What’s in the box? We’re spicing up the season with a sense of childlike wonder by sending some wild musical surprises to a handful of our favorite artists—and to Reverb users like you who were up to the challenge.
What's the Holiday Mystery Box Challenge?
The premise is simple: We shipped out some of the wildest, coolest gear on Reverb to a roster of total pros. They have no idea what instrument they’ll be receiving—and they boldly promised to film themselves learning how to play whatever showed up in that box.
We’ll be sharing their Mystery Box adventures on social media throughout the rest of the year.
We also invited our audience to replicate their thrilling journey by taking a chance on their own Mystery Box—and supporting the future of music in the process.
How Can You Participate?
From November 4 - December 9, 2021, a limited quantity of affordable Mystery Boxes were listed on Reverb each week. Every box contained a quality instrument from an amazing independent builder.
Though the Official Mystery Box listing is sold out, you can visit our Deals & Steals page to find unexpected treasures all season long. And don’t forget to follow Reverb’s Instagram to keep up with the upcoming video releases from our incredible Mystery Box artists.
In the spirit of making the world more musical, a donation equal to the amount of money raised from this project is being donated to Brooklyn-based youth music education organization Willie Mae Rock Camp (via Reverb Gives) to support and inspire the next generation of music makers.
If you know about Robert Randolph, you know about his unreal pedal steel prowess. But what happened when we challenged him to add a wild new instrument to his toolkit?
Learn more about Robert’s Mystery Box instrument here.
Dynamic duo Amy Love & Georgia South (best known as Nova Twins) have been playing together since they were kids, and have been busy making waves in the punk and rock world—especially after the 2020 release of their debut album. So clearly we sent them a mystery instrument that’s twice the fun...
Learn more about the Nova Twins’ Mystery Box instrument here.
Although guitar great and singer/songwriter Samantha Fish is world-renowned for her blues playing, she is a notable genre-hopper who always keeps her fans on their toes. But were any of them ready for the medieval surprise in this Mystery Box?
Learn more about Samantha’s Mystery Box instrument here.
For the last few years, producer Butch Serriani (better known as OddKidOut) has been blowing minds in the EDM and beatmaking scenes with his humor, hard-hitting tracks, freestyling spirit, and some of the fastest fingers we’ve ever seen grace the pads. But are his futuristic skills ready for the throwback energy of his Mystery Box Challenge?
Learn more about OddKidOut’s Mystery Box instrument here.
Legendary bass boss and sage music educator Victor Wooten needs no introduction. But what happened when we introduced him to a Mystery Box item so enthralling that it turned him into a human “wow” emoji? You’re about to find out...
Learn more about Victor’s Mystery Box instrument here.
NYC-based SuperKnova infuses her signature pop with hypnotic electronic drums, searing synth lines, and jaw-droppingly shreddy guitar solos. So what happened when we asked her to incorporate the prickly sonic surprise from this Mystery Box?
Learn more about SuperKnova’s Mystery Box instrument here.
Multi-instrumentalist Celisse is renowned for her soulful guitar playing and her powerful pipes. And we definitely took the latter into account when we matched her up with this particular Mystery Box Challenge...
Learn more about Celisse’s Mystery Box instrument here.
Producer and multi-instrumentalist Kaelin Ellis is always game for a challenge. He regularly gives his social media followers a glimpse into his track-building process by posting bite-sized video gems to Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. For his Mystery Box Challenge, we surprised Kaelin with one of the most popular items on Reverb...and he surprised us right back with the exploration below.
Learn more about Kaelin’s Mystery Box instrument here.
Sloan Struble (better known to fans as Dayglow) made a massive impact in the past couple years with his fresh and feel-good indie rock flair. So what happened when we tracked the intrepid Texan down on his 2021 tour and surprised him with this Mystery Box Challenge?
Learn more about Dayglow’s Mystery Box instrument here.
British producer and finger-drummer extraordinaire Gnarly is a whiz at crafting beats and sparking inspiration in the music tech realm, often equipped with her trusty Maschine+. But what happens when she gives a spooky new mystery machine a whirl?
Learn more about Gnarly’s Mystery Box instrument here.
Multi-faceted music maker Curtiss King wears many hats. Producer, beatmaker, plugin creator, educator, motivator, mentor, and many, many more. But today he’s a student of the Mystery Box and the playful surprise awaiting him inside...
Learn more about Curtiss King’s Mystery Box instrument here.