Santa Claus might not have given you the president you wanted in 2024.
But there’s still plenty of chances to close out the year in good cheer with a plethora of music-related presents available to gift your loved ones this season.
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THE YEAR IN MUSIC, 2024: Musicians of the Year
From fresh fashion to high quality headphones to versatile studio monitors to exciting new guitars along with innovative strings to put on them and then some, our annual holiday gift guide is positively supernova with plenty of potential presents for the musician and audiophile in your life.
Meters OV-1-B-Connect
Price: $249.95
Nothing symbolizes loudness quite like the sight of a VU meter going into the red. And though we don’t recommend listening to music at top volume, it’s pretty cool to have a functional meter (with adjustable LED colors!) on a pair of headphones to show the world your love of music in decibels. With the Meters OV-1-B-Connect, you can adjust the sound in your ears with a 5-band EQ, with active noise canceling (powered by a Qualcomm aptXTM HD audio chip) further enhancing your listening experience. From the side of your phones, you can connect calls, adjust your volume and even change tracks when synched up to your Bluetooth. Unless you prefer to go wired, as Meters has you covered with a cable for the discerning audiophile with the ultimate hi-fi stereo. And with a 16+ hour battery life, you don’t ever have to worry about running out of energy while you’re on the go. Meters OV-1-B-Connect comes in a multitude of colors as well.
Buy the Meters OV-1-B-Connect here.
PRS S2 Custom 24-08
Price: $2349
It was nearly 40 years ago when Paul Reed Smith introduced the first PRS Custom 24 electric guitar to the public at the 1985 Winter NAMM. And the company’s flagship model has been one of the best selling six-strings on the market since its debut. With the S2 model, Smith enhanced upon the original with a more versatile design. Now with S2 Custom 24-08, this enduring flagship ax is boosted even further into the future with innovative new American made pickups and a switching system that offers you eight possible pickup combinations (hence the name). Still adorned with its gorgeous maple top, mahogany back and neck and rosewood fretboard with the birds, the 24-08 is the next generation of a PRS Classic.
Buy the PRS S2 Custom 24-08 here.
Gibson Mary Ford Les Paul Standard Goldtop
Price: $2,999
Les Paul might be a name synonymous with Gibson Guitars. But right by his side was his trailblazing partner and wife Mary Ford, whose own dexterity on the young electric guitar broke ground for women in a male-dominated industry. At long last, the company is giving Ms. Ford her steel flowers with the Mary Ford Les Paul Standard. It’s based on a custom-made guitar Gibson made for her in 1958, adorned with a floral pickguard that was inspired by the ES-295 model with matching armrest atop a gorgeous Goldtop body. This guitar is a must own for both historical collectors and ambitious players alike.
Buy the Gibson Mary Ford Les Paul Standard Goldtop here.
Ernie Ball John Mayer Silver Slinky Strings
Price: $9.99 a pack
What better strings to pair with your new PRS SE Silver Sky than John Mayer’s Silver Slinkys from the world famous Ernie Ball brand. The result of this constructive partnership is a one-of-a-kind gauge combination (10.5-47) in addition to Reinforced Plain Strings (RPS) utilized for extra tuning stability and an unmatched resiliency. Each string has Mayer’s name all over them, expertly engineered to meet his standards, bringing his fellow players a premium balance of tension and tonality. Pick up the six-pack box set for the best value on on these addictive new strings.
Buy the John Mayer Silver Slinky Signature Electric Guitar Strings here.
PRS SE Silver Sky
Price: $849
If you thought John Mayer’s signature Silver Sky was a choice addition to the Paul Reed Smith guitar collection, the SE Silver Sky streamlines its excellence in a more affordable model. The SE is in many ways similar to the original, which was introduced in partnership with Mayer in 2018. Its got a poplar body and a rosewood fretboard adorned with the signature PRS bird inlays, measuring 22 frets on a 25.5” bolt-on maple neck for maximum comfort. When plugged in, you can hear the electric beauty of its trio of single-coil 635JM “S” pickups singing through your amp. Additional features include a two-point steel tremolo, synthetic bone nut, vintage-style tuners and the PRS double-acting truss rod that’s accessible from the front of the headstock. The SE Silver Sky comes with its own gig bag and a pack of PRS Classic 10-46 strings.
Buy the PRS SE Silver Sky here.
Mackie CR3.5
Price: $99
Back in the day, it would cost a good chunk of one’s salary to get optimal studio monitors with all the bells and whistles needed for the quintessential playback experience. But in 2024, you can get the same quality for only $99 with the Mackie CR3.5. These little fellas pack an incredible punch, and with its tone control knob, allows you to adjust the intensity to fit the moment, whether you’re throwing a bumpin’ party or having an intimate gathering with some close friends.
Gibson imogene + willie Fall Apparel Collection
Price: Starting at $68
When you are loyal to a brand you love, you don’t think twice about repping them on your chest. Working in cooperation with Gibson Guitars, Nashville-based apparel company imogene + willie have created a series high-quality print tees utilizing the iconography of the 130-year-old company.
Choose from the tasteful Music City design, the outrageous, metal-minded Gibson Skull, the one that rightly states Mary Ford is a Bad Ass, the Grateful Dead-indebted, tie-dye Gibson Story and our personal favorite, the vintage psychedelia of The Funk. And that’s just scratching the surface of the many designs available to your choosing. Cool and comfortable, this collaboration between chords and cotton is a winner this holiday season. Also part of this collection is hats, jackets and socks all paying homage to the granddaddy of American guitars.
Buy the Gibson imogene + willie Fall Apparel Collection here.
The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums In Mono, Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe
Price: $299.98
There’s nothing like listening to The Beatles on vinyl in mono. And after nearly 30 years out of print, seven Fab Four faves are back on unbreakable wax in an eight LP box set in honor of the 60th anniversary of the successful string of U.S. releases The Beatles blessed their American fans with from January 1964 to March 1965. Cut in analog from the original master tapes onto 180 gram vinyl, these seven albums – Meet The Beatles!, The Beatles’ Second Album, A Hard Day’s Night (Original Motion Picture Sound Track), Something New, The Beatles’ Story (2LP); Beatles ’65 and The Early Beatles – are ready to be heard by a new generation of Beatlemaniacs the way they should.
Buy The Beatles: 1964 Albums In Mono here.
Rush
The Albums: 1989-1996 (Rhino)
Price: $149.98
After a highly underrated detour into synthesizers in the mid-80s, Rush roared back into the rock world in 1989 with a new label, Atlantic Records, and a killer new album in Presto. The legendary Canadian trio would continue in a more guitar-forward direction in the 90s with a succession of successful albums — 1991’s Roll the Bones, 1994’s Counterparts and 1996’s Test for Echo — all of which have been remastered and compiled on this four LP box set featuring reimagined cover art by longtime Rush cover artist Hugh Syme.
Buy The Albums: 1989-1996 here.
Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision (Legacy Recordings)
Price: $59.98
A former psychedelic nightclub, Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village is now one of the most renowned destinations for artists to record an album. But while he was still with us, Jimi Hendrix used the space as his own sonic playground where he could cut loose and roll tape to his heart’s content. This 3CD/1Blu-ray collection is a tribute to the guitar legend’s love for this studio he owned in his adopted home of New York City. Recorded between June and August of 1970 with Billy Cox on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums, the audio discs are loaded with 39 tracks (38 of which are previously unreleased) that give fans the most vivid picture of where Jimi was headed creatively before his untimely passing. The Blu-ray, meanwhile, boasts a 5.1 surround sound mix of the studio album the trio had been working on at the time, First Rays Of The New Rising Sun, along with a feature-length documentary about Jimi and his beloved studio. This is a must-own for any Hendrix fan.
Buy Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision here.
Maxell OWS Pro
Maxell ANC Headphones with Detachable Boom Mic
Price: Maxell OWS Pro — $39.99
Maxell ANC Headphones — $32.99
For 64 years, Maxell has been a household name, especially when it comes to home recording. But did you know the Japanese-born company makes so much more than blank tapes and CD-Rs. In fact, if you’re looking for a quality pair of headphones at an affordable price, Maxell has you covered with two new models for the holidays. The Maxell OWS Pros, for instance, are wireless Bluetooth earhooks that come in three different colors and provide 18 hours of battery time for long trips. Also available are the Maxell ANC Headphones that are noise-canceling and come with a detachable boom mic for use while doing remote work or playing a heated game of Fortnite with your friends. Trust the brand that’s helped you create your first mixtape.
Buy the Maxwell OWS Pro and Maxwell ANC Headphones here.
Frank Zappa
Apostrophe (’): 50th Anniversary Edition (Zappa Records/UMe)
Price: $99.98
Commercially speaking, Frank Zappa’s sixth solo album is also his most famous, serving as the only album in his career to reach the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart. Along with its sister LP, 1973’s Over-Nite Sensation, Apostrophe (’) was a gateway to the Zappa universe for generations of rock fans thanks to such quirky faves as “Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow,” “Cosmik Debris” and “Stink-Foot.” Produced by son Ahmet Zappa and longtime Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers, this 50th anniversary deluxe edition of the album is loaded with bonus material, five CDs worth, including session outtakes, alternative versions and 2024 remixes, not to mention a pair of 1974 concert recordings from Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Dayton, Ohio. The Blu-ray, meanwhile, houses the Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround sound mixes of the original LP, plus Zappa’s original 4-channel Quadraphonic mix, available to the public for the first time since ‘74.
Buy Apostrophe (’): 50th Anniversary Edition here.
Qobuz Subscription
Price: $13/month or $130/year (regular subscription)
Yes, there are plenty of digital streaming platforms, or DSP’s, to choose from in this day and age. However, if you are looking to give the music fan in your life the Cadillac of listening experience, you will no doubt hook them up with a subscription to Qobuz. Since its launch in Canada two years ago, the streaming service has been offering audiophiles a premium alternative to the subpar sound of more mainstream American platforms. And with a catalog of over 100 million titles, they provide a veritable bottomless well of music, all in the lossless, hi-res FLAC format with a sample rate of up to 24-bit/192kHZ. Plus, in addition to tunes, a Qobuz subscription also comes with a trailblazing online magazine that includes content like artist interviews, in-depth articles and expert recommendations. There’s also the Sublime subscription, which gives the listener access to the entire Qobuz catalog of albums in studio-level fidelity for both streaming and download. It might cost a little more, but if you are a true believer of sonic supremacy.
To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.