Veillette Jazz Archtop
Every musician needs a travel-friendly, road-ready guitar, and the Veillette Jazz Archtop, with its small body and compressed scale length, would make a fine addition to every touring guitarist’s collection. Weighing in at six pounds, the Archtop features a poplar body with a single chamber, a Western red cedar top and a 20-fret neck-three features that when combined make for a reliable guitar for rehearsal or performance. For anyone looking to improve the basic model ($2,800 retail), there are multiple upgrade options, like black chrome hardware for $45 or a $280 airfoil-shaped soundhole. Get ready to hit the asphalt or airspace with your Veillette by your side. veilletteguitars.com
Vox “Duel” Overdrive and VIBRAVOX pedals for the COOLTRON series
Vox is adding to its highly regarded COOLTRON series with two new tube-driven effects pedals, the Duel Overdrive and VIBRAVOX. Vox not only loves using capital letters to name their products, but also enjoys using dual triode 12AU7 preamp tubes to deliver clear, powerful tone-a commodity previously unavailable from battery-powered units. While the Duel provides two independent channels of tube-driven overdrive ideal for any guitar duties, the VIBRAVOX brings the signature Vibrato/Tremolo sound of the original 1958 VOX AC amps to any amplifier almost 50 years later. For around $300 retail, you can feed Vox’s capital-letter frenzy and get your own battery-powered Duel Overdrive or VIBRAVOX. Voxamps.co.uk
Ludwig “The Chief” Titanium Snare Drum
The Ludwig Drum Company has done a lot over the years to recognize their patriarch, William Ludwig II, most noticeably in 2002 with the autobiography The Making of a Drum Company. Latest in the line of Ludwig honors is “The Chief,” a limited edition, professional snare drum featuring titanium shells by Ronn Dunnett. The model L2006 features a thin, light .035″ titanium shell, making it the lightest, thinnest snare shell on the market, as well as ten Imperial lugs, stamped chrome plated hoops and a specially minted drum badge featuring “The Chief” himself. For $1,886 list, you can respect your elders in style. ludwig-drums.com
Sabian Vault Ride
The popularity of Sabian’s Vault crash cymbal has led to the new 20-inch Vault ride. Sayeth product specialist Lorenzo Wright: “The Vault Ride is designed to maximize the cutting potential of the silver in its B20 bronze. To ensure that sound remains focused, clean and clear, the bottom of the cymbal is left unlathed. This raw bottom tightens up the overall response, so the sound created by a stick hitting the top is crisp, clear and projected without the vibration of the cymbal creating too much wash and reducing that clarity.” sabian.com
Mel Bay’s Real Book Jazz Piano DVD
In this instructional DVD, pianist and educator Per Danielsson teaches jazz standards like “All the Things You Are,” “Autumn Leaves” and “Take the ‘A’ Train” with an easy-to-understand approach. Teaching both the melodic and harmonic material, Danielsson plays with a four-piece band and focuses on each song’s unique features to help explain what has made each one an evergreen classic. melbay.com
