A free guitar with every Volkswagen

Now if only it was a Eurovan full of Polymoogs...
 

actually, i thought the commercial was kind of cool (love the vw "stacks"). the overall idea, though: naff.
 

Unrelatedly, why are there three Moog Liberations on eBay all of a sudden? Investigate, Music Thing!

Dan
 

not to mention one on nyc craigslist recently...weird.
 

I remember a video from about 10 years ago where the two guys were driving in a car filled with instruments, with the keyboard solo coming when the keyboard dropped out of the glove compartment.

Seriously, if you're going to integrate a guitar into a car, it has to be a pedal steel, because hey, no frets and you already have pedals.
 

I'm working for a ballet company in memphis, tn. One of our largest supporters is Gibson, and they donated a Les Pual, signed by the man himnself, for us to auction off. I keep trying (under the guise of innocent curiosity) to find out where in the building they're keeping the thing, but to no avail. My boss see's right through it and refuses to even let me hold it.
 

First Act makes the some of the most low quality musical instruments I've ever seen. Their "band" instruments are cheap Chinese made stuff that cannot be repaired and the repair would, in most cases, cost more than the instrument cost in the first place. I believe that First Act is responsible for many students quitting band because of frustration with terrible instruments. This association cheapens VW's image in my mind. The marketing department should have done their homework.
 

dude, slash is so f*cking lame. i thought VW was somewhat cool having the "nihlist" actor from "big lebowski" in their "unpimp the auto" spots, but slash, what is this...a GAP COMMERCIAL?

if you need a guitar to sell your car, you've got a problem with your cars.
 

^What he said, totally.


Nothing says German automotive engineering for the people like a made in China electrical banjo.

Slash? ... this whole thing is 10 years too late. My only consolation for seeing this tired sack of farts in his rock costume is that HE has to see it every time he looks in the mirror. For $50 this guy will come to your kids birthday party.

That said. I'd totally go for a Volvo with a Stylophone embedded in the dash.

Note to teens: Look for these VWs to "smash and dash" your way to a new iPlod. La.

http://www.myspace.com/indiedanceparty
 

*** Can't wait until someone sues the bejesus out of VW when they crash their car while playing the guitar!!! ***

VW will be named as partly responsible due to their negligence for putting the plug where people can reach it while driving and for NOT telling people not to play while driving!!!!

.....it's gonna be a GOOD one.....
 

I was all excited until I saw the Guitar was by First Act. What a POS. They could have at least hooked up with a decent company. Who knows, maybe you get a Fender if you buy an Audi?? Buy a Ghini and get a Gibson?

Also, since you need something with an integrated pre-amp, you can't even use it for your favorite guitar, just the First Act slab o' shite. I'll pass.

That said, for as much as they make putting a 1/8" jack in thier cars difficult, that alone is worth it.
 

You're all obviously clueless about First Act -- they also happen to make very nice high-end instruments.

Even Fender has an arm of crap: the Squier brand.
 

yeah, supposedly first act has been devilishly busy selling themselves to music industry bigtimers by having their custom shop make super dooper guitars for 'em. forgety where i read or heard that.... the commercial is really nauseating....ick! I used to work in a music store and the guitars that guy esteban was selling on home shopping network had frets that would cut kids fingers, tops that would separate from the sides, warped necks right off the assembly line etc. i wonder if the vw guitar is gonna be the same. wish they had made a little synth integrated into the dash instead. no, on second thought, a WORKSTATION integrated into the mixer next to the pro tools screen. yum!
 

OMFG! First act custom shop guitars are F.ewe.see.que-ing beautiful! I like the rick nielsen, franz ferd, dio de los muertos. cheers to the badass luthiers they hired. no doubt their production guitars are gross...however their CS gits are def hot!
 

Please... The First Act "Custom Shop" guitars might look attractive if you have never heard of Carvin, Suhr, etc...

Sorry Kids, First Act make cheap guitars, and their custom shop is a CNC paradise with the finish work performed by trained monkeys.

At the very least, this VW POS they're offering is not going to be one of their premium CS guitars, it's be a lil' Korean s**t box. Frankly if someone offered me a Squier Tele, I'd take it in a heartbeat over this.
 

Actually the plug outlet is in the golve box so it makes it quite awkward to reach if driving, plus VW has disclaimers everywhere saying not to play the guitar while drivning. So if someone does get hurt while driving and playing it is their own fault, with no lawsuits in sight. Also, I haven't heard from anyone who actually owns the guitar, so before anyone bashes the quality, maybe they should play it.
 

Seems pretty gimmicky to me. No guitar player will choose a car based on getting one of these guitars. A rich (and clueless) parent might buy one for his/her spoiled son or daughter, thinking what a great birthday surprise it will be. If the kid plays guitar already he'll think, "this is stupid." If he doesn't play already, he'll probably think it's great. Another item to gather dust in the closet next to the karate suit and the ham radio kit.
However, having played guitar most of my life, I'll withhold judgement on the quality of the guitar until I see/play one. Shame on the guy who dis'd the Fender Squier. A lot of kids start out with one, and it's not bad. Ever hear of Jeff Healey? It's his (or used to be) instrument of choice. Listen to "see the light" and hear how a cheap instrument can sound in the hands of a master.
 

I think the idea is cool. Someone said that only guitar players would fall for something like this.......well, DUH! For the people who can't understand how one could play the guitar while driving, you don't. You open the doors and jam outside like, at a party or a hippy festival. I do wish VW would have used a less cheap brand of guitar--but why not just plug your own guitar in?
 

Wait, are people really saying that guitar players would fall for this? You're joking, right? No self-respecting guitarist would fall for this. Really, not joking at all. I've found myself questioning who this campaign is supposed to appeal to.
 

GarageMaster A.K.A. GarbageCaster
 

ithink the campaign didnt strike the right chords.........
 

yep,
the guitar didnt play the right muscic
 

To be honest, having played one of the Volkswagen guitars, and laughed at the sound of the Wal-Mart special First-Acts, it's a much better quality instrument than their usual production instruments. It isn't the best guitar on Earth, but the sound quality is much better than I was expecting. Definately outclasses a Squier in my books.
 

I THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE STAYED ALL GERMAN AND THROWN IN A HOFNER GUITAR BUT THAT DOSNT MAKE SENSE NOW DOES IT


♠JAM THE ONE AND ONLY♠
 

Wow... i think you guys are being retarded. Voltswagen cars are very nice i love mine to death and a free guitar is still a free guitar no matter how crappy or how amazing it is. second, i like the guitar. its not a bad guitar at all to be honest. definately not a piece of shit. and 3rd. the place where u plug into the car was not made just for the guitar so all of u who are complaining cause u can't plug up your precious guitar get over it. i is really more for connecting ipod and mp3 players which is a pretty nice lil feature. so if u think its a bad idea stop complaining and just don't get the car. deal ended anyone.
 

These guitars are really awesome high quality guitars, sound great built in amp to push it through. Awesome for camping. a real collectors item.
 

Well, as a middle-aged always-wanted-to-play-guitar-but-never-got-around-to-it guy, I was pretty excited when I received my free guitar. I don't know how to play it yet, but went out and bought a regular guitar cord and a small Vox amp so I can learn to play in the comfort of my home rather than in the garage with the car.
As for the guitar itself, it seems to be a solid, good sounding piece of equipment that will allow me to do something I've always wanted to try.
And, no, I didn't even realize I would get a free guitar when I bought the car. I had a 2004 bug and I updated to a 2007. Dealer never said a word about the guitar so it was a nice surprise - especially arriving just days before my birthday.
So, all of you naysayers out there can speculate all you want. Some of us appreciate a gifthorse when we're looking it in the mouth!
 

Hey I know someone that works at the first act's custom shop and they are one of the best workers I have seen . Volkswagons have the spirit of genius in them . Does walmart not suck more than first act. Energy Efficiency could save the world. Ask your last few presidents why "they" are making so many guitars over in China. And why did America not invent the high tech fuel efficient car that includes a fair guitar with walmarts filth on it. Our out of business government neglected auto makers could learn from this . And while were at it lets give away a gibson banjo with every rap album.
 

What about a special Stax guitar to commemmorate this year's 50th anniversary of Stax Records? A good-quality, funky-colored guitar with inlaid mother of pearl on the frets with the old Stax snapping finger logo? I heard something about this...
 

Hah, anonymous fools strike again.
Oh well, that was more attention than they deserved...

It's a normal jack, and with the right adapters you can hook up just about anything. What they put in the car to get it to come out clear is something we need to find out. Imagine how much money there is to be made on getting kits for different models of cars?!?

First Act is getting better with the high-end stuff; and I've kicked back a Fender or two for being crap too. Brand don't matter, if it can make sweet music, it's worth it. Damn fanboys.
 

My sister got one with her new convertible bug and since she doesn't play, gave it to me. Guitarists can be snobby (myself included) and like most of the comments, thought it's probably a POS. I haven't plugged it into the Bug's AUX (!) but I have recorded with it. It blew me away. Along with my Strat, it's now my "go to" electric. Nice warm sound, punchy when needed, good distortion, and the built-in effects save me tons of time. As a composer and producer, I've used it on about 10 commercial soundtracks so far, including some Honda and the NFL Network spots. Serious as a heart attack. I LOVE this POS.
 

I have two First Act guitars. The Paul Westerberg Sig and a 2 humbucker single cut set neck guitar. I have also recently purchased their V-Stack technology amp. I love my Gibson LP and my Fender strat but these guitars are also terrific. They make great equipment. As for the China haters, boo hoo.