Great Guitar Show coming to rec May 4

The Great Guitar, Musical Instrument, and Audio Show, hosted by The Long Island Music Business Organization (LIMBO) is coming to the Freeport Recreation Center, located at 130 E Merrick Road on May 4th from 10:00a.m. to 4:00p.m.

Richard Branciforte, president of LIMBO, and owner of Good Times Magazine, a music newspaper on Long Island that just celebrated its 55th anniversary, is playing a key role in putting on of the event.

LIMBO was set up about six months ago, as an organization to unite different music oriented businesses on Long Island.

“LIMBO is basically a chamber of commerce, but it’s for music businesses,” said Branciforte.

Under the umbrella of the organization are clubs, restaurants, musical instruments, stores, recording studios, performing arts centers,

At the organization’s first major business meeting last month, over 65 businesses showed up.

“We want people to realize there’s all this great talent out here. And we want them to come down and instead of buying stuff online, they come down to the store,” said Branciforte. “So that’s the idea behind the guitar and musical instrument show.”

“People are getting tired of looking at a computer screen,” he went on, citing the lockdowns, which he said slowed down the formation of the trade association that eventually became LIMBO which has initially been floated years ago.

Some of the member’s of the organization’s board of directors includes the owner of Murphy’s music, the owners of Long Island Drum Center, the marketing director of West Hampton Beach Performing Arts Center, and the cofounder of ReverbNation.

“I tried to take people that have been active for years, but have built something,” said Branciforte. “So that it wasn’t just a group of people doing events but it was people who actually built their businesses.”

The event will feature a wide array of vintage guitars, equipment, pedals, amps, basses, drums, special effects, DJ gear, audio equipment and more for sale and for show.

This is the first musical instrument show on Long Island in five years, and nearly every musical instrument store on Long Island will be in attendance, along with prominent vendors such as Rivington guitars, meaning attendees can expect a diverse selection of instruments and gear at various price points.

An inspiration for the event was the Philadelphia Music Show, of which Branciforte is a regular attendee.

The owners of these various Long Island businesses will be available for questions and conversation.

At the event will be a dedicated Musician’s Row, where local artists will showcase their talent and connect with fans, as well as various organizations.

“If you’re a blues guy, you might want to join the blues society,” states Branciforte. “If you’re into folk music you might want to join the folk society. Plus some of the individual bands took boots for themselves.”

The Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame will also be in attendance with their own booth.

In addition, representatives of local media outlets such as The Shark Radio, Long Island Talks TV, Long Island Sound Podcast, and WGBB Radio will have a presence at the event.

Attendees are also encouraged to bring any old equipment or instruments lying around, as dealers will be looking to purchase such items.

Admission tickets are $10 in advance online or $13 at the door. Prospective attendees are advised that tickets at the door will be sold for cash only.

For more information, or to reserve a booth, contact Rich Branciforte at 516-280-2100.