Sam Ash LA on Twitter

Hey everybody. I set up a Twitter account for the Southern California Sam Ash Music stores:

http://twitter.com/samashla

I'll tweet about what's going on in and around the Sam Ash stores in LA, OC, IE, SF Valley, South Bay...

Let's do this!

Peter Erskine at Sam Ash

Peter Erskine played a great series of drum clinics at Sam Ash Music in Southern California.

Peter was joined by Bob Sheppard on tenor sax and Darek Oles on upright bass. 

The jazz trio played at the new Sam Ash Drums on Sunset store in Hollywood, followed by appearances in Cerritos, Ontario and Canoga Park. Peter talked about how he's been using the Zoom H4n portable recorder to capture his performances on stage, in the studio, in rehearsals and in between sessions. The event was sponsored by Zoom, DW, Zildjian, Evans and Vic Firth.

New Sam Ash Drum Shop on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood

Calling All Drummers!

We're proud to announce the Grand Opening of the new Sam Ash Drum Shop on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.

Tonight is the Grand Opening event!

Sam Ash Drums on Sunset

7401 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90046

(323) 436-0388

Thursday, December 11, 2008
4-10pm

Nothing but drums, hand percussion, hardware and accessories along with one of the largest cymbal selections (now including Meinl) in the country.

We'll have lots of special deals and free giveaways. The first 1,000 drummers in the door after 4pm get a free set of sticks. Come hang with [subject to change]:

Corey Miller of LA Ink
Teddy Campbell of American Idol
Ray Luzier of Korn, David Lee Roth
Derek Roddy of Hate Eternal
John Dolmayan of System of a Down
John Tempesta of White Zombie, Exodus, Testament
Jimmy DeGrasso of Megadeth, Ozzy, Alice Cooper
Virgil Donati of Planet X
Nisan Stewart of Missy Elliot, Aaliyah, Jay-Z, Beyonce
Brendan Buckley of Shakira, DMX, Lauren Hill
Cury Bisquera of Elton John, Tom Petty, Mick Jagger
Danny Seraphine of Chicago

Our new drum shop is right across from our 2-story store, where you'll find more guitars, keyboards, brass and woodwinds, recording PA, DJ and lighting gear than ever before, at the corner of Sunset Blvd. and Vista Ave. in Hollywood.

Finally a real drum shop on Music Row! The Sam Ash team worked really hard to build what I think is, without a doubt, the best drum shop in LA. Don't take my word for it. Come check it out!

Sam Ash Music Named "Chain Retailer of the Year" by Music Inc.

"I am very proud to announce that for the year 2007 Sam Ash Music has won the Music Inc. "Retailer of the Year" award for chain stores. Thank all of you very much, we couldn't have done it without you."

-Sammy and the whole Ash Family

Sam Ash Extended Holiday Store Hours

December 2007

Extended holiday hours for the Southern California Sam Ash Music stores in Hollywood, Torrance, City of Industry (Puente Hills), Cerritos, Canoga Park and Westminster:

Friday, Dec. 14th: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Saturday, Dec. 15th: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Sunday, Dec. 16th: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Monday, Dec. 17th – Friday, Dec. 21st: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Saturday, Dec. 22nd: 9:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Sunday, Dec. 23rd: 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Monday, Dec. 24th, Christmas Eve: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Tuesday, Dec. 25th: Closed - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wednesday, Dec. 26th – Sunday, Dec. 30th: Normal Store Hours
Monday, Dec. 31st, New Year’s Eve: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008: Closed - HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Extended holiday hours for Sam Ash in the Ontario Mills Mall in Ontario, California:

Friday, Dec. 14th: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Saturday, Dec. 15th: 9:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Sunday, Dec. 16th: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Monday, Dec. 17th – Thurs., Dec. 20th: 10:00 AM – 9:30 PM
Friday, Dec. 21st: 9:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Saturday, Dec. 22nd: 9:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Sunday, Dec. 23rd: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Monday, Dec. 24th, Christmas Eve: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Tuesday, Dec. 25th: Closed - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wednesday, Dec. 26th – Sat., Dec. 29th: 10:00 AM – 9:30 PM
Sunday, Dec. 30th: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Monday, Dec. 31st, New Year’s Eve: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

See sidebar on right for each store's normal store hours for 2008.

Happy Holidays!

Sam Ash Outrageous Weekend Sale

Sam Ash Music is having a big holiday sale this weekend!

Friday - Saturday - Sunday

December 7-9, 2007 Only

Ask for the Outrageous Sale List at the store!

Paul McCartney Interview

There's a great interview with Paul McCartney in the newest Sam Ash Gear Guide on page 83.

Paul discusses his greatest acoustic songs, his influences, his fingerpicking technique and his signature model Epiphone Texan acoustic guitar.

A used Epiphone Texan FT-79 acoustic guitar signed by Paul McCartney is currently on sale in the Sam Ash store in Canoga Park, California. Serial number: 03364006. Limited edition #105 of 250. Made in Nashville, Tennessee. It's a beauty!

On page 82 of the new December catalog, the Sam Ash Music Institute Guitar Lesson of the Month features the chords and strumming pattern in the style of Paul McCartney's "Yesterday."

Fans of The Beatles can also learn about the John Lennon Epiphone EJ160E jumbo acoustic/electric guitar on page 12.

To check out the new Sam Ash Gear Guide, sign up for the mailing list, download it at samashmusic.com or visit any Sam Ash Music store.

Native Instruments Holiday Specials

Check out the holiday deals from Native Instruments:
1. BUY TRAKTOR SCRATCH and GET TRAKTOR 3 for FREE!

• SAVE $229
• Offer also extended to TRAKTOR SCRATCH Crossgrade and TRAKTOR SCRATCH Upgrade customers.
• Offer valid if you activate TRAKTOR SCRATCH between October 24th and December 31st, 2007.

2. KONTAKT 3 CROSSGRADE available for $249

• SAVE $150
• For owners of INTAKT, KOMPAKT or any third party sample libraries which utilize the KONTAKT Player

3. GUITAR RIG 3 Software Edition Competitive Crossgrade available for $199!

• SAVE $100
• For owners of Line 6 Pods/TonePort/AmpFarm, IK Multimedia Ampltitube (1, 2, LE), Waves GTR. Because Amplitube LE is a qualifying product, all owners of Digidesign HD, 003, Mbox 2, Mbox 2 Pro, Mbox 2 Mini and Mbox 2 Micro products are eligible for the GUITAR RIG 3 SOFTWARE EDITION COMPETITIVE CROSSGRADE.

For the details on these limited time offers from Native Instruments, visit native-instruments.com or any SoCal Sam Ash Music store.

Ableton Live 7

Ableton is now shipping Live 7, new add-on instruments and Ableton Suite.Live 7 is full of enhancements to the audio engine including 64-bit mix summing, new and improved devices with side-chaining capability, better MIDI timing and hardware integration. Most-requested features, such as time signature changes, video export and multiple automation lanes have been added. The brand new "Drum Rack" streamlines beat making with an easy drag-and-drop interface and offers native sliced audio and REX file support.
New add-on instruments include Tension (string synth), Electric (classic electric pianos) and Analog.
The new Ableton Suite bundle includes Ableton Live 7, Sampler, Operator, Electric, Analog, Tension, Drum Machines, Essential Instrument Collection 2 and Session Drums all in one box.

For more on these new releases, visit ableton.com or any Sam Ash Music store.

Stage Ninja Retractable Cables

Are your guitar and mic cables a tangled mess? Does it seem to take forever to strike the stage after every show? We hear you.

Stage Ninja helps solve these problems with their new INS-26S and XLR-26S retractable cable systems.

A high-end braided cable with quality Neutrik® connectors, Stage Ninja® cable systems offer players and techs instant cable retraction with one tug of the cable after performance. Stage Ninja® cable systems eliminate cord-tangles while providing a damage resistant storage housing. Units also stack on top of each other for stage and studio space efficiency.

For more info, visit stageninja.net or any SoCal Sam Ash Music store.

Black Friday Sale at Sam Ash!

Sam Ash Music is celebrating Thanksgiving all weekend long with huge price cuts!

Thanksgiving Bash 2007

3 Awesome Days of Deals!

Friday, Saturday & Sunday
November 23, 24 & 25

Special Friday Hours: 9am-10pm

The Sam Ash Thanksgiving Bash starts on Black Friday at 9am and goes through Sunday, November 25, 2007.

Massive savings on such top brands as Fender, Gretsch, Charvel, Taylor, Larrivee, Jackson, ESP, Dean, Ibanez, EV, JBL, QSC, Mackie, Roland, Korg, Casio, Washburn, Marshall, Line 6, Peavey, VOX, Numark, Pioneer, Denon, Tama, Hartke, Samson, ZOOM, Yamaha, Selmer, Bach and more!

Make NO PAYMENTS, Pay NO INTEREST till 2009 on any purchase you make with the Sam Ash Backstage Club Card. Any sale qualifies - including used gear!*

Plus, get a Digital Chromatic Tuner FREE with any purchase of $199 or more!*

For a complete list of store locations and hours, visit www.samashmusic.com.

*Free tuner promotion: Limited time offer. Certain items from Andino, Apple, Buffet Pro, Edirol, Epiphone, Fender, Gemeinhardt, Korg, Marshall, Pearl, Stephanhöuser, Roland and Vox may not qualify for this offer. Sam Ash Backstage Club Promotion: Same as Cash offer on approved Sam Ash credit card purchases. No Finance Charges if purchase paid in full in 14 months. If purchase not paid in full or Account not kept current, Finance Cahrges assessed from purchase date and Minimum Monthly Payments required. Standard Rate 20.96% APR. Default Rate 24.96% APR. Minimum Finance Charge $2. Certain rules apply to the allocation of payments and Finance Charges on your promotional purchase if you make more than one purchase on your Sam Ash credit card. Call 1-888-367-4310 or review your cardholder agreement for more information. Extended financing terms (beyond 30 days) are not available for repairs, repair parts, or purchases of Gift Cards and Apple brand products. Used gear for trades only in our Las Vegas location. No Sunday hours in Paramus. Not responsible for typographical errors. No dealers, please!

Guitar Lessons Now Online from Sam Ash Music Institute

Learning how to play the guitar online just got easier thanks to Learn Music, an online guitar education company and music equipment giant Sam Ash. The Sam Ash Music Institute, located at www.SamAshMusicInstitute.com, has just launched, offering students a chance of a lifetime to learn guitar online from the best.

Broken down into simple video tutorials, learning the guitar with SamAshMusicInstitute.com is a breeze. The site offers users an abundance of preformatted video instruction guides for every possible guitar skill. Helping make the SamAshMusicInstitute.com website a must join for any aspiring guitarist is the personalized touch offered by the site.
Visitors that sign up for guitar lessons with the Sam Ash Music Institute are provided a personalized video instruction menu that offers each individual the quickest and most efficient path to learning the guitar. New users will be prompted to enter relevant information about their guitar skills and aspirations, and then be provided with a customized video instruction set.

The SamAshMusicInstitute.com website not only provides ground breaking high resolution video instruction for its members, it also has the best live support in the business. With instant live chat availability, students are able to connect with their guitar teachers quickly and effectively when questions arise.

Learn Music has been a trailblazer for online music instruction. The company has focused on pupil friendly lessons that get results and keep the student motivated as their core mission since 1999. Sam Ash Music is one of the nation’s largest music instrument retailers, offering world class experience and innovation in its field. The coming together of the two companies to create an educational website provides music students with something to be excited about.

“We have been providing online guitar instruction for over 8 years, and our passion is as strong now as it has ever been. Along with the explosion of the video game Guitar Hero there has been a massive interest spike and curiosity on what it would be like to play a real guitar. We are very excited to have partnered with Sam Ash Music to make this site the place to learn guitar online,” explains Learn Music founder and instructor Rick Napolitano.

Visitors to SamAshMusicInstitute.com are provided with sample videos, a detailed list of services offered by the company and a free 3 day trial.

With full length streaming clinics, a personalized learning plan, industry leading live support and a MySpace style online community, the Sam Ash Music Institute is unquestionably the place to learn guitar online.

To sign up for the free 3 day trial,
visit www.SamAshMusicInstitute.com.

PreSonus New Gear

PreSonus has announced three new recording solutions:
MegaStudio Producer gives you everything you need to record your music, create your videos and distribute and sell your music worldwide. MegaStudio Producer features the award-winning PreSonus FP10 (formerly FirePod) FireWire recording interface, more than $2,000 worth of music and video production software, 5 free uploads to iTunes from TuneCore, as well as free BroadJam.com membership and a complete “Go Pro” guide with tons of information on sharing, distributing and selling your music and videos. More than four hours of included tutorial videos provide step-by-step instructions on how to produce professional-quality recordings and videos.

The FireStudio Project is a complete 24-bit/96K professional recording system combining eight Class A XMAX microphone preamplifiers, 24-bit/96k sample rate conversion, zero-latency matrix router mixer and the PreSonus ProPak Software Suite featuring Steinberg's Cubase LE 4 48-track recording and production software, over 25 real-time plug-in effects and more than 2 GB of drum loops and samples.

Based on the award-winning Central Station, Monitor Station is a new desktop monitoring and communications system that provides talkback, speaker switching, input source switching and four ultra loud and clear headphone amplifiers.

For more info on these new PreSonus releases, visit any Sam Ash Music store.

Steinberg Nuendo 4

Steinberg has announced next month's release of Nuendo 4.Nuendo 4 offers a state-of-the-art automation system along with new recording functionality and Track Preset management features to speed up audio production workflows. A next-generation VST3 effect plug-in suite, the innovative MediaBay database, new editing commands and Track Quick Controls raise production efficiency and quality to new heights.

For more on Nuendo 4, visit steinberg.net or any Sam Ash Music store.

Antares Harmony Engine Clinics

From Antares, the company that revolutionized professional vocal production with Auto-Tune pitch correction technology, Harmony Engine is a real-time harmony generating plug-in that puts professional-quality vocal harmony arrangements within reach of any songwriter, producer, musician or engineer.

With four independent harmony voices, a variety of powerful harmony generating modes, humanization features for natural sounding performances and a flexible real-time preset system for harmony and vocal type, Harmony Engine provides incredibly easy-to-use tools to quickly and easily produce virtually any vocal arrangement you can imagine.

Whether you're an experienced vocal arranger, a songwriter looking for that perfect backup vocal or a composer experimenting with unique vocal effects, Harmony Engine gives you entirely new ways to create the harmony parts you hear in your head.

Antares Product Specialist Brian English will demo the new Harmony Engine plug-in at three SoCal Sam Ash Music locations:

• Canoga Park on Tuesday Sept. 25
• Hollywood on Wednesday Sept. 26
• Westminster on Thursday Sept. 27

Enter to win a free copy of Harmony Engine at each clinic courtesy of Antares. Clinics start at 7pm.

Access Virus Software Update

Access has released OS 2.5.1 for Virus TI, TI Keyboard and Polar. This new version is especially exciting as it adds Virus TI and Virus Control Plug-in support for Logic 8 and Pro Tools as well as beta support for Sonar 7, Nuendo and Microsoft Vista 32. Visit the Access website or any SoCal Sam Ash for more info.

Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz Meet & Greet

Sam Ash Music in Hollywood is hosting a Meet & Greet with Squier® Signature Model P Bass® Guitar Artist Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy. Special Fender® and Squier® pricing will be offered during the event.

Sam Ash Music. 7360 Sunset Blvd. Hollywood, CA. October 9 at 5pm.

Sponsored by Fender®/Squier® & Sam Ash Music.

Squier®, Precision Bass® and the distinctive headstock and body designs of those guitars are trademarks of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.

Martin and Taylor Acoustic Guitar Closeouts

Sam Ash is blowing out the last few pre-2006 Martin and Taylor acoustic guitars left in the stores to make room for more new guitars.

Taylor Guitars made in 2005 and earlier and Martin Guitars with serial numbers under 950,000 are all on sale now. These guitars will be specially priced to move until they are gone.

Stop by your nearest Sam Ash Music store to check out the deals.

Cakewalk Sonar 7 Now Shipping

Cakewalk Sonar 7 is now available in Producer and Studio versions.
New to Sonar 7 Producer Edition:

• A complete MIDI overhaul with Smart MIDI Tools and dozens of other new features
• Introduction of the most powerful Step Sequencer found in any DAW
• True linear phase mastering plug-ins
• Internal sidechaining
• Delay compensation for external hardware
• Pitch to MIDI functionality with Roland V-Vocal 1.5
• Numerous workflow, mixing and delivery enhancements throughout the application

For more info, visit cakewalk.com or any Sam Ash Music store.

Free Auralex Studio Room Analysis

So you've set up your studio with all the best recording gear: top-of-the-line mics, preamps, compressors, good quality cable...

If your recordings don't sound as good as the ones coming out of the big-name studios, it could be because of the acoustics of your room!

Auralex Acoustics is the industry leader in acoustical treatment products. Use their online Interactive Kit Calculator for a quick recommendation on what it will take to acoustically treat your recording room.

If you have problems with sound transmission or an odd-shaped room, Auralex also offers a free Personalized Room Analysis. Download the form and fax it to Auralex or just stop by any Southern California Sam Ash Music store and speak with a Recording Specialist.