Insider Exclusive: The Next Fretboard Summit (Chicago!)
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Five years ago, we embarked on a little experiment: What would it look like if we tried to bring the Fretboard Journal to life for a weekend? What if some of our favorite subjects, luthiers and collectors all could hang out with readers from around the world? What would happen?
That, basically, was the pitch for the first Fretboard Summit.
At the Summit, there are no luthiers hawking their wares behind tables, no price tags anywhere. But you're surrounded by talent and connecting with some of the best in the business, all weekend long. The lucky few hundred readers who attended the first two got to hang out with the likes of Michael Gurian, Bill Collings (RIP), David Crosby, Bill Frisell, Richard Hoover (Santa Cruz Guitar Co), Dick Boak, Joe Henry, Bryan Sutton and others. It was, in a word, magical. It was also unlike any guitar experience anyone had encountered.
Unfortunately, logistics made pulling this event off extremely difficult (and cost prohibitive). It’s hard to build a stage, classrooms and workshop spaces out of thin air. So we took a break after the second Summit, hoping one day this idea may be worth re-visiting.
Earlier this year, we received a fateful call from another one of our former subjects, Chicago’s famed Old Town School. This vast music institution wanted to partner on a Summit and, unlike years past, they had a turnkey space: Classrooms (dozens of classrooms!), rooms for pop-up museums and lutherie demonstrations, stages and whatever else we wanted to dream up. It was too good to pass up.
So, we’re doing it again: August 21-23, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. You heard it here first. And, as an Insider, we’ll give you a pre-order link in the next few weeks so you can lock in one of the 300 spaces available (with a little extra discount, even).
We’re still locking in the lineup, but we have a lot in store: Some local Chicago flavor (an evolution of Chicago-made instruments, from an original 1912 Washburn Lakeside Jumbo up through Harmony Stratotones and current-day Chicago makers that you can try out); a ton of great luthiers showing you the craft; pedal and amp demo rooms; mind-boggling concerts; live podcast tapings; and a ton more.
Stay tuned. You won't want to miss it. And, as always, thanks for supporting the Journal.