So we have decided that when we get a great user review we are going to highlight it in our news stream.  Today’s user review comes from “OreoB”.  OreoB provides a 5-star review for the Martin D-28 Marquis.  After going into a lot of detail about the neck shape, bracing and even lamenting about the pricing, OreoB gives the Martin D-28 Marquis a 5-star review and claims that the guitar “is a player’s guitar for sure!”

Read the entire Martin D-28 Marquis review here.

Martin D-28 Marquis Review

Martin D-28 Marquis

Martin Guitars

We’ve talked about PGS before when they demo’d the awesome Malekko’s Barker ASSMASTER and when they rolled out microsites about popular effects pedals.  Videos so good that I’ve twice been a customer of their gear - Love Pedal Pickle Vibe and the Love Pedal Babyface Tremolo - were two pedals I’ve picked up.

Also check out their Free Pedal Friday Giveaway.  PGS gives away a sick pedal every week.  I hesitate to mention it only because I don’t want to lower my odds of wining one myself!

The Roland AC-33 acoustic guitar amplifier is a high-efficiency 30-watt stereo amp and dual 5″ speakers that can run on on eight AA batteries (including NiMH rechargeable types) or AC power.  You can bring this puppy along with you to your favorite street corner, subway stop or public park and bring your music to world with greater efficiency than a MySpace page blinged out with the snazziest glitter.

The Roland AC-33 Acoustic Guitar Amplifier

Here’s the lowdown from Roland… “Designed for both high-quality sound and supreme portability, the AC-33 is the world’s first battery-powered amp designed specifically for the acoustic guitar. It features instrument, XLR microphone, and AUX inputs, along with built-in digital effects, an anti-feedback function, an onboard looper, and an integrated tilt stand for enhanced sound projection.”

“The AC-33 comes equipped with Roland’s famous stereo chorus effect, as well as easy-to-use reverb and ambience effects. For worry-free playing in high-volume situations, the unique anti-feedback function automatically detects acoustic instrument feedback and eliminates it before it starts. The onboard looper allows users to record and play back up to 40 seconds of on-the-fly musical backing, with the ability to capture unlimited “sound on sound” style overdubs. The looper and effects can both be controlled with optional foot switches.”

The Roland AC-33 has a street price of about $400 USD according to prices we are seeing on the web.  Pretty cool stuff.

The Taylor DMSM is modeled after the Taylor 914ce that Dave plays on tour with the Dave Matthews Band.  The guitar is a grand-auditorium shape with a cutaway.  The guitar has a sitka spruce top with rosewood back and sides and also comes in with a built-in pick-up system.  What is most unique about the guitar is the fretboard inlay which was designed by Dave Matthews himself as a tribute to bandmade LeRoi Moore who died in 2008.

The Taylor DMSM is already available at My Favorite Guitars for under $4000.

UPDATE:  An official announcement of the Taylor DMSM should be coming from Taylor Guitars later this week.

Taylor DMSM (Dave Matthews Signature Model)

Taylor Guitars

Shop For Taylor DMSM at My Favorite Guitars

(Image courtesy of My Favorite Guitars)

Gibson describes the guitar as “Crafted from a Grade AAA maple top with Slash-style “reverse chevron” figuring and weight-relieved mahogany body, the Slash Appetite Les Paul is finished in nitrocellulose lacquer that replicates a beautifully faded vintage Les Paul Standard.”  For pickups they’ve put in Seymour Duncan Signature Series Alnico II Pro Slash humbucking pickups - pups made in the classic PAF style but to Slash’s specifications.

Gibson Slash Appetite For Destruction Les Paul

The guitar has an MSRP of $4,728.00 USD and we’ve started to see street prices at $2,837.00 USD.  Not too bad when you consider what we saw for the Gibson Jimmy Page “Number Two” Les Paul (MSRP: $11,176.00 - $25,882.00), the Gibson Jeff Beck 1954 Les Paul Oxblood (MSRP: $8,235.00) or the Gibson Custom Angus Young SG Standard (MSRP: $6,115.00 - $9,409.00).  At least a few of us might actually be able to afford one of these bad boys.

Here’s Slash talking about the guitar:

The Alvarez RD4102C replaces the Alvarez RD20SC.  The guitar has a solid spruce top, mahogany back and sides, a cutaway and built-in Fishman AERO electronics.  At a street price of $369.99 and with a lot of features normally found in more expensive instruments (did I mention the cutaway and built-in electronics?), the Alvarez RD4102C offers great value for an instrument Acoustic Guitar Magazine claims has a “sweet, mellow sound.”

But don’t take our word for it, you can also see Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s video review below.

Alvarez Guitars

Alvarez RD4102C

Similar to other guitar iPhone apps, TouchChords turns your iPhone into a playable guitar.  You can grip the iPhone like a guitar neck, albeit one with a 2″ nut width, and finger the chords.  If you can put your fingers onto the right notes, the chord will sound.  It’s a handy practice tool for beginners.

With TouchChords Songbooks you get a set of songs from an artist that you can learn through the app.  We were given The Rolling Stones - good choice by the way - that came with six classic Stones songs.  The app displays a guitar neck, the chord names, lyrics and tempo.

TouchChords Songbook Interface

As you play the song the app walks through the chord changes and displays the proper fingering on the guitar neck.  The playback includes a metronome that lets you slow the song down for practice.  You can take a closer look at each chord in the song and practice the fingering using the app.  They’ve even included a 3000+ chord library in the app.

The app really shines if you have the actual songs in your iPhone or iPod music library.  If the app can detect the song in your library it will use the song instead of it’s MIDI-sounding backing track.  A much better experience for sure.  We did have a little trouble getting the app to see my Rolling Stones songs in my library and we were only able to get one song to play through the app properly.

TouchChords is definitely geared towards the beginner guitar player.  We think it’s a great idea for helping beginners learn some classic songs in a way that’s much more instructive than picking up tablature off the web but cheaper than paying for guitar lessons.  Aside from the problems detecting the Rolling Stones songs in my library we didn’t run into any other issues with the app.  If you’re looking for a new way to learn music on your guitar, TouchChords could be the app for you.

Check out other iPhone apps for guitar players on Fretbase.

A High Court ruling has sided with Pink Floyd. Chancellor Sir Andrew Morritt said the contract contained a clause to “preserve the artistic integrity of the albums”.  While EMI hasn’t been ordered to stop selling Pink Floyd tracks through digital services like iTunes and Amazon MP3 there is a possibility it could happen if both sides don’t come to an agreement on the royalties.

Pink Floyd albums, more than most, were created as a single entity designed to be listened to in it’s entirety.  The albums are greater than the sum of it’s parts.  Breaking up albums like “Dark Side of the Moon” or “The Wall” definitely takes away from the total artistic picture. According to the BBC, breaking albums into individual tracks for sale is one of the reasons The Beatles catalog still remains offline.   Pink Floyd and The Beatles are two of the most lucrative back catalogs around, so changes in the way music is sold online may be afoot.

Source: “Pink Floyd win EMI court ruling over online sales” (BBC)

String Letter Music School offers guitar (and ukulele!) classes for kids and adults.  In addition to guitar instruction, the school also offers opportunities for students to play for family and friends. String Letter Music School offers private, semi-private, group lessons and also classes with no more than 6 students in the class.

String Letter Music School offers free consultations to figure out what type of instruction would be best for you.  If you live near San Anselmo, California and would like to learn in an individual or class setting String Letter Music School seems worth checking out.  If you don’t live near San Anselmo, California you should move there.

String Letter Music School

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