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By Sessionville Team
- Published Dec 7, 2013 in Gear Garage
Trouble figuring out what to buy your favorite musician this year? No worries, we got your back. Behold: ten amazing gifts from the ordinary to the extraordinary.
We here at Sessionville just love the holidays. And we also love to be helpful. So instead of wandering the aisles of your local music store in search of the perfect gift for the musician who has everything, allow us to suggest a few stocking stuffers sure to please the whole band.
Ready to get your shopping on? Ok, here we go:
1 The Pick Punch
Great for emergencies.
There are certain questions humankind has been struggling to answer since the dawn of man. What is the meaning of life? Why is the sky blue? What should I do with my expired credit cards?
Thankfully, we have been given the answer to at least one of those questions. Introducing Pick Punch, a little device that makes guitar picks out of any available material (within reason). Now when you arrive at the show and suddenly realize you have nothing but your fingers, you can turn that overdrawn Visa into an instant plectrum.
- What it is A hole-punch for musicians
- What it does Makes a pick out of anything thin
- How much it costs $24.95
- Where to get it www.PickPunch.com
2 Asus Wireless Pocket Router
You know, for when you're on tour.
About the time that airlines figured out they could charge extra if you want to bring luggage on your trip, hotels figured out they could charge extra if you want to update your Facebook status from bed.
The road warriors in the audience know all too well how much money you can blow if you have to spend an extra ten bucks every day you're in a hotel. But not with this little beauty. You see, hotels usually give you wired internet for free because they know what you really want to do is use your iPad. The ASUS Wireless Pocket Router plugs into that free ethernet cable on the desk and creates your own personal wireless network.
- What it is A tiny wireless hotspot
- What it does Turns wired into wireless without the upcharge
- How much it costs $34.99
- Where to get it www.Amazon.com
3 Theremin Mini Kit
Odd, unsettling noises in the palm of your hand.
Raise your hand if you've always wanted to be a member of Radiohead. For those of you with your hands in the air (you can put them down now), our message is simple: you gotta start small.
No, we mean literally small, not figuratively small. Meet the Theremin Mini Kit, a little gift from Japan. Spend half an hour putting it together—or maybe a bit longer if you're not able to read the Japanese instructions—and get right down to making sounds that shouldn't belong in music but somehow find their way in anyway.
- What it is A Theremin, only smaller
- What it does Makes "music" when you wave your hand nearby
- How much it costs $39.99
- Where to get it www.ThinkGeek.com
4 The Rodent Kit
For the DIYer in your life.
There are two kinds of people: those who walk into a music store and say, "gimme a distortion pedal," and those who walk into a music store, see the distortion pedal, and think, "you know, I could probably make one those myself."
If you're buying a present for the latter, consider The Rodent Kit, a do-it-yourself kit that, if you manage to do it yourself right, will end up sounding exactly like a ProCo RAT distortion pedal. (Some assembly required.)
- What it is A bunch of electronic bits and pieces
- What it does Turns into a distortion pedal
- How much it costs $60.00
- Where to get it www.GeneralGuitarGadgets.com
5 Rogue RLS-1 Lap Steel Guitar
A little bit Country for a little bit 'o cash.
Remember when things used to be expensive? We're not sure when it became so cost-effective to outfit your home studio with a lap steel for the occasional country twanger demo, but it is.
The Rogue RLS-1 is not the lap steel guitar you want to take with to the Grand 'Ol Opry, but it'll do just fine when you need that authentic sound without paying for an authentic lap steel. Included in the package is a stand and gig bag, which makes you wonder if they're making any profit at all. Not really your problem though. Go ahead, make Dolly Parton proud.
- What it is A lap steel guitar that costs less than putting gas in your pickup
- What it does Makes country music
- How much it costs $99.99
- Where to get it www.MusiciansFriend.com
6 Fender Strat Value Pack
Zero to guitar player in five seconds.
For the aspiring beginner guitar player who has nothing and needs everything, we humbly suggest this all-in-one pack. You're talking guitar, amp, gig bag, strap, tuner, headphones, picks and a DVD that shows you how to use it all.
John Entwistle always told a story about how he and the guys from The Who would break into a music store and steal what they needed for the gig that night. So look at this as a way to keep your young and impressionable musically-minded family member out of prison for a little while longer.
- What it isEverything you need to start playing guitar
- What it doesEverything—that's the point
- How much it costs $249.99
- Where to get it www.GuitarCenter.com
7 Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Studio
Instant recording studio.
Studios are expensive. Give the musician in your life the gift of instant gratification. Just hook up this little honey to your laptop, plug in the included microphone and you're making music in the blink of an eye.
The best part: the package includes headphones. So, just in case the musician in your life is actually a really bad musician, you won't have to hear that re-harmonized ska version of Wind Beneath My Wings.
- What it isA digital studio in a box
- What it doesEverything a real studio does
- How much it costs $249.99
- Where to get it www.Sweetwater.com
8 Apple iPad Air
Everyone's favorite stocking-stuffer.
Does anyone not want one of these things? Apple's succession of portable supercomputers is so damn ubiquitous, we can hardly think of anything else to say about them.
But since you asked, we'll say this: Musicians are busy people and need help with organization. They also need to communicate, amuse themselves in the back of the tour bus, tweet and, let's face it, look at porn. Not to mention the fact that there are a whole bunch of apps out there for recording, adding effects to your sound and even doing mundane things like tuning.
- What it isIt's an iPad—'nuff said
- What it doesIf you have to ask, it hardly matters
- How much it costs $999.99
- Where to get it www.Apple.com
9 Berklee Online Courses
Give the gift of knowledge.
Who has time to physically go to school anymore? If only there was a way to stare at the computer you were already staring at and actually learn something.
Ask and ye shall receive. Berklee, the first name in music schools—not to mention the first name in music schools that John Mayer dropped out of—has a whole bunch of smarts, and they want to give them to anyone with an internet connection. Choose ear-training, arranging, instrument studies or anything else that rings your chimes. Learning at your own speed while sitting on the couch: what a concept.
- What it isHigher learning from the comfort of your own home
- What it doesMakes you smarter
- How much it costs $1200
- Where to get it www.Berklee.edu
10 Palazzo Luxury RV
Tour buses are for losers.
Everyone who has ever gone on tour with a van and a trailer has spent countless hours driving down the highway imagining what it would it be like to have a real tour bus.
Well, we're here to tell you that a tour bus is no longer the goal. When a musician daydreams about luxury transport to and from the gig, the details will now include the world's most bodacious recreational vehicle, repleat with pop-out bar, skylights, 430 square feet of floor space, a rainfall shower, fireplace and 40-inch TV.
- What it isThe mother of all RVs
- What it doesWhat doesn't it do?
- How much it costs $3 million
- Where to get it www.Marchi-Mobile.com
Sessionville Team are passionate musicians and artists who are all about helping musicians learn, grow and create.
