For a $60 annual membership, Gear Pass provides you the chance to save hundreds of dollars on new gear you were already planning to buy.
What is Gear Pass?
Honestly my first thought when I saw Gear Pass in my inbox was ‘is this another gear supply co. situation?’. Much to my relief, this is a legitimate and honestly, really awesome subscription service. Run by long time industry folks from Nashville, Gear Pass is very simple.
If you sign up for a membership ($7.99 USD monthly or $60 annually) you can buy gear from independent boutique builders at a discount. This discount is often times going to be much more money than the annual membership. Here’s an example:
Rivolta Guitars is a well known and trusted guitar brand, one that I have worked with myself! With a Gear Pass membership you get 15% off of any in-stock Rivolta Guitar that you want to buy direct from them. So let’s say you’re really into their new Duocata model (like I am) and want to buy one. The new cost on their website is $1099.00 USD. With Gear Pass, you’ll buy directly from Rivolta and pay 15% less. That means you save $165 off of your new Duocata, leaving you with an extra $100 and a new guitar in your hands after your annual membership is paid off. Now any more money you save on cables, amps, pedals, or other gear available via Gear Pass is additional savings.
Here’s an example of some of the brands and discounts available
In total there are 35 builders and brands offering discounts on Gear Pass right now, with another dozen or so on the way. I’ll keep updating folks as new exciting brands join.
Here are some of my favorites that are offering discounts on Gear Pass right now!
- Eastwood & Rivolta Guitars 15% off – I loved the Eastwood I recently reviewed!
- Walsh Guitars 15% off – 15% off a $2500 boutique build is a good chunk of change (~$375).
- Port City Amps 10% off – 10% off of a $2300 boutique amp ain’t too bad ($230)!
- Gunstreet Wiring Harnesses 10% off – A personal favorite of mine!
- Pettyjohn Electronics 10% off
- Stringjoy Strings 10% off – these guys make PFAS-free coated guitar strings!
- RUDE TECH Effects 20% off
- Runway Audio Cables 20% off – I reviewed & loved their cables
Here’s my demo of any amazing Rivolta Guitar you could purchase with your discount!
Who is Gear Pass for?
Here’s the deal, this subscription isn’t for everyone and that’s totally fine. If it doesn’t make sense to you, I’m not going to try and change your mind. But here is who can really benefit from this service:
- People who buy gear very often: If you’re always in the market for new pedals, strings, cables, a custom flight case, or a new guitar then you should look into Gear Pass. If you’re buying new stuff and really like investigating new gear, you’re going to save more money than you spend on the monthly or annual membership via Gear Pass? In truth
- People who are a fan of the brands already on Gear Pass: Take the amazing Stringjoy brand as an example. If you buy strings from them all the time now you can get 10% off each and every order. That $35 3-pack that you buy every few weeks or every few months will stack up over time, in addition to any new pedals or cables you add throughout the year. Or maybe with a 10% discount you can get a few extra packs or try a custom gauge set? If you were already thinking about getting a Walsh custom guitar, why wouldn’t you sign up for Gear Pass?
- Folks who want to learn about new indie brands: This is an awesome way to discover a ton of fun new gear builders in the independent space. As many of you know, this website focuses on covering indie brands, builders, and musicians. I see Gear Pass as just another cool part of the community, where folks can find new pedal builders or an alternative to big box brands. Plus, you can now investigate or experiment with these new products at a discount!
For reference, I use Gunstreet Wiring products in my Les Tele and my cherished Gretsch Paul Jr guitar.
FAQ
I know some of you will be like me and start out apprehensive or suspicious, I get it. So here are some things that popped into my mind:
Yes, each of these brands knows they are on this website, they signed up for it. And these are legitimately awesome brands.
You only save money if you buy stuff. Don’t sign up, not buy anything, and then complain about throwing your money away.
More brands are coming and you can request for Gear Pass to reach out to specific brands to add them.
Right now, small builders need this community more than ever, with tariffs, cost increases, and inflation all coming down on them, this is a great way for smaller builders to find new customers while you save a few bucks on big purchases.
They did not pay me to write this or give me free gear. They did give me a free subscription and I want to be transparent about it.
If you want to sign up, I really hope you’ll use my affiliate link because it really helps me keep doing what I’m doing!
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