THIS WEEK @ CME
Shop Fresh Gear
This just in at Chicago Music Exchange! Fresh Gear is where you’ll find fresh gear from all your favorite manufacturers, updated daily, so you’re always ahead of the beat.
CME'S 2026 TREAT YOURSELF SALE!

Treat Yourself at CME with Great Deals on some of our Hottest Guitars and Premium Accessories!
We’re playing Cupid this weekend and pairing you up with a great deal on gear that you’ll love! With up to 52% OFF select new, vintage, & used gear, it’s the right time to find a tonal valentine during our Treat Yourself Sale, even if you already have a physical valentine (don’t worry, we won’t tell!). Whether you’re treating your guitar’s rosewood fretboard to a luscious relic job by picking up a tin of Montypresso, or treating your rig to a vintage amplifier, everyone can find something they’ll love, all while saving some green!
Highlight Of The Week


Feeling Lucky? Save Big on New, Vintage, and Used Gear During our St. Patrick’s Day Sale!
St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, and we’re celebrating with a few of our favorite traditions: dyeing the river green, the Southside Irish parade, and the St. Patrick’s Day Sale at CME! With up to 50% OFF select new, vintage, and used gear, you can’t go wrong when you save some green while grabbing some of the hottest gear on our showroom floor.
The John Oates Collection has Arrived at CME!


Stage-played, Studio-Loved, Collector Guitars & Amplifiers at CME!
John Oates isn’t parting with his past—he’s investing in the future. The John Oates Collection has arrived at Chicago Music Exchange—an extraordinary lineup of stage and studio-played acoustics, amplifiers, and electric guitars from one of the most iconic songwriters and performers in American music history. These aren’t just instruments—they’re pieces of living music history, shaped by decades of recording, touring, and performance. From road-worn character to studio-crafted tone, every piece tells a story, and now, those stories are available to you! Whether you’re a serious collector, a lifelong fan, or a player chasing authentic inspiration, this part of his collection delivers rare energy, legacy craftsmanship, and true provenance. The John Oates Collection is available now at Chicago Music Exchange. It’s about real gear, real history, and real connection to the music that shaped generations, and now will continue to shape the next generation!



Chicago Drum Exchange
You can’t beat the Chicago Drum Exchange. Shop the newest gear from Chicago’s best drum shop today.


All that Glitters is Gold, like the Newest Slingerland Drum Kits and Snare Drums!
The Slingerland sound returned last year, built in America with timeless tones and lush resonance! The newest Slingerland Radio King drum kit and snare drum to hit Chicago Drum Exchange is outfitted in a luxurious Gold Gloss Glitter, matching the high-end feel of each strike! Choose between a solid maple shell (on the snare drum) for punchy projection, or a 3-ply mahogany-poplar-mahogany shell (on the 3-piece kit) for immense warmth. The snare features nickel-over-steel stick chopper hoops for crisp rim shots with controlled overtones.
From Bursts to Builds! Chicago Music Exchange "CME Spec" Guitars is the Gibson Custom Authority!
When it comes to Gibson Custom Shop guitars, we don’t just sell them—we live them. Chicago Music Exchange started as a vintage guitar shop, surrounded by real-deal Bursts, Explorers, Vs, Specials, 335s, 355s, SGs—you name it. We know what the old ones sound like, look like, feel like. That’s why we spec our Gibson Customs with one goal: get them as close to the golden-era tone and mojo as modern builds allow.
We’re not chasing myths—we’re chasing the sound, with decades of experience guiding every decision. If you’re looking for the real deal in Gibson Custom Les Pauls, SGs, or ES guitars, CME is the only destination you need.
SHOP CME EXCLUSIVE GIBSON
Featured Video
Vintage Guitar New Arrivals! March 2026
This week, Nathaniel Murphy and Nik check out a few incredible vintage and used new arrivals at Chicago Music Exchange! We've got 4 picks this week, starting with a 1968 Guild Starfire V. We've also got a 1970s Hagstrom Swede, a 1969 Ampeg Dan Armstrong Bass and we finish things off with a very cool 1954 Martin D-18!
UPCOMING EVENTS AT CHICAGO MUSIC EXCHANGE!
Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Inside the Custom Shop: Fender Master Builder Dennis Galuszka in Conversation with Nathaniel Murphy
You’re invited to a night of Fender tone, Custom Shop tools, and true guitar obsession. Join us at Chicago Music Exchange on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, at 7:00 PM for an exclusive Evening with Fender Master Builder Dennis Galuszka, hosted by CME’s Master Player, Nathaniel Murphy.
Expect deep dives, big tone talk, and behind-the-scenes stories from one of the best to ever do it—Fender Custom Shop Master Builder Dennis Galuszka, who's been shaping the sound of Fender since the late ‘90s. Holding it down for CME is none other than Nathaniel Murphy, who’ll be hosting and leading the conversation, gear-head-friendly chats, plugging into the latest Fender builds, surely something you do not want to miss!
Guitars will be played! Stories will be told! Nerdy questions encouraged! Don’t miss out!
Effects & Amplification
Let us be your Pedal Plug and Amplifier Tone Shop!
Our Favorite Two Rock Amps are Back in Stock!
Two-Rock is one of our team’s favorite point-to-point handwired amp brands in our shop, and the newest Two-Rock amps never stay on our showroom floor for long! Covered in colorful suede and paying tribute to the high headroom of Fender amps, with the touch sensitivity of Dumble amps, these amplifiers are a thing of beauty both in looks and tone. Come into our showroom today and hear the Two Rock difference for yourself!

Harness History With our Vintage Fender Amplifiers!
In 1938, Leo Fender got his start in radio repair, which morphed into public address system building and repair, which morphed into building and repairing amplifiers by the mid-40s! Right now, you can find vintage Fender amplifiers from the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s under our roof! Whether you’re looking for a workhorse vintage Fender Amplifier from the ‘70s, a gorgeous Tweed amp from the ‘50s that defined the “American” style of amplification, or even an amp formerly owned by notable musicians like John Oates, we’ve got you covered!
Shop Our Huge Selection Of New, Used, And Vintage Pedals In The Store At CME This Season!

Catalinbred CB Paint Late 1900s Reverberator Pedal!
The Alesis Microverb was an affordable ‘90s rackmount digital reverb that became a tonal cornerstone of players like Mac DeMarco and Trey Anastasio! The new Catalinbread CB Paint takes 8 programs from the Alesis Microverb and puts them onto your pedalboard, adding a mix control, an adjustable low-pass filter, and an “onset” that controls how long the reverb kicks in after playing. Everything from a simple room reverb to massive reverse reverb is available here, accessible with the click of a footswitch!

Tone King Royalist Tri-Tube Preamp Pedal!
The Tone King Royalist is an authentic take on Marshall’s evolution throughout the ‘60s and early ‘70s, starting the period as an incredibly warm blues amp, and ending as the unmistakable crunch powering the arena rock to come. It’s now easier than ever to capture that evolution thanks to the Royalist Tube Preamp Pedal! Featuring three 12AX7 tubes and a “zero watt power amp” phase inverter built right in to promote the harmonic depth and dynamics found in those amps of old, the Royalist Tube Preamp Pedal makes it easy to dial in the iconic Marshall tones of that period, at any volume. Of course, the Royalist Preamp Pedal features a low-latency IR and power amp simulation engine, making it easy to output directly to the front of house, recording interface, or headphones. For even more ability to dial in the perfect tone, the Tone King Editor Software offers the ability to create, save, and recall up to 128 presets.

Preorder the New Portable Marshall JTM Series Amplifiers!
The amp that started it all is back! Now in a new portable size, the iconic JTM has been added to Marshall’s Studio range, offering players authentic, smooth, valve-driven break-up at lower volumes. Check out Marshall JTM Studio options now available for preorder at CME!
Featured Video
CME Exclusive Fender Player II | Lavender Haze
This year, Chicago Music Exchange teamed up with Fender to bring players something truly unique: the Fender Player II Lavender Haze Collection. These aren’t just guitars and basses with a new paint job—they’re instruments built with purpose: vintage-inspired voice, modern modifications, and a colorway that feels like it should have existed all along. Finished in dreamy Lavender Haze, a hue inspired by classic DuPont colors from the golden era of American manufacturing, each Player II model comes equipped with exclusive “Full Dip” pickups and enhanced circuitry designed to deliver tone that’s rich, responsive, and ready for anything.The heart of every Lavender Haze instrument is the Full Dip pickup system—a thoughtful reimagining of Fender’s Vintera II foundation. Every pickup in the Player II lineup gets +5% additional winding, boosting midrange presence and output without squashing dynamic nuance. Coupled with Alnico 2 magnets, this combination softens harsh treble edges while producing a sweet, open top end and a natural low end with substance. It’s a modern twist on vintage architecture that responds beautifully to pedals, amp breakup, and expressive playing alike.
Related Posts
Taylor Guitars | Next Generation Grand Auditorium
The Next Generation of Taylor Grand Auditorium guitars has arrived at Chicago Music Exchange. Featuring Scalloped V-Class bracing for richer harmonic response, the innovative Action Control Neck for effortless setup adjustments, and the all-new Claria pickup system for consistent amplified tone, these guitars represent Taylor’s most refined acoustic design yet.
Read moreThe John Oates Collection at CME!
John Oates isn’t parting with his past—he’s investing in the future. The John Oates Collection has arrived at Chicago Music Exchange—an extraordinary lineup of loved acoustics, stage-used amplifiers, and choice collector’s guitars from one of the most iconic songwriters and performers in American music history. These aren’t just instruments—they’re pieces of living music history, shaped by decades of recording, touring, and performance. From road-worn character to studio-crafted tone, every piece tells a story, and now, those stories are available to you!
Read moreSuhr Custom | 2026 New Gear Arrivals
Fresh from NAMM 2026, the newest Suhr guitars, basses, and amps have officially landed at Chicago Music Exchange. From Limited Edition Classics to the all-new Oso Short Scale and elite artist signatures, this lineup blends vintage soul with modern muscle. Built in Lake Elsinore, California—crafted to perform everywhere you play. Shop Suhr now.
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