What's New?
We are constantly on the lookout for products that we think would be interesting to our customers. Here are some recent arrivals.
Fender '72 Reissue Thinline Semi-hollowbody Telecaster
Did you know that Fender makes a hollow-body Telecaster? The humbucker pickups and semi-hollow body give you a unique tone that's a cross between a Tele and a full hollowbody. This model has an ash body and maple neck.
We got our first one from Fender just a couple of months ago and can't keep them in stock - the first two sold within days of their arrival at The Minor Chord. We got our third one right before Christmas. Come in and check it out before this one is gone. (Jan 2012)
Fishman SA220 Solo Performance System
We like Fishman acoustic amps because they produce exceptionally clean sound at good power levels and at a reasonable price.
We are now carrying their SA220 Solo Performance System. This is the perfect gigging amp/PA for singer-songwriter artists. The SA220 has two mic/instrument channels with separate EQ, effects send, feedback-fighting notch filters and DI to feed the house system. Its 6x 4inch drivers are arranged in a compact vertical array to deliver a wide horizontal dispersion with very little vertical dispersion, meaning that your sound is heard clearly throughout the venue without wasting power.
The SA220 comes with a solid tripod stand that gets the vertical array off the floor and in the right position to project. It also comes with a convenient rolling case that holds both the integrated amp/speaker array and the stand. (Dec 2011)
Instrument Tree Ornaments
Looking for a fun gift for your favorite musician? We have instrument tree ornaments of all kinds - acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, banjos, drums, flutes, clarinets, oboes, saxophones, trumpets, trombones - even vocalist microphones and harmonicas! (Dec 2011)
Chime Bars by Treeworks
Last spring we started carrying an expanded line of hand drums and world percussion. Now we have added chime bars by Treeworks.
Treeworks chimes are proudly handmade in the USA at their workshop in Nashville, TN. These chimes are made from a special alloy and produce a cutting yet rich tone. We stock the chime bars in several lengths. (Dec 2011)
Christmas and Hanukkah Music
Our Christmas and Hanukkah music is in, and it's going fast. Don't be disappointed! Come in today and pick up your holiday music before it's gone.
And yes, we have vocal scores for Handel's Messiah. (Nov 2011)
Yamaha LJX16CP Acoustic/Electric SOLD!
The LJX16CP is a fantastic value for the performing musician who is looking for premium tone woods and lots of volume.
Solid rosewood back and sides, a solid Englemann spruce top, and a jumbo body size all contribute towards this guitar's nice full tone. SRT Series 63 electronics send all that sound to your amp or the house system.
This guitar is ready for the stage! (Nov 2011)
Fender Blues Jr tube amplifier
Fender tube amps are an icon of the electric guitar scene. We sell a lot of Fender's Blues Junior III model because it is compact, loud, affordable and delivers that genuine Fender tube sound. The folks at Fender just released a special limited edition of Blues Junior amps in a cool orange-red retro color. Come in and have a look! (Nov 2011)
C. F. Martin LXME (Used) SOLD!
The LXME is a very nice 1/2-size instrument, just right as a step-up guitar for the younger student (or a compact travel guitar for an adult). The built-in pickup gives you a useful plugged-in option.
We recently took this one in trade when a customer upgraded. It's only had one owner and is in like-new condition. (Nov 2011)
Handmade Shirts by Valtair Justino
The staff at The Minor Chord has fallen in love with these custom-made shirts by local graphic artist Valtair Justino. Each shirt is a handmade original with colorful raised designs that will withstand repeated washings.
We stock Valtair's shirts in youth and adult sizes. Because they are handmade originals, the available designs are always changing. Come in and check them out! (Oct 2011)
Fender American Standard Strat (Used) SOLD!
We recently took this instrument back when one of our customers traded up to a Fender American Deluxe Strat. It was originally sold at The Minor Chord, has had only one local owner, and is in fantastic condition. The whammy bar was never used (check out the factory sticker still covering the mounting hole) so you know the bridge springs haven't been stressed.
The previous owner installed black control knobs and back cover to get a different look, but he kept the original white hardware. We've replaced the originals - you can have the black hardware reinstalled if you prefer. (Oct 2011)
New Television Commercials
We recently filmed two new television commercials for the store. They're now running on the Comcast cable network in Littleton and surrounding towns. If you are not a Comcast subscriber, you can click here to watch them on YouTube.
Please tell us what you think next time you stop in. Our thanks to all the customers who allowed us to film them as part of this project! (Oct 2011)
Kala U-Bass
Kala has a huge hit on their hands with the U-Bass. This amazing instrument is the size of a baritone ukulele but with a sound more like an upright acoustic, thanks to special oversized synthetic strings and a piezo pickup. Plug it into a good acoustic amplifier, close your eyes, and you'll swear you're hearing an upright. Plug it into a bass amp and you get a distinctly U-Bass electric sound.
The U-Bass has been incredibly popular, and lead times have stretched out many months. Our first one was sold long before it arrived, and the second one sold within hours of its arrival.
The one pictured to the left, Kala's fretted spruce top model, has been on order since the spring and just arrived this week. We don't expect it to hang around very long. Come see this incredible little bass while it's here! (Oct 2011)
JangleBox
Oh no, another guitar effects box...
That's what we thought when a customer came in a while ago to show us his JangleBox. But wow, were we impressed!
This little box faithfully recreates the 1960's chime guitar sound made popular by the Beatles and the Byrds. Gary, our classic rock guru, loves the thing. Come in and ask him to demonstrate it. Or check it out online at the manufacturer's web site. (Aug 2011)
Band Instruments
The instrument you choose for your beginning band student is a very important element of their musical education. The last thing a beginning student needs is an instrument that adds its own challenges and frustrations to the process of becoming a musician.
To address this need, The Minor Chord is pleased to present the Hunter line of student band instruments that meet the demands of the beginning student and their instructors while still delivering great value.
These instruments offer a sensible alternative to used instruments (which often need significant repair work to be playable) and rental programs (where a year's rental fees often approach the cost of owning one of our new instruments). (Aug 2011)
Fender® 2010 FSR SOLD
Limited Edition Ebony Strat®
Here's another special instrument we recently took in trade. Only 150 of these Ebony Strats were made as part of the Fender 2010 Ebony and Ivory series. In keeping with the Ebony theme, everything on this instrument is black: Body, pick guard, even the headstock. The neckplate announces its Limited Edition status.
In terms of construction, this is a Made-in-the-USA American Standard Strat. Three single coil pickups and stock American Standard maple and rosewood neck. (Jul 2011)
Taylor Doyle Dykes Deluxe DDX
This must be Glossy Black Guitar Month!
On the electric side, we recently took the Ebony Strat (above) in trade. Then we got this Doyle Dykes Deluxe DDX from Taylor. What a beautiful instrument - and it plays like a dream! See the full description on our Taylor Guitars page. (Jul 2011)
KORG Digital Pianos
We are now carrying KORG digital pianos in addition to the Yamaha instruments we have sold for many years.
One KORG instrument that has particularly impressed us is the SV-1 Stage Vintage piano. This is a road-worthy keyboard with 88 keys, an excellent weighted action, and a world-class set of sampled piano patches. Genuine tube circuitry and a full complement of effects and filters add a unique vintage character to its sound.
Come see our expanded keyboard department and try the new KORG digital pianos for yourself. (May 2011)
Fishman "Platinum" Instrument Preamps
Playing live often means providing a direct feed to the house sound system, which can present a number of problems to the unprepared player. Unless your amplifier has a "direct injection" (DI) capability you will need an outboard DI box to generate the balanced low-impedance XLR connection required by the sound engineer. (A simple cable will not work for this!) But most common DI boxes do not provide any EQ or compression, which means you completely lose control of how you sound in the house system.
Fishman has an answer with their Platinum standalone preamps. These solid little boxes provide level boost for passive pickups, adjustable EQ and compression, a DI feed for house systems, and 1/4 inch outputs for your stage monitor amp and tuner. The units are powered either by an on-board 9-volt battery or phantom power from the house sound board.
We stock two versions of the Platinum preamp, one each for guitar and electric bass. Each version is tailored to the EQ and compression requirements of its respective instrument class. (May 2011)
Brass Mutes by Denis Wick
A brass player looks for several things in a mute. First and foremost, the mute should produce the proper sound: A straight mute should be crisp and project well; a cup mute should be mellow but still with character; and a Harmon-style (sliding tube) mute should be edgy and expressive.
On the other hand, a good mute will avoid unwanted side effects such as stuffiness, boomy resonances in the low register, and poor intonation.
We are now carrying trumpet and trombone mutes by Denis Wick. These are professional-grade mutes that play easily, produce exceptional tone and have none of the annoying faults of a beginner's stone-lined mute. As an extra bonus, the space between the cup and the instrument bell on Denis Wick cup mutes is easily adjustable so you can get the tone and volume you need for each playing situation.
These mutes will make a big difference in your sound, especially in solo work or small ensembles such as jazz bands. (Apr 2011)
Meinl World Percussion
World percussion has become hugely popular. Just in our own area we know of several community drum groups playing African drum music. We have also realized that the Brazilian community has no convenient source for the traditional instruments of the samba bateria.
We are very pleased to announce that we are now carrying an extensive line of instruments from Meinl - one of the most respected names in world percussion - including instruments from the African, Brazilian, and Latin musical cultures.
We have djembes - shakeres - congas - bongos - maracas - cajons - claves - surdos - tamborims - caixas - cuicas - afuxes - caixixis - agogo bells - samba whistles - tambourines - shakers of all types - cowbells - and more! (Apr 2011)
Acoustic Image CODA R Series III Acoustic Amp
We think Acoustic Image amps are the ultimate in acoustic amplifiers. We are now stocking their CODA R Series III amplifier, an all-around acoustic amp that is great for acoustic guitars, hollow-body electrics, keyboards, electric violins, acoustic basses, and even electric basses if you are looking for more of an acoustic sound.
Hardly bigger than a practice amp, this amazing unit packs a full 400 watts of unbelievably clean sound. Having that power in reserve means unlimited headroom and faithful reproduction of transients at all volume levels. The 10-inch woofer fires downward, spreading the bass register in all directions and filling the room with an acoustic presence you won't get from many other amplifiers. All this in a small, lightweight and easily portable cabinet.
Features include two channels, each with 1/4 inch and XLR inputs, separate EQ controls and separate effects send and return jacks; a selection of reverb models; roll-off and notch filters to compensate for venue resonances; and a built-in post-effects Direct Injection (DI) output for recording or feeding house systems. (Feb 2011)
Hearos Hearing Protectors
We all know that loud music can permanently damage our ears, and we all know that we musicians should wear hearing protectors much more often than we do. The problem is that ordinary earplugs muffle the sound as well as reduce its loudness. For a musician, that can affect the quality of our performance.
Hearo hearing protectors preserve the clarity of the sound while reducing harmful sound pressure levels. They are available in three different degrees of loudness reduction suitable for music styles ranging from classical brass quartets to heavy metal. (Feb 2011)
VOX Mini3 Practice Amp
These popular little amps actually arrived in our store a few months ago, but they still deserve a mention. The VOX Mini3 is a modeling amplifier, which means it is a chameleon that can pretend to be eleven different amplifiers ranging from hi-gain to sparkling clean. It even has a non-distorting acoustic setting for keyboards and acoustic guitars. Other features include microphone and AUX channels (so you can play along with your MP3 player), as well as a rich assortment of effects. You can control the loop time of the delay effect simply by tapping the Mini3's control button to match the tempo of your performance.
The Mini3 runs on both AC and battery power, which means you can take it anywhere. It even includes a built-in tuner. And the price is super-affordable! (Feb 2011)
Kala Brand Ukuleles
Ukuleles are very popular these days, and a number of customers have asked us to carry a broader selection of ukes. We have responded by stocking the Kala Brand line. These ukuleles are constructed like fine guitars - many models have true solid-wood construction and all have remarkably rich tone. Come on in to see the ukuleles and the cute eight foot tall plywood palm tree the Kala people sent us to display them on!
We are particularly fond of their Travel Ukulele, a tiny matchbox of an instrument with an incredibly full sound. The solid wood top and arched back undoubtedly contribute to that impressive performance. (Jan 2011)
Fender®
Vintage 1976 Stratocaster® SOLD!
We don't usually buy or sell used instruments, but every once in a while we come across a really special item. This 1976 Fender Stratocaster is in great shape and, as far as we can tell, all original. Notice the deeply contoured back - more defined than in a modern Strat - making this instrument especially comfortable to play. (Jan 2011)
Oasis™ Digital Hygrometer
Solid wood acoustic guitars are very sensitive to humidity. The winter months in New England are particularly difficult, with indoor heating creating dry air that can irreparably crack the thin top of a fine instrument. We have sold the excellent Oasis humidifiers for several years. At our customers' request, we now also carry Oasis digital hygrometers. These instruments accurately measure the humidity around your guitar so you can be sure the humidifier is doing its job and your valuable instrument is safe from damage.(Jan 2011)
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222 Great Road
Littleton, MA 01460
Phone: 1-978-486-0112© 2011 The Minor Chord. All rights reserved.
