Guitar Ergonomics

There is not enough guitar to comfortably rest my forearm when fingerpicking. My wrist bends at an awkward angle, I feel the strain creeping up into my shoulder and wrist when playing for a long period. I’ve went as far as placing a throw pillow on the guitar to get more support but it’s awkward and not a sustainable solution.

Enter the Abel Armrest

I found the Able Armrest from stringsbymail.com and it’s the only one of its kind, as far as I can tell. Imported from Germany, this device comes at a hefty price ($89.99). The concept is simple: it extends the edge of the guitar outward and slightly upward, giving your forearm a more natural, level surface to rest on. Instead of your arm digging into the sharp edge of the guitar’s side, it floats comfortably on a contoured platform. You can then relax and your shoulder and wrist are happier.

Pros and Cons for the Abel Armerst

• Pro: Durable – made out of fiberglass-reinforced plastic.
• Pro: Easy Installation
  • It attaches using a single adjustment screw, and the contact points are padded with cork or felt so there’s no risk of scratching your finish. The whole thing takes about 30 seconds to put on or take off.
• Pro: Fits easily in my LIttle Jane backpack
• Con: Price and there aren’t any alternatives
• Con: Would like to have a bigger size to have
• Con: Appearence
  • It’s a bit plain/utilitarian looking. So if aesthetics are what you are looking for, this will mostly likely disappoint on that front.
• Con: I wish I would have discovered this when I was still with my band
  • I guess that’s a pro as well.

Overall Impression

If you are having issues with your shoulder or wrist when playing a parlor size guitar or similar, I recommend giving this a try. I find that I’m not contorting my back, shoulders and hand to play properly. I like it so much, I use it on my Larrivee as well. Will most likely get one for it and my Martin but will have to slow play that.

March, 2025 I posted my first YouTube short demonstrating my new Furch Little Jane guitar. I was testing the waters to see how to do this. I’ve made a few videos here and there but never really went all in. I posted a short here and there after the March post and started getting the hang of it. Late summer, I was on a mission and I posted one short every day for about 4 months. Sometimes it would be two or three videos. I was absolutely obsessed with getting content made. Funny thing was that it has never felt like work. I’ve enjoyed it immensely and still do.

Here are some of the insights that I have gained from developing my YouTube channel.

Playing Covers is Still King

The same rules apply to YouTube as they do when playing live. If you want people to listen to your original music, you need to get their attention with a solid cover song. My best performing videos are covers and the compromise is that I make it my own. How? Many of my covers are of 80’s/90’s rock/metal songs but I do them on the acoustic. One example is my arrangement of Stone Temple Pilots’ “Plush”.

Keep the shorts short

A mistake that I have made is thinking that the listener will want to watch 40 or 50 seconds of me playing the guitar. It might be good but the attention span of a YouTube swiper is not that long. I’ll be honest, if I see Paul Gilbert shredding up a storm, I’m good for maybe 50 seconds and then I move on. I limit myself to under 20 seconds and it’s even better if its between 12 and 15 seconds. A good example is a video amply named, “Quickest Quick Lick on My Larrivee” It was 8 seconds long, got 1.3K views and some subs.

• If a video is performing well from the start, you can always edit it to be a bit shorter within YouTube Studio. I have done this many times and saved my shorts from having fast death. Instead some ended up with 2k views!

EQ your videos

You might be a great musician but if you don’t clean up the audio, it won’t matter. I’ve went back and listened to some of my early videos and cringe. Sounds muddy and the mids are hiding and can’t be heard. I use VideoMaster for my EQ work. I like it because it lets me import the whole video instead of extracting the audio, EQ, and the sinc it back up with the video. It’s solid and its quick. Make sure to see how it sounds on different speakers. I made the mistake of only doing it on my iphone and my guitar sounded like it was stuck in mud. So just like mastering a CD, you need different speakers to reference.

Use Related Videos and Info Cards to Promote Your Long Form Videos

Shorts will get you subs but they will not get you to monetization unless you are able to go viral many times over. By viral, I mean millions of views. You need 3 million shorts views to qualify for the first tier and 10 million for the second. For a guitar channel, it’s just not realistic. Creating long form is a better investment because those videos will get watched more over time. This will get you to the 3k and 4k hours of viewing for you to monetize. You will get your thousand subs way before you get your views is what I’m seeing.

Good content is still the key

In the end you have to put out quality content. If people like what you are putting out, they will come. For me, I make sure my playing is top notch and I won’t settle for something that is half ass. I wasn’t so picky at first but I’ve learned to hone and polish my content. Almost 300 videos posted and I still have a lot to learn but it’s a lot of fun and can’t wait to post another tomorrow.

500 subs is not too shabby and I’m just getting started. On to the next 500 and start getting more views on the long form.

If you get the chance, please visit my YouTube Channel and subscribe. Every little bit helps!

Calling all Gen Exers who loved their hair metal, you will know this song. I loved White Lion (mainly Vito Bratta’s playing) and like every band worth their hairspray, they had their power ballad.

When the Children Cry

You couldn’t turn on MTV or listen to the radio for any extended period of time and not hear this song. Was a popular request from friends when I would break out the guitar. Thirty plus years later, I still knew the chords and lyrics. One day I was playing along with it on Pandora and noticed that the melody was strong enough to maybe be an instrumental. In order to arrange a solo acoustic guitar song, a strong recognizable melody is must.

The beginnings of the arrangement

More noodling away and I had a rough draft; a basic structure of what I wanted this song to be. Keeping it simple and then adding embellishments here and there. The arrangement was coming into focus. Now this was the first time I attempted arranging a complete song so it was slow going. Almost four months of messing around, taking a break, trying different types of fingerings, etc… This song was a ear worm for many weeks after I posted it on my YouTube channel.

Recording and getting the right take

Lots of attempts to record. Many times, I almost had it only to mess up the end and have to start all over. I wanted to get it perfect. But one can find themself never releasing anything because it “wasn’t perfect” Eventually, I did find a suitable take that I liked and uploaded it into the ether. I’m proud to share this with you all and I’m happy with how it turned out.

What’s Next? My next arrangement slated for the next week or so is “Plush” by Stone Temple Pilots. Great song, great melody and really fun to play. Can’t wait for you to hear it.

Related Articles:

• Arranging for fingerstyle guitar.

Over the course of many months, I’ve been documenting my experience with the Furch Little Jane LJ11-SR travel guitar—from the initial purchase to taking it on countless international and domestic flights. I’m thrilled with the 2k+ investment, and it’s convinced me that a full-sized Furch is next on my list.

Along the way, I’ve created a lot of content about this guitar. So if you’re thinking about buying a Little Jane but need more information before committing, I’ve gathered all my posts and videos in one spot. Check out the links below—they cover everything from sound quality and build to how it handles airport security and cramped airplane cabins.

What are your thoughts on the Little Jane? Let me know in the comments.

*Note: I haven’t any affiliation with Furch in any way. I just really like this guitar.

Little Jane Guitar Blog Posts

• Furch Little Jane Travel Guitar; Should I buy?
• Finally, An Armrest for better guitar ergonomics – Review of an armrest for my Little Jane…
• Furch Little Jane Travel Guitar: Ordered!
• My Little Jane LJ11-SR is Home!!
• Furch Little Jane Guitar Modifications
• Furch Little Jane Goes to Scotland

Demo Videos (shorts)

Check out my YouTube Channel to hear and see the Furch Little Jane in action; new videos being posted all the time.

• Furch Little Jane YouTube demos

I love my Larrivee and I love my LR Baggs Stagepro Anthem but I don’t love the wires making so much noise because they won’t stay secured to the guitar. Looking all over the internet, I tried to find the type of clips that came with my Stagepro Anthem but kept getting results for wire management that were bulky and could possibly compromise the wood resonating. I was surprised how Reddit and the Acoustic Guitar Forum did not have an answer for me.

Self-stick Wiring Clips for Acoustic Pickups

Finally came around to the correct search words and found them on StewMac but with shipping they were well over twenty bucks. Luckily Reverb saved the day and was able to find some with only five bucks shipping. The quest is over and hopefully this helps you not having to search for too long.

Link to Reverb Store Below:

https://reverb.com/item/85856713-self-stick-wiring-clips-for-acoustic-pickups-6-pcs-black

I recently saw an add on Youtube claiming there is a secret guitar scale that no one knows and the pros won’t show you. Of course this add will lead you to their website and for a “small fee” you can get access to the secret and unlock your playing!

Snake Oil Salesman

New methods and contraptions that will get you playing the guitar in 24hrs like the Guitar Buddy. This guitar buddy is device you put on your neck and by the push of the button you’ll be able to play basic chords; I’m assuming most major chords and minor? For $34.95 you get this and for just a bit more, you get a song book.

Hell no!

Is this really playing the guitar?

A gadget like the Guitar Buddy doesn’t make one a guitarist anymore than Guitar Hero does. Truth be told, there isn’t a quick way to learn the guitar. Anyone who bought an Esteban guitar on QVC can attest to that notion.

I’ll have to admit that I’ve tried a few “programs” that I thought would miraculously unlock my talent, like a magical “aha!” moment. Unfortunately, that scenario only exists in the movies and maybe if one is a savant. You can have all the gadgets, programs and subscriptions in the world but they all amount to nothing without one thing….

Practice

It’s that plain and simple, you will need to practice. Playing the guitar is not just an art but also a craft and in order to master a craft, a player needs to put in the hours. The one thing these programs don’t say in the click bait is that you’re going to need to practice everyday. It can be a great blue print or guide to becoming a better player but you’ll need to practice it for hours. It can be hard work and it’s a grind, it’s necessary and worth it. I’ve been playing since I was 10 and I hope that I will continue to get better each day, each week and every year. Guess what I’ll have to do to achieve that goal?

Yup, practice.

Starting to get comfortable with Furch Little Jane 11-SR travel guitar. The form factor of the Little is tough for me to adjust to because it is so small compared to my OM. I started using the guitar strap but as said in many posts, I like convenience and getting my guitar strap on was tedious. The leather was stiff, not broken in and very frustrating to get it attached to the strap buttons.

Loving the results

As you can see from the pictures, it was a pretty simple and easy installation. The small body made it hard for me to find a comfortable position to play. This setup now sets me up with a consistent playing position for my guitar. Below are links to the gear I used to for my straplock system and a demonstration or how it looks and sounds.

_{Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links to amazon. I may receive a commission for qualified purchases}

• https://amzn.to/43XSxZP – Schaller 14010401 Security Straplocks. I had to widen the hole on the neck peg to accommodate the larger screw size but other that that, it was a pretty simple setup.
• https://amzn.to/423cYlM – MusicNomad Acousti-Lok Strap Lock Adapter. They have many types but for the Furch Little Jane, you’ll need

Humidifying my Little Jane

I live in Colorado and it’s dry here (currently 24 percent in the room where I keep my Little Jane) so keeping the guitar in the case is a must. I’ve found that I need to retune the guitar after a few hours of playing in dry air; unfortunately, leaving it out for extended periods in those conditions isn’t an option. According to Furch customer support, recommended humidity should be between 40 and 60 percent. To achieve this, I use the MusicNomad sound hole humidifier and put in in the case next to the waist of the guitar. So far is doing the trick and I find that I need to refresh the moisture in the sponge about every other day or two.

To monitor the humidity in the case, I put a Govee Bluetooth Hygrometer Thermometer inside. I can monitor through the app or widget on my phone and have alarms set if the humidity gets to high or too low. As you can see by the picture, the humidity is lower than the 40/60 percent. I’m still working on the placement of the hydrometer and the humidifier to maximize effectiveness.

Playing Form:

This guitar is much smaller than my others, and adjusting to the size has been quite a challenge. I’ve noticed that my right arm and hand tend to contort because there isn’t enough body to rest my arm on. If I’m not careful, it can lead to wrist pain — especially important to avoid as a fingerstyle guitarist, where right-hand form matters a lot. Using a pick would probably make this less of an issue, but it’s really not an option for me.

Update: I was able to find an armrest for the Little Jane that has helped quite a bit.

I’ve found that wearing a guitar strap helps keep the guitar at a consistent height, which reduces strain. I’m considering adding strap locks, like I did for my Larrivee, for the convenience of quickly taking the strap on and off.

Action:

The action was a bit high as noted in my last post and I reached out to Furch for guidance. their response was the following:

“Regarding your question about adjusting the action on your Little Jane, the setup works just like on any standard acoustic guitar. You can lower the action by:

• Adjusting the truss rod using an Allen key.
• Sanding down the saddle if truss rod adjustment isn’t enough.”
• The only difference compared to a regular acoustic guitar is the nut—since the strings go through it, the slots cannot be filed down as they can on a traditional nut. Other than that, the adjustment process is the same.”

I have yet to work on the neck and I don’t think it needs it but I did sand down the saddle and that has helped quite a bit. The guitar ships with D’Addario XSAPB1253’s so I’m going to try a lighter gauge which should help (Elixir Nanoweb 10/47). I am concerned that it might impact the tone but we’ll see and I can always go back to 12’s.

So far, I’m loving my Little Jane travel guitar and am really pleased with it after a little over a week. With a few tweaks, modifications, and plenty of playing, I’m confident this guitar will feel like it was made just for me.

I’m sure you’re aware that I recently got a new Furch guitar and now it’s time to accessorize!! I like to have a few basic necessities with each of my guitars so I have no excuses when I play/practice. It’s a little something I picked up from a friend of mine.

_{Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to amazon. I may receive a commission for qualified purchases}

Gotta Stay in Tune!

First thing is first I have to have a tuner and it needs to be handy, like on the guitar itself. I have found that the D’Addario Micro Headstock Tuner is perfect for my needs. No more finding a tuner or finding a tuner app on my phone. I’m all about convenience and I use this device for performances as well. The only drawback I have found is when I’m playing outside, the sun will wash out the display which makes it impossible to see anything on the little screen. I thought about using D’Addario’s sound hole tuner to remedy this issue but how it clips onto the soundhole makes me worried it will scratch up my guitar.

*note make sure you have it set to 440!!!

Need me a Capo

All of the guitars I use have a capo attached to the headstock. Last thing I want to do is hunt one down, like I said, I’m all about the convenience. I’m currently using the Kyser Quick-Change Capo and it has suited me well. The quick change aspect of it is desirable because I do have some songs where I have to apply the capo mid performance. The intonation of the Keyser can be a bit tricky and not sure why. That’s why I’m considering a an old school capo like the Paige 6-String Standard Guitar Capo but not sure. The Paige works great on my mandolin but it definitely isn’t “quick change”.

Guitar Strap

I need all of my guitars to have a strap at the ready and each guitar has its own. With an acoustic guitar, the strap ensures that my ergonomics are consistent and therefor my playing stays consistent. Sitting with the guitar on my lap isn’t the greatest for my playing and my shoulder plus I want to practice how I perform.

I don’t have a “go to” strap for all my guitars, it really depends on the guitar. For example, my Larrivee OM, I decided to purchase a leather “JCL” Artist Series Strap and I love it. For my last tour, I added strap locks to the setup and so glad I did.

Each guitar setup is unique for me but base of my setup will always be a tuner, capo and strap. Do you have any must haves when accessorizing your new guitar?

Update: Needed to add some straplocks to my guitar. Details in this post.

Furch Little Jane On It’s Way!

Well, I did it. I’m not the proud owner of the order of a Furch Little Jane 11-SR. I will not say that I am a proud owner of the guitar until it gets to me from the CZECH REPUBLIC fully intact and playable; you never know what international shipping will bring us. I have seen unboxings of Little Janes on Youtube and I’m hopeful and fairly confident that Furch will pack and ship my Little Jane well.

*Note: I should mention that I emailed Furch about 4 or 5 times asking questions about care, setup, humidity, maintenance, etc.. They responded within a day and were very helpful with all my answers. They even set me up with a free leather guitar strap (hundred dollar value). Should be at my door in about a week or so which would be pretty impressive since it’s coming from so far.

More to come…

• LIttle Jane is Home
• Little Jane Review
• Little Jane Modifications
• LIttle Jane Goes to Scotland

I’m going to be doing quite a bit of traveling this summer and I don’t leave without a guitar. For past trips, I have outfitted my Larrivee OM with a Calton case and I’ve never been scared that my guitar would end up in pieces. Been to Alaska for two tours with my band, trips to California a and Oregon. My Calton case was a smart investment but the tradeoff with a sturdy Calton case is the weight and size. It’s quite heavy and tough to lug around the airport and small rental vehicles. My wife and I will be traveling to Scotland this summer and I’m looking to keep it light so no Larrivee but I still need something to play on the trip.

Furch Little Jane Travel Guitar

In my quest for a guitar to take to Scotland, I stumbled upon the Furch “Little Jane” travel guitar and I have to say I’m intrigued. A solid wood acoustic guitar that can be taken apart and put in a backpack that fits in the overhead compartment of an airplane. Yes Please! I’ve checked out youtube videos and been on forums and the overall consensus is that this is a solid guitar that actually sounds pretty good. Due to its size, it would be comparable to a parlor guitar when put together.

Which one Should I Choose?

There are four models in the Little Jane lineup and they are as follows:

• LJ 10 – CM
  • Western Cedar and African Mahogany
• LJ10 – MM
  • African Mahogany and African Mahogany
• LJ10 – SM
  • Sitka Spruce and African Mahogany
• LJ11 – SR
  • Sitka Spruce and Indian Rosewood

Each can be outfitted with LR Baggs EAS-VTC and of course, I’ll want that because I might just want to plug it in for gigs.

So Will I Pull the Trigger?

I was on the fence when I began this post because 2k is a lot of money to spend on a travel guitar. The more I research Furch, the more comfortable I feel about their quality and craftsmanship. I’ve been going back and forth with sales for the past couple of days with questions on the guitar. They have responded quickly and have been extremely helpful. I have a LJ11 in my shopping cart and might just have to “checkout” sometime soon. More to come.

*Update: We are on to the next step!!

• LIttle Jane is Home
• Little Jane Review
• Little Jane Modifications
• LIttle Jane Goes to Scotland

Why Bother

Many say, “why even try, I never win” and I get it but what the hell. I haven’t won either but it only takes one time. My question to you is have you won? Do you know anyone that has one something pretty cool in the musical instrument realm. I figure, I’m due so why the hell not. I’ll keep you posted if I land something! Lemme know if you have won, want to hear about some good news!

I’ve heard and read many artists state that some of the best performances that they have given were ones that can’t even remember.  By this, I mean they give into the music/performance and go into a sort of trance, I guess you can say.  I’ve seen this in many guitarists that I admire from Eddie Van Halen to Bruce Cockburn and the result is usually a performance that strikes awe in my heart.  I say to myself, “how can I play like that?”

Let the music take control:

I’ll be honest, this is something that I still struggle with.  Two reasons:
1.  I want to remember my performance so I actively think about it while playing.  This hinders me because then my mind isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do; play the guitar.  The outcome is that I will either have a brain freeze and forget a passage or my playing because sloppy.  Either way, it’s a performance that I would rather forget rather than remember.
2.  I want it to be perfect so I over think and critique myself as I play.  Same result as above.

Play For Yourself:

Why is it that when we practice, we are at our best?  If I had a dollar for every time I said, “why can’t I play this now?  I was nailing it in practice…”  The reason is that when practicing, I’m playing for myself and no one else.  It’s just the three of us: Me, my guitar and the music.  Throw a crowd in there and the nerves kick in and all of a sudden the piece is harder than expected.  Why can’t we play for ourselves when we are in front of people?  For me, it’s that I don’t want to come across rude or narcissistic and I fear that the audience is judging me harshly.  But these notions are all conjecture and speculation that I have put out there with no real proof that it is true. I’m hindering my ability to play to my full potential.

Let the Music/Life Guide You:

A dear friend of mine Robin Easton (blog here), recently wrote a post suggesting that we should trust our hearts and trust life to teach us in life.   This can be applied to our playing as well.  Trust our experience, our training and our hearts when we play. Play for yourself and let your heart and music guide you into a great performance.  Note, that doesn’t mean that every note will be perfect,it might even be a bit sloppy but some of the best performances that I have ever witnessed weren’t technically great but the passion; the emotion was there.  The musician let go and let the music guide him/her into something that I felt privileged to watch.  This I suggest to you sounds scary to even me because this requires an act of faith and to embrace the unknown and dare I say relinquishing control.  But the idea of control is a myth because we can’t control things like if the PA goes out or if a crying baby is in the audience, etc… Giving in and letting go of the control is probably the biggest act of control that you will do.

Like that old cliche’ I’ve heard over the years: “Play like no one is listening.”

*Note: Thank you Robin for inspiring this post!

So everyone keeps asking me how the Guitar Contest went. In a nutshell, it was mixed. I did everything exactly the way I wanted to. I made some contacts, met some stars, I turned in a performance that the crowd got into, and I distributed over 600 copies of my CD to guitar fans. The one bad part was that while the judges all agreed that I had the chops (“I’d have to practice for 100 years to get those kind of chops” – Earl Slick) , they weren’t quite ready for the intensity. Their critiques sounded like something my parents would have said (which I’m actually OK with, rock and roll ain’t for the parents).

So needless to say I didn’t win the contest. But I accomplished what I set out to do and made a splash. To quote the editor of Guitar Player Magazine – “Yours will be the most watched video from the contest once we post them on Youtube.”

Here’s a video my wife shot of my performance.

For the record –

Judges:

Earl Slick (David Bowie guitarist)

Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson guitarist)

Elliot Easton (The Cars guitarist)

Steve Lukather (Toto guitarist)

Greg Hampton (producer, Alice Cooper, Lita Ford)

Host:

Brendon Small (Creator of Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse and Home Movies)

Prizes:

A bunch of gear and a magazine profile, no contracts or studio time

LInks

Hercules Guitar Superstar Vid
Unedited version of the performance (contains offensive language)

For Immediate Release

Hercules Castro of Colorado Springs Named a Finalist in International Guitar Competition Guitar Player’s Guitar Superstar Competition Centerpiece of Guitar Player Live! Weekend Celebration September 11-13

• Brendon Small to Host Competition; Judges Include Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson’s guitarist), Elliot Easton, Greg Hampton, and Steve Lukather
• San Bruno, CA (August 11, 2009) — Now in its fifth year, Guitar Player’s Guitar Superstar competition will be the centerpiece of Guitar Player LIVE!, a 3-day celebration of guitars, music, and gear presented by the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center in Livermore, California, east of San Francisco, on Saturday, September 12, 2009.
• Ten finalists have been selected from among hundreds of entries to battle for the international title of “Guitar Superstar.” Across the globe, hundreds of “unknown” guitarists of all ages and styles answered the call to post their best performances at sonicbids.com. Ten finalists were chosen to perform onstage in front of a live audience and a panel of world-famous guitar stars that includes Elliot Easton (The Cars), Jennifer Batten (guitarist for Michael Jackson, Jeff Beck), Steve Lukather (Toto), and Greg Hampton, (producer of Alice Cooper, Ronnie Wood, Lita Ford). Host of this year’s big event is Brendon Small, (co-creator of Adult’s Swim’s Metalocalypse animated series).
• The celebrity judges will evaluate each original performance, and rate each contestant on technique, creativity, charisma, and overall vibe, and, at the end of the night, the 2009 Guitar Player’s Guitar Superstar will be crowned, along with two runner-ups.

• Guitar Player’s Guitar Superstar Competition 2009

• Jim Fuselli, rock critic of the Wall Street Journal wrote about last year’s competition: “…I admired the contestants. With their reputations on the line in front of Mr. Satriani, Mr. Vai and the other judges, they performed with conviction.”,
• Vicki Genfan, the reigning Guitar Superstar, will perform at the competition before handing over her crown, and will also play on Sunday, September 13 at 3 pm along with Laurence Juber and Jennifer Batten.
• “It’s a dream to launch a weekend-long celebration of guitar with Guitar Player LIVE! and our fifth Guitar Superstar event,” says Guitar Player Editor in Chief Michael Molenda. “If you’re a guitar zealot, it’s like some 6-string Woodstock—total badass madness, from Friday night’s opening Shrapnel Records concern starring Richie Kotzen, Michael Lee Firkins, and Chris Duarte, to bands rockin’ hard all along the Livermore plaza, to Guitar Superstar on Saturday, to Sunday’s Triple Threat Guitar show with GPGS 08 champ Vicki Genfan, Jennifer Batten, and Laurence Juber.”
• The ten finalists, representing a wide range of guitar styles ranging from rock to country are: Dave Benzinger, Brodie Cumming , Brian Davidson, Hercules Castro, Danny Jones, Steve Langemo, Steve Senes, Krisz Simonfalvi, Doug Towle, and Jeff Zampillo. The contestants will perform with the GPGS house band Thud Factor, music directed by Bass Player Editor Jonathan Herrera.
• All ten contestants receive an all-expenses paid trip to the San Francisco Bay Area. The winner, First Runner-Up and Second Runner-Up of the event will receive custom trophies and complete gear packages. The champion will receive a feature article in Guitar Player magazine and prizes from event sponsors—including Harman International–Digitech, Mesa Boogie, Taylor Guitars, D’Addario, Planet Waves, GBase, Line 6, Sennheiser, Washburn, Randall and Gallien Kruger.
• The competition takes place Saturday, September 12, 2009, 8:00 p.m. at the Bankhead Theater, Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center, 2400 First Street, Livermore, California. Admission $23.00. Tickets can be ordered online at www.bankheadtheater.org or call 925-373-6800.

• Guitar Player’s Guitar Superstar Competition 2009

  About the 3-day Festival:

• Guitar Player LIVE! includes concerts at the Bankhead Theater and free performances by well-known regional bands and exhibitor endorsees on four outdoor stages. Another highlight will be an exhibition of Bill Owens’ photographs commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Altamont Raceway Free Concert. To cap off the festival evenings, several local taverns and restaurants will also host local band performances, and the Vine Cinema will feature a special run of classic and cult guitar films.
• • Shrapnel Records Guitar Night Friday, September 11 at 8 p.m.
  • Guitar Player’s Guitar Superstar Competition Finals Saturday, September 12 at 8 p.m.
  • Triple Threat Guitar – Featuring Laurence Juber, Jennifer Batten, Vicki Genfan Sunday, September 13 at 3 p.m.

  For packages, call the box office at 925-373-6800.

  About Guitar Player magazine:

• The Music Player Network of publications for musicians performing and producing music includes Guitar Player, Bass Player, Keyboard, and EQ magazines and related websites, TV, enews and events. For more information please visit www.musicplayer.com. Music Player Network is a division of NewBay Media, LLC.