The First Quality Music Blog

Received a beautiful Sullivan Vintage 35 Maple today. If you find you’re in the Louisville, Kentucky area stop by and see us and give it a test drive. If you live out of the Louisville area just give us a call at 800-635-2021 x126

While doing some inventory “house keeping” we discovered we still have two Recording King Bill Sullivan tribute banjos in house. Both are brand new, come with a hard shell case and have been set up by our in house luthier Tony Wray. These special instruments were designed by Greg Rich and produced by Recording King as a tribute to his friend and our founder Bill Sullivan. The tributes have mahogany necks and resonators (the resonators have two concentric rings) and they have Granada style engraved armrests and tension hoops. They are numbered instruments, #2 and #34.

We have received our first DRS1′s.  Wow what a great guitar at a very affordable price point.  Solid Sapele back and sides, A braced Sapele top, Stratabond neck, complete with a Fishman Sonitone pickup system.  Tony gives a sample of it’s sound.  Call us at 800-635-2021 and we can get you in the drivers seat.

We’ve just recently received a great group of Martin guitars and we picked out a couple so you can get a little sample.  In the video below, Tony and Murrell will show you two of the new HD28V’s.  Both are fresh in from the manufacturer, inspected by our quality control staff and set up personally by Tony Wray.  Please give them a listen on the video and then give us a call for pricing details. 800.635.2021

Celebrate the Holidays

with Fretmentor.com 

Hello Everyone –

Yes … Happy Holidays.  It is not too soon to begin practicing for those holiday parties. 

Our friend David Jakubiak at www.fretmentor.com has recently released Fretmentor’s Acoustic Holiday – 12 Songs of Christmas for Banjo, Guitar, Mandolin and Fiddle.  This music collection is one of kind, since it provides entire standardized arrangements of Christmas tunes for all acoustic instruments, which is ideal for individuals and bands alike.

Fretmentor’s Acoustic Holiday Christmas Collection has taken a year and a half to complete.  It consists of both standard musical notation and tablature for 12 Christmas tunes.  These songs especially are written for acoustic instruments but can of course be played by other instruments as well. You can view the list of 12 songs by going to the fretmentor library or clicking on this link to the fretmentor library:

http://www.fretmentor.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=19&func=select&id=6

All songs are now in the new Tef format and can be played in computer generated midi format.  With the free Tabledit Tef viewer, you will be able to hear the tabs and standard musical notation exactly as it is written.  You can even slow the tempo of each song to play along with it as you are learning.  All chords are provided for you to also play the rhythm along with the lead.  In addition, lyrics to each song are provided.

The entire collection of songs is $35.00 (additional $1.00 charge if paying by paypal). That is approximately $2.91 per song. You can pay by personal check or Paypal.  Once authorized, you can download each song to your computer.  Instructions on how to download the Free Tef view program will also be provided.  In addition, any updates (including video or instructional audio files) that may be provided in the future will be accessible to you as well. Please contact Fretmentor via email for further ordering instructions.

We at First Quality Music and http://www.fretmentor.com/ wish you all in advance, a happy holiday and happy picking.

For additional information or ordering instructions, feel free to contact:

David Jakubiak

www.fretmentor.com

email:  david@ fretmentor.com

D’Addario has recently intoduced 3 new sets of strings to the Bluegrass market.  JS60 (Light gauge, 10-20) and JS57 (Medium gauge, 11-22) are Stainless Steel Wound Banjo Strings.  FW74 (11-36) is a Flat Wound Mandolin set.  The new banjo strings are already in stock and the mandolin strings are on order will be here tomorrow (10/14).

Order today and be the first one in your band to play the newest strings from D’Addario.

That’s right!  The Planet Waves Trio Capo for banjo and mandolin is now available at First Quality Music.   This capo is made of ultra-light aluminum so it adds virtually no weight to your instrument and the one-hand operation is smooth and easy to use.  Check it out today!

We’re proud to welcome another owner to the Sullivan Banjo family! Chris Hogue of Bargersville, IN picked up his Sullivan Vintage-35 banjo today in our retail showroom. This particular V-35 is a Mahogany model and is one of the first in the series we’ve produced.

To learn more about the Sullivan Vintage-35 Banjo, give us a call at (800) 635-2021 and be sure to check out the Sullivan Vintage-35 Story here.

Welcome back to another Vault Friday! Each Friday I’ll venture into the Vault with one of our instrument specialists to showcase some of the cool stuff we’ve got hidden away in there.

Inspired by Dave Matthews’ 914ce, the Dave Matthews Signature Model is an Indian rosewood/Sitka spruce Grand Auditorium. A custom fretboard inlay blends elements of the popular “Cindy” inlay, which graces Matthews’ 914ce, with a design that pays tribute to the band’s longtime sax player, LeRoi Moore, who passed away in 2008. Based on a sketch that Matthews provided, a crown inlay between the 11th and 12th frets honors Moore, incorporating ball-tipped points with one ball partially missing in his memory. A nickname of Moore’s within the band, “Grux,” is inlaid between the 13th and 18th frets. The headstock inlay also was developed from a sketch by Matthews. The guitar top was shaded with an aged toner to approximate the patina Matthews has on his older 914ce.

Each Dave Matthews Signature Model acoustic guitar comes with a custom guitar label and a certificate of authenticity, both personally signed by Matthews.

You can learn more about the Taylor 914ce Dave Matthews Signature Model by clicking here or by giving Corey a call at (800) 635-2021.

Welcome back to another Vault Friday! Each Friday I’ll venture into the Vault with one of our instrument specialists to showcase some of the cool stuff we’ve got hidden away in there.

The Gibson John Hiatt J45 features the sweet tone of the best pre-War Gibson flat-tops but is a top-flight performance machine for today’s professional singer-songwriter. Featuring Hiatt’s own specifications of solid Sitka spruce top with the lines of the J45 round-shouldered, the John Hiatt J45 has excellent projection and is comfortable to play. Additional features are solid mahogany back and sides, one-piece mahogany neck with modified V profile and 24 3/4 inch scale Madagascar rosewood fingerboard.

Upgraded details such as advanced, scalloped X bracing, the unparalleled Fishman Ellipse matrix blend and preamp system, a bone nut and Tusq saddle all work to ensure rich, resonant tones, either unplugged or fully amplified, while a hand-sprayed nitrocellulose Triple-Burst finish, multi-ply top binding, double-ring rosette, fire-stripe pickguard, mother-of-pearl dot inlays, and John Hiatt signature engraved truss-rod cover all declare that this is a rare and exclusive instrument.

Only 100 John Hiatt Model guitars will be produced by Gibson, and each one comes with a formfitting hardshell case with plush blue lining, an owner’s manual, and Gibson’s Gold Warranty.

You can learn more about the Gibson John Hiatt Signature J45 Acoustic Guitar by giving JC a call at (800) 635-2021 Ext. 7124