The descriptions below are from Josh. Make sure you click on the thumbnails for full-sized photos. Awesome stuff!!!

#1Black Cherry double rack space with baffled ported backrest…This is my favorite Atlas Stand of all time because of the way it made my amp sound. Bottom line is if it doesn’t sound good it won’t make the list, but this one sounded the absolute best. It has a thin back panel that redirects the sound out of the back of the amp downward and then the sound bounces out from under the stand in all directions. It added the best full punch and warmest natural tones to my amp that I’ve ever heard.

#2 Black Walnut studio with spiderweb graphics and illuminated red and blue 3D logo. This stand takes second. The spider web graphics were applied by spraying a real spider web with paint and draping the wood through it to transfer the web directly to the wood, then a clear coat was immediately applied to get the web to soak into the pores of the wood. The logo was melted into plexiglass and is illuminated by blue and red LEDs that work off button cell batteries. It was a super cool stand.

#3 Curly Maple Low Rider with Guitar Stand and Table Top. Due to the AAAA grade wood used for this stand, and the fact that it was built to match a Fender cab made of the same wood, not to mention it has a killer guitar stand and table top that match as well, this is #3.

#4 Black Walnut Studio…This was the first “featherweight” studio I built. It weighed less than 7 pounds when it was done and was so easy to carry, yet it still easily held 300+ pounds of weight. I fell in love with this stand, it was the first stand to have a two panel seat to cut down on weight. Now we regularly use two book matched panels for the seats of the stands.

#5 Butternut and Walnut Studio. This was the first stand that had a mic attachment. It may look heavy but it is actually super light weight due to the type of wood used. I think it looks like a battle tank. I can’t wait to build another one. This is the first studio with a double T’ed Backrest as well.

#6 Cherry, Butternut, and Mahogany Low Rider…this stand is in the top ten because of its awesome assembly. I just love the way it looks, and it reminds me of a ’50s cafe or diner, or a classic car.

#7Butternut Low Rider with Table Top…this stand weighed practically nothing, and it had some of the most beautiful lines and I accented it with Walnut. If I had a Low Rider to gig with this would be it.

#8 Butternut Low Rider to fit multiple amps. This is a workhorse amp stand. The backrest actually slides off and turns around so that smaller amps can be used with it as well. The guy who had it built plays 250 shows a year! It is the first and only stand made this way so far. A great stand!

#9 Ambrosia Maple Single Rack Unit with fold out pedal board – This is just a sweet stand all around. It was the first pedal board design I built, it protects the pedals when closed and fits a specific power conditioner as well. The finish on it was like a mirror when I finished it.

#10 Pecan Studio – This stand was amazing. It had such a solid feel and sound to it, it was the first studio that received curved panels. This is in the top ten because I just love the way it looked and sounded after it was complete. Pecan and Hickory are amazing hardwoods.

Josh has done just that. In less that a year since announcing his first products to the public, custom designed hardwood amplifier stands, Josh and partner John Schramlin have created excitement in what was a stale and static product category.

When I asked Josh why he started Atlas, he described more of a calling than solely a means to pay his mortgage. “I bought myself a really, really nice tube amp two years ago and realized I didn’t have anything nice to put it on. When you’re searching for your tone for 20 years, and you finally find it, you don’t want to put your Ferrari on steel wheels.”

Fuzz Box Girl is recovering, but as one of the many Americans without health insurance, her medical bills are piling up. In a nice twist to this unfortunate story, she’d written on her Facebook page about a band called The Broken Places, whose Christmas album she’s been enjoying during her recovery. The band saw the post, and offered to donate all of their December album sales to help her pay for medical bills. Fuzz Box Girl said it’s “sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me,” and I agree it’s a very generous gesture.

I will be purchasing a copy of the album, called Spirited. If you’re interested, check it out on iTunes.

Chris & Rich Rice

In this 4OnTheFloor podcast interview, we discussed their philosophies on guitar making, the challenges that come along the way, and what it means to them to be a true custom shop.

Chris Rice told me “when they’re finished, they feel and sound so different. It doesn’t feel like a parts guitar. It’s a crap shoot when you’re building a guitar from aftermarket parts, but when you’re building a guitar from the ground up, you have an end goal in your sight, and you do everything to get there.”

Although in the past 10-20 years we’ve seen a onslaught of great bass-centric effects pedals, Chad’s advice is to throw the rules out the window and experiment.

“My whole thing is I just recommend trying whatever you want…whatever works, and there will probably be some guitar effects you want to use on your bass. But really they’re just stompboxes, they’re effects pedals, and they’re pretty much up for grabs to anybody who wants to incorporate them into their playing, developing their tone.”

When our conversation turned to design philosophy, it was obvious that, although he certainly has the technical chops to invent radical new sounds, Spencer has a soft spot — and passion — for perfecting more traditional effects.

“People tend to like things that are more on the familiar side. So the effects that tend to be the most popular are the ones that are pretty heavily based on older stuff. But it can be a lot of fun to try new things!”

Cory from Prymaxe carries just about every quality pedal known to man, and he wants you to have some extra incentive to give him a call or click to his site, an extra 10% off your next pedal purchase, excluding Fulltone and Tech 21 products.

This is only good on one purchase, so make it count! To take advantage of this generous offer, just use the coupon code GiveME10Off when checking out.

If you read my recent post about the new JamUp Lite guitar app for iOS, you know I think it’s a killer product. And it’s free! So maybe you downloaded the app, fired it up and thought to yourself “OK…now how do I plug in my guitar?”

That’s a problem, but I’m here to solve it. Positive Grid, makers of the JamUp app, also make the JamUp Plug, and they’ve given me ten to give away. This adapter, in Apple-esqe white, connects to your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. Plug in your guitar using any guitar cable, and your headphones or earbuds, and you’re ready to rock!

I have ten JamUp Plugs, and I’ll be giving away one per day, starting Saturday, October 29th. This contest will run through November 7th, 2011. Check my Facebook page for each day’s lucky winner.

You only have to enter once overall to be eligible for each day’s giveaway, but you can enter up to once per day. If you enter more than once in a single day, you’ll be disqualified from the entire giveaway.

Good luck!

In a previous post, The Cellist of Sarajevo, I described how one Bosnian man became a symbol of peace and hope in a country devastated by war. He defied the violence, tragedy, and hopelessness surrounding him and transcended his reality with the use of a single instrument, his cello. He also has emphasized a profound, grander concept. Music is powerful.

It can elicit latent emotion, enhance an already present emotion, describe feelings you may not know how to articulate, and draw you out of a current time and space into an alternate reality. Just look closely at any musicians’ faces as they play their instruments. It doesn’t matter what instrument, it is obvious they are passionate about and moved deeply by what they are playing. They are raw, unguarded, and connected with their core. Consequently, we can connect with them on a personal level. This association is so potent and commanding, people spend valuable time and money chasing it for months, or even years, at a time. Watch this short video and examine the musicians as they play, but more importantly, actually feel the emotions this raises. Connect with yourself.

Music also requires and coerces collaboration. I find the best collaborations to be unexpected and unusual because, if executed in a careful manner, these are what can result in the most beautiful, harmonious, creative outcomes. Think of two artists you were surprised to see work together, but ended up producing music that was reminiscent of them both, yet created a novel, unique sound and vision. Personally, one of the best examples of this Alison Krause and Robert Plant’s grammy-winning collaboration Raising Sand. These artists both have roots in blues and folk, but took alternate routes when it came to their distinct musical sounds. However, this album exemplifies what can emerge from attempting something different, from not taking the obvious route, and working together with someone you never thought you could or would. Listen to this one song off of this inspiring and interesting album.

[podcast]http://criticalpeace.com/wp-content/uploads/07-Please-Read-The-Letter-1.mp3[/podcast]

Ask people what they can’t live without and, besides the obvious, I bet most of them will say music. Although we all have personal tastes and opinions about our choices in music, it is still one of the world’s ultimate unifiers. It has the ability to take individual, completely different units and transform them into a cohesive, beautiful whole. This statement is true for both individual instruments in a band or autonomous members of society.

Like music, building lasting peace requires being raw and unguarded with your emotions and unexpected collaborations. See what happens when you let your guard down and reach out to someone unanticipated, it could fail miserably, but it could be one of the best choices you have ever made.

Here’s the back story. I used to buy picks for a major guitar manufacturer (who sells a similar looking pick…can you guess?), so I have relationships with many factories. My guitar pick factory was kind enough to let me print a small run of picks with the GearPipe logo, made from the same high-quality celluloid that the other company uses.

Win this!!!

The Rules:

• Must be 13 years of age or older to enter
• This is a worldwide giveaway
• Entry deadline is April 14, 2011, at 11:59:59 PM, Mountain Time

Here’s a better look a the baseball:

Limited-Edition Fender Baseball

Unlike many Guitar Center coupon codes, this discount can be taken online, in-store, or over the phone. Just follow the link below to print off your coupon.

Recently, bassist Tony Levin, Ampeg Artist Relations Manager Chrys Johnson, and Ampeg Senior Product Specialist Dino Monoxelos met with Jess Oliver, the man behind the Ampeg B-15, at his Massapequa Park, Long Island home.

Oliver tells us how he first got a job with Ampeg, why Ampeg founder Everett Hull would not allow Oliver to use a Fender electric bass to develop the B-15, and talks about his role in the development of the Ampeg B-15R reissue.

Check out the entire interview from Bass Player magazine.

Electro-Harmonix Big Muff

For those under age 70, the sound of a distorted guitar might as well be violins. This “broken” sound is so natural to us, most can’t imagine popular music — especially rock — without it.

Fuzz (being different than distortion or overdrive…hang with me), is fifty! And to celebrate? We shall talk and write articles about this event. Check out fuzz connoisseur William Weir’s article in The Atlantic, “50 Years of Making Fuzz, the Sound That Defines Rock ‘n’ Roll.” This article includes some great sound samples of early fuzz adopters.

Also, from WNYC Public Radio, an excellent conversation with Weir and Mike Matthews, founder of Electro-Harmonix, who talks about the fuzz boxes he’s been building since 1969, including the ever-popular Big Muff.

I woke up this morning with WAY too many giveaways bookmarked. I usually post one per day, but there were just too many great contests. So, I am making today effects pedal giveaway Wednesday.  Here’s what we’ve got:

Our first pedal giveaway today is not an FX pedal, but a stompbox all the same. Head over to The Soundcheck Sessions for a chance to win a TC Electronic PolyTune pedal tuner. Click Here to Enter

This is a killer boutique pedal giveaway from What’s That Dude Play?. Enter to win a Rockbox Electronics Red Dog Overdrive pedal. Sweet! Click Here to Enter

Here’s another TC Electronic giveaway. Enter to win a Nova System signed by Jess Hughes of Eagles of Death Metal. Click Here to Enter

Of all the pedal giveaways I’m posting today, this is the only one you have to work for. But, even if you lose you get to download a free backing track to jam along with. If you do win, you’ll score a Morley Mark Tremonti Patriotic wah pedal. Click Here to Enter

Another killer pedal giveaway (when will they end???)! Humbucker Music is giving away a Fulltone Catalyst Fuzz Pedal. Get on this, people! Click Here to Enter

What a day, yes? This is it, the final pedal giveaway of the day (and the most unique!). To celebrate the release of the new documentary “Cry Baby: The Pedal That Rocks The World,” Jim Dunlop Guitar Products is giving away a very rare Cry Baby wah pedal encrusted with approximately 5,500 Swarvorski stones. Bling! Click Here to Enter

And don’t forget I’m giving away over $1,200 in effects pedals and accessories. Click Here to Enter!

If you often find yourself surrounded by a sea of pedals and a wall of sound, this giveaway is for you! I’ve assembled a package of products from some of the most innovating gear manufacturers on earth, and it’s all going to one lucky person.

Up for grabs in the ‘Ultimate Shoegazer Giveaway’ is:

Tweet for another chance to win

Want a second chance at all this gear? Just tweet a link to this page. You can either click the Tweet button below or tweet this message (feel free to edit the tweet, but you’ll need to keep the hashtag & link to be entered in the giveaway):

Learn More About the Gear in this Giveaway

GCB95 Crybaby Wah Wah Pedal

When people talk about wah-wah pedals, they’re talking about the Cry Baby Wahs. This is the one that created some of the most timeless sounds in rock. The pedal that would eventually become the Cry Baby was first created in 1966 by engineers at the Thomas Organ Company. This new and expressive effect was an instant hit with players like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, who have contributed to the Cry Baby Wah’s huge popularity to this day. While other effects have come and gone, the Cry Baby Wah just keeps getting better with age.

MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay Pedal

Go from crisp “bathroom” slap echoes to epic, Gilmouresque delays with the MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay. Featuring 600ms of delay time with optional modulation, and a three-knob layout that controls Delay, Mix, and Regen. In addition, there are two internal trim pots that offer user-adjustable width and rate control of the modulation for even more tonal options. All done by a completely analog audio path for authentic rich, warm analog delay—made possible only by old-school analog bucket brigade technology.

Way Huge Green Rhino Overdrive Pedal

The legendary Way Huge Green Rhino has returned! The Mk II has all the gorgeous classic overdrive that you crave but it has evolved to include cool new features that make it even more rhinoceriffic. In addition to the Volume, Tone, and Drive controls, you get a 100Hz EQ knob to cut or boost your low end by 12dB. Your low notes can either shake the ground like a stampede across the savannah or cut through the mix like a charging rhino’s horn. This pachyderm of a pedal also sports a Curve control to fine-tune the corner frequencies of your tone. All this amazing tone shaping makes other overdrives seem boring and one-dimensional by comparison. In front of a clean amp, with the Volume and Drive set at noon, you can go from pristine purity to a punchy, dynamic rhythm tone. Set the Drive low and crank the Volume and add tons of boost to wallop the input of any amp. Turn up the Drive control with the Rhino in front of a distorted channel and hear more gain and sustain than you ever thought your amp was capable of. And no matter how you use it, the Green Rhino Mk II will deliver clean operation, quiet relay-based true-bypass switching, and the rock-solid construction that Way Huge is famous for.

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Pedaltrain 2 + Gig Bag

The Pedaltrain 2 is Pedaltrain’s most popular model. This unit will easily hold a wah and a dozen standard sized stomp boxes. The Pedaltrain 2 comes with a tough cordura nylon gig bag with highly protective panels incorporated into the top and bottom of the case to keep those valuable pedals safe.

These revolutionary pedalboards are made of welded aluminum alloy tubing to ensure that every Pedaltrain is as strong and lightweight as possible. There are no moving parts to loosen or wear out. A durable powder coat finish ensures your Pedaltrain will look great and last a lifetime.

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Bullet Cable SLUG Connector Kit

Clean up your tone and your pedal board with the Bullet Cable SLUG™ connector kit. SLUG™ angle block connects jack to barrel keeping effects close. Pre-gauged hex grounding screw guarantees fault-free connections.

The SLUG™ Connector kit is the perfect answer to pedal board and rig setups requiring tight pedal spacing and dependable signal delivery for your performance.

Kit includes: 10 SLUG™ Angle Connectors, hex key, 10 ft / 3.05 m DIY Cable, Bullet Cable Sticker, and instructions.

SLUG™ Angle Connector features:

Bullet Cable DIY Cable features:

Sanyo Pedal Juice Rechargeable 9V Power Source

The Sanyo KBC-9V3U Pedal Juice™ is equipped with high-capacity Sanyo eneloop rechargeable lithium-ion battery technology which provides stable, long-lasting 9V power for music effects devices. Power to the Pedal!

For more than 35 years, Sanyo has pushed the envelope in the development of rechargeable battery technology. Today, Sanyo is recognized as the leading manufacturer of Li-Ion batteries in the world. Sanyo battery products are used for many commercial/industrial applications ranging from automotive, power tools, portable computers and telecommunications. Pedal Juice is built upon this legacy of industry leadership.

For more info, check out my Sanyo Pedal Juice review.

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Power-All Power-Grip Pedal Board Tape

For the best Pedalboard Velcro Alternative try Power-All® Power-Grip! Simple yet ingenious, Power-Grip pedal board tape mates to itself via rows of tiny mushroom-shaped posts that form a much stronger bond than traditional “hook & loop” velcro fasteners. Just cut to size, apply, and GRIP!

POWER-GRIP is the best Solution for your securing your guitar pedals to your pedalboard (No Hype).

Watch this video and see the comparison for yourself.

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There’s a lot of black magic in the audio cable business, and I always cringe when manufactures up-charge for features you’ll never hear. This is one reason I’ve always respected Ted. The guy makes great sounding, tough as nails cables, and found a way to make guitar cables cool, something that had rarely been done previously.

At Winter NAMM 2011, Bullet Cable introduced a new DIY patch cable kit, the SLUG Connector Kit. SLUG is far from the first solder-free patch cable kit on the market, but I think it’s the easiest to use, and the highest quality. Each SLUG connector only measures .470″ wide, smaller than other connectors on the market. Important? If you have a pedalboard, you know every fraction of an inch matters.

Each kit comes with 10 feet of cable, 10 SLUG right angle connectors, and the hex key you’ll need to build the cables. And building one of these cables is so simple! You stick the wire in the connector and tighten the hex grounding screw on the side of the plug (come to think of it, I have more confidence in this set screw than I do a fragile solder joint). That’s all there is to it!

In fact, Ted challenged me to build a cable in under one minute. His time is 48 seconds. Let’s see if I can do it!

So what’s the Pedal Juice all about? Taking a cue from the product’s Apple-inspired look, the Pedal Juice could not be simpler to use. Unbox the Pedal Juice; charge it for a few hours; plug it into your pedals. That’s it!

Depending on the number of pedals in your set-up the Pedal Juice can go up to 50 hours before a recharge is needed. You might be looking at the photo and thinking that you can only power two pedals at once (the third jack is used to charge the Pedal Juice). This is where that perfectly simple design comes in. If you have a large pedal board, position the Pedal Juice in the middle and daisy chain jumper cables to power the individual pedals (Godlylke’s Power-All cables would be perfect).

We now know the Pedal Juice is convenient, but is it better than just using the 9V power adapters that came with your pedals? In many cases, yes.

These days I do more remote recording that playing, where ground loop noise can be a big problem, so I was really excited at the notion of powering my digital recorders with the Pedal Juice. A few times a year I’ll record at conferences where audio lines from many rooms are pulled into a central location. In some of the older convention centers, ground loops can be huge obstacles for recording a clean, quiet signal. In fact, last year I recorded an event where the buzz was so bad, I had to run a dozen recorders on batteries for three days. Even with the Pedal Juice’s $150 price tag, this would have been a steal considering the small fortune I spent on AA batteries!

This brings me to my one small beef with the Pedal Juice. Although it is promoted as a power source for “portable recording devices,” the included cables don’t fit my recorders’ smaller-than-a-pedal’s 9V jacks. A bummer! I record on an Edirol R-09 and Tascam D-07, which are industry standard. However, I’m assuming this problem could be solved by hunting down the right 9V jumper cables.

Sanyo Pedal Juice with Fender Blender Custom & Fender PT100 Tuner

Without the chance to try the Pedal Juice on a recording session, I plugged in a few pedals. It works exactly as expected! The whisper-quiet performance provided a nice change from the sometimes noisy AC in my 80-year-old apartment. I left the pedals on all day and the LED indicator never even turned from green to red, noting 30-60% power left.

In all, I think the Pedal Juice is a great product for any musician to keep in his or her toolbox!

Thanks to customguitarboutique.com, one of you could score a killer cable without shelling out a dollar. This month, the online retailer is giving away a $50 David Laboga guitar cable.

They are giving you two ways to enter this giveaway. First, you can simply “Like” their Facebook page and post “David Laboga Cables wanted” on their wall. Double your chances of winning by emailing them directly at mailinglist@customguitarboutique.com with “David Laboga Cables wanted” as the subject line.

A bit about David Laboga guitar cables:

Entry Deadline: February 27, 2011

Click Here to Enter

The Taffy Box, an online store specializing in unique gifts, is going to give one lucky person a metal guitar pick (their choice of aluminum, copper, nickel or brass), hand stamped with “I Pick You.” Clever, yes? I think this is a great gift, either to or from a musician, or for any couple who shares a love of music between them.

So, what do you have to do? I’m going to make this really easy! Head over to the GearGiveaway365 Facebook page and, on the post about this contest, leave a comment. Tell us why you think you should win the pick. Who’s it for? Why would it mean something to them? Then, everyone else will “like” the comments of those they feel are deserving of this prize. The person whose comment gets the most “likes” wins. Simple as that!

Entry Deadline: January 30, 2011, 5:00 PM MST

Eligibility: Worldwide Giveaway

Get It: Click Here to Enter

For daily links to musical instruments giveaways, make sure you follow me on Twitter or become a fan of my Facebook Page.

But, you probably know that I am extremely dependable when it comes to posting gear giveaways on Facebook and Twitter (and more recently, Tumblr). In fact, I started GearGiveaway365 over a year ago and have only missed a few days (he says as he pats himself on the back).

Not only that, but dozens of people have won gear. My guess is that members of the group have scored over $20,000 in musical instruments.

Since I know how to keep with a good thing, I’ve now added an email newsletter to the mix. I’m offering a daily email, which will be delivered each morning and will include a link directly to the giveaway sign-up page. Or, if you’re pretty good about following this already, get the weekly digest, just to make sure you don’t miss anything.

Click here to sign up!

Lace Music is giving away a Helix Bolt-on 4-string bass guitar, a very nice bass that retails for $599. The winner will also score a Lace T-shirt and will have a “Winners Bio” featured in the Lace Artist Gallery for a year. Cool!

But wait, there’s more! 8 second prize winners will receive a set of Lace Pickups of their choice. This means guitar or bass pups, single coil or humbucker. The second prize winners will be announced each week through February 21, 2011.

Here’s more info about Lace Helix bass guitars:

The Helix™ Basses, feature a sensuous new body design, incorporating data-system style control knobs, progressive pickups and quality hard woods. The Helix™ offers superior style, and mirrors the advanced technology of the unparalleled Lace® brand pickups.

The Lace Helix™ bass is available in two versions. The “bolt-on” neck, featuring a 34” scale length, maple neck, mahogany body and a single, Alumitone® bass pickup for volume and tone. The premium version has stunning, multi-laminated neck-through construction, mahogany body, dual Alumitone® bass pickups, 3-way selector switches and a master switch for volume and tone. Both Lace Helix™ models are available in black or the transparent red or blue, highlighting the subtleties of the natural wood grain.

The Helix™ bass is equipped with the revolutionary Alumitone® pickup, designed by Jeff Lace. These Alumitones® are a “current driven” design, rather the traditional voltage based pickups, allowing the musician a higher fidelity or “broad-band response” that helps to create a tighter top-end, more mid-range and a huge bottom end. This passive pickup outperforms many active systems, and the sonic output level generally exceeds that of similar preamp equipped basses. With today’s increased environmental concerns, Lace® also wanted to create a lightweight, advanced pickup that doesn’t contribute to pollutants caused by discarded batteries. “By using the Alumitone, ® the need for conventional pickups with a preamp and battery are eliminated, and you lose almost two pounds of weight, without compromising output or performance,” states Jeff Lace.

The Alumitone® soapbar pickups and data knobs are “Made in the U.S.A.” and installation and setup are completed at the Lace® Music factory in Huntington Beach, CA.

Entry Deadline: February 21, 2011

Get It: Click Here to Enter

For daily links to musical instruments giveaways, make sure you follow me on Twitter or become a fan of my Facebook Page.

In this GearPipe podcast episode, I speak with Steven Cox, CEO and Founder of TakeLessons, America’s leading source for private music and voice lessons.

We talk about the state of music education, the strict guidelines TakeLessons private instructor applicants are judged on, and even the role Guitar Hero and American Idol have had on music lesson enrollment.

In the end, Steven leaves me with a great deal of hope about the future of music making, telling me that “even if music (education) is cut, what’s really wonderful about music is that this is not going to stop the level of curiosity and the level of interest that people naturally have in music.”

As Christmas rapidly approaches, and gift-buying deadlines loom near, please consider a TakeLessons gift certificate for the young (or old) musicians in your lives. Through December 24th, TakeLessons is offering 30% off all lessons packages.

Want to hear more? Subscribe to GearPipe Podcasts on iTunes!

The legendary rock ‘n’ roll photographer and subject of the new documentary Rock Prophecies shot Led Zeppelin’s first U.S. show at the Whiskey a Go Go in Hollywood. He shot Hendrix AND Stevie Ray Vaughan’s final shows. For over forty years, Knight has been what Rock Prophecies producer Tim Kaiser calls “the Forrest Gump of rock ‘n roll. He just had this knack for being right in the middle of history in the making.”

In this podcast episode Knight tells us that, all things being equal, he prefers when great guitars play a front and center role in these history-making events. “I’m guitar-centric. Everything that I’m really interested in has major great guitar in it, and I wouldn’t photograph bands back in the day that didn’t have good guitar.”

Knight also finds that some legendary guitars have taken center stage in his photographs. “Stevie Ray Vaughan and that beat up old Strat of his. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. The first time I saw Stevie Ray and I saw that guitar, it was like ‘I need to photograph that guitar.’ When I did some studio shoots with Stevie, I asked if I could actually shoot some of the guitars because they almost had their own personality.”

“In a way some of the instruments themselves have become rock stars, like Blackie, Eric Clapton’s guitar, or Eddie Van Halen’s guitar.”

If you’re interested in watching the film (and you should be…it features interviews with and performances by Jeff Beck, ZZ Top, Carlos Santana, Slash, Panic at the Disco, Sick Puppies, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, and Steve Vai, among others), you can buy the DVD on Amazon and many other retailers, or watch for free during September and October on your local PBS station.

Want to hear more? Subscribe to GearPipe Podcasts on iTunes!

Check out the official Rock Prophecies trailer:

YouTube Link

• Save 10% on a single item at Guitar Center. This coupon is good thru 7/31/10, so you have to use it by the end of Saturday. It’s good for a discount of up to $500 on one item. If you’ve been waiting to pull the trigger on a big ticket item, this might be your time!
• Score a FREE Paiste 10′ 2002 Splash Cymbal. Thru 8/31/10, buy a pair of Paiste Hi Hats or a 16′ or larger cymbal from the Twenty, 2002, RUDE, or Giant Beat series from Musicians Friend or Guitar Center and score a free splash cymbal. Download the rebate form here (PDF).
• Fender Original ’57/’62 Stratocaster Pickup Set for just $83.99! This could be a mistake, but The Perfect Guitar has placed this fantastic sounding set of pickups into their clearance center. The regular selling price is $159.99.
• Buy two Audix OM2 Dynamic Vocal Microphones and get a third microphone for FREE from All Pro Sound. MSRP: $447.00. Your Price: $199.00. Save $248!
• Save 64% on an ESP LTD SURVEYOR-414 4-String Electric Bass Guitar. Musicians Friend has a factory restock that’s on sale for $359.00, a savings of $640.00 off the $999.00 retail price.

Here’s Diego to tell us about how he built this instrument:

Few days ago I started thinking about how I could re-purpose the keyboard of the dismantled piano I keep in the garden, so I thought to build a new instrument by combining it with some other parts I had laying around. I ended up with this mechanical hybrid thing I thought to call “Bassoforte” (bass + pianoforte).

The track I created is a tribute to my Dad who is a big fan of Western comic books and “spaghetti western” films, and because of him I am too.

Vimeo Link

The most obvious example to many of us would be rock bands who make the leap form playing clubs to theaters to arenas. When you’re playing a small room, you can play intricate guitar solos and drum fills that would get lost in the reverberation of an building meant to host hockey games. So, as bands play larger rooms, they tend to play less notes, taking advantage of the sound of the rooms they find themselves playing.

This is the easy example that many of us have probably thought about. Byrne runs through some other great examples that may not be as obvious to us. How does the outdoor environment in Africa influence the rich African rhythms? Why did the music of Bach and Mozart differ so much? It may have had quite a bit to do with the rooms they knew they’d be playing their latest pieces in.

Very interesting. I hope you enjoy it!

YouTube Link

Since that time, I’ve gotten to know Ansir Music founder Jody Michael and have been impressed with the passion he has both for craftsmanship and innovation. In addition to his use of the highest quality tonewoods and electronics, Ansir has one thing going for them that no other guitar or bass builder has: a patented technology that builds your personal playing angle into your instrument.

In a nutshell, here’s how it works: You strap on your guitar or bass and it wants to hang parallel to the ground. Unless you’re one of those people who slings your axe down low, this is not how you play. So, you pull up on the neck to get it in the position you’re comfortable playing in, which is not the instrument’s natural position. This has been happening since the beginning of time and I’m sure most of you have given it little thought.

The solution? Build the exact angle that you play the instrument into the guitar or bass. Simple yet brilliant, right? A truly custom instrument.

So, Jody and I were talking one day and he asked me what we could do to make more people aware of this great feature. What we came up with was a way to give everyone out there a free report that provides them with their personal playing angle. It’s pretty simple. All you have to do is strap on your guitar or bass, hold it in playing position, then have someone take a few measurements. Then Jody will crunch the numbers and email you a personal report. No strings attached, just a cool thing to hang on to that will make you a little more aware of how you interact with your instrument. If you’re interested in one of these reports, instructions and an online form are on the Ansir website.

Click here to get your free personal playing angle report from Ansir Music.

First up, Effects Bay is giving away one of those products that you wish you would have thought of, a StageTrix Pedal Riser. Actually, they’re giving away four of them, plus two 3-packs of Pedal Fasteners. The Pedal Risers simply raise up the second row of effects pedals on your board, giving you easier access to the on/off switch. See? Simple yet genius!

The fastener is simply an industrial strength fastener designed specifically for attaching pedals to pedalboards.

Entry Deadline: July 20, 2010
Get It: Click Here to Enter

Now on to giveaway #2. Jim Dunlop has hooked up I Heart Guitar with seven of their BMF leather guitar straps. If you like black leather and metal (as most guitarists do!), these are the straps for you. They have a definite “rock ‘n’ roll” vibe to them!

Entry Deadline: July 21, 2010
Get It: Click Here to Enter

For daily links to musical instruments giveaways, make sure you follow me on Twitter or become a fan of my Facebook Page.

Bill Mendello, CEO of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, had announced his retirement about a week ago. Certainly big news, but we’d all been waiting for his replacement to be announced to the public. Today, Fender revealed that Larry Thomas, a long-time Guitar Center employee and Chairman & CEO from 1996-2004, will take over the reigns of one of the most-respected guitar companies in the world.

In a released statement, this is what Mendello had to say about the changing of the guard: “I am delighted to be able to pass the leadership of FMIC into the very capable hands of Larry Thomas,” said Mendello. “Larry is a widely-respected person with an incredible amount of experience and valuable insight about music companies and music retailers, large and small. He is one of the true legends in the industry and brings the credentials that will help lead FMIC to even greater future success.”

As a former Fender employee, and someone who is not the biggest fan of Guitar Center, I certainly have my opinions about this move (although they may not be what you think). What are yours? Please leave a comment and let me know if you think this is a good or bad move for Fender.

However, if you’re an oh-so-trendy iPhone owner, TC Electronic wants to reward your coolness. They are offering up free PolyTune iPhone apps to the first 25,000 people who download it. UPDATE – They upped this to 50,000 downloads, but the promo is over. The app is now available for $9.99.

I just downloaded a copy for myself and it looks very cool! You can choose between guitar and bass tuning, with multiple drop tuning settings, 10 Hz calibration, and two different display modes. Just in case you’ve been living under a rock, the coolest thing about this tuner is that you can tune all six (or four) strings at once. Just strum and tune!

To take advantage of this offer, you can go to the PolyTune page in the iPhone App Store, or if you want to download it directly to your phone, just search on “polytune.”

Check out other TED videos on GearPipe

This morning I got an email from Brian at Fretbase who let me know they’re giving one of these systems away to one of their readers. Cool…I posted a link on Twitter and Facebook, letting everyone I know who would care about this contest that this unit is up for grabs. Now, I’m telling you. Head to the Fretbase contest page to enter to win one of these wireless systems that sell for $299.

BUT THEN…I realize that Line6 is spreading these things around like candy! If you really want to bolster your chances of winning, you can also head over to I Heart Guitar, The Tone King, Dolphinstreet, and Gear-Vault. There are probably more. If you find another, leave a link in the comments.

For daily links to musical instruments giveaways, make sure you follow me on Twitter or become a fan of my Facebook Page.

Well, today I stumbled upon a few YouTube videos created by Ansir founder Jody Michael, talking about the theory behind his basses. He also walks you through the building of an Ansir bass, including the wood selection and some pretty in-depth info about the pickups and other electronics that are dropped into Ansir basses.

If you want to win one of these basses, you have until March 31 to enter this giveaway.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Bass guitar web site No Treble is giving away an Ansir Bravura bass guitar.

Here’s what I do know about the Bravura:

• Curly Maple body with a Blood Wood overlay
• 34 scale neck
• Padouck neck wood with Ebony Fret board
• Black Hip Shot Hardware
• Dual Humbucker pick up
• Ansir “Low End” tone system
• Custom fit flight case

Entry Deadline: March 31, 2010
Get It: Click Here to Enter

For daily links to musical instruments giveaways, make sure you follow me on Twitter or become a fan of my Facebook Page.

So…why do Fervor pickups sound so good? In this podcast interview, Geoff tells me that it’s a combination of high-quality materials, an obsessive attention to detail, and years of testing and listening to the pickups that have come off his bench.

“I know my wire is better. I know my magnets are better. I know everything that I put into (my pickups) is better. Plus, I assemble each one by myself, so when you get a pickup, I took the bobbin, I put the magnets in, I sanded it down, I got it ready to wind, and I wound it. When you put the whole picture together, that’s why mine sound better.”

Enough said!

Want more? Check out GearPipe Podcasts on iTunes!

When I was in college, the house my band practiced in was broken into and our PA system and our guitarist’s amp was stolen, but the only thing that’s even been taken from me was a splash cymbal. A bummer, but not a huge setback.

On the Fender Front Row blog, the folks from Scottsdale have posted some tips to help you recover your instrument if it’s even stolen. This is pretty simple stuff: write down the serial number, take pictures, file a police report…but sometimes we forget the basics, so this refresher is nice.

Of course, the most important thing is to be extra careful and make sure your gear is safe from sticky fingers to begin with!

Here’s a video from a Bakersfield CA news show reinforcing what Fender is telling us.

via Fender Front Row

If you’re one of those trendy hipsters with a smart phone, you can also access GearPipe on your phone in some cool ways.

First, there is now a free iPhone app in the Apple App Store. It’s not fancy, but it pulls in all of the new GearPipe posts right to your phone, with separate categories for each instrument plus contests and giveaways. Again, it’s totally free, so go to the App Store and download it!

If you’re on an Android equipped phone, a BlackBerry, or if you use an iPhone and would rather access GearPipe through the web browser, I’ve also installed a mobile-specific theme to the site. This detects when you’re coming to the website from a phone and serves up a more streamlined version of GearPipe. This seems to work pretty well, but if you get there and see the regular site, scroll down to the bottom of the page and there should be a switch to toggle between the two versions.

Thanks again for being a GearPipe reader!

I’ll save the bio and resume, because the thing you need to check out is the way this guy plays the bass. Not just the notes, but how he HOLDS it! He holds the thing under his chin like a violin. And he holds the whole thing up with his right thumb! For real. Check out out!

I want you to watch the video of him on the Bass Frontiers website. I can’t embed the video here, so head over there to watch him play and watch a great interview.

Here’s a sneak peak of his talent, though:

via Bass Frontiers Magazine

Here are last week’s musical instrument giveaways from GearGiveaway365 on Facebook and Twitter:

• Brady Drums, a very high-end drum builder from Australia is giving away a 14 x 6.5 Spotted Gum ply snare drum. The winner will be notified by a personal telephone call from Brady founder Chris Brady on Christmas Day. Classy! Enter Here
• You can win a TC Electronic Impact Twin, which is a kick-ass new computer audio interface that’s not even on the market yet. It retails for $519. All you have to do is become a fan of the TC Electronic Facebook Page to enter. Enter Here
• Here’s a chance to win a microphone much nicer than most of us need! GC Pro is giving away an amazing sounding Royer R-121 ribbon microphone worth $1295. Enter Here
• The band Saosin is giving you a chance to win all four instruments featured in their video “Changing.” One person will win the Fender Squier Bass, Ibanez Electric Guitar, Gibson Les Paul Electric Guitar, and an Evans Drumhead (ok…not an actual instrument!) that were actually… played in the video, and they’re all signed by the band. Enter Here
• I’ve been searching for some band instrument giveaways, and have found a few. Up first…a euphonium giveaway from Woodwind and Brasswind. Enter to win a Yamaha YEP321 Euphonium (MSRP $4,043) PLUS a $250 gift card. Enter Here
• Here’s a guitar amp giveaway for you! Win a Peavey Vypyr Tube 60 guitar amp (MSRP $599), courtesy of Guitar Edge Magazine. Enter Here
• Win a pair of Toca Elite Series Congas (value: $690) from Making Music Magazine. Enter Here
• If you’re a vintage guitar fan, here’s a great giveaway for you. Custom guitar builder Abe Rittenhouse is giving you a chance to win a custom relic electric guitar (your choice of models) worth up to $1,549. These are really cool ’50s and ’60s era Fender-style guitars. I wish a photo would load here, but go to the website to check them out. Enter Here

As always, you can get these updates everyday on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GearGiveaway365 or follow us our feed on Twitter, at www.twitter.com/GearGiveaway365. You can also subscribe to our giveaway email alerts to get a weekly email with this summary of links by subscribing here.

You can still enter many of the past weeks’ giveaways, so make sure to check out the GearGiveawy365 Archives.

Coupon Code: ROGUE29
Expires: December 3, 2009
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

As always, you can get these updates everyday on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GearGiveaway365 or follow us our feed on Twitter, at www.twitter.com/GearGiveaway365. You can also subscribe to our giveaway email alerts to get a weekly email with this summary of links by subscribing here.

In case you’re not checking us out on Twitter or Facebook, here’s our weekly round-up of giveaways:

• Win a killer SubDecay F-Bomb fuzz pedal (worth $109) from Effects Bay Enter Here
• Win a FREE ModTone effects pedal of your choice! Tremolo, Delay, Chorus, Speedbox Distortion, Atomic Phaser, Dyno Drive, Funk Filter, Deep Dive, Extreme Metal or Chromatic Tuner! Enter Here
• Cascio Interstate Music Jam-Tastic Drum Sweepstakes! Grand prize is a Yamaha 14″x7″ brass snare drum signed by Carter Beauford. Additional prizes are Zildjian 14″ & 17″ K Dark Crash Cymbals signed by Carter, a $500 Gift Card from Cascio Interstate Music, a DW 9000 Series Double Bass Pedal, a Yamaha Jacket sig…ned by Carter, and 1 Dozen Pro Mark Carter Beauford Signature Sticks. Enter Here
• Win a SICK Orange Dual Terror guitar head from Premier Guitar. This amp is worth $859, so get on it now! Enter Here
• Any sax players out there? You can get a FREE baritone/tenor sax strap from Rico. Everyone gets one! Just follow the link below to the Rico Facebook page. In a comment, tell them who your favorite saxophone player is, then click the link to take a brief survey about what you like. Pretty simple for free gear. Enter Here
• Check out Sweetwater Sound’s 24-day Holiday Giveaway! Every day from December 1 to December 24, they’re going to give away a special gift of some of the most popular audio and music gear they carry, including gear from Fender, Digidesign, Yamaha, and Epiphone. Enter Here
• Win a bunch of gear from the band Between the Buried and Me. Score an autographed Spector Legend 5 Classic Bass in black cherry finish, D’Addario XL strings, Planet Waves straps, tuners & more, signed Vic Firth drum sticks, and BTBAM swag. Enter Here
• Win a Rock Candy Special electric guitar from Daisy Rock Guitars & Viva la Rock. Enter Here (Expired)
• Win a custom hand drawn Fender Squier Stratocaster guitar by the animators & creators of Phineas and Ferb! Enter Here

You can still enter many of the past weeks’ giveaways, so make sure to check out the GearGiveawy365 Archives.

So, I signed up for their email newsletter and, in the first one, received a very newsworthy coupon code. Now through November 13, 2009, you can take 15% off all guitar or bass guitar strings by using the coupon code below.

Coupon Code: STRINGS1109
Expires: November 13, 2009
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

Just in case you missed it, you can become a fan of our page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GearGiveaway365 or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GearGiveaway365. If you prefer checking back on GearPipe.com, just stop by on Saturdays for a weekly round-up of links.

Here are the seven gear giveaways from the last week:

• Enter to win a Gibson SG electric guitar signed by Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother from FUEL.TV Enter Here
• Enter to win an ESP HEX-7 Seven-String Electric Guitar from Behemoth frontman Nergal! Enter Here
• Win a signed Ibanez Mick Thomson MTM1 Signature Guitar & 10 sets of Seymour Duncan Blackouts pickups, also signed by Mick. Enter Here
• Win a Native Instruments Maschine Groove Production Studio & Audio Kontrol 1 Interface. Total value just under $1,000. Enter Here
• Win a $500 gift certificate from Carvin.com toward any Carvin merchandise of your choice! This includes guitars & bass guitars, amplifiers, pro audio systems, and accessories. Enter Here
• Win a sweet Paul Reed Smith electric guitar, signed by members of Like A Storm! Enter Here
• Win a G&L Comanche electric guitar, a bunch of BBE guitar effects, and a 58″ Panasonic HDTV! Enter Here

This coupon code is good for just over a week, expiring on November 1, 2009

Coupon Code: ROCKTOBER
Expires: November 1, 2009
Get It: Click Here To Redeem This Coupon Code

• Wildwood Acoustic Short Scale (Purple Daze) – MSRP: $249.00, Current Price: $139.50, Savings: $109.50
• Stardust Elite Rebel Electric Guitar (Sheena Pink) – MSRP: $429.00, Current Price: $199.50, Savings: $229.50
• Stardust Elite Bass Guitar (Violet Burst) – MSRP: $589.00, Current Price: $349.50, Savings: $239.50

Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal.

If this bums you out, then this Musicians Friend coupon code is just for you! Tomorrow only (July 17, 2009), you can take 10% off all new Fender and Squier guitars, amps, and accessories. That’s right…ALL. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to pick up that new piece of Fender gear, your time has arrived.

Musicians Friend is not going to release the coupon code until tomorrow morning. I’ll update this post once it’s released, or you can follow the link below in the morning to find it. UPDATE: See coupon code below.

Coupon Code: FENDER
Expires: July 17, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. PT

Get It: Save big at Click Here For More About This Deal.

Now here’s the catch. Music123 says this deal is good for three days only, but they don’t say which days. Seriously…I looked all over the email they sent me and on their website. If I totally missed it and someone out there knows which days this runs, please leave the dates in the comments. My assumption is that it’s July 3,4, & 5. Who knows?

Coupon Code: Fireworks – Call 1-800-458-4076 24 hours a day.
Expires: July 5, 2009 (maybe!)
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

If you take a look at their website, there is a list of qualifying models, and it looks like it includes almost all American Series models.

Rebate Deadline: September 15, 2009, and all Mail-in Certificates must be postmarked by October 15, 2009.
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal | Download Rebate Form (PDF)

MSRP: $859.99
Current Price: $249.99
Savings: $610.00(70%)

Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal