Healdsburg Guitar Festival 2007

August 27th, 2007

Every two years Luthiers Mercantile puts on the Healdsburg Guitar Festival, an amazing three day bash that includes concerts, workshops and an exhibit of instruments from some of the world’s finest luthiers. Jason and I spent August 17, 18 and 19 at the Festival playing these guitars, talking to builders, players and readers and looking for potential stories. We also took hundreds of photos, some of which I’ll be posting this week here on the blog. I made an effort to play at least one guitar from every builder and to take some shots at each table, but sadly not all of the photos came out. So, if you were exhibiting at Healdsburg and I don’t write a post about your work, it’s not because I didn’t like your guitar, it’s because I’m a lousy photographer. Please keep checking back for the updates. If you want to read all the Healdsburg posts, just click here.
Also, I’m very pleased to announce that FJ contributor Harold Fethe has agreed to write some posts about the festival. Along with being a fine writer he’s an excellent guitarist so he’s sure to come up with some good insights. To get things started, here’s his overall take on the festival: “If you can’t find a guitar you like at the Healdsburg Guitar Festival, you’re just not trying. Innovators and traditionalists; freethinkers and hide-glue-bound preservationists; builders who’ve only made a few guitars, and people with years-long waiting lists—they’re all there. You may even catch a premier builder with some inventory that he or she would rather not schlep back to the shop. Discounts are not unheard of in the closing hours of Sunday afternoon, when the re-packing chore looms large, and three days of relentless conversations have worn down these usually solitary craftspersons. But, make your 2009 room reservations early, or prepare for a long commute. It’s been discovered.” -MJS & HF

Entry Filed under: Guitar, Festivals, Healdsburg 2007