Jazz Guitar Today 2018 Holiday Gift Guide

It’s never too early to decide what gifts to give (and get) for holiday 2018! Check out a few of our top finds…

John McLaughlin and Jimmy Herring – Live in San Francisco

You had us at McLaughlin/Herring… but the Vinyl version of this album ($35) would be the perfect gift for anyone – of course, it’s a great gift on any platform.

Digital and CD versions available too ($12). VIEW

Contemporary Guitar Improvisation by Marc Silver

Disclosure… Marc is a Jazz Guitar Today contributor and this book on improvisation has been out since 1978 – but the simple truth: this book teaches some great techniques. A must for any player – and only $42 with the CD.

“Marc Silver’s book is for today’s guitar player searching for a way to approach contemporary improvisation. This work can be considered as a reference library for modern harmony and its application to improvised lines on the guitar.” — George Benson VIEW

Truefire Channel Premium Subscription

Frank Vignola – $10 per month

We’ve known the nice people at Truefire for years – and they are definitely one of the best resources for guitar instruction and lessons. The Premium Channel Subscription provides access to all of the videos, tabs, jam tracks, discussion feeds — all of the tools and everything published in the Frank Vignola channel. And if that special person didn’t get you anything… you can cancel at anytime! VIEW

Concert Tickets

Unlike many gifts, a ticket to special show is a gift that can provide a lasting memory. Obviously, we can’t list the shows for everyone – easiest thing is to go to the artist site or your favorite venue site. But here are a couple ideas to get you started:

• julianlage.com/tour/
• jonathankreisberg.com/tour/
• oznoy.com/shows/

Subscription to Spotify

Perfect for listening to Jazz Guitar Today’s Weekly Playlist. Only $10 per month (and they have special student discounts).

We should have our Apple version soon (TBA). VIEW

Guitars for Under the Tree

You can play, learn and enjoy jazz on any guitar – but here are a couple affordable guitars that caught our eye. You could always use one more.

Ibanez AF55 $329.99 

The bound, all-maple full hollowbody provides tight resonance without feedback, perfect for that muted jazz tone and fully flexible for everything from alt rock to pounding punk. The mahogany set neck with bound rosewood fretboard is a delight to the digits. VIEW

Epiphone 335 $379.99 

First introduced in the late ’50s, the ES series became an instant rock classic, bringing the feel and look of an archtop to a generation of players who had grown up playing solid body guitars like the Les Paul. The ES-335, the first in the ES series, was an instant success. VIEW