Guitar legends wanted in hunt for UK’s best engineer guitarist

Engineers are known for many things, such as their curious minds, ability to think outside of the box, attention to detail and high intellect. As a group of people teeming with so much creativity, it is not unusual to find engineers dipping into more artistic hobbies in their spare time, including music.

From physicist Brian Cox’s early '90s pop star dabblings on the keyboard, to rock royalty and astrophysicist Brian May’s lead-guitar-playing in Queen and beyond, there are many examples of the technically minded displaying their musical talents.

To pay homage to this aspect of the engineering community, this year’s Manufacturing and Engineering Week (M&E Week) comes with a twist as it sets out to put visitors’ artistic talents on display with the chance to win one of two electric guitars created by industry-leading 3D-printing solutions provider Nexa3D.

Entrants will play the intro to a classic song or create their own solo to be in with a chance to win a Nexa3D printed guitar. One of the 3D-printed guitars (pictured) will be awarded to the competition winner on each day. Additionally, the chosen winner on 7 June will also get the chance to play with The Shadow Monkeys at a drinks reception in the evening.

“There’s a recognised link between engineers and the engineering mind and music,” said Nina Swienton of Nexa3D. “Some guitar players think it might be associated with mathematics, but whatever it is there are some brilliant guitar-playing engineers out there and we want to find them. Plus, it’s a brilliant example of the versatility and accuracy of Nexa3D's resin 3D-printing technology.”

The competition is scheduled to take place on both days of M&E Week’s centrepiece exhibitions at Birmingham’s NEC on 7-8 June 2023. Prospective participants must register for a place in the competition ahead of time, as space is limited.

At the event, the organisers will provide the use of a guitar and an amp for their performance at the show, or players are welcome to bring their own equipment.

A recording booth will be provided where each player will be invited to play a classic intro to a song for up to two minutes, or they can choose to record a 32-bar freeform solo over a specific chord sequence chosen from a range of genres.

An independent judge from headline band The Shadow Monkeys will review all submissions and select a winner.

Further information about the Guitar Legends competition and the entry form are online now.