The Best Holiday Gift for Guitar Players

I think it is probably safe to say that when it comes to gifts, we guitar players are amongst the hardest of people for which to find a great gift.  Our wants and “needs” are always very specific, and unless you are also a player, all of the options can be very confusing and overwhelming.  When you couple that with the high cost of our guitar addiction, you will most likely feel the urge shift your gift search one of our other interests.  I know you really want to get your guitarist something special, so I am going to do my best to steer you in the right direction.  

Normally I would save my own product placement for the end of the article, but I wanted to organize this list from lowest cost to highest cost.  If you are already well versed in the Dragon’s Heart Guitar Picks products, skip to the next section.  If you are new to my picks, please take some time after reading this article to browse around our store page.  When it comes to great gifts for guitar players that won’t break the bank, you really cannot go wrong here.  Our picks are well known for being the best available, and we have custom personalization options.  Guitarists will always need more picks and we even have a Dragon’s Heart Holiday Gift Pack that ships out gift wrapped (by me) with a personalized To/From tag.  Also, you can use coupon code BESTGIFT10 to get 10% off anything in our store.  

Now on to the other fun stuff.

Plectrums are not the only low priced gift option out there.  On the short list of other good gift ideas in this price range are capos, tuners, and slides.  Even if your intended gift recipient already owns one of these, they are sure to appreciate a back-up.  Plus there are a ton of cool options available like the Quick-Clip Tuner/Capo Combo from Kyser.  This is one nifty little device that does the job of two; a sure fire dual hit.  I do not have a specific recommendation on slides, and if you do a quick web search for “guitar slides”, you will see why.  There are so many options, you are sure to find one that suits your guitarist.

These next two paragraphs cover roughly the same price range but one product definitely stands out, The Zither Guitar Stand.  Definitely on the pricey side as far as guitar stands go but it is the stand that every player wants.  Most stands are functional and get the job done.  This one does that and looks fantastic while doing it.  This is a guitar stand built to master luthier quality and it looks so good that your player will want to make sure it is on display for all the world to see. 

Even if the player you are thinking of this season does not fall into the “effect pedal junkie” category like myself, almost every electric guitar player out there enjoys playing around with a new effect pedal.  There are so many great options here that I could easily write an entire book, but the Zoom G3 Multi-effects Pedal is one that I would recommend for any guitarist.   I have spent countless hours playing through this awesome little device.  It has a ton of different effects, amp/cabinet simulations, and a drum machine built in.  The main selling point for me was that it works as a stand alone headphone amp.  This made it my go to unit for traveling or playing late at night.  It is very versatile, user friendly, and I am still finding new ways to make use of it.

Beyond the Zoom G3 there are many other options in the pedal department.  If you are looking to narrow your search, I recommend delay pedals and harmonizer/pitch-shifter pedals as a safe bet.  These effect types are hours of fun and every single one I have ever tried has either brought something new to the table or been of good solid value.

So this next section may seem a bit precarious and even scary because I am talking about buying an actual guitar.  Specifically though, I am talking about back up guitars or unique guitars.  For this arena, I recommend Rondo Music.  I have bought several guitars from this site over the years and always been satisfied.  Also, many of my students have purchased guitars from them.  They have a lot of variations similar to popular models at much more affordable prices, and they make great back up instruments (or even primary instruments).  I personally never go to a gig with out at least one back up guitar (usually two).  Plus they have some other unique options like fretless guitars and multi-scale guitars.  I personally own one of their fretless guitars and have enjoyed it thoroughly.  Other than Rondo, there are a ton of of unique guitars out there that make great gifts.  Guitarists love guitars, and often times we over-look the joy of the unique, because we are too focused on our perceived need for “the best”.

Hold on to your hat because now we are jumping into the range of the pricey.  The first of this section is a guaranteed winner.  This is the coolest guitar stool I have ever seen and it is simply called, The Guitar Stool.  I am not going to go into great detail on this one, just do yourself a favor and check it out.  If this one doesn’t quite fit bill there are many other guitar themed seating options out there that are sure fit both your player, and your budget.

Only two categories left and now we are finally into the range of the super special gifts.  First we are going to talk about amplifiers.  This category can be very specific to the player with respect to style and preference, but there are some options that all can appreciate.  The number one on my list is the Brown Amplification Haymaker.  This is a hand built, professional grade amplifier that brings much more the game than meets the eye.  One of my friends just got one of these and he simply will not shut up about it.  We occasionally play shows together so I have seen the Haymaker in action and it is awesome.  I will let you follow the link for more details. 

As I said before, amps can be specific.  That being said, there are still gift options out there that all players can appreciate.  Another good bet is simply a small old tube amp.  A “few” years ago my grandmother gave me a 5 watt National Valco tube amp from the 1940’s and it is one of my most prized possessions.  It sounds fantastic and I use it quite often.  There are a lot of these vintage tube amps out there and they are sure to be a cherished gift if you are willing to do a little hunting.

While I would like to say that Dragon’s Heart Guitar Picks are the best gift you could get for any guitar player out there, the truth of the matter is that the best gift is probably one of the dream guitars for which your special player is yearning.  Every player out there, myself included, always has at least one or two guitars for which we are simply pining.  While there is no way for me to tell you which guitar your special someone wants the most, I can advise you how to find out.  It is as easy as asking them about guitars in general.  Striking up a conversation on this subject will ultimately lead to a detailed explanation on why their ideal guitar is “the best standard” by which all instruments should be measured.  You should be prepared for a full blown lecture, but if the conversation stalls, just ask simple questions like “What makes one guitar better from another?” or “Why are they so expensive?”.  Even with out specific leading questions, odds are very good that the player you are talking to will give you all the information you need.  And then some.

If you still are unable to ascertain which guitar to get for that special guitar player in your life, and you are dead set getting them only the best, I do have a couple of recommendations.  On the acoustic side, Taylor Guitars are fantastic.  They have a lot of models to choose from, but you can easily narrow it down even with limited information.  On the electric side, my current favorite is the Music Man John Petrucci Majesty.  I was fortunate enough to have one these in my studio for a little over a week and I have wanted one to call my own ever since.  If anyone is looking for my special gift this year, look no further.  Any color works, I’m not picky;)

I honestly hope this article is helpful to those out there shopping, and at the risk of inundating myself with emails, I do welcome anyone to contact me for guidance/advice on this subject.  I can always be reached at corey@dragonsheartguitarpicks.com.  If you have stuck around to the end of this article, here is your reward.  Use coupon code 202016 for 20% off your purchase in our main online store.  That is our top discount for this season and it is good until the end of 2016.  I want to thank you for reading and, as always…

Play with fire…

In your heart!

Corey W.

Travel and Guitars

I suppose this is one way to pack your guitar for the trip but I don't recommend this one.

Unless you are a world famous rock star with a team of roadies and a private jet, you have had to suffer through the daunting, and occasionally in-dignifying, task of managing you gear during travel.  There are many options out there to address this and I will touch on a few but, let's face it, this is an ugly beast no matter how you slice it.  Most of the time I'm traveling, I have at least one guitar in tow.  Now a days, I tend to stick to ground for my traveling needs; but I have flown dozens and dozens of times over the past 15 years or so and if I didn't bring a guitar with me for my stay, I usually brought one back from where ever I went.

The photo below pretty much sums up how I feel during most of my air travel experiences.  Any of us who have traveled by plane have had to deal with high fares, added fees, strict security protocols, tight seating, delayed flights, cancelled flights, long lay-overs, or lay overs too short to make your next flight.  This list could go on and on.  I don't believe I have ever had a flying experience that didn't include multiple difficulties.  I would have to say that the worst thing by far is lost luggage, and I have had to deal with this more than once.  I did a lot of commercial flying during my time in the Marine Corps, for both my leave time and while traveling under orders.  It was during my first leave period right after boot camp that I had to deal with my first lost bag.  They did eventually find it and even deliver it to me... the day before I had to fly back.  I had to buy buy cloths so I had something clean to wear for my 10 day stay back home.  Epic fail.  

Imagine you work for the airlines or even just at the airport and you had to deal with this face 1000 times per day.  James T. Kirk doesn't believe in a no win scenario but perhaps he would if he were flying commercially instead of on the Enterprise.

As the years went on, I got a little wiser to the little things that you can do to make air travel go a little smoother.  The best advice I can give is this, be kind and courteous to the staff of airlines, TSA, and the airport in general.  They have to deal with frustrated and irritated people all day, every day; and a friendly face can sometimes go a long way.  You catch more flies with honey as they say.  

This philosophy has served me well over the years, even to the point that I can usually get the flight attendants to make room in there personal storage closet for my guitar.  This hasn't always worked out though, there was one occasion where one of the baggage handlers came up to the passenger compartment and snatched my guitar case right from my hands and stormed off without the least bit of explanation.  This happened while the flight attendant was making room for my newly acquired vintage acoustic guitar in their personal closet at the back of the plane.  

Seconds after it was snatched away, she had finished making room and turned around to see me with flabbergasted look and no guitar.  It was the most terrifying flight of my life.  I had no claim ticket for my guitar and in the best case scenario it was in the unpressurized belly of the plane (hopefully the same one I was on).  

I do understand that airline personnel are often under pressure to ensure the flight leaves on time but this was a real nightmare for me and the plane was still boarding when it happened.  The baggage handler in question actually pushed people out of the way to get off the plane with my guitar.  My instrument did arrive undamaged but the whole experience was truly unpleasant.

Extreme and unusual circumstances aside, the challenge of air travel is higher if you want to bring a guitar along for your trip.  With the ever increasing difficulty of air travel, many innovative guitarists and luthiers have tackled the issue of making guitars more travel friendly.  

Pictured above is a Strobel guitar.  A very interesting design that allows you to quickly and easily disconnect the neck from the body and fit the entire instrument into a medium sized brief case.  I cannot say that I would keep one of these as my primary playing guitar but if I were having to fly several times per month, as some people do, I would definitely look into one of these.  The Strobel might not be your ideal guitar but it definitely caters to the convenience of the busy traveler.

If the Strobel is a bit to minimalist for you and you need to have something that is more full sized, the Voyage-Air is great option to consider.  It takes up a little more space but it is still within the limits of a carry on bag and it's obviously much closer to a conventional guitar playing experience.  These are definitely worth a look, even if it is only to marvel at the masterfully engineered folding neck joint.  

Shout out to Mark Bunce of Fastlane International for reaching out to me and inspiring this article.

Perhaps collapsable travel guitars are not for you and you really need a solution that gets the your classically constructed, "normal person" guitar to your destination with out hassle.  If this the case, then a parcel or courier service might work well for you.  There are things to consider such as shipping time and cost effectiveness but there is definitely an opportunity here to ease some the stress of travel.  I have flown quite a bit, but I have shipped items a whole lot more and I have observed a much lower package loss rate with parcel services than I have a baggage loss rate with airlines.  All that being said, you really have to weigh the time and cost factor.  Overnight or two day shipping can be pricy, but if you are going on an extended stay trip and can wait a few days the cost of shipping can be comparable to the cost of an extra bag on a flight.

Enough about the air travel nightmare, I'm sticking to the ground whenever possible these days.  For me a hardshell case and a little trunk space is the best solution, but I don't mind driving on long trips.  I like to take my time and enjoy the trip itself; life's a journey, not a destination.  That being said I will touch on one more mode of travel. Travel by foot.  There was certainly a time in my life when I enjoyed hiking and camping, but after 13 years of active service in the Marine Corps, I tend to prefer, and respect the creature comforts these days.  

Perhaps one day I will eventually come back around to idea of hiking and camping for recreation and, when I do, the Alpaca travel guitar will most likely be a front runner for instrument choice.  This has to be one of the most well thought out guitar concepts I have seen in quite some time, outside the box thinking would be an understatement.  From material selection to design, the Alpaca has really broken new ground developing an ideal travel instrument.  It may appear odd at first glance, but I have taken a good hard look at this and everything about this product was designed deliberately with functionality and practicality of purpose in mind.  The Alpaca is a design that holds true to my own principles of innovation and, even though it isn't for everybody, I hold it with the highest respect as an innovative concept.

If you have stuck with me this far through my first "non-guitar pick centric" article, I thank you.  I suppose I have to promote my own products somehow so use coupon code TRAVEL10 to get 10% off if you decide to order a Dragon's Heart Guitar Pick.  Also, if you have a questions or comments please get in touch with me.  Your idea could be featured.  That's all for now, and until next time...

Play with fire...

In your heart

Corey W. 

The Best Guitar Pick for Bass

That title should end with a question mark.  Mostly because I am the one writing this and, though I play bass a little, I am by no means an expert on the bass guitar.  What makes this even more awkward is the fact that on the rare occasion I play a real bass, I use my fingers.  That goes back to my early days of playing music and the instructor that taught me how to play the bass was quite passionate about not using picks.  That story is for another time.

So you might be wondering how I could even fathom writing an article that will essentially state that the Dragon's Heart is the best pick for the bass.  Well it basically boils down to this; the bass player for the band I am currently playing with uses the Dragon's Heart.  He actually was using them before we even met and I think that might have helped me get the gig with them.  Also, bass players from some other bands around the country have contacted me stating how much they love the Dragon's Heart for bass.

It is still a little difficult writing this article.  I feel some tightness in my chest due to the panic that follows the mere suggestion that a pick could be great for playing bass.  But based on the feedback that I received from so many bass players, I can't help but believe that there is definitely something to this.  Also, I have to admit that, against everything I was taught, the Dragon's Heart Guitar Pick does work very well on the bass guitar.  

One of the first bass players that ever contacted me was Boris Sin of Darkness Within.  When Boris originally contacted me and we started talking I assumed he was a electric six string player. I was quite surprised when I realized that he was talking about how much he loved the Dragon's Heart for playing bass.  To this day Boris is still an enthusiastic advocate of the Dragon's Heart and we still converse on occasion.  Like I said, Boris is the bass player for Darkness Within.  They are a Nu Metal band out of North Carolina.  You can check them out on FaceBook here.  They really go all out with costumes and the show.  They really have a shock rock/horror style but don't be put off by that.  Boris is one of the nicest people I have ever met and I am really glad to have a real working musician like him on my side.  

Boris Sin behind his Ibanez Bass and Original Dragon's Heart Guitar Pick

So is the Dragon's Heart the best pick for bass?  I have to say that, based on what I have been told by bass players, it most certainly is.  I'm still partial to finger playing but I think, with therapy, I will be able to work through that issue.  The case has been made to me and I'm convinced that, if you are going to play bass with a pick, you can do no better than the Dragon's Heart.  

Until next time...

Play with fire...

In your heart.

Corey W. 

The Best Guitar Pick. Period. Oh wait... we already have a period. Do we have to say period? OMG am I writing right now?

That might be the longest article title ever.  As it so happens, it might be both the least and best fit title for this article at the same time.  Let's get the short story out of the way.  How is this the best fit title?  The best guitar pick is the Dragon's Heart Guitar Pick.  If you don't believe me then just snoop around on YouTube and the rest of the internet.  Enough has been said on this matter.  

The Best Guitar Pick Period.

So if this article isn't about how Dragon's Heart Guitar Picks are the best, then what is it about?  All of my articles have really been centered around this topic, and I suppose that was the right way to go at the time.  I suppose it was necessary to do that to get us out there into the market, but now we are there.  So what's next?  Well if you hold on for just a few more sentences I'll tell you.  Geez you're pushy!!!  

I'm changing the format for everything we are doing to reach out to our audience.  I'm changing my YouTube videos (yeah I know I haven't done one in a while, but that is going to change), I'm changing our newsletter, and I am changing these blog articles.  I'm also changing the way we are posting on our social channels.

Im tired of pushing the Dragon's Heart Guitar Pick; and, if you are following any of our channels, I have become certain that you are tired of hearing me push them.  Yes, they are great, but if you follow us you probably already know that.  Yes, I love them, but let's be honest; hearing that from me over and over gets old quick.  Besides, I'm not just all about guitar picks.  Shocking!!! I know.

Most people know us as Dragon's Heart Guitar Picks, but in reality we are C. Whitney Guitars.  BOOM!!! I said it.  Our branding just turned into every companies worst nightmare.  We are C. Whitney Guitars and we are not just about guitar picks. The Dragon's Heart just happened to be our first great product.  We have many more just waiting to be proofed and produced.  The next of which I started developing due to popular demand.  The details of this are for another time but for now I will at least tell you that I'm calling it the Dragon's Scale Guitar Pick.  

I know I said we are not just about guitar picks and then mentioned a new guitar pick as our latest project under development.  I have to subordinate to the demand, at least to some degree.  That is the real point of this article though.  We have the guitar pick thing down and we are going to keep running with it.  Please keep the input, questions, and challenges coming.  I love all of that stuff, but also keep in mind, I have a lot more to offer.

I have to keep most details of my projects very secret.  I have already leaked some photos and minor details about some of the upcoming projects.  I can't resist sharing what I can with the world, but I am under strict orders not to share the game changing details until we release the finalized product.  I say "strict orders", but I'm the boss so I guess I can do as I please.  However, just like all the other marketing stuff we have done in the past, I have to defer to the judgement of those who know better about certain things. 

Our Dragons wing Headstock prototype with decal logo.  

We will not be using stickers when it goes to production.

Beyond our products, C. Whitney Guitars is about innovation.  Finally, we are getting to the meat and potatoes of this article.  I have decided to take our core concept and apply it to our social channels and loyal audience.  We are about innovation, and I am going to bring that to you, even if we are not the ones doing it.  I can't invent a new product every week; but I see, meet, and know a lot of people who are doing such things and I get to see new things and ideas all the time.  So from now on I'm sharing those with you.

In addition to sharing these interesting new things, I am going to make it a point to start answering questions.  Oh man, do I get a lot of questions.  Mostly on guitar pick stuff, but among my personal social circle, my knowledge is often sought after for everything from music and recording, to gear and science.  I often get asked the same questions over and over, so I'm going to share my answers to popular questions with everyone through this blog, YouTube, and our social channels.  I know I might regret this at some point but... ask away.  I'll tackle anything.  

So I am sharing innovation, knowledge, and ...  

Our biggest promotion ever.

Promotions.  This is a must.  We are a business after all, and I have to feed my family, so I am going to run a product promotion with all of my articles, videos, and newsletters.  I have to sell to survive and we are always thankful for your support.  I have always made an effort put out some good discounts, promotional giveaways, and support contests to give back to the awesome community that supports us.  I fully intend to continue this effort, expand upon it, and make it more interesting; but please keep in mind that your support is the main thing that keeps this going.

So I guess the closing summary is this:  From here on out I am going to answer your questions, show you innovation, and offer you the best deal that I can on my own products.  I definitely won't flood your inbox everyday.  Maybe a couple of times a month you'll see us show up and I can bring something exciting into your life.  Maybe I can show you something new.  Maybe... if I am really lucky...  I can inspire someone else to see what I see and be excited about new things.  At a minimum, I hope you will all...  

Play With Fire...

In Your Heart.

Corey W.