The Deal: Sweetwater is giving away a Randall Kirk Hammett Limited Edition Half Stack Guitar Amplifier, worth $9,999!

This gorgeous 100-watt tube amp head comes with a matching 4 x 12″ cabinet, both finished in stunning tiger maple. Three KH modules let you summon everything from epic crunch to haunting clean rhythm tones from this puppy - plus virtually anything vicious you can imagine in between.

Entry Deadline: August 31, 2008
Get It: Click Here to Enter

The Deal: If you like to stay at the cutting edge of musical instrument gear, you’ve noticed the influx of boutique guitar pick manufacturers over the past few years. One craftsman I’ve heard a lot of great things about is Vinni Smith of V-Picks.

When I went to the ol’ mailbox today, I saw that the mailman had left a gift from Vinni, a sample of his new V-Picks Diamond Picks. I’m going to put them through my usual battery of tests, but I did spent about 10 minutes playing with this little guy and was quite impressed.

Here’s what Vinni has to say about the V-Picks:

It is finally here, and it is very cool. I am excited to announce we have released the V-Pick Diamond. I love this pick. I have a lot of them out for reviews and every one got thumbs up on all points. Every guitar player absolutely loved them!

This is a laser cut, hand ground and buffed guitar pick. Made by moi.

The same size as the V-Pick Medium, but thicker. 3.75mm This is thicker than a regular V-Pick, but half as thick as a Big Fattie. It is not rounded but not pointed either. Somewhere in the middle. Great for lead and rhythm. Lots of pinch harmonies and fast, fast, fast! It really is an all around, go-to pick. I am really knocked out by this guitar pick. Stunning to see and feel.

If you can’t wait for a full review, V-Picks Diamond Picks are now available at the V-Pick website.

Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

The Deal: Fender is giving away a Stratocaster guitar, decked out in custom artwork from the film The Rocker.

Entry Deadline: September 3, 2008
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The Deal: With certain Fender guitar amps (looks like Hot Rod Series and Blues Series reissues), Musicians Friend is throwing in a free Fender PT100 Pedal Tuner (MSRP $84.99).

This is a great guitar tuner, so if you’ve been thinking about grabbing that new Fender tube amp, this may be a pretty good time to do it!

Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal | Fender PT100 Pedal Tuner

The Deal: Guitar Player magazine and Planet Waves have joined forces to giveaway five Planet Waves Pat Metheny Signature Guitar Straps.

You can enter this giveaway once per day, so head over to the Guitar Player site often.

Entry Deadline: September 30, 2008
Get It: Click Here to Enter

These are currently the top 10 best-selling hollowbody and semi-hollowbody electric guitars at Musicians Friend.

1. Gibson Custom Alex Lifeson ES-355 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar
2. Gretsch Guitars G5120 Electromatic Hollowbody Electric Guitar
3. Gibson Custom ES-339 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar with 30/60 Neck
4. Gibson Custom ES-137 Classic Electric Guitar
5. Gibson Custom Inspired By Dave Grohl DG-335 Electric Guitar
6. Rickenbacker 330 Hollowbody Electric Guitar
7. Epiphone Dot Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar
8. Epiphone Tom DeLonge Signature ES-333 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar
9. Gretsch Guitars G5122 Double Cutaway Electromatic Hollowbody Electric Guitar
10. Epiphone Dot Studio Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar

Check out other Best Sellers.
Search for Hollowbody Electric Guitars on eBay.

The Deal: It is an unwritten rule that every guitar collection must contain at least one 12-string acoustic guitar. You might only pull it out once a month, but when you do…you know there’s nothing you can do with a 6-string to produce that full sound.

If you’ve been watching for a good deal on a quality 12-string guitar that won’t break the bank, this might be the one. Musicians Friend has cut $300 off the normal sale price on the Takamine EGC531SSC12 12-String Acoustic-Electric Dreadnought Guitar. Check it out!

MSRP: $999.00
Regular Price: $700.00
Current Price: $399.99
Savings: $599.01(59%)
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

The Deal: In celebration of Emmylou Harris’ new album All I Intended to Be, Epiphone and Nonesuch Records are teaming up to give you an opportunity to win a beautiful Epiphone EJ-200 acoustic guitar and a copy of her new CD.

Entry Deadline: July 31, 2008
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The Deal: Wow. That’s about all I can say. I found this while browsing eBay this morning. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Fender amp quite like this. I’ll let the guys at Vintage Gear Hollywood, who is offering the amp, explain:

For your consideration is this 1949 Fender Pro “Woody” Amp which is undeniably–hands down–without a doubt– the rarest Fender amplifier we have EVER SEEN!!! Now, we have owned and seen more Fender amps than most since we have been doing this for almost 40 years and have remained in Southern California for the entirety of our careers… and it is with this experience and our widely respected expertise that we can say with 100% confidence that this is the rarest Fender amp in existence. This is a unique, 1 of a kind, custom-made, Fender Woody in PERFECT 100% ALL ORIGINAL CONDITION!

We purchased this amplifier from the family of the original owner last week! The original owner and his wife drove from Palm Springs, CA and purchased it directly from Leo Fender in 1950. Upon returning home with the amp, his wife hand-sewed the black velvet cover that it still has to this day. He used the amp only a number of times with his country-swing band. It was explained that he used it to amplify his Martin D-18 which was fitted for a pickup. He quickly replaced this 1950 Fender Pro with an unknown higher-powered amp. It was at this time that he literally put the amp in the closet, where it remained for almost 50 years! We purchased it directly from the widow and she claims to still have the receipt for the amp, although she was not able to find it before we picked it up

Auction Ends: July 20, 2008 5:00 PM PDT
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

The Deal: Gibson USA and Joan Jett have announced the launch of the Joan Jett Signature Melody Maker guitar, designed and produced in close cooperation with the rock legend herself. The model pays tribute to the iconic Melody Maker Jett played on hits like “I Love Rock N’ Roll,” and “Do You Wanna Touch Me” and, true to her trailblazer status, marks the first Gibson electric signature model designed in conjunction with a female artist.

To celebrate, Gibson is giving away an autographed Gibson USA Joan Jett Signature Melody Maker Electric Guitar and one of ten copies of her latest CD, Sinner.
Entry Deadline: July 31, 2008
Get It: Click Here to Enter

The Deal: When you purchase a Fender American Standard Stratocaster Electric Guitar from Musicians Friend, you’ll receive a free copy of Hal Leonard’s The Stratocaster Chronicles book with CD. I own this book and have read it cover to cover (more than once), so if you’ve been thinking about grabbing a new Fender American Standard Stratocaster, now is a good time.
Free Product Value: $50.00
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

The Deal: Musicians Friend is running a killer deal right now on the Hughes and Kettner Warp Factor Nu-Metal Distortion Pedal. This bad boy is $60 cheaper that their regular sale price and $100 off of MSRP.
MSRP: $150.00
Regular Price: $109.00
Current Price: $49.99
Savings: $100.01(66%)
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

I spend much of my not-so-free time working for BurstMarketing, a Denver marketing agency specializing in podcast production.

Earlier this month, I attended BookExpo America, the country’s largest trade-show for the publishing industry (it’s no NAMM, but pretty cool). Over the course of the weekend, we recorded about 75 interviews with authors about their new books.

One such author was Marc Canter, a childhood friend of Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash. Canter was that guy who has been hanging out with the band since their earliest days, saving ticket stubs, recording shows, and taking photos in situations no one else would have access to. Canter brought Slash to BEA with him to sign and promote his book Reckless Road: Guns N’ Roses and the Making of Appetite for Destruction.

After the signing, Canter and Slash stopped in our booth (The Authors Studio) and spent 10 minutes talking to us about the early days of GnR. It’s a pretty cool interview. The interviewer (not me…that is me setting up Slash’s mic in the photo) even tried to bait Slash a bit with an Axl Rose question, but Slash was very PC in his answer.

In case you’re wondering, Slash was super-cool. The show was closing for the day and he totally did not need to stay and talk to his. He was very nice and gracious, and was even cool to a lady who ambushed him with a free squirt gun she thought he had to have.

So…listen in! If you’re into books, we interviewed some other very interesting authors, as well, including Kevin Nealon, Chris Regan, Dennis Lehane, and Joshua Leeds, who wrote an interesting book about the effect of music on dogs.

Here’s some more info on the book:
Reckless Road is the definitive book documenting the beginning of the legendary band Guns N’ Roses and the creation of their groundbreaking rock album, Appetite for Destruction. With nearly one thousand never-before-seen photographs and over dozens of interviews, Reckless Road chronicles Guns N’ Roses’ rise to stardom by the original band members and the people who were closest to them. Authentic gig memorabilia including show flyers, ticket stubs, set lists, press clippings, and hand-written song lyrics round out this unique collection.

Check it out at Amazon.com

Listen to the podcast:

The Deal: Guitarist John 5, who has worked with such acts as Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson will embark on a week-long tour of Guitar Center stores in early June.

Sponsored by Fender, GHS Strings, and Hal Leonard, these clinics will be absolutely FREE. He’ll be performing songs from his instrumental albums, as well as two songs from his upcoming release Requiem. John will be answering questions, signing autographs and posing for photos. John 5 merchandise will be available at each location.

He’ll be at the following Guitar Center locations:

• Guitar Center Phoenix, AZ - June 2 @ 6:00 PM
• Guitar Center La Mesa, CA - June 3 @ 6:00 PM
• Guitar Center Las Vegas - June 4 @ 6:00 PM
• Guitar Center Hollywood - June 5 @ 6:00 PM
• Guitar Center San Francisco - June 9 @ 6:00 PM

Get It: Click Here For More Information

The Deal: Musicians Friend has a bunch of refurbished Dunlop Original Crybaby Wah Pedals that they’re selling for $20 less than the regular Crybaby price - 68% off MSRP!
MSRP: $159.30
Regular Price: $69.99
Current Price: $49.99
Savings: $109.31(68%)
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal