Fender Road Worn Series guitars and basses come with a head start on history and bring the guitarist and bassist the best of both worlds—a killer aged design aesthetic that conjures up the ghosts of past music lives, paired perfectly with the modern functionality, playability and high quality that players know to expect from Fender.

Based on classic Fender instruments of the 1950s and ’60s, and production methods invented at the world-renowned Fender Custom Shop, Road Worn instruments reflect the mystic quality of life on the road. The series consists of a ’50s Tele®, ’50s Strat®, ’60s Strat, ’50s Precision Bass® and ’60s Jazz Bass® guitars.

All models feature notably distressed nitrocellulose lacquer-finished bodies and necks, as well as worn chrome hardware (nickel/chrome for basses), to create an aged appearance. Additionally, while the guitars have been designed with period-correct specifications, several modern upgrades have been built into each model, including Tex Mex™ single-coil pickups, larger 6105 frets, and five-way pickup switches (Strat models).

The ’50s Tele features an ash body, maple neck, vintage-style tuning machines and three-saddle strings-thru-body bridge, one-ply white pickguard, and is available in Two-Color Sunburst and Blonde. The ’50s Strat has an alder body, maple neck, vintage-style tuning machines and synchronized tremolo, one-ply pickguard, and is available in Two-Color Sunburst and Black. The ’60s Strat features an alder body, maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard, vintage-style tuning machines and synchronized tremolo, three-ply mint green pickguard, and is available in Three-Color Sunburst and Olympic White.

The ’50s Precision Bass has an alder body, maple neck, vintage-style reverse tuning machines and American Vintage bridge, gold anodized aluminum pickguard, and is available in Two-Color Sunburst and Fiesta Red. The ’60s Jazz Bass features an alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, vintage-style reverse tuning machines and American Vintage bridge, four-ply brown shell pickguard, and is available in Three-Color Sunburst and Fiesta Red.

“There’s something magical about a broken-in or worn instrument,” said Justin Norvell, director of marketing, Fender electric guitars. “Many of the musical icons we’ve looked up to for inspiration play road-hardened workhorse guitars, and there’s something very powerful and aspirational in that aesthetic. The new Fender Road Worn series guitars and basses allow players to experience not only the look, vibe and tone of those instruments, but—perhaps most importantly—they have smooth worn-in necks providing the same comfortable feel as vintage instruments.”

Fender Road Worn ’50s Tele, ’50s Strat and ’60s Strat guitars will be available from Andy's Music with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $1,200; ’50s Precision Bass guitars have a suggested manufacturer’s price of $1,500; ’60s Jazz Bass guitars have a suggested manufacturer’s price of $1,570.

For more information about Fender guitars, go to www.AndysMusicOnline.com.

Recording artist and Yamaha guitar clinician Vinny Valentino will present a free guitar workshop at Andy's Music, 1412 Hillcrest Road at 7:00 p.m., December 10. Admission is free, but tickets are required and advance reservations are recommended since seating is based on space availability. Call 251-633-8944 for details.

Vinny is a native Virginian and has been playing guitar since age six. He is the newest member of the Jazz and Fusion super group Vital Information.

Vinny earned his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies at Howard University. He began his musical studies at Northern Virginia Community College and continued them at George Mason University before concentrating on jazz at Howard. In 1988, he released his first solo recording entitled Vinny Valentino, and now has five recordings to his credit.

His international debut recording, The Distance Between Two Lines, shot straight up the charts to #2 and stayed on the national charts for more than 14 weeks - an unprecedented achievement for a first international release. Paul Anthony of Jazz Unlimited called it “one of the top five albums of 1993.”

Based in New York City, Vinny tours extensively, playing concerts, festivals, and club engagements around the world. Currently in addition to performing with his own bands, Vinny is performing with Bill Evans as well as Steve Smith and Vital Information.

This workshop is presented in association with Yamaha Guitars. For more information about Vinny, visitwww.Vinny.com, www.VitalInformation.com or visit www.AndysMusicOnline.com.

You've practiced your set, and you know your songs inside and out. But to really deliver your performance, you need a serious stage piano. Meet the new Roland Rd-700GX and RD-300GX, and experience a whole new level of power and expression when you put your fingers into the PHA II "Ivory Feel" keyboard (RD-700GX). It's a true extension of your creative voice.

The clear stereo sampled pianos deliver that elusive high-end acoustic piano sound, and you can even custom design you own piano voice with the Piano Designer feature. So don't just play your set; connect with your audience and get inspired with the new Roland RD-700GX and RD-300GX digital pianos. The ultimate stage piano performance starts with you!

For more information on Roland keyboards, visit the music instrument music store at http://www.andysmusiconline.com/.

The Blessing B127 Trumpet is just right for the quality-conscious buyer looking for a bargain! This trumpet is recognized globally as a standard in student trumpets. It is exceptionally responsive to the needs of the beginning trumpeter and its broad range and consistent intonation allow a student to begin band with enthusiasm, and to continue with confidence. And most importantly, it’s well made and easy on your pocketbook!

The E.K. Blessing company has a legacy of fine craftsmanship dating from 1906, in Elkhart, Indiana. Blessing has manufactured trumpets and cornets for other musical instrument companies under various brand names - giving some present day competitors their start in the brasswind business!

You could pay more for a student trumpet, but that might not be wise. Take a look at the specifications for the Blessing B127 Trumpet, and you'll see why it is our best selling trumpet. Ours includes a hardshell wooden case, which is an upgrade from the standard plastic case.

For more information on brand name band instruments, visit the music instrument music store at Andy's Music Online - www.AndysMusicOnline.com.