Deadly Axe.com

Guitar Grip Guitar Hangers

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:55:00 +0000

I think most of us can truly say that we do not put a lot of thought into guitar hangers. One important thing to remember is to avoid hangers that can damage your guitar's finish such as hangers made with silicone. Silicone will eat the nitro right off your vintage Martin!

Well, now it's time to think of (and save for) really kick ass hangers for your guitars. The good guys at Guitar Grip game up with these injection molded guitar hangers that look just like a hand coming from your wall. The GS1 series starts off at $39.99 and provides you with a high quality metallic painted hand.

My favorite is the hand painted "Undead Fred Guitar Grip." Although pricy at $89.99, it could easily be the special hanger to take that special guitar to the level of "Deadly Axe."

Guitar Grip also offers female hands for the lady Shredders out there and they even offer left hand models for all you folks that got it wrong somewhere along the way.

Win promotional "Tree of Life" inlaid pickguard from VanWhy Inlay& Design

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 22:11:00 +0000

Aaron VanWhy, long time Martin Custom Shop inlay artist recently launched an inlay business and as a friend and co-worker of his, I thought I'd pass on this awesome opportunity to win a Dreadnaught sized "Tree of Life" inlaid pickguard. You can choose between one inlaid with maple and abalone or one inlaid with koa and abalone. Both are finished and ready for shipment. Won't cost you a dime to enter either. Just check out his Facebook and sign up for the promotional give away. To enter click here!

Arron does traditional inlay with hand tools as well as intricate cnc inlay designs using a shop bot CNC. Both methods offer excellent quality and craftsmanship!

Reverend "Ron Asheton"

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:50:00 +0000

You may not know who Ron Asheton was (Stooges) but that doesn't matter if you want a killer guitar with classic looks and unique tones. As most guitarists, I've always loved the Flying V shape originated by Gibson. Just like most Gibson shapes, the Flying V has been replicated with just about every spin possible. However, one constant has typically been the overly powerful humbucker pickups. This means you will likely experience predictable tone

The Reverend Ron Asheton signature series guitar strays away from the humbucker doldrums and offers you three...YES THREE p90 pickups! If that isn't enough for you, the body is made of Korina. This harkens back to the early days of the Flying V. Korina has a similar tone to mahogany. Paired with the p90 pickups, the Ron Asheton will scream!

Throw in locking tuners and a graphite nut and you can't go wrong with this signature guitar...even if you are a hater of signature guitars!

LTD Graphic Series

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 14:39:00 +0000

If you have been a fan of Kirk Hammett's Boris Karloff Mummy graphic ESP guitar or even his Ouija graphic ESP guitar you will likely fall in love with ESP's new LTD series graphic guitars. My personal favorite from this new series is the Vincent Price guitar complete with the pendulum fretboard inlay.

Unfortunately for Kirk addicts, LTD is not offering any of his custom graphics within this series. Also disappointing is the fact that you cannot purchase a Kirk graphic guitar within the signature series either. If you must have an authentic graphic, you might have to hit your local stores to find a trade-in. If you aren't that picky and you simply want a killer guitar, such as this Bella Dracula graphic, ESP LTD has what you want!

Tomahawk "Odd Fellows"

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:26:00 +0000

If you were a fan of the Mike Patton era Faith No More but you couldn't quite grasp Mr. Bungle or if you were the exact opposite, you should like Tomahawk. Tomahawk has been Mike Patton's "All-star" lineup band where he has consistently mixed the best of FNM and Bungle.

This has never been more evident than on their new release titled, "Odd Fellows." If you enjoyed Bungle's "California" album or Faith No More's "King For a Day" you will absolutely love this airy Mike Patton offering. This is clearly a return for Mike from the pop rock or Spanish albums he has released over the last few years. I for one as a life long Patton fan and seriously happy about this! Thank you Mike and the rest of the gang for a great album.

Martin Custom Shop D14 Koa Acoustic Guitar

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:48:00 +0000

I'm pleased to announce my new C.F. Martin & Co. Custom Shop D14 exceptionally flamed Koa acoustic guitar. This guitar was 6 months and 1 day in the making and easily lives up to the long wait! When I ordered this guitar I focused on woods that will be very limited, if not impossible to obtain around 10 to 20 years from now. When you spend this much on a guitar, you should be thinking about the investment possibilities as well as the tonal possibilities.

I also wanted a Martin that no other person has. For a fact, I now have that Martin. This is the first Martin with a 9 piece neck. Yes, the neck is 9 pieces. Maple, Koa, Walnut, Koa, Maple, Koa, Walnut, Koa Maple. The Claro walnut rosette is the same size as the rosette that you find on the Martin OMC Cherry (Which I also own.)

Now onto the specifications:

Top and Sides: Exceptionally Flamed Koa

Back: Exceptionally Flamed Koa with a highly flamed European Maple wedge

Mahogany Dovetail front block and mahogany rear block

Sitka unscalloped braces

Grade 4 Ebony Fretboard (25.4" Scale)

Grade 4 Ebony belly bridge with black pins (white dots)

Claro Walnut binding and purfling with maple fiber (dyed black) inlay on the binding and purfling

Abalone C.F. Martin Inlay on the Performing Artist style squared off headstock. Complete with exceptionally flamed Koa headplate

Gotoh Chrome tuners with ebony tuner knobs

Bone nut and bridge saddle

Now, onto some pictures. This level of flame is very hard to capture in pictures. I have not been able to obtain pictures that live up to the quality of this finely crafted instrument. However, I'm looking into professional pictures. If I go that route, I'll be sure to update this post.

You might notice that there is a complete lack of inlay on the fretboard. I have contacted Aaron VanWhy to complete some inlay on the fretboard for me. Aaron was recently promoted from the Martin Custom shop to a management position so I was not sure that he would complete the inlay on my custom guitar. Aaron does custom inlays for guitars and just about any other thing you could possibly inlay. Since he's the best inlay artist that Martin has, I'm taking the guitar directly to him for my inlay work.

LTD Elite From ESP

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 15:53:00 +0000

I've had the fortune to own a couple ESP guitars in the past and I've always thought that they represent the best quality Japan has to offer in the mid-priced to high end guitar market. For many, justifying a couple grand for a guitar from Japan is hard to do. I've also owned several LTD guitars built by ESP. Although lesser quality, often these guitars compete well against larger manufacturers such as Fender and Gibson guitars that list higher in price. I'm happy to see that ESP has come up with a solution for the customer that wants a litter more for less price. The LTD Elite guitar line is manufactured at the same plant as the ESP branded equipment by the same builders. This seems like a great solution. I hope it bodes well for both ESP and their customer base! Read more at the ESP website.

First Guitar for My Daughter

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:03:00 +0000

My nine-year old daughter has decided that she wants to learn how to play guitar! To keep costs down, I'm buying her a Douglas Les Paul copy that we will hot-rod together with a new set of electronics, Seymour Duncan pickups and an upgraded set of tuners. I've always been a huge supporter of Agile Guitars and from what I understand, Douglas guitars are made in the same plant as the Agile series. I'd get an Agile but they don't make them in "little girl hot pink." I'll post a picture of it once I get the mods done ! If you have not heard of Agile guitars, check out Rondo Music. He'll hook you up!

Although I wish my oldest son, who is a six years old would show some interest in the guitar, he seems more interested in shooting guns, like his Pappy does. So, instead of buying him a guitar like his big sister, we are going to invest in one of those Airsoft guns so he can learn to shoot and learn to be responsible with a weapon. We think this is a better place to start than with an actual firearm.

My youngest son.... well, he's a video game junkie already....Maybe I'll just buy him Guitar Hero LOL!

Yamaha Commercial LS9-32

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:25:00 +0000

What do you get when you combine 32 digital mixing channels with 8 matrix busses and 4 stereo input channels? You get the Yamaha LS9-30 channel digital mixer. (also available in a 64 channel version.) If you thought Yamaha just made dirt bikes and drums, you are highly mistaken. Yamaha is a leader in the digital recording industry, offering high quality products at a price far less than its counterparts. It offers 34-bit recording as well as RCA, TRS and XLR connectors to ensure you can connect all of your hardware. It interfaces nicely with Pro-tools and with computer based software like Garage Band and Sonar. If you are in the market for a new mixer, you can't go wrong with this Yamaha Digital Mixer available from Muzeek World.

Schecter Ultra III Pawn Shop Special

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:47:00 +0000

Yesterday I received an email about the Schecter Ultra III Pawn Shop Special. Schecter, known for building metal inspired guitars, has manufactured a guitar more for the ZZ Top and Led Zeppelin crowd. Although the gold hardware puts me off a bit, I'm liking the shape and design of this axe. My only question is in regards the marketing. Calling this a pawn shop guitar does not install a great sense of confidence in the product. Just my two cents.

Late night TV

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:42:00 +0000

Thanks for the guest post by Eugene Fulton

Ever since we got DIRECT TV, my husband cannot come to bed early. We usually go to bed around 9:30 or 10:00pm because my husband has to get up at 5:30am for work and our kids never sleep past 8:00am. I noticed that my husband had been sleeping through his alarm a few times, which was unlike him. Then I noticed that he was either coming to bed late or getting back up after he thought I was asleep.

I asked him what he was doing one night and he admitted that he loves all of the music channels that we have and had gotten in the bad habit of watching shows late at night. A couple of nights he fell asleep watching his show and I had to go get him and tell him to come to bed. I actually love to watch TV before I go to bed. I think it is relaxing to watch TV in bed, but my husband prefers to watch TV on the couch because our big screen TV is in our family room. If he would watch TV in bed instead of the family room, then I would not have to go find him in the middle of the night.

Triple Shot Switching Mounting Ring

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:35:00 +0000

Put this one into the "why didn't I think of this" column. If you have a guitar that you want to modify but you do not want to make permanent holes for additional switching needs, installing a set of these Triple Shot Switching Mounting Rings from Seymour Duncan will give you everything you need and still allow you to go back to the original wiring if needed. I'll be ordering a set when I made a few mods on my my Les Paul.

More Sabbath Drama!

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:05:00 +0000

I'm all about making money but when will metal get back to being metal....

Bill Ward threatens to quit Sabbath... instead of actually growing a pair and just quitting!

Wireless Alarm

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:11:00 +0000

Contribution by Saul Martin

Have you ever considered getting an alarm system on your house only to find out that to have it monitored you also have to get a home phone? I recently was investigating getting a system and was talking to a company that only offered monitoring on homes with hard line phones in them. I think this is kind of crazy considering hardly anyone I know, besides my grandmother, has a hard line phone anymore. Of course businesses do because they kind of have to but to not offer an option for someone who only has mobile or cell phones available to them? That is craziness.

I started looking in to the whole thing a little closer and I found out that adt security Aurora offers an option to have the monitoring calls be routed to my wireless device. So now I can have my alarm system monitored and not have to pay to get a hard line phone in my home for only the purpose of the alarm system. What a great invention and way for me to feel safe even when away from my home.

Create Your Own Tone

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 20:33:00 +0000

I recently came across a blog hosted by Seymour Duncan where the poster helps people out by listing small DIY guitar effects projects such as overdrive boxes and delay boxes. He also does a great job of discussing different concepts that can help you broaden your tonal capabilities without investing in a modeling system or expensive recording software. The blog is called, "Tone Fiend" and it's worth a read or two.

Far Away

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:20:00 +0000

Guest written by our friend Mason Abbott

Being so far away from y extended family has been much more difficult than I thought it would be. I got CLEAR 4G and a big batch of greeting cards when I moved in because I thought I’d be sending the occasional birthday card and a few emails here and there but as it turns out I’ve been on the phone with my parents just about every night.

I really miss the big family dinnerswe used to have and being so close to my siblings…it turns out they know me better than anyone else and that’s a comforting thought for me to have, you know? I wish that I had realized before I moved away what a big part of my life my family really was but I guess I was in denial because I wanted independence and to strike out on my own. I wish I had known ahead of time what things would be like here on my own but I didn’t so for now I’ve got to keep on keeping on.

RIP Cory Smoot

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 23:47:00 +0000

Just days before the new release of their newest album, Lead guitarist for GWAR, Cory Smoot, AKA, Flattus Maximus was found dead on his tour bus just before crossing into Canada. At this writing, his cause of death is unknown. RIP!

Moving Here

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 22:12:00 +0000

Guest post of the week by Ferdinand Livingston

When I first moved here I was really lonely. I came here for a job and to be honest, I didn’t know anyone so it was tough for me to go out or eat dinner with people or whatever. The people at my job were nice but they were much older and I just had a hard time making friends. I watched a lot of TV on my CannonSatellite.com and I did a lot of upgrades to my adorable little house, so that kept me busy, but after about 6 months I knew I needed to do something to make some friends. I joined an adult kickball league and I decided to start volunteering at a church near my house and that really opened the floodgates. People were coming at me left and right and they were all so friendly and nice! I’m just loving it here now that I’m really part of a community and I know that people would miss me if I were to move. That’s the sign!

Tone Fiend

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:58:00 +0000

Tone Fiend is a new blog hosted by Seymour Duncan. As long as you don't mind the occasional plug for Seymour Duncan products, it's a great blog for enhancing your tone. The owner posts projects such as DIY distortion boxes that you can build at your kitchen table. Check it out, it's a great read!

Welcome 2 My Nightmare Review

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 14:03:00 +0000

I’ve had this album for a couple of weeks and I’ve given it several honest listens. Now with that said, let me give you some background information on my love affair with Alice Cooper. Alice, to me is simply the greatest singer, front man and character in music PERIOD! When my friends were listening to Guns N’ Roses, I was listening to Pretties for You, which is Alice Cooper’s freshman release (We’re talking 1969 people!) I have idolized Alice since I was a very small child. Hell, I even had a cow skull hanging above my bed for years that was painted to look like Alice. To me the world of rock starts and will end with Alice Cooper. Currently I have 361 Alice Cooper songs on my computer. I also have most of these songs on Album and CD. This represents every song released by Alice since 1969. I listen to his catalogue at least once per month from start to finish.

Now, when I heard that Alice was brining in the producer that produced the original “Welcome to My Nightmare” album as well as many original band members to shore up the music, I was a bit more than excited. When I heard the album, I was less than excited.

Remember when Alice reinvented himself in the 1990s, with Desmond Child at the helm? Trash put Alice back in front of rock but then he faded again. As huge as Trash was, it never really seemed like Alice. He even released an industrial album called, Brutal Planet but it came a bit too late since the Rob Zombie’s of the world had fallen to pop music. Well, I should have prepared myself for what was to come! When “Eyes of Alice Cooper” came out, I was stoked! It was the 1970s Alice at his best. The songs rocked, had humor and really stood on their own. Therefore, I was hopeful when I heard about the return of WTMN.

Auto tune? Yes, Auto Tune starts off this album with a limp attempt to cash in on alternative rock that’s so popular these days. It reminded me of Kid Rock…which is funny since they are both from the same hometown. Unfortunately, it didn’t get any better from there. Alice decided to put a Disco song…which sounds a bit too much like disco. Then….Ke$ha made an appearance. Now Alice has done a few duets, one of which I actually liked was with Xhibit, which was released on Dirty Diamonds. My wife, which is Ke$ha fan even thought this was crap.

Now, this album isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever heard. In fact, it has a few “destined” to be classics such as “Last Man on Earth” but it falls way short of the hype.

Alice, this is what I am begging you to do… You threw out an album called, “Alice Does Alice” and it was cool because you updated a few classics with a fresh sound. Now, go back and listen to “Pretties for You” re-record that album with your current sound, release it and then go to the bank with a huge check! Just don’t use any freaking auto tune please!

Now I'm off to listen to a little "Freak Out."

1985 Wants Their 3-Wheelers Back

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:22:00 +0000

Incase you don’t know…my family loved motorcycles and ATVs. Recently, I’ve been contemplating buying an old ATV and restoring it for my kids. While doing some online research on ATV supplies, I came across this old video for a 1985 Honda 3-wheeler. How does an ATV commercial relate to a blog about guitarists you ask?

Well, apparently you didn’t listen to that awesome 80’s soundtrack to the commercial. Seriously, that was horrible! However, it signifies just how long the world of rock n’ roll has been a part of the motorcycle and ATV sub culture. It’s funny because I’ve been on an Alice Cooper kick as of late. I was listening to his freshman album, “Pretties for You,” which used to be the official album of a prestigious, if not infamous motorcycle club. I’ll leave that one up to you to figure out!

I Saw the Light This Morning

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:06:00 +0000

I’m in the basement this morning sitting on my Euro lounger futon, blankly staring at the picture in the photo cube vase sitting on the end-table. The picture is of a guitar I no longer own. I have a couple of pictures of guitars I no longer own leaning up again an old yellow table lamp when it dawns on me…I’m a guitar junky. I spend money on a guitar, play it for a month, get tired of it and then sell it for a loss.

I sat there and tried to think of all the guitars I’ve owned, just like some playboy probably sits round thinking of all the women he’s dated over the years. Some guitars I could care less about and wouldn’t miss if you paid me. However, I really miss my Cavalera Signature guitar. I also miss the Steve Vai signature guitar. I sold that guitar to get money up for my Mustang… the Mustang I no longer own.

I think it’s time that I seriously seek some professional help for my guitar addiction…well, off to Guitar Center I go!

"I'm With You" Review

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:30:00 +0000

The new Red Hot Chili Peppers album "I'm With You" dropped on the market recently and after listening to the album; to me it is devoid of any good guitar riffs just like John Frusciante’s mouth is devoid of any teeth. After Frusciante had to find a dentist in 1998 to have his teeth yanked out due to an oral infection, he returned to RHCP and released some of his best work.

Unfortunately, he left the band and in came replacement, Josh Klinghoffer, who looks about 20-years younger than his elders and his playing experience seems to mirrors his youth. Gone are the driving riffs and the experimental tones that complemented the rhythm section.

Sadly, most of the bands I adored in the 1990s have recently released a string of very disappointing albums. I think I might need a dentist soon because listening to some of my old favorites has become more like pulling teeth.

Smashing a Perfectly Good Guitar

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 00:17:00 +0000

I'm not one to watch television very often but I had it on earlier today and the show Scrubs came on. All of a sudden I see this dude in scrubs clothing take this other dude's acoustic guitar and smash it. I don't really know the back story or the characters but it reminded me of a gimmick a friend used to do in her stage show.

She played guitar in a glam-rock band and when they used to sing Dr. Feelgood, she would come out on stage wearing scrubs she got from http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Women/ and then smash a cheap Samick guitar she'd get for less than $50.00. The crowd loved it but as the song "perfectly good guitar goes" you should never smash a perfectly good guitar.

Went to a Party Last Saturday Night

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:48:00 +0000

I was invited to a close friend's house last week for an extended jam session in Texas. He has the party every year but this is the first time I've been in a position to go. I jumped on a plane and headed West for an extended party! Nothing wrong with that!

The stay was eventful to say the least but not in the party sort-of-way. I stayed in the guest room, which doubles has his cat's room. Well apparently my arrival disturbed his cat greatly and when I woke up all I could smell was cat pee. It was horrible! Before my buddy even woke up, I went http://www.thesteamteam.com/ on my Blackberry and called a cat pee odor removal Austin based company to come in before the party to clean things up.

Later in the morning, just after starting our first jam, it was time to call the carpet cleaner company again after I turned around and smacked about 4 bottles of beer off my amplifier and onto his couch and floor. It created quite a foamy mess.

Fortunately, the came company that came that afternoon to clean the cat pee offered to clean up the massive beer spill all over his white carpet. After that, the event went off without a hitch. I got to play a lot of killer guitars and had a lot of fun doing it. I hope I get an invite next year! I won't tick off the cat or spill everyone's beer, I promise.