I’ve been bogged down lately with a web design project I’ve been working on. I’ll be doing some major updates on the weekend so stay tuned

Matt over at Guitar Stuff tagged me in this ongoing run of Eight Random Facts. He is very lucky I saw this with the amount of down time I’ve had with this site lately. So here we go, Matt asked for it, and now you have to put up with it. Eight random facts about Wookie.

1. I am an absolute cricket and rugby union tragic. A few weeks ago I was in almost orgasmic heaven as the Cricket 20-20 World Cup and the Rugby World Cup were on at the same time. I have also nearly physically injured people around me due to my exaggerated reactions whilst watching these sports.

2. I’m allergic to codeine - I learnt this the hard way. I got home from school and was about to head out to a gig to see my favourite Australian band of all time, Horsehead (don’t bother trying to find anything about them online, it’s like they don’t exist), and I had a monster headache. So I rummaged through the medicine cabinet and found some migraine tablets. I took one, jumped in the car and headed for a mates place. by the time I got there, I was dizzy, clammy, numb and eventually covered in hives. They took me to the hospital and after waiting for two hours to be seen all the symptoms had gone and I was feeling fine. 30 minutes later I was at the gig rocking out.

3. I’m a Sci-Fi nut. I love Star Trek, Heroes, Aliens, 2001, Blade Runner, Asimov, Clarke, and almost any other true sci-fi. Do not say in my presence that Star Wars is science fiction. I will punch you very hard (BTW: Star Wars is a fantasy movie set in space, space does not equal science fiction).

4. When I was a wee child I wanted to be a garbage man.

5. My left leg is significantly larger in diameter than my right leg. i learned this the other day as I was getting my new gym program made up and having my measurements taken. It is from driving using a stick shift.

6. I used to be involved with a site called Sledgehammer of Justice (SOJRadio). We were podcasting before podcasting existed. We talked about wrestling. In fact, some website awarded us with Interview of the Year for our chat with Bret Hart. I left when I realised that just about everyone in the wrestling industry is a wanker.

7. I played in a band called Sledge for several years. We were good. At a New Years Eve gig in Tamworth my girlfriend jumped up on stage for a kiss at midnight and it got broadcast all over the regional television network up close and personal.

8. I’m also allergic to egg white.

So there you go. So in true tradition I’m going to tag a bunch of people. Not all of them are guitar sites but here you go.

Ryan, Phil and Tino over at Offside Sports Weekly - not that there is anything on there site yet the slack bastards.

Stu at YeLPar

BittBox at Bittbox - a great place for Photoshop and Illustrator tips

Petey at Plug Into Amp

In the “lets see what I can get people to do for me” column, mark one up for Zakk Wylde. The new Gibson Zakk-V Zakk Wylde Signature model is the bastard child of am SG and a flying V and really looks trippy. Specs are still thin on the ground, but It’s sure to be loaded with EMG’s, likely a thru body bridge and 24 frets.

What else can I say? this is slightly old news but OH MY GOD!!!!! This is a 335 sized down to a Les Paul size guitar. It sounds fantastic. It looks fantastic. When I first heard of the shrunken 335 I was concerned on how it would actually look. Gibson have done a fantastic job of keeping the 335’s aesthetic intact while making it a more manageable size for people not accustomed to the extra girth of the 335.

It’s the feature guitar over at Gibson right now, so head on over and check it out. Make sure to check out the video as well.

Being the baby 335, the 339 comes with the same hardware, dual-cutaway body, and body & neck material as the 335. The guitar is also available in Caramel Burst and Antique Red.

And seeing as today is my birthday, this guitar is my birthday wish.

NOTE: Apologies to Cary at EGR - I accidently left a full paragraph of his article on this guitar in my post. Totally a bad thing to do and completely unintentional. I have since removed the offending paragraph. I hope he doesn’t hate me too much.

When is a signature guitar not a signature guitar? When it’s an “inspired by” model. I don’t see the real difference, most likely a legal thing, but regardless this is a nice looking guitar. I like the 335’s, and the addition of a Firebird style neck and headstock really set this guitar off.

Another change is the pair of Gibson Burstbucker humbuckers. It comes with a laminated maple top, back and sides, rosewood fretboard with 22 frets, “split diamond” inlays, ABR-1 Bridge and stopbar tailpiece, dual volume & tone controls, and 3-way pickup selector.

Not cheap at just either side if $4000 for either model, but still pretty.