Well I just had a first on this site. Traffic has increased dramatically the last few days thanks to StubleUpon. So much so that yesterday GuitarToyBox broke a daily visitor count of 1000 for the first time.

I'd just like to say hi to all the new comers and hope you keep coming back for more.

What are these guys on? I love companies that don't take themselves too seriously. Electro-Harmonix is one of them. The demonstrate the new Electro-Harmonix Stereo Electric Mistress they have concocted another bizarre video. Check it out.

I need to get me some of them LED rings. They are very cool. The pedal sounds very cool too. I still find it hard to go past my trusty MXR Phase 90 re-issue though.

Here is a list of 101 Guitar Tips that are worth checking out. Some of my personal favourites on the list inlcude these ones:

If you go to the gym and are doing cardio or even weight lifting, you can count in sets of 4. Since most music is in 4/4 time this will also help your sense of rhythm. Working out with a portable music player will also help your rhythm.

I do this at the gym all the time. I try to listen to more uptempo music and keep in time with the music.

General knowledge is about knowing the history of the music you are playing, from its very beginning to its present day. Reading biographies of the performers is also interesting. Knowing about the leading artists and having a good working knowledge of their different styles will enhance your guitar playing.

You can try to place in a certain style, but unless you understand why thay style sounds the way it does you will never sound genuine. do your homework.

Go to lots of live shows. Big and small. Small shows can be great as you can view what the musicians are doing up close and personal.

Check out the gear, check out how they play certain songs, look for strange chord shapes. I recently saw Birds Of Tokyo live and could not believe how their guitarist was playing the songs. next time I listened to the album it all made sense.

Have a look through the list and let me know which ones you like.

I'm very interested to see, or rather hear, what NI have improved with Guitar Rig 3. I love the sound of a real amp, but in a personal hobby studio with not much room, virtualisation is often a necessity. I have used Guitar Rigs 1 & 2, but there was always something missing in the sound. A certain "body" for lack of a better term. The sounds were great but they just didn't stand out. That's why when I made my choice I went with Amplitube 2. Amplitube 2 reacted to your playing more like a tube amp than it's NI counterparts, and was less resource intensive as well.

But the new Guitar Rig has some cool new amps. Simulating a Marshall Plexi and an Orange type amp are a big thing for me. Two of my favourite amps added to one package. It makes it worth looking at again. Also added are "signature" tones that are designed to accurately recreate the tones of famous guitarists. Another great feature is the auto cabinet matching for selecting heads. This way it automatically picks the best configuration for each amp setup so you can get a good sound straight away.

I'd let you know what it sounds like but you may need to check for yourself at the website. Their demo player doesn't seem to work on Firefox. Not smart NI.

Yep, we're all talking about it, and as far a Gibson goes that's a good thing. Lots of free publicity on the blogosphere. But is the Gibson Robot hot or not?

Firstly, the name. The Robot. Seriously? Rule one of modern tech sounding names is the use of "i". iPod, iMac, iWanker etc. Second rule: a guitar, is not a tech device (unless it's some bizarre midi hybrid synth thing). So straight up they miss the mark on the name. Don't ask me for suggestions otherwise, I don't do marketing for free (although I can be bought *looking at Gibson for free stuff*), but the name is so, so, SO WRONG it's not even funny.

Next up, the colour. That Blue Burst finish is possibly the most revolting thing I have ever seen. Yes we get that all the new hi tech Gibsons. The standard blue finish is sexy as and gives me half a mongrel, but the burst puts an end to that instantly.

Another big red cross is the release schedule. Sure, the ugly limited edition comes out in 25 days, 14 hours at the time of writing this, but looking on the microsite you find this : "Regular model scheduled for late 2008". Late 2008! Not fair for us regular folk.

What they did get right, as Jon over at GuitarNoize says, besides agreeing with me about the name and finish, is that at least it is true tuning, not some virtualisation like the Fender Strat VG. I've been a fan of this tuning system since I first saw it and am very happy that a "big boy" picked it up. It's a great idea that is beautifully implemented and hopefully will start to see it filter in to humanly affordable guitars. That is, assuming Gibson licenced the product and didn't buy it outright, which I have not been able to confirm or deny.