Share the Passion
When it comes to tone there is really no replacement for
visceral experiences. Touch it, hear it, feel it and often times,
smell it! Getting up close and personal in a face-to-face environment, where you can have an interactive experience with
the gear and artists you admire is truly the real deal. In your
personal pursuit of tone, there is simply no substitute.
This was once again undeniably confirmed at our recent
Premier Guitar Festival in Boston, held September 15-16. In
my nearly 15 years of experience as a road warrior, attending, exhibiting and playing at guitar shows, that “real deal”
experience has never been stronger for the attendees of a
festival. I personally had the incredible honor of moderating our “Up Close and Personal” workshop sessions with
several of our featured artists such as Robben Ford, Johnny
A, Trey Alexander (winner of the Guitar Hero 2006 competition), Stu Hamm, Jeff Scheetz, Monty
Montgomery and Boston native J. Geils. Workshop participants were able to truly learn about
these amazing artists in an intimate setting. Peter Stroud was kind enough to share his insight and
awesome chops in our amp and pedal demo clinics. Special thanks to our friends and colleagues
at TrueFire ( www.truefire.com), the leaders in guitar instruction, for arranging and providing workshops that were the hit of the festival.
My personal observation in witnessing the undivided attention of the clinic attendees was nothing
short of amazing – they literally tuned in for each and every suggestion on chops and tone that
our presenters had to offer. In an Up Close and Personal session with the legendary Johnny A, I
observed an inspiring moment. A 40-something father of two was front and center, his small kids
on his lap, arm around his wife and guitar case in hand. He was intensely focused on his opportunity to ask Johnny A about his Gibson signature model hollowbody guitar. It was a very sincere
moment and very moving for me – I remember thinking, “This is what it is really all about.”
In my humble opinion, we can often take this crazy business of guitars way too seriously, becoming so caught up in the hustle of making a living that we sometimes forget about making a life.
That is what playing the guitar is really about: improving your quality of life. It’s kind of heavy but
entirely true.
In the Little Kids Rock clinic ( www.littlekidsrock.org), it was heart warming to see the looks on
the young kids’ faces when they mastered their first chord. It’s ironic that that same look shines
on the faces of big kids, like us, when we finally master a difficult chop or discover that elusive
tone. As you go about in your day to day life, make sure to share that passion.
Unlike any other guitar gig ever, we have filmed the entire Festival... all the workshops, all the cool
exhibits; and all the entertainment. We’re currently editing over 250 hours of film and will be putting it up... with free access for all... on our network of websites; reaching millions of viewers every
month, by year end. So look for Premier Guitar Festivals/On Demand coming in December... for a
guitar experience that lives on! Just another dimension for Premier Guitar to reach out and touch ya.
Youcan’t rn and you can’t hide– the PG crew will find you, and maybe even buy you a beer!
Rock on Gearheads.
Nuff Sed.
Trent Salter, Publisher
trent@premierguitar.com
888.247.2009
P.S. Link to www.premierguitar.com to see what the Boston Herald had to say about our shindig
12 PREMIERGUITAR NOVEMBER 2007
EDITORIAL
Managing Editor Adam Moore adam@premierguitar.com 877-704-GEAR (4327)
Senior Editor James Egolf james@premierguitar.com 877-704-GEAR (4327)
Web Content Editor Joe Coffey joe@premierguitar.com 877-704-GEAR (4327)
Assistant Editor Rebecca Hay rebecca@premierguitar.com 877-704-GEAR (4327)
PRODUCTION
Production Manager Benjamin Otis ben@premierguitar.com 877-704-GEAR (4327)
Production Coordinator Shannon Britcher shannon@premierguitar.com 877-704-GEAR (4327)
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Wayne Dennon
Ben Otis
ADVERTISING
Publisher Trent Salter trent@premierguitar.com 888-247-2009
Account Executive Brett Petrusek brett@premierguitar.com 612-869-3967
Account Executive Jeannie Rossow jeannie@premierguitar.com 515-574-2210
Director, Retail Services Dave Westin dave@premierguitar.com 800-574-7333
PREMIER MEDIA HOLDINGS, LLC
CEO Peter F. Sprague peter@premierguitar.com 877-704-GEAR (4327)
COO / CFO Patricia A. Sprague patti@premierguitar.com 877-704-GEAR (4327)
GEARHEAD COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
President / Publisher Trent Salter trent@premierguitar.com 888-247-2009
MARKETING
Director Of Marketing Shelby Kraus shelby@premierguitar.com 877-704-GEAR (4327)
EXECU TIVE ASSIS TANT
Lois Stodola lois@premierguitar.com 877-704-GEAR (4327)
The information and advertising set forth herein has been obtained from sources
believed to be reliable and compiled with great care. Gearhead Communications,
L.L.C., however, does not warrant complete accuracy of such information and
assumes no responsibility for any consequences arising from the use thereof or
reliance thereon. Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisement
or space reservation at any time without notice. Publisher shall not be liable for
any costs or damages if for any reason it fails to publish an advertisement. This
publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied,
recorded, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Copyright © 2007. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part
without written permission is prohibited. Premier Guitar is a publication of
Gearhead Communications, L.L.C. Premier Guitar recommends you take
appropriate caution before buying items sight unseen. PG is not responsible
for misrepresentation of advertisers. We suggest you contact your own
attorney, the Better Business Bureau, or appropriate government agencies if
you experience a problem.
SUBSCRIP TIONS: Premier Guitar is published monthly. Subscription rates:
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A Gearhead Communications, L.L. C. Publication
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Phone: 877-704-GEAR (4327) • 319-895-0050
Fax: 319-895-0058
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