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Dave Mustaine has issued the following studio update at TheLIVELine.com:

"I’m at the studio right now, Vic’s Garage, and we are done! We’re just right now finishing the last couple of notes on the new record, and Andy’s getting ready to pack his bags and head up to Los Angeles tomorrow to get ready to fly back home on Thursday. Man, this has been a long, grueling, enduring process but it’s been so worth it, and I’m so excited. I’m more excited about this record then I’ve been in any record since back in the 1980’s. I would say, probably since, well definitely since "Rust In Peace" there’s nothing that’s excited me this much – maybe "Countdown", but this is just absolutely insane."

Listen to Dave’s entire audio message at TheLIVELine.com or call Dave on his Live Line number at (866) 597-6342.

I hope my soldering skills are up to snuff. I’ve done some soldering while adding lights to my motorcycle and doing some car radio installations in my personal vehicles, but I’ve never soldered on a printer circuit board before. It should be an interesting little project.

Every guitarist at some point has at least tried Boss’s DS-1 distortion pedal. Most People are immediately disappointed. This over hyped pedal sounds really thin with no punch. Sales people at guitar center will say something like its a “great beginner distortion pedal”. Its been my experience that most of the people that work at guitar center are useless. So, always research and get information from multiple sources.

Continue reading ‘I think I’ll give this distortion pedal mod a whirl′

I’ve always voiced my dislike for Nickelback. Here’s more proof that I’m not the only one.

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I bought an IOGEAR GHDMIAS4 4 Port Automatic HDMI Switch on Newegg.com last week to connect my Playstation 3, Xbox360 and TiVo Series3 HD to my television. My 2005 TV has only one HDMI port.

I’ve been walking around to the back of the TV for over a year plugging and unplugging my three HDMI devices. I’ve been doing this because I’ve read review after review about a variety of HDMI switches that are not able to send a 1080 signal (whether 1080p or 1080i) to the TV from the Playstation 3.

After reading this Macworld review, I decided to give it a shot. With Newegg.com’s 30-return policy, I figured I had nothing to lose. I attached the HDMI switch to my devices. I’ve been fooling around w/ the switch for a while now, and I have to say I’m very pleased with it.

IOGEAR GHDMIAS4 4 Port Automatic HDMI Switch product page

SIRIUS 1st Wave (channel 22) has a great Saturday night show called Saturday Night Safety Dance. It runs Saturdays 9 pm – 3 am CT. It’s a great show if you like 80s dance mixes.

http://www.sirius.com/1stwave

Praise be to Gibson! Gibson has pulled off yet another awesome hybrid of a classic. Their Custom Shop engineers got the bridge right too; they routed out a recess for the FR vibrato. Now if Fender could get it right on the FR Strat.

As everyone from Jeff Beck to Jimmy Page to Joe Bonamassa to Slash already knows, the Gibson Les Paul Standard has been one of the most playable electric guitars in rock for more than 50 years. Now, with the release of the new Les Paul Axcess Standard from the Gibson Custom Shop, the “ultimate player’s guitar” just got more playable.

Carrying all the elegant styling, fluid body lines, and rocking attitude of a classic Les Paul Standard from the golden era of 1958 to ‘60, the Les Paul Axcess reveals a handful of upgrades upon closer examination—all modifications made in the name of maximum playability and versatility. The most noticeable addition is the Floyd Rose tailpiece, a unit optimized for anything from subtle vibrato wobbles to dramatic, rumbling divebombs. Adding a Floyd Rose to a Les Paul in the past was always a major headache, and could seriously damage the stability of the instrument if not done right. On the Les Paul Axcess the vibrato is installed right at the Gibson Custom Shop as part of the manufacturing process, so this potent piece of high-performance hardware interacts seamlessly with the design of the guitar. Partnered with an R4 locking nut, it also guarantees outstanding tuning stability and return-to-pitch accuracy.
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My only question is, “Why a Kahler vibrato?” Why not stick with a tune-o-matic tailpiece or a Floyd Rose vibrato?

Gibson USA’s new Shred-V Flying V—the Guitar of the Month for August 2008—takes the style and attitude of the fearsome Flying V a step further. Two EMG 85 pickups deliver high-ouput, screaming tone, perfect for aggressive hard rock and metal, and a new Kahler 2215K tremolo system allows stable tuning and dive bombs. The Shred-V is outfitted with black chrome hardware, and an Ebony finish that captures every detail and sharp style of the classic Flying V. The neck is one-piece mahogany with Gibson’s traditional Flying V profile—a hybrid between the standard ’50s rounded contour and the ’60s slim-taper profile—and an ebony fingerboard with black acrylic dot inlays unique only to the Shred-V. Locking Grover tuners keep the guitar in tune when pushing the Kahler tremolo system to its limits. Gibson’s new Shred-V Flying V—offered with a custom Guitar of the Month case—combines classic Flying V style with sonic intensity and a sleek look. Production is limited to just 1,000 guitars.

Check out the Shred-V Flying V here!

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It seems like an obvious move: Apple’s little pink 8GB iPod nano ($199) comes out in time for Valentine’s Day, and perhaps before most pink second-gen nanos have kicked the bucket. But there’s a problem: if you’re trying to impress your lady friend by buying her a nano that contributes money to some worthy cause, you’re going to have to stick with the (PRODUCT) RED one, which fights against AIDS and tuberculosis in Africa and around the world. As pink as this nano is, there’s no mention of an accompanying breast-cancer charity benefit, in an industry where pink gadgets usually mean precisely that. Let’s get it going, Apple! [Apple]
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The Rolling Stones have signed a one-album deal with Universal Music Group for the release of their next album, the live soundtrack to Martin Scorsese’s concert film Shine a Light. The Universal deal likely spells the end of the Stones’ sixteen-year partnership with EMI, as the band’s record contract with that label expires next month. If they do sign a long-term deal with another label, the Stones would join Paul McCartney and Radiohead as the latest big-name artist to exit EMI in the wake of their tumultuous takeover by private equity firm Terra Firma. Earlier this week, EMI head Guy Hands announced that the label would allow for the corporating sponsoring of bands, as well as cut 1,500-2,000 jobs in order to free up $400 million. Still-contracted EMI artists like Robbie Williams, the Verve and Coldplay hinted at withholding new albums until EMI proved they were capable of appropriately promoting and distributing those releases.

Scorsese filmed Shine A Light during two Stones gigs at New York City’s relatively intimate Beacon Theatre in 2006. Among the special guests who joined the band on stage were Jack White and Christina Aguilera. The film will debut at the Berlin Film Festival next month before hitting American cinemas on April 4th.

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Steve is featured as part of a special series of interviews on CBS.com’s GRAMMY Awards special web feature.

CBS.com spent an afternoon with Steve at The Mothership Studio in Hollywood. The website features an extensive video interview with Steve broken into excerpts – including clips of Steve playing the new Ibanez Euphoria 9 Acoustic guitar! In the interviews, Steve talks about his early years and becoming a musician; the making of Flex-Able; touring and life on the road; his love for the guitar; the Make A Noise Foundation; and keeping a spiritual balance. He also talks about the opportunity he had to have his music performed by an orchestra that lead to his Grammy nomination for “Lotus Feet.”

Visit CBS.com to view this special feature. The site also features an exclusive interview with fellow nominee and guitar legend Les Paul. For more information on the GRAMMYs, visit grammy.com. The GRAMMYs air this Wednesday, February 8 in the USA on CBS. You can also keep up to date with the winners as they are announced on the GRAMMY website.

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