METALLICA: New KIRK HAMMETT Limited Edition Half Stack From RANDALL Announced - Mar. 10, 2008

Randall Amplifiers, paving the way for rockers worldwide, today announced the Kirk Hammett Limited Edition Half Stack. The highly collectable half stack features solid maple cabinetry, chrome hardware and custom paint job. The limited run of Kirk Hammett gear is the perfect centerpiece for any accomplished recording studio or rehearsal space.

The exclusive Kirk Hammett stack includes a 4 x 12" cabinet, 100W power-tube head and signature MTS modules to enable musicians everywhere to attain Kirk's legendary tones. The custom gear arrives painted in a black-burst color scheme complete with polyurethane finish. The end result is a visually stunning half stack that fully captures the defining sounds of METALLICA's legendary guitarist.

"The Kirk Hammett Limited Edition Half Stack is a seminal event in the history of Randall Amplifiers," said David Karon, Artist Relations Manager at Randall Amplifiers. "By working tirelessly with Kirk for over a full year, we have produced the ultimate head and cab for musicians worldwide. Every detail of the half stack bears his unique touch, right down to his handwriting on the preamps. The unparallel attention to every nuance of this dream rig solidifies Randall Amplifiers as an unrivaled leader in both custom designs and flawless tones."

The Limited Edition Half Stack complements the full line of Kirk Hammett Signature Series products, which includes MTS modules, all-tube heads, as well as power tubes, all to enable musicians everywhere to attain his flawless sound. Kirk worked intimately with Randall to ensure that all aspects of the products, from the look and feel of the heads and amps to the distinct tones of each MTS module, were up to the standards of rock's legendary guitarist.

Additional Limited Edition Kirk Hammett Half Stack Features:

Pre-loaded with KH1, KH2, and KH3 MTS modules:

* KH1 - Classic clean tone
* KH2 - Signature rhythm tone
* KH3 - Legendary high-gain rhythm

Easily replace power tubes with user-friendly power-tube bias MIDI In/Thru for easy switching between pre-amp modules Master volume, presence, and density controls Parallel loop with front panel mix control Series loop

The Kirk Hammett Limited Edition Half Stack retails for $9,999.90 and is available at exclusive Randall dealers. To locate a participating Randall dealer, go to this location.

http://www.randallamplifiers.com/khltd

Joe Satriani and Vox Team Up On Signature Pedals

At Winter NAMM 2008, VOX Amplification announced that it has teamed up with guitar legend Joe Satriani for a long-term research and development partnership. Satriani and VOX are working together on a line of signature effects pedals designed to deliver Satriani's trademark tone plus a wide range of new sounds for guitarists of all playing styles and ability levels. Additionally, the designs feature groundbreaking solutions and improvements upon issues Satriani identified as being common in today's pedals. Among Satriani's criteria for these pedals is that they can seamlessly replace the gear he uses every night on stage. As a result of these high standards, every guitar player will have access to a new level of performance and tone quality.

At the press conference, VOX Product Manager Mike Bradley remarked, "The VOX & Joe Satriani line will be very familiar, groundbreaking and liberating to guitar players who've been looking for the 'holy grail' in their tone quest."

At the onset of the project, Satriani commented, "For decades, I wished that some day I would be able to contribute to the design of my own pedal line," says Satriani. "I would team up with an iconic, legendary company, like VOX, known worldwide for their unique musical innovations that became industry standards. I would make cool looking, multi-functioning pedals that would encompass all the types of sounds I like to hear. And, I would design nontraditional, but always functional, pedals to capture complex effects in unusual combinations. That day has finally come."

The VOX & Joe Satriani line will be fully unveiled in Summer 2008. Work on the project is well underway and is nearing completion. This project has received extensive commitment from VOX that, along the way, has included as many as five engineers hailing from three different countries.

Satriani used prototypes of the first two pedals due for release in the line - a distortion and a wah - during tracking for his upcoming Sony/Epic release due out in spring of 2008.

Bradley further explains, "Our collaboration with Joe will raise the bar on guitar effects and the expectation of performance, response and tone quality available to the general public. Joe's decades of recording experience, thousands of live performances, and limitless imagination all shaped his vision for this effects line. These pedals are not just an emulation of Joe's tone. They are Joe's tone, plus a whole lot more."

Press Release
Source: Clyne Media

Jimi Hendrix

James Marshal Hendrix was born in Seattle, Washington, on November 27, 1942; an American of African, European, Cherokee Indian and Mexican descent. An unsettled home environment made Jimi spend much of his early years staying with his grandmother, a full-blooded Cherokee Indian, in Canada.

His mother died when Jimi was 15 about the same time as Jimi began to take a serious interest in music and playing the guitar. When he was 12 he got his first electric guitar - the instrument which shaped the next 16 years of his life.

At the age of 16, Jimi was thrown out of school -apparently for holding the hand of a white girl in class - and he played rock'n'roll in teenage bands before voluntarily joining the army at 17.

After 14 months as a paratrooper, learning a lot about falling and flying, he suffered an injury and was discharged. He decided to enter the music field.

The following four years were hard work touring the States playing back-up guitar for various R&B bands including Little Richard, Ike and Tina Turner, Wilson Pickett, the Isley Brothers and the late King Curtis among others. The conditions were not suited to his radical temperament and eventually he was drawn to New York 's Greenwich Village where he recorded with the Isley Brothers, Curtis Knight and various other artists.

Then in late 1965 he formed his first band - Jimmy James and the Blue Flames. They worked the Village clubs where he was seen by other musicians who immediately recognized his talent, and word of this young virtuoso reached ex-Animals bassist Chas Chandler. Chas was so impressed after hearing him play he offered to become his manager and persuaded Jimi to accompany him back to England.

England at this stage - late 1966 - was musically ruled by bands such as The Who, The Beatles and Cream with Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck standing alone as the three leading exponents of the electric guitar.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience was formed with Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell behind the drums and suddenly there was this black guy on the scene doing things with his guitar that were just not possible. Respect from his peers and adoration from the crowds was instantaneous. They toured Europe, breaking attendance records at one club after another, and then signed a recording contract.

A series of singles that all gained top 10 rank, followed. 'Hey Joe', 'Purple Haze' and 'The Wind Cries Mary ' made Jimi a star in England, setting the stage for his Monterey appearance.

http://www.hotshotdigital.com/