The FJ's 2010 Holiday Gift Guide

Need some gift suggestions for the guitarists in your life? The Fretboard Journal is at your service! Here's our first-ever take on a holiday gift guide, with items ranging from most expensive to least expensive. Happy holidays!

Tony Klassen Senorita Guitar - $4,675.00
After seeing John Fahey play one, a lot of us have lusted after the impossibly rare Bacon & Day Senorita guitar. Well, now Tony Klassen of New Era Guitars has busted out the rhinestones and created his own take on the guitar. It’s stunning.  Base model comes with cocobolo back and sides and an Adirondack top. [Editor’s note: We take no responsibility if you get beat up playing honky tonks with this guitar.] Contact Tony Klassen via this link to order one.

Bruce Springsteen, The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story - $71.94
We can’t add much to what has already been written about this wonderful boxed set featuring a remastered Darkness on the Edge of Town and plenty of outtakes, but if you’re reading the FJ, we think you’ll probably enjoy it. Three CDs and DVDs of great music and, our favorite touch, an 80-page insert featuring fascimiles of Springsteen’s old notebooks.

A Fretboard Journal Gift Subscription - $40.00
One of the few gifts that appeals to both acoustic and electric players, residents of both red and blue states, lefties and righties. You'll be giving your recipient the nicest magazine around and, since we're quarterly, they'll be reminded four times each year how much you like them. ‘Nuff said!

Lakota Leathers Straps - $30.00 and up
Lakota Leathers is a small company dedicated to giving work to families on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota (one of the poorest counties in the country). Each strap is made by a member of the Lakota Sioux tribe from their home. These bison and elk hide straps come in various shapes and sizes (for a variety of instruments). A good cause and a good strap.

Case Notes - $29.95
Don’t we all wish we knew the past histories of our vintage instruments? Well, you can finally start documenting it for future generations. Case Notes is a diary that accompanies your instrument for the rest of its life. It’s small enough to fit in most guitar cases and you can fill in whatever data you wish (purchase price, repairs, history, even string changes). Neat idea.

Martin Kelly, Paul Kelly & Terry Foster, Fender: The Golden Age 1946-1970 - $19.79
Fender: The Golden Age covers one of America's most enduring guitar brands with equal parts drool-worthy photography and scholarly research. Whether you're a Blackguard purist or just love reading about guitar history, you'll undoubtedly learn someting new from this book. 

Keith Richards, Life - $16.18
Keef continues to be one of the greatest success stories of rock & roll (and modern medicine). Here, over some 500 pages, you can read about plenty of tawdry stuff, but you can also get insights into the impact Chuck Berry, T-Bone Walker and Jimmy Reed had on Richard's technique. It's may not be high literature but it sure makes for fun holiday reading.

The Ukulele Occasional, Vol. 2 - $15.95
While cleaning out the proverbial Fretboard Journal attic we stumbled upon a couple of unopened boxes of the magazine that started it all ... the Ukulele Occasional. Nearly 10 years ago, FJ founders Michael and Jason collaborated on this  project: a 'zine devoted entirely to ukuleles. Only two issues were published but both are full of luthier interviews, artist profiles and photos of rare ukuleles. Volume Two features profiles on uke virtuoso Herb Ohta, actor William H Macy, luthier Duane Heilman (Black Bear Ukulele) and Dale Web (Fluke/Flea). Also articles on harp ukuleles, Augusto Diaz and more.

Snark Clip-On Tuner - $10.27
We’ve been playing with this dirt cheap, colorful little clip-on tuner over the last few weeks and so far have no complaints. The readout (think: tachometer on a sports car) is easy to see and completely rotates and the accuracy is there; you can even switch between tuning by vibration and tuning using the internal microphone. Great stocking stuffer.

John Pearse Django Buttons/Picks  - $2.00
The rumor goes that Django Reinhardt would play using a button from his trousers so I suppose it was only a matter of time until someone marketed a pick that's essentially a button. A nice alternative to the pricey picks that most Django-philes embrace. 

Have any more suggestions for great gift ideas? Drop us a line and we'll add the good ones to this list!

[Note: This list was curated entirely by our editors and readers based on what they liked. We have not received any advertising or endoresement dollars from any of these companies. We just like pointing you to the good stuff. ]