Instead, I had a conversation Lou Remondelli, who is a regular on the Musical Instrument Giveaways Facebook page. Lucky Lou, as he’s known, has an uncanny knack for winning giveaways and a habit of posting less than tasteful comments.

Lou and I spoke about everything from his contest strategy, to his unique hairstyle, to Snooki.

The book certainly got my mind working, and I’m not the only one. Daniel Magnolia, who owns Magnolia Guitar, a guitar lesson and repair shop in Arlington, VA, recently launched his Give+Take: Six for Six program, an idea he says was “unabashedly inspired by the positive effects of TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie’s One for One model.”

Simply, for every six guitar lessons a student takes with Daniel, he will donate a new guitar (with six strings) to an underserved child.

“I get to do what I love. I play music and sing songs for a living. And I know that I’m very fortunate that, even in the current economy, my students put the value of music high on their priorities list,” says Magnolia. “Because of that gratitude, I feel a strong commitment to my community to pay it forward and seize this opportunity… for myself, my students and for the kids who might not otherwise know the joy of performing music.”

To kick things off, Daniel is working with his local chapter of Guitars not Guns, but plans to expand.

To learn more about Six for Six, and for a chance to win a copy of Start Something That Matters (through 1/15/12), please visit the Magnolia Guitar website.

Through the end of January 2012, Rich and Chris Rice are taking $200 off any of the built instruments on their “For Sale” page, $100 off any in-progress instrument or new build, and 10% off any set of pickups.

The great thing is that Rice guitars and basses are already an excellent value. Looking at their in stock instruments, each is under $2,000. Less than two grand for an American-made, top-quality, hand-crafted instrument is a steal. Take $200 extra off? Get on it, people! Or, if you just need to give your tone a kick in the backside, most of their pickups will run under $100 per pup.

Here’s a quick look at their in stock guitars and basses:

More about Rice Custom Guitars:
With over 50 years of combined experience, the father and son duo of Rich and Chris Rice are talented luthiers who craft the finest quality custom made guitars. Specializing in unique wiring schemes and hand applied finishes, both are lifelong players and teachers who understand what pro and hobbyist musicians need to create their art.

Being a true custom shop, their designs are in no way limited to copies of classic guitars. You will be hard pressed to find more engaged, communicative, and creative luthiers anywhere.

To learn more about Rice Custom Guitars, check out the GearPipe podcast interview with Rich and Chris.

Rice Custom Guitars MR-T Tele-Style Pickups

Along the way I’ve had the opportunity to get to know the Rice family a bit better, and I’m incredibly impressed by the quality of the products, both their pickups and complete custom guitars.

Rich just announced on the Rice Facebook Page that he’d like to do another pickup giveaway in early 2012, this time with a set of MR-T Tele-style pickups up for grabs. The catch? He wants to see 2,000 Facebook fans by the time the clock strikes 2012. They are currently sitting at just over 1,750, so this is totally within reach.

So, do me a favor and give them a “like.” I’m going to make this really easy for you. You don’t even have to leave this page to do it! Then, look forward for a chance to win an amazing set of Tele pickups in 2012.

Rocky Mountain Slides

This is a site I launched in mid-December. In addition to helping non musicians pick out the best gifts for guitar players, I want the site to be a monthly guide for the coolest new guitar gadgets and accessories. You know, like the SkyMall of guitar!

So bookmark the site, and check it out each month. I’m also planning on a monthly guitar gift giveaway. To kick things off, we’re giving away a custom hardwood guitar amp stand from Atlas Stands, an Orange Micro Crush guitar amp, a McNally Strumstick, a ‘Trustworthiness of Guitars’ poster, and one more secret item (the photo in this post might give it away). If you enter once, you’re eligible to win all of the prizes. This giveaway is open worldwide and will run through Jan 8th, 2012.

Thanks for your support with this new GearPipe venture!

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!”

I respect Chad’s opinion on all things bass, so when he told me Spencer Doren’s 3Leaf Audio is one of the next great pedal companies, I took note! Spencer started 3Leaf in 2008 and today, at the ripe old age of 21, is swimming in great reviews of his pedals, which include the PWNZOR Optical Compressor, Proton Envelope Filter, and GR2 Envelope Filter.

Chad and Spencer have joined forces to hook up a lucky GearPipe reader with a 3Leaf Audio GR2 Envelope Filter which, by the way, is an amazing sounding pedal for bass or six string guitar.

Enter to Win a 3Leaf Audio GR2 Envelope Filter

About the 3Leaf Audio GR2 Envelope Filter

The ultimate filter for those who want total control of their sound. With precise control over attack and decay speed, the GR2 can emulate the sounds of both modern and classic envelope filters. It has a wide sensitivity range that works with active and passive instruments. The tone control sets the upper cutoff frequency, making the sound go from bright and lively to dark and swampy with the turn of a knob. The frequency range is tailored for guitar, bass, or whatever else you might want to plug into it. The new clean blend control expands the GR2′s versatility by mixing your clean tone with the filter. The effects loop lets you combine the GR2 with fuzz, octave and any other effects, while still triggering the filter with your clean tone. With the all-new internal lowpass/bandpass, resonance and gain controls, the tonal possibilities are endless. Whatever filter sound you’re after, the GR2 can deliver.

New Features:

• Wet/Dry Blend
• Internal lowpass/bandpass switch
• Internal gain trimpot
• Internal high/low resonance switch
• Internal true/buffered bypass switch. When in buffered bypass, the effects loop is active while in bypass
• Accepts 9-18v DC

Buy a ‘Trustworthiness of Guitars’ poster, get a second poster (a great gift for a friend!) or a dozen GearPipe picks for free. This is my way of saying thanks for hanging with me!

Click Here for More Info

I recently spoke with Michael for our new 4OnTheFloor podcast series, and he told me about his affinity for this wood.

“I came across heart pine and fell in love with that old wood. Because it has a story…some of it was from old mills that were torn down, and some of the wood actually had a machine on top of it and the oil would spill down into the wood and stain the wood. And then you would start cutting the wood; the aroma would come up and you could smell it and you can’t help but wonder…”

But Michael Outlaw, founder of Sylvester, Georgia’s Outlaw Drums, thinks the perfect wood is all around him, he just had to figure out where to look. Outlaw scours the countryside for historic structures, falling down and scheduled for demolition, and turns the reclaimed wood into custom snare drums.

As with any great product, there’s a great story behind it. Michael, a custom furniture builder and avid drummer, was riding through Albany, Georgia one day and stumbled upon an 1880’s plantation home being torn down, and asked the contractor if he could have some of the wood. The contractor said yes, since it was going to be hauled off to a landfill anyway. Michael loaded his truck up with as much wood as he could before the dump truck got back to take it away. When he returned to his shop, the beauty and the aroma of the rare wood inspired him. He wanted to build a snare drum that was different, and this heart pinewood was the perfect fit.

The beauty of the wood lies in its age. When these houses and barns were erected over 100 years ago, they were built with old growth trees. So, today, this heartpine could be 300-500 years old. Because of this, the aged wood has 40-60 rings per inch, vs 3-5 rings per inch on “new wood.” And what does this mean? More sustain and better tone! In addition, Outlaw Drums are built with stave construction and precise 45 degree bearing edges.

Before you crack open the piggy bank, right now you have a chance to win a premium Outlaw “Weathered” snare drum, priced at $950. This drum’s unique finish was created by over 150 years of sun, wind and rain.

“It is my pleasure to present a 13”x5” weathered snare drum. If one were to ask me to describe the sound? This drum has a crisp clear pop at the high tuning and low warmth sound when tuned lower. It produces great dynamic range that I believe is linked to the tightness of the wood’s grain pattern. In addition, there is no bending or stress imposed on the drum shell that multi-ply and one ply shells offer. Less glue is a big factor. Stave shells use less glue and are therefore more resonant. The drum stays in tune longer, resulting in a more stable, even sound because lack of vibration. The thickness of the drum is about ¾” thick, giving it a more solid fast attack.”

You can enter here.

Well, it got around the internet.

Now I’m happy to announce that ‘The Trustworthiness of Guitars’ posters are now available for sale, right here on GearPipe.

The image was designed by renowned poster artist Chris Gregori for GearPipe. Chris has crafted concert posters for Freelance Whales and Leftover Salmon, among others, and has provided illustrations for Daytrotter.

This 8.5″ x 39″ high quality poster is printed on 100 lb. matte finished poster stock using brilliantly colored inks.

I think this would be the perfect holiday gift for the guitarists on your list

$10.00 $8.00 Add to cart

Please note: For your protection, your purchase will be processed by PayPal, but you do not need a PayPal account to complete your transaction. Simply choose to use PayPal as a guest, and pay with your credit card.

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!

Guitarists are especially spoiled, as there are a handful of excellent multi-effect and modeling guitar apps available. New to this arena is Positive Grid, makers of the JamUp family of apps and iOS interfaces. For the next 30 days, Positive Grid is offering free downloads of their JamUp Lite app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

I’ve been playing with the JamUp Lite app for a few weeks and the tones hold up to any other guitar app out there, and JamUp features some extra features, including the very first sound-on-sound phrase sampler an iOS devices. This app gives you access to 5 hybrid amps/effects, 16 user presets, the aforementioned sound-on-sound phrase sampler, an iTunes player with time stretching feature, a chromatic tuner, and will feature continual upgraded features. Oh…and it’s free!

“JamUp is the must-have guitar app on iPad or iPhone for guitar players” remarked Calvin Abel, Product Manager at Positive Grid. “It channels the traditional multi-effect pedal into one single mobile app with a good number of jamming and practice features, plus the stunning user interface and convenient form-factor, giving you the ability to completely transform your rig with this one app.”

Also available are the JamUp Pro app ($19.99) which gives you 24 hybrid amps/effects, and the JamUp Plug ($39.95), an ultra-portable guitar interface for iOS devices. With the JamUp Plug, attach it to your device, then plug in your guitar and headphones, and you’re good to go! For anyone (like me) who jumped on the ultra-cheap (quality, not price) GuitarBud cable when that came out, you’ll appreciate the ability to use your own guitar cable.

Check out the Positive Grid website for more info and a link to download JamUp Lite for free.

My question to you: Is this kid…

1. So immune to his mother’s promiscuity that he doesn’t even hear the moans anymore?
2. Just trying to drown out the sound of the pool boy giving it to the woman who tucks him in at night?
3. Cleverly sending out a plea for help, hoping that some caring individual will call Child Protective Services instead of making fun of it on his blog?

Thoughts???

NoiseKICK FX Pedal 'Colorsound One-Knob Fuzz Clone'

Michael Stettes, one of the page’s regulars, emailed me a few weeks ago to tell me he’s starting a guitar pedal company called NoiseKICK FX. NoiseKICK builds hand-made, hand-painted, reasonably priced, interesting, useful, and “sometimes purposely junked-up” pedals.

To kick off the company, Michael, along with his business partner Matt, are giving away a pedal! Just like their Facebook page to be entered to win a Colorsound One-Knob Fuzz clone. Once the page hits 333 fans, a winner will be picked.

Good luck to all of you, and congrats Michael!

Watch this video to check out another NoiseKICK FX creation.

The Grand Prairie, TX company has just announced a year’s worth of giveaways; one per month, each a home studio recording bundle valued at over $1,000 MSRP.

To kick things off, their first recording bundle includes:

• Lexicon I·O|22 Recording Interface
• dbx db12 Active Direct Box
• Shure PG27-LC Condenser Microphone
• Shure SRH240 Studio Headphones
• Ultimate Support PRO-T-T Mic Stand/Boom
• Two RapcoHorizon Stage Series 20ft Mic Cables
• RapcoHorizon Concert Series 20ft Instrument Cable
• Dickies Stage Shirt with ProAudio.com Logo
• ProAudio.com Baseball Cap
• ProAudio.com USB Thumb Drive

You’re definitley going to want to bookmark their giveaway page and stop by each month!

Click Here to Enter

This list includes no-brainer classics like the Ibanez Tube Screamer, Dunlop Cry Baby, and ProCo Rat; somewhat obscure classics like the Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer, Foxx Tone Machine and A/DA Flanger; and modern boutique pedals, such as the Z.Vex Seek Wah, Fullton OCD, and the Lovetone Meatball.

Guitar World has been kind enough to let us embed their article here. In the comments, let us know how many of these you’ve owned, and which you may have let go and would like to get back!

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.

There are 30 guitars below. I want you to tell me how trustworthy the person who plays it is. 10 is very trustworthy, 1 is not trustworthy at all.

Thanks for you help!

And to prove this? They’ve sent me a Maxon SM9Pro+ Super Metal distortion pedal to give away. But, as we know, giveaways make one person very happy and leave thousands sad and lonely. Not this time. After the giveaway winner is announced, Godlyke has agreed to let me sell as many Super Metal pedals as you can buy at a significant discount.

This is important, so I’m going to restate this in an urgent looking red box.

So, enter the giveaway and good luck to you, my friends. If you don’t win, and really want a Super Metal pedal, watch your inbox for an email from yours truly.

This contest is now closed.

• You can enter once before 11:59:59 PM MDT, June 21st 2011
• This is open to anyone 13 years of age or older
• This is a worldwide giveaway

Learn More About the Maxon SM9 Super Metal Pedal

Based on the cult-classic Super Metal pedal from the 1980′s, the Maxon SM-9 Pro+ packs sufficient firepower to accurately reproduce all the tonal evolutions of metal music over the past 30 years.

The Maxon SM-9 Pro+ can create an almost limitless variety of high-gain guitar sounds, from classic 70′s Plexi tones through the “scooped midrange” made famous by the 1980’s thrash pioneers, and on to the huge low-end needed for the extended tunings of today’s extreme metal.

The SM-9 Pro+ features Gain, Level, Scoop, and Edge controls. Gain simultaneously boosts the 1 kHz midrange band by up to 20 dB as Gain is increased. Scoop is a mid-band elimination filter that is variable between 200 Hz – 2 kHz. Edge is a hi-cut shelving filter that cuts hi frequencies from 2 kHz to 15 kHz.

The SM-9 Pro+ also features switchable 9 or 18 volt operation, providing sufficient headroom with minimal compression to handle today’s high-output pickups and active electronics.

Whether your a Metalhead looking for that perfect grind, or a working cover player who doesn’t want to lug huge amps around, the Maxon SM-9 Pro+ Super Metal is the perfect tone tool to sharpen your steel.

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

They always tell musicians “Don’t quit your day job.” Nick Perri, the internationally recognized lead guitarist for such bands/artists as Shinedown, Perry Farrell, Silvertide, Matt Sorum, and his own recently assembled, SINAI, has the day job all of us dream of: Rock and Roll Guitarist.

But drawing on his own personal experience wielding hundreds of guitars throughout his career, Perri realized had another passion: building custom electric guitars. So, he recently decided to launch his own brand of boutique, handmade guitars under the brand name Perri Ink. Guitars.

Perri Ink. Protostar Electric Guitar

Perri Ink. launched with two models, the Protostar and Solostar, both personally designed by Perri with features he’s both enjoyed and desired as a rock musician for more than a decade.

Each guitar is handmade and built-to-order, with the kind of time and attention to detail that’s rare in the modern musical instrument industry. Furthermore, Perri has consulted with top musicians, engineers and other designers to create a product line that is unique, classic and well-suited for any guitarist across the professional or amateur spectrum.

Perri cites his search for the perfect instrument, and the continued support of his global fan base, which routinely asks him where they can acquire the kinds of guitars he plays, as the inspiration for this next entrepreneurial move.

“I have owned lots of guitars over the years, and built and destroyed many of them,” Perri said, in a statement on his website. “But this time I am setting out with the confidence and knowledge of what really works, not what people have tried to sell me.”

The Protostar model is available now directly from www.perriinkguitars.com. The Solostar model is slated for its release in May. Each guitar comes with a signed and dated certificate of authenticity that ensures both build quality, and a personal setup by the rocker himself.

According to Perri: “Both the Protostar and the Solostar feature an array of high-fi and forward thinking ideas, yet they have been molded into a traditional package that is sure to grab both fans of past and future guitars.”

Perri plans to expand his brand’s reach by placing his guitars in the hands of some of the best touring musicians in his phone book, but not before introducing the instrument himself. The guitar made its official debut recently when Perri and his band took the stage in Austin, TX for this year’s South By Southwest festival.

“These guitars are built to last. Period,” Perri said. “The proof is in the process. They are unparalleled and built to serve you, the artist, whenever and wherever you go.”

It’s a good point! Jet City just opened their doors in January, and they’ve been generating a lot of buzz with their killer selection of gear, great customer service, and Thursday generosity.

This week, Jet City is giving away a Boss PS-6 Harmonist. This is one of those crazy stompboxes that you kind of have to hear to believe, but here’s the rundown:

The PS6 can add 2 to 3 harmonies to your guitar playing at the touch of a knob that are in key and sound great. If harmonies weren’t enough you can also use the Boss PS6 Harmonist as a Pitch Shifter, a De-tuner, and what Boss calls a S-bend (super bend).

Dial in the correct key and adjust for major or minor playing to add another guitar player to your bands mix and fill out your sound by simply pressing the footswitch. Want a little more control the get a Boss FV500H and use it to accurately manipulate the pitch bending with your feet while you play.

Features:

• Four effect modes in one stomp box: Harmony, Pitch Shifter, Detune, and S-BEND (Super Bend)
• Easily create two- or three-voice harmonies with selectable key and voicing
• High-quality pitch shifting
• Three-voice Detune capability
• Super Bend provides up to four octaves of extreme pitch bending
• Control pitch via expression pedal (optional BOSS FV-500L/H or Roland EV-5)
• Standard 9 volt operation

My advice is to enter each week, and check their Facebook page for the winners.

Click Here to Enter

This week, enter to win a SolidGold FX High Octane Overdrive pedal. This is a great sounding OD pedal that sells for $175.

Here’s some info about the SolidGold FX High Octane Overdrive Pedal:

The High Octane’s main focus is clarity, response and versatility. The goal for this pedal was to produce a rich, complex, low to mid gain overdrive in a simple package with lots of output. The tone is smooth and full bodied yet crisp and clear, highly responsive to player dynamics, pick attack and guitar output; as such, it cleans very well up as you reduce your guitar’s volume.

The High Octane’s gain ranges from a natural clean boost to a gritty low to medium gain OD. We have included a 2-way Mode switch providing modern and vintage overdrive characteristics. The modern mode relies on MOSFET technology to provide a natural, crisp, uncompressed breakup and high output. The vintage mode provides extra compression, added saturation and a warmer, more rounded overdrive tone. We have also included a specially tuned Tone control to help dial in just the right tonal balance. If more distortion is required, simply put one of our fine boosters before the High Octane and dial in as much layered, creamy saturation you desire!

The Holy Grail of Overdrives!

Features:

• Very responsive and dynamic.
• Transparent, well balanced tone response and natural breakup
• Low noise operation.
• Clean Boost to mid gain overdrive tones
• Tons of output on tap!

Entry Deadline: April. 15, 2011 at 9:00 AM PST

Click Here to Enter

After a month of excitment and thousands of entries, yesterday I picked a winner: Dylan Steppeler of Mt. Orab, Ohio. Congrats to Dylan and hopefully he’ll send in some photos once he has everything set up.

Keep checking GearPipe.com for more giveaways, and if you’ve not already done so, sign up for our daily and weekly giveaway emails.

EVH D-Tuna Kit w/Floyd Rose Tremolo

• One FloydUpgrades Big Blocks Brass Sustain Block
• One Set of FloydUpgrades Noiseless Springs
• One FloydUpgrades Brass Spring Claw
• One EVH D-Tuna Drop D Tuning System

So, how does one enter this giveaway?

We’re running this one on Facebook only. The short story is that you have to “like” a few pages, then post on your own Facebook wall. Here’s the step-by-step:

Step #1: Like all three of these Facebook pages (you’ll have to be signed in to your account first).

Step #2: Post the following message on your personal Facebook profile:

The catch, though, is you’ll have to tag all three Facebook pages in your post. Before typing the names of each page, hit the “@” key, then enter the name of the page. The page name will show on a drop-down menu, and will then become a link in your post.

This is the only way we can keep track of who entered, and you must tag all three to qualify.

Step #3: Practice your arpeggios and hope your name is chosen from the virtual hat!

What are the rules?

• The deadline to enter this giveaway is April 11th, 2011, at 11:59:59 PM ET.
• This giveaway is open worldwide!
• You must be 13 years of age or older at the time of your entry.

Can you tell me more about the products?

Sure thing. Here you go!

FloydUpgrades Big Blocks Brass Sustain Block

Odds are, if you are reading this, you are just like me – a tone chaser – a guitar geek who will try anything to get a new sound.

FloydUpgrades Brass Spring Claw

FloydUpgrades Noiseless Springs

EVH D-Tuna Drop D Tuning System

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.

For each $1 donated, you’ll be entered to win one of four amazing pedals, including:

Maxon RTD800 Real Tube Overdrive/Distortion – the latest and greatest from Maxon, the RTD800 is an amazing tube distortion with 3-band EQ, on-board noise-gate, switchable boost and true bypass switching. Retail Value $499

Guyatone Heat Exchanger Overdrive – micro but mighty, the Heat Exchanger uses internal voltage doubling to create harmonically rich, tube-like distortion – Features Guyatone’s “ABS” Active Bypass system. Retail Value $299

HAO OD-16 “Dark Side” Overdrive – a limited edition pedal only released in Japan, the Dark Side takes the standard OD-16 circuit and makes it evil with more gain and output. Retail Value $349

Providence DLY-4 Chrono Delay – One of the most versatile delay pedals ever created! Features include tap tempo, delay time display in BPM or mS, multi-tap delay option, 2 selectable delay times, and Vitalizer switching circuit. Retail value $449

Vancouver music store Future Shop is giving away a Ddrum D2MB acoustic drum set. This giveaway is open to all of Canada, but if you’re in the Vancouver area, you’ll also score five free drum lessons!

About the ddrum D2MB acoustic drum set:

The total package! For the beginner, looking for the basics, and a little more. The d2 includes shallow toms, in a contemporary size configuration. When you’re ready to expand, d2 is right there with you, 8″ and 14″ add on tom pack available separately, with all necessary mounting hardware. A cut above the rest!

D2 Specs:

• Basswood shells
• 1.7 MM Tripple flanged hoops
• 8-ply Bass drums
• 8-ply Snare drums
• 6-ply Toms
• D Series chrome oval lugs

D2 Kits include:

• Double braced stands
• Bass drum pedal
• Throne
• Six pairs of sticks & stick bag

Entry Deadline: March 18, 2011

Click Here to Enter

That said, most people are just strumming chords as they would on an acoustic guitar. Is anyone actually moving the instrument forward?

Here’s a resounding YES! Check out this video from TEDxTokyo, featuring Jake Shimabukuro. Jaw, prepare to drop.

Here’s the rundown on the Chrono Delay:

While many modern delay units include a tap tempo function, most of them do not accurately translate the tapped tempo into delay time. Furthermore, the direct sound is often converted to digital format, resulting in some latency and a sound that is not truly “direct.”

Not only does the Chrono Delay provide precise tap-to-delay settings, but it can also memorize two separate delay times and toggle between them. The direct signal stays in the analog domain from input to output, passing through the acclaimed Providence Vitalizer® switching circuit so that no signal degradation occurs. A high-performance analog mixer circuit then recombines the direct signal with the delayed signal.

After the DLY-4 delay signal is converted back to analog format it is processed via analog Echo Hardness, Feedback, and Mix controls for a totally natural blend with the direct signal. The net result is a high-resolution delay effect that has extraordinary depth. In addition to refined sound, the Chrono Delay features a simple interface that allows fast, intuitive user control.

Chrono Delay Key Features:

• Delay time is adjustable from 1-2700 milliseconds
• Delay time is accurately displayed in milliseconds (mSec) or beats per minute (BPM). The BPM display is not simply a “rough estimate” – BPM delay times are displayed with metronome accuracy.
• Tap Tempo – Delay time is precisely set by the tempo tapped on the TAP switch.
• A/B Preset Memory – The A/B preset memory allows two different delay time settings to be memorized and recalled via the footswitch.
• Beat Split – With the specified delay time as a quarter-note reference, seven delay time variations ranging from half notes to eighth-note triplets can be directly selected via the Beat Split knob. Rhythm-based delay time settings that previously required tedious calculations can now be made in an instant.
• Analog Circuitry Featuring the Vitalizer® – Both the Vitalizer® that prevents degradation of the direct signal and the mixer that combines the direct signal with the delay signal are analog circuits that have been designed and built to the highest possible sonic standards.
• External TAP Input – A momentary type footswitch (sold separately) can be connected to the EXT.TAP jack to allow remote tap delay operation. When this function is used, the A/B – TAP footswitch on the Chrono Delay unit is dedicated to A/B preset switching, so that tap delay and A/B preset switching operation are simultaneously available via separate footswitches.
• 12-volt DC power (power supply included)

Enough specs, here’s some Chrono Delay sounds samples from the good people at MusicToyz.

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!

Swarvorski Encrusted Cry Baby Wah Pedal

• Guy #1: Hey, this killer movie about the Cry Baby is about to come out. What should we do to celebrate?
• Guy #2: Let’s give away a pedal.
• Guy #1: Good idea, but I think we need to go bigger.
• Guy #2: OK….how about we take a Cry Baby and cover it in diamonds.
• Guy #1: I like where this is heading, but I don’t think we can get Jim to sign off on the expense.
• Guy #2: Hmmm…..Let’s take a Cry Baby and cover it in Swarvorski Crystals.
• Guy #1: Love it. Let’s go to lunch.

Kidding aside, I WANT this thing on my mantle or maybe the hood of my car. It’s pretty awesome!

Only a handful of these pedals were made, and each has approximately 5,500 Swarvorski stones hand-placed from head to toe. Each unit is signed by the man behind Cry Baby: Jim Dunlop himself. Oh and one could be yours.

Enter here for a chance to win this ultra-rare Cry Baby wah pedal, and check out Part 1 of “Cry Baby: The Pedal That Rocks The World.”

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!

I know Leo would be proud that the guitar he designed in the early 1950s not only still exists, but in a form that is nearly untouched, and just as relevant as it was when the first Teles rolled off the production line. Try that with other modern products of the era. Are there ’50s cars or television sets that are as important, practical, and unchanged as they were 60 years ago? I’m not sure I can think of any.

There’s a not-so-famous CBS-era Fender magazine ad that features Leo Fender. The headline simply reads “This Man Started a Revolution,” featuring a photo of a grumpy-looking Leo in a flannel shirt. I can guess CBS created this ad not so much to honor the company’s founder, but to draw a link back to Fender’s glory days, amid public backlash about quality and design. But that hardly matters. The sentiment is there for those of us who love the brand.

I was lucky enough to work for Fender Musical Instruments in the early to mid 2000s. This ad hung in my office at Fender’s Scottsdale corporate headquarters. As far as I knew, it was the only image of Leo in that building (not that I ever asked, but I’m sure it was for legal reasons rather than a desire to bury the past).

A few of us in the office had a saying. WWLD: What Would Leo Do? Whenever I had to make a major product decision, I would glance up that this ad, trying to get into the head of a man who’d been dead for 15 years, and gone from the company for nearly 40. I’m sure I didn’t always get it right, but Leo always helped guide me in the right direction.

I think anyone building musical instruments (or anything else, for that matter), should steal that phrase. What Would Leo Do? If you’re just starting out, don’t compromise your quality and innovation. Retailers might pressure you to lower your standards to hit a price point, but there will always be someone cheaper. Stand your ground and no one will be able to build a better product than you.

If you work for an established company that has lost its way, think back to the ideals that made your brand great. You might have to slightly modify the mantra (What Would Orville Do?).

This frame now hangs in my home studio, and I don’t look at it as much as I used to. I suspect though, that I’ll never take it down. I also suspect this won’t be the last major anniversary of the Fender Telecaster.

So, if he were alive on the 60th anniversary of the Fender Telecaster, what would Leo do? Probably shake a few hands and head back to the workshop to develop the next great guitar.

CBS-era Fender ad featuring Leo Fender

Just in case want some more sentimental stuff, here’s a great video about people gushing about the Fender Telecaster.

More about the Toadworks Pipeline Jr. Tremolo Pedal:

Entry Deadline: May 1, 2011

Click Here to Enter

Ultimate Guitar and The Music Zoo have teamed up to give away a ’70s Stratocaster from Fender, and a Kustom Defender V50 all-tube 50 watt guitar amp. Put them together, and this package will give one winner some killer vintage tone worth about $2,150.

Here’s some more info about these pieces of gear:

Click Here to Enter