Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it’s that time of the year again. The annual Black Friday stampedes, er, “sales” have officially kicked off the holiday shopping season.
Last year it seemed as though some people in my household may have read my 2014 Holiday Gift Guide, because Santa was very kind. And I did not receive any hot pink acoustic guitar-shaped earrings. Win-win situation I’d say.
We can get all sentimental about how “it’s not about the presents,” yet doing so does not help the people tasked with delivering appropriate gifts on the Christmas morning. Last year we focused on more conventional things like custom made picks, guitar straps, guitar maintenance products, lessons, or a practice amp. This year we’re going to give you some other options just in case you’ve already exhausted those. With that in mind, let’s get right to the point with the 2015 Seymour Duncan Holiday Gift Guide. (P.S. It goes without say that a new guitar or bass under the tree is never a bad idea!)
Ear Protection
“What?” “Can you turn me up?” “Can you please repeat that?”
While all of us suffer from bouts of selective hearing, the last thing a musician wants to lose is the most important element to their craft: hearing.
There are several options for hearing protection, ranging from the cheap foam bullets you can buy for a dollar at most rehearsal spaces, all the way up to the customized, professional-level in-ear “plugs” that can also double as on-stage monitors. DUBS, Hearos, Fender, Blackstar, and many other manufacturers make rather affordable and effective ear plug style protection that you can buy for anywhere between $25-$50 a pair. These differ from the cheap foam inserts because they are designed to reduce the overall decibel level of the sounds around you, not just muffle them. If you aren’t keen on listening to your gift recipient practicing their craft and you live in the same house, you may want to pick up a pair for yourself as well.
Blackstar Tone:Link
What a perfect little contraption for anyone who wants to turn any amplifier with a Line In into a wireless stereo audio receiver. It allows you to listen and/or jam along with music without the inconvenience of cables. The portability of such a device makes it a wonderful stocking stuffer as well as a perfect “toy” for those who want to jam along with music from their phones/music players and not have to buy three different cables to do so. Blackstar seems to be on a role with producing some great products that compliment not only their own amplifiers but others as well, and the Tone:Link is no exception.
Guitar/Bass Inspired Learning and Transcription Software
While many of us enjoy the various online lessons, YouTube videos and tutorials about how to play your favorite songs, there is great value in transcribing what you hear and learning how to do so. It improves your ear and it allows you to become better at “figuring out” songs. There are various software programs that offer the ability to be able to help transcribe and create guitar/bass tablature (TAB), as well as create jam-along tracks so that you can tell if you’ve really mastered that Jason Becker piece or not. GuitarPro and Transcribe are probably the most popular, but if you’re looking for software that will slow down the song without changing the pitch and also giving you some direction in terms of what root notes are being played, you might want to try Riffstation. Riffstation also allows you to isolate the various tracks – guitar and vocals most prominently – and that can really come in handy for tracks that have more than one guitar part. GuitarPro, Transcribe, and Riffstation can all be purchased for under $60 and can be used individually or together to help you learn your favorite songs and create TAB for them.
Custom Guitar/Bass Cables
Yes, you can go to your local music store and buy pre-made, mass produced cables. But if you want to give a gift that says “You’re my rockstar”, try ordering a set of custom made guitar cables. Companies such as Lava Cable, Stringjoy, and George L’s will create cables in your choice of color, with whichever type of connectors and jacks you’d like. Whether your rock star needs a long 100-foot cable for stage dives or short pedalboard cables, a custom cable is going to make them happy. And many of us musicians are too “frugal” to spend our cash on better cables, so your gift is sure to please.
Guitar String Bracelets
Who wants a gift made of used guitar strings?!?!? Well, when those strings have been used by the likes of Eric Clapton, Brian May, Bonnie Raitt, Adam Levine, Bryan Adams, Lita Ford, Dave Ellefson, Carlos Santana, Derek Trucks, Gregg Allman, Geezer Butler, James Hetfield, Joan Jett, John Mayer, and many more, a lot of people! Wear Your Music creates bracelets and charms out of your guitar hero’s used guitar strings. Prices vary depending on the artist, but what a cool memento to have! The bracelets can also be customized with charms and whatnot, and they are unisex so they’re great for everyone.
Guitar Pick Necklace
Some of us girls had photos of our significant others in our lockets. Others, like myself, would drill a hole through a guitar pick and sling it around our necks because our “true love” was music. Well, put away your drills! PickBay offers guitar and bass players the opportunity to have quite possibly the coolest version of a “locket”. Their specialized guitar pick holders allow you to put your favorite pick around your neck as fashionable jewellery. They have various types and they are priced for every budget. As long as your guitar pick is a standard size, it will fit in one of their “lockets”.
Guitar Shop T-Shirt Subscription
I know, I know. You’re probably already tired of all of your guitarist and bassist friends/family member’s ratty t-shirts. We all seem to have quite a collection don’t we? Well, you’re not going to get us to throw away our t-shirts, but if you sign us up for the Guitar Shop Tees monthly subscription, they will send us a NEW t-shirt every month, featuring a prominent/significant/favorite vintage guitar shop. They offer subscriptions on a month-to-month basis, 3 months, 6 months, or a full year, and prices range from $66 to over $200.
Fan Club or Fan Packages from a favorite band or guitar hero
If you know what someone’s favorite band or guitar hero is, you can always look into giving them a gift membership in that band’s/artist’s fan club, or purchasing a “fan pack” from their website. One of the best gifts I ever received was a Nita Strauss merch/fan pack. It came with a tank top, autographed poster, autographed 8×10, concert-used guitar strings, a stage-used guitar pick, stickers, and various other little knick knacks that I was absolutely thrilled to add to my collection. Bonus: When the receiver of your gift posts their photo on Twitter or Instagram and tags the artist or band, they will often get a “like” or a comment thanking them for their support. What better gift can you give than a bonafide nanosecond of attention from their favorite rock star?
A Set of Pickups From The Seymour Duncan Custom Shop
How can you go wrong with this, really? And how can we not mention our legendary pickups?!? If you know your loved one’s guitar pickup needs and wants, you can have our Custom Shop make you exactly what they have in mind. Perhaps they want some red Invaders for their black guitar, or maybe they love the look of certain pickups but need a certain sound that comes out of another. Rest assured that whatever pickup you need, we can make it. Check out the Custom Shop website for all of the options.
Pedals
No, they don’t already have too many pedals for their rig. You may think they do, but they don’t. Why? Because musicians like to play, experiment, and discover new sounds and textures. For this reason, you can’t go wrong if you buy a pedal that they don’t already own. Here at Seymour Duncan we have our own pedals that are built in Santa Barbara, California by the same awesome people that make the pickups found in the guitars of amateurs and iconic players alike. Whether you need some delay, compression, distortion, overdrive, or a tremolo effect, check out our pedal offerings here.
Seymour Duncan Merch
If there’s a Seymour Duncan fan in your life, help them to show the world their pickup and pedal preference with Seymour Duncan merch! We have beverage opener key rings, bobbin-topper necklaces, shirts, hoodies and guitar straps right here.
What are some successful guitar/bass-related gifts you’ve given or received over the years? Let us know in the comments below!
