| Hughes & Kettner Ships Switchblade Combo Amps
Switchblade guitar amps were introduced at this year's Winter NAMM Show and combine real tube tone with the sound flexibility of fully programmable amps. The new combos complete the Switchblade line-up with a 1x12 50W and a 2x12 100W model. Like the Switchblade head, the combos provide 4 fully programmable tube channels, on-board digital multi- FX and include a MIDI-board for instant access to 128 user presets. The combos' four channels are optimized to cover a wide range of tones from California clean to British crunch and classic rock to contemporary American nu metal. The FX-section provides considerable effects power and features three independent blocks that all work simultaneously (delay, modulation and reverb). The amps' front panels offer classic tube amp look & feel - but are fully programmable for a total of 128 different tube tones at the touch of a button.
Avenged Win Over Crowd, System Snore, Ozzy Returns To Form At Ozzfest Launch
AUBURN, Washington - Some of the sun-crisped metalheads packed into the White River Amphitheatre for the first stop on this year's 11th annual Ozzfest were skeptical of "TRL" favorites Avenged Sevenfold being on the festival's main stage. But there they were on Thursday, and the naysayers weren't about to distract the band from the mission at hand: Trying to win the crowd over. So, Avenged, led by the diamond-grilled, Axl-Rose-imitating M. Shadows, pulled the proverbial rabbit out of the hat by covering -- and handily at that -- a tried-and-true metal classic: Pantera's "Walk." Shadows dedicated the tune to the memory of slain Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, and about three riffs in, the audience -- even the cynics -- were sold, pumping their fists and barking the song's stilted refrain: "Re! Spect! Walk!" And for the rest of the band's set, which ended with "Bat Country," Avenged owned them all.
SNAMM06: We Will Rock You Say Digitech
DigiTech have been demonstrating it at the show and have announced that they are now shipping the Brian May Red Special Artist Series Pedal. Created using the original master recordings of legendary guitarist and Queen founding member Brian May, as well as his collection of vintage instruments, effects and amps used in the studio and onstage live, the long anticipated pedal delivers the signature tones of one of rock's pioneering guitar icons, say Digitech.
The man himself, Brian May, had this to say, “This piece of gear is — in my opinion — a work of genius. An amazing DigiTech team led by legend Eddie Kramer has created a device that captures 14 of the most memorable tones I've achieved for Queen over the years. From the searing harmonically rich solo sound of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody', to the churning saturated thickness of the climax of ‘We Will Rock You', to the hitherto inimitable ‘Deacy' amp tones, which I've used for years to create ‘orchestras' of guitars on record, this device will shock you! Our hope, is that you, the guitarist of the future, will use this machine as an aid to creating your own new tones and inspire you to greater heights."
The extensive selection of tones is modeled from Brian's exclusive original set-ups, including his one-of-a-kind Deacy amp and Red Special handmade guitar.
Strictly Acoustic
Surf's up this Saturday at Leonesse Cellars in Temecula's Wine Country when the Duo-Tones perform surf guitar music straight from the '60s. Paul Johnson was 15 when he cut his first record, "Mr. Moto," with the Belairs in 1961, and Gil Orr has played with the Chantays since the mid '60s. Their number one hit, "Pipeline," is still popular at surf music concerts. The two have formed a partnership in the Duo-Tones and perform the music they love. Their sound, like that of most original surf guitar, is unique in that there's no amps, no drums and no bass. It's strictly pure acoustic guitar which fits right in with the 100-person venue at Leonesse Cellars. Johnson has been playing rock instrumental music for more than 40 years. He started with the Belairs in 1961 and continued playing with some of surf music's biggest names, including the Galaxies.
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