NAMM 2012: Seymour Duncan 59/Custom Hybrid
What happens when you take one coil from a Seymour Duncan ’59 and one from a Custom? Now you can find out! This popular ‘pickup hack’ is now available as a production pickup – the 59/Custom Hybrid.
NAMM 2012: Jarrell Monte Pittman MPS signature guitar
Madonna guitarist Monte Pittman will be rocking his signature Jarrell MPS guitar at the Superbowl this Sunday. I had the opportunity to check this axe out at NAMM and it’s pretty impressive. There are plenty of tonal options, between the Seymour Duncan P-Rail, STk-S7 Vintage Hot Stack and Dime Bucker pickups and custom wiring, and the guitar has a really wide natural dynamic range. It’s capable of humbucker, P-90 and single coil tones and a bunch of ‘in between’ sounds that I’ve never quite heard from any other guitar. It plays really nicely, and they look very cool. What more do you need?
Here’s some info from Jarrell:
NAMM 2012: Seymour Duncan Joe Bonamassa humbucker set
Seymour Duncan introduces a new signature pickup set for one Mr Joe Bonamassa. This carefully crafted and calibrated dual-humbucker set accurately replicates the P.A.F. pickups in Joe’s beloved 1959 sunburst Gibson Les Paul. Only 1,959 sets will be made available, and each will be signed by Seymour Duncan himself as well as Bonamassa. Each set also comes with extra features such as a special USB flash drive with special interviews, features and more. More info here, and check out the video from Joe below!
NAMM 2012: Vivian Campbell launches Buddy Blaze Shredder VC 25th anniversary model
Yesterday Vivian Campbell stopped by for a signing to launch his Buddy Blaze Shredder VC 25th Anniversary model, based on the Shredder he used in his Whitesnake days. That’s the original on top in the pic above, and the new version below. Only 25 will be made, with Seymour Duncan pickups including a Full Shred humbucker which will be signed by Seymour Duncan himself. A Titanium Floyd Rose is an option. Buddy’s about to relaunch his website but you can hit up his social media links for more info or to get your hands on one.
NAMM 2012: Fender Kurt Cobain Mustang
Wow. I’m not the world’s biggest Nirvana fan (or at all, really) but even so, a Mustang with these specs makes me almost pee myself. Now, this isn’t the first Fender signature model for Cobain – during his lifetime he worked with the company on an original design called the Jag-Stang (guess which two models that combined), and last year Fender released a Kurt Cobain Jaguar based on a favourite guitar of Kurt’s. But the Mustang is the axe he’s most associated with, so it’s cool to see the Jag-Stang deconstructed and taken back to its original two ingredients via these two Cobain signature instruments.
FENDER® INTRODUCES KURT COBAIN MUSTANG® GUITAR
Inspired by an oft-played Cobain favorite seen in famous “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Jan. 17, 2012) — When Kurt Cobain hit the stage, it was very often with a Mustang® guitar—an enigmatic anti-hero figure with an esoteric anti-hero instrument. It’s with great pride then that Fender introduces the Kurt Cobain Mustang, which evokes the man, the band, the sound and the times, and gives an authentically crafted nod to one of the most unlikely guitars to ever find itself at the center of a musical maelstrom.
Cobain liked Mustangs a lot. For one, he preferred offbeat guitars that didn’t cost zillions of dollars, and the Mustang certainly fit those two criteria. Also, being somewhat physically diminutive himself, he liked to perform live with slightly more diminutive guitars, like Fender Mustang and Jaguar® guitars, which better fit his hands and his reach.
Premier Guitar tours Yngwie Malmsteen’s guitar rig
Check out this cool video of Yngwie Malmsteen giving Rebecca Dirks from Premier Guitar the grand tour of his guitar rig. Yngwie talks about his signature Seymour Duncan pickups, his signature Fender Stratocaster, his signature Marshall amps… and he mentions that Ovation may be releasing a signature Yngwie acoustic some time soon. Cool! Check out Premier Guitar for more info.
COOL GEAR ALERT: Washburn Nuno Bettencourt N7VINTAGE
I’m so glad this axe exists. The Washburn Nuno Bettencourt signature model deserves a seven-string variant. This guitar just makes so much sense: killer Stephens Extended Cutaway neck joint for those high notes, big reverse headstock for extra resonance and sustain on the low notes, Original Floyd Rose bridge, aged alder body, Buzz Feiten tuning system, and of course that finish (or lack thereof) which really allows the wood to breathe and the high end to sing out. It kills me that I can’t afford this axe right now, because I can already tell that it would make my life infinitely better in every conceivable way.
By the way, dig the fretwork on the pics below.
PRESS RELEASE
Nuno Bettencourt’s Signature with a Seventh String Twist
Upon one look at the Nuno Bettencourt Signature Series N7VINTAGE guitar, it is clear that the ingenuity and attention to detail that is synonymous with the Washburn name is still top notch. Offering the same sleek style that lovers of the guitar legend have become accustomed to, and increasing the versatility with the seventh string, this instrument enables players to harness Nuno’s unique tone.
Offering a slim, aged alder body with a Stephens® extended cutaway neck joint, this beauty plays like a breeze. In addition to its supreme comfort, the sound of this axe is a perfect replication of Bettencourt’s signature sound thanks to the Seymour Duncan® Distortion pickup in the bridge position and the Seymour Duncan® ’59 neck pickup. The extremely fast neck offers a 22 fret ebony fingerboard with a maple neck and the standard stunning reverse headstock. With the Buzz Feiten tuning system paired up with Original Floyd Rose® tremolo, this guitar can take the most vigorous of playing and remain perfectly in tune.
As with the N4VINTAGE in the same series, all hardware and parts on this guitar are aged to give the look of a guitar that has been owned for years. The N7VINTAGE can give players the freedom they need to explore, along with the added ability to sound tight and feel right while playing.
FEATURED REVIEW
MY ARTICLES ON GIBSON.COM
I write for Gibson.com, Australian Guitar, Australian Musician, Mixdown Magazine (including my instructional column, 'Unleash Your Inner Rock God,' which has been running since 2007), guitarworld.com, Tone Deaf, Beat and The Brag. I started I Heart Guitar in 2008. I've been playing guitar since I was 8 years old, and I've been writing for magazines since I was 18 (I'm 33 now). I've also worked as a guitar teacher (up to 50 students a week) and a setup tech. I live in Melbourne, Australia. You can check out my guitar playing at Reverbnation or on YouTube.
You can email me at iheartguitarblog@gmail.com