Today's Top Stories:

  Meet the SweetGearBag
We've been looking a long time for the perfect gear bag for our own use here at Sweetwater. Eventually, we ended up having a few custom made. Well, they were just so cool, so useful, that we decided to have a whole bunch manufactured, so now you too can own the handsome SweetGearBag, a deluxe professional padded laptop/gear bag, tastefully badged with a Sweetwater logo. Features include:

• Two padded compartments plus special file compartment
• Collapsible second interior compartment
• Padded carry handle
• Removable non-slipping shoulder strap
• Constructed of rugged Gator-Hyde, which looks a lot like leather
• Meets or exceeds regulations set by airlines for "carry-on" items

  Last Chance for "No Payments Until 2007"
If you've been thinking a lot about a specific item you really need for your stage or studio setup, this will be the last week you can order and still get Sweetwater's exclusive "No Payments and No Interests until 2007" offer. Imagine: You can get the gear you want and need today, but don't have to pay for it until over a year from now! How cool is that? However, this offer expires on 12/25/05, so you need to call your Sweetwater Sales Engineer right now to get this killer deal!

  Go Directly to Radial
Radial Engineering has just reingineered its popular JDI Duplex stereo direct box to eliminate buzz and hum caused by ground loops. Its connectivity has been enhanced by including both -10dB RCA connectors and +4dB XLR inputs, making it particularly appealing to AV systems engineers who constantly have to adapt and reconfigure systems "on-the-fly" as equipment and source signals at events are always changing. The JDI Duplex comes equipped with two premium Jensen Audio transformers, for frequency response that's ruler flat from 10Hz - 40kHz with virtually zero phase distortion. The JDI Duplex would be a perfect choice when capturing audio from video sources which have the potential to introduce system noise.

  PM20 Goes Pro
When Parker Guitars introduced their single cutaway PM20, it soon became a best seller. Now the company has introduced an upscale PM-20 Pro version that includes a mahogany arch top body and mahogany set neck with ebony fingerboard, along with two Seymour Duncan pickups (an SH 2n JB in the neck and a TB-4 in the bridge), Sperzel locking tuners, and the patented TonePros bridge system. The PM20 Pro will be available in either Pearl White or Flame Honey Burst with a white pearl star inlay at the 12th fret and abalone purfling around the body. The guitar will officially be unveiled at Winter NAMM 2006 in Anaheim, CA.

  Finale 2006 Update
Okay, it's not even 2006 yet and already the folks at Make Music are releasing an update for Finale 2006, their best selling music notation software. Finale 2006b is available as a free download and includes the following new features:

• EPS graphics can now be exported using any Finale-compatible operating system
• Finale will check for Updates automatically with a new option under the Help Menu
• Expanded Documentation lets you get the most out of Garritan Personal Orchestra and Human Playback feature
• Adds a Finale Installation and Tutorials Supplement

  Roland Updates Popular MV-8000
In response to feedback received from musicians in the field using Roland's MV-8000, the company announced new updated software, version 3.5. This is a free upgrade that adds several "recorder-style" functions to the MV8000's feature set. These include audio track and mute automation, recordable MFX control-knob positions, a 3-band EQ added to the Audio and Instrument parts, a Pencil Tool for the Piano Roll window, and a Patch Preview mode has been added to the Import function. Version 3.5 is the fourth OS version for the MV-8000 platform and it illustrates Roland's commitment to supporting the installed user base.

  New In Stock At Sweetwater
Zoom G7.1ut - It's a guitar effects processor. No, it's a USB interface. Effects! USB (slap)! Effects (slap)! "Hey c'mon Jake, you're overdoing the Chinatown reference." Sorry.... Actually, Zoom's G7.1ut is a sophisticated guitar effects console, as well as a 24-bit/96kHz audio interface, complete with Cubase LE software. For the warmth everyone wants, Zoom added a real tube to the signal path, as well as dual programmable A/B preamp channels. It even includes an onboard expression pedal you can assign to wah, volume, pan or whatever you choose. The G7.1ut is all you need for an entire concert full of great sounds. A remote patch editor is available that allows for future updates.

  Guitar Of The Day
Fender actually began shipping the Eric Johnson Artist Series Stratocaster earlier this year, however, every one we got in was out the door to a customer the same day it arrived! What's so amazing about these particular instruments is that they are built to Eric's exacting specifications, yet they are standard production models rather than Custom Shop master-built guitars, and that's exactly what Eric wanted. So these feel and sound like limited-run instruments, but don't carry the correspondingly high price tag. While the Eric Johnson Strat is also available in Black, White Blonde and Candy Apple Red, it's the 2-color sunburst version that's most in demand - and now we've got them in stock! Naturally, a few of our guitar-obsessed Sales Engineers just had to have a look at these and they report that the 2-color 'burst Eric Johnson Strats are among the company's finest creations. In particular, they raved about the 1-piece, quartersawn, nicely figured maple neck, which has 21 frets, a classic soft "V" shape and is lightly tinted to look like a guitar that's had more than its share of hot nights up on stage in smoke-filled clubs. It even has the original vintage nitrocellulose lacquer finish. The rest of the guitar is pretty awesome, as well. From the highly contoured, 2-piece alder body, with its thin nitrocellulose lacquer finish to the '57-style parchment pickguard and 5-spring vintage tremolo, this really has the look of a top-of-the-line instrument. The pickups, as you might expect, are also wound to Eric's exact specs, and are officially designated as Special Design Custom Shop Eric Johnson pickups. To complete the vintage look and feel, Fender even added the 1950s "ash tray" bridge cover (which everyone immediately removed back then and eventually lost). A special guitar like this deserves a special case, so the Eric Johnson Strat comes with a Deluxe Blonde hardshell case with black endpieces and black plush interior.