Gibson have announced not one, not two, but eight new Slash Signature Series guitars. The are not Epiphones, but genuine Gibsons built to cover all budgets, from entry level to very expensive personally signed models.

I can't help but wonder about what model Gibsons there will be. Obviously Les Pauls, but maybe a 335 or some sort of double neck guitar. Both of these Slash has been known to use in the studio and on stage. Only time will tell.

BTW: How cool is that image? That was "borrowed" from SubTotal. I hope no one there minds me borrowing it. Awesome site you have there.

Tommy Emmanual, one of Australia's greatest guitarists, has sadly fallen quite ill with a heart condition and had to cancel all live performances. This includes a scheduled tour of his home country in early 2008. A statement on his website reads:

Dear Friends,

I'm taking some time to get my body and soul to where I'm at my best again. I couldn't carry on at the pace I lived and realized I was out of control. Thank you for all your prayers, emails and messages of support. I appreciate you all so much and I promise to be the best I can.

Love,
TE

Best wishes go out to Tommy and we hope he has a speedy recovery.

As guitarists, it is our duty to the world to possess a Guitar Face. Jason at LittleRockJams knows this and is showing the world the best from the best.

BB!!! There's a free buffet backstage when you finish!!!!

Me... I bite my lip like this.

I look like a gimp.

And the GOD of guitar faces. The one, the only, Nigel Tufnel.

Got any snaps of other great faces?

Now here is a list that is an absolute crock of excrement. Blender.com recently published a list of the 28 Most Recognisable Guitars and I have to say it's pretty obvious they were running out of ideas towards the tale. The way the list has been done is very cool, but the contents is off the mark in several ways.

To me, the guitar is classed as recognisable if you see it and instantly associate it with a particular performer, and no other. Here is the list below, and I've bolded the ones I agree with:

• 28. Buck Owens: Red, White and Blue acoustic
• 27. Les Claypool - Primus: The Rainbow Bass
• 26. Michael Angelo Batio: The Reverse Double-Neck
• 25. Dave Grohl - Foo Fighters: Dan Armstrong/Ampeg ARMG-2
• 24. Michael Anthony - Van Halen: Jack Daniel’s Bass
• 23. Angus Young - AC/DC: Gibson SG
• 22. Ace Frehley - KISS: Laser Guitar
• 21. Albert King: Gibson Flying V
• 20. Zakk Wylde - Ozzy Osbourne/Black Label Society: The Grail
• 19. Jerry Only - The Misfits: The Devastator
• 18. Billie Joe Armstrong - Green Day: Blue
• 17. Bootsy Collins: Space Bass
• 16. Dimebag Darrell Abbott - Pantera/Damageplan: The Dean From Hell
• 15. Rick Nielsen - Cheap Trick: Hamer Five-Neck
• 14. Kurt Cobain - Nirvana: Fender Mustang
• 13. ZZ Top: Dean Spinning Fur Guitar/Bass
• 12. Gene Simmons - KISS: Axe Bass
• 11. Eric Clapton: Blackie
• 10. B.B. King: Lucille
• 9. Jack White - White Stripes: 1964 J.B. Hutto Montgomery Airline
• 8. Bo Diddley: The Big B - Thanks MS for spotting my miss on this one
• 7. Willie Nelson: Trigger
• 6. Prince: Purple Glyph Symbol Guitar
• 5. Paul McCartney - Beatles: Hofner Violin Bass
• 4. Jimmy Page - Led Zeppelin: Gibson SG Double Neck
• 3. Elvis Presley: Martin D-28 Acoustic
• 2. Eddie Van Halen - Van Halen: Frankenstrat
• 1. Jimi Hendrix: Fender Stratocaster

You can read the complete article at Blender.com.

There is a real difference between recognising a guitar as the type a particular artist uses, and recognising the exact instrument that was played by the artists, or seeing a guitar and thinking of a musician who's identity is synonymous with the instrument. An example is that Lots of people play Les Pauls, but there is no confusing which one Zakk Wylde plays. Seeing a black fender Strat is not going to make me think of Eric Clapton instantly.

There are a few guitars that I think are missing from the list, like an Cracked Mirror Ibanez Iceman (Paul Stanley). Can anyone else think of a guitar missing from the list?

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?