“I saw this old skateboard lying around my house”: ever more original guitars presented at the Nîmes Guitar Artisans Show

Une lap steel sur une planche de skate, c’est possible ? Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET

Le Salon des artisans de la guitare c'est avant tout quatorze luthiers passionnés qui présentent leur travail, des masterclass organisées tout au long de la journée et la possibilité de jouer de la gratte.

Strings and guitars rocked the Paloma concert hall in Nîmes on the occasion of the second edition of the Salon des artisans de la guitare this Saturday, September 28. An event as cool as it was creative, where the guitar reinvents itself in all its forms, and where "chill" is the order of the day.

"A meeting between enthusiasts"

"It was pretty relaxed this year", says Denis Lavie, stage manager at the concert hall and the day's great orchestrator. “Last year it was more crowded, but this year we extended the event to the whole day, not just the afternoon. It gives a more relaxed atmosphere, with moments of really nice exchange between enthusiasts."

The Guitar Craftsmen's Show is above all a meeting between enthusiasts. Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET

Throughout the day, the public was able to attend masterclasses in the rehearsal studios and also test instruments straight out of the artisans' workshops. What makes this show unique ? is its simplicity and its intimate side. “We don't have the ambition to make this event a big professional show, specifies Denis. It's a meeting between enthusiasts. We just want to shine a spotlight on local artisans, sometimes unknown, even to us!"

A skateboard and strings…

Among the fourteen or so artisans who came to present their work, the prize for originality undoubtedly goes to Vanni, a creator of guitars like no other. His project ? Lap steel guitars (electric guitar that is played on the knees) entirely made from skateboards. “Honestly, you have to rack your brains to make something reliable, he jokes. I'm a guitarist by training, not a luthier. It took me two years to come up with a clean result."

His idea came from a personal need: "I had a folk music project and I really needed a lap steel. I saw this old skateboard lying around my house and there it was, the project was born.” Two years of work later, his creations are explosive, combining the urban style of skateboarding with the finesse of a musical instrument.