I´ve just returned, somewhat fuzzy-headed, from the Music Industry Association´s Industry Awards 2006. This is where retailers, distributors and manufacturers (along with sponsoring magazines like Guitarist, Guitar Techniques and Total Guitar) get together to eat, drink and be merry, while handing out awards to each other in an industry love-in. Guitarist gets a vote of course, but this is mainly about what shops and makers think...
It´s a nice old do - at The Savoy, just off The Strand, no less - and the post-awards set by Al “pub landlord” Murray was very, very funny.
As for the awards, a few highlights you might be interested in were:
Guitar Effects/Accessory - DigiTech Artist Series pedals
Amplifier - Peavey ValveKing 212 combo
Electric Guitar - PRS SE Standard
Acoustic Guitar - Washburn D10S
I´ve not got a problem with any of them, and was delighted to present distributors Headline Music their award for the PRS SE. But this is what the industry voted for - it´s the equivalent of the Brits, if you like.
But do you, the real customers who BUY gear in shops, agree? I know one colleague at least who expressed astonishment at one of the winners…
“This isn’t just an Artist Signature model – it’s a glimpse into what could have been, had this concept made it to production”: Fender and Brad Paisley introduce the 1967 ‘Lost Paisley’ Telecaster
“It’s a $20 plugin…I love it because sometimes the problem with digital sounds is they just lack a little bit of character”: Steven Wilson reveals his favourite plugin is a lo-fi cassette emulator and it is on all the guitars on his latest prog epic
