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?

It’s hard to fathom that in the short time since they entered the effect pedal market, Behringer have knocked up more than 80 models. The latest is more bass heavy, but one pedal got my attention, the PHASER PH9.

I love my old trust MXR Phase-90. It is one of my favourite toys. It is also very expensive. For those who have not had the pleasure of playing with a 90 degree phaser you are missing out. From Behringer:

The PH9 features amazing 90° phase shifting with spacey warbles and mind-blowing, hypnotic swirls. The dedicated Rate control determines the speed of the phase-shifting effect while the Swirl switch changes the phasing character from modern to vintage. A status LED for effect On/Off and battery check is included, plus there is a true hard-wire bypass for ultimate signal integrity. The PH9 runs on a 9 V battery or a DC power supply (not included).

Think EVH, - even has his own Phase-90 model - think Lenny Kravitz “Are You Gonna Go My Way” breakdown pre solo. Thats what we are talking about here. Gotta love it.

And while I was at the Behringer site I came across something else I am after, a noise suppressor. The INTELLIGATE IG9 may be an affordable solution to the issue of signal noise from long chains of effects. Most good units cost a pretty penny, but like all the other Behringer pedals this thing won’t break the bank.

This clever stomp box is specifically designed to achieve super-effective noise suppression without any guitar signal deterioration. It ensures high signal integrity through very fast attack time, program-adaptive release time and frequency-selective noise suppression. A status LED for effect On/Off and battery check is included, plus there is a true hard-wire bypass for ultimate signal integrity. The IG9 runs on a 9 V battery or a DC power supply (not included).

I am a fan of these pedals, not just for the fact i think the bang for the buck is amazing. These pedals are of good a quality to be much more in price, but more for what Behringer is doing. They are enabling musicians. The let us get quality hardware (not just guitar stuff) at affordable prices to do what we do best, make music. I have several Behringer mics, preamps, monitor speakers, all of which stack up to their more expensive counterparts. This is turn increases the competition for the big boys, making them cut prices and innovate more to keep up with this new level of freedom of choice in the market. As musicians we should all thank Behringer for making our lives that bit easier.

So how many companies has the Starchild switched between over the years. Anyway, this guitar is definitely better looking than some of the other dodgy pieces of crap that have had Stanley’s name on it. The Washburn Preacher is a very interesting little beast. The deluxe model (shown above) is one of the more strikingly beautiful guitars that I have seen in quite a while. But my goodness you pay for it. Coming in at close to $4000 it better be good.

* Mahogany body
* Gloss finish
* 8 ply white binding
* Tone Pros® Bridge
* Stop Tailpiece
* Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates pickups
* 3-way toggle switch
* 2 volume, 2 tone controls
* Mahogany set neck
* Bound headstock
* Art Deco headstock inlay
* Ebony fingerboard with Pearl block inlays
* 22 jumbo frets
* 24.75″ scale
* 12″ fingerboard radius
* Double action truss rod
* Graph Tech nut
* Gold hardware
* 18:1 Grover® tuners

You can get an entry model about $1300, but that sexy white is just not available. Not that the black looks that bad.

I have to admit that until about five years ago I was a massive KISS fan. Then I got burnt out. So did my wallet. In fact I had a Limited Edition Ibanez Signature Series Iceman at one point. I sold it and bought three guitars with the money. If anyone wants an almost full collection of Psycho Circus comics just let me know.

What other crazy purchases have you made just because of the name on it?

Jason over at Atomic Guitarist seems a pretty cool guy, trying to come up with ideas to help out these humble guitar blogs. His idea to exchange all these links is two fold.

1. Lets us and our readers find other guitar blogs
2. Google Page Rank assistance from many relevant links

So if you read this blog, please check out the other sites as well, and if you write on one of these blogs, please give back andpost these links on your site. I’ll be adding the ones I don’t have shortly to my blog roll as well. And where ever you find this project on, give that tsite the trackback as well.

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Here is a guitar I have been meaning to talk about for a little while. The new Reverend Volcano.

Ahh…. isn’t it pretty.

But besides the cosmetics, this is one seriously packed guitar. Two Reverend custom humbuckers, set neck, medium profile korina neck with rosewood fingerboard, and a solid korina body, it sure looks like a guitar to check out. If you want the classic 60’s look make sure to check out the creamy white finish. Me? I like the black.