Great Gifts for Musicians

By John LeVan

The holidays are upon us and (like me), you’re struggling to find the perfect gift to buy. If everyone in my family were a musician, this would be a piece of cake, but I digress! Buying the perfect gift for the player in your life is easy! The key is to find a thoughtful gift to help improve their playing, tone and tuning. So before you go buy someone another tie or pair of socks, check out these useful things that every musician will appreciate.

GUITAR TUNERS

One of the most valuable gifts fro a guitarist is an accurate guitar tuner. Tuning is something that all players struggle with at one time or another. Having an accurate tuner will make their life easier and believe me; their band mates will thank you! There are two great tuners on the market that I recommend.

1. 1. Planet Waves Headstock Tuner (MSRP $42)
2. 2. Planet Waves TrueStrobe Tuner (MSRP $127)

The Headstock Tuner is not only accurate, but it’s lighter than other “headstock tuners” I have used. Another great feature is that it tracks faster than other tuners of its kind! I love this tuner! It only picks up the signal to your guitar, so you don’t even have to plug it in to tune, no matter what kind of noise is going on in the room. Easy to read in bright sunlight, or total darkness! It can be used to tune to alternate tunings (it’s fully chromatic & automatic), and it’s affordable.

The TruStrobe Tuner is an excellent strobe tuner. It’s accurate enough to set intonation and perfect for the studio. With a heavy duty construction, easy to read display, its tough enough for the road. You can even plug it in to the wall or just use a 9 volt battery to run it. I have one in my shop and it’s never failed me.

NEED A CAPO THAT WON”T DESTROY YOUR FRETS?

Most guitarist use a capo. Most of the traditional capos on the market destroy frets!  Many of my clients use the K*S*R capo. What I love about this capo is that it dents up frets because it squeezes the strings too tight! Since I do a lot of fret work, this capo is great for my business! However, if you want to avoid unnecessary fret damage (and tuning problems) I suggest either the Planet Waves NS Trio Capo (MSRP $20), or the Dual Action Capo (MSRP $22). Both capos are adjustable so you can set the tension to the perfect amount. Thus greatly reducing fret damage and tuning problems. Just promise not to forget about me when you need a refret!

GUITAR CARE PRODUCTS

Proper care & maintenance will prolong the life and playability of a guitar. Here are some of my favorite guitar care products.

• ProWinder (MSRP $13)
• Headstand (MSRP $13)
• Hydrate Fretboard Conditioner (MSRP $5)
• HumidiPak System (MSRP $26)

A fast easy way to change guitar (or bass) strings is with a ProWinder. This tool not only speeds up the process of removing & installing strings, it works as a string cutter, bridge pin remover and a string stretcher. The ProWinder is an absolutely essential tool for all guitarists.

The Headstand is the perfect tool to keep your guitar from drifting all over your bench while restringing your guitar. It’s like a small tripod designed to keep your guitar stable when you work on it. It folds small enough to fit into the storage compartment of just about any guitar case or gig bag. Perfect stocking stuffer!

Conditioning your fretboard every string change will keep your neck looking new and prevent dry rot and other problems. My favorite conditioner is a product called Hydrate. It’s specifically designed for dark (Ebony, Rosewood) fretboards. It’s not recommended for Maple fretboards, but for rosewood or Ebony, it’s by far the best conditioner I have ever used – even on vintage guitars!

In April of ’09 I wrote an article called Economic Stimulus. It was about how to prevent serious damage by humidifying your guitar. A simple, yet very effective way to control the humidity of your guitar is with the HumidiPak System. This product is brilliant! All you do is drop one pouch in between the strings, and another at the headstock while your guitar is in its case. It will keep your guitar at 45% to 50% humidity. This is the perfect humidity range for any guitar. The HumidiPak is a two-way humidity control system that absorbs moisture when it’s too high, and emits moisture when the humidity is too low. You’ll never have to fill anything up with water or worry if your guitar is too wet or too dry.

GUITAR CABLES THAT WORK!

There are tons of cable companies out there; I use the Circuit Breaker cables by Planet waves. What I like about the Circuit Breaker is the button that allows you to shut off the cable to switch guitars without any loud popping or feedback – (a cardinal sin among sound guys). They are available in several lengths. Every player needs a good quality guitar cable; the Circuit Breaker is my choice! (MSRP $40 -$60)

Check out all of these great products by clicking on the images or visiting www.planetwaves.com

NEED A NEW GUITAR?

If you’re looking for the ultimate electric guitar for that special musician (or yourself), I just finished building my last guitar for 2009. I only build 3 or 4 guitars a year, I call this one The Road Dog.

Here are its features:

• Solid Ash Body
• Maple/Rosewood Neck
• Bone Nut
• Stainless Steel Frets
• Seymour Duncan© Jeff Beck© Pickup
• Creation Audio Labs© Redeemer System©
• ABM© Roller Bridge
• Temper Tuned

Medium to light weight with incredible sustain and volume. The stainless steel frets make string bends exceptionally smooth, and last substantially longer than conventional frets. This one of the best electric guitars I have ever built. (Sale Price $1450) For more info, E-mail me or just stop by the shop.

GIFT CERTIFICATES!

Still not sure what to get your favorite musician? Consider a gift certificate to their favorite music store or repair shop (like mine :~). A gift certificate is perfect if you’re unsure what to give. It can be used for gear, strings or even repair training! Check your local music store for more info.

Knowledge is Power!

Understanding how to care setup and even repair your guitar can save you time & money.

Three good ways to this are through books, DVDs and personal training. A step by step training manual is a great way to learn how to repair and upgrade your guitar. DVDs are great because it gives you a real time visual of how to do each procedure. The best way to learn is hands on training. Having an experienced Luthier guide you is priceless. In fact, it’s how I learned the art of Lutherie.

To learn more, check out my books, DVDs and my website for training opportunities.

If you have any questions about this, or any of my other articles, feel free to e-mail me at guitarservices@aol.com. Be sure to visit us on the web at www.guitarservices.com

copyright©2009 John M. LeVan all rights reserved

John LeVan

The Guitar Services Workshop

www.guitarservices.com