Guitar Summit 2026 closes with Darryl Jones, Devin Townsend and a full day of workshops

Guitar Summit 2026 wrapped its third and final day on Sunday, September 27, with all seven stages running until late afternoon at Mannheim's Rosengarten. Rolling Stones bassist Darryl Jones drew one of the day's biggest crowds for a bass workshop, while Devin Townsend walked through his dense, layered production approach and Opeth's Fredrik Åkesson detailed his own gear setup. A newly launched Guitar Summit Academy stand hosted meet-and-greets and introduced masterclasses including Martin Miller's "Phrasing, Feel & Sound" and Victor Smolski's "Metal Riffing Mastery."

Away from the artist stages, a panel with Tube Amp Doctor, Blackstar, Friedman, Fryette and Marshall argued for the tactile feel of real tube amplifiers over modelers, and Sandberg founder Holger Stonjek told the story of four decades of bass-building in Braunschweig. The show also marked 40 years of Gitarre & Bass magazine, and organizers opened early-bird tickets for Guitar Summit 2027, set for September 24-26. Three days of workshops like these are what turn a show floor into an actual guitar-culture event rather than just a product showcase.