A new program sees the Melbourne Guitar Show revitalised for 2025.
The Melbourne Guitar Show makes a triumphant return on March 1 and 2 2025, taking over the Victoria Pavilion at Melbourne Showgrounds, the Show’s first year at this new venue. Having had a year off, and with newly appointed CEO of the Australian Music Association Alex Masso at the helm, the Melbourne Guitar Show is revitalised for a new era.
Attendees can expect the biggest brands in guitar, bass, effects, amplifiers and more, all available to try, buy and discuss with product experts. In addition to a huge range of instruments, the Melbourne Guitar Show will showcase some of the country’s best musicians on the main stage, as well as workshops, panel discussions and songwriting workshops for all.
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“It’s really important for us as an industry to engage with consumers,” he begins. “To get people excited about playing the instrument. The reason we do guitar is it’s still the most popular instrument.”
A tough admission for Alex, a drummer himself, to make.
“It’s a great opportunity to get people from all walks of life. All the exhibitors, everyone from the biggest brands like Fender and Gibson, global companies, through to people living in Australia, making a few guitars a year, Australian manufacturers.”
For the first time, Fender themselves are also curating their own program of performances, workshops and demonstrations as part of The Fender Experience. Alex goes on to explain that the purpose of the Melbourne Guitar Show is to get people really excited about the breadth of guitars and guitar playing.
Melbourne Showgrounds
In addition to a new venue, 2025 being the first year the event is held at the Victoria Pavilion at Melbourne Showgrounds, the show has better access, as well as a revised main stage.
“It’s gonna be a bit different. People are used to seeing a series of bands playing the main stage. We’ve got a range of acoustic and electric, we’ve got some people presenting, panels, interviews and other things happening, not just playing guitar.”
“We’ve got a new room which is the Make Music room, which is really focused on getting people playing, and making music.” Alex beams, clearly excited about how inspiring the day will be. “Workshops on guitar playing and songwriting, really bringing a different element to the show”
Alex speaks further to the buzz of the show, anyone who’s attended before can attest to, the main floor feeling alive with sound, music and effects.
“We’re super agnostic about genre, professional status; beginner, advanced, intermediate. We honestly couldn’t care less if two people are walking into our show and one is the top guitarist in Australia in their field, and the other has just started last month and they’re a kid. Those people are equally important to our event. We want them both to come.”
Speaking further to the reach of the Melbourne Guitar Show, Alex acknowledges there’s a ‘traditional audience’ he says with a grin. This year’s event is making a special effort to reach out to all corners of guitar playing, making it all more appealing and accessible to different kinds of people.
“If you’re a singer-songwriter and all you do is support yourself, you’re not focused on being a lead guitarist— we want those people. That’s still music. We want them at the show.” Alex smiles.
“This is going to be a milestone year for the event, but we’re also making some shifts in a few different ways.” he explains, speaking more to the future of the event. “Where’s it going? I think it’s heading where we’re indicating here, trying to include content creators and bands and panels on the same stage, that’s a bit of a shift.”
“Having the music making element, I think we’re indicating a few shifts in the event and we’re going to keep going in that direction.”
Alex speaks further to how actively the Australian Music Association takes on feedback, allowing the attendees, exhibitors and performers to inform the future of the show.
“A lot of the stuff we’re doing is guided by the people on the floor, as well as the artists. A lot of things we’ve wanted to change, people agree. It’s just listening to what people want to do and make a great event for them.”
“I think ‘Community Show’ is a better description,” begins Alex, weary that the Melbourne Guitar Show might look like a trade show from the outset. “It’s a show for the guitar community.”
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Alex goes on to rattle off a few things he’s excited about himself, citing the TheSuperFunAwesomeHappyTimePedalShow, whose host Gabor will be featured on the main stage.
“I’m also trying to sneak a couple of genres in?” Alex muses. “I guess we’re known as a bit of a blues and rock event. But we’ve got a flamenco guitarist, CB3 are a great band, jazz, funk, a bit of a neo-soul influence. They’re really good. And of course Paul Dempsey, an iconic Australian songwriter. So yeah, trying to broaden the music as well.”
“We’ve got the quiet mornings, a bit more family friendly.” he says, explaining that the first two hours of each morning will be quiet time, before the noise kicks off. He acknowledges the need to make noise though.
“The raucous cacophony is part of the fun.” he says with a smile.
The 2025 Melbourne Guitar Show stands as the first show back after a break, primed to be the best yet. As Alex has alluded to, he’s ready to adapt, evolve and experiment with the show, all in the interest of the attendees who are there every year, but also the up-and-coming musicians and guitar players and songwriters who haven’t felt the allure of the show yet.
The Melbourne Guitar Show takes over the Victoria Pavilion at Melbourne Showgrounds on March 1 and 2, 2025. Tickets, program and more are available here.
