I just visited my nephew in Nashville. He and his roommate are going for broke (literally) to make it in Music City. They have a lot of equipment, but mentioned that my nephew could really explore looping music live. He's a folk/Americana singer/songwriter accomplished on acoustic guitar, keyboards and box accordion. I want to buy him a Boomarang Phrase II. But have no idea if he needs other stuff to make it work. If I buy him a Boomerang, can he just start looping with it in live performances, or is there other gadgets he needs? tia
Loop stations are ****ing amazing. I used to have the low end boss one and it was really cool to jam to. I don't know too much about the higher end ones like this, but I think a loop is deff. in the right direction. Regarding extra gadgets, I don't think they would really need anything else, but one of the more experiences CFers might be able to tell you since the stakes are higher for live performances lol
And we discussed that. I didn't push it. I think I can read him pretty well about cash contributions. He's the type of guy who will appreciate one to research what he wants, and is not a big fan of straight out cash. Were you all about just cash as a 20-something? And I know he wants to start looping as a solo performer. That was made clear. I just need to research it more. So far, what I have heard from one musician I know who loops is the Boomerang Phrase III is not as user-friendly as the Phrase II. I'm grateful for his advice, but don't feel comfortable asking him a bunch of follow-up questions. So, seeking out cfnet advice.
You mentioned that he's a musician with a ton of equipment already, so I doubt that he'd need anything that he doesn't already have to make it work. Cables, microphones, audio interface and speakers, etc.
This. Or a gift card to a music store. Or a "voucher" for a loop pedal of his choice. As a musician, the last thing I want is somebody buying me something that not exactly what I want or need but feeling obligated to use it because it was a gift. Unless somebody asks and I tell them specifically what I want, I'd rather be given the money to buy it myself. The people in my life know to not buy me musical gifts. If I did my own research and wanted a Boss Loopstation, yeah I'd use the Boomerang and be appreciative, but I'd also be annoyed if it didn't work quite the way I wanted to. Musical gear is very personal stuff, and musicians really need to try things out and figure out what's going to work best for them. I wouldn't buy something without doing my research and trying it out (if possible), and I'm not going to trust somebody elses research either. Unless you know for sure what loop station he wants, I wouldn't just buy one for him.
This. I'm a guitarist and for me, a gift card to a music store is the perfect gift and for all the reasons stated above.
On second thought, I actually agree Cannonball and Axstar. A gift card to a music store is probably the best thing you can get him. For instance, I've been talking about getting a Neumann TLM102 mic for the past 3-4 months. Every time I talk music with friends I bring it up. But if I had a $700 Guitar Center gift card right now, I'd probably buy an Apogee Duet 2 audio interface and not the mic. There's always a piece of new gear or an upgrade that a musician wants, and our (or at least my) priorities for what's next up can change by the week. There's a website appropriately named for people like myself who suffer from gear addiction: www.gearslutz.com
Just like the previous posters, I'd have to say cannonball's suggestion makes the most sense. Giftcard to a guitarcenter or some other store.
Hey, I am GSlutz too! Got serious GAS rt now for Euro cRack Modular stuff, please someone stop me!! Get him an Octatrack for the mother of all loopers.
Ok. Now I don't know how to buy a gift card since I don't live in Nashville. National chains? Online gift card purchases?
The only thing you'd need is maybe an additional short guitar cable - 3 to 5 feet to insert it in your signal chain. If you're sure that's what he needs, that's it. He probably already has the cable, but an extra would never hurt.
There are Guitar Center's everywhere, including Nashville. They own a bunch of other music stores too (Music & Arts, Woodwiind & Brasswind) as well as major online retailers like Musician's Friend and Music 123. They have the largest inventory anywhere and it doesn't matter which retailer you order from, it all comes from the same place. 5 or 6 different websites, same inventory. So you can get him a gift card to Guitar Center and if they don't have what he wants in store, he can still use it on their website and have access to the largest inventory of music gear anywhere.
