2024 Fret Zealot Holiday Gift Guide

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The holidays are coming up fast! Want to really “wow” the VIPs on your list? Get them what they’ve been dreaming about – the gifts to help them unlock their inner rock star.

Whether your giftee is a seasoned pro or a complete newbie, we have the presents to help them tap their highest potential.

All of these instruments come with Fret Zealot LEDs pre-installed, so they’re ready to play!

Shop Pay is available for all items in the Fret Zealot store!

Check out these limited-time deals to save big on the perfect gift!

 

For everyone on your list:

Fret Zealot All-Access Pass subscription

In-person guitar lessons are so 2023. Put hundreds of guitar courses, thousands of songs lessons, and hundreds of thousands of tabs at their fingertips with the Fret Zealot app. They can learn guitar the way they want – any time, any place.

For a limited time, get an Elmore pedal FREE with a Fret Zealot All-Access Pass subscription. Use code FZEL at checkout.

 

For the beginner:

Epiphone DR-100 

A classic dreadnought acoustic with a quality tone and build, the DR-100 is a perfect choice for any first-time guitar learner! Check out this review.

 

For the Paradise City dweller:

Epiphone Slash “AFD” Les Paul Special-II Performance Pack

The ultimate gift for the Slash fan in your life. This AFD Les Paul Special-II was designed by Slash himself, and this kit comes with a premium gig bag, signature guitar picks, and a Snakepit-15 practice amp – everything they need to rock out. Check out this review!


For the world traveler:

Traveler Travelcaster Deluxe

For the person on your list who’s always on the go – this full scale length electric travel guitar weighs only 5 lbs. 3 oz and is just 33.75″, making it perfect for the #VanLife traveler or the person who is always sending you postcards from the road. It comes with a padded gig pack with a pocket for their notebooks, tablets, and accessories!

 

For the hard rocker:

ESP LTD EC-256

The power chord expert in your life will love this solid body electric guitar with a rich, snappy tone, mahogany body, and push-pull coil tapping. It’s available in multiple colors, so you can pick the one that matches your rock star best! Check out this review.

 

For the vintage enthusiast:

Yamaha Revstar Element RSE20

This updated classic sounds as good as it looks. The body features curvy lines and classic aesthetics inspired by the British Café racer motorbikes, as well as two Yamaha Alnico V humbuckers for a wide tonal range. Check out this review!

 

For the country crooner:

Luna Vista Deer w/ Hard Case

This acoustic/electric guitar is a playable work of art that the Tim McGraw fan in your life will go crazy over. Its Grand Concert-sized body provides warmth, projection, and midrange punch – they’ll be playing it anywhere they can!

 

For the indie rocker:

Yamaha PAC112V Pacifica

With a lightweight body that’s ideal for jumping around on stage with and two Alnico V single-coil pickup for a variety of clean, rocking tones, the Pacifica is a great pick for your emerging indie artists. Check out this review.

 

For the singer/songwriter:

Yamaha A1M Dreadnought

For the person on your list who is always going to open mic nights – the Yamaha A1M Dreadnought will bring their songs to life. With a built-in traditional System 66 preamp, it sounds great for both live performance and recording. Check out this review!

 

For the bassist (or bass curious)

Yamaha BB234 Electric Bass Guitar

This bass guitar is great for first-time learners or guitar players looking to dip into the deep end of sound. It features a comfortable Yamaha body shape with a thinner profile, to make playing a breeze. Check out this review!

Famous guitarists who also play drums

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Lots of famous guitar players started out behind a drum kit. Playing multiple instruments is a great way to broaden your horizons when it comes to musicianship – it can make you approach guitar completely differently! 

Here are some famous guitarists who are just as good with a pair of sticks as they are with a six-string: 

 

Dave Grohl 

Thomson200, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl famously played drums in Nirvana (1990 to 1994). Before that, he provided the drums for punk rock band Scream. 

Grohl started playing guitar at age 12, and switched to drums in high school. He said he taught himself how to play drums by listening to Rush and punk rock. “When I got 2112 when I was eight years old, it f—ing changed the direction of my life,” he told RTTNews in 2013.  “I heard the drums. It made me want to become a drummer.”

In 1994, after Kurt Cobain’s death and Nirvana’s subsequent dissolution, Grohl recorded a 15-track demo, in which he recorded all of the instruments himself. He briefly played drums for Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, although he turned down an offer to join the band permanently. He also played drums with Pearl Jam a couple of time during this time period. 

The demo Grohl recorded was eventually remixed and released as The Foo Fighters’ debut album in 1995. He switched to lead vocals and guitar for Foo Fighters, but still plays drums on some Foo Fighter recordings. 

 

Frank Zappa 

Fotopersbureau De Boer, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Avant-garde musician and artist Frank Zappa’s first instrument was the drums. He learned the basics of drums in a summer school course at the age of 12, where the students practiced on wooden planks rather than kits. He joined his first band in high school as a drummer. 

 

Chris Cornell 

Shayne Kaye, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Legendary Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell took piano and guitar lessons as a kid, but started his professional career with Soundgarden on drums. The band had another drummer come in a year after their inception to allow Cornell to focus on vocals and rhythm guitar. 

 

Danielle Haim 

Kim Metso, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

One-third of the pop-rock band Haim, Danielle Haim is both a talented guitar player and a drummer. She plays drums for Haim (which is made up of Danielle and her sisters Este and Alana Haim) in the studio and for some songs during live performances. 

 

Wolfgang Van Halen 

Thomson200, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang Van Halen has gotten plenty of attention for his guitar playing, but he got his start behind a kit.  “It was the only thing my dad actually sat down to teach me. He sat me down at a table with a couple of magazines,” WVH told Yahoo! Entertainment in 2023.  “He had me play eighth notes with my right hand, or quarter notes, I guess.”

Famous musicians and their famous mentors

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For young artists trying to make it in the music industry, having a famous musician show them the ropes and help put them in the right places can be a huge advantage. Many successful musicians have “paid it forward” by taking new artists under their wing. 

Here are a few well-known examples of mentorship in the music industry: 

 

Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton 

 

Parton is actually Miley Cyrus’s godmother – the country superstar got close to the “Party in the U.S.A” singer’s father, Billy Rae Cyrus, in the 1990s. She has also acted as a mentor to Cyrus since her Disney channel days on “Hannah Montana”, appearing as “Aunt Dolly”. Parton provided guidance for Cyrus as she broke out as a solo artist, and the two have collaborated on multiple projects, including NBC’s “Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party in 2023, and a collaboration on Parton’s 2023 album Rockstar. 

 

Trent Reznor and David Bowie 

Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor toured with David Bowie in the 1990s. Bowie’s music had already been a huge influence on Reznor – especially albums like Scary Monsters. On tour, Bowie joined his protege for performances of “Hurt”, and also gave him advice on dealing with the pressures of fame. “There were a number of times where the two of us were alone, and he said some things that weren’t scolding, but pieces of wisdom that stuck with me: ‘You know, there is a better way here, and it doesn’t have to end in despair or in death, in the bottom,'” Reznor told Exclaim in 2016. 

 

Lizzo and Prince 

Many successful artists can call Prince their mentor – including Lizzo. The Purple One took a young Lizzo, who was performing in girl groups at the time, as his protege at his Paisley Park estate in Minnesota. The late icon was dedicated to help foster the careers of Black women creatives. “My relationship with Prince was like Charlie and we were the Angels,” she told David Letterman on his Netflix show. “It was kind of like that.”

 

Qunicy Jones and Ray Charles 

Ray Charles was only a couple of years older than a young Quincy Jones – but he was a big inspiration to the young man who would later become a music industry titan. Jones’ first collaboration with Ray Charles happened when he was just 14 and Charles was 16. “He was just an energetic young kid and he really loved music. You could tell that he wanted to learn, he wanted to know, Charles said of the mentorship. “And since I was able to show him some things, that made me happy, that’s what stirred my heart. I could help this kid.” Jones would go on to become a multi-talented musician, producer, and composer – a true music industry legend. 

 

Elton John and Lady Gaga 

aphrodite-in-nyc, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Sir Elton John has a long list of proteges in the music industry – among them, avant garde pop artist Lady Gaga. Gaga broke through the music industry on her own, but John quickly took her under his wing once she emerged – backing her performance at the 2009 GRAMMY Awards, the first one for Gaga. Gaga is also the godmother of John’s children with David Furnish.