guitars

David Cross has been photographed playing 'Guitar Hero'

If not for this photograph, the intersection of music, film, interactive entertainment, and celebrity sightings that is Austin's South by Southwest (SXSW) festival may have remained inadequately documented.

Comedian David Cross plays a game of Guitar Hero at SXSW, while fellow comedian Aziz Ansari enjoys the rock show.

In the photo, both showcase the Stage I Guitar Hero face.

In a perfect world, Titannica and Three Times One Minus One songs will be part of the upcoming Guitar Hero II for Xbox 360, or even the mythical Guitar Hero III. If that's the case, Cross could shred his … Read more

Just what the world needs--another amateur guitar helper

The world has another gadget to help amateur guitar players--which isn't necessarily a good thing. A few months back, it seemed that products aimed at Slash wannabes were coming out every day, from Volkswagens to air guitar T-shirts. It was enough to make us wonder if digital technology wasn't such a great idea after all.

Now we hear of a new MP3 player for musicians from Tascam, which basically slows down tunes so you can play along at your own pace. You can also edit out the guitar parts of songs, allowing you to fill the gaps with … Read more

You rock, 'Guitar Hero'!

Guitar Hero II is quite addicting, challenging, and FUN! I would definitely recommend this game, and you can play it if you have a Sony PlayStation 2. Buying a PS2 right now is a great deal because it can double up as a DVD player, and iit's at a good price right now, about $129.99. So, for about $170, you can ROCK!

Anthrax guitarist rocked by 'Guitar Hero II'

If you've ever wasted away the weekend playing Guitar Hero II, there's nothing to feel guilty about. Feel proud. Feel like a rock star. Feel these things because you're probably better at Guitar Hero II than actual guitarist Scott Ian of Anthrax.

And he even gets to play his own song.

As this fascinating video on Kotaku.com shows (WARNING: Swear words are all over the place), Ian had a bit of trouble performing his own song on Guitar Hero II. During his first attempt, he fails 31 percent of the way through the song.

And if … Read more

Gibson riffs on USB

Loath as we are to admit it, we've developed something of a weird fascination with USB keys. Partly because we're amazed at how many companies spend so much time and effort on this commodity technology.

Our reponse? To write about yet another one, of course. But this one's different, really. The Gibson Signature Series "Les Paul Standard Flash Drive" offers only 1GB of storage but is a miniature replica of the famed guitar whose name is almost synonymous with early rock and roll, according to Uber-Review. Another USB key offered the Les Paul name but … Read more

Rock out with carbon

You've read our discovery of the car guitar, but what about a guitar made from car material?

Blackbird Guitars' Rider is a hollow-neck, small acoustic guitar made of carbon fiber--the same material used for high-end cars and motorcycles.

The guitar debuted last week at the 2007 NAMM show, a musical instrument trade show, in Anaheim, Calif.

While not entirely handmade (the guitar was designed and partly manufactured using a CAD program), Blackbird's site says each guitar is "artisan made."

Pricing starts at $1,500, according to Gizmodo UK.

Panasonic jams with Fender

If you like to rock out in your car, but don't want to turn your ride into a mobile guitar amp, then this might be the answer: an in-car audio system jointly designed by Panasonic and Fender. The iconic guitar maker has teamed up with Panasonic to "create customized products for the global automotive industry."

The collaboration is an attempt to cash in on Fender's brand name and expertise in the musical instruments industry, and it's another effort by Panasonic to name-drop its way into the in-car audio market. Panasonic already supplies the likes of … Read more

Guitar with built-in amp lets you rock on

Now you can rock on without lugging a Peavey amp. Guitar maker First Act is at the Consumer Electronics Show demonstrating a guitar with a built-in pre-amp. All you need to do is plug it into some speakers.

Guitarist Scotty Alexander is pictured here playing the familiar chords to "Smoke on the Water" with the Volkswagen Garagemaster from First Act. The guitar comes free when you buy particular models of cars from Volkswagen, as Crave noted back in November. First Act, however, also sells the guitar as the Vex for $600. (Alexander's day job, or rather night … Read more

Yes, it's a toaster amp

Every once in awhile, Crave comes across an item that fulfills our mission in life. What, after all, could a gadget blog want more than a photo of a toaster turned into a guitar amp?

Thanks to "Hottie Amplifiers," we need look no further. These musical accoutrements, which Red Ferret says sell for $150, are made of the vintage twin-slot toasters of our youth. (Back in the days when toasters actually lasted more than a few months--yes, boys and girls, it's true.)

The only thing we wish it included was a USB connection. That way, we could … Read more