NEWS: Eastwood Breadwinner Tribute

Wow! I've heard rumours that Eastwood were hoping to reissue the Ovation Breadwinner, and it seems this is as close as they're gonna get - the Breadwinner tribute guitar.

There are a few changes compared to the original Ovation classic (especially the headstock), but ya gotta hand it to Eastwood for making it happen. Electric Light Orchestra tribute bands, start your credit cards.

CLICK HERE to see real vintage Ovation Breadwinner guitars on eBay.

Here's the press release.

Eastwood Guitars debuted the new Breadwinner tribute guitar at NAMM 2009 last month to much praise and excitement. The distinctive shape and unmistakable look of this classic model is a showstopper. It brings back memories of the most diverse cast of players like no other guitar, including David Cassidy, Glen Campbell, Robert Smith, Colin Newman, Wally Bryson, Steve Marriot, Tom Morello and Ace Frehley. We can't imagine that crowd has anything else in common other than the weird and wonderful Breadwinner.

The Breadwinner is available in white or black with white pickguard. The unique form fitting solid mahogany body and 24 ¾" scale maple neck with rosewood fingerboard and 1 11/16" nut, make this guitar one of the world's most ergonomic designs with unsurpassed comfort and balance. The cutaway shape allows full access to the 24th fret. This is the first Eastwood model to feature Active Mini Humbuckers with a 3-way and an active on/off switch. The Breadwinner comes with a traditional custom hardtail or an optional Strat style tremolo bridge. To protect this six string 70s dream-machine, Eastwood has created a custom fit deluxe hardshell case, which will be included with the first 48 guitars (so order today).

"The Breadwinner has been one of the most requested models that fans have wanted us to recreate", stated Mike Robinson, President of Eastwood Guitars, "and from the response at the NAMM show, it will become a very popular model for Eastwood".

The Eastwood Breadwinner tribute guitar is in stock now and is shipping worldwide.

For more information, visit their web site at www.eastwoodguitars.com.

NAMM 2009: Airline '59 Custom Series

Whatever one's opinion on Jack White, it can't be denied that the popularity of The White Stripes a few years ago worked wonders in prompting Eastwood to revive Airline guitars (and for the record I dug White Stripes, so don't mistake my flippancy for cynicism). After several years and a lot of great reviews, they're zeroing in even closer to the ultimate modern Airline reissue.

Press release time:

Eastwood Guitars debuted their new AIRLINE® '59 Custom Series guitars to rave reviews at NAMM 2009 earlier this month. The Airline '59 Custom 2P and 3P are the first guitars in the new Airline Custom Series and have elevated the quality reputation of Eastwood Guitars to a whole new level.

The '59 Custom guitars deliver many new features to the AIRLINE brand. These guitars feature a unique rubber binding which surrounds the entire body, and replicates the esthetics of the original Airline Res-O-Glas guitars. Additional cosmetic details include a striped pickguard, aluminum tone switch plate and available NOS Valco knobs. Both the '59 Custom 2P and the '59 Custom 3P guitars are fitted with the high output Airline Vintage Voiced Single Coil pickups. These models ship in the new Vintage Style Deluxe form-fit AIRLINE hardshell case with steel plate logo.

"It has been five years since I asked our engineering team for that rubber binding", stated Mike Robinson, President of Eastwood Guitars, "and I can say it was definitely worth the wait. Over the past six years, our AIRLINE series has built a great reputation for playability and tone, but now we are setting a new standard in guitar esthetics with the new '59 Custom Series".

The Airline '59 Custom 2P is available in red and the Airline '59 Custom 3P comes equipped with a BIGSBY tremolo and is available in black or seafoam green. Both new models are in stock now and are shipping worldwide.

For more information, visit their web site at http://www.eastwoodguitars.com/.

NAMM 2009: Schecter 8-string

This just landed in my inbox... now THAT'S the stuff. Want!!!

The new Schecter Hellraiser C-8 has 8 strings (the lowest is tuned down to F#, but I figure that if you're going to go that low anyway, you might as well tune it down to E so you can play octave-down power chords, Drop-D-style.

By the way, check out that ad copy: "A custom designed Hip-Shot bridge that DOES intonate..." Who could they be taking a dig at there? The only other production 8 strings I know of are the
Ibanez RG2228, which has the genius FXEdge bridge, and the ESP/LTD Stephen Carpenter models. Hmmm...

Click the image for a closer look or go to Schecterguitars.com.

CLICK HERE to buy the Ibanez RG2228 Electric Guitar Galaxy Black from Musician's Friend.

CLICK HERE to buy the ESP LTD SC-308B Baritone Stephen Carpenter Electric Guitar Black from Musician's Friend.

NAMM 2009: Sparrow Von Drat

Despite my well-known geekiness for pointy shred axes and stuff, I'm not shy about admitting I love old-school axes with that Made In Japan, pawnshop-prize charm, and this is one of the charmiest I've seen in recent times. Sometimes you've just gotta put down that sleek Ibanez RG and pick up something that looks like it was drawn for a cartoon. Especially if it's avocado green.

Man, now I want Mexican food.

Press release:

Sparrow Guitars is proud to have introduced the Von Drat surf guitar at the 2009 NAMM Show. The Von Drat is the newest addition to Sparrow's family of retro guitars which includes the Big Daddy, Primitive, Rat Rod and Twangmaster models. The Von Drat debuted at the 2009 NAMM Show Hall D Booth #3394 in Anaheim, California from January 15-18th 2009 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The Von Drat joins Sparrow's Rat Rod and Twangmaster as available in the premium "Continental" line. Made in Vancouver, BC Canada, the Von Drat surf guitar features Burns Tri-Sonic pickups, Grover tuners, bone nut and Wilkinson tremolo. With an alder body, maple neck and rosewood fingerboard, the Von Drat is a 21-fret, 12" radius, 25½" scale length guitar with the volume and tone top-hat knobs and three-way selector switch located at the lower bout for versatility and playability. The Von Drat is currently available in Tudor Black and Avocado Green, with custom pickguard.

The guitar is the namesake of Toronto, Canada-based surf outfit The Von Drats. The Von Drats were hired by Sparrow Guitars to play an event as part of the 2008 MIAC Show in Toronto, Canada and became instant favourites of Sparrow staff. From that meeting, Sparrow President Billy Bones began planning and designing what would become Sparrow's Von Drat guitar.

For more information, visit their web site at www.sparrowguitars.com.

NAMM 2009: EMG gold and silver pickup covers

This year at NAMM EMG introduced gold and silver covers for their pickups. Previously the only time I've seen EMG pickups in anything other than black was on Kirk Hammett's Les Paul. Other new goodies include a new line of pickups called the X Series, and an Alexi Laiho set which includes his favoured passive humbucker and a gain boost.

Here's part of EMG's review of NAMM: 

Team EMG is back from the 2009 NAMM Show and without a doubt we had a blast. The reaction to our new products was a resounding success. If you haven't heard we are now offering high quality Chrome and Gold cover caps for our 81, 85 and 60 models which generated considerable excitement.

In addition to this new option, we also have a new line of pickups called the X series which has been highly anticipated and that we are betting will blow players minds with its increased headroom paired with the traditional EMG tone that has become iconic to musicians the world over.

The final new release is Alexi Laiho's shredding new signature set, the ALX w/ABQ gain boost, which is composed of a signature passive HZ humbucker paired with a 3-band EQ/gain boost mounted on a push pull pot. This new set is incredibly versatile and was developed in conjunction with Alexi himself. You want his tone? This will get you that much closer!

Besides featuring EMG's new and existing product lineup, we had some very exciting artist appearances, scheduled and unscheduled, that were just icing on the cake and made our booth THE place to be. Some of the artists hanging out included Kerry King, Alexi Laiho, Steve Lukather, Sergio Vallin, Marcus Henderson and many many others.

Read more here.

NAMM 2009: Schecter Solo Classic

Now this, I like.

CLICK HERE to see more 2009 Schecters, or visit their website at www.schecterguitars.com

NAMM 2009: Electro-Harmonix Voice Box

I first read about this on the Twitter feed of GuitarToyBox.com, so make sure you go check out that very cool site.

Here's the new Electro-Harmonix Voice Box, a combined harmonizer and vocoder. Want!!!

Take it away, press release:

The Voice Box packs a multi-functional vocal synth processor into a tough and compact chassis. Sing, and you'll have a troupe of backup singers following you in perfect harmony. Or use the built-in vocoder to unleash classic synth-robot sounds. Diana Ross had the Supremes, Brian Wilson had the Beach Boys, Kraftwerk had The Robots. You have the Voice Box.

The harmony processor creates 2- to 4-part harmonies directly from your vocals, in the same key as your accompanying instrument. Studio-quality reverb lets you independently add depth to your dry and harmony vocals.

The focused 256-band articulate vocoder, designed by the same EMS genius who made vocoding famous, features adjustable harmonic enhancement and controllable formant shift.

Plug in your mic and your instrument, and let your new voice -- or voices -- be heard!

Harmonically matches any electric instrument you plug into it

Professional quality pitch shifting algorithm produces realistic harmonies

The Low & High Harmony independently produces two harmony notes: 3rd and 5th

9 accessible programmable presets

Natural GlissandoGender Bender knob allows for male/female formant modification

Built-In Mic Pre with Phantom Power & Gain Switch

Balanced XLR Line Output: Interface directly with any mixing board or A/D converter

US96DC-200BI power supply included

Read more at the Electro-Harmonix website.

While you're there, check out this very interesting article about their Golden Throat talkbox.

CLICK HERE to see talk boxes on eBay.

CLICK HERE to buy the Danelectro Free Speech Talk Box from Musician's Friend

CLICK HERE to buy the Dunlop Heil Talk Box from Music123

CLICK HERE to buy the Rocktron Banshee Talk Box from Music123

NAMM 2009: New from Schecter

Here are a bunch of new 2009 Schecters. Just click the images to see the full-sized versions. I especially like the ATX V-1, and it's cool to see Seymour Duncan Blackout pickups rapidly finding their way into production guitars.

NAMM 2009: Vox Night Train

Recording guitarists and bedroom jammers alike have long known the glories of cranking the bejesus out of a low-watt valve amp. Evidently Vox knows this too, because this year they’re introducing the NT15H Night Train amp head, designed to capture that Vox sonic mojo without getting you evicted.

No only that: It also looks like a toaster.

Here’s the press release:

VOX Amplification has joined forces with legendary amp designer Tony Bruno to introduce the NT15H "Night Train," a 15-Watt, all-tube guitar amplifier head offering both classic and new VOX tones in a compact, portable design. A collaboration between the VOX R&D team and Bruno, this all-tube head weighs less than 17 pounds and boasts an "armored box" design for stunning all-tube tone on the go.

A pair of EL84 tubes deliver 15 Watts of power, as two 12AX7 tubes drive the harmonically rich preamp stage to deliver clarity and definition, from chime-like cleans to warm overdrives. A toggle switch lets users select between Pentode or Triode tube operation. In Pentode mode, Night Train delivers a full 15 Watts. In the Triode mode, the power is cut to 7.5 Watts. The Triode mode also relaxes the tube power stage, providing a smoother, mellower tube character.

The Night Train's appearance is as striking as its tone, with a mirrored chrome finish and signature VOX diamond design that not only ventilates the amplifier but provides a striking view of the all-tube circuit within. The front panel controls are clear and simple, offering traditional chicken head pointer knobs for Gain, Volume, Treble, Middle and Bass. The preamp section features a mode switch, offering both Bright and Thick options. The Bright mode produces an articulate tone that ranges from clean to crunch; the Thick setting bypasses the tone circuit to boost the gain and create a chunkier, heavier sound suited to higher gain applications. Legendary guitar amp builder Tony Bruno played an integral role in the voicing of this new amp.

Equipped with both 8-Ohm and 16-Ohm speaker jacks, the Night Train can be used with nearly any speaker cabinet.

The VOX NT15H "Night Train" 15-Watt Amplifier Head will be available in January 2009, with a U.S. MSRP of $800.00.

For more information, visit their web site at http://www.voxamps.co.uk/.

NAMM 2009: Racer X live video

One of the highlights for many at NAMM this year was the performance by Paul Gilbert as part of Ibanez's celebration of his 20 years as an endorser. Paul's old band, Racer X, played a bunch of songs, and here is 'Frenzy.' Enjoy!

I found this clip on Blabbermouth.net, but you can see a whole bunch of great Paul Gilbert videos on this page of the Random Chatter Music blog. 

NAMM 2009: Peavy 6505 Plus 1X12 combo

I'm sure that when Eddie Van Halen designed the Peavey 5150 amp back in the early 90s (and later the 5150 II), he didn't think that a decade later it'd be one of the most prominent amps among the extreme metal community, nor that the design would live on following his departure from Peavey. After Eddie jumped ship to form his own company, EVH, Peavey continued to build the amp but changed the name (5150 = 6505, 5150II = 6505+). Now they've released the single-speaker 6505 Plus 112, which cuts down on some of the legendary heft of the original 2X12 version.

Here's the press release.

After forging the sound of aggression for more than 15 years, Peavey is making its highly respected, high-gain 6505® Series amplifier available for the first time in a 1x12 combo-amp configuration.

The Peavey 6505—the amplifier used by metal stars Trivium, Machine Head, Bullet For My Valentine and many more—will now be available in a 60-watt combo with two channels and an extensive feature set. The new 6505 Plus 112 combo harnesses the full gain and legendary tone of the Peavey 6505 Series, which since 1991 has defined the sounds of extreme rock guitar, into a format that is equally suited to clubs, rehearsal rooms and studios.

Five select 12AX7 preamp tubes and a pair of 6L6GC power-amp tubes provide the tonal foundation for the 6505 Plus 112 combo, while patented circuitry such as Peavey's Resonance control tweak its legendary tone. Both the Lead and Rhythm channels feature independent three-band EQ, pre/post gain controls and Presence and Resonance adjustment. The Rhythm channel also includes a footswitchable Crunch boost.

The 6505 Plus 112 combo also features the Peavey MSDI™ microphone-simulated direct interface, which eliminates the need for miking by allowing users to route the amp's signal directly to a recording device or mixing console. Additional features include three-spring reverb, effects loop and external speaker outputs, plus a 12" Sheffield® loudspeaker in a sealed-back cabinet that offers maximum resonance and sound projection.

The extensive Peavey 6505 artist roster includes Machine Head, Trivium, Bullet For My Valentine, Black Tide, Evergrey, Unearth, Story of the Year, Bleeding Through, Job For A Cowboy, Black Stone Cherry, In Flames, Gojira, Daath, Divine Heresy, Evergreen Terrace, The Devil Wears Prada, Bury Your Dead, All That Remains, Demon Hunter and many more.

The Peavey 6505 112 Combo will be available from authorized Peavey retailers in Q2 2009.

Features

60 watts RMS
16, 8 or 4 ohms
Five 12AX7 preamp tubes and two 6L6GC power amp tubes
Footswitchable Lead/Rhythm channel select
Effects loop
Separate three-band EQ on each channel
Separate Resonance and Presence controls on each channel
Separate pre/post gain on each channel
Footswitchable Crunch boost on Rhythm channel
Three-spring reverb
MSDI™ microphone-simulated XLR direct output
12" Sheffield® loudspeaker
External speaker outputs
Lighted Peavey logo with on/off switch

U.S. MSRP $719.99

For more information, visit their web site at www.peavey.com.

CLICK HERE to buy the Peavey 6505 120W amp from Music123.

CLICK HERE to buy the 2X12 version of the combo from Musician's Friend.

NAMM 2009: Ernie Ball Music Man introduces new lower-priced brand

This one seemed to creep under my radar. Ernie Ball/Music Man have created a sub-brand called Sterling (named after Sterling Ball) and they had a few models on show at NAMM.

Word is that the designs are very close to the US-built versions, including the types of wood used, the instruments will be made in Indonesia and Korea and will be priced more affordably, somewhere in the region of the now-deleted SUB line. 

Pictured is an AXIS model. 

CLICK HERE to see the John Petrucci model.

The instruments will hit stores in March 2009.

Here’s an official video by Ernie Ball/Music Man introducing the line...



By the way, I found these same photos on several forums and it’s kinda hard to establish their origin. If you’re the person who took these shots, please let me know and I’ll either add a photo credit or remove them, at your request.

NAMM 2009: Boss ME-70

Boss has upgraded its ME series of multi-effect pedals with the ME-70, which appears to take a lot of inspiration from their GT series. In fact it kinda looks like a shrunken version of my beloved Boss GT-8. Although I love pedals I've always appreciated a good multi-effects unit, and I hope to try the ME-70 out soon.

CLICK HERE to buy the Boss ME-70 from Musician's Friend.

Here's the press release:

BOSS is pleased to debut a brand new full line of high-quality tuners, as well as the ME-70 Guitar Multiple Effects Processor products at this year's Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA.

The ME-70 is a floor-based processor that offers the compact design and simplicity of a stompbox. With dedicated knobs for each section, a new, high-quality COSM® engine derived from the GT-10, and added EZ Tone and Phrase Loop features, the ME-70 is the ultimate easy-to-use floorboard powerhouse.

In addition to its superb Overdrive/Distortion section, the ME-70 now features a new Preamp section with the latest sound-modeling COSM engine for the most natural response and sound quality. The ME-70 is made to play, and the hardware now adds a fourth footswitch for even more real-time effects control.

The ME-70's dedicated knobs for each effect section allow full, fast control over sound creation, just like a stompbox. The knobs make the ME-70 incredibly easy to use compared to traditional multi-effects units. Users will also love the new Phrase Loop function for sound-on-sound creation, with up to 38 seconds of recording time. Its EZ Tone function allows for fast and easy tone creation via simple effects presets, so players of any level can create superb tones of any genre within seconds.

With a friendly design and unprecedented tone creation capabilities via COSM and EZ Tone, the ME-70 will be an essential live performance piece for guitarists. Plus, it will bring a diverse array of world-class COSM tones to any studio recording.

CLICK HERE to buy the Boss ME-70 from Musician's Friend.

NAMM 2009: Ibanez 7 string guitars and 7 string basses

Check out Rich Harris's awesome NAMM coverage at Ibanez Rules. Rich is a legend among Ibanez geeks such as myself. Here are a few interesting new 7-strings from his site, but be sure to go to to see the rest.

SR7 bass/guitar hybrid

Rich says: "My pick for the coolest new instrument at the show, Ibanez continues it's innovation into multi string instruments but introducing a Bass/Guitar Hybrid 7 string based on the SoundGear platform. It's tuned to standard 6 string bass tuning B E A D G C but adds a high E, you can see how easily this can be changed to normal 7 string guitar tuning. It's 30" scale and narrower string spacing means you can play it like a guitar, or a bass."

This is a Prestige series instrument made in Japan. List price is $2133.32 including case. Rich has ordered some of these, so hit up his site if you're interested.

RG7321FMBBS

Didn't see this one coming! Rich says: "Basswood body with flamed maple top [I'm guessing veneer at this price point], 7 string, 5 piece maple/walnut Wizard II - 7 neck, jumbo frets on a bound rosewood board, basswood body, fixed 7 bridge, AH1-7 neck and AH2-7 bridge pickups." Made in Indonesia, list price is $666.65. Case is the M100C at $159.99.

Photos by Rich Harris, but hosted by me so I don't eat up his bandwidth.

NAMM 2009: More Dean Dime details

More details have emerged on Blabbermouth.net about Dean’s new Dimebag amp, designed with Dime’s guitar tech, Grady Champion.

Here are some excerpts.

Commented Dean Guitars CEO Elliott Rubinson: “We've been wanting to do an amp that replicates Dime's tone for many, many years. I met Grady about a year or two ago, and Grady was Dime's guitar tech for 13 years — all through the PANTERA years, all through the time that Dime developed his sound. The key is, he had the ears — he probably knew Dime's sound better than Dime knew it, because he dialed it in every night. So we found the engineer who designed Dime's original amplifier 13 years ago, brought him out of retirement, had him build us an amp, had Grady come over. Grady listened to it, and with a couple of tweaks, I think this thing is just dead nuts on, it's Dime's sound."

Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP) on the Dean Dime amps:

100W Head - List $530.00 / MAP $349.99
412 Cabs (straight or slant) - List $530.00 / MAP $349.99
100W Combo - List $780.00 / MAP $499.99

Head over to Blabbermouth for the full story.

NAMM 2009: Randall RM12 - twelve preamp modules? WHAT?

Last year I reviewed Randall’s RM100 head and a few preamp modules for Mixdown Magazine. This series allows you to swap out different preamps from a whole bunch of different models so you can create your ideal setup. When I reviewed the amp, my favourites were based on the Marshall Plexi and the Bogner XTC. Of course, I couldn’t help but feel that it would be great to have some way of trying out all of the modules without having to stop playing.

Enter the RM12. It was originally designed for dealers to demonstrate the modules, but its 50 watts of chameleon-like awesomeness will soon be available to the public.

The RM12 isn’t ready for production yet but I’ll keep you posted.

CLICK HERE to see the back of the RM12.

CLICK HERE to see Randall amps on eBay.

NAMM 2009: Marshall MG4 range

This is the groovy new Marshall MG4 amp, which upgrades the MG series with similar Stompware switching technology to that used in the JVM series amps. The entry-level MG series was always a very useful practice amp, but the addition of Stompware looks like it will make the amp more user-friendly for stage use too. I’m sure beginner guitarists will appreciate having easier access to their sounds when rocking out at school or at Battle of the Bands competitions and stuff like that, and I’m sure the MG4 series will be handy for teachers too.

Marshall Amplification has completely renovated its popular MG guitar amp lineup with the new MG4 Series. Combining analog tone, digital control, digital effects, and exclusive STOMPWARE® technology, the MG4 Series provides maximum versatility. Seven new combo amps — plus a 100-Watt head — provide players at every level with access to the classic Marshall sound, all at an affordable price.

Models in the new MG4 Series are:
MG10 2-channel / 10-Watt / 6.5" combo amp
MG15 2-channel / 15-Watt / 8" combo amp
MG15FX4-channel / 15-Watt / 8" combo with digital effects
MG30FX4-channel / 30-Watt / 10" combo with digital effects
MG50FX4-channel / 50-Watt / 12" combo with digital effects
MG101FX4-channel / 100-Watt / 1 x 12" combo with digital effects
MG102FX4-channel / 100-Watt / 2 x 12" combo with digital effects
MG100HFX4-channel / 100-Watt head with digital effects

In addition, two 4 x 12" cabinets are available — the MG4X12A angled cabinet and the MG4X12B straight-style cabinet.

With the MG4 Series, Marshall has returned to a simple, tried-and-true panel layout for extreme ease of use. Gain, followed by a three-band EQ (two-band Contour Control on the MG10), Volume and Master Volume are laid out for quick access. Push-button channel switching provides for smooth, uninterrupted transitions. Combining true analog tone circuitry and Marshall's proprietary FDD* technology, the solid-state MG4 Series achieves that authentic Marshall sound and feel. The combination line out/headphone out features speaker cabinet emulation, providing the user with full Marshall sound when recording or practicing through headphones. A line input allows for playing along with CDs, MP3s, etc. *(Frequency Dependant Damping — used to replicate the interaction between an all-tube amplifier and the loudspeaker)

Beginning with the MG15FX, the MG4 Series adds Reverb, plus Digital Effects (Chorus, Phaser, Flanger, Delay) and digital programmability. The delay time can be manually set using the front panel Tap button. Settings for each channel can be customized and saved for instant recall. The STOMPWARE footswitch (optional for MG15FX and MG30FX) provides seamless transitioning from sound to sound and tap tempo, plus a built-in tuner with LCD display. STOMPWARE technology allows this sophisticated multi-function pedal to be connected using a traditional guitar cable, eliminating the need for special or hard-to-find cables.

In addition, the MG50FX, MG101FX, MG102FX and MG100HFX feature a switchable effects loop for adding a favorite external effect to the sound. These models also include the STOMPWARE footswitch as standard equipment.

For more information, visit their web site at www.marshallamps.com.

An I Heart Guitar reader alterted me to these cool clips of Kerry King and Doug Aldrich demoing the MG series at NAMM on the Premier Guitar website.

NAMM 2009: Steve Vai's Legacy II launch (video)

Just spotted this on Blabbermouth.net... Steve Vai's press conference launching the Legacy II amp for Carvin at NAMM. In the video, Steve talks about the design concept behind the amp, including the new added channel, which is a boost for the clean channel. Unfortunately he doesn't actually play through the amp in the video.



The Legacy II will be released at the end of February.

NAMM 2009: Amplitube Fender

I've been using IK Multimedia's Amplitube 2 for a while now, and I find it an especially handy songwriting tool which allows me to test parts out with a variety of different amp and pedal combinations before settling on how the hell to do it live on stage. Fender was already bitten by the modelling bug a couple of years ago when they paired up with Boss to release a few pedals which emulated Fender amp tones. Now the modelling bug has well and truly sunk his fangs into Fender's tweed-covered hide in the form of Amplitube Fender.

Press release:

AmpliTube® Fender® is the only official Fender® guitar/bass amp and FX software suite, made by IK Multimedia in cooperation with music icon Fender® Musical Instruments Corporation. With a collection of 45 pieces of gear, including some the most sought-after classic and modern Fender® amps (Twin Reverb®, '59 Bassman® LTD, Super-Sonic™, Metalhead™ and many others), cabinets, stompboxes and rack effects, AmpliTube Fender® sets the new standard for software amplifiers. From guitar to bass, and from country to blues, rock, punk and metal—whatever style you play—AmpliTube Fender® is the only amp suite that gives you the world's most influential guitar and bass tones right on your desktop.

AmpliTube Fender® is the result of years of intense research and development by the tone gurus at Fender® and is handcrafted by the software and audio engineers at IK Multimedia. Seldom has there been such close cooperation between two leaders in their respective fields, with the goal of producing the most advanced and realistic-sounding software recreation of the world's most renowned amplifiers and effects. The results have been amazing, as Fender's Shane Nicholas, senior marketing manager for guitar amps said:

"An electric guitar is nothing without amp tone, and Fender® amplifiers are the standard by which great amp tones are measured. We're confident that the thrill of plugging into a great tube amp will never die, but we are proud to give digital recording enthusiasts the opportunity to discover and utilize many of the best Fender® tones, old and new, with the convenience of PC recording. Unlike other guitar modeling software, IK Multimedia developed the realistic sounds of the AmpliTube Fender® edition with the master tone-team at Fender® Musical Instruments. From the legendary Tweed Deluxe™ to the modern high-gain Super-Sonic™, this is the real-deal palette of tones you need to make great music in the digital domain."

The extremely accurate Fender® tones achieved by this collaboration, together with the large variety of gear included, covers the widest range of tonal palettes and makes AmpliTube Fender® the ideal choice for those who are recording guitar for the first time or for DAW users who demand nothing less than tonal perfection.

Features
Stand-alone and plug-in software for all the most popular platforms, including VST/AU/RTAS plug-in formats.
12 of the most influential guitar amps of all time.
12 original matching cabinets and more, with nine microphones.
Six signature classic stomp effects and six rack effects.
Incredible tone flexibility; mix and match amps, cabinets, mics and more.
Sound-certified and approved by Fender®.
Five separate modules: tuner, configurable stomp pedal board, amp head, cabinet plus mic, and rack effects.
Two fully configurable rigs with up to 32 simultaneous effects.
Digital tuner.
Includes SpeedTrainer™ and Riffworks™ T4 recording software.
Can be expanded with additional "Powered by AmpliTube" models using AmpliTube X-GEAR.
Can be controlled live with StompIO, StealthPedal™ and any traditional MIDI controller.
Hundreds of presets included, with more that can be downloaded from the AmpliTube preset XChange area. Powered by AmpliTube® with exclusive DSM™ (dynamic saturation modeling) and new VRM™ (volumetric response modeling) technology.
Pricing and Availability
AmpliTube Fender® will be available in 2 versions:

AmpliTube Fender®
The official Fender® guitar and bass, amp and FX software with 12 amps, 12 cabinets, six stompboxes, nine mics and six rack FX. Also includes Riffworks™ T4 for guitar recording and AmpliTube X-GEAR for full expandability with any "Powered by AmpliTube" software and live control. MSRP €169.99 / $229.99 (excluding taxes).

AmpliTube Fender® Studio:
The easiest way to plug your guitar into your computer and get the legendary tone of Fender®. Including StealthPlug USB audio cable interface and AmpliTube Fender® LE (four amps, five cabinets, two stompboxes, two mics, two rack FX), plus Riffworks™ T4 for guitar recording and AmpliTube X-GEAR for full expandability with any "Powered by AmpliTube" software. MSRP €109.99 / $139.99 (excluding taxes).

AmpliTube Fender® and AmpliTube Fender® Studio will be available through the entire IK sales network of dealers and distributors by the end of February 2009. Preorders are already available through selected dealers around the world and in the IK online store.

For further information online, visit http://www.ikmultimedia.com/fender/features/
For more information, visit their web site at www.ikmultimedia.com.

NAMM 2009: Taylor T3

Last year I reviewed one of those awesome new Taylor solidbody guitars for Mixdown magazine. Its Gretsch-inspired pickups sounded so great that they prompted me to order the similarly-voice Dimarzio EJ Custom pickups for my custom Ibanez project (which I still haven't finished, boo). Anyway, my point, even though it's taking me a while to get to it, is that Taylor's electric guitars are amazing.

Press release time.

Following the success of the T5 and SolidBody models, and born from a love of innovative design and classic electric tone, Taylor Guitars is expanding its electric line with the company's first purely electric semi-hollowbody guitar, the T3.

Melding the sleek lines and shape of the T5 into a semi-hollowbody, the T3 features an expertly crafted body of sapele, topped with quilted maple. A svelte neck of tropical American mahogany sports heftier fret wire for a truly electric feel, while brilliant chrome hardware adorns the T3 for a ready-to-rock look that screams electric, vintage and cool.

While the T3 offers plenty for any player on its own, the designers at Taylor decided to take the new line up a notch in a variation, the T3B. Marking a first for the company, the T3B includes an authentic Bigsby Vibrato (model B70). The T3B incorporates a roller bridge for high performance, allowing the player the independence in setting the intonation of each string and eliminating the "dragging string" sound so commonly found in fixed bridges. The standard T3 model comes with a stop tailpiece.

"This is one rockin' guitar that produces sounds our SolidBodys and T5s don't have. When you do something that looks good, that's one thing, but when cool sounds start coming out, you go, 'Man, that's just it.' We knew this guitar was too good to hold back," shares David Hosler, lead designer.

The new model includes Taylor's Style 2 humbuckers which are specially positioned to capture the T3's fidelity and range of tones. A three-way switch covers three standard configurations of pickup switching and as an added twist, coil splitting is available for both humbuckers by pulling up on the volume knob.

"The way I describe it is, imagine you have a guitar with two humbuckers and a three-way, and you have a guitar with two single coils and a three-way, which gives you that really cool, 'bitey' sound," adds Hosler.

The control knobs, located in the traditional electric position below the bridge on the lower bout, function as push-pull pots. Pulling up on the volume knob activates a coil splitter, which turns the humbuckers into single coils. The tone knob is also a pull switch, which when pulled engages a second capacitor.

Hosler explains, "In the down position, one capacitor punches up the mid tones. Then when you pull the knob up, it adds another capacitor on top of it and uncorks a warm, fat, mellow old-school jazz tone. In between these two voices, this guitar spans the spectrum from traditional, hard rock to jazzy fusion. Even when overdriven, the air, articulation and distinction of all notes are there."

The T3 is available in a high gloss finish to highlight the naturally lustrous color of the quilted maple or in a variety of sunburst colors. Strung with Elixir light gauge electric strings with NANOWEB® coating (" target="_blank" ref="nofollow">), the T3 comes ready to gig in a hard shell Taylor case.

The T3 and T3B will be available domestically in mid-February and internationally in early spring 2009.