Today's Top Stories:

  Cell Phone Giants Win Air Space - Sennheiser Responds
Honestly, we still have a hard time coming to grips with how all those millions of cell phone calls travel through space continuously without everything getting totally jammed up. Add in all other other wireless devices and it seems pretty miraculous that anything works at all! But recently, the big cell phone companies bought up all the 700MHz air space. Can they do that? Isn't air space, well, everyone's? Apparently not. So air space was for sale - auctioned off to the higest bidders. Okay, but what about wireless mics that operate in the 700MHz range? For example, the Sennheiser C range? Is it now illegal to run your C range products? Will they no longer work?

The answer to both is no. However, in response to this development, Sennheiser is now making C range special order only. If you have a C range product, and need components, you'll still be able to get them. However, the company is strongly recommending that new systems use either the A range (518-554MHz or TV stations 22-27), or B range (626-662MHz or TV stations 40-45). As for C range, all carriers have announced that they plan to use these ranges to provide wireless Internet on a regional basis, limited to 6MHz blocks. This means that (theoretically, at least) there is still room to operate in. It does not guarantee, however, that a C range product will never run up against painful interference. Still, Sennheiser wireless mics allow tuning to more than 1,500 discrete frequencies. If you run into problems, rest assured that Sweetwater's tech support can walk you through any potential problems painlessly. Further, Sennheiser guarantees that users can get 16 channels working concurrently in each A and B range, so they can do more wireless operations than any other company. So don't lose sleep, but be aware that there may be a few hiccups in the future. Sennheiser and Sweetwater are 100% committed to keeping you up and running today and well into the future! Count on it!

  GearFest '08 Workshops Part II
As part of our continued look at the workshops you'll be able to attend at our upcoming GearFest '08 Pro Audio and Music Expo on May 31st, here's a look at the four workshops that will take place at 11:00 AM:

Microphone Tips & Techniques for Acoustic and Electric Guitar. Presented by Chet Chambers in the Sweetwater Performance Theatre: Sweetwater Productions' Studio Manager offers up real-world, expert advice on miking up all manner of guitars. Naturally, there will be plenty of audio and video examples that should help you achieve the best possible sound from any guitar in your studio.

Pro Tools 101. Presented by Digidesign's Rob McCaughey in the Sweetwater Conference Hall. Whether you own a Mac or PC, here's the perfect introduction to music production with a Pro Tools system. You'll experience first-hand how Pro Tools has revolutionized modern digital audio music production and how you can put its power to use in your studio!

The Art and Business of Songwriting with BMI. Presented by Mark Cawley, Kye Fleming, and Shelby Kennedy in the Sweetwater Academy of Music. Multiple award-winning songwriters, publishers, and managers will explain the nuts and bolts of copyrights, royalties, publishing, and more. This is critical if your music is no longer just an art, but a business, as well!

Using Acoustic Tools: The Art and Science of Treating Your Room. Presented by Gavin Haverstick in The Upper Room. No room is acoustically perfect unless it was designed specifically from the start to be used as an audio recording/listening environment. Find out how you can make significant improvements in any size or shape room through the judicious use of acoustic treatments.

Check out the complete Workshop Schedule online.

  Guitar of the Day
There are lots of materials that have been used over the years to construct acoustic and electric guitars and basses. The standard combination of a Sitka spruce top with a rosewood back and sides has been time-tested - it's a formula that guitar builders have utilized for decades. But today, in 2008, supplies of spruce and rosewood aren't nearly what they were in the mid-20th century. Forward-looking luthiers are beginning to realize that there will need to be other options available in the future; options that both look and sound good. Probably no other builder has explored alternate tonewoods more than Taylor, and it doesn't seem like that's going to change any time soon, particularly when you look at the company's new 426ce LTD. For starters, this acoustic guitar looks simply stunning! It's constructed of Tasmanian Blackwood, front, back, and sides. Not often seen in musical instruments, this timber is both beautiful and easy to work with. What's more, the supply of this lustrous wood is assured because of strictly controlled harvesting. Leave it to the innovators at Taylor to find a tonewood that is both beautiful, and guaranteed to be available for many decades to come.

The Taylor 426ce features the company's newest GS ("Grand Symphony") body style, with a nicely sculpted cutaway for easier access to the upper frets. Enhancing the dramatic color of the Blackwood grain pattern is a sparkling, multi-hued abalone rosette, along with cream binding and genuine mother-of-pearl "diamond" fingerboard inlays, all of which come together to produce an instrument with just the right balance of modern design and classic good looks. The GS is also a nicely balanced guitar when it comes to tone, with a rich piano-like bass, smooth midrange, and just the right amount of high-frequency shimmer! Designed to complement the acoustic tone, the 426ce LTD's Expression System uses patented Dynamic Sensors to capture both string and top vibration, resulting in an extraordinary amplified sound. Created in partnership with renowned audio pioneer Rupert Neve, the Taylor ES system is actually integrated into the guitar's design, rather than added as an afterthought. There are two of these masterpieces in stock right now, so go to our Guitar Gallery and select your favorite. Like almost everything we sell, the Taylor 426ce LTD includes absolutely free shipping via FedEx direct to your door!