Signature Series Products
Yamaha’s Billy Sheehan Signature Bass
Billy Sheehan along with Yamaha’s master guitar builder, John Gaudesi have designed, the new four-string model based on the classic BB414 body style. The bass features a unique woofer pickup, and aesthetic details that include black nickel hardware and a black metallic finish. Sheehan’s current signature model, the ATT LTD II, will also remain in Yamaha’s product lineup and will be available in new colors, including black and red. The new BB714BS has an MSRP of $1,099.
Dunlop Manufacturing Kirk Hammett Signature Wah Pedal
Dunlop’s Kirk Hammett Signature Wah pedal was developed in close collaboration with the metal guitar icon himself, it has been tuned and tweaked to deliver the wah-wah sound that helped to revolutionized metal solos in the ’80s. This is the tone that Kirk dials in on tour, using his Crybaby Rack Wah. Dunlop’s engineers took Kirk’s EQ, volume, and tone settings and reproduced them. The Kirk Hammett Wah is even in response, with a thick top end and full dynamic range. The list price is $264.61, street price $159.99.
Eastwood’s Joey Leone & Pete Shelley Signature Models
Eastwood Guitar’s Joey Leone Signature model features flamed maple top, back and sides, semi-hollow bound body top and back, one-piece mahogany neck, mother of pearl inlays, and three custom made P-90′s with coil taps. The guitar also includes a deluxe archtop hardshell case. The price is $1549.
Thirty years after its retirement, the Starway Guitar is back. Eastwood Guitars and Pete Shelley have teamed up to make a replica of the guitar Pete used in the early days of punk, including the recording of The Buzzcocks’ famous Spiral Scratch record. Each guitar is hand-signed by Pete and comes in a custom form fit hardshell case with original ’76 Buzzcocks’ logo. The guitar also comes with a signed and numbered certificate of authenticity, a reproduction of a 1976 Buzzcocks photo, leather Buzzcocks’ logo strap, and Pete Shelley Signature strings from Rotosound. This guitar is a limited edition model with only 88 made. The price is $1,399.
Recording King’s Sonny Osborne Banjo
Recording King has teamed up with legendary bluegrass artist Sonny Osborne to create a new signature banjo model. The Recording King Scout (RK-SCOUT) has custom features selected exclusively by the bluegrass icon. This banjo features the classic Recording King peghead with Osborne’s name and arrowhead design in M.O.P., as well as a patterned arrowhead fretboard inlay with Sonny Osborne’s signature block in M.O.P. printed on the 12th fret.
The banjo also features a one-piece flamed maple resonator, one-piece figured maple neck, 20-hole tone ring, three-ply maple rim, white binding, a white truss rod cover with “The Scout” printed in black, nickel-plated hardware, American standard thread hardware and a Mastertone-style flange.
Sonny Osborne was a member of the influential bluegrass group The Osborne Brothers. Today, he is one of the most respected artists in the bluegrass community. He also produces his own line of banjos under the Chief line.
Jeff Beck’s 1954 Les Paul Reissue
The 1954 Jeff Beck Les Paul Oxblood is the most detail-precise reissue of this instrument ever produced by Gibson Custom. The guitar features a one-piece light mahogany back, an arched carved maple top, a light aluminum wrapover bridge, and the one-piece Beck-profile mahogany neck with long-tenon neck joint. Available in very limited numbers, the Jeff Beck 1954 Les Paul Oxblood from Gibson Custom will come in two different series. The first 50 of these historic guitars will be carefully aged by the master luthiers at Gibson Custom to look exactly like Beck’s original, then personally hand-signed, numbered, and played by Beck himself. The next 100 guitars will be prepared with Gibson Custom’s V.O.S. finish, bringing the total run to just 150 instruments. Each one also comes with a specially produced Gibson Custom case with Beck’s signature silkscreened on the top, a custom care kit, and a certificate of authenticity.
The JSX Amp From Peavey & Joe Satriani
Peavey and Joe Satriani have collaborated to create the all-new Peavey JSX 50 guitar amplifier head, the latest project in the Peavey JSX Series of signature amplifiers and enclosures designed with the guitar legend. Like the three-channel Peavey JSX Head and JSX Mini Colossal before it, the new JSX 50 aims to give guitar players a wide new tonal palette that allows them to express an abundance of sounds and styles. But that’s where the similarities end. With the JSX 50, Satriani and Peavey have redefined the classic 50-watt guitar-amp format with extensive tone-coloring tools to aid modern guitarists.
The JSX 50 design pairs five 12AX7 preamp tubes with two 6550 power amp tubes and two independent channels with three-band EQ. Both the Clean and Crunch channels feature master volume and preamp gain controls, so guitarists can adjust the interplay between the preamp and power amp on each channel for an array of gain possibilities. The Crunch channel also includes a boost switch and a six-way attack selector that adjusts the bass response.
On the rear panel, a built-in Peavey MSDI microphone-simulated XLR direct interface eliminates the need for a mic by allowing users to route the amp’s signal directly to a recording device or mixing console. Additional controls include a line out with level control; active effects loop with send/return level control; impedance selector; and a tube bias adjustment jack. The Peavey JSX 50 amplifier will be available from authorized Peavey retailers in Q2 2009 and carries an MSRP $1499.99.
Takamine Debuts Glenn Frey Signature Model
As a singer/songwriter, guitarist, and founding member of one of the most enduring bands in popular music – The Eagles, Glenn relies on Takamine as the voice to deliver his music. Today, players around the world have the chance to own a replica of the guitar that helped Glenn write classic rock history.
Built to Glenn’s exact specifications, the EF360GF is equipped with state of the art electronics and features a dreadnought body with solid spruce top and solid rosewood back. Other noteworthy specs include a concentric ring rosette, slim profile neck, black pickguard, rosewood pin bridge, bone saddle, GF inlay on rosewood peghead face, CT4B preamp and Gloss Natural finish. The retail price is $1999, including hardshell case.
Cordoba’s Donavon Frankenreiter & Gipsy Kings Models
Córdoba Guitars and Donavon Frankenreiter, one of the world’s best free surfers and an internationally popular surf-rocker, will release their signature beach and travel guitar line, La Playa, this April. The keystone model, Traveler, will be a ½ sized cutaway nylon-string guitar with an onboard pickup, tarpaulin-insulated gig bag, comfortable neck strap, and battery powered amp and cord. Beach-bum-friendly pricing will encourage adventurous guitarists to take La Playa Traveler off the beaten path. A signature Donavon Frankenreiter ukulele, simply called La Playa Uke, will be concurrently released.
Based on the 1/2 sized Requinto model, the cutaway Traveler will be the perfect size for traveling when extra space is hard to come by. Córdoba, with Frankenreiter’s inpute, has also developed a special guitar bag patterned after surfboard travel packs, incorporating reflective tarpaulin insulation into the design to protect the guitar from sun, surf, and sand. A small, lightweight, battery-powered amp will also be included in the pack for extra volume on the road. MSRP for La Playa Traveler is $340, MAP $279. La Playa Uke’s MSRP is $180, MAP $149.
Legendary gypsy-flamenco-pop group The Gipsy Kings and Córdoba Guitars will release two new signature guitar models during the first quarter of 2009. The guitars will be thinbody cutaway acoustic-electrics designed to incorporate elements of the flamenco tradition, but be great for pop musicians as well.
FCWE 10th Anniversary Reissue: A limited edition reissue of the first guitar made for the Gipsy Kings, featuring a solid spruce top, solid cypress back and sides, Spanish cedar neck with an ebony fingerboard, and the same hand carved headstock as the original FCWE. The guitars will be handmade in Spain in a limited production run.
The GK Studio is the newest Gipsy Kings signature model. With a slightly deeper body than the 55FCE, yet thinner than a standard Spanish guitar, the GK is a comfortable guitar for any player. The tone is bright and snappy, the action is low across the fretboard, and the neck is slightly narrowed. A BBand A3T pickup system gives the GK Studio a clear and natural tone when amplified, and includes both a three-band EQ and on-board digital tuner.
The GK Studio features: solid European spruce top; cypress back & sides; rosewood fingerboard, bridge, and binding; hand inlaid wood rosette; 650 mm scale length, 50 mm width at nut (1.96 inches); gold tuning machines; natural lacquer finish Savarez 540J Alliance strings; and includes gig bag.
Ibanez Paul Gilbert Signature Reissue
Ibanez has now reissued Paul Gilbert’s original 1989 signature model as the PGM100RE 20th anniversary model. Ibanez is also urging fans to vote for which of Paul’s signature models, some of which were originally only available in Japan, should be the next Paul Gilbert Signature Reissue. The voting result for the next Ibanez Paul Gilbert Signature Reissue will be announced at the Frankfurt Germany Messe musical instrument trade show, April 1 – 4, 2009, and will be available on the Ibanez Web site.
Available for order now is the limited edition PGM100RE with its combination of metallic blue body, pink painted F-holes, and pink DiMarzio pickups. The PGM100RE is limited to 300, with approximately 150 of those slated for the United States. The Japanese-made PGM100RE features a lightweight basswood body, fitted with the Ibanez new Super Wizard, the original Edge locking trem, and comes with a hardshell case. The list price is $2666.65.
VOX Amplification Expands Its Joe Satriani Guitar Effects Line
Following the release of the Satchurator analog distortion pedal, VOX Amplification expands the VOX & Joe Satriani guitar effects line with the introduction of the Big Bad Wah dual wah pedal and the Time Machine delay pedal. These pedals are part of an ongoing partnership between VOX and the legendary guitarist. Satriani has been an active part of the R&D team, pouring his years of expertise into the pedals’ look, feel, and sound. As with all pedals in the VOX & Joe Satriani line, the Big Bad Wah and the Time Machine feature a modern-day pedal design, a high level of workmanship, and the flexibility to express not only Satriani’s signature tones, but also the individual tones of all guitarists playing them.
The Big Bad Wah is a dual wah pedal that enables switchable access to two completely different onboard wahs. Wah 1 is classic VOX through and through, with an unmistakable British tone hot-rodded to Satriani’s specifications. Wah 2 can be customized to the user’s desired wah tone with the pedal’s controls: two selectable inductors (UK-style and U.S.-style), a Drive knob that delivers a wide range of gain, mimicking the Wah 1 gain at its lowest setting and delivering a 10 dB boost as the maximum setting for aggressive overtones and soloing. Wah 2 has a powerful Voice switch that can provide traditional wah voicing, as well as a dark, resonant tone reminiscent of a vintage talk-box. The pedal pot itself is also designed to Satriani’s specs, delivering a smooth, musical tone throughout the entire travel of the pedal.
The Time Machine delay, named after Satriani’s classic album Time Machine (Epic Records, 1993), offers a unique mix of tonal colors, wide delay range and musical dexterity that sets it apart from other delays. It comes complete with two delay modes: Mode 1 is “Modern” – mirroring the player’s original sound with full clarity and fidelity. Mode 2 is “Vintage” – limiting the frequency response and adding in soft distortion, along with subtle analog-accurate tape warble. Further tone enhancements come from Satriani’s request for a Hi-Fi/Lo-Fi switch. The Hi-Fi setting delivers a transparent, uncolored sound, while the Lo-Fi setting serves up his custom EQ filter settings, allowing smooth blending into any musical situation. The delay time ranges from a 30ms slap-back to nearly six full seconds (5,800ms) of delay. Users can also use the Tap Tempo function to quickly set the delay time on the fly. In addition, the pedal also features both a wet and dry output.
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