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'Tis the season and tra-la-la-la-la! Don't forget, the "tra-la" bit is connected to music — and that's what we're all here for, isn't it? It's the time of year for giving, so don't forget the gifts of musical equipment.
Anyone who plays an instrument usually starts asking for "more gear" around this time of year. Long ago, my friends and family stopped second-guessing what I'd want — they simply handed me a pro sound catalog after Thanksgiving and asked me to circle things around $20 to $30. "OH BOY!" I'd exclaim with delight, as if I had just found a new Rickenbacker under the tree. Because as we all know, you can buy a lot of cool audio things for around $20. Whether it's for a musical kid, sibling, friend, or significant other, here are some hints to make your shopping easier.
Guitar and Bass
For the guitarists and bass players you know: A guitar stand, of course! Everyone I know needs a guitar stand (ok, not my friend who does accounting). Even most of the pros I know could use a new stand. And oh, the countless times I have seen people forget to take them to their shows! Man, next to the guitar pick and cables to plug that puppy in, that stand is really important. They go for as little as $7.99; this type of cheap stand will probably last your aspiring Jimi for about a year. Other models cost a lot more, and they will last longer, I assure you. But $7.99 is something you can manage for a newbie, right? You can get something more durable for $20 to $30.
Along those same lines for the finger-pickin' folks, you can get a guitar pick and slide holder that clips onto a mic stand for around $4.00. And there are cool packages of accessories, like a set of strings, some cables, and picks, for around $9.99 for the entire set. Like anything else, you get what you pay for, but if you're low on dough and it's for someone just starting out, that's less than ten bucks for a whole bunch of necessary items.
We all need to stay in tune. Korg makes a couple of decent tuners for around $20. Again, there are better ones that cost more (say around $99), but for that first-year musician still learning her/his scales, the $20 model will be fine.
And how about some signal processing? We all know that an electric guitar all by itself doesn't sound that cool, unless you're going for that Wes Montgomery sound. So I've found a pedal for just $20 that isn't a piece of donkey poo. Most Danelectro guitar pedals go for anywhere from $59 to $199 — but they have this crazy DJ-1 Pastrami Distortion Pedal for $19.99. That is a cool buy. A guitar tone that sounds like pastrami??? HUZZAH!
There are lots of other cheap accessories, like capos, string winders, and straps. And don't forget tools, like wire clippers, screwdrivers, and Allen wrenches. Several types of folding multi-tool gadgets can be had for under $30 — guitarists love them.
Drums and Percussion
Ok, now there are probably some vocalists, drummers, and other musicians out there who think I'm wasting a lot of words on guitarists and bass players. Worry not: Your time has come…starting with you drummers.
For the little up-and-coming Peter Crisses out there: Let's assume someone else has already bought them some drums, or you're in for a GIANT wallet drain. Those things cost a lot, take up a lot of space, and are really loud even when exiled to the basement. To help ease the pain, you can get drum practice pads. Some of these are simply rubber discs that you place on top of regular drumheads ($15 and up), and some are specially designed drumlike devices with built-in electronic drum sounds so you can practice with headphones. And for less than $5, you can get a pair of rubber tips for drumsticks that let your percussive friend pound on the kitchen table or the car dashboard without damaging anything (including your ears).
What else do drummers need that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? They need sticks, and lots of them. They need mallets, brushes, drum heads, cool little percussion rack pieces, cymbal bags, and hardware bags. (My very favorite ever was one my pal Claudia picked up at a garage sale: it was an old-school golf bag on big wheels. She put every piece of her drum hardware in that crazy-looking bag and strolled right into the clubs, night after night.)
Now, cymbal bags can cost a lot. The less-expensive ones ($15 to $20) fit three cymbals each and last for about a year, but the really nice ones are around $100. (Yeah, I know!) But a lot of these other items are much more affordable — and drummers always seem to need those extra little bits and pieces. If in doubt, spring for a gift certificate to your local drum equipment and repair shop.
Other things you might get: a metronome, a CD of beats to practice with, instructional videos, or fun percussion items like shakers, maracas, tambourines, guiros, claves, kalimbas, and vibra-slaps. And they always want more cowbell, right? Percussion toys made for kids, like toy xylophones, are usually a big hit with drummers too.
Keyboards, Vocals, and Home Studios
Keyboard-playin' people need some love too! How about a sustain pedal (see if they have one already), some new cables, or a pair of headphones so they can practice in the comfort of their own ears? Sennheiser, AKG, and Sony all make some amazing headphones for around $100, but they also make a very nice pair for around $30. Try the Sennheiser HD201, the AKG K44 or K55, and the Sony MDR-V150 models. If your keyboardist pal likes quirky little instruments, consider a toy piano, toy accordion, or melodica, all of which have keys to play.
Vocalists need microphone stands (if they play an instrument as well, get a boom stand), mic cables, pop screens, and music stands to hold lyrics while recording. You might also get them a little portable digital recorder to sing ideas into, or a voice recorder attachment for their iPod. The non-digitally oriented vocalist might appreciate a special notebook and a cool pen for writing lyrics.
For your little wanna-be Gwen Stefanis, I've got the perfect sweet little gift if they already own a microphone. (If you're buying them one, you should pay NO LESS than $100, because a cheap no-name mic is just not worth it…period.) If they own a mic, check out the cute little circular pencil cases that kids are buying at the stationery stores — the ones with monkeys or cats or groovy circles on them. For $3.99, your singer could be carting around a nice microphone disguised in a cool little padded pencil case that also protects it!
The list goes on and on. For home-studio types, think about cables, blank DVD-Rs or CD-Rs, software plug-ins for digital audio workstations, backup/archiving software, or circumaural headphones. For people who play live, you could assemble a gig emergency kit with extra fuses, cables, picks, batteries, strings, a notebook, portable headphones, or any other essentials they might need, depending on their instrument. (For ideas, see rightround's article on "Gig Bag Basics.")
Happy holidays everyone, and merry music-making!
Posted December 2006
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