Guitar show coming to central Arkansas

Greg Perrine of Conway is one of the organizers for the Central Arkansas Guitar Show, which will take place Saturday in Jacksonville.
Greg Perrine of Conway is one of the organizers for the Central Arkansas Guitar Show, which will take place Saturday in Jacksonville.

JACKSONVILLE — Greg Perrine of Conway loves music. He sells and repairs music equipment and travels to music and guitar shows as a part of his business, Recycled Sound.

In fact, he had attended guitar shows in Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Missouri, but never in Arkansas. He said there were no local shows to attend. That is why he and two of his friends — Roger Brooks of Brooks Custom Guitars and Guido Ciardetti of Guido’s Hot Springs Music — have organized the first Central Arkansas Guitar Show, which will take place Saturday in Jacksonville.

“To our knowledge, there’s never been a full-blown guitar show in Arkansas,” Perrine said. “We finally decided to pull the trigger and start one up.”

Perrine said he has always enjoyed going to guitar shows and thought it was a shame there wasn’t one in Arkansas.

Through Recycled Sound, Perrine repairs and sells a variety of items, including vintage amps, attenuators, radios and instruments. He said traveling to guitar shows is part of his business, and it seemed odd to have to travel out of state to attend shows for the 35 years he has lived in Arkansas, when the state has a rich music culture.

“The idea behind the Central Arkansas Guitar Show is to promote the music side of Arkansas,” Perrine said. “We’ve got a fairly good music market in Little Rock, but we don’t have local opportunities to show our nice vintage instruments in a show. … This is all about getting people together who all enjoy the same things.”

Perrine said the show will have 35 to 40 dealers from Arkansas and surrounding states, plus one dealer from Arizona.

“We’ve got dealers coming from all over,” Perrine said.

The show will feature vintage, new and used musical instruments that visitors can view, buy or trade. Some items attendees might see include guitars, basses, amps, banjos and FX pedals.

Perrine said that depending on the reception of the show this year, it may become an annual event.

The Central Arkansas Guitar Show will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Jacksonville Community Center, 5 Municipal Drive. Admission is $7, but there is a $2 discount for those who bring instruments or other items to sell or trade. Admission is free for children 12 years old and younger.

For more information about the show or to obtain exhibitor space, call (501) 450-0226 or email ARguitarshow@gmail.com. Information can also be found at www.arkansasguitarshow.com.

Staff writer Angela Spencer can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or aspencer@arkansasonline.com.

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