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!

John Favicchia Drum Clinics

John Favicchia has been called "one of the most musical and well-rounded drummers." His versatility has enabled him to play gigs and drum clinics worldwide. In addition to playing with his band, Dharma All Stars, he has performed and/or recorded with Steve Khan, Larry Coryell, Harvie Swartz, Chieli Minucci, David Mann, Bob Malach, Dean Brown, Mike Pope, Lonnie Plaxico and Steve Adelson.

Upcoming John Favicchia drum clinics at Sam Ash in the Los Angeles area:

• Mon. Jan. 14 Westminster
• Tue. Jan. 15 Puente Hills (City of Industry)
• Wed. Jan. 16 Canoga Park
• Thu. Jan. 17 Torrance

All clinics start at 7pm. Lots of free giveaways!

Sponsored by REMO, SABIAN, YAMAHA, VIC FIRTH, L.P., SAMSON, HANSEN FUTZ, DRUMFUN & SAM ASH MUSIC.

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!

P. Mauriat Sax Clinic with Julius Tolentino

Recording artist Julius Tolentino will demo the highly acclaimed P. Mauriat Saxophones at Sam Ash Music in Torrance on December 8.

Tolentino graduated from the Hartt School of Music and studied with jazz legend Jackie McLean. He has performed with Philip Harper, Antonio Hart, Vanessa Rubin, Cecil Bridgewater, Charlie Persip, Dion Parsons, Eric Reed, Marcus Printup, Craig Handy, Billy Drummond, Wes Anderson, Wycliffe Gordon, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, Kevin Mahogany, Christian McBride, Natalie Cole, Cecil Brooks III, Kioshi Kitagawa, Marleena Shaw, and Cyrus Chestnut. In 1999 he joined the highly acclaimed Illinois Jacquet Big Band performing, touring, and recording with the jazz legend for 5 years. Tolentino played on the recording "On The Loose" (Sharp Nine) showcasing the young lions on the New York scene in 2001. His solo debut release "Just the Beginning" (Sharp Nine '05) recieved rave reviews and peaked at #8 on the jazz charts. Since then he has toured all over the US, Europe, South America and the Middle East.

With sophisticated technique and skilled interpretation, Julius Tolentino creates a sound that is unique while also based on tradition. Composer and performer, Tolentino builds a rapport with his audience and strives to produce an authentic portrayal of jazz music.

Sam Ash Music. 19800 Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance, CA. Free clinic begins at 6pm on Sat. Dec. 8.

Prashant Aswani Guitar Master Classes

Musician, guitarist, producer, composer, recording artist and former Musicians Institute guitar instructor Prashant Aswani will conduct a series of guitar master classes at four Los Angeles area Sam Ash Music Stores.

Wed. Nov. 7 at Sam Ash Torrance
Wed. Nov. 14 at Sam Ash Canoga Park
Wed. Dec. 5 at Sam Ash Puente Hills in City of Industry
Wed. Dec. 12 at Sam Ash Cerritos

Prashant Aswani will demo his ESP Viper and Xtone Paramount guitars and discuss the amps and effects in his signal chain. Admission: Free. Clinics start at 7pm.

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.

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.

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.

ESP Announces New LTD Guitar Models

ESP Guitars has announced the addition of ten exciting new LTD models to their line. The new models for Fall 2007 will be available through Sam Ash Music later this year.
Perhaps the most unique new model of the group, the KH-JR joins the company’s other Kirk Hammett Signature Series models. It is ESP’s first foray into a smaller size instrument that’s perfect for younger players as well as other guitarists who’d like a travel/practice instrument. Resembling a smaller version of the popular ESP KH-2, the KH-JR (Junior) implements a 20.5” 3/4 scale design, with a basswood body and a maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard. A black finish, skull & bones inlays, and the same ESP-EMG LH-300 pickups used on the LTD KH-202 make this guitar perfect for any Metallica fan, young or not-so-young. A gig bag is included with the KH-JR.

LTD’s EC Series single-cutaway guitars expended with four new models. The affordable and popular EC-50 is now available in two new finishes (Black Satin and 2-Tone Burst). Similarly, the EC-100QM offers its high playability and sumptuous quilted maple top in a brand new Faded Cherry Sunburst finish.

Two more EC Series models were added to the LTD Deluxe group. The EC-1000 is now available in two stunning new finishes: See-Thru Blue and See-Thru Green. These high-performance models implement a set-neck design at a comfortable 24.75” scale. Both offer a mahogany body with a flamed maple top, and use a three-piece mahogany neck with a 24-fret rosewood fingerboard. The guitars’ neck, body, and headstock are treated with white binding and abalone purfling. The Earvana compensated nut allows for precise intonation, and the Schaller locking tuners and Tonepros bridge/tailpiece ensure the instruments stay in tune even during the most hardcore playing. EMG 81 (Bridge) and EMG 60 (Neck) active pickups help give these guitars the powerful tone that ESP has made famous.
ESP’s M and MH Series guitars also received a facelift with four new models: the M-53, the M-103FM, the MH-53 and MH-103QM. These affordable guitars offer a high-quality alternative to the standard inexpensive choices in rock guitars, with designs that are based on some of ESP’s most respected models. All four of the new models add a great-feeling (and great-looking) maple fingerboard to the M and MH Series, which previously was comprised only of rosewood fingerboard models. The M-53 is offered in a black finish, while the M-103FM (See-Thru Black finish) adds a licensed Floyd Rose tremolo system. The MH-53’s maple fingerboard provides a cool contrast to its black finish, while the MH-100QM highlights its quilted maple top in a See-Thru Blue color scheme.

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