Sammy Hagar may have once sang, “There’s Only One Way to Rock,” but thankfully there are many ways for electronics companies to help give back through charitable efforts.
Giving back through the power of music, Just Add Power is teaming up Guitars for Vets to donate 12 custom guitars to military veterans. The company is working with with Dean Zelinsky Guitars and the company’s founder Dean Zelinsky, who started Dean Guitars, the long-time instrument manufacturer who has built guitars for Billy Gibbons, Zakk Wylde, Dave Mustaine, Leslie West, Darrell “Dimebag” Abbott, Nancy Wilson and many others.
Just Add Power will give away a total of 18 guitars. The additional six will go to CEDIA attendees. Ed Qualls, president of Just Add Power, says the guitar giveaway builds on past promotions the company has conducted, and he notes it’s a fun and beneficial way to show electronics professionals its latest products.
“Last year we gave integrators the chance to get some Just Add Power custom-branded Nike ID shoes. We got a lot of love on social media for giving away some pairs of the comfy custom sneaks, which were commissioned for the launch of 3G Ultra HD over IP, our 4K over 1GB HDMI distribution solution,” recalls Qualls. “This year we’ve gone even bigger in terms of swag, but it was important to us to give something back on top of creating a buzz at the show, so the partnership with Dean Zelinsky and Guitars for Vets was perfect.”
Taft Stricklin of Just Add Power, is a music fan and guitar player, and he reiterates Qualls’ comments, including the ability of the promotion to be fun, while supporting a good cause.
Stricklin says, as someone who grew up in the 1980s, one of the first records he purchased was the Sammy Hagar album “VOA.” The album’s artwork features Hagar parachuting into Washington D.C. with his Signature Dean guitar in hand. Later Stricklin says he was able to play guitar with Hagar during his wedding, which was held in Hollywood. Combining his love of Sammy Hagar and the impact of Dean Zelinsky’s guitars, Stricklin devised a beneficial way to promote the company’s new cost effective HDMI-over-IP products.
“We decided to partner with Dean Zelinsky who was the founder of Dean Guitars in the 1970s. Dean’s designs shaped a good percentage of rock-and-roll from the late 1970s through today,” explains Stricklin. “Once we met with Dean and discovered the Guitar for Vets program we knew 100 percent who would build our custom Just Add Power guitars.”
During CEDIA this week, Just Add Power will conduct two live drawings in its booth (#6626) at 3:30 each day. Winners will receive custom Dean Zelinsky Just Add Power guitars outfitted with the company’s Z-Glide Neck, along with vintage tweed cases.
The company is also showing a number of new products, including the new 4K PoE powered wall plate transmitter, featuring HDMI, VGA, audio RS-232, CEC and other options to provide dealers with more setup possibilities.
Also at the booth is the company's new 3G PoE Hi-Fi Transmitters and Receivers, that can be mixed-and-matched with other Just Add Power products. Stricklin says the new transmitters and receivers incorporate a variety of features, and their price points break new barriers to enable dealers to configure IP-based systems for any size or budget.
Another important feature of the entire Just Add Power product line is its 4K compatibility. Stricklin says with the growing momentum of 4K with HDR (high dynamic range), all of the company’s products incorporate provisions for complete 4K compatibility.
“All of our 4K devices have a free firmware update with seamless HDR,” he emphasizes. “I believe we are the only people with this technology. [Users can] play HDR content on 4K HDR screens no matter the brand, while playing that same source in 4K without HDR, while playing that same source on any 1080p display to make it simple to always get the best picture quality for each screen. We are pleased to tell everyone we work with every 4K source that has come to market with zero EDID issues. We are currently working on firmware updates that will move our current color gamuts to support more than what is offered in off-the-shelf 4K sources today.”
Paraphrasing Hagar’s Van Halen days, it could be said the combination of Just Add Power’s HDMI-over-IP products and the Dean Zelinsky Guitars will deliver to CEDIA attendees the “Best of Both Worlds.”
