As the holiday season approaches, I’m reminded of paging through the Sears catalog and circling toys I wanted for Christmas. I thought it would be fun to ask my Sales Management team what’s on their personal gear wish lists to add to their current systems and rigs. It was really hard for them to narrow it down, but here’s what we’ll be asking Santa to bring us this year:
David Stewart, Senior VP of Sales — I’m not sure yet what I want. I teach a Sweetwater University class on how to sell studio monitors, yet I haven’t been able to sell myself a pair of anything, even with our massive selection! I’m looking at things like Focal Solo6 Be, Blue Sky SAT 6D, Genelec 8040, Neumann KH 120, and Dynaudio BM6 (or 5).
Troy Hartman, Senior VP of Sales — One thing missing in my keyboard arsenal is the recent flagship from Korg, the Kronos. The RH3 88-key graded hammer-action keyboard feels fantastic. The audio recording and MIDI sequencing, combined with an array of powerful sound engines, make calling this a workstation a bit limiting. The ability to stream sounds off of its internal SSD yields pretty amazing programs and combis.
David Klausner, VP of Sales — While I have room in my studio/practice space for the 7-piece band I’m in, it means that my own rig is relegated to a relatively small horizontal footprint. I play both bass and guitar, so I just stack my guitar rig on top of my bass cab. But I’m gigging a lot more on bass now, so for every gig, I have to break down my guitar rig and reassemble it again after the gig. My next purchase will be the OnStage WS8540, which I will use to support my guitar rig. I use a Rock N Roller cart to move my gear when I gig, so the idea will be to leave the bass cab on the cart between gigs and just roll it in front of my guitar rig, which will be held high enough above the bass cab that it won’t be an issue. It should significantly cut down on the time I spend tearing down the rig and setting it up again.
Brad Every, Sales Manager — I have a pair of Focal Trio6 Be monitors and a Dangerous Source on my wish list as an audiophile music playback system for my house. Focal is well known for uncompromising audio reproduction, and Dangerous Music has its roots in mastering studios. The combination of the two is perfect.
Doug Hills, Sales Manager — Vox AC15 handwired with an Alnico blue speaker. I need an amp that gets amazing tone, can keep up with a drummer, takes guitar pedals well, and is small and portable. The Vox fits all these needs. Additionally, this Vox has an OP mode switch that cuts the output power level in half, enabling lower volume without sacrificing great tone.
Frank Navarro, Sales Manager — I have a Red Witch Fuzz God II pedal on my wish list. This pedal fills the sonic space that most fuzzes cover and then adds extra flavor with the Sputter control. As with most guitar players, I’m on the endless hunt for killer tone.
Jon Hernandez, Sales Manager — Fender Road Worn ’60s Strat in 3-color Sunburst. I’ve already got a couple of Teles and an SG and simply need (want) an affordable Strat to round out the electric arsenal. I love the classic look of the Road Worns, and I’m a huge fan of the high-output, gritty tone of Tex-Mex pickups.
As for me, I’m an ’80s rock, metal, and hair-band fan, so at the top of my wish list is a kick-butt Marshall amp. A JVM410C combo or JVM410H head and 1960A cab will more than do the job while offering an awesome variety of tasty tones, but the classic sounds of a JCM800 and a 1960A cab would be a cool addition to my studio too.
May all of your gear dreams come true! Happy holidays!
Rock and Roll!
Jeff Radke
Executive Vice President of Sales
Chief Sales Officer