Buy a car, get a guitar

Get ready to rock 'n' roll--in your car. Volkswagen of America has unleashed its electric-guitar-with-car promotion, and every 2007 Jetta, Rabbit, GLI, GTI, New Beetle and Beetle Convertible bought or leased through Dec. 31 will come with a specially made First Act GarageMaster electric guitar.

Aesthetically, the guitar keeps with Volkswagen's simple and modern design. The VW insignia is visible throughout the guitar--on the volume and tone knobs, on the 12th fret in mother-of-pearl and in American Sign Language on the truss rod cover. The instrument links to the VW via an auxiliary connection in the glove compartment.

The guitar itself has some different features. While most electric guitarists use heavy and costly amplifiers, the VW internal sound system essentially becomes your amplifier setup. The First Act guitar provides a built-in amplifier, called the pre-amp, which can be turned on to play through your VW or off to play through an external amplifier. While this certainly is convenient, more seasoned guitarists might feel limited by the lack of quality, or by the inability to craft personal tone settings.

Want to plug in your Les Paul? I wouldn't recommend it. Because of the technology used with the First Act guitar, the GarageMaster won't blow out your VW speakers. However, Def Leppard on your electric guitar of choice would most likely compromise your stereo system, and it's not advised.

If you love personalization, you may dig how each guitar has your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) etched into the back of the headstock. In addition to the guitar, the VW rocker will also get VW picks, guitar strap, gig bag, audio cable and a First Act guitar badge--not to mention the new car.