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Stephen Arnold Music will be back at the PromaxBDA Conference and Station Summit in June to raffle off unique replica guitars—this time around a 1960s theme.
“Certainly the music of the ‘60s was pretty much the foundation,” said Arnold, an avid guitar collector, as he cited artists such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones; Eric Clapton and Grateful Dead.
“Most of your classics are from the ‘60s. It was probably the most creative era in music,” he said.
This year’s two giveaways feature replica guitars that were popular during that decade, and the events draw much of their inspiration from Woodstock. The idea stemmed from a private function Stephen Arnold Music did with a local station group—which means the company will be repurposing a big cardboard bus for the PromaxBDA conferences.
“Having that magic bus, that’s just really fun,” Arnold said. “I’m excited about the fact that we’re going to not only have guitars from that era, but this cool prop where people can grab their phones and take a picture.”
For the actual guitar raffles, at the PromaxBDA Conference a lucky winner will go home with a custom Gibson SG, hand-painted with bright colors, peace signs and other nods to the culture of that time. A similarly-painted custom Epiphone SG will be up for grabs at Station Summit, along with three other guitars that will be on display at the PromaxBDA Conference, then raffled off at Station Summit.
“These guitars are just iconic,” Arnold said. Here’s a more in-depth look of what will be raffled off.
The PromaxBDA Conference
Custom Gibson SG
The Gibson SG is arguably one of the most iconic guitars of the ‘60s. It was the choice of many famous artists including Peter Townsend of The Who, Jerry Garcia of Grateful Dead, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. This Gibson has been custom painted to reflect the psychedelic vibe of the time as it blossomed in popularity.
Station Summit
Fender “Jimi Hendrix” Stratocaster Edition
Being left handed, Jimi Hendrix always took his guitars and turned them upside down, which helped define his unique sound. In honor of his iconic 1969 Woodstock performance, Fender created the “Jimi Hendrix” Strat which features an upside down neck along with reverse mounted pickups to replicate his classic vintage tone.
Custom “Kaleidoscope” Flying V
The Flying V was created by Gibson as a response to the futuristic-looking Fender Stratocaster. In the ‘60s, it was a favorite for artists such as blues master Albert King, blues/rock pioneer Lonnie Mack and Ray Davies of The Kinks. This wild interpretation of the Flying V features a “kaleidoscope” paint job that demands attention—whether on stage, or just hanging on the wall.
Guild D40 Richie Havens Signature Edition
The acoustic Guild D40 became famous when Richie Havens, the opening at the famous Woodstock Festival, used one while performing “Freedom.” A little known fact was that Haven’s “Freedom” was made up on the spot to kill time while the promoters were trying to find the next band, Santana, lost in a traffic jam. But what makes this 2005 D40 so special is Richie Havens’ signature on the truss rod plate.
Custom Epiphone SG
In the late ‘50s Gibson purchased Epiphone as a way to expand production beyond the U.S. Like the Gibson SG at the PromaxBDA Conference, this Epiphone SG version has been custom painted for a psychedelic look.
Tags: promaxbda the conference 2018 station summit 2018 stephen arnold music