Carpentersville's Fat Cat Guitars gets a makeover
Since it opened in 2004, Fat Cat Guitars has been a hot spot for guitar lessons.
Recently, owners Scott and Kate Bond unveiled a new, state-of-the-art lesson program that they say will make their guitar and bass lessons even better for experienced students and newcomers alike.
All of the lesson rooms in the shop -- which is located along Randall Road in Carpentersville, were remodeled.
The rooms not only have cool art and memorabilia from the owners' private collection -- such as an autographed Tool poster and a framed and autographed White Zombie sticker proof sheet - they also have brand new state-of-the art equipment, Kate Bond said.
For example, each room is fully outfitted with top-of-the-line technology, featuring Roland Cube amplifiers and BR-900 recording units.
Bond says it means a better sounding lesson, as well as the ability to record the lesson onto a CD or iPod for the student to bring home.
"These changes to our program were prompted by our wish to inspire, educate and excite people in our community about the fun and satisfaction of playing guitar," she said. "Guitar is a hobby that really gives back -- scientific evidence is mounting that music can help kids with math, language and spatial reasoning, and it has been proven to ease the effects of stress in adults.
"With the amazing success of games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, we see a great opportunity to help people experience a whole new level far beyond just pushing red, green, blue," Bond said. "Those games are fun, but they're not nearly as fun and rewarding as the real thing. Nobody ever toured the real world playing Guitar Hero."
As part of the revamped lesson program, students also will get new chances to perform live.
Fat Cat has teamed up with Ravenheart Coffee, along Randall Road in Algonquin Commons, for a series of Student Showcase nights this fall where students can show off what they've learned and get experience performing.
The first will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, followed by one on Nov. 19 and Dec. 19.
To sign up to take those lessons, which will teach you how to play those songs you're dying to perform, Fat Cat has also made some changes. They've implemented online scheduling, payment and account management.
"(This) provides our students will a whole new level of flexibility and convenience," Kate Bond said.
Some things haven't changed though, she said.
The store still has its popular instructors, guitar repair right on site and all of the equipment you need to take lessons.
For information call the store at (847) 844-8844.
Amy Williams' column covers all the news of business along the Randall Road corridor from South Elgin to Crystal Lake. Contact her at randallbiz@comcast.net or at (847) 894-5036.