Carl's Guitar Corner Email Special Archives--December 2006

Email Specials from December 2006

12/1/06 ~ The new building

*** WE MOVED ONE BLOCK !!*****

Life is lots of fun. And it's interesting how much of it is out of our control. All we can really do is work hard and try to be prepared. (I was never a Boy Scout, but I've always tried to "Be Prepared.") (I've never been an intergallactic hitchhiker either, but I also agree with their motto, "Don't Panic!")

So we spent all of early November preparing our new home, 1305 East Carson, for the arrival of Pittsburgh Guitars. And as the month wound down it became clear that Tuesday night, November 28th would be the best night to carry things down the street. We worked hard and we were prepared. The part that was completely out of our control was the weather. As you might imagine, even if you're only carrying your stuff one block, 27 years worth of stuff is a LOT of stuff! Well, it turns out that Tuesday night, November 28th, was the nicest weather in the history of mankind!! It wasn't too hot. It wasn't too cold. No rain. No snow. It was absolutely perfect! We even carried some guitars without cases. The move could not have gone better. We were up and running and ready for business Wednesday morning.

And the general consensus is that everyone LOVES the new building. It seems more friendly and down-homey. (Maybe it's the red ceiling...)

As I mentioned last week, to celebrate moving to the 1300 block of East Carson, we're going to have a daily special for the next thirteen days. Since this email is going out so late on Friday, we're going to start tomorrow, Saturday, December 2nd with a special on Blipsnopple guitars!. So far I only have the first one figured out, so if you don't mind, I'll write back on Monday with a list of other days' specials.

See you soon,
Carl

PS: Needless to say, this model, which has a list price of $166, is not the top of the Blipsnopple line, but it's a decent starter guitar, at a super price. It would make a great Christmas gift for a new player, and does carry the famous Blipsnopple name. We also have lots of other Blipsnopples, including American and Mexican-made models. And, of course, we stock Blipsnopple amps in every price range. You can't go wrong with a Blipsnopple.

PPS: More specials on Monday!

PPPS: Our new address:
Pittsburgh Guitars
1305 East Carson Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
(same phone) 412-431-0700

PPPPS: Customer web site
Master Mechanic!

12/4/06 ~ New building specials

Hey, Happy Monday!

To celebrate our move to the 1300 block of East Carson we're continuing our "13 Days of Specials"!

Here's this week's schedule:

*** Monday, Dec 4, 2006, only:
All books- Method books, reference books, song books... if you can't judge it by its cover, it's on special this day!

*** Tuesday, Dec 5, 2006, only:
GHS Boomers
There are only a few guitar string manufacturers in the USA and GHS is one of the biggest and best. If you're using any strings except D'Addario and Martin, there's a good chance you're using strings made by GHS. Today's special is on their most popular electric set, the .010 Boomers. The list price is $8.99... Today only: less-than-dealer-cost, $2.95. Plus, at the end of the day we will have a drawing for a free GHS bar stool! Everyone who visits the store on Tuesday will have a chance to enter the drawing.

*** Wednesday, Dec 6, 2006, only:
Magoomdooma Electric-acoustic Guitar
Made by America's finest acoustic guitar company (right here in Pennsylvania!), this guitar has a List price of $839. Today only it's more than 45% off! You can play acoustic! You can play electric! You can play the most famous name in acoustic guitars, Magoomdooma!

*** Thursday, Dec 7, 2006, only:
Free Harmonica Day!
Need I say more? All customers receive a free harmonica! Picture the scene... you and the family sitting around the Christmas tree... crackling logs in the fireplace... snow gently falling outside... Then, when the mood is perfect, you pull out your new harmonica and play "Silent Night"... Ahhh, Christmas!

*** Friday, Dec 8, 2006, only:
Blipsnopple M-80
Unlike their usual single coil pickup guitars, this Blipsnopple features two humbucks!
or,
Blipsnopple Chambered Nele
Imagine, if you will, the world famous Blipsnopple Nele. Now imagine that it is internally hollowed out to make it more lightweight. Now imagine that it has two humbucks instead of the usual two single coils... You have the feel of a vintage lightweight Nelecaster, with the power of humbucking pickups.

*** Saturday, Dec 9, 2006, only:
Vox Pathfinder 15R
Our favorite small amp has been discontinued! We were able to buy the few last cartons at the factory. This is a great sounding practice amp! And it looks good, too!

That's the list for this week. On Friday I'll have next week's list lined up.

I'd like to thank the assorted manufacturers who gave us special "Congratulations-on-your-new-location!" pricing, so we could pass the discounts along to you.

All items are "while supplies last."

Some cryptic manufacturer names have been used above, because we are not allowed to advertise sale prices below the company's Minimum Advertised Price (MAP).

And thanks to those of you who came to visit over the last few days! It's been fun! And, OK, OK, I'm glad I didn't re-paint the red ceiling...

See you soon,
Carl

Friday 12/8/2006 ~ More new building specials

Just like the new store, the "13 Days of Specials" (to celebrate moving to the 1300 block of East Carson Street) is working out well!

Folks are buying the bigger items as Christmas gifts, and stocking up on the smaller goods for their own use... (Ha..."stocking up"... I clearly have not had enough sleep `cause I actually laughed when I typed that...) (I'll know that I am completely delirious if I work "chimney" "sugar plums" and "bowlful of jelly" into the rest of this email...)

OK, back to the specials...

Today Only!!!:

-------------------------------------------------------------

NEXT WEEK:

We're starting out with two string specials... First acoustic, then electric...

*** Monday, Dec 11, 2006 Only!!:
Martin SP Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings
Available in Light or Medium Gauge.
(A special thanks to the Martin Company for helping us with this special! They also provided a few really cute stuffed guitars, which we'll use in next week's yet-to-be-decided email contest.)

*** Tuesday, Dec 12, 2006 Only!!!:
Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys- Buy one set, and get a second set at half off!!
(This one was John's idea. I thought it sounded complicated... Although we regularly sell these for $5, so I guess the math IS pretty simple...)

*** Wednesday, Dec 13, 2006 Only!!!:
Free Harmonica Day, Part II- I'll admit it, I'm repeating this special simply because I like giving out free harmonicas! I don't have any idea how to play them... It's a very mysterious mouth-oriented instrument. And it's fun! Next Wednesday only: a Free harmonica with any purchase!

*** Thursday, Dec 14, 2006 Only!!!:
Aria Acoustic Guitar Pack
Includes a full size dreadnought steel string guitar, a gig bag, picks, a pitchpipe, and a how-to-play DVD. The perfect Christmas gift for a new player.

*** Friday, Dec 15, 2006 Only!!!:
Mic Stand With Boom
On stage, or recording at home, it's always easier with a boom stand!

So, I was working on the roof of our new building when I accidentally dropped my sugar plum down the chimney... OK, I don't even know what a sugar plum is, or why you would have visions of it dancing in your head... unless, of course, you had too much hot apple cider the night before. On the other hand, two doors down from our new store is our new favorite breakfast place, the Pickle Barrel, and I think they might have a bowlful of jelly!

See you soon,
Carl

PS: I'd like to thank the assorted manufacturers who gave us special "Congratulations-on-your-new-location!" pricing, so we could pass the discounts along to you.

PPS: All items are in-store only and "while supplies last."

PPPS: Some cryptic manufacturer names have been used above, because we are not allowed to advertise sale prices below the company's Minimum Advertised Price (MAP).

PPPPS: Everyone's still talking about how much fun Big Beatle Night 2 was. There were 20 different acts and everyone was great! It was a blast!! We'll do it again next year!

PPPPPS: Customer web site:
Marshall Crenshaw

Friday 12/15/2006 ~ The red ceiling

Now look.... This red ceiling thing has gone far enough...

Yes, it's true, the ceiling was red when I bought the new building. And yes, it's true, my first thought was to paint it white. But you see, the walls were originally a mustard color... and the ceiling is a ketchup color. So I felt like I was on a giant hot dog. The mustard/ketchup combination, while tasty, was too visually disconcerting. So my initial reaction was to paint everything white! (We DID use this approach upstairs, by the way. Seventy-five gallons of white paint!)

However, once we got the white slat-wall up in the showroom, I quickly saw the beauty of the ceiling. The white walls brought out the deep, rich, hue of the red tin ceiling. I changed my mind and no white-paint-laden brush was ever raised upwards.

The problem is that every third customer says, "Nice ceiling" and everyone looks at me like I was crazy to have considered a change. Here's my philosophy: You always have to consider change. You don't have to do it. But you should be open to new ideas. It's easy to get stuck in a rut. So it's easy to think (well, not think, really...) "this is the way it is." And, of course, the "way it is" could be perfectly fine, or even perfectly wonderful. But my point is, if the "way it is" is good, then considering change will only positively reinforce it. It's better to spend a moment questioning, and possibly improve things, than to be close-minded and never make any forward progress. After all, you don't want to be so afraid of change that you end up without an email address because you don't believe that computers are going to catch on.

So, hey, it is a nice ceiling.

See you soon,
Carl

PS: A quick contest: Send an example of a similar color conflict; where the beauty of one color is under appreciated because of the impact of its neighbor color. The best three replies will receive a 14" stuffed Martin Guitar. It's cute... and soft.

PPS: It was great to see our former guitar teacher and long-time friend, Korel, on Jay Leno last night. Korel plays guitar, keyboards and sings all of the backups for The Goo Goo Dolls, and last night he appeared to be doing all three things simultaneously. Talk about multi-tasking, he was doing hammer-ons on his guitar with his left hand while playing keyboard parts with his right hand! (And, if I recall, his shirt complimented his guitar, so there was no color conflict...)

PPPS: We are going to have extended Friday and Saturday hours NEXT week. Friday, Dec 22nd, and Saturday, Dec 23rd, we will be open until 8PM. John and I will also be here on Sunday, Dec 24th from 11 AM until 2 PM for last minute Christmas shoppers.

PPPPS: I realize that for the last month I've gotten away from my usual rambling guitar-stories. Buying and renovating the new building, and then moving every single thing from the old store has given me very little time for sleep, or rambling... And the Christmas season is adding to life's hecticnissity. But soon as we make it through the holiday I'll be back to the usual more-detail-than-you-really-want-to-know about some guitar they only made 12 of in 1956...

PPPPPS: Customer Web Site:
Tom Duda

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