Recently I was a finalist in an international guitar making competition, in Granada, Spain. I've been to several guitar making competitions over the years. Usually, people are surprised to hear that guitar making competitions exist, but a tradition of such competitions permeates through the history of the instrument making crafts. On the labels of many older guitar makers, are often illustrations of medals they’ve won at such competitions. At such an event, guitar makers will bring their best work, probably built at some point over the previous year. The guitars are then judged, usually by playing the same pieces on each guitar and comparing them, over several days.
I attended two guitar making competitions as a very new guitar maker and one more recently. I think new guitar makers often seek out competitions as a form of affirmation and encouragement for the work they're doing. I think I had the right attitude - that I was there to learn, improve and soak up as much information as possible - and I did indeed learn a great deal.
The first competition I went to was in Malta. Funnily enough, it was mostly a violin making competition although with a category for guitars too. I took one of my first guitars. I got a bronze medal for it, and it was overall a good experience. More than anything I enjoyed meeting the other instrument makers there, particularly the violin makers. I was in my early twenties and a beginner. Whereas they were mostly young professionals in their late twenties/early thirties, from all around the world. It was interesting to see their ambition, their craftsmanship. I liked the professional way they presented themselves. I was particularly impressed by one violin maker who had made and brought with him a whole string quartet to be judged. I recall having a pizza dinner with a group of Italian violin makers and occasionally drop by their Instagram to see their latest violins.
Shortly after that competition in Malta, I went to one in Granada, Spain. This competition was a real game changer for me as a guitar maker. I got to discover Granada, the home of the guitar, see flamenco performances, discover Spanish culture, observe the high level of the guitars by other makers, and speak to guitar makers from all around the world. The standard of guitars there was truly incredibly high. I enjoyed a long conversation with one of the judges Yuris Zeltins, in which apart from many insights into and tips about the guitar making world, he also spoke about how crazy people are who want to make guitars, and also about how he was getting old and mortality in general. I also enjoyed meeting John Ray, whose blog on guitar making I enjoyed reading. On departing Spain after that competition, I resolved to work hard and raise the standard of my guitars up and beyond what I'd seen in Spain, and perhaps one day come back and present a guitar I’d be truly proud of.
Finally, years later, this summer, I returned to that competition in Granada. It's called the Antonio Marin Montero Competition by the way. I’m pleased to say that I was completely delighted with the instrument, and it reached the finals. I was happy with this result and again I learned a great deal from the experience. In Granada, there is a great community of master guitar makers. A situation very different to the UK, where everyone is quite spread out. It was great to be among those makers for a short time and hope I can incorporate all I've learnt there into my future guitars.
