As always, you can get these updates everyday on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GearGiveaway365 or follow us on Twitter, at www.twitter.com/GearGiveaway365. You can also subscribe to our giveaway email alerts to get a weekly email with this summary of links by subscribing here.

In case you’re not checking us out on Twitter or Facebook, here’s our weekly round-up of giveaways:

• Ampeg is proudly celebrating 60 years of delivering professional, road-worthy bass amps by giving away a Micro-VR Bass Head & SVT-210AV Bass Cabinet. If you own an Ampeg, shoot a photo or video for a chance to win this killer setup. Enter Here
• Win a wine red Les Paul Studio electric guitar and pair of tickets to the Les Paul Tribute Concert in Nashville. Ten runners-up will receive two tickets to the Tribute Concert. Enter Here
• Win a free copy of IK Multimedia AmpliTube Fender plug-in by registering for an account at MyLocalMusicNow.com and blogging about any piece of gear. Enter Here
• Win a BOSS DS-1 Distortion pedal autographed by Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro plus $1,000 in additional BOSS gear. Enter Here
• Win a Yamaha NP-30 portable digital piano signed by Sarah McLachlan!You’ll just need to answer three trivia questions, but you don’t need to answer them correctly to enter. Enter Here
• Win an Epiphone Special Model II electric guitar signed by major rock band, Three Days Grace. Enter Here
• Win a $1,300 Sullivan Jam Series Bluegrass Maple Banjo from Banjo Hangout. Enter Here

You can still enter many of the past weeks’ giveaways, so make sure to check out the GearGiveawy365 Archives.

Good news…Musicians Friend will pick up the shipping tab for the rest of November 2009 on those oversized items. Just use the coupon code below.

Coupon Code: BIGG
Expires: November 30, 2009
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

As always, you can get these updates everyday on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GearGiveaway365 or follow us on Twitter, at www.twitter.com/GearGiveaway365. You can also subscribe to our giveaway email alerts to get a weekly email with this summary of links by subscribing here.

Here are the seven gear giveaways from the last week:

• Acoustic Guitar and Amp Giveaway! Win an Ultrasound Amplifier & Dean Markley Guitar Setup (plus strings and accessories) worth $5,532 from Acoustic Guitar Magazine. Enter Here
• Win An Epiphone Inspired by 1964 Texan, The Complete Tim McGraw CD Catalogue Including
  His Latest Album Southern Voice, Plus McGraw Southern Blend Cologne! Enter Here
• Big guitar giveaway at gear-vault.com. Dean Vendetta Electric Guitar plus MXR & Electro Harmonix pedals, strings, shirts, & more. Enter Here
• Win a trip to the 2010 Rose Bowl (airfare & hotel included!), a tour of the Remo drumheads factory, and a bunch of drumheads. Total value: $3,500! Enter Here
• Nirvana Name that Riff Contest! Enter now for a chance to win a Fender Classic Player Jaguar Special HH. Runners up will receive a Nirvana T-Shirt. Enter Here
• Win an Epiphone El Capitan Acoustic-Electric Bass Guitar from Gibson and Enanitos Verdes! Enter Here
• Guitar Hero 5 / Beastie Boys Reissue Prize Pack. One Grand Prize winner will receive a copy of Guitar Hero 5 (for SONY PlayStation 3), a Signed Copy of the Beastie Boys’ “Ill Communication” Vinyl, a B-Boys T-Shirt, and copies of “Hello Nasty”, “Paul’s Boutique”, “Check Your Head”, and “Ill Communication” all on CD. Enter Here

Discount #1: 15% Off Outlet Clothing, Hats, and Footwear at Music123.com
Coupon Code: CLOTHES1
Expires: November 4, 2009
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

Discount #2: 20% off Accessories in Outlet Store at Music123.com
Coupon Code: ACCOUT
Expires: November 4, 2009
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

Just in case you missed it, you can become a fan of our page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GearGiveaway365 or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GearGiveaway365. If you prefer checking back on GearPipe.com, just stop by on Saturdays for a weekly round-up of links.

Here are the seven gear giveaways from the last week:

• Enter to win a Gibson SG electric guitar signed by Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother from FUEL.TV Enter Here
• Enter to win an ESP HEX-7 Seven-String Electric Guitar from Behemoth frontman Nergal! Enter Here
• Win a signed Ibanez Mick Thomson MTM1 Signature Guitar & 10 sets of Seymour Duncan Blackouts pickups, also signed by Mick. Enter Here
• Win a Native Instruments Maschine Groove Production Studio & Audio Kontrol 1 Interface. Total value just under $1,000. Enter Here
• Win a $500 gift certificate from Carvin.com toward any Carvin merchandise of your choice! This includes guitars & bass guitars, amplifiers, pro audio systems, and accessories. Enter Here
• Win a sweet Paul Reed Smith electric guitar, signed by members of Like A Storm! Enter Here
• Win a G&L Comanche electric guitar, a bunch of BBE guitar effects, and a 58″ Panasonic HDTV! Enter Here

This coupon code is good for just over a week, expiring on November 1, 2009

Coupon Code: ROCKTOBER
Expires: November 1, 2009
Get It: Click Here To Redeem This Coupon Code

Discount #1: 15% off Guitar Accessories at Music123.com
Coupon Code: GUITAR1
Expires: October 28, 2009
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

Discount #2: Free Shipping on all Amps at Music123.com (orders shipped to the Continental U.S. only)
Coupon Code: SHIPAMPS
Expires: October 28, 2009
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

In the world of the Internet, a lot changes in two years. A few other sites have popped up that only post gear giveaways. Manufacturers are launching more and more contests (so many that I could only write about a fraction). And social networking sites have become more and more a part of our everyday lives.

So, I’ve decided to throw a little wrinkle in the way I post giveaways. From now on, I’m going to post one giveaway per day, everyday, on Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. If you want to follow this feed on Twitter or become a fan of this page on Facebook, you’ll see these giveaways each day, without doing any extra work. On MySpace, the giveaways will be my status update each day. Then just click on the links and enter.

If you’re one of the few people who are not on Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace there are still ways you can stay up-to-date. Each Saturday I’ll post a summary of the week’s giveaways here on GearPipe.com. This will include links to all seven contests. Also, I’ve added a Facebook widget to the right sidebar of the site, which contains all of the links.

Here’s how you can connect to this new feature:

• Become a fan of the Musical Instruments Giveaways Facebook page. You can find it here.
• Follow the @GearGiveaway365 feed on Twitter. If you’re already following my @GearPipe feed, I’ll be retweeting the giveaways each day, so you’re good.
• I wasn’t sure if anyone is still on MySpace, but since the MySpace Music pages are still good for bands, I figured I’d post there, too. Just add GearPipe as a friend.
• Finally, if you just want to check out the weekly update on this site, you can either visit every Saturday, or subscribe to the Contests & Giveaways feed via RSS or by email.

To get you pumped about this, I actually started posting these a week ago. So, as promised, here is your weekly summary of links:

• Enter The Great KISS Guitar Giveaway! Win a Paul Stanley signature Washburn guitar autographed by all members of KISS. Enter Here
• Win 1 of 3 Sets of Istanbul Agop Cymbals from Modern Drummer Magazine. You’ll win either a Lenny White, Cindy Blackman, or XIST Cymbal Set. Enter Here
• Pearl Jam Backspacer Guitar Giveaway! Win a custom Gibson Les Paul Jr featuring artwork from Pearl Jam’s new album, Backspacer. Enter Here
• Win a $20,000 Mic Locker from Sweetwater Sound. 24 microphones including mics from Shure, Blue, Earthworks, Sennheiser, beyerdynamic, and more. Enter Here
• Win 2 tickets to the 2009 Atticus Tour, a custom Epiphone guitar, & a fully loaded D’Addario and Planet Waves accessories package including strings, tuners, picks and more! Enter Here
• Win a Buffet Crampon Greenline Bass Clarinet + a $1K Woodwind & Brasswind shopping spree (total value $10,000) Enter Here

I welcome your feedback on this, so please leave a comment if you have any ideas to make this better.

Being a musical instruments website, it took a bit of thinking to find a post topic that bridges the two together. Considering, though, that most of the instruments we play are made from wood, there is an absolute tie-in between the environment and the tools we use to make music.

We can all agree that deforestation is a major problem. I think people have done a great job in the past few years of making small changes in their lives to think environmentally, but when you have to balance the desire to be kind to the earth with buying a product you’re very passionate about, the decision is not always cut and dry.

Let’s take guitars. You’ve been saving up for that new Martin or Taylor acoustic guitar. This is your dream guitar. Maybe you remember the way your father’s Martin D28 felt in your hands, the way the body resonated against your chest, even the way the wood smelled. If you’re going to drop $3,000 on a guitar, you want it to be exactly like that. You are probably not willing to compromise quality for anything else. And why should you?

Of course, the same goes for guitar makers. When people expect the best quality product, they don’t want to compromise the materials they’re using to build it.

We musicians are a picky bunch. We love talking about wood, and the different sounds that different types and qualities of wood will create. We also like exotic woods, from the kinds of trees that people chain themselves around to protect.

So, where is the middle ground?

Believe it or not, Greenpeace has launched the Music Wood Campaign, teaming up with some of the top guitar manufactures, including Martin, Taylor, Fender, Guild, Gibson, Walden, and Yamaha. The goal is to increase the supply of woods traditionally used in the building of guitars that come from trees grown in a sustainable fashion.

For an example check out the Martin D Mahogany 09, made entirely from wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (The FSC was founded by Greenpeace and other organizations in the early 1990s, and has become the gold standard of environmental certification in the forestry industry).

So, when you’re shopping for your next dream guitar, think about where the wood has come from. With a bit of research, you can get the best of both worlds. For more info, check out The Music Wood Coalition.

Here’s a great video, produced by Taylor, documenting the Music Wood Coalition’s tour of Madagascar in 2008.

You can also check out my Blog Action Day post at gearpipe.org - Ten Ways to be a More Environmentally Conscious Musician.

If you’re a drummer who lives around Los Angeles, you should check out the LA Drummers meetup at Musician’s Choice Studios (3727 Robertson Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232) at 7:30 PM on October 21.

Why, you may ask? There’s a lot of cool stuff going on. For instance, Brent Barnett, Gibraltar’s drum rack builder to the stars, will be on the scene at this event. Brent has helped design drum racks for Clown (drummer for Slipknot) Jonathan Moffett (drummer for Michael Jackson), Joey Bumpus (drummer for Lady Gaga), Marc Schulman (drummer for Pink), and Tris Imboden (drummer for Chicago).

Also, Ken Fredenberg, Gibraltar Hardware Product Manager, and Jim Stanek, Product Manager for Dixon Drums will be on-hand to discuss their hardware and drum products.

And….Drum roll, please………..you can win free gear! The guys from Gibralter and Dixon will be giving away:

• Dixon Rosewood Snare Drums
• Dixon Demon Series 6-pc drum set
• Gibraltar Stealth VMS System
• Gibraltar Pedals and Ultra Adjust Hi Hat Stand
• Gibraltar Hybrid Mounting Pod with Boom Stand

Get It: For more information or to RSVP, check out the event’s Facebook page or official Meetup page.

• Wildwood Acoustic Short Scale (Purple Daze) - MSRP: $249.00, Current Price: $139.50, Savings: $109.50
• Stardust Elite Rebel Electric Guitar (Sheena Pink) - MSRP: $429.00, Current Price: $199.50, Savings: $229.50
• Stardust Elite Bass Guitar (Violet Burst) - MSRP: $589.00, Current Price: $349.50, Savings: $239.50

Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal.

This coupon code is good on order shipped to the Continental U.S. only.

Coupon Code: 294SHIP
Expires: October 31, 2009
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

Follow the link below and you can also print off a coupon to get this 15% discount in one of their stores. The fine print says this is good on items priced $3,333 or less. I’m not really sure what the significance of that number is…but who care, right?

Coupon Code: BTB15
Expires: September 27, 2009
Get It: Click Here To Redeem This Coupon Code

No order minimums. No expiration date. No strings attached. Thanks IntrumentPro!

Coupon Code: gearpipe
Expires: Does not expire
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

According to the official rules, this guitar is valued at $1,799, and I’m sure will be much more valuable in the future, as it’s a limited edition axe.

Good luck!

Entry Deadline: August 3, 2009
Get It: Click Here to Enter

If this bums you out, then this Musicians Friend coupon code is just for you! Tomorrow only (July 17, 2009), you can take 10% off all new Fender and Squier guitars, amps, and accessories. That’s right…ALL. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to pick up that new piece of Fender gear, your time has arrived.

Musicians Friend is not going to release the coupon code until tomorrow morning. I’ll update this post once it’s released, or you can follow the link below in the morning to find it. UPDATE: See coupon code below.

Coupon Code: FENDER
Expires: July 17, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. PT

Get It: Save big at Click Here For More About This Deal.

With this coupon code, you’ll save $10 off qualifying purchases of $99-$198, $25 off qualifying purchases of $199-$348, $50 off qualifying purchases of $349-$498, or $100 off qualifying purchases of $499 or more.

Hundreds of brands qualify, so get on it!

Coupon Code: SUMMER
Expires: July 14, 2009
Get It: Click Here To Redeem This Coupon Code

Now here’s the catch. Music123 says this deal is good for three days only, but they don’t say which days. Seriously…I looked all over the email they sent me and on their website. If I totally missed it and someone out there knows which days this runs, please leave the dates in the comments. My assumption is that it’s July 3,4, & 5. Who knows?

Coupon Code: Fireworks - Call 1-800-458-4076 24 hours a day.
Expires: July 5, 2009 (maybe!)
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

Entry Deadline: July 31, 2009
Get It: Click Here to Enter

1. Fender American Standard Stratocaster Electric Guitar
2. Fender American Standard Telecaster Electric Guitar
3. Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster Electric Guitar
4. Fender American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster Electric Guitar
5. Fender American Deluxe Series Telecaster Electric Guitar
6. Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster HSS Electric Guitar
7. Fender Highway One Series Telecaster Electric Guitar
8. Fender American Standard HSS Stratocaster Electric Guitar
9. Fender American Special Mahogany Stratocaster HSS Electric Guitar
10. Fender Artist Series John Mayer Stratocaster Electric Guitar

Check out the Best Selling Musical Instruments Archive.
Search for Fender American-made Electric Guitars on eBay.