Anybody won a Gear Giveaway?

[DiabolusInMusic]

I saw yet another SBL giveaway video in my YouTube feed. It got me wondering if anybody has won anything similar. I'm sure the old cats here (most of us) remember when Bass Player would run those two-page giveaway ads "of over $20,000 worth of gear!!" The BP ones would often include a box of strings and stuff to go with the new bass and rig. It was a lot of Warwick during my reading days. Surely, somebody had to actually be winning these things.

 

[ONYX]

Over many years, I entered almost every one I knew of--all the guitar and bass mags, Carvin, Vintage Guitar, etc. Never won any of them.

And then a couple years ago, I struck GOLD. I entered a give-away online for a company which escapes my memory at the moment. A few weeks later, they contacted me and let me know that I won something like 87th prize-----a cheap clip on tuner----which I never use because it eats up batteries like nothing.

 

[bound'n'blocked]

Back in my senior year of high school (1985) a friend of mine and I entered a give away on a TV show called "Friday Night Videos" on like NBC or something. They were giving away a bunch of KISS stuff, like one of Gene
Simmons' basses, Ace Frehley amp, Paul Stanley guitar and Eric Carr's drum set. Ok, I'm sure none of this stuff actually belonged to any of them, but hey, I was 17, ok? Anyway, to enter, just send a postcard with your name, address, weight, height, favorite cake flavor, and SS number, to 5150 Sunset Blvd. Hollywood CA. So my bud Richie and I bought a few dozen packages of post cards and about a hundred stamps, which back then were something like 11 cents, but it was still expensive when you didn't have any money. We figured no one would have sent in more entries than we did, and had already divided up the way we were going to keep the gear. Oh, did I mention there were cables and mics too? We were going start a band! There was no way we were going to lose!

I'm still waiting to hear if I won.

Richie moved about two months later, I don't even know how to contact him if they call me to tell me I've won.

Wait, did I remember to put my phone number on the card? Maybe that's why I haven't heard anything...

BnB

 

[ONYX]

Back in my senior year of high school (1985) a friend of mine and I entered a give away on a TV show called "Friday Night Videos" on like NBC or something. They were giving away a bunch of KISS stuff, like one of Gene
Simmons' basses, Ace Frehley amp, Paul Stanley guitar and Eric Carr's drum set. Ok, I'm sure none of this stuff actually belonged to any of them, but hey, I was 17, ok? Anyway, to enter, just send a postcard with your name, address, weight, height, favorite cake flavor, and SS number, to 5150 Sunset Blvd. Hollywood CA. So my bud Richie and I bought a few dozen packages of post cards and about a hundred stamps, which back then were something like 11 cents, but it was still expensive when you didn't have any money. We figured no one would have sent in more entries than we did, and had already divided up the way we were going to keep the gear. Oh, did I mention there were cables and mics too? We were going start a band! There was no way we were going to lose!

I'm still waiting to hear if I won.

Richie moved about two months later, I don't even know how to contact him if they call me to tell me I've won.

Wait, did I remember to put my phone number on the card? Maybe that's why I haven't heard anything...

BnB

Not that it matters after 34 years........But just out of curiosity, why did Richie move away? He didn't come into a windfall of brand-spankin'-new music gear by any chance, did he?

 

[bound'n'blocked]

Not that it matters after 34 years........But just out of curiosity, why did Richie move away? He didn't come into a windfall of brand-spankin'-new music gear by any chance, did he?

Ya know, now that you mention it...he never did really act all that disappointed that we didn't win...and it was super short notice too...



BnB

 

[guli]

I did enter a giveaway and won an T.W.A envelope filter that Juan Alderete had through his website Pedals And Effects a couple of years ago! Still have it, but don’t use it so much, the sweep on the envelope is craazy. Still happy that I have it because Juan was, and still is one of my biggest inspirations.

 

[silence.speaks]

I "won" a sweepstakes from Bad Cat Amps that I entered at NAMM. I was contacted by a marketing company to receive the prize, sent them all my info, and never heard a peep from either company again. Apparently there was a few of us from the searches I did on the internet that won this sweepstakes and never received anything. Called out the owner on it but that's about as far as that went.

Point being, I think most of those giveaways are just a way for companies to farm emails, phone numbers and addresses. They state that you can see a list of winners, but from my experience those names are either fake or people like me that were told they won but don't receive the prize.

 

[CryingBass]

^^ This. Especially nowadays.

 

[seilerbird]

In my opinion the only reason companies hold these give aways is to collect email addresses, phone numbers and mailing addresses. I never enter since I don't give away my personal information. Right now 7-11 has an app and a rewards card. Every time I go into a 7-11 they try and give me a rewards card. When I refuse the clerks are always shocked. But you can earn free things they say. I refuse to give up my information and carry their card in my wallet so they can spam me.

 

[Lava]

I have no luck in any of those giveaways, but I do have a gtr player friend who's won several guitars and all kinds of accessories from different giveaways. He doesn't go out of his way to enter billions of times or anything like that. He just has that mojo in all aspects of his life. So rest assured that someone out there is winning stuff it's just not us...

 

[mikewalker]

I can never enter those draws because they seem to always be "for US residents only". But I always put in an entry for my friend in Florida, and to my knowledge he has never won any of them.

Trivia: On a whim, a few weeks ago I filled out an online survey for our telecom supplier. Shockingly, I got the notice the other day that I had won the $250 survey incentive prize. Just spent it all on bass guitar strings. To complement the stack of 15 assorted sets of unopened strings already sitting on my desk! (it's come to my attention that I may potentially have a mild addiction to bass string experimentation...)

 

[charlie monroe]

Not music related.

A co-worker’s Mother-in-law rolled up the rim on a Tim Horton’s Cup and won a Honda Accord. She took the cash value less taxes.

 

[JimmyM]

Won some guitar strings from Daddario once. Good strings.

 

[Ostie]

In my other life in the mandolin world, there is a retailer called The Mandolin Store. They have given away several mandolins—very nice ones, I might add, not el cheapos—and they have published the winners names. Good peoples, TMS.

I won a free hat from the Mandolin Cafe website. Other than that, nothing.

 

[Weberman]

While not a "gear" giveaway, I did win a free body from Warmoth. Only thing is, GMail decided that everything with "winner" in the title was spam (that's what I get for using a Google product). So, when I saw the email a week later, the had already sent the body to the runner-up. Hooray for me! They did send me some merch as a consolation.

I've also won a few other random-drawings unrelated to music.

 

[DirtDog]

Not music related.

A co-worker’s Mother-in-law rolled up the rim on a Tim Horton’s Cup and won a Honda Accord. She took the cash value less taxes.

That reminds me - I won a free donut from Roll Up The Rim. I think I threw the cup out, though.

 

[DirtDog]

I recall some big Peavey give away from 15-20 years go...some big Lisa Loeb/Dweezil thing with a ton of Peavey gear - amps, guitars, PA, drums, mic - the whole shootin match. I didn’t win but always wondered who did!

 

[Joma3]

Not gear, but around 9 years ago I won $10k from Discover Card for switching to paperless billing which entered you into some contest. I don't think the 10k was even the grand prize, but I didn't mind coming in at the consolation level. I was a bit confused when I received the letter notifying me. I wasn't sure at first if it was a scam... Doing an online search on the sender (some sweepstakes company), though, it looked and turned out to be legit. Wonder what I would've done in the days before internet...assumed it was a scam and thrown it out?

 

[Dean N]

When I was in first grade, I won a football signed by Franco Harris in a raffle. Awesome score.

But it said "for display only." Ok.

The signature, I realized a couple weeks later, was printed. Uh, ok I guess. Still looked cool on its little plastic tee in my room.

I picked it up one day, and it 1) had gone absurdly flat, 2) the "leather", which was clearly junk plastic, cracked into a million pieces like safety glass, and 3) crumbled and fell all over my floor. Even the laces fell off. What remained of my football was a creepy deflated thing that was more inner-tube than football.

Ever since, I've been convinced that raffles and giveaways are poo.

 

[pbass74]

I won a Kala concert size ukulele from a nearby music store a few years ago. Since I already had a ukulele, I loaned the new one to my mom for as long as she wants to use it.