Ibanez have posted a great hour long interview with Paul Gilbert and Andy Timmons, in fact they are interviewing each other which is extra awesome.

Check out the interview here: http://www.ibanez.com/default.aspx?p=paul_gilbert_andy_timmons_interview

Steve Vai has announced that he is bringing his “Story Of Light” tour Australia in July 2013. Last time Vai came to Australia for a solo tour I was in England so I’m very happy that this time around I will be in Sydney to see Steve, Dave Weiner on guitar, Jeremy Colson on drums, Philip Bynoe on bass and Michael Arrom on keyboards.

The Steve Vai Australian Tour sees Vai and band play 6 shows in 6 cities in 7 days. That’s a whole lot of Km’s covered when you considered that the East coast to the West coast is a 5 hour flight!

Perth, Concert Hall – Wednesday July 10
Adelaide, Her Majesty’s Theatre – Friday July 12
Melbourne, Palais Theatre – Saturday July 13
Canberra, Canberra Theatre – Sunday July 14
Sydney, Enmore Theatre – Monday July 15
Brisbane, QPAC Concert Hall – Tuesday July 16

Tickets for all of the Steve Vai Australian Tour shows go on sale at 9am Tuesday May 28 through www.livenation.com.au.

Once a concert ticket has been purchased, Vai fans are eligible for a unique and special premium package – the EVO Experience – which includes a meet and greet pass, a Q&A session with Steve Vai, access to sound check, an exclusive EVO Experience laminate and other Vai merchandise items.

EVO Experience premium tickets will be available for purchase through Vai’s website, www.Vai.com. A limited number of EVO Experience tickets are available for each show.

Dunlop Manufacturing, guardian of iconic brands such as Cry Baby® and MXR, in partnership with Guitar Center, announce the new MXR Prime Distortion pedal available exclusively at Guitar Center stores, Guitar Center online and Musicians Friend online. This new pedal will be available for purchase on May 22nd, 2013.

The new MXR Prime Distortion conjures up vintage hard clipping that’s raw, powerful and highly responsive to the guitar player’s attack. With its classic Output, Tone and Distortion control setup, this pedal’s huge, articulate sound is easy to dial in. The Prime Distortion packs a huge punch when you dig in, but it also cleans up when you pull back. This 100% analog distortion uses low noise op amps so you don’t get any extra noise when the gain levels soar.

Features:
Responsive to attack
Output, Tone and Distortion controls
Low noise op amps
100% analog
Street price: $49.99.

Here are a couple of demos:

Over the past year I have been spending a lot of time at Charles Cilia’s workshop working out the details of my current in-progress custom 7 string guitar and as the months passed by I was lucky enough to see the guitar pictured above, a custom Aurora, go from a few blocks of wood to this magnificent gold top specimen. The guitar was built for AGGH forum member BoyMambo and you can see the full thread here – http://www.guitargear.net.au/discussion/index.php/topic,34506.0.html. I won’t disclose his real name but he is also a regular reader of Guitar Noize too and he was actually at the workshop when I chose the top for my new guitar. This guitar was built for his 50th birthday hence the 1962 inlays and I’ve been meaning to share the build photos for a while but according to that forum thread BoyMambo has already been gigging with the guitar since March, great to see such a beautiful instrument actually being used for gigs!

The guitar features a Piezo pickup as well as two custom wound humbuckers (both of which are split by pulling the volume pot). The micro switch changes the piezo sound from small body acoustic to dreadnaught.

Here is a shot taken before paint, obviously!

You may have heard of Emerald Guitars because of their crazy creations such as the Ultra Guitar that Steve Vai took on tour recently or maybe because of their 9 String Fan Fret Carbon Fiber Acoustic? Well Emerald actually specialise in Carbon Fiber acoustics and very nice they look too, this particular creation called the Synergy HX7 is as the title above suggests a Harp Guitar with one piece carbon Monocoque construction.

“The Carbon fibre construction has allowed us to create a shape that is compact and comfortable to play yet still has a full strong acoustic voice across all the strings. This compact design not only makes it easier to play but also makes it the perfect instrument for a touring musician where space is at a premium and the carbon construction gives you the confidence to travel knowing temperature and humidity changes wont damage your instrument.

The Harp guitar has seen a resurgence in recent years due to players like Andy McKee, Michael Hedges and Muriel Anderson embracing the instrument to give another dimension to their music and it is our hope that with Synergy we can help bring the Harp guitar to a new generation of guitar players who want to bring a new level of creativity and expression to their playing.”

Here are the specs:
Overall weight 2.5kg / 5.5lbs
Overall length 950mm / 37.4”
Overall depth 110mm / 4.3”
Overall width 335mm / 13.2”

Sub bass scale lengths
680mm / 26.7”, 705mm / 27.8”, 730mm / 28.7”,
750mm / 29.5”, 770mm / 30.3”, 785mm / 31”

Guitar scale 615 / 24”
Tuners- gotoh 510 cosmo black
Nut and saddle – Graphtech
Bridge pins – Graphtech
Stainless steel frets
One piece carbon Monocoque construction
Dual action truss rod on guitar neck
Pickup – B-Band A2 endpin preamp with UST under both bridges and stereo output.

http://www.emeraldguitars.com/

Press Release
D’Angelico, one of the most highly respected names in guitars, has kicked off a major development regarding its top-selling line. Earlier this year, D’Angelico reissued a collection of entrancing, iconic, and classic guitar models that preserves John D’Angelico’s legacy. However, the line also explores new horizons such as basses, pedals (by Pigtronix), and soon, amps. The reissue campaign, suitably christened “Reborn”, is being heralded as one of the biggest line launches amongst the major guitar industry.

“We’ve spent the last year working tirelessly to bring these classic guitars back to life, while improving and expanding are product line to include more styles of guitars and basses. D’Angelico is a legacy of excellence and that reflects in every model and product we offer” says Brenden Cohen, CEO of D’Angelico Guitars. “Now music lovers, guitar players and guitar collectors everywhere have the chance to experience owning a product held to the D’Angelico standard of excellence for a surprisingly accessible price.”

The line includes a full range of handcrafted reissues of D’Angelico archtops, semi-hollows and solid bodies. All feature the spruce top, maple back, and stair-step pickguard and tailpiece that are quintessential D’Angelico design.

The “Reborn” line made their exciting debut at the industry-leading NAMM Show (Jan. 24 – Jan. 27, 2013), unveiling three new D’Angelico Standard Excel model reissues, including two single-cut guitars in Natural and Sunburst and a double-cut guitar in Cherry, White, Natural and Sunburst. Retail prices range from $1149 to $1419. A USA Masterbuilt 1942 Excel Reissue, the first in a series of limited edition USA Masterbuilt reissues being built for D’Angelico by acclaimed boutique luthier Gene Baker of Premier Builders Guild (PBG) in Arroyo Grande, California, was also introduced at this year’s NAMM convention. Baker’s reissues are based on extensive research that began with actual MRIs of the original 1942 Excel. The retail price has not yet been set. The result of this unveiling: the title of “#1 Product of NAMM 2013” in Guitar World magazine.

http://dangelicoguitars.com/

Teacher, Rebel, Songwriter, Rep.
Learn Guitar with David Brent.

I have a feeling this is going to be my favourite thing on YouTube ever. Ricky Gervais is bringing back everyone’s favourite Boss from Wernham Hogg for a series of videos called ‘Learn Guitar with David Brent’. Gervais recently tweeted that he was looking for a guitar for Brent and had found a vintage Martin guitar which you can see in the video above. Personally I don’t think Brent would have hit the mark quite as perfectly and maybe would have been talked into an inferior brand that was on sale but guaranteed that the quality was equal to that of a Martin. Just my two cents that noone will ever care about.

The tutorials will go out monthly on Ricky’s YouTube channel, and will feature complete versions of songs featured in The Office – classics such as The Serpent Who Guards The Gates Of Hell and The Spaceman.

http://rickygervais.com/
http://www.youtube.com/rickygervais

Best. Cover. Ever.

One of my favourite guitarists, Kiko Loureiro has just signed on as an endorsee for Ibanez Guitars. After many years working with Brazilian manufacturer Tagima Guitars I imagine Kiko felt that Ibanez could offer more which, as a musician trying to earn a living in the 21st Century, I can totally understand. Kiko is currently working with Ibanez on a signature model which will be released later this year.

Press Release
Ibanez is proud to introduce Kiko Loureiro to our artist roster. As a lead guitarist of the one of the most successful Brazilian progressive metal bands, Angra, Kiko has been highly praised internationally for his versatile and virtuosic guitar playing, gaining a reputation as a “player’s player” in the international guitarist scene. In addition to Angra, Kiko is quickly forging his own solo career, and is turning heads worldwide – specifically in his new home base of the United States. Kiko has released four exceptional solo albums so far (his latest titled Sounds of Innocence), in which he displays his rich ethnic background and skills as a guitarist, ranging from Latin, traditional Brazilian jazz, fusion, as well as metal.

http://kikoloureiro.com.br/

Check out my recent interview with Kiko Loureiro for The Guitar Noize Podcast: http://guitarnoize.com/the-guitar-noize-podcast-episode-13-kiko-loureiro/

Eric Johnson tests the Fender American Vintage ’59 Stratocaster.

http://www.fender.com/series/american-vintage/american-vintage-59-stratocaster-maple-fingerboard-3-color-sunburst/