Win! The Songwriting Christmas Gift Guide 2017

It’s beginning to look a lot like (a songwriter’s) Christmas

Be in with a chance of winning all of the products featured in our gift list with this seasonal competition

Whether you’re wondering what to buy the songwriter in your family, or put on your own Christmas wish list, we’ve rounded up what we think are some fantastic present ideas for 2017. From the relatively lavish options of a Bluetooth speaker, headphones and pedals, to the more stocking filler-friendly accessories and books, this guide aims to ‘wrap up’ a neat collection of products that should appeal to a wide range of different musicians.

TIBO SPHERE 4 BLUETOOTH SPEAKER – £249.99
The Sphere 4 is a 50-Watt multi-room Wi-Fi Bluetooth speaker, with a built-in lithium rechargeable battery providing a minimum of eight hours playback. You have five direct presets for streaming thousands of internet radio stations and playlists. Connectivity is wireless or LAN, USB for charging your mobile devices and a 3.5mm Aux for external audio inputs, which can be controlled by a free Tibo app.

Tibo Sphere 4

TC-HELICON MIC MECHANIC 2 – £147.00
The TC Helicon Mic Mechanic 2 builds on the successes of its predecessor but remains a compact vocal toolbox pedal. The interface offers a choice of effects including Echo and Delay, Reverb, Tone and Correction, and you can also set the tempo via the footswitch. Mic Mechanic 2 also offers a helping hand with auto-chromatic pitch correction and automatic vocal enhancements through Adaptive EQ, compression, de-ess and gate.

TC-Helicon Mic Mechanic 2

ORANGE PEDALS: THE AMP DETONATOR (ABY) AND TWO STROKE – £119.00 EACH
The Amp Detonator is a simple AB box that enables a guitarist to switch noiselessly between two amps – perhaps one dirty, one clean – with no loss of signal, or even have both on in stereo (the Y bit), and the Two Stroke is a clean boost with a built-in dual-parametric EQ. We reviewed both pedals rather favourably in the Songwriting Magazine Winter 2016 edition, saying they provided “a wealth of interesting sound options in gig-friendly packages”.

Orange Two Stroke and Amp Detonator pedals

TOONTRACK EZDRUMMER 2 – £114.00
Originally released in 2006, Toontrack EZdrummer became one of the most popular and successful drum plug-ins and EZdrummer 2 raises the bar even higher with a host of new features designed to make improve the process of creating a personalised drum track with your Mac or PC. The virtual drum production studio includes five drum kits, a percussion section, a MIDI library played by professional drummers, and several songwriting tools.

Toontrack EZdrummer 2

AKG N20U IN-EAR HEADPHONES – £109.99
Boasting reference sound quality and a truly universal three-button remote/mic that’s fully Android and Apple compatible, the AKG N20U features a fabric cord that helps avoid tangling and a semi-closed back designed for superior acoustics and enhanced bass response. Supplied by HARMAN Professional, the headphones also come with an accessory package that includes a flight adaptor, cleaning tool and carrying pouch.

AKG N20U In-Ear Headphones

THE ART OF SONGWRITING BOOK BY ED BELL – £13.95
The Art of Songwriting is a book covers the broad range of creative and life skills songwriters need to succeed: not just how to use things like rhyme, melody and structure, but how to be creative, how to collaborate, how to learn new things and – most of all – how to be an artist. The author, Ed Bell, has signed the prize copy of the book.

The Art Of Songwriting

D’ADDARIO ECLIPSE HEADSTOCK TUNER – £12.80
The Eclipse chromatic clip-on tuner features a full colour vertical display, auto power-off, and pitch calibration in a discreet, compact design. The multi-swivel action adjusts the viewing angle and can be mounted in front of or behind the headstock on right- and left-handed instruments. The single CR2032 battery required to power the tuner is included.

D’Addario Eclipse headstock guitar tuner

HOW I WROTE BOOK BY SONGWRITING – £12.00
Within the pages of How I Wrote you’ll find the real stories behind 40 chart-topping hits and cherished classics, in the words of the writers themselves. From the likes of The Kinks, The Doors and Rod Stewart in the 60s, to Beyoncé, Aloe Blacc and The Lumineers in the 21st century – through five decades of pop, rock, R&B and indie tracks in-between – this book puts the art and craft of the song at the centre of the stage.

How I Wrote

GHS AMERICANA SERIES GUITAR STRINGS – £11.99
This GHS range of cryogenic phosphor bronze guitar strings is designed for players who prefer the Americana sound, but is perfectly suitable for any style of acoustic guitar. The preferred gauging is based on feedback from the GHS Artist Family, and the cryogenic treatment has been added to extend the life and enhance the tone of the strings.

GHS Americana Series acoustic guitar strings

VIKING GUITAR HANGER – £8.99
This guitar hanger is built around a natural-finished solid wood wall mount block, and features a rubber-padded covered yolk to securely hold one fretted instrument. Made in China and supplied via Hobgoblin Music, the hanger comes complete with mounting screws and wall plugs.

Viking Guitar Hanger

The prize

One lucky winner will receive all the items listed in our Christmas gift guide above.

How to enter

The competition is now closed.

Terms & conditions

• The prizes are as stated, are not transferable to another individual and no cash or other alternatives will be offered.
• Entrants must be aged 18 or over. Proof of identity and age may be required.
• All entries must be made directly by the person entering the competition. Entries made online using methods generated by a script, macro or the use of automated devices will be void.
• Some items have been unboxed and reviewed by Songwriting and as such won’t be as new.
• In the event of a prize being unavailable, the publisher reserves the right to offer an alternative prize of equal or greater value.
• The closing date for entries is Sunday 24 December 2017.
• The winner will be notified by email by 31 December 2017, and will need to reply with their full postal address where the prize should be sent.
• Reasonable efforts will be made to contact the winner. If the winner cannot be contacted, or is unable to comply with these terms and conditions, the publisher reserves the right to offer the prize to the next eligible entrant drawn at random.
• By entering, your email address will be subscribed to the Songwriting newsletter. Your address will not be passed on to any third parties and you can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any point.

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