First Act Volkswagen Garage Master

Slash blasting through a triple-stack of Volkswagen GTIs? John Mayer getting all kinds of bluesy with a convertible Beetle? A shredding Nigel Tufnel—in kilts—slipping off his wah pedal and tumbling down the backside of a Jetta? Ya gotta give First Act and Volkswagen credit for forging a stunning advertising campaign—especially as it’s more than wonderful to see guitar heroes, rock licks, and cool 6-strings employed as international marketing icons.

But the Volkswagen/First Act collaboration is more than Madison Avenue fairy dust, as First Act’s GarageMaster guitar is no mere toy, and, thanks to its onboard V-Stack amp-modeling preamp, it can be played directly through a VW’s sound system. In fact, although the GarageMaster is provided with new Jettas, GLIs, GTIs, Rabbits, New Beetles, and New Beetle Convertibles, the guitar works with any car-stereo system equipped with a miniplug jack and an Aux feature (basically, your standard automotive iPod interface). However, as the GTI provided by Volkswagen as our “test amp” boasted ten speakers, a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, a navigation system, and a six-disc CD changer, it seemed impolite not to plug in and rock. After running the supplied 14"-to-miniplug cable from the GarageMaster to the aux jack installed inside the glove box, it was apparent the setup is designed more for parked, rather than mobile concerts. As GP Associate Editor Jude Gold and I traded licks in the back seat—taking care not to pummel designated driver and GP Senior Editor Art Thompson with the GarageMaster’s headstock—the glove-box door bounced merrily across Bass Player Art Director Patrick Wong’s knees. Ouch. That was a shame, because with the car’s interior acting as an acoustic chamber, you’re enveloped in the GarageMaster’s clean and distorted V-Stack sounds—much like the surround sound effect of some Disney-esque thrill ride. The effect is less awesome with the doors or windows open, as you lose a fair amount of the sonic impact to signal reflections and the open air. The sound is still loud and proud enough to rock a picnic or other outdoor activity, it’s just not as ballsy. It’s kind of like the difference between playing a small club where your sound is just booming off sweat-drenched walls and rafters and an arena gig where everything gets sucked up into the heavens. 
Feb 15, 2007

The Deal: Motor Trend Article:

Buy or lease a , GTI, Rabbit, New Beetle or New Beetle Convertible and get a custom limited-edition First Act GarageMaster electric guitar that can be played through the car's audio system. (October 3 - December 31, 2006) 

The Package

1 - Custom First Act GarageMaster guitar. White with color-coordinated pickguard to match the car (blue, white pearloid, black, red). Plate on back of headstock has car's VIN.1 - Nice /First Act embroidered heavy-duty padded nylon gig bag1 - Super-cool VW/First Act embroidered heavy-duty seat belt material guitar strap with leather ends1 - Indispensable 20' Instrument cable. 1/4 TS to 1/8 TRS3 - Neat VW/First Act logo charcoal celluloid guitar picks-medium thickness

But the Volkswagen/First Act collaboration is more than Madison Avenue fairy dust, as First Act’s GarageMaster guitar is no mere toy, and, thanks to its onboard V-Stack amp-modeling preamp, it can be played directly through a VW’s sound system. In fact, although the GarageMaster is provided with new Jettas, GLIs, GTIs, Rabbits, New Beetles, and New Beetle Convertibles, the guitar works with any car-stereo system equipped with a miniplug jack and an Aux feature (basically, your standard automotive iPod interface). However, as the GTI provided by Volkswagen as our “test amp” boasted ten speakers, a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, a navigation system, and a six-disc CD changer, it seemed impolite not to plug in and rock. After running the supplied 14"-to-miniplug cable from the GarageMaster to the aux jack installed inside the glove box, it was apparent the setup is designed more for parked, rather than mobile concerts. As GP Associate Editor Jude Gold and I traded licks in the back seat—taking care not to pummel designated driver and GP Senior Editor Art Thompson with the GarageMaster’s headstock—the glove-box door bounced merrily across Bass Player Art Director Patrick Wong’s knees. Ouch. That was a shame because with the car’s interior acting as an acoustic chamber, you’re enveloped in the GarageMaster’s clean and distorted V-Stack sounds—much like the surround sound effect of some Disney-esque thrill ride. The effect is less awesome with the doors or windows open, as you lose a fair amount of the sonic impact to signal reflections and the open air. The sound is still loud and proud enough to rock a picnic or other outdoor activity, it’s just not as ballsy. It’s kind of like the difference between playing a small club where your sound is just booming off sweat-drenched walls and rafters, and an arena gig where everything gets sucked up into the heavens.

GarageMaster Guitar

So what do you get for nothin'? Quite a bit actually. Fresh out of the box, the GarageMaster is encased in a nicely embroidered nylon gig bag. Pulling it from its snug cocoon, the striking white guitar is an exercise in contrasts. The overall size of the solid poplar body appears diminutive but feels all of its seven pounds. The stark white paint is broken up by the three-piece black-on-white pickguard and bright chrome hardware. The body's rounded edges and high-gloss finish run cheerfully counter to the latest guitar fashions based on a distressed or gothic aesthetic.

The two-piece bolt-on maple neck feels solid and slick. It's medium thickness with a C profile and angled headstock. On the business side of the neck, you'll find a spacious sheet of tightly grained rosewood, 22 medium-jumbo frets, and dot inlays. The oversized mother-of-pearl dot at the 12th fret is cut in the shape of the VW logo. The frets are nicely crowned and polished but could use a manicure at the edges. The GarageMaster uses a string-through-body with proprietary string retainer and tailpiece. The tune-o-matic-style bridge is Allen wrench adjustable and uses waferlike saddles for adjustability and sustain. Up top are enclosed die-cast tuners in a 3x3 arrangement. All the hardware on the GarageMaster is chrome-plated.

The wide neck and large-radius fretboard makes fingering easy, even for musicians with large hands. The satin-finished maple keeps behind-the-neck position changes quick and smooth. The edge of the neck drops off rather sharply, occasionally reminding you of the protruding fret ends. Imported guitars - the GarageMaster is made in China - can have wavy, or even notched, fret surfaces, but the entire fretboard on the GarageMaster is straight and smooth, making string bends and slides a breeze.

The VIN number is on the rear of the headstock, however, I have not posted it due to privacy. If you want to know it, send me a message.

Also, the Youtube video is not this guitar but one exactly like it.

There are only so many in existance and very few in this condition. Be the First Act to own one.