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.

iUke USB Ukulele

ZZ Top Star Shows Off His Cars & Guitars: in his new book, "Billy F. Gibbons: Rock & Roll Gearhead".

ESP Launch Two New Guitars, LTD Range Expanded

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.

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.

Bullet Guitar Straps and Belts from SDA: pretend to be Lemmy.

Status Quo join Coronation Street and little Chutney gets a Telecaster!

Jimi Hendrix: I Don't Want to be a Clown Any More: one from the archives of Rolling Stone magazine.

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.