Monday, 12 December 2005
Friday, 9 December 2005
Throat surgery for Status Quo's Rick Parfitt: I hope it all goes well for him. The remainder of the UK tour has been cancelled.
Thursday, 8 December 2005
Wednesday, 7 December 2005
Tuesday, 6 December 2005
Monday, 5 December 2005
Mikey Guitar: Now this is really clever. Guitars and basses that can convert from fretted to fretless at the flick of a switch! Check out the demo videos - they have to be seen to be believed.
Friday, 2 December 2005
Visiting Dignitaries: Nick Paumgarten from The New Yorker hangs out with ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons. Here are the Turbo Diddley guitars that Billy refers to in the article.
Thursday, 1 December 2005
Guitar dealer continues search for the rare and unusual: "I love it when an old lady calls me, and her husband's passed away, and I can pay her a fair price," he says.
Tuesday, 29 November 2005
Wednesday, 23 November 2005
Monday, 21 November 2005
String Master automatic guitar tuner keeps your strings tight: Now I've seen everything! This device actually turns the machine heads for you.
Guitar gets refined by fire: guitarist swears that his guitar sounds better than ever having survived a house fire.
Guitar surfing: A new guitar allows musicians to surf the internet and send emails while playing the instrument. Technology built into the guitar allows users to download chords from the net to play instantly reports The Sun. The Intel Concept Telecaster Guitar - currently in the design stage - is expected to cost thousands of pounds when it goes on sale. Ananova
Friday, 18 November 2005
Nashville's Guitar Art Limited Edition Book Available Now: This colorful limited edition, commemorative book highlights Nashville’s popular GuitarTown Project. The book includes beautiful photographs of all of the guitar sculptures and showcase guitars. It also includes profiles of the visual artists, as well as quotes and photographs of the many Country music artists who supported this project. From Kenny Chesney to Wynonna, the book is a memoir of the project which has been recognized worldwide. Proceeds from the sale of the book benefit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, United Way of Nashville, and The DISTRICT.
Monday, 14 November 2005
Randall Announces V2 and T2 Guitar Amps: I think they should make a white one and call it a Hopkirk. I'll go get my coat...
Thursday, 3 November 2005
Wednesday, 2 November 2005
Sunday, 30 October 2005
Friday, 28 October 2005
NASA - How is a rocket like a guitar?: Guitars and rockets have a lot in common, but what's good for a musician might spell trouble for an astronaut.
Gibson offers new way to 'play' guitar: "Gibson Guitar has teamed with videogame developers Harmonix and RedOctane for a new musical simulation game called "Guitar Hero." The game will launch November 1 on the PlayStation 2 entertainment system..." It sounds hideous.
Guitar maker picks a winning partner: Patrick Eggle teams up with the Technology Innovation Centre (TIC) to develop a low-cost, high-volume guitar for the US using polymer technology.
Wednesday, 26 October 2005
Monday, 24 October 2005
Friday, 21 October 2005
Monday, 17 October 2005
Paul, guitar are stars: The life and times of guitar legend and Waukesha native Les Paul are being chronicled in a documentary that is expected to air nationally on public television. (USA that'll be.)
Monday, 10 October 2005
Version 2 of Guitar Rig Announced: with more amp and effects models, plus an upgraded foot controller/audio interface, Guitar Rig 2 also adds a selection of bass gear emulations.
Faith No More guitarist squashes competition: Jim Martin, formerly of Faith No More, has given up music and now grows pumpkins! (Just how many guitarists did Faith No More have, by the way? Another ex Faith No More guitarist, Dean Menta, has been playing guitar with Sparks for two or three years now.)
Guys know best guitars have plugs by Dave Barry. An amusing tale of middle-aged would-be guitar heroes!
The FireWire Electric Guitar: another one you can plug straight into your computer. Now, where have I seen that guitar design before?
Wednesday, 5 October 2005
Tuesday, 4 October 2005
Leafing through a Japanese guitar magazine the other day, I was rather surprised to see an advert for a new line of Zemaitis guitars. How can Zemaitis guitars exist without Tony Zemaitis, who sadly passed away in 2002? His operation was hardly comparable to that of Gibson or Fender. He wasn't the head of a factory churning out guitars; he used to build all the instruments by hand.
It seems someone (or some company more likely) has bought the rights to the Zemaitis name. My initial impression is that it sounds rather like sacrilege to me, although is it any worse than the Danelectro re-issue guitars courtesy of the Evets Corporation that have nothing whatsoever to do with the original Danelectro guitars, or the new American Vox guitars?
For more about Tony Zemaitis and the original Zemaitis guitars, see this article.
It seems someone (or some company more likely) has bought the rights to the Zemaitis name. My initial impression is that it sounds rather like sacrilege to me, although is it any worse than the Danelectro re-issue guitars courtesy of the Evets Corporation that have nothing whatsoever to do with the original Danelectro guitars, or the new American Vox guitars?
For more about Tony Zemaitis and the original Zemaitis guitars, see this article.
Penta Systems Pentasitar
Hurry hurry hurry! This auction ends soon. You really wanted a Penta Systems Pentasitar, didn't you? Awwwww... go on! It could be a real snip with a starting price of $2,199.00.
(Via MusicThing)
Monday, 3 October 2005
Johnson introduces new Viola Bass model: Inspired by the classic 60's era bass, Johnson's JJ-200 semi-hollowbody bass features two humbucking pickups with independent volume controls.
Thursday, 29 September 2005
The Fender American Series: Evolution of a Revolution: "A Fender American Series guitar is set apart by features such as rolled neck edges, which makes it feel like you’ve been playing it forever. Then there are the staggered tuning machines, which eliminate a string tree, yet still provide a sharper string-break angle over the polished nut for improved performance."
Yeah, never mind all that... is that a hardtail Strat I see on the left in the photo?
Yeah, never mind all that... is that a hardtail Strat I see on the left in the photo?
Wednesday, 28 September 2005
A doubleneck travel guitar? Isn't that an oxymoron?
This tribute to Jimmy Page's Gibson doubleneck is part of Fernandes Guitars' new Art Rock series featuring 60/70s Rock Legend flavoured variations of their popular Nomad travel guitars (with built-in amplifier).
As well as the Two Heaven model shown above there is another Led Zeppelin-themed guitar, the Kashmir which is a Fernandes Nomad with a Danelectro DC-50 twist (lipstick pickup, "seal" scratchplate), and also one for Eric Clapton fans, the Sunshine Love which pays homage to Clapton's psychedelic Gibson SG. The series is completed with two basses - the Sunshine Love Bass and the Ladyland Bass.
However, the one fly in the ointment is that as far as I am aware, these are only available for the Japanese market and do not appear on the Fernandes Guitars website aimed at the rest of the world. I only found out about these guitars in the first place from a Japanese guitar magazine that a friend sent me. (I could hardly read a word of it, but there were lots of pretty pictures!)
Guitar worth £35,000 goes on show in store in Northampton: it's another doubleneck, kids. What a pity it's a PRS.
Saturday, 24 September 2005
I've just waved goodbye to the Danelectro Convertible (above, right). It was a lovely guitar, but when I bought the doubleneck I made the decision that one of the other Danos had to go. I'd love to keep them all but I'm running out of space for all these guitars, so sometimes I have to adhere to a strict "one in, one out" policy when buying guitars. It was a tough decision deciding which of the Danos to get rid of. In the end I decided to keep the 56'U2 because that is one I put together from the remnants of two broken guitars, and therefore is much more personal to me. Anyway, I hope the Convertible is going to a good home.
Thursday, 22 September 2005
Line 6 Offers Variax 700 In Two New Colours: Big wow! It's still as ugly as sin. Is it any wonder that people are taking the guts of Variax guitars and putting them in, for example, Squier Stratocaster bodies?
Kinks guitarist hopeful of reunion: Kinks guitarist Dave Davies is hopeful he can persuade his brother Ray to agree to reform the legendary British band.
Tuesday, 20 September 2005
Guitar collector scores rare finds as he travels the globe seeking out new treasures: introducing Peter Blecha the rock'n'roll archaeologist.
Guitar Musician News :: Lessons :: Learning The Guitar Fretboard: Do you know what notes are where on your fretboard?
Fender Custom Shop Recreates the 1955 Strat: Fender Custom Shop has recreated the 1955 version of the Strat in a limited edition run, exactly fifty years on from the original.
Friday, 16 September 2005
Former Jimi Hendrix bandmate accuses author of 'revisionist history': Billy Cox sets the record straight.
Brian May Joins Yamaha Guitar Artist Roster: No, don't panic he's not retiring the Red Special! He's been using the Yamaha SLG100 silent guitar for live acoustic work. I myself tried one of these guitars at the London Guitar Show earlier in the year and was quite impressed with the sound.
SimS Custom Shop: A great site showing guitar customisation projects by Martin Sims. Check out also their now legendary SimS L.E.D.s!
Thursday, 15 September 2005
Phat Axx Overdrive Added to Indyguitarist's Pedal Line: "Available in either a diamond plate or more affordable Hammond enclosure, the Phat Axx adds a bass boost switch to its standard overdrive controls." I bet they're kicking themselves they didn't think of the skull knobs thing first.
Wicked Metal Pedal from Audiotech: "Designed for extreme distortion sounds, Audiotech's upcoming pedal comes complete with skull knobs." How absolutely wretched.
International Superstar Soraya Chats With Epi: Epiphone interviews another person I've never heard of.
Tuesday, 13 September 2005
Monday, 12 September 2005
Texan Blues star Brown dies at 81: Grammy-award winning guitarist and singer Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown has died in Texas at the age of 81.Nicknamed "Gatemouth" for his deep voice, he cited his father, a railway worker and fiddle player, as his greatest musical influence. "If I can make my guitar sound like his fiddle, then I know I've got it right."
Seven effects pedals from TC Electronic: vintage tremolo, vintage delay, and vintage compression pedals as well as four different flavors of vintage overdrive and distortion for both guitar and bass.
Friday, 9 September 2005
American Capital Provides Up to $52.5 Million to Gibson Guitar: Cor! What do they need that money for?
Guitar Musician News: Tuning your guitar the right way: You could have been doing it wrong all this time!
Thursday, 8 September 2005
ratemyaxe.com is relatively new to the web, but has potential as quite a nice little guitar gallery/community. Go on - register and post some pictures of your guitars. I'm certainly going to do so myself.
Wednesday, 7 September 2005
Guitar man is passing on skills with wood: A Bath-based wood-worker is helping young unemployed people make a fresh start by teaching them how to make guitars.
Tuesday, 6 September 2005
Friday, 2 September 2005
Phil Lynott Statue Unveiled: After months of campaigning by Thin Lizzy fans and Dublin residents, legendary bassist and vocalist Phil Lynott has finally been immortalised in bronze.
Gretsch UK Tour - September 2005: Mike Lewis, International Marketing Manager of Gretsch guitars, will be hosting the tour where he will be presenting and demonstrating the finest collection of Gretsch guitars ever seen in the UK, including the USA Custom Shop Models.
Do you remember the Williams Keyboard Guitar that I briefly commented on last year following its appearance at the Summer NAMM show? Well, they've now got their website up and running at www.keytarinc.com. I still think it looks very silly, but wonder what anyone who's ever tried one thinks of its playability? (Don't ask me, I'm not a keyboard player).
The Stones: still rocking, still controversial: In an exclusive interview at the start of their world tour, rock legends The Rolling Stones talk about life on the road at 60-plus years, US politics and why they didn't play Live 8.
Thursday, 1 September 2005
This guitar man doesn't mind 'roadie' tag: Alex Alvarez, guitar tech for Mick Jagger, Los Lobos, Lenny Kravitz and others.
Wednesday, 24 August 2005
New 4-String Euro LX Model from Spector: Handcrafted in the Czech Republic, the Euro 435LX is a 35" scale bass features a body of figured maple of alder with a slice of walnut and active EMG pickups.
Tuesday, 23 August 2005
Charles Kramer was instrumental to guitarists: Article about Charles "Duke" Kramer of Gretsch guitars, who died last month.
Guitarist and trumpet player Jeff Healey signs with roots music label Stony Plain Records: Wow, I hadn't realised that he played the trumpet as well!
Monday, 22 August 2005
Farley's Journeyman Guitar Tool: A "Swiss Army Knife" for guitarists. (Farley's? I thought they made rusks for babies?)
Ergo Guitars by Charles Fox: Charles Fox has introduced the Ergo Noir guitar at the Healdsburg Guitar Festival. "The ergo noir is a high-performance 'super guitar' from the workshop of master luthier Charles Fox. The ergo is an instrument of unusual refinement and unlimited musical possibilities; a virtuoso guitar for exploring your most ambitious musical ideas and dreams. Besides sounding and playing like nothing else in the world, the ergo is also a compelling design object, an empowering musical partner, an inspiring creative muse, a player's dream, a performer's delight, a collector's prize, a serious investment and a high end walk on the wild side."
I recently got myself this Washburn WI64-DL secondhand at a very nice price. (It's much more purple in real life than the photo shows). As I may have mentioned before, I am not a fan of tone controls on guitars becuase they are usually pointless (i.e. they don't do anything other than roll off the treble) but this guitar features the Voice Contour Control (VCC) system which basically means you can mix between single coil and humbucker sounds - not just one or the other but all the "inbetween" positions as well! Added to that it has the Buzz Feiten tuning system, and whilst I haven't quite worked out what exactly the Buzz Feiten tuning system actually is, I am not complaining because the guitar plays in tune all the way up to the top of the neck.
I've wanted one of these guitars since I tried out the Washburn WI64-DL at the London guitar show earlier this year. The guitar I've bought an earlier model that's now been discontinued, although I can't quite see from the specs on the Washburn website what the differences between the WI65-DL and the WI64-DL models actually are. But who cares? All in all, it's a fantastic guitar - a great buy.
Thursday, 18 August 2005
Ozzy is looking for new guitar player: interested parties should send a package showcasing their guitar skills to: Ozzy Osbourne Guitar Player, P.O. Box 5249 , Beverly Hills, CA 90209.
Wednesday, 17 August 2005
The Who's Townshend destroys guitar for charity: "Pete doesn't tend to smash up guitars any more, but he made an exception in this case as it was for such a good cause."
New Subhuman Model Guitar from Malden: Malden's latest electric guitar design is a double cutaway model featuring a mahogany body and dual high-output humbuckers. Is it just me, or does it look somewhat Parker-like?
Line 6 Announces TonePort UX1 and UX2 USB Audio Interfaces New interfaces designed for recording guitar, bass, and vocals on your computer.
Daguet Guitars: Guitars built to order by a French luthier. It's nice to see someone who doesn't just trot out the same old tired variations of Fender designs. Check out his Crestwood Deluxe replicas - they are stunning!
Tuesday, 16 August 2005
Unseen Hendrix footage released: Jimi Hendrix's legendary performance at the Woodstock festival in 1969 is to be released on DVD in its entirety.
Who recently hit this site using a Google search for danelectro convertible for sale uk? Drop us a line - I may be able to help you! Email me on gl.wilson AT ntlworld.com
Monday, 15 August 2005
Thursday, 11 August 2005
Wednesday, 10 August 2005
NS Design Introduces Bass Cello: "The Bass Cello allows any bass or cello player access to the exciting world of bowed electric sound," says Ned Steinberger, creator of the NS Bass Cello.
ZZ Top Star Shows Off His Cars & Guitars: in his new book, "Billy F. Gibbons: Rock & Roll Gearhead".
This music made me pick up my guitar and play: Everyone's a fan, even the famous, and here some of them come over all gooey about the songs and albums that lit their fire - from the Times Online.
Sunday, 7 August 2005
Sanox Sound Creator acrylic-bodied Strat and Countryman 6-string banjo
Here are a couple of new additions to my personal guitar collection:
The first is this clear acrylic Strat copy by Sanox Sound Creator (try as I might, I can't find out anything about them on the web). It's actually quite a good quality Japanese copy from the 1970s; Nile Rodgers from Chic used to play something similar, I believe. This particular example has been well-used and shows a fair few battle scars - the perspex is chipped beneath the bridge, and it has worn frets in places, etc. However, it does have that certain 'mojo' and it sounds and feels great - it's perfect for those Hendrix impressions! I have to confess that I actually prefer this beaten up old copy guitar to my real Fender Strat (a Japanese 'Antigua' reissue from 2004).
My other new addition is this Countryman guitar banjo. It's basically a banjo with a 6-string guitar neck on it, so it allows guitarists to play a 'second instrument' simply by using their current knowledge of the guitar. Sneaky, huh? A friend of mine commented that it's not a 'real banjo', but it sounds like one to me, and I can't be bothered with all that 4 and a half strings business! Anyway, it's a relative cheapy, I suppose, made in China but with an American-made Remo head, but it's very nicely built and as I say it has that authentic banjo sound.
The first is this clear acrylic Strat copy by Sanox Sound Creator (try as I might, I can't find out anything about them on the web). It's actually quite a good quality Japanese copy from the 1970s; Nile Rodgers from Chic used to play something similar, I believe. This particular example has been well-used and shows a fair few battle scars - the perspex is chipped beneath the bridge, and it has worn frets in places, etc. However, it does have that certain 'mojo' and it sounds and feels great - it's perfect for those Hendrix impressions! I have to confess that I actually prefer this beaten up old copy guitar to my real Fender Strat (a Japanese 'Antigua' reissue from 2004).
My other new addition is this Countryman guitar banjo. It's basically a banjo with a 6-string guitar neck on it, so it allows guitarists to play a 'second instrument' simply by using their current knowledge of the guitar. Sneaky, huh? A friend of mine commented that it's not a 'real banjo', but it sounds like one to me, and I can't be bothered with all that 4 and a half strings business! Anyway, it's a relative cheapy, I suppose, made in China but with an American-made Remo head, but it's very nicely built and as I say it has that authentic banjo sound.
Thursday, 4 August 2005
Tuesday, 2 August 2005
Monday, 1 August 2005
Wietse's guitars: I love websites like this where people talk you through their guitar collections. This guy Wietse is from The Netherlands and he's built up quite a collection of interesting guitars by scouring his local fleamarkets. He's also refinished a few of the more damaged guitars and it looks like he's made a real nice job of them.
Saturday, 30 July 2005
Hendrix 'left army after gay lie': Jimi Hendrix pretended to be gay so he would be discharged from the army, according to a new biography.
Friday, 29 July 2005
Harmony Central's Summer NAMM 2005 Coverage: press releases are being added daily at the moment. There's a whole bunch of guitar product news, but nothing that sets the world alight, to be honest.
Guitars Once Owned by Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, and Others to Be Auctioned: click here for further info and photos! (I'm just amazed that they keep finding these old Hendrix guitars. There can't be any more left, surely?)
While my guitar gently creaks: the middle-aged are dusting off their guitars and playing again, says this article from the Telegraph.
Saturday, 23 July 2005
Friday, 22 July 2005
New Brian Setzer Black Phoenix Model from Gretsch: that's one cool looking guitar and I bet it sounds amazing too, but wow, it costs a pretty penny!
I found this story over on Music thing: Man builds two-string bass inspired by aliens. I must admit, it puts me in mind of Strawberry Alarm Clock's Mosrite guitars.
Wednesday, 20 July 2005
Monday, 18 July 2005
Meet the New Kids on the Block! Fender introduces the Big Block series of guitars in the UK and Europe. Lots of black and chrome and block fingerboard inlays!
Music event claims world record: A music festival in Surrey is claiming to have set a new world record for the biggest ever "air guitar ensemble". How cringingly embarrassing.
Friday, 15 July 2005
Tanglewood Guitars to Debut Premiere Series at Summer NAMM: Tanglewood announce a new line of mid-priced acoustic guitars and basses all featuring solid tops and Grover machine heads.
Thursday, 14 July 2005
Pink Floyd guitarist writes opera: Roger Waters has completed his first opera after 16 years in the making. (I know he was the bassist, I'm just repeating the BBC headline).
Monday, 11 July 2005
Stones guitarist Richards joining Depp on Pirates set: Johnny Depp has persuaded Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards to play a cameo role in the sequels to "Pirates of the Caribbean".
Crazy J
Plenty of other blogs have recently been featuring Crazy J, guitar-playing robotic creation of the Georgia Institute of Technology. I feel it's time to remind you all of some previous guitar-robots that I've listed on this blog, namely GuitarBot (watch the videos of that thing in action - it's quite impressive) and the similarly-named but altogether more scary GTRBOT of Captured by Robots.
Show must go on for Ravi Shankardespite two of his treasured sitars being broken during a flight from Lebanon.
Saturday, 9 July 2005
The return of Frankie 2
I was never happy with this project as it was. The left-handed neck wasn't really working for me and the roller nut I'd installed made the action too high at the head end of the neck. Tonight, I replaced the neck for a more ordinary Stratocaster neck - a Squier Strat neck with 22-fret rosewood fingerbaord. I also removed the tremolo bridge, the springs, etc, and have installed one of these fab Hot Rod hardtail bridges from Custom Shop Parts. It now plays beautifully!As for the parts that I removed, I may keep them for a future project or else I might have a clear out and sell them on eBay.
(Click on the photo to enlarge it).
Friday, 8 July 2005
Thursday, 7 July 2005
Wednesday, 6 July 2005
Alex Gregory's prototype Fender Stratocaster 7-string is on eBay: unlike modern 7-stringers this originally featured an extra high string rather than a low B.
Tuesday, 5 July 2005
Pulp Fiction intro with a mixer and a guitar: two non-guitarists figure out how to play the Pulp Fiction theme (Dick Dale's "Miserlou") with a guitar and a food mixer!
Those Live 8 "Africa" guitars: I've yet to see a close-up picture of one. The only glimpse I got from Saturday's Live 8 concert in London was when Joss Stone's guitarist used one for one song. Have you signed the petition, by the way?
Monday, 4 July 2005
Bidding has ended for this item: So, none of you fancied shelling out three quarter of a million dollars for an ex-Hendrix 1965 Strat?
Alvin Stardust's £600,000 guitar! Over the years it's been signed by The Beatles, Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly amongst others.
Friday, 1 July 2005
Thursday, 30 June 2005
RKS Guitars Wins Two 2005 Industrial Design Excellence Awards: check out the radical designs for yourself again over at www.rksguitars.com.
Get free guitar cut outs from New Order sleeve designer: Around 500 guitar cut outs designed by Peter Saville will be left across the capital to promote the launch of new hand-held game and music consol the Sony PSP, and they can be taken home by those who find them.
JamLab Makes Computer Recording Easy for Guitarists: M-Audio's JamLab combines a USB audio interface with a 1/4" input and line/headphone output with software effects, amp simulation, and drum loops for jamming with.
Tuesday, 28 June 2005
Monday, 27 June 2005
Yamaha Announce the A2 Air Guitar: "...Yamaha’s newly developed A.I.R. technology (Alternative Internal Resonance) shatters this precondition, specially positioned ‘sound tubes’ pass through a lightweight body at intricately selected angles. This allows string vibrations, which normally only resonate the top of the guitar body are more effectively ‘transmitted’ through the whole instrument..."
Zoom Announces G2 Multi-Effects Pedal: Their most powerful pedal to date, the G2 features 96kHz sampling rate and 24-bit converters, plus up to 5 second of delay, built-in tuner, and drum machine.
Thursday, 23 June 2005
What I want to know is, what model Fender Stratocaster is it that Wayne Kramer uses these days? It's a hardtail Strat, that's for certain (despite the "with Synchronized Tremolo" legend on the headstock!), and on the scratchplate near the pickup selector switch there is a Fender "F". Does anyone have any ideas what model it might be? Just curious...
Wednesday, 22 June 2005
Rock guitarist dies in house fire: Welsh rock guitarist Robert "Tich" Gwilym died in a house fire in Cardiff over the weekend, South Wales Police have confirmed.
Monday, 20 June 2005
Ace Frehley presents Les Paul with signature model guitar: Original Kisss guitarist Ace Frehley presented the legendary Les Paul with his own signature model of the guitar on Monday, June 13th at the Iridium Jazz club in New York.
Saturday, 18 June 2005
Friday, 17 June 2005
Guitarists find Atkins' style finger-pickin' good: that is the Tampa Bay FingerStyle Guitar Players.
Tuesday, 14 June 2005
Science search plucks guitarist from obscurity: A nationwide search for the "Pop Idol of science" has been won by an electric guitar-playing civil servant.
Brian May gets encore at the Palace: guitar legends Brian May and Jimmy Page are among Britain's greatest musicians honoured by the Queen this week, whilst Live Aid founder and Ultravox star Midge Ure gets an OBE along with guitarist John Mayall, the father of British blues.