You Weren’t There

A guy I know who plays in The Debauchers, a lo-fi, post punk band in Chicago turned me onto this very cool independent film, You Weren’t There. This film is a history of Chicago punk rock, circa 1977-1984.

What’s funny and ironic is that in 1977, I was a hard-rock and heavy metal fan and didn’t understand punk rock music.  At the time, my playlist consisted of Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Nazareth, UFO and Pink Floyd.  The ironic part is that some of the people in this film talk about Chicago suburbanites–the people that hated the punkers–and I’d put myself in that category.  The thing is, I was a 90 lb weakling heavy metal fan and not a cigarettes smoking, IROC driving heavy metal fan.

Anyways, I recommend this movie for both its entertainment value as well as its historical relevance.

Some of these punkers were playing some inexpensive electric guitars back in the 70s.    There weren’t a ton of guitar effect pedals back then but I do hear some cool fuzz or distortion tones coming from those records.

Win This Pedal

Fat Tone Guitars has been known to give away free stuff including guitar effects pedals.  In June, when Moog Music asked us to participate in one of their giveaways, we said sure.  Moog Music is giving away a Moogerfooger effect pedal each week through August 22nd.  Only one winner per week and the giveaway is throughout the USA.

Last week, one of Fat Tone Guitars’ customers won the contest and walked away with a brand new Moog MF-102 Ring Modulator Moogerfooger.

Keep in mind that dozens if not hundreds of Moog dealers across the USA are participating in this giveaway including lots of huge stores.  The fact that our customer won says a lot for the quality of our customer base and the fact that a smaller dealer can have a big impact.

Congrats to Andrew Jung.  Have fun with your Ring Mod.

Andrew Jung with his brand new Moog Ring Mod

Pre-Owned Gear

It always makes me laugh when I see a used car commercial on TV where the dealer refers to their used inventory as “Certified Pre-Owned”.  Like we need them to guarantee that someone has owned the car before.  Can’t the customer tell from the miles on the odometer?

But I digress.

In this crappy economic climate we’ve all been subjected to these last 24 months or so, one thing that stands out to me as both a guitar store owner and a musician, is what a super value used gear can be.  Unlike cars or large household appliances, a manufacturers warranty isn’t as important for a guitar.  When one needs work done on a guitar, one goes to their “guitar tech” or their favorite setup guy.

This supports my point that used guitar gear is that much more of a value.  Why not save some $ when getting that new guitar, amp or effect pedal.

This brings me to my second point that Fat Tone Guitars is expanding its Used and Pre-Owned gear inventory.  That’s right.  We’ve got more cool stuff in stock now at great prices.  And we’ll be constantly getting more stuff.  And almost all of our used stuff is in great shape as the original owners seem to really care about their gear.

Check out our used inventory here. And if you are interested in trading in the gear in your closet–or just want Fat Tone to sell your gear for you–just drop us a line.  We’re here to help.

Used Goodsell Super 17 Amp Head at Fat Tone Guitars

Used Eastwood Savannah Guitar at Fat Tone Guitars