Guitar documentary subject-as-in-individuals-ideas.

soma1975

Might have the chance to pitch some mini documentaries soon and wanted to include some guitar stuff. 

Though I'd ask for your collective knowledge to drum up some suggestions. 

Who in Europe is pushing the envelope in the guitar world?

Can be players, designers or builders. 

Who is at the forefront of a new movement that might not yet be known by the mainstream, or which luthier or designer is pioneering new techniques or materials or is making the guitar a traditional instrument now fit for the 21st century and generations to come?

Which players are turning the guitar into something new, musically? 

Apart from Chappers obviously. 

Moltisanti

erm it's more about the 50s stuff than ever... all the innovation is with amps and IRs. Two Notes are a French company i believe if you're after someone European.

thegummy

The thing I'm most aware of are the English pickup companies.

Also, not really a pedal guy but, Gamechanger Audio seem to come out with some interesting pedals that stand out from the crowd as something different in a sea of very similar clones.

soma1975

Moltisanti said:

erm it's more about the 50s stuff than ever... all the innovation is with amps and IRs. Two Notes are a French company i believe if you're after someone European.

Yes of course, but there have to be some crazy inspired people doing new/different/better. 

IRs would be a boring as fuck doc sadly. 

soma1975

thegummy said:

The thing I'm most aware of are the English pickup companies.

Also, not really a pedal guy but, Gamechanger Audio seem to come out with some interesting pedals that stand out from the crowd as something different in a sea of very similar clones.

Gamechanger are a good shout do you know where they are based? 

thegummy

soma1975 said:

thegummy said:

The thing I'm most aware of are the English pickup companies.

Also, not really a pedal guy but, Gamechanger Audio seem to come out with some interesting pedals that stand out from the crowd as something different in a sea of very similar clones.

Gamechanger are a good shout do you know where they are based? 

I think it's Latvia.

Jalapeno

Thorpy

fretfinder

Ivison Guitars. Boutique small scale luthier building the best of the fifties, with some modern touches if desired, and new retro-inspired designs.

professorben

Thorpy would an interesting guy to document I bet. 

Army demolitions expert goes into pedal building, Thorpy/ Redbeard etc. 

Sassafras

Harley Benton.

Lewy

I think the phenomenon of Instagram guitar and the parallels between that and things like fitness on Instagram would be an interesting area to explore.

crunchman

Some of the small acoustic builders may be worth a look - like Brook, Turnstone, or Atkin.

I think Brook are quite big on sustainable timbers, so there may be an angle there, and you can probably sneak in some scenic pictures of back of beyond rural Devon.

Turnstone are more innovative in their designs, and there may be the "woman in a man's world" angle.  There was a piece in the Guardian about Turnstone a while back:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2019/aug/19/string-theory-make-acoustic-guitar-in-pictures

Haych

Ben at Crimson is making some interesting stuff, although he generally tends to document it as he's building.

From a viewers perspective I would be very interested to see something on guitar/amp repairers and techs, too.  I could watch Dan Erlewine fixing stuff all day.

Jonathanthomas83

Aristedes are for certain pushing the boundaries with their guitars, based in Netherlands.

Mayones, Poland.

Red Layer Guitars are absolutely insane too. You could get some nice stuff about how the guitars end up being works of art more than anything. I could watch him make the inlays and cut the fretboards all day long.

Not bread and butter guitars by any means, but certainly are immaculate and offering another level of service and quality.

Winny_Pooh

Rather than gear, I'd do a doc on the continued popularity of Django gypsy jazz and it's modern players. It's a trend that along with classical guitar continued in its original form relatively unaltered, yet doesn't quite fit into the scholarly folk music tradition, partly due to it's gypsy origins and relative modernity. American jazz by contrast, despite being as recent and being invented by a minority demographic too, has been co-opted by universities and the establishment.  
John Jorgensen is a fascinating guy plus there's the UK scene as angle.

soma1975

Winny_Pooh said:

Rather than gear, I'd do a doc on the continued popularity of Django gypsy jazz and it's modern players. It's a trend that along with classical guitar continued in its original form relatively unaltered, yet doesn't quite fit into the scholarly folk music tradition, partly due to it's gypsy origins and relative modernity. American jazz by contrast, despite being as recent and being invented by a minority demographic too, has been co-opted by universities and the establishment.  
John Jorgensen is a fascinating guy plus there's the UK scene as angle.

Whilst I would watch the shit out of that it doesn't really tie in with the interests of what the people who would be paying for it to be made. Wish I could say more. 

soma1975

Some brilliant ideas so far guys. 

Please keep them coming. 

Sassafras

Carbon fibre.

Sassafras

Tonewoods vs pickups.
You could get a never ending documentary out of that.

JerkMoans

You could do a series following an intrepid, Indiana Jones type as he delves ever deeper into the labyrinthine tunnels of @HarrySeven 's underground storage bunker.

PolarityMan

The rise of the youtube guitar hero