YOU will find them on train stations and at concert halls, house parties and out the back of bars, sometimes a bit battered, sometimes bruised - but always beloved.
Guitars are the stalwarts of the music world.
The globe's most popular instrument - in all its shapes, sizes and forms - will be centre stage at the upcoming Strings Attached: The Western Australian Guitar Festival, where about 5000 players, makers, collectors and enthusiasts will come together in Margaret River for three days which are all about guitars and their string cousins - ukuleles, banjos, mandolins and more.
The event will showcase performances, a trade exhibition from leading guitar and equipment makers and workshops covering everything from playing styles, songwriting and making your own.
"WA has a really strong community of guitar players and there have been a number of guitar festivals on the east coast for many years - the most notable are the Adelaide Guitar Festival and the Melbourne Guitar Show, which is largely a trade show,'' said Strings Attached director Dan White (pictured top right).
"There was never anything here in Western Australia to cater for die-hard guitarists, but also guitar lovers and guitar makers.
"So we set out to create a platform which would help bring together the three - the players, makers and enthusiasts."
The first Strings Attached was held in 2019, after a few years of conversation between three Margaret River locals, luthier Scott Wise, South West Development Commission manager of trade, tourism, innovation and creative industries Mat Lewis and Margaret River Holidays Leon Ryan, who is the festival's board chairman.
Mr White, a musician, guitar lover and experienced event operator, was quickly brought on board to bring their dream to life.
For Mr Wise, who makes guitars, ukuleles, mandolins and violins by hand in his Margaret River studio, the festival has become an annual highlight.
"I had been going to guitar and luthing festivals overseas for 20 years at that stage - longer, actually,'' said Mr Wise of the time they were conceiving the event.
"With the help of a few interested people the festival got going.
"Now it presents me with a deadline every October to get ready for.''
This year's event runs from Friday, October 7 to Sunday, October 9, across nine venues in the South West town and will offer performances from more than 60 acts, plus 15 exhibitors at the trade show.
The performances will cover everything from classical, prog metal and punk, to blues, roots country, jazz, ukulele and much more.
"It is not only a music festival, we have a massive program of 40 workshops, which really allow you to delve deeper into guitar - whether it be techniques, new gear, or building your own,'' Mr White said.
"Then there is the exhibition side of things as well with our own version of a trade show, with amazing guitar builders and manufacturers and distributors from around the country displaying their wares, whether that's guitars they have made, amps, pedals, guitar building tools or playing rigs.
"It's a very diverse event for a reason, the intention is to appeal to a wide range of audiences."
English instrumentalist, singer and songwriter Hank Marvin, the lead guitarist for The Shadows, will headline the performances.
The Australian contingent will be led by three-time ARIA-award winner Jeff Lang, an accomplished and influential guitarist, songwriter, singer and music producer.
Chris Cheney, from the Living End, The Waifs' Josh Cunningham with country music singer Felicity Urquhart and young Fremantle-based singer-songwriter Carla Geneva are also on the bill.
"Australia's largest guitar manufacturer Omsby is exhibiting this year,'' Mr White said.
"They make bolt-on electric guitars which are highly sought after around the world."
Overseas brands which have Australian bases, such as Fender and Gibson, will be exhibiting via their local distributors.
"There will be brands people know as well as our boutique guys, who we are really trying to represent," he said.
The depth of instruments and equipment extends from exhibitor Cabondynamix, which has built carbon fibre instruments, to Dogtown Cigar Box, which takes a "recycling approach'' by making them out of old cigar boxes and even shovels.
Among the long list of outstanding performers, Mr White was particularly looking forward to seeing Newcastle, NSW, fingerstyle guitarist Adam Miller.
Mr Miller will be performing in the main theatre and give a fingerstyle workshop.
"Being one of Australia's premier fingerstyle guitarists his gift is that, not only does he own the groove, but he takes polyphonic playing with an independent bassline, melody and harmony and improvisation, to incredible heights."
Put simply, Mr Miller plays the bass chords, melody and harmony all at the same time, on a six-string guitar, using all of his fingers.
"It is incredible,'' Mr White said.
"It is like a one-man band, but on one guitar.''
Elsewhere in the festival, Mr White said he anticipates conversations about technology will resonate this year.
"Building techniques for guitars do change and that is something there will be discussions around at this event,'' he said.
"And there has been a big advancement in recording technology, amps, pedals and synthesisers.
"The software side of guitar and production has really advanced.
"More than ever before the power is with the hobbyist to be able to record themselves and upload it online for everyone to listen to.
"I have a home studio myself and have produced a bunch of albums from there; the sounds you can get and level of production you can achieve in relatively small spaces with simple set ups these days is incredible.
"It is amazing."
Mr White said most importantly, the festival was responding to WA's incredibly healthy and very large guitar playing community - who for too long had missed out on the kind of opportunities available to players, makers and enthusiasts living in less-isolated places.
And to celebrate the myriad connections that guitars can forge.
"The guitar itself is played in so many different ways, so we feel a responsibility to represent all the different demographics - not only the young and old, but the metal-heads, the singer/songwriters and everything in between,'' he said.
"The guitar is the most popular instrument in the world.
"It's the one instrument you can find anywhere you go, no matter how beaten up, you will find a guitar somewhere in a backpackers', or someone's lounge room or the back of a pub.
"It's a point of connection, it doesn't matter what language you speak.
"If you speak the musical language you can connect through that and I think that is very special.''
