The style of a guitar says a great deal about the personality of its owner. While guitars are a relatively common shape, their designs and looks are different. Selecting the perfect combination of quality sound, stunning design, streamline shape and outstanding functionality is a major task.

The hardest task is discovering a guitar that not only sounds great but feels right when it is played. Once the ideal guitar has been found, a number of alternations can be made to the axe so that it boasts excellent visual appeal. Some of the simpler customizations stem from the neck of the guitar. The guitar neck is able to be customized in a range of different ways. So long as the guitar’s play and action prove appropriate for your own playing style, the appearance can differ drastically between pieces.

Whether you desire a fretless guitar to play or wish for an unusual paint style, you will find that the number of variations is countless. One of the simplest parts to change on your guitar is the guitar neck plate. This part is a unique identifier on a guitar. It may mark a vintage style and make or signify a unique custom design. Custom made neck plates can often be manufactured at engraving stores. They will take your design and either etch it or print it onto your guitar neck plate. It is not difficult to imprint band names, graphics, quotes and slogans onto the plate.

Hence, it is easy to specific how you want the neck plate to look. Neck plates come in a range of different materials yet they are often composed from either gold or chrome. While gold and chrome are very different in appearance, both can be customized to suit your requirements. Some stores even offer to print an image onto the guitar neck. This image can even come from your personal camera. Many plates are standard in size, however some stores are able to tailor the plate to your own specifications.

To many, summer is the season to end all seasons, a time when worries seem to not exist. Sunny blue skies, warm summer weather, and very little to no rain make summer very enjoyable, especially when it is spent taking a dip in the pool, playing in the beach, or just hanging out with buddies. And many people enhance their summer experience by playing their favorite songs about summer on the radio, ipod, or even Crosley portable record players.

Most if not all people who enjoy the summer season have their own selection of summer songs. These songs are suited for summer because of the message and emotions their lyrics evoke. Almost all styles and genres of music have songs about summer, ranging from R&B, pop, hip-hop, pop-rock, and rock music. This means that whatever genre a person enjoys, come summer, there will always be a summer song available for them to enjoy.

The topics of summer songs vary greatly. Some sing about the activities done during the summer, like playing sports, or chilling out and enjoying a few drinks by the pool. Some songs are about the beauty that comes with summer, like white sand beaches, deep orange sunsets, clear blue skies, even little umbrella drinks.

But perhaps the most popular kind of summer songs are summer love songs. Singers and song writers all over get inspiration from summer, using both the physical and psychological effects of the season to enhance the emotion of love. Summer’s heat is usually equated to the fiery passion associated with a couple’s love for each other, or the warm fuzzy feeling when young kids experience their first kiss. Another very common theme for summer love songs is what’s called “summer love”, which is a romantic encounter lasting only during the summer. And, for the more mature crowd, are songs that sing about making summer even more sizzling.

Whether it be for enjoyment, relaxation, or romance, summer songs definitely make summer a much more enjoyable time of the year.

A Cajon Drum is a kind of a percussion musical instrument that existed in the eighteenth century or even earlier. Its origin can be traced from the slaves of Africa and Peru which makes it known worldwide as an Afro-Peruvian musical apparatus.

There is also a great possibility that the box-like drum came from the same type of musical instruments that were being used in Angola and Antilles earlier on. These may have been imitated by the Peruvian workers and slaves by using the materials they salvage from wooden crates and drawers.

Another theory on the origins of the drum dates back to when the Spaniards colonized the African territories and banned music. The African slaves notwithstanding the risks it would cause them kept these drums and played with them secretly. The Cajon’s were made to appear like chairs and pieces of furniture so as to conceal their true nature.

The Cajon Box Drum became very famous around 1850 and towards the end of that century. Musicians, particularly the Cajon players, started experimenting with the designs and features of the drum thereby causing different beats and sounds to come out of the instrument. The drum has greatly evolved since then.

This instrument is made up of wood. The front side which is called the head is made up of thin plywood. This is the part where the musician slaps the palm of his hand to make a musical sound. A hole is located on the back of the box in order to release the sound. The musical player sits on the drum and slaps the head of the Cajon situated between his legs.

Other modern versions of the Cajon Drum have features that can adjust the tones and timbres in order to produce a variety of sounds. The percussionist or drummer may also slap the sides of the box with his hands if he wants to create further sounds. These types of drums are now being widely used globally. It has been known for its versatility and style that not only percussionists are playing this instrument nowadays but other musicians as well.

A view from my 6th floor studio/apartment showing the bees that live outside my window.

Despite the huge amount of different instrument manufacturers in business today, most players settle on buying the same brands over and over again. There are a great number of really superb instruments which players won’t even consider, simply because they aren’t a mainstream brand. This article aims to change all that by reviewing a Sandberg bass guitar which really does hit all the right notes, the Panther Special.

I want to start off this review by stating that Sandberg basses are not cheap guitars, the majority of their models cost the best part of £1000 and aren’t intended for the casual player. However if you can look past the rather intimidating price tag you will begin to understand exactly why they cost what they do.

The Panther Special uses a blend of different exotic tonal woods. It’s body is made out of maple which is finished off with additional layers of maple and walnut. The Special features a walnut top and uses rosewood for the fretboard. Players who like their necks fast and small will find this bass really agrees with them, the thin neck makes the instrument incredibly comfortable to play and easy to move around on.

The Panther Special Sandberg bass combines its unique blend of tone woods with an incredibly elaborate electronics system to produce a sound which is unlike anything you will find on any other instrument. The guitar features dual power humbuckers; these work in combination with the in-built 3-band EQ to really perfect the tones. Players have the opportunity to use these pickups at the same time; this is great for light passages which require a cleaner and even tone. If you’re into your shrills and slaps then you will definitely make use of the EQ knob, this allows you to adjust the levels to extenuate your slaps.

Right, now here’s the bad news. The Panther Special retails at around £1300; this is a huge investment and bassists really need to be serious about their playing if they considering purchasing one. If you do decide to take the plunge you can rest assured that you’ve bought a completely unique instrument which has its own distinct sound, no other instrument provides the same quirky combination of tone woods and elaborate electronics that the Panther Special does. If you can’t quite meet the price tag of this model but are interested in a Sandberg bass, you may want to check out their basic ranges, these offer superb value for money and excellent tone.