80s pop cheese-monger Chesney Hawkes has led almost 600 people in part of an attempt to break the air-guitar world record. He headed up the Portsmouth section of the attempt which saw hundreds of people across the UK simultaneously strum along to his 80s hit "The One and Only". Final numbers have yet to be confirmed or verified by Guinness, but it is said the existing record of 1436 air-guitarists is set to tumble by a distance. It also gets me thinking, surely GT worldwide could smash that?
With the much anticipated release of "Valleys of Neptune" now tantalisingly close, Jimi Hendrix may still be the future of rock guitar. 40 years have passed since he did, and yet Hendrix's musical output rivals many of today's artists. Most of the material has long been available on various bootlegs of dubious quality, but with all contractual and legal wrangling seemingly in the past the album should be released any time now. The material making up this album was recorded in the turbulent 'Experience' sessions of 1969 which culminated in the break up of the band and forming of the Band of Gypsies. Another classic in the making...
It has been a while since any significant innovation happened in the construction of guitars, and 2010 sees the introduction of a touch-screen equipped and Linux based electric 'Guitar'. The MISA guitar is a traditional Strat shape, but made of plastic with an 8.4 inch LCD touchscreen, AMD processor and a 24 fret neck. Sounds are made by tapping the screen and holding down the frets although at this early stage it only responds to single note taps. Will it catch on? I guess only time will tell...
Conan O'Brien's tenure on NBCs 'Tonight Show' has concluded with a big rock and roll ending courtesy of Neil Young, Beck, Billy Gibbons, Ben Harper and.... Will Ferrell. The unlikely group brought the house down with performance of "Free Bird" after a moving rendition of "Long May You Run" by Young.
Following up on the news of a couple of months back, the mytouch 3G Fender Limited Edition cell phone is now available and being promoted by Eric Clapton. Pre-loaded with Clapton music videos and equipped with a 3.5" jack, speakers and a docking station not to mention the sunburst finish..... that's got to be worth $180 of anyone's money, right?
Peavey have announced a brand-new 100 watt all tube amplifier ready for NAMM. They say it "specialises in innovative versatility and a timeless, British guitar tone" but otherwise very few details are available, so watch this space.
The Hard Rock Cafe at 116 Pike St, Seattle may not yet be ready to open, but the site has been brand stamped with a giant 'Jagstang' guitar as played by Kurt Cobain. With impressive attention to detail, they've even managed to make it a left-hander. The restaurant is due to open "soon".
Gibson are back in court again, this time with Guitar Center, Yamaha and Fender as co-defendants in US-wide price fixing allegations. It hasn't been a good start for Gibson who are still awaiting a conclusion to the lawsuit related to imports of wood from prohibited countries.
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