Today was to be a glorious day. To reward myself for working hard for the past year I decided to treat myself to a new laptop. This replaces a four-year-old laptop that is sometimes too slow to do basic, everyday tasks.

This morning I headed down to my local Best Buy store on Colorado Blvd. in Denver to pick up my new computer. For about ten minutes, I’m unable to get help. There was one guy in the department and four people waiting to speak with him. After searching for another “blue shirt”, I grab the laptop I want and go up to the Geek Squad counter to try again for some help. I spoke immediately to a “geek” who was very helpful, who answered all of my questions, and who took $1,000 out of my pocket. This was not a great retail experience, but it’s what I expect these days. I left relatively satisfied.

Next, I crossed the street to Guitar Center. I’m heading out on Sunday for a five day business trip, and I’m going to have to do some audio editing on the road (I usually edit on my desktop). Although I was thinking about downloading Audacity (since it’s free) I wanted to check out some SONAR software, since I use a more powerful version on my desktop.

The guy at the front counter greets me a “Chief,” which is annoying, but whatever. I walk into the pro audio department to find one sales guy, who is helping another customer. I’ve worked retail, and you certainly can’t leave a customer to help another, but a simple “someone will be with you in a second” goes a long way.

I stand around for about five minutes. Mind you, I’m standing right in front of the counter, purposefully not looking at any product, so this guy knows I need help once he’s done.

Another sales guy walks in. Sweet…service! Nope. This guy walks right in front of me, and picks up the phone. I think “ok…he’s got a customer on the line.” Wrong again. He’s talking to another Guitar Center employee about some sale that he made or is about to make, and how he’s going to have to split the commission. Meanwhile, another commission check is standing right in front of him, but he will not even make eye contact with me. Not once. I stand there for nearly ten more minutes as this guy (a tall, light haired fellow…just in case his manager is reading this), talks to his buddy on the phone.

I see the software I want, but it’s behind the counter. I decide to break the first rule of retail and walk behind the counter and grab it myself. Again, no acknowledgment from either sales guy. I’m reading the box myself. Finally, the other customer leaves. Yes! Time for some answers! Wrong again…now the other sales guy picks up the phone . WTF!?!?!?!? After another 30 seconds, I not so gently drop the box on the counter in front of the guy and walk out. Finally, he takes the phone away from his ear and yells “dude…do you need some help?” “Not anymore” I say and walk out.

Moral of the story? In this economy, retailers should be begging consumers like me to spend money in their stores. I wasn’t going to drop a grand like I did at Best Buy, but I was ready to spend a few hundred dollars there. Fifteen minutes standing in front of two people who won’t even acknowledge me? Not acceptable.

I have dealt with Guitar Center for a long time. I’ve worked for various gear manufacturers and have even been an account manager for GC. In another job I was on the road, visiting 2-3 Guitar Center stores per day. I will say that I typically liked dealing with GC corporate (I’ve even paid their offices a few visits). Everyone there was very pleasant to work with and was good at their jobs. The retail stores, though, have always been tough to deal with. Try walking in on a Saturday with money sticking out of your pockets…you probably still won’t get spoken to. Add that to the fact that the sales people typically don’t know much about the product anyway, and you’re in for an unpleasant trip.

My message to you, my readers? Think about where you’re spending your money. I know I post Guitar Center deals and coupon codes on this site. If you like dealing with them, great. If you can find great deals in their stores or on their website, fantastic. If not, think about which retailers in your town care about you (or at least make your shopping experiences pleasant).

My advice to Guitar Center? Think about your customers. Think about how you can make a potentially great experience like buying a musical instrument exciting instead of excruciating. Try subscribing to Seth Godin’s blog or reading some of his books. Learn about customer service and apply what you’ve learned to your stores.

Now, I’ll unpack my laptop that has been sitting next to me in a box for the past hour.

I bought an iPhone about a month ago. Needless to say, going from my crappy “text message-only” phone to this palm-sized super computer has been quite a change. I’m doing my best to avoid checking my email every five minutes. Other than a slight obsession with the game “line-up,” my iPhone usage has not yet put a damper on my relationship with my girlfriend!

One free app that I’m really digging is from TED. If you’re not familiar with TED, at their conferences really smart people talk about really interesting things, and the videos from these presentations are free to all of us (probably in the hopes that we all get smarter). So, I now have hundreds of paradigm-shifting videos in the palm of my hand. Pretty awesome!

I’ve recently checked out three videos regarding sound and music that I want to share with you. Hopefully you’ll find them as interesting as I did.

Julian Treasure: The 4 ways sound affects us
Julian Treasure studies sound and advises businesses on how best to use it. Much of his presentation is about sound in general, but I think everything he says relates to making music. In fact, at 3:44, Treasure says music “is the most powerful sound there is.”

Depending on how you want your listener to feel, you can craft the sound of your music in various ways. Do you want them to feel relaxed? Angry? Perhaps even violent? This may seem obvious to anyone who is an active listener of music, but hearing about the science behind this is fascinating.

Evan Grant: Making sound visible through cymatics
Evan Grant works with cymatics, the art of visualizing sound, and is the founder of the arts and technology collective seeper.

In this video, Grant shows some incredibly cool examples of cymatics. In one demonstration, they have covered a metal plate with sand, then bowed the side of the plate with a violin bow, in turn creating complex patterns in the sand through music.

Evelyn Glennie shows how to listen
Finally, a video that is 100% about music. Scottish percussionist and composer Evelyn Glennie lost nearly all of her hearing by age 12. Rather than isolating her, it has given her a unique connection to her music. In this soaring demonstration, deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie illustrates how listening to music involves much more than simply letting sound waves hit your eardrums.

Of course, there have been great examples of virtuosic deaf musicians (Beethoven anyone?), but watching a deaf drummer is really amazing. This is a very long video (over 30 minutes) but if you want to take one lesson away, skip to 6:45. This is one of the best examples of technique vs. feeling the music that I’ve ever seen.

Hopefully you’ve found these videos as interesting as I did. If you want to watch more, they are all free at the TED website or through iTunes (go to the iTunes store and search on “TED”).

These are currently the top 10 best-selling unpowered PA speakers at Musicians Friend.

1. JBL JRX125 Dual 15″ 2-Way Unpowered Speaker Cabinets Pair
2. Kustom KPC215H 2X15 Unpowered PA Cabinet Pair
3. Mackie S410s Precision Passive Subwoofer
4. JBL JRX115 15″ 2-Way Unpowered Speaker Cabinets – Pair
5. Peavey PV 215 Dual 15″ 2-Way Unpowered Speaker Cabinet
6. Yamaha S115V Club Series V Unpowered Speaker Cabinet
7. Kustom KPC15 15″ PA Unpowered Speaker Cabinet Pair
8. Peavey PR 12 Unpowered Loudspeaker
9. JBL SRX725 2-Way Dual 15 Unpowered Speaker Cabinet
10. Yamaha S115V 2-Way 15″ Club Series V Speaker Pair

Check out the Best Selling Musical Instruments Archive.
Search for PA Speakers on eBay.

The Deal: Over on my GearGiveaway365 Facebook page one of my readers turned me on to a great online retailer, The Perfect Guitar (and their companion site, The Perfect Bass).

So, I signed up for their email newsletter and, in the first one, received a very newsworthy coupon code. Now through November 13, 2009, you can take 15% off all guitar or bass guitar strings by using the coupon code below.

Coupon Code: STRINGS1109
Expires: November 13, 2009
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

Things are rolling over on Facebook and Twitter with GearGiveaway365. We’ve just hit 800 Facebook fans and nearly 200 Twitter followers (plus 600 following the @GearPipe feed).

As always, you can get these updates everyday on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GearGiveaway365 or follow us on Twitter, at www.twitter.com/GearGiveaway365. You can also subscribe to our giveaway email alerts to get a weekly email with this summary of links by subscribing here.

In case you’re not checking us out on Twitter or Facebook, here’s our weekly round-up of giveaways:

• Ampeg is proudly celebrating 60 years of delivering professional, road-worthy bass amps by giving away a Micro-VR Bass Head & SVT-210AV Bass Cabinet. If you own an Ampeg, shoot a photo or video for a chance to win this killer setup. Enter Here
• Win a wine red Les Paul Studio electric guitar and pair of tickets to the Les Paul Tribute Concert in Nashville. Ten runners-up will receive two tickets to the Tribute Concert. Enter Here
• Win a free copy of IK Multimedia AmpliTube Fender plug-in by registering for an account at MyLocalMusicNow.com and blogging about any piece of gear. Enter Here
• Win a BOSS DS-1 Distortion pedal autographed by Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro plus $1,000 in additional BOSS gear. Enter Here
• Win a Yamaha NP-30 portable digital piano signed by Sarah McLachlan!You’ll just need to answer three trivia questions, but you don’t need to answer them correctly to enter. Enter Here
• Win an Epiphone Special Model II electric guitar signed by major rock band, Three Days Grace. Enter Here
• Win a $1,300 Sullivan Jam Series Bluegrass Maple Banjo from Banjo Hangout. Enter Here

You can still enter many of the past weeks’ giveaways, so make sure to check out the GearGiveawy365 Archives.

The Deal: If you’ve ever been tempted by buy a big ticket item online for the savings, chances are you’ve been sent back down to earth when you see the shipping costs on larger items (think drum kits and amp stacks).

Good news…Musicians Friend will pick up the shipping tab for the rest of November 2009 on those oversized items. Just use the coupon code below.

Coupon Code: BIGG
Expires: November 30, 2009
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

One more week of GearGiveaway365 on Facebook and Twitter…Seven more chances for you to win free gear.

As always, you can get these updates everyday on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GearGiveaway365 or follow us on Twitter, at www.twitter.com/GearGiveaway365. You can also subscribe to our giveaway email alerts to get a weekly email with this summary of links by subscribing here.

Here are the seven gear giveaways from the last week:

• Acoustic Guitar and Amp Giveaway! Win an Ultrasound Amplifier & Dean Markley Guitar Setup (plus strings and accessories) worth $5,532 from Acoustic Guitar Magazine. Enter Here
• Win An Epiphone Inspired by 1964 Texan, The Complete Tim McGraw CD Catalogue Including
  His Latest Album Southern Voice, Plus McGraw Southern Blend Cologne! Enter Here
• Big guitar giveaway at gear-vault.com. Dean Vendetta Electric Guitar plus MXR & Electro Harmonix pedals, strings, shirts, & more. Enter Here
• Win a trip to the 2010 Rose Bowl (airfare & hotel included!), a tour of the Remo drumheads factory, and a bunch of drumheads. Total value: $3,500! Enter Here
• Nirvana Name that Riff Contest! Enter now for a chance to win a Fender Classic Player Jaguar Special HH. Runners up will receive a Nirvana T-Shirt. Enter Here
• Win an Epiphone El Capitan Acoustic-Electric Bass Guitar from Gibson and Enanitos Verdes! Enter Here
• Guitar Hero 5 / Beastie Boys Reissue Prize Pack. One Grand Prize winner will receive a copy of Guitar Hero 5 (for SONY PlayStation 3), a Signed Copy of the Beastie Boys’ “Ill Communication” Vinyl, a B-Boys T-Shirt, and copies of “Hello Nasty”, “Paul’s Boutique”, “Check Your Head”, and “Ill Communication” all on CD. Enter Here

The Deal: I’ve got two newly released Music123 coupon codes to share with you. Both are good through November 4, 2009. Check ‘em out!

Discount #1: 15% Off Outlet Clothing, Hats, and Footwear at Music123.com
Coupon Code: CLOTHES1
Expires: November 4, 2009
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

Discount #2: 20% off Accessories in Outlet Store at Music123.com
Coupon Code: ACCOUT
Expires: November 4, 2009
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

I am really pumped that in just a week since launching GearGiveaway365 (a musical instrument giveaway posted everyday), we just surpassed 400 fans on the Facebook page!

Just in case you missed it, you can become a fan of our page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GearGiveaway365 or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GearGiveaway365. If you prefer checking back on GearPipe.com, just stop by on Saturdays for a weekly round-up of links.

Here are the seven gear giveaways from the last week:

• Enter to win a Gibson SG electric guitar signed by Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother from FUEL.TV Enter Here
• Enter to win an ESP HEX-7 Seven-String Electric Guitar from Behemoth frontman Nergal! Enter Here
• Win a signed Ibanez Mick Thomson MTM1 Signature Guitar & 10 sets of Seymour Duncan Blackouts pickups, also signed by Mick. Enter Here
• Win a Native Instruments Maschine Groove Production Studio & Audio Kontrol 1 Interface. Total value just under $1,000. Enter Here
• Win a $500 gift certificate from Carvin.com toward any Carvin merchandise of your choice! This includes guitars & bass guitars, amplifiers, pro audio systems, and accessories. Enter Here
• Win a sweet Paul Reed Smith electric guitar, signed by members of Like A Storm! Enter Here
• Win a G&L Comanche electric guitar, a bunch of BBE guitar effects, and a 58″ Panasonic HDTV! Enter Here

The Deal: Guitar Center has released a new coupon code that will slice $50 of any online order of $349 or more. Not bad!

This coupon code is good for just over a week, expiring on November 1, 2009

Coupon Code: ROCKTOBER
Expires: November 1, 2009
Get It: Click Here To Redeem This Coupon Code

The Deal: There are two new Music123 coupon codes that will be active through October 28, 2009, both aimed at guitarists. The first will score you 15% off guitar accessories. The other will get you free shipping on all amplifiers.

Discount #1: 15% off Guitar Accessories at Music123.com
Coupon Code: GUITAR1
Expires: October 28, 2009
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

Discount #2: Free Shipping on all Amps at Music123.com (orders shipped to the Continental U.S. only)
Coupon Code: SHIPAMPS
Expires: October 28, 2009
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

Since I started GearPipe.com nearly two years ago, gear contest and giveaway posts have always been the most popular.

In the world of the Internet, a lot changes in two years. A few other sites have popped up that only post gear giveaways. Manufacturers are launching more and more contests (so many that I could only write about a fraction). And social networking sites have become more and more a part of our everyday lives.

So, I’ve decided to throw a little wrinkle in the way I post giveaways. From now on, I’m going to post one giveaway per day, everyday, on Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. If you want to follow this feed on Twitter or become a fan of this page on Facebook, you’ll see these giveaways each day, without doing any extra work. On MySpace, the giveaways will be my status update each day. Then just click on the links and enter.

If you’re one of the few people who are not on Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace there are still ways you can stay up-to-date. Each Saturday I’ll post a summary of the week’s giveaways here on GearPipe.com. This will include links to all seven contests. Also, I’ve added a Facebook widget to the right sidebar of the site, which contains all of the links.

Here’s how you can connect to this new feature:

• Become a fan of the Musical Instruments Giveaways Facebook page. You can find it here.
• Follow the @GearGiveaway365 feed on Twitter. If you’re already following my @GearPipe feed, I’ll be retweeting the giveaways each day, so you’re good.
• I wasn’t sure if anyone is still on MySpace, but since the MySpace Music pages are still good for bands, I figured I’d post there, too. Just add GearPipe as a friend.
• Finally, if you just want to check out the weekly update on this site, you can either visit every Saturday, or subscribe to the Contests & Giveaways feed via RSS or by email.

To get you pumped about this, I actually started posting these a week ago. So, as promised, here is your weekly summary of links:

• Enter The Great KISS Guitar Giveaway! Win a Paul Stanley signature Washburn guitar autographed by all members of KISS. Enter Here
• Win 1 of 3 Sets of Istanbul Agop Cymbals from Modern Drummer Magazine. You’ll win either a Lenny White, Cindy Blackman, or XIST Cymbal Set. Enter Here
• Pearl Jam Backspacer Guitar Giveaway! Win a custom Gibson Les Paul Jr featuring artwork from Pearl Jam’s new album, Backspacer. Enter Here
• Win a $20,000 Mic Locker from Sweetwater Sound. 24 microphones including mics from Shure, Blue, Earthworks, Sennheiser, beyerdynamic, and more. Enter Here
• Win 2 tickets to the 2009 Atticus Tour, a custom Epiphone guitar, & a fully loaded D’Addario and Planet Waves accessories package including strings, tuners, picks and more! Enter Here
• Win a Buffet Crampon Greenline Bass Clarinet + a $1K Woodwind & Brasswind shopping spree (total value $10,000) Enter Here

I welcome your feedback on this, so please leave a comment if you have any ideas to make this better.

Today is Blog Action Day 2009. If you’re not a blogger, you might not be familiar with this event, but there are nearly 10,000 websites taking part. Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day. Their aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion. This year’s topic is climate change.

Being a musical instruments website, it took a bit of thinking to find a post topic that bridges the two together. Considering, though, that most of the instruments we play are made from wood, there is an absolute tie-in between the environment and the tools we use to make music.

We can all agree that deforestation is a major problem. I think people have done a great job in the past few years of making small changes in their lives to think environmentally, but when you have to balance the desire to be kind to the earth with buying a product you’re very passionate about, the decision is not always cut and dry.

Let’s take guitars. You’ve been saving up for that new Martin or Taylor acoustic guitar. This is your dream guitar. Maybe you remember the way your father’s Martin D28 felt in your hands, the way the body resonated against your chest, even the way the wood smelled. If you’re going to drop $3,000 on a guitar, you want it to be exactly like that. You are probably not willing to compromise quality for anything else. And why should you?

Of course, the same goes for guitar makers. When people expect the best quality product, they don’t want to compromise the materials they’re using to build it.

We musicians are a picky bunch. We love talking about wood, and the different sounds that different types and qualities of wood will create. We also like exotic woods, from the kinds of trees that people chain themselves around to protect.

So, where is the middle ground?

Believe it or not, Greenpeace has launched the Music Wood Campaign, teaming up with some of the top guitar manufactures, including Martin, Taylor, Fender, Guild, Gibson, Walden, and Yamaha. The goal is to increase the supply of woods traditionally used in the building of guitars that come from trees grown in a sustainable fashion.

For an example check out the Martin D Mahogany 09, made entirely from wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (The FSC was founded by Greenpeace and other organizations in the early 1990s, and has become the gold standard of environmental certification in the forestry industry).

So, when you’re shopping for your next dream guitar, think about where the wood has come from. With a bit of research, you can get the best of both worlds. For more info, check out The Music Wood Coalition.

Here’s a great video, produced by Taylor, documenting the Music Wood Coalition’s tour of Madagascar in 2008.

You can also check out my Blog Action Day post at gearpipe.org - Ten Ways to be a More Environmentally Conscious Musician.

The Deal: For those who have not heard of a “Meetup” it’s exactly what it sounds like. A bunch of like-minded people get together to talk about what they’re passionate about. The cool thing is that people are actually meeting in person, not online or over video conference.

If you’re a drummer who lives around Los Angeles, you should check out the LA Drummers meetup at Musician’s Choice Studios (3727 Robertson Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232) at 7:30 PM on October 21.

Why, you may ask? There’s a lot of cool stuff going on. For instance, Brent Barnett, Gibraltar’s drum rack builder to the stars, will be on the scene at this event. Brent has helped design drum racks for Clown (drummer for Slipknot) Jonathan Moffett (drummer for Michael Jackson), Joey Bumpus (drummer for Lady Gaga), Marc Schulman (drummer for Pink), and Tris Imboden (drummer for Chicago).

Also, Ken Fredenberg, Gibraltar Hardware Product Manager, and Jim Stanek, Product Manager for Dixon Drums will be on-hand to discuss their hardware and drum products.

And….Drum roll, please………..you can win free gear! The guys from Gibralter and Dixon will be giving away:

• Dixon Rosewood Snare Drums
• Dixon Demon Series 6-pc drum set
• Gibraltar Stealth VMS System
• Gibraltar Pedals and Ultra Adjust Hi Hat Stand
• Gibraltar Hybrid Mounting Pod with Boom Stand

Get It: For more information or to RSVP, check out the event’s Facebook page or official Meetup page.

The Deal:Our favorite girl guitar company, Daisy Rock, has just lowered prices on over 20 models. Act fast, as supplies are limited. Here are a few of the deals:

• Wildwood Acoustic Short Scale (Purple Daze) - MSRP: $249.00, Current Price: $139.50, Savings: $109.50
• Stardust Elite Rebel Electric Guitar (Sheena Pink) - MSRP: $429.00, Current Price: $199.50, Savings: $229.50
• Stardust Elite Bass Guitar (Violet Burst) - MSRP: $589.00, Current Price: $349.50, Savings: $239.50

Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal.

The Deal: Music123 has just released a new coupon code that will get you free shipping on your order of $29 or more.

This coupon code is good on order shipped to the Continental U.S. only.

Coupon Code: 294SHIP
Expires: October 31, 2009
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

The Deal: Guitar Center has just dropped a new coupon code on us. This coupon code, good today through September 27, 2009, will get you 15% off any single item at their website.

Follow the link below and you can also print off a coupon to get this 15% discount in one of their stores. The fine print says this is good on items priced $3,333 or less. I’m not really sure what the significance of that number is…but who care, right?

Coupon Code: BTB15
Expires: September 27, 2009
Get It: Click Here To Redeem This Coupon Code