Dean Markley strings knew better than to challenge D'Addario on their home turf. As Gearwire Gallery readers know, in the 1980s and 90s D'Addario was the undisputed king of movie spoof concepts in their print ads. Loyal competition Dean Markley, instead of rolling out their own spoof, sought to tug at your heartstrings (see, this stuff just writes itself) a different way: with a tragic vignette of guitar destruction.

Rob Warmowski: He: "Baby, now that I sat on my guitar, I can't make any gigs. We will barely be able to afford hair conditioner." She: "We won't be able to pay the light bill either. Thank god my socks glow in the dark."