Metal Monthly Interviews
Tish Ciravolo, founder and president of Daisy Rock Guitars...
Metal Monthly: Hey Tish, Thank you for your time and for a little Q&A
Tish: Absolutely! I’m always up for a little Q&A… a little chit chat of any sort, actually, especially with somebody who shares my passion for music!
Metal Monthly: Please tell our Readers about your Awesome Product Daisy Rock Guitars, and How You Got Inspired to Launch this product line?
Tish: Well, the company was started in 2000 and was actually inspired by my daughter. I had grown up playing bass in bands all across Los Angeles and everywhere I went people were constantly surprised that I was buying an instrument for myself, not just playing roadie for my boyfriend. So when my daughter Nicole was little, we were sitting down together and drawing and she colored a daisy. I playfully added a neck and a headstock and then it dawned on me: “We should make guitars for girls!”
It was that original Daisy that became the flagship of our company. It was even inducted into the Museum of Making Music in 2006. Now we have over 80 different guitars and basses for beginning rockstars on up to professional musicians.
Metal Monthly: 80, That is Awesome... I have seen your product at retail, and have visited your booth at NAMM each year. I must say, you have some awesome Quality Guitars with a great look.
Tish: Well, thank you. I appreciate the compliment. When we sat down to start the company, we knew it had to be different in more ways than just fun finishes and playful shapes. So we designed a girl guitar to offer signature features not found anywhere else: lightweight bodies that are easy for girls to hold and fit the female form, and slim necks that are easy for us girls to wrap our fingers around. Every new series of guitars we develop, no matter how innovative, remains loyal to those principles.
Metal Monthly: My daughter has been wanting the Dark Star Bass, And I have to admit, it does look awesome.
Tish: That’s actually one of our most popular. The Dark Star has that matte, sleek, rockstar look to it so it fits that certain Daisy Rock niche of those who want to be girly but with an edge. Of course I do have guys who like that bass – and guys who like our pink guitars too!
Metal Monthly: Who Are some of the artists who use your guitars onstage?
-Tish: We have such a variety! Some of our core artists since the beginning have been names like Lisa Loeb, the Donnas, the Bangles (we just launched a Bangles Artist Signature Guitar this year), E.G. Daily, Nancy Wilson… there’s so many. We recently held our annual artist showcase and we were able to feature so many amazing artists that the talent was overwhelming. We had artists such as up and comer Johnnie Burton, antiProduct all the way from the U.K., and my own band sASSafrASS even played! We also had some awesome girls like Julia Pierce who is only 11 years old.
Metal Monthly: Very Cool....If I was to steal your ipod, what Kind of music would I find on it?
-Tish: The Runaways, Queen, New York Dolls, Ok Go, Heart, The Velvet Underground, Tammy Wynette, The Go Gos, Johnny Cash, Guns and Roses, Aerosmith, The Ramones, X, The Cure, The Romantics.
Metal Monthly: Johnny Cash Rules...Here is a standard Question I ask most Artists: If you could send one cd/album up in the space shuttle to be left on another planet, to be found by other life what cd/album would you send to represent American Metal?
-Tish: Dreamboat Annie by HEART
Metal Monthly: When you were growing up what music did you listen to?
-Tish: AM Radio – Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, The Go Go’s,
Metal Monthly: I still listen to AM Radio...I read somewhere you were inspired at one time by Leather Tuscadero on Happy Days, That is so cool, oh yea, I had my first crush on her.
-Tish: I still love the feather, highlight look of the ‘70’s that Suzi Quatro pulled off.
Metal Monthly: Cool Stuff...Now back to your Guitars, So you have a great variety of Quality guitars, and Quality Bass Guitars, with some of the best paint jobs on the market today. What is your most popular model/color to date?
Tish: Our most popular model is definitely the Rock Candy. I mean, doesn’t it just sound delicious? It has our take on that classic body shape, a variety of finishes from Atomic Pink to Rainbow Sparkle to Cosmic Purple, and our new Diamond Sparkle finish. It offers a mahogany body, Duncan Designed Humbuckers, push-pull tone control for sonic versatility, and of course that signature lightweight, slim-neck profile.
Metal Monthly: What Guitar would you recommend to a beginner, intermediate?, pro?
Tish: Let’s see… I love our new Debutante series for beginners, and I think the Debutante Rock Candy Electric Guitar Pack is just perfect! It’s completely affordable, and the electric guitar actually comes with everything from an amp and tuner to guitar strap and picks, and even an instructional DVD. It’s ideal for that girl that wants to pick up a guitar and just start learning to play.
For an intermediate we offer so many models that it really depends on taste. I will say the Rock Candy Custom Special is one of my favorites. It comes in that sleek red or black finish with a single star for a perfect rockstar image, and features a mahogany body, TonePros Tune-o-matic bridge with string-through body, Grover Tuners, D’Addario strings, Duncan Designed Humbuckers… I could go on all day!
For the pro I just can’t help but mention our top-of-the-line U.S.A.-made model. I actually got together with master luthier John Caruthers to design this guitar and it turned out absolute to-die-for. It’s so lightweight it fits the female form perfectly, and it comes with all of the following: TonePros Tune-O-Matic bridge with a stop bar tail piece, Seymour Duncan USA pickups (JB and ’59), Sperzel locking tuners, and D’Addario strings. Oh, and the finish is a perfect Candy Apple Pink. I hate to brag, but it totally rocksJ
Metal Monthly: You have given Back so much to the community, and charitable organizations, and for that My hat is off to you.
Tish: Wow, Thank you! It’s a mission near and dear to my heart. I don’t think we could be a company if we didn’t focus on giving back. Our efforts always focus on a desire to help those in need, and we partner up with a lot of organizations including breast cancer benefits, girls summer camps, and other nonprofits to make sure that our voice is heard in the community.
Metal Monthly: Any new products on the horizon, or surprises in store for Daisy Rock?
Tish: 2008 is actually a huge year for us. Not only do we have quite a few new models, but we just launched an entirely new line of guitars. The Debutante Series is now our beginner girl’s line, perfect for those just learning to play, in fun shapes and colors, and at a very reasonable price point. It’s exciting to be able to divide up the product in this way so that we can focus on meeting everyone’s needs. Launching this line has allowed us to add some hot new Daisy Rock products to the adult line like the Siren, the Isis, and the Bangles Signature Model guitar designed by the band themselves!
Metal Monthly: What is the Best way to locate Daisy Rock Guitars for our readers?
Tish: Well, Daisy Rock guitars are sold in retail stores worldwide. You can check out your local music store, or you can just log on to daisyrock. com for our entire line.
Metal Monthly: As you may know, Women in metal are really taking charge of the scene, and the talent pool is very deep, I can only see good things to come for Daisy Rock?
Tish: Absolutely. It’s amazing how quickly the industry grows and changes. When we started, our message of reaching women and getting them to pick up guitars was a novelty; now it is something that is both accepted and embraced. Now that we’ve knocked down that wall and women really are taking charge of the scene, I think it’s opening a lot of doors for women to expand their talent. We’re just happy to be a part of that and to be able to provide them with instruments to express themselves and their unique personalities.
Metal Monthly: Tish, Thank you so much for your time. I wish you continued success, and I applaud you for you excellent Quality Product... Is there anything you would like to add for our readers, or a shout out to anyone.
Tish: Hell yeah. Our message is not just about selling guitars. It is really all about female empowerment. If a girl can make up her mind to pick up a guitar or bass and play, she can do anything she wants. And that is why GIRLS ROCK!
GIRLS DO ROCK, I encourage all of our viewers to checkout www. daisyrock. com and take a look for yourself, they have some killer guitars!
For Girls, and Guys!
~Downshifter
Pictured Above - Tish Ciravolo
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