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Gibson Pickups: P-94, Angus Young Signature, 490R
Gibson's Hank Ettel demonstrates Gibson's pickups in a unique double-neck Epiphone guitar at GearFest '08 on May 31.
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Gibson Pickups
Today, Fender is expanding its acclaimed Vintera® II series with a Limited Edition Road Worn® lineup, era-correct classics from the ‘50s and ‘60s pair vintage-inspired designs and modern upgrades with the lived-in look of a well-loved instrument. Each model features a new subtle aging process—light checking, gentle wear patterns, and a semi-gloss finish—delivering unmistakable vintage feel and unmatched sound of a classic Fender®.
Limited Edition Vintera® II Road Worn® ‘60s Stratocaster®
Featuring a variety of vintage colors finished in Road Worn® aged nitrocellulose lacquer, the Vintera® II Road Worn® ‘60s Stratocaster® recreates the look and feel of a well-played classic. The limited Road Worn models are enhanced with a new subtle aging process combining light checking, gentle wear patterns and a semi-gloss finish, while maintaining the authentic broken-in feel players love about vintage Fenders. The ‘60s “C”-shape maple neck with 7.25” radius rosewood fingerboard and vintage-tall frets provides supreme comfort and outstanding feel. Under the hood, you’ll find a trio of vintage-style ‘60s pickups that deliver all the warm, sparkling tones that made Fender® famous. Other features include a synchronized tremolo with bent steel saddles for expressive vibrato and vintage-style tuning machines for enhanced tuning stability. Options include Rosewood Fingerboard in Sonic Blue and Maple Fingerboard in Black.
Featuring a variety of vintage colors finished in Road Worn® aged nitrocellulose lacquer, the Vintera® II Road Worn® ‘60s Telecaster® recreates the look and feel of a well-played classic. The limited Road Worn models are enhanced with a new subtle aging process combining light checking, gentle wear patterns and a semi-gloss finish, while maintaining the authentic broken-in feel players love about vintage Fenders. The ‘60s “C”-shape maple neck with 7.25” radius rosewood fingerboard and vintage-tall frets provides supreme comfort and outstanding feel. Under the hood, you’ll find a pair of vintage-style ‘60s pickups that deliver all the crystal-clear chime and raw, steely twang that made Fender® famous. Other features include a vintage-style 3-saddle bridge with slotted steel saddles and vintage-style tuning machines for enhanced tuning stability. Options include Rosewood Fingerboard in Burgundy Mist Metallic and Maple Fingerboard in Blonde.
Featuring a variety of vintage colors finished in Road Worn® aged nitrocellulose lacquer, the Vintera® II Road Worn® ‘50s Jazzmaster® recreates the look and feel of a well-played classic. The limited Road Worn models are enhanced with a new subtle aging process combining light checking, gentle wear patterns and a semi-gloss finish, while maintaining the authentic broken-in feel players love about vintage Fenders. The ‘50s “C”-shape maple neck with 7.25” radius rosewood fingerboard and vintage-tall frets provides supreme comfort and outstanding feel. Under the hood, you’ll find a pair of vintage-style ‘50s single-coil pickups that deliver all the sweet and sparkling, warm and woody tone that made Fender® famous. Other features include a vintage-style floating tremolo for expressive vibrato and vintage-style tuning machines for enhanced tuning stability. Options include Rosewood Fingerboard in 3-Color Sunburst and Rosewood Fingerboard in Fiesta Red.
Limited Edition Vintera® II Road Worn® ‘60s Precision Bass®
Featuring a variety of vintage colors finished in Road Worn® aged nitrocellulose lacquer, the Vintera® II Road Worn® ‘60s Precision Bass® recreates the look and feel of a well-played classic. The limited Road Worn models are enhanced with a new subtle aging process combining light checking, gentle wear patterns and a semi-gloss finish, while maintaining the authentic broken-in feel players love about vintage Fenders. The ‘60s “C”-shape maple neck with 7.25” radius rosewood fingerboard and vintage-tall frets provides supreme comfort and outstanding feel. Under the hood, you’ll find a vintage-style ‘60s split-coil Precision pickup that delivers all the warm, dynamic and powerful tone that made Fender® famous. The vintage-style 4-saddle bridge and vintage-style tuning machines provide classic looks with enhanced intonation and tuning stability to complete the package. Options include Rosewood Fingerboard in Fiesta Red and Charcoal Frost Metallic.
Brooklyn-based jazz-rock innovators Alex Skolnick Trio (AST) return this fall with PROVE YOU’RE NOT A ROBOT, the group’s sixth LP, arriving November 7, 2025. The album’s first single, a wildly inventive take on Tom Petty’s “Breakdown,” is available today. Listen here.
Blending fearless improvisation, genre-defying arrangements, and the virtuosity of its members, PROVE YOU’RE NOT A ROBOT captures AST at the height of their creative powers. The title reflects both a wry nod to our tech-saturated era and a deeper meditation on humanity, direct interaction, and the irreplaceable spark of live musicianship in an age of artificial intelligence.
Recorded with a range of vintage and custom instruments — from a Roger Sadowsky archtop to a 1935 Gibson L-00 acoustic — the album spans moods from the uplifting “Guiding Ethos” to the mind-bending Chick Corea/Steve Howe mashup “Armando’s Mood.” Alongside Skolnick’s inventive guitar work, bassist Nathan Peck and drummer Matt Zebroski bring rhythmic complexity and emotional depth, with odd-time signatures and genre twists that have become AST hallmarks.
“I feel this album represents my strongest work as a composer,” says Skolnick. “Nathan and Matt really brought their A-game throughout. I think it’s safe to say this is the record we’re all most proud of.” Since forming in the early 2000s, AST has reimagined the jazz guitar trio, melding influences as far-reaching as Wes Montgomery, Black Sabbath, Prince, tango, calypso, and Western swing. Known for their adventurous covers of rock and metal classics, they’ve earned praise from outlets like Billboard, Downbeat, Jazziz, The Village Voice, and NPR, and have toured internationally, captivating audiences from Norway’s Larvik Guitar Festival to Paris’s The Olympia and New York’s Radio City Music Hall.
PROVE YOU’RE NOT A ROBOT promises to be a bold addition to the AST legacy — as engaging for jazz aficionados as it is for rock fans curious about the inventive, genre-bending journey of Testament original guitarist Alex Skolnick.
Album Release Date: November 7, 2025 First Single “Breakdown” Release Date: September 12, 2025
PROVE YOU’RE NOT A ROBOT Tracklist
Parallel Universe
Armondo’s Mood
Infinite Hotel
Prove You’re Not A Robot
Guiding Ethos
Breakdown
The Polish Goodbye
Asking For A Friend
AST on Tour September 30 - New York, NY, The Cutting Room (Album launch party) November 15 - Montreal, QB, Piranha Bar November 16 – Ottawa, ON, Brass Monkey November 17 – Pittsburgh, PA. City Winery November 19 – Detroit, MI, Token Lounge November 20 – Chicago, IL. Reggie’s November 21 – Cleveland, OH, Irishtown Bend Tap Room November 22 – Buffalo, NY, Nietzsche’s November 23 – Anniville, PA, The Allen Theatre 2026 January 8 – The Woodlands, TX, Dosey Doe January 9 – McKinney, TX, Guitar Sanctuary January 11 – San Antonio, TX, Fitzgerald’s January 13 – Los Angeles, CA, Baked Potato January 14 – Sacramento, CA, Harlow’s January 15 – Seattle, WA, Funhouse January 16 – Portland, OR, Jack London Revue January 17 – Redding, CA, The Dip January 18 – Mill Valley, CA, Sweetwater Music Hall Alex Skolnick Trio is: Alex Skolnick – Guitar Matt Zebroski – DrumsNathan Peck - Bass
Hit-making guitarist Mike Scott—who’s worked with everyone from Justin Timberlake to Janet Jackson—showed up in Minneapolis from his hometown of D.C. and started snatching everyone’s gigs. Soon, he ended up at Paisley Park, jamming with the man himself and joining his band, New Power Generation.
This masterful storyteller joins 100 Guitarists to talk all things Prince, cracking us up along the way with firsthand recollections of playing onstage and in the studio, the only time he played the “Purple Rain” solo live, and some insight on Prince and his gear.
What was already a standout moment of this year's Wacken Open Air, the world's largest metal festival, turned into something even bigger when legendary guitarist Michael Schenker pulled a surprise no one saw coming. The architect of hard rock used the world's loudest stage to announce that a brand new Michael Schenker Group studio album, titled Don't Sell Your Soul, will be released on October 3 via earMUSIC.
To mark the occasion, Schenker and his band closed the show with a world-exclusive live premiere of the new album's title track — a powerful encore that took the Wacken crowd by surprise and was met with instant enthusiasm on the muddy festival fields. You can now listen to the new track HERE.
Don't Sell Your Soul is the second part of an album trilogy that began with 2024's My Years With UFO. This will be the first studio album for MSG since Universal in 2022.
The album was produced by Michael Schenker and Michael Voss, and recorded with Schenker's longtime allies: Bodo Schopf (drums), Barend Courbois (bass), and Steve Mann (guitar, keys). On vocals: the impeccable Erik Grönwall (Skid Row, H.E.A.T) – undoubtedly one of the finest rock voices of his generation. Guest appearances on vocals by Robin McAuley, Dimitri "Lia" Liapakis, and Michael Voss round out the cast.
The Michael Schenker Group was formed in 1979 and has released 12 studio albums with many different members over the years, with Schenker the only constant presence.
Michael Schenker played in the rock band UFO and leads the Michael Schenker Group (MSG). He was an early member of the hard rock band Scorpions, a band co-founded by his elder brother Rudolf Schenker.
Michael Schenker is regarded as one of the most influential guitarists of the 1970s, and is widely known as a legendary figure in the history of metal guitar.
Michael Schenker is an undisputed living legend and it is time to sell your soul with MSG. Let us know what you think! Michael IS doing a limited amount of interviews so let's talk and see what we can set up!
Re-live classic Rig Rundowns from Tool’s Justin Chancellor, Pantera’s Rex Brown, Tim Commerford (RATM/Prophets of Rage), MonoNeon (Prince), and other road-tested pros as they reveal the routing, wah/whammy tricks, delay math, and looping workflows that truly hold up onstage.