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Photo credit: Christian Gaier
A Global Gathering for the Guitar Community
In Part I of Music Not Having Borders, we examined how Music China has grown into a global crossroads for the music industry. Part II turns its attention to Europe, where the Guitar Summit has emerged as a unifying force for musicians, brands, and builders from around the world—demonstrating that music culture thrives most when geographic and cultural boundaries are set aside.
From Newcomer to Industry Landmark
Established in 2017, the Guitar Summit was conceived as a modern alternative to the traditional trade show model. Held annually in Mannheim, Germany, the event has expanded rapidly, drawing an increasingly international audience each year. What began as a focused gathering for guitar enthusiasts has evolved into one of Europe’s most influential guitar-centered events, reflecting the global nature of today’s music community.
Where Legacy Brands Meet Innovation
A defining feature of the Guitar Summit is its diverse exhibitor base. Internationally recognized guitar, amplifier, and effects brands appear alongside boutique builders and independent innovators. This balance creates an environment where heritage craftsmanship and forward-thinking design coexist. Rather than dividing markets by region or style, the Summit places all participants on equal ground—encouraging discovery, dialogue, and collaboration.
Education, Performance, and Shared Experience
Beyond the exhibition floor, the Guitar Summit places strong emphasis on education and interaction. Workshops, masterclasses, and live demonstrations allow artists to share techniques and creative insight directly with attendees. Evening concerts and showcases further strengthen the sense of community, highlighting how musicians from different backgrounds connect through shared passion rather than nationality or genre.
Moving Beyond Borders
Our perspective is simple: it is essential to set aside our perceptions of music as being defined by borders and instead focus on the music itself—the instruments, the artists, and the communities that form around them. The Guitar Summit succeeds because it places creativity and connection above geography. For consumers, it offers meaningful engagement with gear and artists. For brands, it provides a rare opportunity to build genuine relationships within a truly global music community.
Part III Teaser
What’s Next for Music Without Borders
In Part III of Music Not Having Borders, the focus will shift to another international hub where creativity, innovation, and collaboration converge. As the series continues, we will explore how artists and industry leaders are shaping the future of music by prioritizing shared experience over geography—and proving once again that music knows no borders.
ABOUT GUITAR SUMMIT
The Guitar Summit is an annual music event held in Mannheim, Germany, that brings together guitar and bass players from around the world. It is one of Europe’s largest gatherings dedicated to string instruments and music gear. The event attracts musicians of all skill levels, from beginners to professionals, as well as music industry experts.
One of the main attractions of the Guitar Summit is its large exhibition area. Visitors can explore and try out guitars, basses, amplifiers, effects pedals, and accessories from hundreds of well-known and boutique brands. The event uses a “silent” headphone system, allowing attendees to test gear without excessive noise on the show floor.
In addition to the exhibition, the Guitar Summit offers educational opportunities through workshops and masterclasses. Renowned guitarists and instructors share their knowledge on playing techniques, music styles, recording, and equipment setup. These sessions provide valuable learning experiences for musicians looking to improve their skills.
The Guitar Summit also features live concerts and performances that showcase talented artists from various genres. These performances create an inspiring atmosphere and allow attendees to experience music in a live setting. Overall, the Guitar Summit combines education, innovation, and entertainment, making it a must-visit event for guitar enthusiasts.
INTERVIEW WITH FRANK DIESVELD | GUITAR SUMMIT AND GUITAR THRILLS MAGAZINE
Guitar Thrills: From your perspective, how does the Guitar Summit differ from traditional music trade shows in terms of community and collaboration?
Frank: To be honest, we never wanted to build a "trade show." We just wanted to throw the kind of party we’d want to go to ourselves—as musicians and total gear nerds. For us, it’s all about meeting on eye level. This approach is deeply built into the concept. We intentionally limit booth sizes — not just because of space, but because we want small custom shops, one-man builders, and boutique brands to be seen just as clearly as the big names. It’s not about who builds the biggest booth. It’s not about who has the biggest marketing budget. And the same applies to the artists. They’re not hidden away in some exclusive backstage area. They walk the floor, check out gear, talk shop, and grab food like everyone else. You might end up discussing pickup windings or pedal circuits with someone you just saw on stage — maybe while standing in line at the food trucks. That’s when it clicks: the Guitar Summit doesn’t feel like a trade show. It feels like a shared space for people who genuinely love guitars, basses, and everything that comes with them.
Guitar Thrills: The theme of “music without borders” is central to our series—how do you see events like the Guitar Summit breaking down geographic or cultural barriers in the music industry?
Frank: The Summit shows one thing very clearly: music doesn’t care about borders—not geographic ones, and not stylistic ones. The guitar scene feels much more like a family than an industry. Once people meet in person, all those labels tend to disappear quickly. You can see that every year on the show floor. The community is evolving; it’s becoming more diverse and noticeably younger. You have kids who discovered music through YouTube standing right next to pros who have been touring for decades. Within minutes, they’re geeking out together over the same gear. Our All-Star Jams are the perfect example. You’ll see metal players like Frank Bello or Jeff Loomis sharing the stage with fusion wizards or blues players. In that moment, "genres" are just conversation starters. What’s left is curiosity, mutual respect, and a bunch of musicians just being happy to play together.
Guitar Thrills: How important is face-to-face interaction between artists, brands, and consumers in an increasingly digital music world?
Frank: Personal interaction matters more than ever. With so much happening on social media, YouTube, and digital platforms, it’s easy to feel a bit disconnected. You see people, you hear them — but you don’t really meet them. The more our daily lives are shaped by algorithms and AI, the stronger the desire for real, physical encounters becomes.
Musical instruments are highly emotional products. You can read spec sheets, watch videos, and scroll through perfectly produced demos all day — but that only gets you so far. At some point, you need to pick up an instrument, feel it in your hands, hear how it responds, and experience what it does to you.
We learned this firsthand during the COVID period, when the Guitar Summit couldn’t take place, but we still wanted to do something. That’s why we created the Guitar Summit Web Camp. It worked in many ways — and we’re glad we did it — but it also made one thing very clear: you can stream a lot of things, but you can’t stream the feeling of standing in a room with a great instrument, a great sound, and real people around you. You can’t replace meeting musicians, builders, and fellow players face to face, having spontaneous conversations, or sharing a moment that just happens.
That’s why face-to-face events like the Guitar Summit are becoming more relevant — not despite digital progress, but because of it. The heart of the music scene beats analog: in real conversations, shared experiences, and moments no algorithm can fake.
Guitar Thrills: What role does shared gear culture play in connecting musicians from different backgrounds and genres?
Frank: Let’s be honest: Guitarists are a special kind of nerd. We can spend three hours arguing about whether a specific capacitor from 1964 changes the tone, which probably sounds completely insane to anyone outside the bubble.
But that’s exactly the trick. You could put a death metal guitarist and a jazz player in the same room, and they might not have a single song in common—but the second they see a weird vintage pedal, they’re best friends. It’s like a secret handshake. We think we’re just discussing "weirdly specific stuff" like the microscopic sonic differences between various Tube Screamer circuits over the decades, but what we’re doing is building a bridge. Gear is the perfect excuse to start talking to a stranger, and before you know it, you’re not talking about the gear anymore—you’re talking about music. It’s the ultimate icebreaker, even if it starts with a 20-minute debate about whether the nitrocellulose lacquer 'breathes' better in Olympic White than in Sunburst.
Guitar Thrills: Can you share a moment at the Guitar Summit where collaboration or camaraderie stood out to you?
Frank: There isn’t just one single moment—it’s more a collection of many small ones. To be honest, I spend a lot of my time in the production office, to make sure everything works. But whenever I do make it out onto the floor, I see people smiling everywhere. The energy is just so positive. People openly tell us how much the event means to them and how happy they are that this community exists. Seeing a pro giving a tip to a teenager or exhibitors helping each other out—those are the moments that really stick with you.
Guitar Thrills: How do you balance honoring traditional craftsmanship while embracing innovation in today’s global guitar market?
Frank: For us, it’s not really a balancing act. We’re simply trying to give a broad and honest overview of the guitar and bass world. Traditional craftsmanship and innovation often go hand in hand. Many of the brands we now think of as “classic” were once highly innovative themselves — and some of today’s bold ideas might very well be considered classics a few years down the road.
What matters to us is showing the full picture: established brands, small custom shops, one-man builders, familiar concepts, and new ideas — all on eye level. The Guitar Summit is meant to be a place where these different approaches can exist side by side and inspire each other. In the end, it’s not trends or marketing that decide what sticks — it’s the musicians. They usually know quickly what works for them, and our job is simply to give them the space to discover it.
Guitar Thrills: For brands and builders, what value does direct feedback from musicians at events like this bring to product development?
Frank: The Guitar Summit is a clearly B2C-focused event. Builders and brands talk directly to the musicians who play their instruments. That feedback is honest and spontaneous. A musician will tell a builder right away how an instrument feels or what doesn't quite work for them. You can't get that kind of "real talk" from a digital survey or market research. For the brands, it’s the most honest reality check they can get.
Guitar Thrills: How do educational elements such as workshops and masterclasses contribute to a more inclusive and connected music community?
Frank: For us, workshops and masterclasses are like two sides of the same coin. The workshops are intentionally open, free, and easy to join. You just walk in, get inspired, and have a good time. It’s not about your skill level; it’s about the content. Sometimes they’re very entertaining—just watching a pro show off their tricks. Other times they’re more hands-on, breaking down techniques or songwriting. You might find yourself in a panel where pickup experts are nerding out or artists are talking about self-promotion. You learn a lot along the way, but the main goal is just inspiration. Then you have the masterclasses, which are the other side of the coin. They’re for the people who really want to go deep. Small groups, more detail, and a lot of direct interaction. It’s where you go if you want to "full nerd" on a specific topic. Together, this mix makes the Summit really inclusive. You can casually walk into a workshop or dive deep in a masterclass—either way, everyone feels welcome. That shared experience is what really connects the community.
Guitar Thrills: In your view, what should musicians set aside—expectations, labels, or borders—to better connect through music?
Frank: Hm….That’s a pretty philosophical question … I’ll give it a try. I think we should mainly let go of putting things into boxes and this constant pressure to be perfect. Categorizing everything into genres or feeling like you’re “not good enough” often gets in the way of really talking to each other and experiencing or making music together.
Music isn’t a competition. It helps to listen more, stay open, and be curious. In the end, it’s just about the shared joy of making music.
Guitar Thrills: Looking ahead, how do you see global events like the Guitar Summit shaping the future of the guitar and music industry as a whole?
Frank: Honestly, I’m pretty sure events like the Guitar Summit matter more than ever. The more everything turns into AI, algorithms, and endless online stuff, the more people are just kind of over it. At some point, you don’t want another perfect video — you want something real. That’s what these events are about. You meet people in person, you hear real sounds, you play real instruments, you talk, you hang out. I really think people are craving that again. And global events like the Guitar Summit give the guitar community a place to come together, spend time, and remember why we all got into this in the first place. Because it’s fun and it feels right.
Conclusion
As the global music landscape continues to evolve, events like the Guitar Summit remind us that progress happens when we move beyond labels, borders, and preconceived ideas. Whether through shared gear, collaborative learning, or spontaneous conversations between artists and builders, the Summit highlights what truly matters—connection, creativity, and community. From our perspective, it is in these spaces where music becomes universal, not because it ignores differences, but because it brings them together. In a world often divided by boundaries, the guitar community continues to prove that music speaks most clearly when we listen to one another.
