Skip to content
Post Christmas Guitar Sale - ON NOW - Extra 10% Off - Excludes Clearance Items.
Post Christmas Guitar Sale - ON NOW - Extra 10% Off - Excludes Clearance Items.

Zac Bailey | DW Music Guitar Staff

Some weeks after DW Music was informed that we were to be one of the Powers Electric dealers in Australia, I was contacted by Powers directly with an outstanding opportunity. Myself, along with representatives from eleven other exclusive Powers dealers worldwide, were to be flown to San Diego. Along with the opportunity to meet Andy and his team, and getting hands on the very first Powers guitars to leave the United States, we were treated to an exciting few days exploring San Diego, visiting culturally significant locations and events that influenced the creation of Powers Electric Guitars.

The immediate excitement felt across the DW Music staff upon hearing we were to be one of Australia’s select dealers for Powers was immediately palpable. However, upon hearing that I would be flying across the world, the shared feeling was magnified; to travel that far simply for a guitar clarified to us all that the guitar was to be something expectation-defying.

Upon landing in SoCal, the birthplace of the electric guitar, I was greeted by all manner of American hospitality, alongside the oft mythicised sensation of California. It is not hard to imagine how a location so vibrant could inspire somebody to create, refresh and innovate.

The following morning, I met in the hotel lobby with my fellow dealers from around the globe. We were escorted to the Powers/Taylor headquarters, a mere fifteen minute drive from El Cajon central. Arriving at the facility, the birthplace of some of the most inspiring guitars in recent history, I was greeted by Andy Powers and some of his closest associates. There, in his workshop, we were treated to a very personal reflection on his thought process, inspirations and design philosophies for Powers Electric Guitars. The eclectic nature of Andy’s interests were of such focus; hot rods, surf boards, Southern California skate and street culture. The guitar is a mixture of all of these, not just in aesthetics, but in the feeling that it cultivates.

The guitars were unveiled, revealing an instrument that at first appears familiar and reminiscent, an amalgamation of so many guitars that we all know and love. The moment I picked up the guitar, it felt special; solid and sturdy, yet lightweight and expressive before the first note was strummed. The contours sat perfectly, regardless of my stance, and the first notes rang out with a piano-like chime, with rich harmonics and an acoustic quality that very few electric guitars shared. Shortly after, I was able to plug the guitar into an amp. The quality of the workmanship, in tandem with the expert design philosophies curated over decades of Andy tinkering with and designing guitars for some of the greatest players in the world, all shone through immediately. 

The guitar is inspiring, it encourages notes, shapes and melodies that otherwise would sound foreign to my ears. It makes familiar tunes sing with a new quality, and it dares me to explore the guitar in ways I would otherwise never consider.

The excitement to come home and tell my colleagues at DW Music about the guitars is only topped by the knowledge that I can show these guitars to our customers, the players and enthusiasts that will put them to the best use of all. Andy has endeavoured to and succeeded in creating something genuinely unique, and I along with DW Music cannot wait to put them in players’ hands; they truly do speak for themselves.