I got an acoustic guitar last spring, and I’ve been wanting an electric guitar for awhile. So for Christmas my grandparents in Dallas and Las Vegas got together and gave me gift cards to Guitar Center.

Today, Geoff McAlister took me shopping. He’s toured with a lot of rock bands, and knows what equipment the real pros like, and he helped me pick some great gear. Everybody says the main thing is to try a lot of guitars until you find the one that feels best to you. I did that, and I bought an ESP LTD guitar, a Fender Mustang amp with a built-in tuner, and a pair of great TEAC TASCAM TH-200X balancing and mixing headphones. The amp has a built-in digital channel, so I can hook it to my laptop and add all kinds of special effects and background stuff and record my own music, too.

I couldn’t have afforded everything I got except for the after Christmas sales — the headphones I got usually cost over $100 but they were on sale for $20. The amp was on sale, too, and I think I got the last unopened box the store had. A guitar strap was in my Christmas stocking, and Geoff got me a 10′ cord so I can move around while I’m plugged in. The headphones have a long chord, too. So I am all set.

I love the new gear – best Christmas gifts ever! I also got some cool new shoes, art supplies, some wild socks, some clothes, some other gift cards and lots of candy. Thanks everybody!