Following the recent announcement of a 19-date tour to commemorate the 40th anniversary of ‘Thick As A Brick,’ on April 2nd (April 3rd in North America) Ian Anderson will release a sequel to the original album.
In 1972, Ian Anderson wrote and recorded the Jethro Tull Progressive Rock classic album ‘Thick As A Brick.’ The lyrics were credited at the time to the fictitious child character, Gerald Bostock , whose parents supposedly lied about his age. The record instantly became a number one Billboard Chart album and enjoyed considerable success in many countries of the world. Read the rest of this entry »
Shred Les Paul Studio If you’re seeking a full-bore Les Paul primed for the rock excesses of the 21st century, the new Shred Les Paul Studio with Floyd Rose™ from Gibson USA is the way to go. This guitar has all the ingredients that have helped to make the Les Paul a legendary rock axe since the 1950s—including the classic mahogany and maple body construction, glued-in mahogany neck, and dual humbucking pickups—enhanced with the versatility of a genuine Floyd Rose™ vibrato bridge. To make it all the more appealing for the demanding guitarist on a tight budget, the entire package is wrapped up into the Les Paul Studio format, making the Shred Les Paul Studio with Floyd Rose™ the latest in a long line of guitars that have been consistent favorites since their introduction in 1983. Blending genuine Gibson Les Paul quality and construction with trimmed-down, no-nonsense styling, the Studio range offers unbeatable value, and provides the perfect home for the powerful new Shred Les Paul Studio with Floyd Rose™. 
The Seymour Duncan Custom Shop has teamed up with blues-rock virtuoso Joe Bonamassa to produce the Joe Bonamassa Signature Pickup Set. This immaculately crafted and calibrated dual-humbucker set accurately replicates the P.A.F. pickups in Joe’s beloved 1959 sunburst Les Paul. Their rich, dynamic, and nuanced voice will appeal to all tone connoisseurs who cherish the passion and power of the original humbucker. 
Moog Music has announced that it has won an Outstanding Technical Achievement award from the TEC (Technical Excellence & Creativity) Foundation in recognition of its Slim Phatty analog synthesizer, launched in 2011. Mike Adams, CEO/President; Cyril Lance, Chief Engineer and Steve Dunnington, Product Development Specialist of Moog Music were all on hand to accept the award during a special recognition ceremony held at the 2012 NAMM show in Anaheim, CA on Friday evening. 
After performing at the world famous Cafe Wha? January 5th in New York City to announce their upcoming world tour, the Big Apple Press roundly applauded as fans and followers posted videos and photos of the band’s unique first show opening. Tickets for additional dates are going on sale Saturday, January 28th. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com. The band continues its campaign with the release of its brand new studio album A Different Kind Of Truth on February 7th. 
Up to 10 musicians can simultaneously control their StudioLive monitor mixes using an iPhone® or iPod touch® and PreSonus’ free QMix™ app. QMix builds on PreSonus’ original Virtual StudioLive (VSL), which provides bidirectional computer control of PreSonus StudioLive™-series mixers via FireWire. Next came StudioLive Remote for iPad®, which provides wireless control of StudioLive mixers. 
Fender is very proud to introduce its new top-of-the-production-line best: the Fender Select series. Designed as “Select instruments for select individuals,” the five guitars and two basses in the series are designed to be players’ instruments that put more than six decades of Fender experience and expertise on outstandingly appointed display and bring a wealth of high-end features and elegant design options to discerning musicians everywhere.
Meet Greta™ and Excelsior™, Fender’s new and coolly unconventional Pawn Shop Special amplifiers. The two stylish amps resemble the esoteric finds you might discover in a pawnshop or second-hand store, and make for the most distinctive addition to any musician’s collection.
When KISS hit the stage at Nippon Budokan in Japan in 1977 with guitarist Ace Frehley behind a Cherry Sunburst, three-pickup Les Paul Custom, the entire package—band, guitarist, guitar—embodied the height of glam-rock excess and success for the ’70s. This was the ultimate marriage of pop and heavy rock, driven to meteoric heights by the record industry marketing machine, and ultimately attaining that otherworldly presence that great stadium rock should achieve: unbridled fantasy and party-hard reality rolled into one glorious explosion. In celebration of Ace Frehley’s unquestionable status as a rock icon, and the epitome of glam-rock stardom that KISS represented at this crystalline moment in time in 1977, Gibson Custom proudly announces the release of the Ace Frehley “Budokan” Les Paul Custom, produced in a strictly Limited Edition of 50 hand-aged guitars signed by the artist, with a further 100 hand-aged guitars, and 150 guitars treated in Gibson Custom’s VOS process. Offering everything you’ve come to expect from Gibson Custom’s artist replica guitars, the Ace Frehley “Budokan” Les Paul Custom is a painstaking recreation of Frehley’s modified Les Paul Custom, based on intimate examination of the instrument’s current condition. 
2005 saw the release of The Complete Mercury Recordings by Spanky McFarlane and her gang, a 5,000 only press run of 4 CDs on Universal Music’s Hip-0 Select.com. Seven years later the lot of them have sold out. The run time is 261 minutes and in January of 2012 you can buy a copy for 249.97 (that’s almost a dollar a minute), or one collectible edition (probably used) for $148.98. The boxed set, as a marketing tool, is as valuable for certain artists as the Franklin Mint is for specialty numismatists or Genesis Publications for those who love a free CD in rare book form. As Willie “Loco” Alexander said to me years ago “Let’s make it nice ‘n rare!”. But when the everyday fan can purchase all the music on the box as a download on Amazon for a mere 45.15 does it take some of the fun…and the magic…away? To those of us who like tangibles, collectibles, the download is a bit of a blasphemy. 
Morley, manufacturers of world famous Wah, Volume and Switching devices announced the release of its newest product – the Buffer Boost. The Buffer Boost is a combination buffer circuit and clean boost pedal. The buffer circuit maintains guitar tone and overall signal strength even when using it with effects that typically load down your signal. It is the culmination of years of buffer circuit designs used in Morley pedals like the Steve Vai Bad Horsie Wah, the Mark Tremonti Wah and the George Lynch Dragon 2 Wah. 
In “The Devil’s Last Word” Fred Gillen Jr. sings “Well I’m staying on these tracks until I hear the Devil’s last word…” and it is perhaps a Freudian slip that the songwriter/vocalist is talking about his own recorded tracks, splashy and glorious with high production values and catchy guitar playing. The disc starts off with “Come and See Me” and, personally, I would have preferred the CD to launch with a more uptempo version of this same tune a la George Harrison’s “Isn’t It A Pity” with the opening rendition placed somewhere in the middle of this Match Against A New Moon album. Start the listeners off with a good boot in the pants to get the party started. 
Before his untimely and senseless death Darrell “Dimebag” Abbott was just beginning to share with us the tools that helped shape his signature sound. From Randall Amps to Dean Guitars Dimebag’s endorsement would be an indication to guitarists that the piece of equipment in questions was designed for maximum aural assault.
Fender is proud to introduce the all-new members of the popular Super Champ series. The new Super Champ X2, Super Champ X2 Head, and SC112 Enclosure bring exciting, brand new modeling and user-friendly features, providing great tone for blues, rock, country and more.
Fender is thrilled to introduce new Bassman Pro series of heads and cabs that will tug at the heartstrings of bass players worldwide. Decked out in ’60s blackface, and supercharged with monstrous sound and rock-solid strength, the six new members of the Bassman Pro series are designed with world-tour ready features and enormous Fender tone.
As part of NAMM Show 2012 being held on January 19-22 in Anaheim California, guitar manufacturing mogul Phillip Jarrell will showcase the latest and greatest creations in the Jarrell Guitar collection. Featuring the debut of the revolutionary Monte Pittman Signature Series of 3 guitars: MPS.1, MPS.f, and the MPS*Classic, attendees will have the opportunity to get ‘hands on,’ up close and personal with the new line, experiencing the unique vibe for themselves at the Jarrell Booth (4198). A press conference will be held on Saturday, January 21st at 11 a.m. with Jarrell Guitars, Seymour Duncan, Orange Amps, and Monte Pittman. 
