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

Hottie Amplifiers: Guitar amps made from toasters! (Via the mighty Music Thing!)
Jackson Makes Jenna Guitar: guitars and porn stars. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...
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?

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.

Penta Systems Pentasitar

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.