It's not common for the ads that we feature in Gearwire Gallery to employ much in the way of subtlety. We've seen collapsing buildings, idiotic set designs, pre-Photoshop gymnastics and hideous portraits. This time we're in for something different. Endorsing the Takamine LTD-92 acoustic guitar is the late Michael Hedges, he of the Windham Hill record label, unusually deft touch and groundbreaking non-genre style. Note the humor in the entire concept - his last name is Hedges, and that's exactly what he's sitting in - trimmed hedges! Hey, adjusted for Gearwire Gallery, that should win some kind of award for high concept advertising.

Rob Warmowski: Michael Hedges is no longer with us, having lost his life in a car accident in 1997 at the age of 43. The thing that strikes me most about this ad is the expression on his face. Could the association his music earned, perhaps unfairly, with the "New Age" movement be annoying him at the very moment the shutter clicked? Probably not, but I like to think so. Oh, and here's a tip for any Michael Hedges fans out there: you owe it to yourself to check out Chicago acoustic guitar powerhouse Andreas Kapsalis. You're welcome.