Now is the right time to become an American Federation of Musicians member. From ragtime to rap, from the early phonograph to today's digital recordings, the AFM has been there for its members. And now there are more benefits available to AFM members than ever before, including a multi-million dollar pension fund, excellent contract protection, instrument and travelers insurance, work referral programs and access to licensed booking agents to keep you working.
As an AFM member, you are part of a membership of more than 80,000 musicians. Experience has proven that collective activity on behalf of individuals with similar interests is the most effective way to achieve a goal. The AFM can negotiate agreements and administer contracts, procure valuable benefits and achieve legislative goals. A single musician has no such power.
The AFM has a proud history of managing change rather than being victimized by it. We find strength in adversity, and when the going gets tough, we get creative - all on your behalf.
Like the industry, the AFM is also changing and evolving, and its policies and programs will move in new directions dictated by its members. As a member, you will determine these directions through your interest and involvement. Your membership card will be your key to participation in governing your union, keeping it responsive to your needs and enabling it to serve you better. To become a member now, visit www.afm.org/join.
April 4, 2016
IM -Hand-crafted in Nashville, Tennessee, Todd Sharp Amplifiers’ debut model is the JOAT (Jack of All Tone) 20-Watt Reverb/Tremolo and Model A 2×12-inch speaker cabinet. Each component in the amplifier was painstakingly process selected for optimum performance. This is the flagship model for the company founded in 2016 by guitarist Todd Sharp, a member of Local 257 (Nashville, TN), who has also owned and operated an amplifier repair shop for the past 20 years. It offers a unique approach to vacuum tube guitar amplification. There is no tone stack (conventional bass, mid, treble controls), nor the loss that comes with a convention tone stack. Instead, the JOAT circuit employs rotary selector switches: attitude, low cut, and high cut, along with a “bite” switch. Inputs one and two are designed intentionally to receive single coil or dual coil pickups. The reverb is unlike any other, producing super smooth sound more like a plate than spring reverb. Tremolo offers an ultra-stable, wide range of speed and intensity—from subtle to full stutter.