I am pleased to announce the new artist support program from Taylor Guitars and Elixir Strings.

Bands and artists will get the chance to showcase their talents and further their careers by entering the Test Drive 2009.

Contest submission is free and easy. Now through July 31, artists can simply log on to the Sonicbids promotion site, www.sonicbids.com/taylorelixirtestdrive, where they can upload their Sonicbids artist profile.

Fans can then vote for their favorite bands and five finalists will be outfitted with Taylor Guitars’ SolidBody electric guitars, a supply of Elixir Strings, and Elixir Cables. They will be challenged to make a video profiling how they are using the gears on stage and in the studio. The winner will go on to work in a studio and build a relationship with Taylor Guitars and Elixir Strings.

Visit SonicBids.com to join.

Visit these links to learn more about Taylor SolidBody Guitars and Elixir Strings.

Ultimate-Guitar is giving one lucky winner a brand new Gibson Flying V guitar from Mastodon to celebrate the release of Crack the Skye.

The winner will also get a copy of Skye and a free Mastodon shirt.

Hurry! The contest is open until April 30, 2009 only!

Sign up here.

Gibson is giving away an Epiphone Les Paul autographed by the Jonas Brothers. 

Hurry and get your chance to win this  Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus-Top valued at over $1000 and authorized by the Jo Bros!

The guitar features a solid Mahogany body, Flame Maple top, Alnico-V Humbucking pickups and the sustain-pumping Tune-o-matic bridge/Stopbar tailpiece combination.

Visit the sign-up page.

Contest ends May 31th, 2009

Acoustic Guitar magazine has teamed up with Cole Clark for the Fat Lady Guitar Giveaway 2009. A lucky winner will receive a new Cole Clark Fat Lady 3A acoustic guitar on May 15, 2009.

The FL3A’s sides and back are made of Tasmanian Blackwood. Its solid top is crafted from Bunya pine. Installed inside is the FaceBrace® Sensor pickup.

The contest ends on April 30, 2009. Visit the Acoustic Guitar magazine website for more information.

Enter the Gibson Songmaker Grand Concert Contest for a chance to win a Gibson Acoustic Guitar and a copy of Wynonna Judd’s new album “Sing-Chapter 1″

Visit the contest site for more information.

Guns N’ Roses has launched the Chinese Democracy air guitar competition. Chinese Democracy is their forthcoming new album that will be released this month. The winner of the competition will get a chance to preview the album before its release.

To enter the competition fans need to upload video footage of their “craziest, most inappropriate” air guitar attempts to the band’s YouTube channel.

One winner will win entry to a pre-release album playback party ‘Chinese Democracy’ will be released on November 24 in the UK, and will feature 14 songs.

Acoustic Guitar magazine and Takamine have teamed up to give you a shot at winning the perfect performing guitarist’s package!

Enter today!
The lucky winner will take home a Takamine Singer Songwriter guitar, and a Genz Benz Shenandoah Pro acoustic amp.

PRIZE: Takamine TF430SS Singer Songwriter model with case
Retail Value : $2,219.00

PLUS: Genz Benz’s Shen Pro LT Acoustic Amp
Retail Value: $1,499.00

As a model in the T Series of professional acoustics, the Takamaine TF430SS Singer Songwriter is an elegant songwriting tool with a classic, vintage vibe. The guitar is built with luthier-selected, solid cedar top and solid ovangkol back and sides, a semi-gloss finish, and comes equipped with a pickup and CTP-2 preamp. The warm, lush tone and wide dynamic range of the Takamine Singer Songwriter provides excellent support for a solo vocalist, and its sweet voice responds superbly to a variety of playing styles. You’ll definitely find inspiration in this guitar!

Get full-bodied, clean tone to enhance the sound of your Takamine Singer Songwriter! The Genz Benz Shenendoah Pro LT includes a 12AX7 tube to the preamp, and a highly efficient 300 watt neodymium 12-inch loudspeaker, chosen for its articulate response. The Shen Pro features a rear-ported cabinet and bottom-mounted, tilt-back stand that will angle the amp up toward the performer. Sustainable plywood and Baltic birch construction make this professional acoustic amp lightweight and portable. It’s perfect for your new Singer Songwriter guitar!

MyGuitarSpace.com has announced the last call for entries in the MyGuitarSpace.com Best Instrumental Contest. Entries will be accepted through the last day of October, and the winner will receive a check for $250.

Guitarists interested in entering the contest should sign up on MyGuitarSpace.com for free and enter a video clip of themselves playing any song of their choice. Voting for the contest is done by fellow members of the MyGuitarSpace.com network.

The MyGuitarSpace.com network, which is completely online, free to join and for guitarists of all levels, launched in July of 2008 and continues to attract hundreds of guitar players and guitar lovers daily.