On the fifth day of 88Nine's 12 Days Christmas Gift Guide, we share some unique gifts for that musician in your life. We asked our afternoon drivetime host Ken Sumka and our resident musician Amelinda to curate today's guide.
Check out the gifts below.
HD Musicians Ear Plugs, $18-20
When you’re a musician, ear protection is a must, but you don’t want to turn all sound into a muffled mash. High fidelity hearing protection helps to filter out dangerous sound levels while keeping the distinction between sounds so you can hear your cues and also makes enjoying live music a whole lot better. Your favorite musician will thank you for these EarPeace HD Musicians Ear Plugs useful, and thoughtful gift!
Apogee JAM portable interface, $129
The guitar or bass player on your list will love this portable recording interface. Turning a smart phone or iPad into a mini recording studio allows for ideas to get put down and for more fun on long road trips, boring conference hotel stays or for recording your next hit record in a cabin in the woods. Get it here.
Teenage Engineering Pocket Operators, $49-89
These calculator sized synthesizers pack a surprising wall of sound. Hook them up to speakers and you’ve got a professional sounding synth in your pocket. The Pocket Operators come in a variety of drum machines and melodic synthesizers that you can connect together or play solo. They have an on-board volume as well so you can noodle around with them in bed, on your lunch break, or anywhere you want to make a little noise.
Pick Punch, $20+
Somehow you can always find a guitar pick in the wash, but sometimes they aren’t around when you actually need them. If you’ve got a random jar lid, expired credit card, hotel key, then you can have a pick! Just keep this pick punch in your guitar case.
TronicalTune Robot Guitar Tuning System, $189+
Robot tuners started out with some bugs but they seem to have advanced quite a bit. Save your favorite musician a lot of time and hassle with this gift – users can tune a guitar in seconds with a single strum. If the player uses multiple tunings, they can store them in the system and can swap to the new tuning immediately without stopping the set. Get it here!
Johnny Marr Jaguar Guitar, $1,799
Even if you can't play like him, you can now own his guitar, the Fender Jaguar Johnny Marr signature model. Based on his 1965 Jaguar, this guitar plays like a dream.
Sonor Signature Horst Link HLD590 8x14 Bell Bronze Snare Drum, $5,995+
Got a drummer on your list and deep pockets? Really deep pockets? The Horst Link Bell Bronze snare drum from Sonor is one of the most sought-after collectible drums on the planet and costs more than what you likely paid for your first used car. They aren't produced anymore but can found (in the $4-5K range) at the usual collector spots like Reverb.com and eBay.com
Rolli Seabord Block, $299
Create astonishingly expressive music on a portable, super-powered keyboard. Touch and shape your sound onSeaboard Block's soft, pressure-responsive musical surface. Play a powerful standalone instrument — and extend its power by connecting to other Blocks.
Piano Lessons via Thumbtack, price varies
Do you or someone you know have a piano that's doing a much better job as an art gallery or mail sorting center? Have you aspired to actually playing that piano again? Take lessons, or give the gift of lessons.