Ahhh, Christmas! It’s the time of year when kids of all ages dream of getting free stuff from friends and relatives alike. And if you have a musician on your list, they can be the hardest people to buy for. Let’s face it, most of us tend to be notoriously picky about our gear, and more often than not, we want the good stuff. Throw in the tendency of players of all shapes and sizes to suffer from GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome), and you have a difficult task ahead of you. And, if you’re like me, you invariably have a hard time whenever someone close asks what you want for Christmas. Since no one has bought me the F-Bass Alain Caron 6-string fretless, the Chapman Stick, or the Markbass bass rig I asked for last year (quelle surprise!), I headed down to Axe Music in Calgary, Alta. for some gift ideas. With the help of Tomislav Czrnkovic, assistant manager and guitarist extraordinaire, I’ve compiled a list of (mostly) affordable items that might help make the daunting task of Christmas shopping just a little bit easier.

One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the number of guitarists and bassists that don’t have any sort of on-stage tuner. Tuning before you go on is great – and necessary – but once you’re up there, the heat of the lights and the force of your playing will, more often than not, cause your tuning to go off. The Korg DTR-1000 rackmount tuner allows you to quickly mute your amp, either via the easily-accessible button on the front or a user-supplied footswitch, and its bright LEDs make tuning on a darkened stage a snap. It even has an auto-calibration mode in case you’re playing with a pianist and the piano is slightly off from the typical A440 tuning. There are more or less expensive tuners out there, but at $189.98, the DTR-1000 is the best bang-for-the-buck, in my opinion.

For the drummers, the Pearl Demon Drive kick pedals are about as advanced as you can get. All pivots run on ultra-low friction Ninja skateboard bearings for incredible smoothness. The pedal’s direct-link offers two positions to adjust the power of the pedal, the beater stroke is adjustable for a heavier or a lighter feel, and they can also be configured as either a long-board or a short-board. Add in a locking spring-tensioner, adjustable footboard height, an adjustable traction plate, anti-vibration elastomer-core beaters, and a sweet orange carrying case, and you have about the sweetest pedals out there. Although not what you would call “cheap,” $696.65 for the double bass pedal ($313.49 for the single) really isn’t that bad when you consider all the features and adjustability of these pedals.

Or are you the type of musician who is always coming up with great riffs when practicing, only to forget them later? The MegaStudio Artist pack from PreSonus has everything you need. With its FireBox firewire interface, 24-bit/96kHz sampling rate, two microphone pre-amps, four analog inputs, S/PDIF and MIDI i/o’s, and zero-latency monitoring, this interface can take those riffs and help you flesh them out into full-blown songs. The case itself is aluminum, not plastic, making it hardier and more road-worthy should you decide to take it out and record a live gig. Add in $2,000 worth of software, including Cubase 4 LE, Drumagog LE, a plethora of virtual synths, amps and effects, this package is a steal at $239.98.

Don’t have a Firewire port on your computer? You don’t even have a computer? Then Zoom has a solution for you. The H4n Handy Recorder puts recording literally into the palm of your hand. It’s unique two microphone set up allows for true stereo recording , and allows you to adjust the recording to either 90 or 120 degrees. It offers 24-bit/96kHz recording as well as a variety of MP3 formats for smaller file sizes. Using either SD or SDHC memory cards, it has a capacity of up to 32 GB. If you’re looking for greater fidelity in a live setting, the H4n also has two mic/1/4” phantom-powered inputs that allow you to set up two external mics, or capture the stereo output from a mixing console. Editing can be done right on the unit, without the aid of external software, but it also comes with a USB 2.0 interface should you wish to dump your tracks to whatever recording software you prefer. It also comes bundled with Cubase 4 Le, and even has 50 built-in DSP effects, guitar amp modeling, a chromatic tuner, and much more. The H4n is priced at $367.16.

Need something to record video of live shows? Once again, Zoom has you covered. The new Q3 video recorder is made with music in mind. Recording at a resolution of 640 x 480 and 30 frames per second, the 2-gig SD card included with the camera can record up to an hour of footage, and is expandable to 32 GB for a whopping 16 hours of recording time. But what makes the Q3 stand out is the audio. Two condenser mics, in the same configuration as the H4n, allow for the recording of a true stereo image, and the adjustable input level means you can say goodbye to distorted audio. The camera also has an Auto Record Level function that adjusts the level for you. A 2.4” LCD screen on the back of the camera displays at a resolution of 320 x 240, making it easy to review your footage. But best of all, it retails at just $299!

But let’s not forget the real kids on your list. Dean, ESP and Ibanez all offer child-sized guitars, which have smaller-scale necks and smaller bodies, but are still able to bring the heavy. The Ibanez GIO Mikro, pictured left, sells for $233.31 and features dual humbuckers, a fixed bridge and shark-tooth inlays on a 22.2” scale, 24-fret neck. The ESP KH-JR is the junior version of their Kirk Hammett signature series guitars. It has a shorter 20.5” scale, 22-fret neck with skull inlays. It comes with dual humbuckers, a fixed bridge and a gig bag for $299. Finally, the Dean V Baby comes with dual humbuckers, a Tune-O-Matic fixed bridge and a 24.75” scale 22-fret neck.

If you’re still not sure, Axe and Mother’s Music both offer gift cards. But whatever is on your list, have a merry Metal Christmas!