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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′

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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I received an email today with the release date for Metallica’s upcoming new album Death Magnetic. It’s September 12. I can’t wait!

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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