Country music artists in Tamworth have echoed some industry greats in declaring a decision by Tamworth Regional Council variously disappointing, appalling, stupid, unthinking, insulting and illegitimate.

The condemnation has come with the realisation that the guitar statuette presented to mayor Karl Dean at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, was in fact struck in the same mould, material and batch as the coveted icons for the industry’s best performers for the year.

Social media has sounded a chorus of complaint over the fact a non-industry person, a non-performer, and a person who’s not even an Aussie, has taken delivery of the top trophy.

The sour note has come in the wake of what the industry has seen as a great festival showcasing a new generational change in the country music awards and the winning of the coveted Golden Guitar by a number of emerging artists.

Industry legend, and one of the men who first helped create the award, Max Ellis, has written to TRC this week, making his feelings known about the whole deal.

“It’s a misuse of something very dear and very significant to our industry,” Mr Ellis said yesterday.

“The council could have provided some alternative gift or symbol. The actual trophy is being used for something other than what it was designed for. 

“The council is obviously unaware of the significance of those trophies to the industry. So many people sweat and strive for years to win a Golden Guitar, and this just looks like such casual treatment of it. It undervalues that contribution.”

It isn’t the first time the council has presented “golden gong” replicas to special festival friends. A few years ago it struck a number of wooden golden guitars – made by the same designer-cum-cabinet maker, Noel Smith, who each year makes the real thing for the awards.

But this year, for the first time, the council used an original golden gong to give out.

And that’s struck a bad chord with local Tamworth industry fans. One country music broadcaster hopes the GG will find a prominent place in mayor Dean’s life rather than just thrust behind a door or used to prop it open.

Others have denied the row is just splitting hairs over something that’s essentially only a storm in a teacup.

CMAA vice-chairman Roger Corbett, who has won a couple of the trophies in his musical capacity as a member of the Bushwackers band, has described the presentation of a “real” gong as extremely disappointing – but he’s wary of making a huge deal about it because it would add insult to injury to the reputation of the awards.

And he’s conscious of another unwanted “golden gong gone wrong” headline or controversy.

Mr Corbett has admitted the CMAA wasn’t consulted beforehand but is also making its feelings known to the council over its action.

“Yes, we are disappointed, and we will be saying ‘please don’t do it again’,” Mr Corbett said yesterday.

“Regardless of my personal feelings, I know people are hopping mad about this. I don’t think it was a great idea. The CMAA line is that it was a replica, not a wooden replica.”

Tamworth mayor Col Murray has dismissed suggestions the presentation to the visiting Nashville mayor has devalued the Golden Guitar or even relegated it to the level of a tourism souvenir or corporate giveaway.

“Absolutely not. It enriches the status of them,” Cr Murray said.

The inscription on the Dean statue says: The Golden Guitar. Created in 1973 and presented annually at the Tamworth Country Music Festival as an Award for Excellence in the Australian country music recording industry. This replica of Australian country music’s highest accolade was presented to the City of Nashville by the City of Tamworth – Sister Cities since 2013 – in Tamworth on January 24, 2015.”

The CMAA used to be responsible for the casting of the trophies in Mr Smith’s South Tamworth workshop but that duty, and financial cost, crossed over to the council a couple of years ago. 

TRC also owns the copyright to the Golden Guitars, but the industry group believes it is the philosophical and intellectual custodian of the gongs.