Nashvill Amp Expo – Aug. 22-23
You’ve seen the ads, you’ve read the reviews, you’ve probably even wondered “are they really that good?”. Regardless of how you answer that question in your own mind, the fact is that you can never really know what’s so special about a boutique amp until you play it.
If you live in the south-eastern US, you can do exactly that on Saturday August 22nd and Sunday August 23rd in Nashville, TN. For the past several years, tone-seekers on the East and West coast have flocked to the Amp Shows in LA and NY. And now this one-of-a-kind event will happen again in Nashville.
If you’ve never been to an amp show, it is quite an experience. Unlike NAMM (from what I’m told), there are no decibel police telling you to turn your volume down. Quite the contrary. You may wish that guy who just learned that Van Halen song, playing through an amp louder than God’s would turn down, but you’ll be out of luck. Fortunately all you have to do is crank up whatever amp you’re playing through until you can’t hear him.
Here’s how it works. Creation Audio Labs (the hosts of the Nashville expo), has rented out an entire hotel for the event. Each amp or guitar or pedal company is assigned a room where they set up their goods and wait for you and everyone else to try it out and ask questions.
If you go, be prepared to spend some time watching and listening. There’s far too many people to spend your whole afternoon playing because everyone wants a chance to play the amp they’ve always wondered about, so you’ll have to wait your turn. However, if you just focus on relaxing, having a good time, and soaking it all in, it’s an experience like no other.
