August 12, 2010 | Posted by Billy Penn I have been playing a little bit of lap steel guitar lately and David Lindley just kills it..!! If this does not inspire you to get into lap steel playing then maybe nothing will..!!!
Tags: David Lindley, Guitar, Jackson Browne, Lap Steel | 
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August 11, 2010 | Posted by Billy Penn 
This is one of the coolest photos of the mighty little ZT Lunchbox amp in action..!!
The photo was taken on the big stage at Six Flags right here in NJ…!! The amp belongs to Mick Normoyle who is the guitar player for “Unforgettable Fire”. They are a great U2 tribute band based in NY.
Mick purchased the ZT Lunchbox a few months ago and immediately incorporated it into his rig. He says it works very well with his band and he uses it all the time. Awesome Mick..!!!
Click here to visit Unforgettable Fire’s website.
Tags: Ken Kantor, Lunchbox, U2, Unforgettable Fire, ZT | View Comments
August 10, 2010 | Posted by Billy Penn This video was taken at the Saint in Asbury Park, NJ on 8-7-10. This is one of our original tunes called “The Whiskey Song” written by my cousin Charlie….(he’s the singer here). We had a great time at the Saint and there will be more videos to come…..stay tuned. Enjoy..!!!
Tags: Amplifier, Guitar, Inside Drivers, Rockabilly, The Saint | View Comments
August 9, 2010 | Posted by Billy Penn 
Kurt Prange over at Amplified Parts has another really great in depth article about guitar speaker power handling.
In this article Kurt explains how an electrodynamic loudspeaker works, how speaker ratings are determined, RMS power and tube vs solid state power among other topics. This is an excellent read loaded with information..!!! Another nice one Kurt..!!
Click here to read Guitar Speaker Power Handling.
Tags: Amplified Parts, Amplifier, Guitar, Kurt Prange, Speaker | View Comments
August 7, 2010 | Posted by Billy Penn 
Following the previously released Mandocaster, Eastwood introduces the new Airline Mandola.
Some features include; Seafoam green U.S.A. map shaped alder body, 18” scale and maple neck with rosewood fingerboard. There is a single humbucker pickup with volume and tone controls. This instrument is unique sounding…almost like a baritone mandolin. The new Mandola model is tuned in fifths (C-G-D-A low-to-high) which is a fifth lower than a mandolin. Probably cool for the studio guitarists toolbox..!
Click here for more information about the new Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola.
Tags: Airline, Amplifier, Eastwood, Guitar, Mandola | View Comments
August 5, 2010 | Posted by admin We are truly excited and ready to give away a ZT Lunchbox Amplifier, but before we can do that we need YOUR help to tell us who is ROCKIN’ IT the hardest in the following pics!
These guys all sent us the best pics of themselves rockin’ out with their guitars, please take a look, and let us know how YOU vote for by submitting the form below. Voting will run until August 15th, and we will announce the winner on the 16th. Note: We will only count 1 vote per user.
Voting is CLOSED, thanks so much!
Tags: Amplifier, Guitar, Ken Kantor, Lunchbox, ZT | View Comments
August 5, 2010 | Posted by Billy Penn 
Ok folks the new Eminence FDM speakers are now available..!!! After their announcement at the 2010 winter NAMM show the new attenuating Flux Density Modulation speakers are ready to ship. But….Eminence has only produced 250 of each model…the Maverick and Reignmaker. So if you are interested in either speaker you should jump on them quickly. The next production run will not be for another 4-6 weeks..!!
I will have one of each model for review very soon. The Maverick is an American voiced speaker that handles 75 watts at 8 ohms. The Reignmaker is a British voiced speaker that handles 75 watts at 8 ohms. Both speakers have a MAP price of $189.00.
I can tell you that I tried the FDM speaker at the NAMM show and it was awesome..!! Great sound, great feel and you can dial the efficiency down from 100dB to about 91.5dB. That is a big difference..!!! Imagine getting to your gig and your amp is too loud. You like to crank it so it sings and gets that dynamic response but the sound man is just not having it. Just reach around the back of your amp and turn the dial down to decrease the efficiency of the speaker…simple and problem solved..!!! No extra attenuator to drag around with cables plus the Eminence FDM speakers sound and feel great..! I was very impressed when I tried them and these were one of the highlights for me at NAMM. I think this is one of the coolest things to come along for the working guitarist in a long time. I can see how they could be very useful on gigs.
Click here for more information about the Maverick.
Click here for more information about the Reignmaker.
Here is a short video interview I did with Anthony Lucas of Eminence speakers at the 2010 NAMM Show.
Tags: Anthony Lucas, Eminence, FDM, Flux Density Modulation, Maverick, NAMM, Reignmaker | View Comments
August 3, 2010 | Posted by Billy Penn My man Erik Kundrats sent me a link to this video of a French amateur radio operator who makes his own tubes..!!! That’s right…he makes his own tubes…!! The video is about 17 minutes long but totally worth watching. This guy is skilled in so many different aspects of the build. I can see a boutique tube building industry springing up as we speak. Thanks Erik..!!
Click here to visit Makezine.com.
Tags: Amplifier, Guitar, Tubes | View Comments
August 2, 2010 | Posted by Billy Penn 
If this mansion was in the shape of a Telecaster I believe it may be the perfect house for me..! Thanks for the link Olya.!!!
Click here to visit Google Sightseeing to zoom in for a closer look.
Tags: Google Earth, Google Sightseeing, Guitar, Mansion | View Comments
August 2, 2010 | Posted by Billy Penn 
There is a review of the Porter Standard Tele Pickup set on the Reviews page along with a video clip. This set of Tele pickups were hand made by Brian Porter. They feature alnico magnets, fiberboard bobbins, cloth wire and a nickel silver cover for the neck pickup.
All of you who visit me here at 300guitars know that I am a Telecaster devotee and you could imagine how excited I was to give these a whirl. I installed them into one of my Tele’s and have been playing them for a few weeks now.
Porter pickups are a little bit different sounding that some of the other brands I have tried over the years. They are very clear sounding without being too bright or thin. This particular set worked very well with my ash body/maple neck Tele. If you are a Tele player check out this review. Brian also makes other types of pickups so read on..!!
Click here to read the Porter Standard Tele Pickup Set Review.
Tags: Brian Porter, Guitar, Pickups, Tele, Telecaster | View Comments
July 29, 2010 | Posted by Billy Penn 
The new Fender Limited Edition “Snake Head” Telecaster model is now available..!! This is a Custom Shop creation replicating the first Tele prototype that was produced in the summer of 1949. Legend has it that good ol’ Uncle Leo and a few of his associates took the prototype from club to club for guitar players to try and get feedback before the guitar went into production.
This Snake Head model is part of Fender’s “Telebration” celebrating 60 years since the introduction of the iconic Telecaster and will be limited to just a total of 60 guitars available world wide.
Some features include; select pine wood body, Olympic White nitrocellulose lacquer finish, one-piece hard Rock Maple neck without a truss-rod, vintage frets, and a custom wound Nocaster single-coil pickup all for just $5999.00!!!
Click here to visit Fender Musical Instruments for more information.
Tags: Broadcaster, Esquire, Fender, Guitar, Nocaster, Snake Head, Telecaster | View Comments
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