Fall Out Boy Gretch Signature

I thought I had posted a full wrap of this guitar but I obviously hadn't. Besides PRS, this was my favourite NAMM 09 announcement.

Gretch have released the guitar with the coolest name ever for a signature model. It is called the "Gretsch G5135PS Patrick Vaughn Stump Signature Series Gretsch Stump-O-Matic Electromatic Corvette Guitar".

The Gretsch G5135PS Patrick Vaughn Stump Signature Series Gretsch Stump-O-Matic Electromatic Corvette Guitar features a solid mahogany body, a set-in mahogany neck with a rosewood fingerboard and 21 frets that clear the body; three Mega’Tron pickups and TV Jones-designed circuitry with a master volume, three-position toggle, middle pickup volume/blend control, and Stump-O-Matic kill switch, a two-position rotary operation switch that allows for combinations of all three pickups and a multitude of tones; string-through-body design for maximum sustain, chrome hardware, and Pewter finish with custom black stripes.

Enjoy the video of their awesome cover of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" with guest solo by John Mayer.

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Wookie’s 2007 Albums of the Year

I know it's late but my webhost has finally sorted out the issues I was having. So now I can finally bring to you my list of 2007. According to my Windows Media Player library, I added 100 hours of music to my collection this year. So you would think that I should find maybe 10 albums that can make up the list. Well, it's not easy. My rough draft came up with 19 albums, so here is my Top 10, and some brief comments, followed by a list of Honourable Mentions.

Day One - Birds Of Tokyo
No album this year has gotten close to the amount of play time the one received. This band from Perth, Australia has produced a gem of a debut album. Solid all the ay through, with no weak songs at all, they back up the song writing with amazing live performances which I have had the pleasure of witnessing for myself.

Carry On - Chris Cornell
This is what I think Chris Cornell does best. Euphoria Morning was one of the best albums of the year when it came out, and so is this. Here Cornell feels comfortable in his own skin writing music for him, not writing music to conform to what a bunch of hypocritical, money grabbing, self-righteous wankers want to hear.

Year Zero - Nine Inch Nails
Trent got out of his head, got political, and created an ARG to go with the album. Forget about all that and just listen to it. It is the most aggressive, angry, disturbing release from NIN in a long time and is absolutely brilliant.

Libertad - Velvet Revolver
A much more solid album, sounding like a band that has found the gel, and not just bringing in someone to sing over the top of already written and recorded tracks. Some people don't rate this album but I played the hell out of it. Plus, one word - Slash.

Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace - Foo Fighters
The Foo Fighters just keep getting better and better. I'm the first to admit to not being a huge fan, but the last two albums, and this one in particular are simple phenomenal. Dave Grohl may well be looked and in 20 years ti9me as the greatest wock songwriter of this generation.

Infinity On High - Fall Out Boy
There are very few bands labled "emo" that I like. And this is one of them. A great rocking album, with one of the best songs of the year in "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs". This album has surprised me with the replay value. Even if you don't look twice at emo, this is worth checking out.

Close As You Get - Gary Moore
I don't remember the last Gary Moore album that hasn't been brilliant. This is one of the best sounding albums her has done. Raw, guttural, but then sweet and mournful. A brilliant album. he just keeps getting better with age and it's another british blues album that is a must have.

Puzzle - Biffy Clyro
I found these Welsh guys via a small article in a guitar magazine. They got a rave review there and I'll give them here now. A few patchy songs mar this album, but if any band can get close to out Foo Fightering the Foo Fighters, it's Biffy Clyro.

Minutes To Midnight - Linkin Park
So many people hate them, but most of these people still think of Linkin Park as the Nu-Metal band everyone loves to hate. Ignore all that and listen to this album. It is a great body of work, no weak tracks, varied in style and substance. Forget what you know of Linkin Park and give it a go.

In Rainbows - Radiohead
I'm a huge radiohead fan, but not so biased as to think that their shit is made of solid gold. This is a a very very good album. It is one of the best of the year. Is it another OK Computer, or Kid A? No. But is the best thing they have done since those releases. The guitars are back and the electronic stuff subdued. The songwriting is brilliant and their is a definite energy, a restlessness about the music that makes it all work.

Honourable Mentions

Stolen Apples - Paul Kelly
Fear of A Blank Planet - Porcupine Tree
Young Modern - Silverchair
Blackbird - Alter Bridge
Come On Like The Fast Lane - The Silos
Drastic Fantastic - KT Tunstall
Grinderman - Grinderman
Icky Thump - The White Stripes
Sloe Gin - Joe Bonamassa
Unplugged - Korn
War Stories - U.N.K.L.E.

You may notice that is not a GUITAR albums of the year. I listen to too much music and too much variety to pick just guitar music.

Washburn Joe Trohman Idol Series

Ok, when I got this email the first thing I thought was "WHO????". Then I read a bit further and found out it's the lead guitarist from F.O.B. (Fall Out Boy for those not in the emo know). These guys are one of the few emo bands I enjoy, mainly because they can sing and can right very catchy tunes. Turns out Trohman now has a signature Washburn about to be released.

The guitar features include:

• WB630 high-output humbuckers
• One-piece set maple neck
• Rosewood fingerboard with mother of pearl keyhole inlays -24-3/4" neck scale
• 14" fingerboard radius -42.5mm nut width
• Adjustable bridge with stop tailpiece -Grover 18:1 gear ratio tuners
• 2 volume and 2 tone controls
• 3-way pickup selector
• Available in both black (WI26B) and white (WI26W)

What's more, it's a bloody affordable guitar, retailing for US$419.90 and is available for pre-order online at www.empireoftherepublic.com. Not quite sure what the deal is with the name of the site in relation to anything, but you can place your order and pay via PayPal right there and then.

Again, this is another guitar that I like in white. To me the white brings out the lines much better. The guitar has a rather classic look to it while still feeling like a modern guitar, and I like that a lot. It also features what Washburn call Voice Contour Control (VCC). This effectively splits the humbucker into a single coil and lets the player control the blending of single and humbucking singnals. A nice feature but I would be interested to see how practical it actually is.

All things said, I could see myself playing one of these, regardless of the signature on it. How about you guys?