Boss, Natal and some Freaky Amazing Sticks

Chris is a great guy. He's the fount of all knowledge in the drum department, the Energiser Bunny of all the great ideas, and when he gets excited about something, you know it's going to be a winner. So when Chris comes screaming up to the Admin desk with a handful of drumsticks, talking at a hundred miles an hour about how cool they are, we listen ;)

Chris REALLY loves these sticks!

ProMark FireGrain is what they are called. It's the revolutionary heat-tempering process that makes them so amazing, turning drumsticks into precision tools with unprecedented durability, while keeping their original weight, balance and attack. We are sure Chris is going to have a great time bashing out some rhythms with these beauties.

Which brings us to the next bit of exciting news: there's a new band in town! TinyCastle was formed after a few late night conversations at the City's music bars, and can be described in one word as an anomaly. They have a sound that could be placed within any of the last four or five decades, with a relevance to the dreamers. 

Drawing inspiration from artists such as The National, Tom Petty, The War On Drugs, David Bowie, and Something For Kate to name a few, the group's music emulates and represents youth, regardless of age, a nostalgia that reminds us of the good times. Get out and about in Brisbane and catch up with James, Ben, Will and Chris at a gig - maybe at the Milk Factory on the 22nd of September!

Guitar News

This week we are celebrating all things Boss Effects, and Dave has singled out his three faves: the DD3, CS3 and the "old faithful" Metalzone MT2.

Dave with the Boss CS3, DD3 and MT2 (and Chris has to be a part of it too)

Out of the three, Dave's absolute favourite is the DD3: "I have been using this pedal since the late 90's. It is the soul of my guitar solo sound.  Low level delay swirling around underneath the notes thickens up my lead sound and takes me into exploratory territory. Great for cleans perfect for leads. job done."

The CS-3 Compression Sustainer pedal compresses louder signals while boosting lower signals, providing smooth sustain without degrading the original sound quality. This is the perfect pedal for guitarists and bassists who want to sound their best. 

And the old faithful Boss Mt-2 Metal Zone Effect Pedal is one of our most popular pedals. This stompbox provides some of the most over-the-top, insane distortion tones in the world with huge mids and lows and an ultra-saturated sound.

Drum News

Natal Snares have landed! (And yes Chris is excited about these too!)

Chris with our new Natal Snares

Natal Drums was the brainchild of British percussionist Alan Sharp in 1958, when he was unable to find the quality he wanted in the existing market, so he sourced the parts and created the instruments himself. Since then the Natal team has kept the quality and design second to none.

We are lucky enough to have four snares for you to choose from, all at great deals. We have the 14 x 5.5" Old Bronze Hand Hammered snare, yes that's right entirely hand hammered for that warmer, lower tone. If 14 x 6.5" is more your size, we have three: Bubinga Natural, Natural Ash, and the Clear Lacquered Aluminium. These will look great with any kit and have that genuine British sound and quality that every band is after these days (it's now officially true - every band wants to be British!)

Pro Audio News

This week we are having a look at the Yamaha MG10XU. It's one of Dave's Favourite Things, so best to let him tell you in his own words:

Dave LOVES this mixer!

"I use the MG10XU 3-5 times a week in my drum rehearsal space. 4 mics surround my kit to give me a great monitor reference. I have made full use of the app,  free from Yamaha to record the wav. file audio to sync to video. 

"It's just a big part of my progress and a such a great sounding mixer. Perfect studio quality reverbs and 2 channel compressors come in handy to squish the overheads.

"This mixer is awesome." 

If Dave says it's awesome, then it's awesome.

Spring Cleaning Time!

And Spring has sprung! Well there's no sign of the infamous SEQLD storms yet, but the flurry of spring cleaning around the shop has indicated a new lease on life. And if we do say so ourselves, we have never looked better!

Our nice clean guitar wall :)

Photos never do it justice, you will have to come down and check it out yourself. Browns Plains is a great place to spend the day, we are just a few blocks away from the Grand Plaza, and on our very own strip is Mr Toys Toyworld - but we think our toys are better ;)

See you at The Music Spot!

The Music Spot: Stability, Dependability, & Awesome Products

For the second time in 2017, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of one of our teammates: Tamara, one of the hardworking office staff. Just another example of the dedication our staff have to The Music Spot - we are here for you, for the long haul!

Happy Ten Years Tamara!

Another long term staple of The Music Spot is the high quality products you can expect to find here. Let's shine the spotlight on one of the sweetest Basses we have here: Cort.

Cort Basses in stock at The Music Spot

We have two Action Series basses, a 4-string and 5-string, with beautiful open-pore natural swamp ash bodies. These are a great price point for aspiring players who still want quality bang for their buck. 

The next step up is our C5 Plus 5 string bass. Features high end materials and components for the serious player, mahogany body with zebrawood/maple top in a tobacco burst finish. 

We also have a B4 Plus model - the modern bass with classic sound and features. Excellent quality for the more discerning musician, yet still under the $1000 mark. A great deal.

Top of the line is our Artisan Series A4. This is a neck-through-body design for superior tone and string vibration transfer, and features A Bartolini Mk-1 pickups and MK-1 EQ that delivers that organic piano type tone.

Yamaha DTX562 Electronic Drum Kit

Drums and bass just go well together, so let's have a look at one of our best electronic drum kits: the Yamaha DTX562K. 

This is a great deal at the moment, and features all DTX-pads for snare and toms and a 13 inch vertical motion hi-hat pad with stand and large 3-zone cymbal pads.

Outstanding playability and incredible sounds and features, this is the perfect electronic option for drummers of any level.

If you don't want to shell out all in one go, you can rent this beauty for less than $25 a week. All round, a great deal whichever way you look at it.

TurboSound IP500 & IP1000

Speaking of huge sound, Turbosound IP Column Loudspeakers are what keep us rocking all day in the shop - and let's just say, Taylor's new song has some BASS (and no we weren't ready for it).

The IP500 is designed for maximum portability, and the column sections and subwoofer fit neatly into their included carry bags. Setup is fast and easy; just attach the column section to the base and connect your mic or mixer feed and power. 

It's revolutionary Class-D amplifier technology provides 600 Watts of sonic performance in an easy-to-use, ultra-portable and lightweight package.

The IP1000 features an industry-leading KLARK TEKNIK Digital Sound Processing (DSP), Class-D amplifier and Spatial Sound technologies – plus convenient Bluetooth stereo audio streaming and iPhone/iPad remote control. Three channels of revolutionary Class-D amplifier technology provides 1,000 Watts of incredible sonic performance.

Casio Synthesizers - XW-P1 and XW-G1

Casio Synthesizers are probably the next thing the serious musician needs in his/her/their arsenal. We have the XW-P1 and XW-G1 in the shop right now.

The XW-P1 is a 61 key performance synthesiser with Casio's exclusive (HPSS) Hybrid Processing Sound Source. Providing screaming virtual analog monophonic leads and basses, drawbar organs, complex layers, stereo pianos, drums and more, the XW-P1 has the sounds and real-time control the performing musician needs.

The XW-G1 groove synthesiser is designed for the DJ and club performer providing an interactive step sequencer and a sample looper for digitally capturing performance patterns and external instruments. 

Gretsch G9460

This is all way too serious. This Mr Serious Musician likes to have some fun too, and this gorgeous Gretsch G9460 Dixie 6 String Banjo is the way to do it.

She offers authentic tone and appointments at an attractive price. Features a maple neck and fingerboard with pearloid dot inlay, maple plywood rim and resonator back, 24 brackets, Grover® Sta-Tite™ machine heads, dual coordinating rods, "no knot"-style tailpiece, nickel hardware, 25” scale and 1 11/16” nut. 

Doesn't that sound like fun?

While we're having fun, we have some good news too, especially for parents of school students that are at the very beginning of their musical journey - we were able to source another shipment of Nuova Band Instruments for the upcoming new school year.

Nuova Student Flute, Clarinet and Trumpet - making entry to the music world affordable for every family

Nuova is made by Jupiter Band Instruments, the trusted name in student music education. These budget instruments make it easier for every family to afford their very own instrument, which gives children a greater sense of ownership of their musical education. These quality instruments come in handy carry bags and still make beautiful sounds - so you can hear more than Hot Cross Buns earlier on in the journey!

And for the more advanced students and adult players, we also stock Jupiter and Yamaha Brass and Woodwind instruments, to cater to every sound and every level.

Although The Music Spot has a great reputation as Logan's best guitar shop, we have so much more than just guitars. You'll have to come down to Browns Plains and see for yourself!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there! We have two of our own at The Music Spot:

Dave and Phil, our very own Music Spot Dads

So I thought the logical thing to do would be to ask them, what would you like to get this Father's Day?

Phil and the Mahalo Designer Ukes

Phil immediately went for these gorgeous new Mahalo Designer Ukuleles.

They come in all colours and patterns, ranging from cute to downright terrifying - to suit all Dads.

Dad can tuck these in the picnic basket and then regale his proud family with any number of Dad tunes in any number of public places - fun for the whole family.

Plus these guys are easy to wrap!

Dave with the Yamaha Electric Violin

Dave has more refined taste. He went straight for the Yamaha Electric Violin.

This amazing violin takes a classical instrument into the realms of pop, rock and beyond. Plug this in and project your sound to your live audience, or create beautiful music on your next recording.

It truly is a next-generation instrument and Yamaha's century-old reputation promises that quality and technology have met to create something that Dad would truly love this weekend - and you will love hearing forever more!

Phil and the new Yamaha Reface Synths

Phil also loves the new Yamaha Reface Synthesisers. Speaking of easy to wrap, these little guys pack a huge punch in a small space.

A great mix of old and new, Dad will love the sounds he can get out of these, and the range is almost endless: he can have Tangerine Dream or Pink Floyd in the YC, classic electric piano feel with the CP, seventies analog synth with the CS, or if he's a fan of the DX7 FM synth get him the DX.

Dave loves the Yamaha MGP24X

Dave has his eye on this new Yamaha MGP24X 24 channel hybrid mixer that just came in.

Apparently it has a digital heart with an analog soul, which Dads love? Either way Yamaha has a long and impressive history of producing top quality professional audio equipment, so this one's bound to be a winner for any Dad.

It features 24 mic inputs, 32 line inputs, 6 aux sends & 2 FX sends, 4 group buses & ST bus, 2 matrix out & 1 mono out. For the Dad who is seriously into creating music, this would be a great pick.

Phil gets the gong!

Phil eventually settled on the new attraction at our counter - everyone loves these Paiste Deco Gongs!

Three sizes - 7", 10" and 13", each with a stand and a beater and each with their own angelic voice. And if you decide not to wrap them, you could present them to Dad in a special pre-dawn way to really make his Fathers Day!

Seriously, if you haven't had a play on these babies, come down to the shop and give them a go. Love!

Dave really, really wants the Yamaha Transacoustic

Dave is a guitarist at heart (no matter how talented he is on every other instrument known to man - yes, he's one of those people!), so it was no surprise that he eventually settled on the Yamaha L Series Transacoustic Guitar.

This really is an inspiring guitar. It can make you feel like you're playing in a purpose built auditorium and there's nobody else in the room. It will bring out Dad's inner creativity and keep him occupied for hours.

It's extremely comfortable to play and the whole family will love the sound of it, no matter what Dad's style, preference or ability. And of course Yamaha's reputation for quality makes this a no-brainer when it comes to choosing something that Dad will cherish.


Make this Fathers Day one to remember - we are here to help!

Find us at 129 Browns Plains Road, Browns Plains QLD or call us on 07 3800 5229. We are open till 5:30pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 4pm on Saturdays, for all those last minute gifts.

Calling All Future Pop Stars

We get it. You don't want a guitar. You don't want to be like some old dude (who uses words like "dude") with straggly long hair that hasn't been changed since the 80s. You wanna be like Rihanna. Katy. Taylor. Dua Lipa.

And that's cool! We are here for you guys too!

So.. what do we actually have for someone who just wants to sing?

Well for starters, there are two great products from TC Electronic for live performance, the TC Helicon Duplicator and the TC Helicon Mic Mechanic. Both offer some vocal effects (delay and reverb) and some pitch correction to just tidy up that tired voice.

TC Electronic Duplicator                 TC Electronic Mic Mechanic

A great combination would be an AKG D5 microphone - the industry's new standard for vocal mics. The great thing about the newer technology of the AKG D5 is that it inherently has a wider and more open eq compared to other contemporaries ( ie the Shure SM58).

Another option is a wireless microphone system. The AKG WMS40 mini system is perfect for a simple set up and quality sound performance. You won't trip up on stage with a wireless mic system.

                        AKG D5              AKG WMS40 Mini Wireless System

Also for the beginner, we have a range of vocal tuition books. Suitable for children through to adults.

Fast Track, Progressive, and Songs for Solo Singers, to name a few

Don't forget about all the other essential vocal accessories, pop filters, windshields, mic clips, goose necks, mic stands, mic cables, phew outta breath.. suffice it to say, we have LOTS of things for singers!

Pop filters, windshields, clips, stands, cables.. the list goes on!

Now, about those dance lessons.. I hear there's a good place around the corner?

Product Spotlight: Taylor Guitars

Can we just talk about Taylor Guitars for a minute here please?

They are quite amazing instruments, and we have a nice collection here in the shop.

Our Taylor collection - could be yours!

A bit of history: The idea for building guitars began as a side project for Bob Taylor and one of his friends in his backyard. Taylor Guitars is now one of the most reputable and wanted guitars around the world.

Along with the innovation of various models and tone woods used, Bob Taylor himself has bought the last remaining Ebony farms to aid in the reproduction of these trees since they are close to extinction. Bob didn’t stop at Ebony trees though; he continued to cultivate farms worldwide that include Rosewood, Mahogany, Cedar and more.

Throughout the past five years, Bob has been reinventing each model of guitar to improve the quality and tone. One of the most unique tones that have come from remodelling is the Taylor 600 series of acoustic guitars. Maple guitars are generally known for their brightness, but this standard maple guitar now has its own exclusive sound of warmth and treble due to the new bracing situated inside the 600 series instrument.

Taylor Guitars are professional, hand-crafted instruments and we at Music Spot are proud advocates of this brand. We have our very own Taylor 614CE at our Browns Plains superstore, just waiting for you to come check it out.

Taylor 614CE

The maple/spruce Grand Auditorium has always been a bversatile performer, and this edition boasts an array of tone-enhancing refinements that transform maple’s tone profile into a richer, warmer and more complex voice. As a result, you can expect an even more dynamic and expressive musical tool. Come and give it a try today!

Or if you are already familiar with the fine quality of Taylor guitars, you can shop from the comfort of your own home. On our website we have several quality offerings listed. 

Taylor 320CE

The Taylor 320CE Dread Cutaway Electric features a sapele back and sides share many of mahogany’s tonal and visual properties, and the mahogany top promises a strong, clear response to players with a driving attack, especially in the upper midrange. The design and understated appointments evoke a vintage look. The guitar incorporates a Venetian cutaway, comes equipped with Expression System® 2 electronics for a smooth plug-and-play experience, and ships in a Taylor deluxe hardshell case.

Taylor 314CE

The Taylor 314CE Acoustic Electric Guitar with Cutaway well to a wide range of playing styles thanks to Taylor’s medium-size Grand Auditorium body. Sapele shares mahogany’s strong and focused midrange response and, together with a Sitka spruce top, rings out with brightness and clarity. The Elixir® HD Light strings are custom calibrated to optimise the tone with bolder highs, fuller lows, and more overall warmth, giving players an expressive tonal palette. Black binding flanks sapele’s ribbon-like grain, with small diamond fretboard inlays in Italian acrylic adding a traditional touch. The guitar incorporates a Venetian cutaway, comes equipped with Taylor’s Expression System 2 pickup, and ships in a Taylor deluxe hardshell case.

Baby Taylor BT1E

The ¾-size Baby Taylor BT1E features an authentic guitar sound and inviting playing experience. Featuring a layered sapele back and sides and a top of solid Sitka spruce, you can add a capo, high-string it, tune it down, play it around the campfire, help your kids form their first guitar chords, and more. In addition to this edition is the Expression System Baby™ (ES-B) pickup, which incorporates piezo design elements from the Taylor ES2. The pickup is powered by an onboard preamp with a built-in digital chromatic tuner. The preamp/tuner unit features an LED display for tuning and low battery indication, along with Tone and Volume controls.

Taylor 150E 12 String

Taylor 150E 12 String Acoustic Electric Guitar fits that signature playability and tonal clarity into an affordable package, making a quality 12-string more accessible to budget-minded players looking to broaden their musical palette. The Dreadnought body’s strong low-end response balances well with the crisp octave shimmer, producing a tone that’s lush and articulate, with lots of dynamic range. Features include layered sapele back and sides, a solid Sitka spruce top, 1-7/8-inch neck, matte-finish body, black binding and pickguard, and Taylor’s Expression System 2 pickup.

Taylor 214CE

The Taylor 214CE Deluxe Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Cutaway, Rosewood Back and Sides is the most versatile and popular of Taylor’s guitar shapes. Its well-defined midrange contributes to a clear and balanced tone. It’s responsive enough for fingerstyle players and powerful enough for pickers and strummers to get a lively response. Think of it as a jack of all trades. The smooth sunburst adds vintage flair to the solid Sitka spruce top on this layered rosewood Grand Auditorium. Deluxe features include a full-gloss body, original Taylor Expression System acoustic electronics, a Small Diamond fretboard inlay, and a standard hardshell case. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro player, Taylor’s balanced tone and superb intonation will help you sound your best.

Taylor Swift Baby Taylor

Inspired by memories of writing songs on her own Baby Taylor, Taylor Swift collaborated with Taylor Guitars to design the Taylor Swift Baby Taylor (TSBT). Based on compact ¾-scale Dreadnought, the Taylor TS-BT Acoustic Guitar Taylor Swift Signature Model is crafted from a resilient layered Sapele body with a solid Sitka spruce top. Swift’s custom, screen-printed rosette design features the word “Love” three times among a delicate vine motif. The personalized design also features her signature above the bridge. With a slim 1 11/16-inch neck and a compact shape, the guitar is perfect for a young, aspiring tunesmith.

Taylor 110E

The Taylor 110E Acoustic-Electric Guitar is one of the best full-size guitars you’ll find because of it affordability, great quality and with the availability of Taylor’s ES-T® pickup. It makes a viable performance tool, a great entry-level guitar, or a second utility guitar for alternate tunings. Its well-defined midrange contributes to a clear and balanced tone. It’s responsive enough for fingerstyle players and powerful enough for pickers and strummers to get a lively response.  This guitar is  made from Sitka Spruce, the most commonly used wood for guitar tops, Sitka generates a broad dynamic range and accommodates numerous playing styles, from aggressive strumming to fingerpicking. Taylor’s layered backs and sides incorporate three layers of wood, featuring a middle core of poplar with a veneer on each side. While layered woods won’t produce quite as complex a sound as solid woods, they allow us to blend exotic looks with climate-resilient construction. 

Taylor GS Mini

The Taylor GS Mini Acoustic Guitar is the latest downsized "travel" guitar that may be small in size but has amazing tones. Built in Taylor's Mexican factory this amazing guitar has become one of Taylor’s most popular selling guitars. It is different from a full-size guitar, the mini cuts 51mm of the scale length. Width-wise it loses approximately 48mm, but only 5mm from the depth. The GS Mini comes with laminate back and sides and a solid Sitka top. It comes with Taylor signature playability, clear tone, and impressive sustain. 

And last but definitely not least: the Taylor T3 Model Guitar H-H W/Bigsby Maple features a classic semi-hollowbody sound and signature Taylor design. Electronics Features include Taylor's high-fidelity full-size Vintage Alnico humbuckers, blended with a unique coil-splitting application to give players killer humbucker and single-coil sounds in one guitar. The T3/B features a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece paired with a metal roller bridge for a high-performance vibrato bar without the pitch issues.

Taylor T3 Electric - now on sale for only $2799, or rent for $30.93 per week

With this lot you will surely find the right Taylor for your own personal needs. These great guitars will not last long however, so do check with the store to see if your favourite is still in stock if you want to #comeplaywithus!

A Rolling Stone..

Well no one could ever accuse us of gathering moss here at The Music Spot. Things are always changing! Starting with a few cosmetic things this week: we got new lights installed in the shop, and it is BRIGHT! Not the best place for looking in mirrors, but our guitars look great. And second, we lost our old friend, Spot The Dog from the front of the shop. We are tossing around some design ideas to replace him, and this one seems to be the most popular so far:

New design idea - what do you think??

There's just something about that quiff, isn't there? Let us know what your thoughts are!

Also we have had some pretty exciting new gear come into the shop. Check out these beauties:

Alesis Sample Pad 4

Alesis have just brought out their new Sample Pad 4, which we are lucky enough to have one of in the shop.

This is definitely a fun piece of kit. Not just for drummers but any aspiring musician who wants to get into using samples in their musical experience.
The Alesis Sample Pad 4 packs a lot in such a small package. It features 4 pads and even a trigger-in for using an external pad like a kick drum trigger. There are plenty of cool sounds to choose from in the built in sample library and you can also add your own samples via an SD card slot. You can add reverb, panning and even tune samples to suit. A great songwriting tool and even better for adding to your live performance.
Now you can play those awesome 80's drum sounds that you would have heard in songs like FYC's "She drives me crazy" and MJ's "Black or White". Too much fun! Dave couldn't stop dropping beats! Chris had to have one of his own!

Come check it out, it's keeping the boys well amused!



We just got two new Maton beauties in as well: the SRS808 and the SRS70C.

The 808 comes with a Western Red Cedar top and Blackwood back and sides. It's Matons most popular shape. It has the width of a dreadnought but the size of an orchestral guitar. You'll be surprised at the big sound of this smaller bodied guitar.
The 70C is your classic Maton Dreadnought that features Blackwood back and sides, Queensland Maple neck and solid Spruce top. They both have the AP5 Pro pickups so you'll have all the tone options you'll ever need on these amazing sounding guitars. We always get excited when new Maton guitars arrive!
Come and have a chat to Dave about these, he will keep you entertained for days.

Maton SRS70C

Maton SRS808

We are new to the Yamaha A & L Series guitars line of acoustics.

The L Series is a perfect combination of modern and traditional. They look fantastic, sound brilliant and play every bit as good as a Yamaha acoustic should feel like.
The A Series is the perfect gigging guitar. These guitars have the classic vintage look and sound great on their own as well as plugged in. We are sure that you'll love these guitars as much as we do and we're excited to have this fantastic range in store.

Yamaha AC1R

Yamaha LL16M

Well that wraps up July at The Music Spot. Stay away from that Ekka Death Flu and we will see you all in August!

Nina, Chris, Dave, Johnny, Phil and Marian

Back from Maryborough, Heading For Exciting New Things in Financial Year 2018

Well here we are, home after a gruelling week at The Maryborough Music Conference. More than six hundred delegates across all disciplines attended for professional development opportunities.

Our trade display was well attended, great to catch up with old friends from far and wide and meet new teacher contacts to be followed up over the next few weeks.

The Music Spot and String Tech at the Maryborough Music Conference 2017

 Many inquirers stopped by the String Tech work bench to watch as Evan prepared new instruments for delivery. One lovely teacher bought her Lance Geoffrey Scott violin for a minor adjustment. Such a pleasure to handle a great fiddle from a significant local maker.

The Yamaha Silent Guitar was a huge hit at The Music Spot stand and drew many admirers. Our showbags went flying off the table and proved very popular. In all a great time was had and we look forward to the next one!

New Rental buttons on our website, musicspot.com.au

As soon as we landed back in the shop, we got some more good news: our website has been updated, and you now have the ability to rent right from the product page! 

Every instrument that qualifies for our rental terms has buttons for you to choose whether you wish to buy, rent for 6 month minimum or 12 month minimum terms. It's an easier way of getting you the guitar of your dreams sooner!

And speaking of guitarists, we have another exciting piece of news for you: Our awesome friends at D'Addario are giving away the ultimate guitarist's gear pack: $2000 worth of essentials and accessories that every guitarist needs. All you have to do to go in the draw is purchase any set of D'Addario strings, and email in a copy of your receipt. Full T&Cs available instore. Good luck!

Win ALL THIS just by buying your strings!

Well that about wraps up the start of our new financial year. Got those tax returns yet? We can definitely help you find the best way to invest them! ;) Come down to the shop and give the Team a big hello!