One Year Deep – HR! So Far

Heavy Repping‘s official birthday is the 8th of October, as that’s when I posted the very first entry onto this website. This is before there was any talk of a YouTube – which began on Boxing Day that year (2018) – and before I truly knew if anything would come of this in the long run, if there was even going to be a long run.

Though the original premise of the site was to link together picks with mental well-being, it soon became apparent that the world needed know about Plectrums a lot more than I needed to discuss my own difficulties, and it was in this spirit that HR! has perpetuated. It’s important to note that despite this, that original topic has never been far from my mind, and as the Plectroverse continues to grow and those within it start to realise what a positive place it can be, so too do I understand how much I needed to do this, and what I’ve got out of it.

To be frank, I love doing this. I find it extremely difficult at times because there’s always the concern that I’m missing the point of the exercise, that there’s more to be done with it, or that there’s some vast gap in my knowledge that I’m not addressing. The thing that makes it more bearable is the community that’s building up around it. I’ve seen makers start companies and flourish, watched existing makers go from part-timers to full-timers, and made genuine friends with some truly wonderful people. Special mentions here must go to Mike at Odessa Guitars for building the Stick and supporting my activity, to Andy at Break The Machine for his constant assertions that all of this is completely possible and that I do know what I’m doing, to James at JMETALR for being my first actual fan, and for whom I hold huge respect for starting his own YouTube channel on this subject, to Emanuele at Bood Instruments for his friendship and chat, to Bailey at New World for allowing me to be part of his journey, and to Matt at Stone Age for his trust and support, not to mention getting to see him grow his business into a genuinely wonderful thing.

I’ve stated this before, and it remains as true as it ever was, that Heavy Repping is nothing without you, the reader. While I would, in the tradition of enthusiasts throughout the ages, do this even if no-one was listening, any and all communication that I receive fills my day with joy and excitement. I count myself extremely lucky to have found such a decent group of people to talk to and to share in this thing I love so much with.

Truly, the Plectroverse is a joyous place, bustling with friends, connectivity and a drive to find divinity in the details. Long may it reign!
– JTD