VIDEO: G&L Jerry Cantrell signature series

Whoa! Check out this Premier Guitar video about the G&L Rampage Jerry Cantrell model. The guitar will be available in Tribute and US-made versions in 2010.

Look at the specs of the Tribute version.

Kahler 4300 bridge
Alnico 5 humbucker designed with Jerry
Soft maple body
Maple neck
Ebony fretboard
Matching headstock

The US-made version will have a Seymour Duncan JB humbucker and an upgraded Kahler bridge.

SUMMER NAMM: AxeTrak upgraded with movable microphone

I love my JLH Products AxeTrak. I use it for recording and reamping all the time and it sounds amazing. It allows me to crank my Marshall up to boiling point and record the results without getting evicted. Well check out this new upgrade to the AxeTrak. I think I might have to get me aother one!

JLH Products AxeTrak® Isolation Cabinet Allows for Adjustment of Microphone
July 20, 2009

This new version has all the features of the previous model plus one huge improvement. This model lets you adjust the microphone placement. That's right; by simply turning a simple thumbscrew located on the top of the unit the user can alter the position and angle of the internal microphone. This added feature gives the user unlimited sound options and total control as to how they wish to record or mic their setup. We took our users suggestions seriously!!! From nice clean sparkly tones (on axis), to darker (off axis) tones, this unit does it all. The AxeTrak® does not use digital signal processing or amp modeling to create its tone. The main components of this device are a special high-end driver designed exclusively for this application and a custom designed cardioid microphone. These components coupled with a few other proprietary analog components produce an incredibly warm tone and natural feel.

This small revolutionary device provides a simple solution for any guitarist wanting to quietly record or mic their live guitar setup. Simply connect the speaker jack of your guitar amplifier to the input of the unit and from there to your mixer or recorder. The AxeTrak® does not run on batteries or need a power adapter. It is powered by the output of the amplifier. The 8-ohm input of the AxeTrak® can handle up to 75 watts RMS of overdriven power. It is also capable of recording incredible sounding clean guitar tones but at slightly lower volume levels. The XLR output connects to the impedance matching transformer if needed, and then directly to a recording console, mixing board, or computer soundcard.

The audible sound radiating from AxeTrak® is that of a whisper, while the recorded sound coming from the low impedance balanced output is pure cranked tone. This device enables any guitarist to record thick rock rhythms and screaming leads anytime day or night. The neighbors will never hear a thing. The AxeTrak® has the potential to revolutionize the way overdriven and distorted guitar tracks are recorded.

Price: $419.00

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

SUMMER NAMM: Randall Nuno Bettencourt combo

Are you following Premier Guitar on Twitter? Besides being a great magazine and a huge supporter of I Heart Guitar, Premier Guitar rocks because they're posting some incredible photos from Summer NAMM, including this awesome Randall Nuno Bettencourt signature NB112 combo, a speaker-totin’ version of Nuno’s NB100 amp head.

The NB100 head is still pretty hard to come by at the moment but I can’t wait to try it out one of these days. Here are the specs of the NB100 head from the Randall site:

Designed with Nuno Bettencourt and partner Peter King, the new NBKing100 is the perfect combination of classic regal looks and modern circuitry to reproduce the legendary percussive tone of Nuno Bettencourt. A classic 2-channel amp with 3 modes of operation, you can instantly select via the MIDI channel switching, a sparkling CLEAN channel with the perfect amount of drive, an OVERDRIVE for any vintage to modern high gain rhythm tones and a SOLO mode for unparalleled harmonic sustain. The rear panel features include MIDI in/thru, Power tube bias section and Series Effect loop.

PREAMP CHANNELS
3 Channels
CH. 1: Clean Mode
CH. 2: Overdrive Mode
CH. 3: Solo Mode

MASTER CONTROLS
Volume

POWER AMP
All Tube • (4) E34L Tubes

POWER OUTPUT
100 Watts

FEATURES
EFX Loop
MIDI In/Thru
VU Output Meter

CLICK HERE to buy the Randall Nuno Bettencourt NBKing100 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head from Musician's Friend.

CLICK HERE to buy the Randall Nuno Bettencourt NB412 100W 4x12 Guitar Speaker Cabinet from Musician's Friend.

CLICK HERE to follow Premier Guitar on Twitter.

SUMMER NAMM: Jackson

The Jackson Mark Morton Dominion is, obviously, the signature model for the Lamb of God guitarist, but even players who aren't into LOG can still find a lot to like about the Dominion. Well now players on a budget doesn't have to squirrell away their bucks for quite as long with the introduction of the D2 Dominion, a lower-priced, stripped down version with Duncan Designed pickups.

CLICK HERE to see my review of the original Dominion.

Jackson Unveils Mark Morton Signature D2 Dominion

Jackson’s Mark Morton Dominion™ signature model is now available in an even more affordable version, the D2.

Available in two finishes—black or an eye-catching trans-black on a quilt maple veneer top—the Mark Morton Signature D2 Dominion boasts a bolt-on maple neck with a compound radius (12”-16”) rosewood fingerboard, dot inlays and a 24.75” scale length. Loaded with a pair of Duncan Design™ HB-101 humbucking pickups, each with individual volume and tone controls for maximum sonic flexibility, the guitar also features an adjustable chrome bridge, a stop tailpiece and the Lamb of God guitarist’s signature on the truss rod cover.

The D2 easily evokes the Jackson vibe of its high-end big brother, and Morton himself calls the new model “a unique instrument” with “a great sound to it.”

“We wanted to offer a Jackson Dominion that was a little bit more affordable,” Morton said. “You still get all the essentials, and it still plays and sounds like a Jackson Dominion. It’s just a little more stripped down.”

Jackson also recently introduced three new Pro Series models:

Three New Jackson Models

Jackson is proud to announce the addition of three splendid new Pro Series models to the Bloodline—the SL3MG Soloist™, KV5FR King V™ and KE5FR Kelly™. All are equipped with a Floyd Rose® FRT-O2000 double-locking two-point tremolo.

The SL3MG Soloist is an upgraded version of the venerable SL3, with an alder body in several finishes (flame maple veneer on trans finishes), rock maple through-body neck, 24-fret compound radius rosewood fingerboard, active EMG 81 (bridge) and 85 (neck) humbucking pickups and black hardware.

The KV5FR King V is a menacing new take on Jackson’s classic King V, with an alder body available in Black, Bolted Steel and Snow White with black bevels. It too has a rock maple through-body neck, 24-fret compound radius rosewood fingerboard and black hardware, plus Seymour Duncan® JB™ (bridge) and Jazz™ (neck) humbucking pickups.

The KE5FR Kelly presents the latest version of one of Jackson’s most distinctive body shapes. Like its King V sibling, it boasts an alder body (this time in Black, Black with gold pinstripes and Snow White with black bevels), rock maple neck-through-body, 24-fret compound-radius rosewood fingerboard, black hardware and Seymour Duncan® JB™ (bridge) and Jazz™ (neck) humbucking pickups.

Like all Pro Series instruments, the SL3MG, KV5FR and KE5FR come with a Jackson molded hardshell case.

SUMMER NAMM: Squire John 5, Sham Kamikaze sigs

Here's something cool for the John 5 fan on a budget from Squire:

J5 Telecaster
John 5 is a self-described “Fender® fanatic” with a jaw-dropping collection of his favorite instrument, the Telecaster® (“the greatest guitars ever built, by far,” in his words). His Squier signature model, the J5 Telecaster, is a double-bound beauty based on his oft-modded workhorse Telecaster, which was pieced together at the Fender Custom Shop.

Features include John 5’s distinctive black-and- chrome look—a double-bound alder body with a gloss black polyester finish, a polished stainless steel pickguard and chrome hardware. The one-piece maple neck has a modern C shape, a matching black Telecaster headstock and a 12”-radius rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets.

The custom-designed humbucking pickups use a special dual-volume setup with the bridge pickup control in the front position and the neck pickup control in the back position (5 prefers this setup because he spends much time giving the bridge pickup a workout). Rapid toggling the upper-bout three-way pickup switch gives you 5’s signature “kill” effect by turning off the neck pickup volume and leaving the bridge control full up.

Here's John 5 ripping it up at home on his Squire sig Telecaster:

And while this Sham Kamikaze Stratocaster is a Malaysia-only model, I certainly wouldn't be surprised to see a few filter through to the west through import channels. I imagine this guitar being very popular with fans of a certain Mr. J Hendrix.

Sham Kamikaze Stratocaster

Squier introduces its Sham Kamikaze Signature Stratocaster guitar model, named for and designed with the help of Malaysia’s top guitarist. The guitar puts Kamikaze’s own personal touch on a Squier Classic Vibe series instrument, not the least of which is its distinctive and non-traditional reverse headstock design and reverse string arrangement, which lends a certain subtle, loose feel to the guitar’s comfortable playability.

Features also include an alder body finished in Black or Vintage White, gloss maple neck, Kamikaze’s signature on the front of the headstock and a Sigma logo on the back, vintage-style single-ply white pickguard, three custom vintage-style single-coil pickups (reverse-angled bridge pickup) with reverse staggered alnico III magnets, vintage-style tuning machines and tremolo, and aged plastic parts.

Available only in Malaysia; distributed by Bentley Music.

SUMMER NAMM: New Ibanez models

Here's the line-up of new guitars from Ibanez at Summer NAMM. A lot of these have been available in other markets, and most amount to new colours for existing models, but people are always asking for more Ibanez colour options so that's a good thing!

PGM300RE Paul Gilbert reissue as voted by fans - you can still get the jewel blue/pink PGM100 reissue from Winter NAMM HERE at Musician's Friend

Neck Material: 5pc Maple/ Walnut
Neck Type: Wizard Prestige
Body: Basswood body
Frets: Jumbo frets
Fingerboard: Maple
Inlay: Black dot inlay
Bridge: Edge bridge
NeckPU: DiMarzio® PAF-PRO®
MiddlePU: DiMarzio® FS-1™
BridgePU: DiMarzio® PAF-PRO®
HW Color: CK
Finishes: WH

JS1200L

Neck Material: Maple
Neck Type: JS Prestige
Body: Basswood body
Frets: 6105 frets
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Inlay: Abalone dot inlay
Bridge: Edge Pro bridge
NeckPU: DiMarzio® PAF-JOE
BridgePU: DiMarzio® FRED®
HW Color: CH
Finishes: CA

JEM7VL

Neck Material: 5pc Maple/ Walnut
Neck Type: JEM Prestige
Body: Alder body
Frets: 6105 frets
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Inlay: Pearl/ Abalone Vine inlay
Bridge: Edge Pro bridge
NeckPU: DiMarzio® Evolution® DP158
MiddlePU: DiMarzio® Evolution® DPS1
BridgePU: DiMarzio® Evolution® DP159
HW Color: GD
Finishes: WH

RG321MH (new black and Candy Apple finishes)

Neck Material: 3pc Maple
Neck Type: Wizard II
Body: Mahogany body
Frets: Jumbo frets
Fingerboard: Bound Rosewood
Inlay: Pearl dot inlay
Bridge: Fixed bridge
NeckPU: INF3
BridgePU: INF4
HW Color: CK
Finishes: MOL, BK, CA

RG350M

Neck Material: 3pc Maple
Neck Type: Wizard II
Body: Basswood body
Frets: Jumbo frets
Fingerboard: Maple
Inlay: Black dot inlay
Bridge: Edge III bridge
NeckPU: INF3
MiddlePU: INFS3
BridgePU: INF4
HW Color: BK
Finishes: YE

RGA32

Neck Material: 3pc Maple
Neck Type: Wizard II
Body: Mahogany body
Frets: Jumbo frets
Fingerboard: Bound Rosewood
Inlay: Pearl dot inlay
Bridge: Gibraltar Standard bridge
NeckPU: LoZ3-N
BridgePU: LoZ3-B
HW Color: CK
Finishes: BKF

RGA42FM


Neck Material: 3pc Maple
Neck Type: Wizard II
Body: Mahogany body/ Flamed Maple top
Frets: Jumbo frets
Fingerboard: Bound Rosewood
Inlay: Pearl dot inlay
Bridge: Gibraltar Standard bridge
NeckPU: LoZ3-N
BridgePU: LoZ3-B
HW Color: CK
Finishes: TGB, BBB, TRB

XP300FX

Neck Material: 3pc Maple
Neck Type: Wizard II
Body: Basswood body
Frets: Jumbo frets
Fingerboard: Bound Rosewood
Inlay: Pearl dot inlay
Bridge: Fixed bridge
NeckPU: INF3
BridgePU: INF4
HW Color: CK
Finishes: BK

ART320

Neck Material: Mahogany
Neck Type: ART set-in
Body: Mahogany body/ Flamed Maple top
Frets: Medium frets
Fingerboard: Bound Rosewood
Inlay: Diamond inlay
Bridge: Gibraltar III bridge
NeckPU: LoZ1-N
BridgePU: LoZ1-B
HW Color: CK
Finishes: BB, BLS

SUMMER NAMM: Eastwood Town & Country '59 Custom STD, DLX

I saw a whole bunch of Eastwood guitars at 555 Music in Hawthorn the other day. I think I just added about 5 more guitars to the wish list inside my head. Well Eastwood haven't made it any easier with the Town & Country '59 DLX...

CLICK HERE to see Eastwood guitars at Fat Tone Guitars.

Airline Town & Country '59 Custom STD and DLX Guitars Join the Eastwood Line-up

July 17, 2009
Eastwood Guitars adds two new models to their popular Airline '59 Custom Series, the Town & Country '59 Custom STD and DLX. These retro-beauties will be making heads turn in concert halls and bars around the world. Guitar legend Chris Spedding sums up the Town & Country models best, "my Airline plays so sweet and looks so cool, I had to change my wardrobe to match it".

The Airline Town & Country '59 Custom guitars feature a unique black rubber binding surrounding the entire Vintage Cream body, which replicates the esthetics of the original Airline Res-O-Glas guitars. The cosmetic details on the STD include a retro-striped pickguard and control guard with vintage style chrome hardware and the DLX model comes with a BIGSBY licensed tremolo. This 25 ½" scale guitar is a players' dream with a fast maple neck, rosewood fingerboard and block markers bolted onto a tone chambered mahogany body. These guitars deliver unlimited tone possibilities with high output Airline Vintage Voiced Single Coil pickups, a 3-way switch, master volume, and individual volume and tone for each pickup. The Airline '59 Custom guitars ship in the new Vintage Style Deluxe form-fit AIRLINE hardshell case with steel plate logo.

SUMMER NAMM: Elite Tone Smooth Boost

I like the angle of this press release - handcrafted effects at a low cost to combat the economic downturn. I wonder if other companies will join the party in finding way to offer lower-priced yet high-quality gear. Maybe Fender will find a stash of Strat bodies that have been sitting around since the 50s and they'll be all like, "Well nobody's gonna want these old junky things. Let's chuck a neck on them and sell 'em for two hundred bucks."

Stuff like that happens, right?

Elite Tone Launches Affordable Unique Boost Pedal
July 17, 2009

When the world's economy enters a steep decline your tone shouldn't also. Elite Tone has stepped up to the plate a offer the working music a new line of affordable handcrafted effects without cutting corners. Kicking off this new line of effects all under one hundred dollars is the Smooth Boost.

The Smooth Boost features a circuit architecture that supports, enhances and optimizes your existing tone with delicate transparency. This simple yet multifaceted effect, achieves hi fidelity tube like signal boost, compression, sustain, overdrive and even mild distortion. The smooth boost can also be adjusted remotely with guitar volume and produce a lush twangy tube like sound as the volume is rolled back. With the signal maxed it adds mild harmonic overdrive and a touch of distortion. Product launch beginning 7/17/09

Features:

Engineered and constructed all by hand
True by-pass
Battery included
Ships free in the USA
2.1mm diameter DC jack adapter (like boss style etc...)
Extremely low ambient noise ( Not audible with effect full on and strings muted in many cases)
LED On/Off indicator
- Product launch beginning 7/17/09

SUMMER NAMM: Fryette Memphis Thirty

I'd love to show you a picture of this amp but there aren't any yet! Nevertheless, after spending a few weeks of quality time with a Fryette Sig X recently, and loving a good Class A combo, I can't wait to check out the new Memphis Thirty.

Fryette Amplification To Debut Memphis Combo At Summer NAMM
July 16, 2009

The highly anticipated MEMPHIS THIRTY Two Channel Class A Combo Amplifier makes its first appearance at Summer NAMM in Nashville this week.

Feature packed, yet simple and intuitive to operate, the Memphis Thirty produces an amazingly broad palette of sounds and textures. Incorporating proprietary design technology, top notch components, precision engineered transformers and legendary Fryette build quality, the Memphis Thirty is in a class by itself.

With an MSRP of $2,200 and a Five-Year limited warranty, the Memphis Thirty is destined to be a hit with players.

For more information and specifications, visit us at: http://www.sfdamp.com/memphis.html

SUMMER NAMM: Lefthanded Ibanez models

Here's a win for lefties everywhere: Ibanez is finally offering lefthanded versions of some of their most popular guitars, including the Jem7VWH and JS1200. A Jemsite user found these pics at Ikebe-Gakki. Here are the pages for the Jem and the JS. There are rumours floating about the internet of a lefthanded UV777BK as well.

July 16 edit for clarity (hi cosmic ape at Vai.com!): Here's the Jemsite thread in the Jem/Universe section: http://www.jemsite.com/forums/f15/wow-lefty-jem-and-js-92272.html