Guitar Convention

Visit the versatile Guitar Convention and immerse yourself in the world of guitars! On the Saturday of the festival week, Muziekgebouw Eindhoven transforms into a true guitar haven with a comprehensive trade fair, engaging masterclasses, informative workshops, and, of course, live music. Every inch of the venue is packed with guitars, basses, amplifiers, effects, and other exciting gear showcased by over 70 brands. There’s a good chance you’ll get completely drawn into all the incredible instruments and equipment on display—just make sure you don’t miss the masterclass or performance by your favorite guitarist!

The fair

At the Guitar Convention fair, you’ll find a broad selection of guitars, basses, and accessories, ranging from amplifiers and effects to maintenance products. Product experts will be present to answer all your questions. Thinking about upgrading your pedalboard? This is the place to be! Enthusiasts of exclusive instruments will also be thrilled with the many boutique guitars from brands like Dejawu, Schwung, Unquendor, and RH Guitars, alongside major international brands. Basses won’t be left out either, with models from Spector, Dingwall, Ibanez, Duesenberg, Bacci, Tokai, and Kala.

Masterclasses by top guitarists

Attend masterclasses by outstanding guitarists and bassists from both the Netherlands and abroad.

• Biréli Lagrène – The most influential European jazz guitarist of recent decades
• Doug Wimbish – A pioneer of hip-hop and longtime bassist of Living Colour
• Harry Sacksioni – Voted the best acoustic guitarist in the Netherlands 15 times
• Yasi Hofer – A German guitarist discovered at a young age by Steve Vai, now with four solo albums
• Ivo Severijns – Bassist for Waylon, formerly of Kane and Herman Brood
• Anton Goudsmit – Named Jazz/Funk Guitarist of the Year by readers of Gitarist magazine
• Jérôme Hol – Guitarist for Hans Dulfer, blending the power of metal with the warmth of blues
• Martijn van Agt – Regular guitarist for stars like Anouk, Guus Meeuwis, and Ilse DeLange
• Levi Vis – Bassist of psychedelic blues rock band DeWolff, formerly with Dawn Brothers
• Abel van der Waals – Gaining recognition as the guitarist of Loupe

Workshops

You can also participate in various workshops held throughout the day. The workshops are free with your convention ticket, but registration is required!

• Hocus Pocus Plug & Play Guitar Orchestra (Wiek Hijmans)
• Rock Guitar Orchestra (Reinier Scheffer)
• Metal Guitar Orchestra (Javier Valdi & Ivar Useinov)
• The Bass Orchestra (Timothy Dunn)
• Effects & Sound (Abel van der Waals)
• Blues Guitar Orchestra (Bram van den Brekel)

You can register for the workshops here: https://www.gitarist.nl/events/bridge/

Biréli Lagrène solo concert

French guitarist Biréli Lagrène belongs to the absolute top in the guitar world. Starting in the gypsy tradition, he evolved into a master of jazz and fusion, both acoustic and electric. He was part of the legendary Super Guitar Trio with Al Di Meola and Larry Coryell and has released an impressive catalog of albums, both solo and in duos and trios. His collaboration with Jaco Pastorius resulted in legendary performances, with Stuttgart Aria (1986) as a highlight. At 5:00 PM, Lagrène will give an exclusive solo concert in the Small Hall of Muziekgebouw Eindhoven. Entry is included with your ticket, but space is limited—first come, first serve!

Gitarist Poll Awards ceremony

Every year, Gitarist Magazine presents the Gitarist Poll Awards, celebrating the guitarists and gear that have made the biggest impact over the past year. Readers of the magazine determine the winners in 20 categories, recognizing the best, most innovative, and most remarkable contributions. The winners will be honored at the Guitar Convention, with a festive awards ceremony at 1:45 PM in M!

Brands featured at the Guitar Convention:

Aguilar / Aristides / Ashdown / Bacci / Baton Rouge / Beetronics / Blackstar / Chapman / Cordoba / Cort / Crafter / Crazy Tube Circuits / D’Addario / Darkglass / De Wit Guitars / Dejawu / Digitech / Dingwall / DMI / Dogal / DSM & Humboldt / Duesenberg / Duke Guitars / Dunlop / Eastman / Eich / Eko / ESP / Fender Audio / FGN / Focusrite / Fortin / G&L / G7th / Get’m Get’m / Guild / Guitarking Fuzz / Hagstrom / Hercules / Hiwatt / Hughes & Kettner / Ibanez / Iceberg Effects / J. Rockett / Kernom / Korg / Lâg / Laney / Lava / Legator / Levy’s Leather / LTD Maruszczyk / Martin / MXR / Neural DSP / Ortega / Paul Belgrado / Peavey / Pedaltrain / Printonic / Radial / Revv / RH Guitars / Sandberg / Schecter / Schwung Guitars / Souldier / Souce Audio / Spector / Stagg / Sterling by Music Man / Stradlin / Suhr / Tokai / Trace Elliot / Tyrone / Ultimusician / Universal Audio / Unquendor / Van Laeck Amps / Vintage / Vox / Walden / Walrus Audio / Way Huge

The Guitar Convention is organized by BRIDGE Guitar Festival Eindhoven in collaboration with Gitarist Magazine, De Bassist Magazine, and Guitar Matrix.

Timetable