At Austin Bazaar, we want to highlight some of the awesome PreSonus products that we carry. First is the PreSonus TubePre. Their number one priority was creating rich sound without sacrificing affordability. The result is an affordable and portable tube preamplifier that is great for a home recording studio. It will add an extra layer of warmth to your sound, allow you to run into DAW from the balance output, and from the unbalanced output, go into your guitar amp for warmth and use as a DI (direct injection). Curious to hear more about the TubePre? Check out this video we shot that includes lots of information and a demo of the TubePre in action!
South By Southwest takes Austin by storm every year, clogging the streets with eager out-of-towners and locals alike as the music, film, and interactive portions of the event draw a worldwide audience to our corner of Texas for a few weeks. This year Austin Bazaar and ESP Guitars hosted a booth during the SXSW showcases at the Musician’s Institute Annex at 6th and Red River. MI Annex had a diverse schedule of showcases that week, and we were there from March 15 to 17 giving out free Austin Bazaar swag, showing off some ESP guitars, and enjoying the chaos. For those of you who missed it, we put together a video recap from that Friday during the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival Showcase and Sound Check Hollywood Showcase. Includes footage of some (but not all) the bands who played that day: Holy Grail and Lionheart (both from California), iwrestledabearonce (AL), The Color Morale (IL), Make Me Famous (Ukraine), and mychildren mybride (AL) aka MCMB. Other bands who played that day included Cancer Bats, Volumes, Molotov Solution, Gideon, Betrayal, To Each His Own, To Speak of Wolves, Surrounded by Monsters, We Came as Romans, Emmure, For Today, Blessthefall, and Stick to Your Guns. Here are some photos from that day:
At Austin Bazaar, certain items pique our interest from time to time. The DigiTech iStomp happens to be one of those items. DigiTech and Apple, Inc. have come together to create a unique pedal that they say “changes everything.” Just from looking at the iStomp, you might wonder what makes it so special. You step on the footswitch to turn it on and off, just like any other pedal. There are adjustable knobs, again, just like any other pedal. But the iStomp turns a corner and changes into a revolutionary product because you can turn it into different pedals. Instead of dragging around 20+ pedals, the iStomp is 20+ pedals in one package. Simply download the DigiTech Stomp Shop app onto your iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad and you’re ready to go. Other features included in the iStomp are the ability to test a pedal for up to five minutes on your iStomp before you buy; the Stomp Shop saves a record of every pedal you purchase so you can reload your iStomp at any time; and the ability to color code your pedal from nine color choices. We’re one month into our Taylor Guitars series, and so far so good! In case you need a quick recap of the past few weeks, we started with an introduction to the Taylor Guitars brand, then learned about their Build-to-Order program. The next videos focused on specific models, starting with the Koa K24ce and then the 814ce. Today we’re shining the spotlight on the Taylor 614ce guitar. This acoustic-electric model is popular due to the bright tone produced by the combination of Bigleaf Maple and Sitka wood. Color options, such as the bright blue stain on the model shown in this video, is one way to customize this guitar.
Mar 19
MOCAH (Museum of Cultural Arts Houston) Partners with Austin Bazaar to Give Instruments New Life
Austin Bazaar donates instruments to several different local organizations. One group that has gone above and beyond to give those instruments new life is MOCAH (Museum of Cultural Arts Houston), a nonprofit arts organization co-founded in 1999 by artists Reginald and Rhonda Adams. Their website states:
We originally began donating to MOCAH on the suggestion of an Austin Bazaar employee because we thought they might be able to use broken instrument parts for art pieces. After assessing their first few loads of donations, MOCAH realized that a lot of the instruments were in repairable condition. Although the majority of work MOCAH does is within the realm of visual arts, they shifted their focus and found different ways to integrate these musical instruments into their work. Last week we had the opportunity to sit down with Rhonda Adams and talk about some of the many inspiring and creative ways that our donations have been utilized by MOCAH and other Texas nonprofits: Now we’re in the video groove! A few weeks ago, we were introduced to Taylor Guitars and their Build-to-Order program. Then we learned more about a gorgeous model from Taylor, the Koa K24ce. In this video, JR explains the Taylor Guitars naming conventions using the popular 814ce model as an example. The 814ce is an acoustic-electric model that traces back to owner Bob Taylor’s first rosewood guitars. JR breaks down how to identify a variety of characteristics, such as the number of strings and the body shape, simply by reading the model number.
Austin Bazaar is excited to offer Schecter Guitar Research electric guitars and basses. One of their most popular series is the incredible collection of Synyster Gates Artist Series models. Known as his stage name Synyster Gates, Avenged Sevenfold lead guitarist Brian Elwin Haner, Jr. is one of the most celebrated and influential metal guitarists out there. He was even voted Best Metal Guitarist in Guitar World, beating out some major players like Stephen Carpenter, Gus G, and Zakk Wylde. Schecter Guitar Research has been by the side of Synyster throughout Avenged Sevenfold’s decade-plus onslaught on the metal community. Synyster Gates guitars set the standard for heavy shredding models and are designed to look just like Syn’s signature onstage guitar. New to the family of Synyster Gates Signature Guitars is the Synyster Gates Custom-S. This model has all of the Syn Custom upgrade features, including pinstripe graphics, Floyd Rose Original 1000 Locking tremolo, and a Custom Seymour Duncan Invader humbucker in the bridge. Additionally, this Custom-S is loaded with Syn’s self-dubbed ‘secret weapon’ Sustainiac System. Two mini toggles are added to control the Stealth Pro’s On/Off as well as the Harmonic Mode. This has been a project several years in the making, and is only available in limited quantities. To see all of our Synyster Gates Models, click here. You can also browse our entire collection of Schecter guitars and basses here. Above photo by Scott Uchida.
Check out more Synyster Gates guitar models below. (more…)
Founded by Tish Ciravolo in 2000, Daisy Rock was motivated by Ciravolo’s desire to “level the playing field” for female musicians of all ages. Learning the guitar at a young age, she often felt discouraged as the instruments were often too big and bulky for the female form. As the mother of two daughters, Ciravolo wants not only her daughters but every girl in the world to feel comfortable and capable should they choose to pursue music. Daisy Rock has quickly become the guitar of choice by professional artists across the musical spectrum. Daisy Rock supporters include Dolly Parton, Lisa Loeb, Avril Lavigne, Joan Jett (The Runaways), Ann and Nancy Wilson (Heart), Louise Post (Veruca Salt), Miley Cyrus, Kathy Valentine and Jane Wiedlin (Go-Go’s), Vicki Peterson (The Bangles), Wanda Jackson, and many more. Yes, Daisy Rock makes plenty of pink guitars and no shortage of sparkles, but don’t get it twisted: these guitars aren’t just for girls. Robert Smith (The Cure), Tim Butler (The Psychedelic Furs), Chris Stein (Blondie), Sylvain Sylvain (The New York Dolls), Adam Levy (Norah Jones) and Paul Leary (Butthole Surfers) all have fun with Daisy Rock Guitars. Austin Bazaar carries several acoustic and electric Daisy Rock guitar models, including the Pixie Acoustic, Wildwood Acoustic, Debutante Junior Miss Short Scale Acoustic, Rock Candy Standard Electric and Rock Candy Custom Special Electric guitars. (more…) Taylor Guitars Video Series recap: Meet Taylor Guitars (Part 1). See examples of Build-to-Order Taylor Guitars (Part 2). The next few videos will go into more detail on specific series. Today we’re spotlighting the Koa Series, in particular the K24ce model. The Koa K24ce is a gorgeous instrument with Hawaiian Koa top, back, and sides. Other key features include a Venetian cutaway Grand Auditorium body and Expression System preamp and pickup. Learn about Koa wood and the talented luthier responsible for the unique Tropical Vine fretboard inlay below.
Children of Bodom’s 15th Anniversary Tour, which included a stop at Emo’s East in Austin this past Tuesday, is about to come to an end after five weeks of tour dates across North America. Before their Austin show, three members of the Finnish heavy metal group (Roope, Henkka and Alexi) visited Austin Bazaar for an in-store signing. They were greeted by a store full of grinning, black-clad fans eager to have their CDs, guitars, and other COB swag signed by the band. The guys may have been pretty low-key while here at AB, but those of us who made it out to their show that night know that they held nothing back on stage! Children of Bodom was accompanied on their tour by Swiss folk-metal band Eluveitie, Boston-based Revocation, and Canadian band Threat Signal. Check out the exclusive video we produced with footage we shot at the signing and the show! Before they left Austin Bazaar, we asked Alexi, Roope and Henkka to sign an Alexi Blacky-600 we had here at the store.
The Alexi Blacky is part of a Signature series of ESP guitars inspired by the one used by COB frontman Alexi “Wildchild” Laiho. We currently carry the Alexi Blacky-200, Alexi Blacky-600 and also the white Scythe version. One of each is hanging up in our brick and mortar storefront. If you’re in the area, feel free to come check them out!
|
