t really have enough in stock currently to justify a major appearance.

I think for some American brands it’s all a little too close to Summer NAMM possibly - while the impact of that too is dwindling ever further as a virtual event. There are only a handful of brands nowadays who actually seem to stage their releases in time with the NAMM shows - which used to be the industry norm. Most brands have adopted their own independent release schedule - without any of those unnecessary artificial pressures. We know from previous years that a lot of unfinished and near enough dummy-products turn up at those shows.

We’re probably in a transitional phase here as brands adapt to a new and evolving environment. The Virtual NAMM shows have been a very mixed bag - they promised much, but didn’t deliver very much at all. And what is provided is all very skinny, and bereft of any proper detail or insights - all rather superficial really. They will never adequately replace the full hands-on experience you get from a live in-person show.

It’s always fun doing the rounds at these shows - and attending a few of the showcases. The Last 2020 Birmingham Guitar Show was really pretty magnificent all round. This year’s Showcase are already listed, while the Masterclasses have still to be announced.

Of the Live Showcases - Bernie Marsden for Marshall, and Danish Pete and Monty for Monty’s Guitar’s are the Saturday highlights for me, while Sunday Highlight is the usual That Pedal Show Live event that closes the proceeding with aplomb on the Sunday.

In previous years these have involved a lot of queuing and waiting around - where I’m not sure I’m so keen or patient enough to the same this year - we shall see on the day! 

Will any of you be attending? I look forward to bumping into a few of you on the day! I will of course attempt to be as inconspicuous as ever! While you might find me hovering around the Thorpy or Redbeard booths...