[Editor''s note: This was an April Fool''s joke.]
Cedar Rapids, IA (April 1, 2008) -- Gearhead Communications, LLC, publisher of Premier Guitar magazine, has announced today a new cable television network featuring all gear, all the time. The network, Gear Broadcasting Network, or GBN, will feature programming specially tailored for guitarists. "What the Food Network has done for food, GBN will do for guitars," said Adam Moore, Managing Editor of Premier Guitar. "We''re excited about the synergy we''ll be able to create with this."
The network is set for a May launch. Here''s a sampling of some of GBN''s slated programming:
So You Think You Can Shred?
Similar to the hit television shows, American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, this program pits up-and-coming shredders against each other in a sweep-picking, string-skipping battle of the ages. Judges Toshi Iseda, Michael Angelo Batio and Paula Abdul weed through the posers to crown the King of Shred.
Vintage Guitar Road Show
Ever watch Antique Road Show and wish it was all guitars? GBN is making that dream come true with Vintage Road Show. Watch weekly as guitarists and grannies alike bring in dusty instruments from their attics, basements and yard sales, all hoping to strike it rich.
This Old Axe
Each week on This Old Axe, a guitarist is featured with a used-and-abused guitar in need of some TLC. GBN''s resident restoration expert, "Restoring an Original" columnist John Brown, will take you step-by-step through the restoration of the guitar and its emotional reunion with its owner. Keep an eye out for broken headstocks, cracked tops, and flood damage -- no job is too difficult for This Old Axe.
Steve Vai''s Rockin'' Courtroom
Controversy abounds in Steve Vai''s Rockin'' Courtroom, where guitar disputes are settled with a killer riff rather than the bang of a gavel. Did a dealer rip you off on your trade-in? Were you swindled by a man selling fakes out of the trunk of his Camaro? Do you really think you aren''t that groupie''s baby-daddy? No case is too complex for Judge Vai.
Gearvention
GBN''s take on this new classic features families torn apart by one member''s addiction to gear. Upcoming episodes include a man who spent his daughter''s college money on a $23,000 custom guitar; a man whose basement is so full of vintage cases that he tripped and broke both his arms while searching for the breaker box; and a family whose household furniture has all been replaced by amps -- that they aren''t allowed to touch.
Name That Guitar
The first game show of its kind, Name That Guitar tests the contestants'' knowledge of guitars, chops and physical fitness. Some of the games include: Feeling Vintage, where a blindfolded contestant must identify a vintage guitar (including year) by its feel and smell; Riff Race, where contestants race each other to see who can play a lick -- without missing a note -- the fastest; and Rescue Me, where contestants race to save a guitar from perilous situations with as little damage to the axe as possible.
Stay tuned for more in-depth schedules as they become available! Check your local listings for availability.
Cedar Rapids, IA (April 1, 2008) -- Gearhead Communications, LLC, publisher of Premier Guitar magazine, has announced today a new cable television network featuring all gear, all the time. The network, Gear Broadcasting Network, or GBN, will feature programming specially tailored for guitarists. "What the Food Network has done for food, GBN will do for guitars," said Adam Moore, Managing Editor of Premier Guitar. "We''re excited about the synergy we''ll be able to create with this."
The network is set for a May launch. Here''s a sampling of some of GBN''s slated programming:
 Steve Vai''s Rockin'' Courtroom is just one of the many guitar-centric shows on the new GBN. |
Similar to the hit television shows, American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, this program pits up-and-coming shredders against each other in a sweep-picking, string-skipping battle of the ages. Judges Toshi Iseda, Michael Angelo Batio and Paula Abdul weed through the posers to crown the King of Shred.
Vintage Guitar Road Show
Ever watch Antique Road Show and wish it was all guitars? GBN is making that dream come true with Vintage Road Show. Watch weekly as guitarists and grannies alike bring in dusty instruments from their attics, basements and yard sales, all hoping to strike it rich.
This Old Axe
Each week on This Old Axe, a guitarist is featured with a used-and-abused guitar in need of some TLC. GBN''s resident restoration expert, "Restoring an Original" columnist John Brown, will take you step-by-step through the restoration of the guitar and its emotional reunion with its owner. Keep an eye out for broken headstocks, cracked tops, and flood damage -- no job is too difficult for This Old Axe.
Steve Vai''s Rockin'' Courtroom
Controversy abounds in Steve Vai''s Rockin'' Courtroom, where guitar disputes are settled with a killer riff rather than the bang of a gavel. Did a dealer rip you off on your trade-in? Were you swindled by a man selling fakes out of the trunk of his Camaro? Do you really think you aren''t that groupie''s baby-daddy? No case is too complex for Judge Vai.
Gearvention
GBN''s take on this new classic features families torn apart by one member''s addiction to gear. Upcoming episodes include a man who spent his daughter''s college money on a $23,000 custom guitar; a man whose basement is so full of vintage cases that he tripped and broke both his arms while searching for the breaker box; and a family whose household furniture has all been replaced by amps -- that they aren''t allowed to touch.
Name That Guitar
The first game show of its kind, Name That Guitar tests the contestants'' knowledge of guitars, chops and physical fitness. Some of the games include: Feeling Vintage, where a blindfolded contestant must identify a vintage guitar (including year) by its feel and smell; Riff Race, where contestants race each other to see who can play a lick -- without missing a note -- the fastest; and Rescue Me, where contestants race to save a guitar from perilous situations with as little damage to the axe as possible.
Stay tuned for more in-depth schedules as they become available! Check your local listings for availability.
