Have you got the blues?

May 7th, 2009 marks the 30th return of the Blues Music awards and it will be showcasing live music from B.B. king (entertainer of the year), The mannish Boys (album of the year) and Doug Macleod (acoustic artist of the year.) This sounds like a must for any dedicated blues fans out there and at $125.00 a ticket you’ll surely be singing the blues along with the greats!

Daily Deadly Axe “swimming pool”

If anyone is an old school metal-head you’ll obviously remember the B.C.Rich Bich guitar. They were huge and came with 10 strings. Most of them came with enough electronics to pilot a small plane. The man behind the guitar is the legendary Neal Moser of now famed Moser Custom shop. He still makes the shape although due to lawsuits with HHI its now just called the Moser. I thought in today’s DDA I would show case what might be the best Bich in the whole world. It’s the swimming pool Bich. Folks, when it comes to custom instruments, there is nothing that even touches this guitar in the “class” department!

Keep an eye on your dealer

Here is a lesson for anyone who places an order for a guitar that’s “first come first serve” and that is going to take a few months to get here. Almost all authorized dealers work on a float which means they place orders for products and have 30,60 or 90 days before they have to pay for the products. This works out great because they can usually push the products out their doors before the payment is due.

However, most dealers do not require a full payment to order a product. In most cases its 10%-30% of the final price. A problem occurs when the dealer figures out that they will need to pay for the product before it’s delivered to the customer thus it hasn’t been fully paid for yet. To compensate for this a dealer will not put in the order until they are within their period of payment.

So, if you put an order in that will take two months to be delivered but the dealer has to pay in 30 days then it’s a good bet that your order won’t be placed for a month. That is, unless you bug the hell out of your dealer.

Where’s the end to this story? Well, my dealer has flopped deals for me in the past so I keep a tight watch on them. I called my dealer yesterday to ensure my order was placed for my ESP signature guitar and he happily said “sure, it’s been ordered.” Ever the skeptic I called the regional sales rep for ESP to confirm that they got the order. After a bit of a long wait it seems as though the regional rep called my dealer and found out that they have taken the order (and down payment) from me but would not be placing the order until Monday which is the day they place all of their orders. See, now do you wonder why I feel the need to keep on top of things. I ordered the guitar on Tuesday and it’s not being placed until the following Monday. I’m cool with a slight delay in processing but I was told the order was in with ESP.

So, to avoid being let down by your dealer keep up with them. Every authorized dealer has a regional sales rep. Every company has contact information on their website. It’s there for a reason, use it!

Disclosure and Advertising

At times I will accept monetary compensation in exchange for product reviews, back links and side bar links. I feel that it is important that everyone understand that this blog does help to put a few extra dollars into my pocket so I can buy new gear.

If you would like to advertise on my blog, please contact me and I will be happy to help you out.

Daily Deadly Axe "Rust in Piece"

Many people think that "Rust in Piece" is Dave's best work and apparently Dean Guitars has decided that this just might be an accurate assumption. They have released a custom graphic Dave Mustaine custom V shaped guitar for those die hard Megadeath fans out there in the world.

Here are the specs:

• Mahogany Top / Body
• 25.5” Scale
• Dave Mustaine Spec. Set Mahogany “D-Shaped” Neck
• Ebony Fingerboard
• Pearl Dave Mustaine Custom Inlays
• Mini Grover 6 In-Line Tuners
• Black Hardware
• Tune-O-Matic Bridge
• Dave Mustaine Duncan Live Wire Pickups
• Hardshell Case included

Classic brittish pickups

When you want that classic British sound shouldn't you go to Brittan to get it? Yes you should! Also, if you want that special touch for your death metal look, why not have a pickup that shows your love for the almighty Lucifer! For the money, these pickups from Adeson look to be quite the interesting addition to a custom built guitar of mod job.

Daily Deadly Axe "Reaper"

For those who think a well built gig ready axe cannot be obtained for a few bills Agile guitars will simply prove you wrong. Do some online searching and you'll find countless people singing the praises of Agile Guitars and Rondo Music! I've owned several Agile guitars and everyone of them played better than any standard Gibson or Fender guitar, hands down better!

I've had the pleasure of speaking to the designer of the "Reaper" and his outlook on guitar design is interesting. His reaper design is a nice take on the traditional V design and would be a welcome addition to any shredder's arsenal. EMG 81/85 set up is standard metal and the Floyd Bridge is a great bridge for the money.

The deposit has been made

There is nothing more exciting than plunking down the down payment for your new axe...well maybe picking up said axe. Well, today I put my order in for my signature Max Cavalera painted in winter camo. A mere $470.00 later and my order has been placed with ESP.

Now it's just a waiting game until mid March/early April for it to arrive. Oh, and there is the part where I have to get up the rest of the cash. With case, the new 2009 winter camo runs for $1899.99.

Mega tour with Manson/Slayer

According to Revolver Magazine Marilyn Manson will be co headlining the Rockstar energy mayhem tour with non other than Slayer! A nother interesting note is Cannibal Corpse will also be on the second stage. Three very different genres of metal and three very influential bands. Should be an excellent tour to say the least. You might just see me in Scranton for the July 29th show!

Daily Deadly Axe "sacrifice"

With all new things come sacrifice.....that is; when your better half has had just about enough of your G.A.S. (gear acquisition syndrome.) When I bought the 2008 Max Cavalera signature (in boring white) I made a deal with the devil and said any more buying would mean I sacrifice my coven of axes.

Well, last year I had this custom guitar built for my from H.E.L Guitars located in a small shop in PA. Shane is a great guy and builds crazy axes and it breaks my heart to let this guitar go. It's the only custom guitar I've ever had made for me. This guitar is the first guitar made in his "Boomstick" series and is a metal machine for sure. Take note! The knob is an actual shotgun shell! It's real!!!

If it wasn't for the fact that it's new home is going to a trusted shredder I would really hesitate to even get rid of it. So in honor if it it's classiness, bad-ass'd killer tone it has been awarded the DDA of the day.

A big bummer

I went down to my local ESP dealer to plunk down my down payment on the new camo ESP and when the dealer called the ESP rep I was promptly informed that the guitar would not be available until Mid MARCH. Now I know that's only a mere 45 days or so but that just bummed the hell out of me.

So, I went home in a bewildered state wondering why the new 2009 models would not be available until almost the rd quarter and I called ESP directly and talked to a territory sales rep for my ares. He informed that that this is common with overseas guitars and the rep was correct. He let me know that these guitars get shipped on a first serve basis so tomorrow I'll return to the dealer and plunk down my deposit so I'll get mine first! Yes I'm that much of a fan!

Daily Deadly Axe "Winter Camo"

Today I have reached a new level of sadness. About 3 months ago I plunked down the cash needed to purchase my custom shop signature Max Cavalera ESP guitar. It took me a while to decide to buy it because it only came in white; not the traditional camo or Brazilian flag paint job that his previous signature guitars came in. Now I’ve been a die hard Sepultura, Nailbomb and Soulfly fan for as long as I can remember so it was a special day when my sig guitar showed up in the mail.

Honestly it’s the best guitar and the most fun guitar I’ve ever played and I couldn’t be happier with it…except if it came in WINTER CAMO!

Enter: Max Cavalera 2009 Signature guitar………..IN WINTER CAMO!


Well, I’ve decided to make this ESP signature guitar the DDA because it’s now my new goal go obtain one and as quickly as possible. I have some cash saved up for an upgraded cab but it just got reallocated to my fund for this guitar! WINTER CAMO HERE I COME!

Daily deadly Axe "Screaming Skull"

If anyone questions ESP’s quality: don’t! ESP’s quality is among the best of any over seas manufacturer. I don’t just say that because I play custom shop ESP guitars. Obviously the LTD models are a lesser name but the quality is right up there with the more expensive ESP models. In fact, ESP has just issued a few guitars that have traditionally been reserved for signature models and high end custom shop guitars. They are now putting guitars out with graphics! The Screaming Skull literally screams for attention!

Daily Deadly Axe "The Paul"

Today’s DDA comes from Washburn and is a signature guitar for one of the most well known guitarists of all time! Paul Stanley! No matter how you feel about his axe wielding skills you have to admit that he has been sited by countless musicians over the years as a direct influence on their playing styles. This obvious spin on the Les Paul shape is pretty cool and retains a lot of the classy and vintage vibes of the LP. It’s a cool shape for anyone looking for a bit of variation in their life…and they aren’t willing to go extreme!

Daily Deadly Axe "Gunslinger"

GMW guitarworks has a way with taking a mundane guitar and turning it into one of the coolest guitars you will ever see. Camouflage guitars are not new but they have seen a resurgence of popularity over the last few years and winter camo is always a great choice. Note the fact that this is a one pickup-one knober job that is built simply to shred! GMW has taken the B.C.Rich gunslinger to all new levels of menacing!

Daily Deadly Guitar "Vai's Heart"

Let's hearken back to the 80's for today's DDA winner. This comes from the private collection of Steve Vai. His heart guitars have actually been showcased in the video "Just Like Paradise." This guitar is true Vai style glam rock at it's best. And you thought the only guitar he ever played was a Jem.

For anyone who has listened to Steve play guitar you know that any machine that he puts in his hands will be used to create masterful music. I just wonder if Steve can play all three necks at once!

Bring on the cheese!

I think every person over 30 has had one of those cheesy guitars at one point or another. S name you've never heard of, a guitar so hard to play it just wasn't worth it. Somehow those old guitars found a place in our hearts and I'm sure every once in a while you think back to that old guitar that got you started. Wonder what happened to it? It likely found its way onto Cheesy Guitar.

Polling for sound

Help a developer out! In a previous post I talked about the EGS bridge that Strandberg Guitarworks was building and now he's asking for a little sound comparison of his EGS bridge with hardened knife edges, the EGS with ball bearing pivot points and a traditional Floyd.

I really like the idea of having ball bearings for pivots as it should really allow for a bridge to return to zero when dive bombing. For anyone who has used a Floyd with weak knives you know how quickly the bridge can go south on you.

Go listen and vote for your favorite sound sample!

Daily Deadly Guitar “rock the vote”

In the spirit of bipartisanship I have decided to name this Gibson guitar as the Daily deadly Axe. This guitar sits in the senate office of our new president and is from the Rock the vote campaign. Only time will tell how well the vote was rocked but for today, Gibson takes home the win!

A metal presedant?

Snubbed! Yes, the Rock world and the metal world have been snubbed from the inauguration festivities. The only big name from Rock to perform was U2 (for obvious reasons) so we can look forward to four more years of having a non rock’n president. Now I know that fails in comparison to the major issues we need to deal with over the next couple of years but seriously, a metal president could be a good thing.

We could invite all those crazies from the Middle East to a big Ozzfest style mosh pit and get it over with. Could be the end to all wars! The comradely that metal fans have really surpasses that of any other genre of music. Metal fans don’t judge each other and we all have ways of finding common ground! Hey everybody loves Sabbath!

Daily Deadly Axe "Conklin"

Sorry, I’ve been a bit sick the last few days. I missed yesterday’s DDA so today I give you a double offering…a double neck offering from Conklin. I thought long and hard about adding bass guitar info to this site but many guitarists dabble in bass and really, why pigeonhole ourselves! Let our bass playing brethren rejoice in getting a Daily deadly Axe.

This particular bass is a monster with several laminates and a fretted and fretless neck! You are not likely to see this one in retail locations as it was made for NAMM.

Daily Deadly Axe "Ormsby"

G’day mate! Today’s Daily Deadly Axe comes from the land down under. “The Shark” is a recent offering from custom shop Ormsby Guitars. It’s a beautiful example of what a Les Paul model could be if it wasn’t mass produced on CNC machines. This one happens to be a semi-hollow body with a unique shark F-Hole. I really like the blending of Gibson and PRS features on this guitar.

Band merchandising

Looking for a great place to make band tee-shirts? If you’ve ever looked into it you know what a daunting experience it can be. With today’s programs like photoshop most bands develop their own art work and if you are one of those bands it is easy to get tee-shirts made without any initial cost. Zazzle is a great way to get your shirts on the market and you can make money in the process. You sign up for an account, upload your artwork and design the tee-shirt of your dreams. Once you are done with that you can set up your own store front that you can link to from your website. If someone buys from your store you get paid! You don’t have to worry about setting up a website with SSL or certified check out. It’s all done for you.

If you like to sell your shirts at shows you get a break on the cost of your shirts. This allows you to sell merchandise at your shows and still make money. They also allow you to make posters, stickers and other items that can be used to get your bands name out there. And the best thing is…there is absolutely no cost for doing it! I used Zazzle for my shirts for my guitar shops, my old band and a friend’s band and they are excellent quality! You can print on black material with Zazzle which is something that is not available from a lot of companies that do shirts.

It's a sad day for me

It's a sad day for me. I rarely go to the Sepultura website or myspace page because to me the music just isn't the same as it used to be and really, the live blood of that band was Max Cavalera. However, as a fan, I've purchased the albums over the years to keep my collection complete.

However, last year the Igor Cavalera left band. Now, he wasn't the last surviving member but the Cavalera brothers were essentially the reason Sepultura existed in the first place. Essentially they have lost their rhythm guitar player, singer and now drummer. Now losing a drummer isn't always the end of the world but Igor was different than most due to his use of tribal sounds.

The point of my rant is that the band is still going on with the Sepultura name and is planning on releasing a new album in a couple of months. Even worse, it's a concept album! That dooms it! The album is already out there for people to hear and it's okay; nothing new really but I guess I'll have to buy it just to keep my collection complete. I'd be a lot happier if they would just release any new music without the Sepultura name.

Max Moved on with Soulfly and the brothers got back together for Cavalera Conspiricy so just let Sepultra died...like it really did after Roots.

U2 set to release new album

Bono has taken some times away from curing the ills of the world to bestow upon us another offering of musical brilliance. For those die hard fans you'll only need to wait until March first. For those who refuse to wait the track listing has been posted on the bands website.

"No Line on the Horizon"
"Magnificent"
"Moment of Surrender"
"Unknown Caller"
"I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"
"Get On Your Boots"
"Stand Up Comedy"
"Fez -- Being Born"
"White As Snow"
"Breathe"
"Cedars of Lebanon

Start scouring the Internet to see if you can find any of these songs floating around pre-release!

Daily Deadly Axe "Schuldiner"

Chuck Schuldiner of Death was a pioneer in the world of metal and the B.C.Rich Stealth has influenced countless metal heads over the years. Chuck is no longer with us but his machines of mayhem are alive and well and are finally back in production over at BCR in their mid to high end price range.

In lieu of posting a picture of a new BCR Stealth, I have opted to post a picture of the man himself in all his stealthiness. Sit back and enjoy old school metal the way with was supposed to be........DEATH!!!!!!!!

Pocket Pod Pack

Yup, sounds like something that should be on an adult blog but it's not. This is seriously a great pack for a beginner to intermediate player. I wish I had something with this many tonal possibilities when I first got started. Hell, my first Petal was a $15.00 distortion box.

The Line6 Pocket Pod pack comes with everything you need to get started, minus the guitar and talent! With a headphone jack it's easy for Jr. to hone his chops without hearing. "turn that damn thing down" - something I could have done without! The aux cable is a valuable tool too because jamming along with your favorite tunes is always good for developing an ear for music.

Check it out, Line6 puts out a lot of excellent equipment that really makes life easier!

Has Gibson gone too far?

We've all heard the phrase "boy, that guitar practically plays itself!" Until now, that meant, the guitar was properly set up with excellent action and it was fun to play. Now, thanks to Gibson that saying literally means the guitar will play itself! Welcome to the world the Gibson Dark Fire.

Personally, and some might disagree but if you cannot tune your own guitar, you really shouldn't be playing it. in my mind a guitar like this caters to the "guitar hero" crowd that think they can play because they can do well in a video game. I'm all for innovation in guitar building and on the surface, this guitar looks well crafted and it will really look nice on stage but ultimately it seems to make practice less valuable then just dishing out the cash for a guitar that can do it for you.

Daily Deadly Axe "O.Z.Y"

Today's Daily Deadly Axe goes around the world to the Orient! Likely you've never heard of "The Alfees" but they are one of the biggest Rock acts in Japan. Okay, so how does that translate to a DDA win? Well, these guys love extravagant guitars. If you don't know the true definition of extravagant, check out the guitar ESP made for him that looks like a sword with angel wings.

I didn't pick that guitar because it's a bit "out there" for me and it's a bolt on which means that neck/pocket joint is likely weak and it's easy to put the guitar out of tune. So, it's likely just a "wall axe" and doesn't get much playing time. In fact, it's not even listed on their guitar archive site.

However, on their site is an excellent example of what a "V" shape can really be. It's the O.Z.Y Flying A IV. Now I'm a huge fan of ESP guitars (my main axe is an ESP custom shop) and the Japan division is putting out some very interesting stuff. Hopefully some of these shapes make their way to our streets. We'll have to see!

Daily Deadly Guitar "Uncle Ted"

In honor of the Ted Nugent boxed set today's Daily Deadly Axe offering is the Custom Gibson Byrdland Ted was recently offered for his birthday! Who in rock history ever pulled off the tones that Ted has pulled off with a semi-acoustic guitar aimed at jazz players? Stanglehold stands as one of the best rock anthems of all times and this guitar just flat out kicks ass!

Soundclick-a place for you?

Are you a home recording artist or do you have a band with a few demos or polished recordings that you'd like to share with the world? Are you just a fan of music looking for something other than what's on the radio? Well have I got the site for you! From big world wide known names to unknown talent that will always be unknown Soundclick serves as a platform that allows you to host your MP3 recording, have a dedicated band page (with flash) and it even helps you host song and album sales where you can actually make money selling your music!

They offer several different levels of service but the most expensive service they offer is only $10.00 per month. I used to use this site when I had my home recording band and it was great because they have their own charts! You could watch your song go up in the charts which is a really cool thing!

It's also a really cool place to surf. I've come across some of the best bands on this site and I regularly sign on to look for new bands to get my jam on! Take a look at the band page for unsigned talent Project 43. This site is a great place to showcase your projects

Daily Deadly Axe "C779LX"

Well, if you are going to have an acoustic guitar in the Daily Deadly Axe it should be one that shows a little American Pride! As we get ready to usher in a new leader, a little extra American Pride is needed! This offering from Ovation is a Limited edition custom legend USA flag acoustic guitar and with the binding and custom paint job it will surely get looks on stage or at a coffee house gig.

I've owned Ovations before and the bowled plastic back take a lot of getting used to but they have an excellent tone and they really project their sound. If you are looking for a mid to high end acoustic and you have that ever dwindling American pride then you should take some time to check this one out.

No Hope = No Fear

Folks, this is one of the best songs recorded in the modern era of metal. If you don't know Solufly then you are not metal! Bred from the ashes of Sepultura the self titles Album "soulfly" had some of the most brutal metal and this song really hits hard. I've seen Max play this song three times and the only thing missing was Max wearing killer No fear clothing. Although I think I saw the lead guitarist playing a guitar with No fear printed on it. Anyone finds a picture of that guitar, send it my way!

I thought I would throw out a youtube live video. Seriously, one of the best live bands ever!

Top 10 rock songs of 2008!

Below is a list of the top 10 songs listed on the Billboard Charts for Modern Hard Rock songs for 2008. Now several of these bands have talent but is this really the best the world of Rock n’ Roll has to offer these days?


1. Let It Die - Foo Fighters
2. The Pretender - Foo Fighters
3. Pork And Beans - Weezer
4. Psycho - Puddle Of Mudd
5. Fake It - Seether
6. Rise Above This - Seether
7. Long Road To Ruin - Foo Fighters
8. Inside The Fire - Disturbed
9. Shadow Of The Day - Linkin Park
10. Given Up - Linkin Park

Daily Deadly Axe "AXX Hotrod"

This one comes straight out of the “wow” category or maybe the “WTF” category! Timara really came up with something out of the ordinary with the Axxx Hotrod. I think this guitar has a very unique string bending system that really makes the traditional B bender seem obsolete. The actual design of the guitar might be a bit more than most people would really get into but the functionality of the added parts really makes this guitar stand out in a crowd.

Daily Deadly Guitar “GMW”

Today’s Daily Deadly Guitar is a fine example of what a great graphic artist/air brush artist can do for your guitar. The fine guys over at GMW did this guitar a while back. I picked it because I love for horror movies and this is one of the coolest graphics I’ve seen in a long time. This guitar is so deadly it will tear your soul apart! Sorry, I had to!

Anyways, if you do it yourself or if you have it done. A custom graphic paint job is an excellent way of making a guitar uniquely your own. Many people I know hit up local art classes, motorcycle shops or even custom car painters for their paint jobs. Obviously check references before hiring anyone to paint your guitar. Oh, and don’t expect it to be cheap!

“The Stooges” guitarist dies

Ronald Franklin passed away on January 6th. This is a loss for the guitar community. The Stooges provided the world with a unique blend of punk rock and pop that has spanned numerous decades. In the words of the immortal Iggy Pop, Ronald was a Guitar God and he will be missed. RIP Ronald.

Daily deadly Axe “MK Patriot”

So this looks like a run of the mill set neck les Paul copy you say? Import you say? Well, it is an import but you are wrong about everything else. I’ve personally owned two Michael Kelly Patriot guitars and they have an excellent quality/cost ratio. I’ve done side by side comparisons between Eppi Les Pauls and Michael Kelly patriots and Michael Kelly beat Eppi hands down in every category.

The finishes are far better than anything Eppi does and the stock pickups and hardware are top of the line for imported guitar. In fact if you look around their website you’ll notice that a lot of bands have been signing with them due to their high quality. Personally, I feel that Michael Kelly Guitars match and in come cases surpass the quality of a Gibson Les Paul Standard. So, if you are in the market for a Les Paul spin off (and this is a spin off, not a direct copy) then do yourself a favor and check out Michael Kelly Guitars.

Paint your own guitar

As I've stated earlier, I've run my own custom building shop before and I can tell you that the most daunting part of building a guitar is getting a factory finish. I struggled a lot with what equipment to buy and what paint/finishing supplies to use.

On one of my many frustrated internet searches to get a better grip on finishing I came across the Paint your own guitar website. I quickly purchased the E-Book and printed it on paper. It was the most comprehensive books I've ever read on the subject. I was skeptical at first that using a paint can would yield professional results but I was quickly satisfied when my first guitar came out as nice as I could have hoped it would.

A testimony to a product's usefulness is the "return buyer." Well, after getting the beginner's book I went back for the 5150 and the camo book. Both qually as great as the first book. If you've ever thought that you wanted to try a custom paint job on a project guitar then this is the book for you.

SNAGG- Protect Your Axe

SNAGG is an RFID chip that gets implanted into a small hole (elongated screw hole) and it can help recover your axe in the event that some tool decides to steal it from you. If a dealer scans it, the chip will put off an alphanumeric code that the dealer can use to track back to the registered SNAGG user.

This is a great product and more dealers and players should be aware of it because I hear stories every day of some one's axe getting stolen by a worthless tool and they never see it again. Do your part and let your local dealers know about this product and equip your axe with one. I put them in my guitars when I get them and transfer ownership of the chip if I sell the guitar. Not only does it increases the likely-hood that you'll get your axe back, it will also serve as a selling point. For $22.45 it's well worth the cost!

Greg Allman’s home burglarized

This article is posted all over music sites on the internet and they recovered almost everything that was stolen from him so there isn’t really anything news breaking about this post. However, to me there is something very interesting about this article. Among the items stolen was “unreleased recordings.” Wow, could there really be unreleased recordings from the Allman Brothers? If so, why haven’t they been released? The Allman’s are one of Southern Rock’s shining moments and the general rock loving public would like to get their hands on some more recordings by the band! How ’bout it Greg?

Oh, the picture: How could a post about the Allman Brothers be complete without a picture of Dwayne Allman playing guitar?

Daily Deadly Axe "Turbulence"

What more could you ask for? 7 strings, 36 frets and a tremolo! This has to be a lead guitarists dream. I owned the first generation Gary Kramer Turbulence. It was candy apple red with a Tone Pros LP style bridge that strung through the body. It didn’t have the greatest tone in the world and those upper register frets get REAL close together but for an accomplished lead player this guitar could open up a whole new world of tones. I would have replaced the pickup if I had kept it.

The shape is cool and it actually is rather easy to hold when sitting down. The neck is wide and flat and it sits at a nice angle for fast playing. It came with a certificate of authenticity and a really nice form fitting hard shell case.

Gary Kramer has been in the guitar business for years and this is one of his coolest designs. That’s why it’s today’s Daily Deadly Axe!

Daily Deadly Axe "Dragon Den"

There isn't much about Doug Rowell on his website other than he can carve anything out of anything: a bold statement for sure. I stumbled across the "Dragon Den" on one of my many searches and was struck by the detail of the carvings. Carving on guitars is nothing new but it's rare to see an example this detailed. Props to Mr Rowell and a job well done on your Daily Deadly Axe entry!

$399.99 for a fake guitar?

Now I'll try to set my grudge against Guitar Hero aside but I can't promise anything. A company called Art Guitar has decided to take a real Peavy guitar and modify it so it will work as a Guitar Hero controller. Have we really become a society that would rather pretend to play real instruments then actually learn how to play the real thing...wait! It is the real thing. Now I'm not against Guitar hero but I work with a lot of people who call themselves guitar players but they've never fretted a note before. I've been playing and practicing for over 20 years and I find it all very sad. Sorry, guess I couldn't hide my grudge.

Srandberg EGS tremolo and fixed bridges

I've been following the Strandberg blog for almost a year and I think it's very exciting to see innovation in tremolo technology. This bridge could really be an eye catcher for a custom mod job where you want something other than a traditional Floyd Rose bridge.

Out side of a few post replies over the last year I don't know too much about the owner of Strandberg but his concept of the ergonomic guitar is really interesting. It's obvious that he got side tracked on this bridge and I'll tell you. I've been looking for a Floyd style bridge in anodized red for a long time so I don't think it will be long before I pick one of these up for a modification job!

Daily Deadly Axe "Clockwork Zombie"

Newly updated on the ESP Guitars website for 2009 are several new models and graphic paint schemes. The Viper has always been a great take on the SG and/or Guild S100 series guitars. With a Zombie inspired paint scheme these guitars truly deserve to be enshrined in the Daily Deadly Axe.

Excerpt from the ESP website
"Our new Graphic Series models are pretty amazing as well. Designed by renowned artist Mister Sam, the three new limited edition “Clockwork Zombie” models (LTD EC-CZ, LTD EX-CZ, and LTD VIPER-CZ) use a sinister combination of skeletal parts and mechanized components for a vicious look."

UFC video game lacks soundtrack

If anyone has been playing video games recently the one constant theme is a killer sound track. It doesn't matter who the target audience is, the sound track is usually worthy of it's one soundtrack CD. Take the last few WWE games. They have had really strong sound tracks from established and up and coming artists.

Like countless others, I'm a huge UFC fan and I can be seen sporting MMA fighter gear like my large collection of "Ice Man" shirts so naturally I was excited when I found out that the UFC was coming out with their own video game. Being a music lover I've been trying to find out what style sound track they will be aiming for. I expected it to have a certain level of brutality to it. However, from what I've been hearing, the sound track is going to be quite basic and generic. I really hope I'm wrong but the video posted on Metacafe doesn't even have any music to it so I'm not keeping my hopes up.

Hurt

Even the originator of this song said it was the best recording of this song that they have heard. I stumbled across some Johnny Cash on you tube and had to revisit this. I remember this song having a very large impact when it was used during an Eddie Guerrero tribute show a few years ago when Eddie died! Not only did it serve as a final epitaph for Johnny it really fit Eddie as well.

If today's musicians could manage to create something half as haunting as this song the world would be a better place! I'm not particularly a country fan but Johnny Cash managed to cross Genre lines and show that one song can have many faces for a million individuals. If that's not testimony enough, 16 million page views of this one video should be! RIP in peace to the Man in black!

Daily Deadly Guitar “The Weight”

Yes, this guitar looks like something that might be 100 years old: it’s supposed to look that way. I came across this company a few years ago and I have always been impressed with the fact that they use reclaimed lumber and recycled parts to build their custom built guitars. These are truly priceless time pieces even if they are new. Every tree hugger should be proud to own one of these and Dismal Guitars should be in business making these as long as there is any lumber out there that can be recycled.

Matrix 6 string concept car

Well Fender has jumped on the “cars and guitars” bandwagon by partnering to develop the new 6 string Matrix from Toyota. Yes, buy a new Matrix and get a matching Fender Stratocaster. What’s interesting is the car comes with pearlessence leather seats and Garage Band to give it that true rocker feel. Both the guitar and the car comes with Candy Brandy wine paint from House of Color. As for the Stratocaster, besides the color it’s pretty much your basic strat.

Chris Cornell set to release "Scream"

With the sudden demise of Audioslave Chris Cornell has gotten back on the horse to complete his next studio album entitled “scream.” From Chris’ own words and the lead off track show a very large departure from what we have expected from the ex-Soundgarden singer in the past. Sort of reminds me of Depeche Mode. Give a listen to the video; it’s interesting to say the least.

Daily Deadly Axe “Honda Guitar”

Today’s Daily Deadly Axe is a bit of a mystery so help me out here. Honda did this photo shoot in 2004 and I can’t identify the make/model of the guitar. It reminds me of a photo shoot that was done with a guitar that was painted in the color scheme of Polaris accessories. It was done several years ago and I can’t find a picture of it on the internet. If my memory serves me, it’s the same guitar. I’d like to find pictures of the Polaris Guitar picture because it looked cooler. If anyone has any info on the picture I’m looking for or the guitar itself please contact me.

Daily Deadly Axe “ZDG Teleblaster”

This guitar is a nice representation of what a telecaster can be morphed into with a little creativity and little desire to maintain Tele purism. This was one of the last guitars completed by the now defunct company called Zyon’s Dream Guitars. In the interest of disclosure, I owned and operated ZDG and yes I agree it’s a bit conceded to list one of my own creations as a Daily deadly Axe but I’ve always been proud of this build and thought it was a deserving candidate!

The guitar currently resides with the creative mind behind Dragonlips, a post grunge metal band from the Eastern Pa area. The guitar itself is White limba with a mahogany neck. It’s a 24.75” Gibson scale and really has the meaty tone of a Les Paul. This will be the only ZDG guitar listed as a Daily Deadly Axe so if you’d like to see more of what I’ve done in the past visit my website. A short cut is listed at the top of the page.