Co-organiser Greg Phillips Shares What To Expect At This Year's Melbourne Guitar Show

There has been some news circulating recently that sales of electric guitars and amplifiers are declining, and quite rapidly. While on the surface, this may seem to be quite an alarming trend for people who love rock, metal and other styles of music based on the sumptuous sounds of an electrified six-string (or seven or eight string, whatever the case may be), Greg Phillips, co-organiser of the annual Melbourne Guitar Show, has more of a philosophical viewpoint on the issue and moves quickly to hose down any concern that these reports may cause.

"I wouldn't be worried too much actually," he placates, from his home just outside Melbourne, "music is cyclical, and certainly at the moment there's a lot of electronic music on the radio, but just as '80s synth-pop gave way to '90s guitar grunge, that's got to happen again at some stage. People are into trends and eventually start looking for something else."

He also cites another trend in the music industry that should give much encouragement to aficionados of the instrument. "The figures actually show that acoustic guitars are at record levels," he informs us, "so the singer-songwriter thing is big. For the last 10 years, acoustic guitars have had a steady increase."

Caulfield Racecourse may seem an odd choice for a guitar show, but Phillips feels it very much suits their needs as organisers, given its set-up. "It works well for us, because it's got a lot of nooks and crannies!" He laughs, "we've created three floors of fretted-instrument fun. On the ground floor is your electrics, guitars, amps and pedals. Then you can go upstairs and play acoustic products, without all the noise.

"Then there's our 'Whammy Bar'. The electric performances are up there, it's a bit of a pub atmosphere, you'll almost think you're at the Corner Hotel."

This will be the show's third year, and the line-up the organisers have in store for guitar loving punters this year is something very special. "This year is amazing because it's actually the first year we've had international acts," he reveals, "and these opportunities have come to us, rather than us seeking them."

Indeed, a serendipitous stroke of fortune saw a true legend of the instrument available on that weekend. "Steve Hackett, the original Genesis guitarist, just happened to be in town that weekend," he says, "he's a bit of a modest legend, his name may not be as well-known as your Pages and Gilmours and Claptons, but he was right there at the start of that prog-rock thing.

"And he's doing the only acoustic trio show, he's doing the 'Genesis Revisited' thing around Australia, and we're getting the only stripped-back thing, which is amazing."

Ultimately, variety is the key. "We try to cover as many musical guitar styles as possible. You've got your prog and metal shredders and your blues players, flamenco guys, slide players, ukulele players, bass guitars, the lot."