The student news site of Coginchaug Regional High School

CRHS News

The student news site of Coginchaug Regional High School

CRHS News

The student news site of Coginchaug Regional High School

CRHS News

Connecticut Guitar Players and Vendors Come Together at the Oakdale

Connecticut+Guitar+Players+and+Vendors+Come+Together+at+the+Oakdale

The Northeast Guitar Expo was held on Oct. 14, 2018 at the Toyota Oakdale in Wallingford, and was for the purpose of bringing together luthiers, vendors, and players in the Connecticut area to buy, sell, and trade gear. Events like these are really enjoyable because you get to see and play a lot of cool gear that you don’t see in your standard guitar store.

I brought one of my guitars to try and trade while I was at the event, but unfortunately, this was more of a high-end gear event with not a lot under the price of $1000. Due to this, I didn’t buy anything, or find anyone who was willing to trade; however, I did get to play some really cool instruments.

Brian’s Guitars from Cheshire had an exhibit there and checked out a really cool Parker Fly. I had seen other Parker Flys before, but I had never seen one in that color before. It was a really cool mint burst. This guitar plays really well and I got to jam on it for more than a half hour. The guys from Brian’s Guitars were really nice and they knew a lot about gear. Being able to hang out and talk with these guys for a little bit was a really cool experience. Also not to mention they let a 17-year-old play a really expensive and rare guitar.

There were a lot of vintage guitars as well. As a guitar player, you dream about getting the opportunity to play something along the lines of 1959 Les Paul Custom or any of the other vintage Gibson guitars. There’s just something about vintage guitars that makes them so special. They were made in a time in which craftsmanship was better, constructed by hand rather than on an assembly line. The fact that these guitars still feel and sound as well as they do nearly 60 years later is a testament to that.

The event was from 11-5 P.M., but we were only there for around two hours. The event was smaller than anticipated so after we had seen everything there more than once we left. Overall the event was really fun and I met a lot of cool people. There are a lot of guitar players all over the world so it’s always fun to meet new people who have that hobby in common. I learned a lot about gear and guitar playing in general from my time at the event. For example, I learned how to distinguish the 50s and 60s Fender Stratocasters from ones made after the Corporate by-out in 1969. Fender Strats after 1969 have a neck joint with three screws and the original Stratocasters have a neck joint with four screws; very important information for any fan/collector of vintage guitars.

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