Tuesday, 21 December 2004
Friday, 17 December 2004
The Hot Seat: these guitarists' seats from Overkill Design are disguised as Fender amps and have plenty of room inside for loads of guitar accessories. Mind, for that kind of price, I'd want it to be a functioning amp too!
The ‘Team Squier’ Garage To Glory Casting Call: For 2005, Squier has opted to forgo the usual ‘established artist’ photos in the Fender Frontline 2005 catalog...
Beatles guitar up for grabs: The Gibson SG as played by both George Harrison and John Lennon is expected to fetch more than half a million dollars when it goes under the hammer at Christie's later today.
Johnson Introduces Delta Blues Resonator: the wood-body JR-410 Delta Blues, available in roundneck or squareneck designs with hand-spun cone and chrome-plated bell brass coverplate/tailpiece.
Thursday, 16 December 2004
Tuesday, 14 December 2004
One-woman guitar storm: Fife-born and forthright, singer KT Tunstall tells Neil McCormick why she's more than just another Katie Melua or Joss Stone (from The Electronic Telegraph). I saw her perform on Jools Holland's Later show on TV recently and she played an amazing solo number building up a whole accompaniment using delays.
Thursday, 9 December 2004
Dimebag Darrell, Four Others Killed In Ohio Concert Shooting: Shocking news, the Pantera/Damageplan guitarist has been shot and killed on stage. See also the BBC News.
Wednesday, 8 December 2004
Nirvana Bassist Puts Himself Up For Auction: see also the follow-up story, Nirvana Fan Pays £4000 For Plane Ride
Late Slim Dusty nominated for Golden Guitars: the late country music star, Slim Dusty, has received a number of nominations for next year's Golden Guitar Awards.
Paul Reed Smith Intros Billy Martin SE Model: The lead guitarist for Good Charlotte now has his own Paul Reed Smith SE model guitar, featuring a mahogany neck and body with a matte black finish and black hardware. Well, good for him.
Tuesday, 7 December 2004
Monday, 6 December 2004
www.harpguitars.net: I may have linked to this site before, but what the hell, these are fascinating instruments!
Friday, 3 December 2004
Breedlove Guitar Company Introduces Revival Series: dreadnought and orchestral model guitars due to be unveiled at the upcoming Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, CA.
AmpliTube Live Available Now for Both Windows and OS X: turn your computer into a virtual guitar amp!
Thursday, 2 December 2004
Son to play tribute to late guitarist: Jackson Smith plays a tribute gig to his dad, Fred 'Sonic' Smith of the MC5 and Sonic's Rendezvous.
Tuesday, 30 November 2004
Monday, 29 November 2004
Thursday, 25 November 2004
Wednesday, 24 November 2004
New Retrofit Stoptail Bridge for Vintage Tremolo Strats: I agree with the sentiment, but I can't say that I like the flame design.
Epiphone Kat Series: Hey, these rockin' semis look quite cool. Nice to see some new Epiphone designs that aren't simply Gibson copies.
Saturday, 20 November 2004
Friday, 19 November 2004
Beatle guitar goes up for auction: A guitar played by George Harrison and John Lennon is expected to fetch up to £270,000 at auction. The Gibson SG guitar was used by Harrison from 1966-1969 and by Lennon during the White Album sessions.
Zakk Wylde joins the guitar hero sculpture series: KnuckleBonz, Inc. is producing a Zakk Wylde figure as the latest in the Guitar Hero™ Limited Edition Sculpture Series.
Wednesday, 17 November 2004
Black Sabbath guitar: Tony Iommi Signature Model from Epiphone. For further details see the Epiphone website.
TheAirtightGarage Introduces the Betsy Guitar Amplifier, a 5F6A-based combo guitar amplifier and recreation of the classic Fender Bassman design.
Monday, 15 November 2004
The under-rated guitar gods: I'm not sure what this guy is on about. Since when was Brian May an under-rated guitarist?
Traveler Guitar Introduces Travel-Sized Bass and if it's anything like my Traveler guitar it'll be a quality instrument, you can be sure of that!
Thursday, 11 November 2004
Duesenberg Guitars: I recently saw Bill Nelson using one of these babies - it looked cool and sounded mighty impressive.
Acoustic Avalon: Britain's biggest acoustic guitar show, Acoustic Avalon, takes place on November 20 and 21, at Leicester racecourse conference centre.
Monday, 8 November 2004
Thursday, 4 November 2004
Justin Hawkins unable to play guitar: The Darkness have a sold-out tour ahead of them, but Justin Hawkins may well be unable to play guitar due to injuries sustained from a stained-glass window.
Wednesday, 3 November 2004
Palace date for guitarist Clapton: Guitarist and songwriter Eric Clapton is to receive a CBE at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
Tuesday, 2 November 2004
Close Encounters of the Rock Kind: did aliens make contact with John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Ace Frehley and others?
Sunday, 31 October 2004
Fender Stratocaster, Limited edition Antigua re-issue, 2004
This new Antigua finish 70s style Strat is lovely, and I think I like the finish more than I liked my paisley Strat. Once again, it's a japanese Strat and it plays and feels just like my old paisley jobbie. Playing this guitar feels like resuming a relationship with an old friend, and I'm beginning to understand now just why the Stratocaster this year celebrated its 50th Anniversary. The guitar is so popular simply because it is a classic piece of design work. I mean, I love my Gibson Flying V but it's not exactly comfortable or convenient to play in a sitting position. The Stratocaster's curves and contours are ergonomically designed to fit to the player's body. It is a superb piece of design.
For me it had to be a 70s style Strat, no other Strat would do. This is partially because I wanted a replacment for my old paisley Strat (the recent paisley reissues are not 70s style), and partly because I like the big headstock and the neck profile. Don't ask me why, it's just what I'm comfortable with, both visually and in use.
These limited edition Antigua re-issues (there's also a Telecaster and a very limited Jaguar available) have been created exclusively for the European market. I got mine for a very nice price all the way from Germany. For more info see www.fendereurope.com.
Friday, 29 October 2004
South Park creators team up with Epiphone to launch new action film... and wasn't South Park itself sponsored by Fender?
Wednesday, 27 October 2004
Monday, 25 October 2004
Singer in appeal for antique guitar's return: Willy Mason is offering a reward for the return of his 70s Gibson Hummingbird, which was recently stolen at a gig in Newcastle.
Police on the track of £3,000 guitar: thief walks out of Coventry music shop wih the most expensive guitar in stock.
Wednesday, 20 October 2004
Tuesday, 19 October 2004
Spanish guitars made from banned wood: Police in Spain have uncovered an illegal network engaged in smuggling protected wood from Brazilian rain forests to be fashioned into high-quality guitars.
Friday, 15 October 2004
Wednesday, 13 October 2004
Tuesday, 12 October 2004
Monday, 11 October 2004
Friday, 8 October 2004
Thursday, 7 October 2004
McCartney guitar auctioned: A replica of the guitar Paul McCartney wrote "Yesterday" on is being auctioned.
Friday, 1 October 2004
Famous Guitarists Perform at Fender Show: celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster at Wembley Arena.
Radiohead Donates Guitar to Homeless Charity: I wish they'd donate ALL their instruments to charity and stop making such hideous dirge-like music.
Six String Arts, the art of the guitar in stunning miniature reproductions: check out these ultra-detailed models of guitars as owned by Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Beatles, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Kurt Cobain and many others.
Fender Jazzmaster and Jaguar - the higher evolution of off-set waist guitars: A tribute to Fender's Jazzmaster and Jaguar guitars.
Thursday, 30 September 2004
Monday, 27 September 2004
'Deer Hunter' theme might stump beginning guitarists: I thought everyone knew it was called "Cavatina". Funny how it gets referred to as the "Deer Hunter" theme. To me it'll always be the music they played for the "Gallery" section on the kids' TV programme "Vision On" featuring Tony Hart.
Tuesday, 21 September 2004
Gibson was "Brilliant" during Fashion Week in NYC: Model Elena Humphreys takes to the catwalk complete with a crystal-encrusted Gibson Les Paul Junior.
Photographer Ross Halfin's favorite rock stars and rock guitars: be sure to click on the hyperlinks in the text.
Monday, 20 September 2004
Patented Kaua‘i-built guitars are lightweights: Tucker Guitars build instruments from light-weight albizzia wood. See www.tuckerguitars.com
Vintage guitar plucked from floodwaters only thing he has left: Hellertown man's prize possession saved by passer-by.
Friday, 17 September 2004
Thursday, 2 September 2004
OK, I'm off to France on my holidays for two weeks now, so there won't be any updates until later in the month when I return. I will be taking my Traveler Pro Series guitar with me (see www.travelerguitar.com), although the unique stethoscope headset is a little uncomfortable, so I'm also packing a very small Danelectro headphone amp which fits nicely into the front pocket of the Traveler's gig bag.
Wednesday, 1 September 2004
Thursday, 26 August 2004
I went to see DKT/MC5 last night, featuring three of the now legendary rock'n'roll revolutionaries the MC5 from Detroit. Absolutely fantastic show, and Wow! that Wayne Kramer can't half play the guitar! It almost makes me want to get a Fender Stratocaster again. (By the way, I noticed he was playing a hardtail, i.e. non-tremolo, Strat, which conversely had the legend "with Synchronized Tremolo" on the headstock. A mis-matched neck and body, perhaps?). Anyway, catch them if you can!
Tuesday, 24 August 2004
Monday, 23 August 2004
BOOTSY EXCLUSIVE BABY BUBBA - Bassist keeps the funk alive and skates around politics with new album. Or so it says here. It's about Bootsy Collins, in case you hadn't worked it out already.
Body Count Guitarist Dead: D-Roc is the third member of the pioneering rock 'n' rap group to pass away.
Guitar Auction to Aid Charley's Victims: loads of signed guitars to go under the hammer to benefit those hit by the hurricane.
Mercurio Electric Guitars Offers Interchangeable Pickups: Mercurio Guitars has launched a new line of guitars that feature an interchangeable pickup system so you can change the sound of the guitar in seconds, and works with all standard pickups. For more information, visit www.mercurioguitars.com.
Thursday, 19 August 2004
Yamaha Pacifica 112 Guitar Project, Part 3
Having finished sanding the guitar body, I was ready to proceed with applying the wood stain. I decided against using just a single colour and making the guitar look like it would have originally. I decided instead to try to create my own more interesting finish through the use of masking tape and three different colour stains!
The neck, scratchplate and bridge positioned to show what the guitar will look like
Redneck And Here To Stay - An Interview With Gretchen Wilson courtesy of Epiphone Musical Instruments
Wednesday, 18 August 2004
Sadowsky Introduces New String Line: After several decades of making instruments, Sadowsky now has their own line of strings for electric bass, electric guitar, and acoustic guitar.
Tuesday, 17 August 2004
Monday, 16 August 2004
Wednesday, 11 August 2004
Blink-182's DeLonge Expects 'Always' To Change Life As We Know It: kiddie-band guitar player talks total bollocks.
Tony Mottola, Guitarist, Dies At 86: Tony Mottola, a guitarist who played with Frank Sinatra and on NBC's "The Tonight Show" over the course of a 50-year career, has died.
Fans of Martin guitars play a happy tune: 100 Martin guitar enthusiasts celebrate their favourite instrument maker.
New York Dolls play on: The New York Dolls say they will honour their commitments following the death of bassist Arthur Kane.
Tuesday, 10 August 2004
Kinks founder treated for stroke: Kinks guitarist Dave Davies is recovering from a stroke having collapsed on 30th June.
Pilot creates cockpit-friendly folding guitar: A Swedish pilot and amateur musician has created a folding guitar that fits into his cramped cockpit. It is similar in size and style to a Fender Telecaster, with a neck that folds back into the body and the strings being pulled onto a roller.
Saturday, 7 August 2004
Yamaha Pacifica 112 Guitar Project, Part 2
Today I spent quite a while sorting out the bad sanding job that someone had done when they stripped the body of the guitar. I don't think they even took the neckplate or perhaps even the scratchplate off the guitar as there was evidence of the guitar's finish underneath both of these!I did the donkey work with an electric orbital sander and then switched to sanding by hand - you always get the smoothest finish that way. There was also some of the original finish lurking inside the cutaways so I applied Nitro Mors to these areas to dissolve it away, before cleaning it up and re-sanding.
I also checked my box of guitar spares to make sure I have everything I need for re-assembly. I have a loaded Pacifica scratchplate, a tremolo bridge (although with no arm and no springs), and various knobs. Pieces I still need to find (or rather, buy) in that case are tremolo springs, tremolo arm, jack socket and plate for side-mounting, pickup selector cap... and that's it!
Here's what the guitar might look like when I re-assemble it:
Bear in mind that it won't be that colour though. I've not decided on the colour yet, other than it'll be a natural finish, but my inclination is to go for a darker stain, perhaps even mahogany-ish.
Here's a couple of options that I'm considering:
Chrome dome knobs for the volume and tone, rather than the ordinary Strat type knobs, and replacement black pickup covers for the single coils (they look a bit weird here in the photo because I simply placed them on top of the existing pickups for the picture). I'm not decided yet which would look the best (the existing white pickup covers are very dirty), I think we'll have to try it and see when I put the guitar together again.
Friday, 6 August 2004
Bass Ukulele utilizing Ashbory strings: Crossbreed a Ukulele with an Ashbory and you get a Bass Ukulele!
Parker Guitars Introduces Two New Models: Parker is adding two new, more affordable models to their P Series guitars, the Telecaster-ish P-36 with ash body and maple neck, and the P-42 with mahogany body and neck.
Pink Floyd's "The Wall" to be staged on Broadway: Pink Floyd founder and bassist Roger Waters will write the book for the show and orchestrate the music. "Now I can write in some laughs, notable by their absence in the movie," he said.
Thursday, 5 August 2004
The Bone by Triff of Switzerland. It's another of those neat little travel guitars - yet another option for a guitar on the move, which can't be a bad thing!
Wednesday, 4 August 2004
Yamaha Pacifica 112 Guitar Project
On the guitar body itself, someone has had a go at stripping it down to the bare wood, but they have hardly made a brilliant job of it. The first job to do will be to get it sanded properly, nice and smooth, and then I think I'll re-apply a finish - I will most likely use my tried and trusted remedy of Ronseal All In One - it's very easy to apply and gives a superb natural finish.
As for the neck, well, at the moment it appears to be slightly bowed, but we'll have to see what it's like once the instrument is finished and strung up. Hopefully, it'll not need much more than a truss-rod adjustment.
More on this project later.
Tuesday, 3 August 2004
The Top 50 Worst Guitar Solos of the Millennium: I assume he means the last millennium. Dunno why he didn't say the last century, as there weren't too many electric guitars around before then.
Friday, 30 July 2004
Thursday, 29 July 2004
"What the f*** is that?!?" The Williams V-1 keyboard guitar makes its debut at NAMM. (It does look bloody silly, though).
There's loads of new gear stories over at Harmony Central, including:
- Left-Handed Ibanez Artcore Guitars Announced
- New Generation USA Custom Added to Peavey's Guitar Lineup
- Schecter Debuts Twin Tribal Double Neck at Summer NAMM
- Schecter Adds 007 BlackJack to Diamond Series
- Third Model Joins Schecter's Aviation Family
- New USA Exotic Hardtails from Dean Guitars
- Vox Unveils Their Next Generation Hybrid Amps
- Five New DigiTech Overdrive/Distortion Pedals
- Dean Goes Upright with New Pace Basses
- Dean Zen Acoustic Guitar
- PM-10 and PM-20 from Parker Offer New Body Styles
- S.O.B. Offers Looks of BC Rich Beast Model in Smaller Size
- Burns Shows New Guitars and Basses for Summer NAMM
- The Gretsch Duo Jet Special Guitar Returns
- Gretsch Introduces G6122SP Country Classic Special at NAMM
- New Resonator Guitars from Hohner
Wednesday, 28 July 2004
Killer Guitars from Japan. They've got some strange model names. Personally, I wouldn't have thought naming a guitar "Fascist" would be such a good move.
Tuesday, 27 July 2004
Squier by Fender have a couple of cool new models out for 2004 too! Check out the re-designed Jagmaster and the Squier '51 which appears to be a retro-styled Tele/Strat hybrid.
Fender's new products for 2004: Gold 50th Anniverasry Strat, Baritone Jaguar, John 5 Telecaster, Tie-dye Strats, and more...
Thursday, 22 July 2004
Star Amps by Mark Sampson Now Shipping: Star Amplifiers, a new line of all-tube, class A, hand-wired amps from Marc Sampson have been released, consisting of three different models in 15 and 30 Watt versions.
Wednesday, 21 July 2004
Gibson Offers Summer NAMM Sneak Peak: Initial production offering of Gibson Digital Guitar and new designs from Ned Steinberger to be displayed.
Weller's covers album: Paul Weller's first studio album on Richard Branson's V2 record label will be a collection of cover versions.
Judge axes PRS guitar sales: A federal judge in Nashville has barred sales of a popular electric guitar model by Paul Reed Smith Guitars, although at least two stores in Nashville still offer them for sale.
Thursday, 15 July 2004
Win the PROTOTYPE for Fender's New Custom Shop '66 Stratocaster: It's another "only open to U.S. residents" job. Unfair!
Wednesday, 14 July 2004
Tuesday, 13 July 2004
Whatever happened to Slade?
- Dave Hill's guitars: John Birchs, "Dad's Gibson", and The Superyob!
- Jim Lea's basses: plus the story of his trusy John Birch bass
- Noddy Holder's guitars: and how could we forget the man in the hat!
Monday, 12 July 2004
Paul Stanley guitar lesson pulls big money: KISS vocalist/guitarist Paul Stanley recently auctioned off a guitar lesson for charity. The lucky bidder ended paying US $7,100. for the lesson.
Cobain's festival guitar on show: A guitar used by Kurt Cobain during Nirvana's famed performance at the 1992 Reading Festival will be displayed at a show marking the event's history.
Thursday, 8 July 2004
Auction of Eric Clapton's Guitars Rakes in Over $7M: "Guitar Center buys several of the top lots which will go on public display around the country" (or, so it say here. I think when they say "the country" they are talking about the United States. I think the writer of this piece forgot that it's the WORLD wide web and not the American wide web. Sorry, rant over, but it does piss me off).
Tuesday, 6 July 2004
Sunday, 4 July 2004
Mystery "Silvertone" acoustic guitar
Here's another eBay find. It's an old - possibly 1950s - archtop guitar, and is supposedly a Silvertone. However, at some point in its life someone has refinished the guitar in dark green, and removed all logos, serial numbers, etc, in the process. The Silvertone logo on the headstock has been painted on by hand so possibly it isn't a Silvertone. But then again, why fake a Silvertone?
To complicate matters even further, the name Silvertone was a brandname used for guitars sold by Sears and Roebuck, and were often re-badged guitars from other brands. So, who knows what this guitar really is?
The back of the guitar suffered a split at one point, and this has been repaired. The splints can be seen quite clearly through the upper f-hole.
Soundwise, it's very sweet. It has quite a pleasing tone, and playability isn't bad as the action is quite reasonable given the age of the instrument. The string spacing leaves a lot to be desired due to some pretty random slots cut into the bridge. Possibly this is something I could repair. The machine heads are old but work perfectly well, and the guitar impressively stays in tune very nicely.
The red "scratchplate" is actually a glued on piece of felt; I assume this was done by the person who painted the guitar green - possibly someone called "John B" because the intials "JB" have been added to the top of the guitar on the lower bout, and also the incredibly sturdy case also sports the name "John B".
I would love to know the history of this guitar, but chances are it'll remain the mystery Silvertone acoustic.
Friday, 2 July 2004
Brian Jones: Like a Rollin' Stone: today is the anniversary of the Rolling Stones' guitarist and founder's death in 1969.
Relatives of Jimi Hendrix resume court battle over guitarist's estate: Bloody disgraceful I call it. They all want a bigger slice of Jimi's legacy, but why don't they get off their arses and actually DO something themselves?
Gibson Guitar Announces 'Gibson A Go Go: L.A. Rock Show' on Tuesday August 24th at The Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles Featuring Atlantic Records Artists, Shinedown
Nelson won't play guitar at picnic due to hand pain: Country star Willie Nelson said Thursday that he will still sing but won't be able to play guitar during his annual Fourth of July picnic, scheduled to be held in Fort Worth for the first time.
Thursday, 1 July 2004
Tuesday, 29 June 2004
The Knutsen Archives: an online repository of the unique and fascinating stringed instruments of Chris J Knutsen.
Monday, 28 June 2004
Gibson Creates Jimmy Page Signature Models: Gibson has created several new lines of signature models for Jimmy Page, starting with 25 signed replicas of the guitar great's "Number One", a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard. One model has already sold for the record price of $55,000!
New Metro Series Instruments from Sadowsky: New York luthier creates Sadowsky Tokyo Facility and new hand-crafted basses.
Saturday, 26 June 2004
Happy Birthday to guitar-slingers Chris Issak, who is 48 today, and to Mick Jones, formerly of The Clash and Big Audio Dynamite, who is 49.
For those of you with high speed connections, here's a great
wmv file of Dick Dale, king of surf guitar!
wmv file of Dick Dale, king of surf guitar!
Friday, 25 June 2004
Clapton's guitar smashes record
A treasured guitar owned by Eric Clapton, called Blackie, has fetched a record $959,500 (£526,000) at auction. The Fender Stratocaster was expected to reach $150,000 (£83,000), but a bidding war broke out at Christie's in New York on Thursday, pushing the price up.
A treasured guitar owned by Eric Clapton, called Blackie, has fetched a record $959,500 (£526,000) at auction. The Fender Stratocaster was expected to reach $150,000 (£83,000), but a bidding war broke out at Christie's in New York on Thursday, pushing the price up.
Thursday, 24 June 2004
Clapton bids farewell to 'Blackie': Eric Clapton is ready to part with his legendary 'Blackie' guitar, during a sale of his most treasured instruments. The classic Fender Stratocaster is going under the hammer at Christie's in New York and is expected to fetch between £55,000 and £83,000. Blackie was Clapton's favourite guitar, accompanying him on stage and in recording sessions throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Tuesday, 22 June 2004
I watched The Who's movie "The Kids Are Alright" on DVD again this weekend. Which got me thinking about all those guitars that Pete Townshend used and abused, so I was pleased to find this pretty comprehensive section on the www.thewho.net website: Pete Townshend Guitar Equipment Overview
See also:
John Entwistle Bass Gear
WhoCollection.com
See also:
John Entwistle Bass Gear
WhoCollection.com
Stars honour skiffle man Donegan: Bill Wyman, Van Morrison, Roger Daltrey, Mark Knopfler, Jools Holland and Billy Bragg were among the stars who paid tribute to "King of Skiffle" Lonnie Donegan at a Royal Albert Hall concert.
Monday, 21 June 2004
Bob Dylan plays the hits at rain-drenched London festival: also, Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood plays with The Charlatans.
Macca rocks Russia: Paul McCartney plays his 3,000th gig in Saint Petersburg. I'm amazed he's been counting them all!
Stone Roses 'top British album': The Stone Roses' self-titled 1989 debut album has been voted the best British album of all time in a Sunday newspaper poll.
Former punk bassist opens restaurant: Just in case you were wondering what became of Greg Norton of Hüsker Dü.
New Chet Atkins Studio Models from Gibson Montana: Designed to provide improved acoustic capabilities, Gibson Montana has created the Chet Atkins Studio with a full hollow body and soundhole in the back.
Friday, 18 June 2004
Check out Eastwood Guitars for some nice affordable replicas of 60s retro vintage guitars. I especially like the Del Ray model based on the Teisco K-56.
Wednesday, 16 June 2004
Ramones guitarist losing cancer fight: Johnny Ramone, 55, whose real name is John Cummings, was diagnosed with prostate cancer four years ago, and it has now spread throughout his body.
Rock and pop legends prepare a star-spangled 50th birthday for the ultimate electric guitar: 50th Anniversary of the Fender Strat, blah blah blah. (By the way, the article gets it wrong. The Strat mentioned as being owned be Dave Gilmour is NOT the first Strat ever made. It does have the serial number 0001, but nevertheless the dates on the neck and body show that it was made after production started and therefore is not the first Strat produced. It's impossible to say which was the very first).
Death of bassist Red Kelly: Thomas "Red" Kelly, a well-travelled jazz bassist who scored a direct hit on the funnybone of Washington state politics with a mock campaign for governor, is dead at 76. Kelly, who played with stars ranging from Frank Sinatra to Charlie "Yardbird" Parker and Billie Holiday and had stories about them all, died Wednesday, apparently of complications from cancer and other ailments.
Eric Clapton and Friends Auctioning Off Dozens of Guitars: more on this story, this time with a couple of decent pics of Blackie and the Crash 3 Graffitti Stratocaster.
Monday, 14 June 2004
Deacon Blue guitarist dies at 47: Deacon Blue guitarist Graeme Kelling has died at the age of 47, following a four-year battle with cancer. The band had a string of hits in the late 80s and early 90s, including "Real Gone Kid" and "Fergus Sings The Blues".
The father of the electric guitar, Les Paul, turns 89: Living legend jazz performer, Les Paul, pioneer of the electric guitar celebrated his 89th birthday on Monday June 7th at the Iridium Jazz Club.
Friday, 11 June 2004
Legend Dan Armstrong Passes Away at Age 69: The music industry has lost a legend, the creator of plexiglass guitars and basses, the Orange Squeezer, and others.
Thursday, 10 June 2004
John Paul Jones announces US tour: The former Led Zeppelin bassist will be performing across the States as a guest with The Mutual Admiration Society.
New Custom Graphics Series Guitars from Washburn: Yeah, lovely, if you want an image of a flaming skull on your guitar. Which I don't.
Fender Squashes Rumors About Possible Sale of Company: Ohhhhhh! I was looking forward to someone like Gibson coming in and buying them out... Can you imagine the confusion that would've caused? Anyway, here's a example of the rumours that were being reported.
Deep Purple guitarist schedules Iceland workshop: Steve Morse will host a guitar workshop on June 24th in Reykjavik, Iceland, at FIH, Raudagerdi 27. So, if you're in that neck of the woods, do drop in!
Tuesday, 8 June 2004
Gibson Guitars launch new signature model: Gibson Guitar celebrates 40th anniversary of British Invasion with an array of John Lennon models.
Gibson fights to keep classic guitar its own: defiantly trying to protect the Les Paul design from copyists such as Tokai and PRS. See also: Gibson Guitars Sues Competitors Over 'Imitation' Models
Guitar George still knows all the chords: meet George Borowski, the man who was immortalised in the lyrics to Dire Straits' "Sultans of Swing".
Crossroads Guitar Auction and Eric Clapton Guitars on the Christie's website. Also features guitars donated by Brian May, Steve Vai, Pat Metheney, Albert Lee, Mark Knopfler, Carlos Santana, Jimmie Vaughan, J. J. Cale, Jimmy Page, Robert Cray and others. Make sure that you browse the catalogue as there's lots to see (pun intended!) and a wealth of information on these guitars.
Monday, 7 June 2004
Robert Quine has passed away. He was a very talented guitarist who played with Richard Hell and the Voidoids, Lou Reed, Lydia Lunch, etc. See also: Punk Rock Guitarist Robert Quine Found Dead
Friday, 4 June 2004
Variax Acoustic 700 Modeling Guitar Released: Line 6 has taken their modeling technology to the acoustic guitar world, creating an electric acoustic guitar that can sound like a range of different acoustic guitars (and other stringed instruments).
New Software Lets You Customize the Variax: Line 6 has a new software/hardware package that turns your computer into a virtual guitar custom shop, letting you create your own guitar designs for the 500 and 700 series Variax electrics.
Tuesday, 1 June 2004
Learnclassicalguitar.com: Learn how to play classical guitar. Online guitar lessons, tabs and more...
Friday, 28 May 2004
Happy Birthday to Creedence Clearwater Revival's main man, Thursday, 27 May 2004
Motorhead - Full "Inferno" Details: Motorhead unleash their new album, 'Inferno' on the world on June 22, 2004. Guitar legend Steve Vai makes a guest appearance on two tracks.
Wednesday, 26 May 2004
Famous guitar for sale: One of the most famous guitars in the world of country music, owned by Mother Maybelle Carter and then her daughter, June Carter Cash, is up for sale. The Gibson L-5 acoustic guitar was played by Mother Maybelle Carter on the classic "Can The Circle Be Unbroken". (The title was changed later to "Will The Circle Be Unbroken"). Thereafter, she used the instrument on almost all the records she made.
BB King Honored In Sweden: Legendary blues guitarist B.B.King this week received the 2004 Polar Music Prize in Sweden from King Carl XVI Gustaf.
Snowy White Update: Ex Thin Lizzy guitarist Snowy White was in Lithuania for a couple of days and recorded his show in Vilnius for a possible live CD and a DVD to come out later this year after the release of his upcoming album.
Tony Iommi video interview: Watch the Black Sabbath guitar man talk over at the Rhino Records website.
Tuesday, 25 May 2004
Ukulelia: Your Passport to Four Stringed Paradise: The World's Greatest Ukulele Weblog! (I must admit, I do have a bit of a soft spot for ukes).
J-200s, regrets over smashed guitars, The Who 'Then and Now' and more: Q&A with Pete Townshend over at www.gibson.com
Monday, 24 May 2004
Limited Edition Lennon guitars on offer: The John Lennon Epiphone Casino. I like this quote from Yoko Ono:
"I remember dearly the love John had for his Epiphone and Gibson guitars. When we stripped naked for 'Two Virgins' album, I feel he also wanted these guitars to match us and be stripped down to the bare wood. John's reasoning was that it sounded better without the additional paint job, but it was really wanting the guitars to start a new life with him."
Without rosewood, Martin guitars less sweet: C.F. Martin & Co. is cutting back, raising prices on lines made with fine wood from endangered forest.
Clapton Auctions Guitar Collection: it's happening today, folks, if you want to get yourself down to Christie's in New York's Rockefeller Center to place a bid or two!
Sorry, my mistake, it's NEXT month. So that gives you a month to save up, rob a bank, sell your soul, or whatever!
Sorry, my mistake, it's NEXT month. So that gives you a month to save up, rob a bank, sell your soul, or whatever!
32-Foot Electric Guitar Created for Discovery Channel Series: In June, the Discovery Channel's BIG series will show the construction of a massive electric guitar, including a visit to the Seymour Duncan factory where the 150 pound pickup was wound.
Thursday, 20 May 2004
Marilyn Manson's recently departed guitarist John 5 has a new website and will be releasing a solo album entitled "Vertigo" in the Autumn. There's a nice Gear section on the website including photographs of his guitars - and he's got quite a few!
Wednesday, 19 May 2004
Radiohead guitarist given BBC role: Jonny Greenwood will become the BBC's new composer in residence and will write a new work for one of its radio stations.
Eric Clapton's Crossroads Festival to feature guitar elite: Sorry, but it sounds like the same tired old names to me. Zzzzzzzz...
Tuesday, 18 May 2004
Happy Birthday to Wreckless Eric, who is 50 years old today. If you can, catch him playing solo dates in the UK (he's currently finishing off a tour with The Rutles).
Saturday, 15 May 2004
Playing solo excites Fox-y guitarist: Jazz guitarist Mimi Fox is starting to get more of the attention she deserves.
Goodbye guitar men: Shadows fans flock to Preston's Guild Hall to witness the guitar legends on their final tour.
Ex-Beatle's guitar disturbs cat: East London residents complain when McCartney rehearses in the dome. As for some guy saying his cat was disturbed, I find that very hard to believe. My own cat has been known to quite happily sit in front of the speakers when I play all sorts of music, even if something heavy like Motorhead is blasting out of them. The only thing he's ever looked alarmed about was a song by Bjork. As for the guitar, the same applies, the cat often sits next to me when I'm practicising guitar, and has even been known to come over and pluck the strings with his mouth!
Thursday, 13 May 2004
New Fireball Tube Head from Electrosonic: Available with your choice of rectifier, preamp tubes, and power tubes, the 40 Watt Class AB Fireball features a large window to show off the tube innards.
LA Band Tilly's Everywhere signs endorsement with Daisy Rock Guitars Huh! But their guitarists are guys. Sign up a proper girl band, won't you? How about Teasing LuLu from Brighton, UK?
Wednesday, 12 May 2004
Happy 43rd Birthday to Billy Duffy, guitarist of The Cult.
Many Happy Returns also to Steve Winwood (56) and to Billy Squier (54).
DAMN! I've just realised that I missed London Guitar Show 2004. It was LAST weekend. Still, at least it saved me spending money that I don't have.
Tuesday, 11 May 2004
Joe Satriani Takes JSX Amp on Clinic Tour: Peavey is sponsoring a limited US clinic tour featuring Joe Satriani and the new JSX head that he helped design. The tour kicks off May 11.
Guitar World Wants to Turn Your Your Dream Guitar into Reality: Guitar World is kicking off a contest where guitarists can submit a design of their ultimate guitar. Celebrity artists will pick a winner, who will then have their design brought to life by Fender.
Saturday, 8 May 2004
Friday, 7 May 2004
Thursday, 6 May 2004
Handmade Guitars, Amps Strike a Chord: A cottage industry within the multibillion-dollar music products category, handmade guitars and amplifiers are answering a rising demand for high-quality gear.
Axl Rose Sued By Ex-Guns N' Roses Bandmates: Slash and Duff McKagan seek at least $1 million, accuse Rose of turning down lucrative offers without their consent.
Tuesday, 4 May 2004
Jenna Jameson Launches Web Store with Jackson Guitars: Porn superstar Jenna Jameson and famed guitar makers Jackson Guitars have opened Jenna Store, a new online store to sell a wide range of clothing and collectibles featuring images of the busty blonde.
HAO introduces limited edition Roar fuzz pedal: With just 100 units destined for the USA, the Roar is designed to provide a different kind of fuzz using some hand-selected, hard to find components.
While my guitar gently bleeps: Ho ho ho! The Guardian's take on that same Gibson digital guitar story.
What? Are Gibson going into production with a digital guitar, then?
What? Are Gibson going into production with a digital guitar, then?
Hank Marvin steps out of Shadows for special guitar: The Scotsman and Fender yesterday presented Hank Marvin with a special edition Stratocaster to mark the 50th anniversary of the famous guitar and the arrival of the Shadows in Edinburgh as part of a 37-date final tour.
Hank Marvin steps out of Shadows for special guitar: The Scotsman and Fender yesterday presented Hank Marvin with a special edition Stratocaster to mark the 50th anniversary of the famous guitar and the arrival of the Shadows in Edinburgh as part of a 37-date final tour.
Gibson to launch guitar 'on steroids': the media is still getting excited about Gibson's digital guitar.
Thursday, 29 April 2004
Crossroads Guitar Festival, June 4-6, 2004: Eric Clapton has announced a three-day Crossroads Guitar Festival to take place Friday, June 4 through Sunday, June 6 at Fair Park in Dallas.
Radiohead's gig in the mud voted best ever: What a load of arse! (Radioarse?). In order to be voted the best gig, it has to receive the most votes (Duh!) so that means only the really BIG gigs stand a chance in this poll. Absolutely pointless.
Wednesday, 28 April 2004
Tuesday, 27 April 2004
Hughes & Kettner Introduces Warp X Head: Representing the flagship model in the company's Warp lineup, the new Warp-X is a two channel, all-tube guitar head designed for dropped-D tuning and other heavy playing styles.
Drive up to 4 Amps with Voodoo's Amp Selector: just make sure you're on a big enough stage for them all.
Living Loud live at last: Living Loud have played their first gig ever, in Melbourne at the Metro. The supergroup featuring members of Cold Chisel, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Ozzy Osbourne and Rainbow, is Jimmy Barnes, Bob Daisley, Lee Kerslake, Steve Morse and Don Airey.
Official: the Fender Strat is the world's greatest guitar say The Independent. Sorry, but I still think it's the world's most boring guitar.
Win an Autographed Fender Guitar from Eight Days Gone and Titan Feature Story. Never heard of them. Also it's a bit worrying that they lst Radiohead amongst their influences. Zzzzzzzzzzzz... Sleeprock!
Monday, 26 April 2004
Here's a couple of photos I took this weekend:
It was a fantastic couple of gigs from The Damned at Knaresborough in Yorkshire this weekend. On Sunday, the group, obviously in high spirits, strayed from their set list and played a few super cool cover versions such as The Ramones' "Blitzkrieg pop" and a blistering version of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid".
Definitely one of the best live bands on the circuit in the UK at the moment. Catch them if you get the chance.
It was a fantastic couple of gigs from The Damned at Knaresborough in Yorkshire this weekend. On Sunday, the group, obviously in high spirits, strayed from their set list and played a few super cool cover versions such as The Ramones' "Blitzkrieg pop" and a blistering version of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid".
Definitely one of the best live bands on the circuit in the UK at the moment. Catch them if you get the chance.
Saturday, 24 April 2004
Happy Birthday to Captain Sensible of The Damned who is celebrating his 50th today. The Captain, who is a very much under-rated guitarist and musician, will be celebrating all weekend with The Damned and their fans in Knaresborough in North Yorkshire. Which is where I'm just off to now; I have a five hour train journey to get there! Looking forward to the celebrations, and much drunkeness and chaos no doubt!
Friday, 23 April 2004
BSM FuzzBender puts two classic fuzz circuits in one pedal: With the flick of a sliding switch, the guitarist can toggle from a vintage FuzzFace tone to a SolaSound/Vox ToneBender MKI tone.
Justin Hawkins of The Darkness to undergo op: to correct a recurring heartburn problem, apparently. I wonder if they can do something about that funny voice of his whilst they are at it?
Wednesday, 21 April 2004
Happy Birthday to 
Tuesday, 20 April 2004
Metasonix Unleashes the TX-1 Agonizer: The latest design from Metasonix defies categorization, but its goal is simple - to destroy your sound. The all-analog TX-1 Agonizer features a vacuum tube that originally found its place in 1960s televisions, and has no real place in the audio world. (Check out the dodgy graphics on the casing).
EVH the Subject of Riff Interactive's Latest CD-ROM: Eddie Van Halen is the subject of Riff Interactive's latest instructional CD-ROM, covering rhythm playing, leads, and two handed tapping.
ZZ Top celebrating 35th anniversary on the road: it's hard to tell just quite how old they really are beneath those beards.
Guitar nipple blues for musicians: Making music can be bad for the skin, causing "guitar nipple", "fiddler's neck" and other disorders, said a study. Some guitarists suffer guitar nipple, otherwise known as irritant mastitis.
Well, if do insist on wearing your guitar or bass high up on your chest like Mark King from Level 42, then what do you expect? Sling 'em low, like the Ramones, is what I say.
Well, if do insist on wearing your guitar or bass high up on your chest like Mark King from Level 42, then what do you expect? Sling 'em low, like the Ramones, is what I say.
Langcaster guitars & bass guitars: Handcrafted guitar bodies made from stunning 35,000 year old swamp Kauri roots are fitted with innovated technology pickups.
Check out the ex-Focus guitarist Jan Akkerman's music site - there's a nice section on his guitars and amps.
Incidentally, I'm trying to find a CD of one of his albums, "Can't Stand Noise". I used to have it on cassette (no idea what became of that) and I'd really like to listen to it again as it was a favourite of mine. Please drop me a line if you can help.
Incidentally, I'm trying to find a CD of one of his albums, "Can't Stand Noise". I used to have it on cassette (no idea what became of that) and I'd really like to listen to it again as it was a favourite of mine. Please drop me a line if you can help.
Kurt Cobain's 1960's Mosrite Gospel: another look at the guitar that recently went for big bucks at auction.