As far as I can tell, however, many ugly but successful people take pride in their cutting edge looks. In fact, some would even say that there is a fine line between the beautiful and the not so, especially since beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

And hell, if there are ugly but successful rockers out there, then the rest of us with obvious aesthetic short comings have a real shot at making it big, too. So for your enjoyment and encouragement, I bring you this list of the ugliest successful rockers out there. Learn, live and be proud of your ugly face.

#20: Vinnie Vincent of Kiss

He’s at the bottom of the list because, quite frankly, he’s not that bad looking. What puts Vinnie on my list, actually, is how long his face looks with so much white make up all over it. His once long, thick, curly hair didn’t make things any better, either.

#19: Ian Hill of Judas Priest

Ian Hill is another gentleman who just can’t make it at the top of the ugly list. While the deep grooves in his face combined with his small, brown eyes and ratty hair do make him quite rough and rugged in looks, Ian was once a good looking man.

#18: King Diamond of Mercyful Fate

When you wear as much make up as King Diamond does, it’s hard to tell what you really look like. This is why I’ve placed him at #18. He certainly is ugly when he’s entertaining but I wonder what he looks like fresh out of bed.

#17: Jim Martin of Faith No More

It’s difficult to see in older pictures of Jim Martin, where his hair begins and ends. And behind all that mighty mass of black fluff, there is only the unknown. So Jim goes down on my list for ugly, however talented rockers.

#16: Joey Ramone

Because he is of another generation, I won’t place Joey near the top of my Ugly Rockers list. Instead, he’ll rest gently at #16 for his incredibly long, drawn out face and dark hair, thick brows and blackened eyes.

#15: Elton John

Certainly not the ugliest man you’ve ever seen and certainly no hard rockin’ dude, but there’s still something about Elton that earns him ugly status. Even when he was young and thinner, the chubby faced blonde with that ridiculous space between his teeth is just awful. I will never understand why a man of his stature and with his wealth would never fix those teeth…or has he? I haven’t noticed.

#14: Niko McBrain of Iron Maiden

I have a profound respect for Niko McBrain because he is the nerd who actually became cool. If there ever was a smart but ugly man who knew how to thrash and wail, it’s Niko. Enough said.

#13: Lenny Kilmister of Motorhead

Not only has years of smoking and rocking hard left that old man look on Lenny’s face, but he also sports these very large moles on his face that you just can’t help but stare at. They’re mesmerizing, really.

#12: Tom Petty

I would consider Tom Petty to be one of the most gorgeous, ugly old men I have ever seen. He has the most amazing, piercing blue eyes and that soft, pale, baby skin. The truth is, however, that his skin has aged and his mouth was never pretty to begin with. Tom has large teeth that face forward a bit too much. Nonetheless, he’s an amazing rocker.

#11: Neil Young

Being of a younger generation, I will never truly know whether or not Neil was pretty when he was young. Pun intended. I do, however, know that now, he looks a bit like some leather that’s been left out too long. Never could I say that I wouldn’t stare and watch him play, though.

#10: Ace Frehley of Kiss
Does anybody really know what Ace Frehley looks like?

#9: Dee Snyder

Woah! Dee Schnauzer is more like it! He’s amazing and women love his long hair but you could probably hang a Christmas ornament from that nose of his.

#8: Udo Dirkshneider of U.D.O.

I really want to respect Udo, I do. But I can’t help but notice he looks like an Oompa Loompa. The man is just short, stout and round. It’s a good thing he’s damn good at what he does.

#7: Marilyn Manson

Being an amazing artist who is mainly self taught and bursting with natural talent does not change the fact that Marilyn Manson is hideous. That elongated face, those bones bursting through his skin and all that make up and dread make him exactly what he wants to be.

#6: Mick Jagger

If he were a god, the people could make rivers of his wrinkles. Amazing rocker or not, this man’s face displays years of abuse and trauma. I have to admit, however, that he’s an awesome performer and so much fun to watch.

#5: Steven Tyler of Aerosmith

Beautiful eyes and an exotic mouth don’t hide those lines and that beanpole face. Steven Tyler’s features are still haunting, though and almost beautiful. Which is why he sits pretty at number 5. He’s not actually ugly at all–he’s cutting edge, I think.

#4: Shane MacGowan of Pogues

While paying homage to the difficult life and experiences that Shane has gone through, we still have to put him on the list. He has told his fans that he plans to fix his teeth this year but until I see recent photos, I have to put him at #4. For all of his binge drinking and the loss of his teeth, Shane is just not a good looking guy though he is a great musician.

#3: Iggy Pop

Again with the gorgeous eyes and marked up face. Iggy looks icky and I think he’s totally comfortable with that. While it’s difficult to find photos of most ugly rockers online, there’s never an opportunity missed for an Iggy photo.

#2: Michael Jackson

It had to be done. Michael, though his music does not fit the genre of Rock and Roll, had to be at the top of my Ugly Rockers List. Years of rumored genetic degrading skin conditions combined with far too many surgeries has left the musician mutilated and looking like an alien. It’s devastating, the affect of the aesthetic pressure on entertainment industry professionals.

#1: Billy Milano of S.O.D./M.O.D.
Because I’m told that his attitude and demeanor match that of how he looks, I’ve placed Billy Milano at the top of my list. With a reputation for not bathing as well as having a foul mouth without cause, Billy Milano is not a rocker to be proud of and, therefore, is the Number One Ugliest Rocker of All Time.

Reflections

No matter how ugly any of these men really are, nothing can stop the fact that they are successful and on top of the world in some way. In fact, many of the rockers on this list have been awarded for their work and are revered worldwide, still selling out on tours. So find comfort in your own skin no matter how it looks. Success does not have to be dictated by appearance

For more information about ugly rockers or for photos, do a google search on ugly rockers. Rock on!

Currently Ibanez offers 19 different models in their Prestige Series which is not only moderately affordable but packs some punch in performance. From their solid shape and design to the fine glossy finish they wear, Ibanez guitars are among the best and the Prestige lines prove it.

Not many Ibanez models are stocked on shelves at rock bottom prices but, because they last forever, you get more than what you pay for. Plus Ibanez are also known for their diversity and versatility in purchasing power.

FR Prestige
The FR Prestige is only one model–a serious axe for those who just want tradition. No whammy bar, no strange shapes or special necks. Just a solid body made of Ash, 22 standard Jumbo frets, a Rosewood fingerboard, a CCR1 neck pickup and a CCR2 bridge pick up. This baby comes in black or red and runs around $950 online. It’s an axe that will last a long time.

RG Prestige
The RG Prestige offers many solid body electric guitar models, mostly made of Basswood, to satisfy the differing needs of the artists who demand them. One is never better than the next–only different in price, shape, features or hardware. So here are all of them for you to decide yourself which is best for your own needs:

• RG1527: This 7 string, solid Basswood body guitar has serious sound and play in mind. It features 22 Jumbo frets and a Rosewood Fingerboard but is particularly special for its Edge Pro 7 bridge, Ibanez custom pickups; IBZ V7 and V8 neck and bridge pickups, and comes in a wicked blue color. They run around $850 online, which is a deal.
• RG1570 and RG1570L (for lefties): Another solid Basswood body style with extraordinary feel, this axe also bares the Jumbo frets, a Rosewood fingerboard, an Edge Pro bridge and Ibanez custom pickups. The difference: 3 pickups–the IBZ V7 neck, IBZ S1 mid and the IBZ V8 bridge. It comes in Candy Apple, Black and Mirage Blue. You can get one online for $750 to $800.
• RG2228: This 8 string guitar is another beautiful solid body axe made of Basswood with Jumbo frets and Rosewood fingerboard. It also has, however, a Fixed Edge III-8 bridge, EMG 808 pickups and comes in black only. Magnificent. They cost between $1400 and $2000 online.
• RG2550Z: This unique solid body Basswood features a Bound Rosewood Fingerboard instead of standard, and has so much to offer. It comes with an Edge Zero bridge and custom DiMarzio Ibanez pickups at the neck, mid and bridge. It’s a gorgeous sounding, almost vintage guitar and shines in Galaxy White and Galaxy Black. They range in price between $900 and $1800 online, some used, some new, some customized.
• RG2570Z: This is another great guitar featuring the solid Basswood and Bound Rosewood fingerboard and the Jumbo frets. Another unique feature are the Wedge sharktooth inlays instead of the pearl dots. Made for serious shredding, this axe comes with custom DiMarzio Ibanez pickups at the neck, mid and bridge. The 2570Z is also very attractive and comes in both Vital Gold and Vital Silver. You can get one online for around $900.
• RG2610: Very similar to the 2570Z, the 2610Z comes in the standard Basswood body, Jumbo frets and bound Rosewood. It’s quality, however, is in it’s Edge Zero bridge and Seymour Duncan TB10 bridge pickup. Because it’s made to scream and shout, it only comes in black. They cost between $1000 and $1400 online and in stores.
• RG3520Z: For a change of pace in wood, this axe is a solid body made of Mahogany and a tripple-flamed Maple top. It sports the standard Prestige Jumbo frets, a Rosewood fingerboard, Edge Zero bridge and custom DiMarzio Ibanez pickups at the neck and bridge. The sound of this guitar, I am told, is like wailing in the mountains. Perhaps that’s why it only comes in Himalayan Black. These axes start at $1800 online and can cost up to $2200 in stores.
• RGR1570: Another solid Basswood body with Jumbo frets and a Rosewood fingerboard, you would expect the ordinary. This awesome axe, however, features the Edge Pro bridge, custom Ibane pickups: IBZ v7 at the neck, IBZ S1 at mid and IBZ V8 at the bridge. To show that it stands out from the rest, the finish is called Suede Black because it is not a high gloss finish. Thrilling. They cost around $850 online, making them a steal.
• RGT320Z: For those who want the high end equipment but without needing 3 pickups, the T320Z is perfect. It comes in a Mahogany solid body with triple flamed Quilted Maple top, Abalone Small Dot inlays, an Edge Zero bridge and custom DiMarzio Ibanez pickups at the neck and bridge. The finish is a gorgeous red with splashes of cat-like stripes lightly scattered throughout the finish. Very nice and priced at around $2300.

RGA Prestige
This line of guitars focuses on the solid Mahogany body and offers only Gibralter bridges. Gibralter bridges are known for being sturdy, long lasting and having a very Ibanez-standard sound in tone, clarity and resonance.

• RGA121: Besides the Mahogany body and Maple top with Jumbo frets and a Rosewood fingerboard, this axe comes with the Gibralter Plus bridge and custom IBZ V7 and V8 pickups at the neck and bridge. It comes in a very interesting Natural Flat and Violin Flat color. You can find one online for $900.
• RGA121H: Another beautiful Mahogany body with Jumbo frets and the Rosewood fretboard, this axe seems normal. Then you realize it comes with a Gibralter Plus bridge, V7 and V8 IBZ pickups at the neck and bridge and sports a gorgeous burgundy color called Crushed Dark Ruby. It’s absolutely gorgeous and feels good in your hands. Most sites sell them at $950.
• RGA321F: A little fancier than it’s sister, this guitar comes with a Mahogany body, tripple flamed Maple top, a Rosewood fingerboard, Gibralter Plus bridge and custom DiMarzio IBZ pickups at the neck and bridge. Wow. And it only comes in Black Onyx. $1500 online.

S Prestige
The S Prestige line makes you wonder if the S is for strange. They come in incredibly interesting makes and colors which enhance the actual grain of the wood used for making the guitar. Their hardware, of course, is top notch and most of the S Prestige line come with DiMarzio custom Ibanez pickups.

• S2170FB: Equipped with a Mahogany solid body, Figured Bubinga top, Jumbo frets and bound Rosewood fingerboard, this guitar is still anything but standard. It is a beautiful auburn color and sports the grain of the wood amidst custom DiMarzio IBZ pickups at the neck, mid and bridge. The color is called Natural Flat. Wonderful. $1300 online.
• S2170FW: What sets this guitar apart is the Poplar Burl top that makes this Mahogany solid body with Jumbo frets and DiMarzio IBZ pickups at the neck, mid and bridge, so beautiful. The finish is still called Natural Flat. Also $1300 online.
• S2170SE: Just the same as it’s sister above, the only thing that differs in this guitar is the Swirled Ebony top. The same natural grain can be seen in the wood when looking closely at this beautiful black guitar. Sells like its sisters for $1300 online.
• S5470: The usual Mahogany body, Jumbo frets and Rosewood fingerboard are not what set this lovely piece apart. In fact, this guitar is strangely different from the rest in it’s line. It sports the natural Mahogany finish, which they call Satin Oil, though it also comes in Transparent Black Sunburst, but it doesn’t stop there. The S5470 comes with a ZR2 bridge, an HGD1 neck pickup, ST1 mid pickup and HGD2 bridge pickup. Interestingly odd but awesome nonetheless. I played on one of these at a buddies house and fell in love with it.

SV Prestige
The SV Prestige line is incredibly special because of how much amp it puts out. This is a machine made for the more serious shredder or effects player. They resonate like no other you’ve heard and sounds quite unique.

• SV5470A: This axe has a Mahogany body and natural Ash top which gives it a unique yellow wood look. It has the usual Jumbo frets with Bound Rosewood. The bridge, however is a SynchroniZR bridge and the pickups are amazing. The neck comes with an IBZ True-Duo Blast pickup, the mid comes with an ST1 and the bridge is an IBZ True-Duo Blast pickup. The finish is called Honey Gold. $1100-$1400 online and in stores.
• SV5470F: There is no real difference between these two axes than the finish and top. The F version is fitted with a flamed Maple top and a Blue finish called Natural Blue. $1300 online.

Ibanez
With so much selection and great hardware, the positive reputation of Ibanez is not surprising. What is, however, is the crisp, clear and sometimes warm sound of their amazing axes.

I admit that there are bigger, better guitars out there with a heftier price tag and a famous name on them. But nothing beats the tried and true reliability of an Ibanez guitar with your needs in mind. For more information about Ibanez or the Prestige Series, check out their site at www.ibanez.com.

His guitars are equipped with the highest quality woods, hardware and finishes and are known all over the world.

They have a hard, uniqpe and aggressive sound and have been granted many awards for different models. These guitars are also very pretty and their quality exceeds their reputation.

Paul Reed Smith

Paul Reed Smith was born on February 18, 1956 in Bowie, Maryland, where he was born and raised. While attending St. Mary’s College of Maryland, he found himself to be a decent luthier and craftsman, receiving his highest marks in his various shop classes.

After college, Paul continued making guitars one by one, sometimes feeling overwhelmed that he could never make them fast enough. To market them and get his name out, Paul would hang out at the back of concert halls and clubs to hang out with roadies of local and big bands. Persistent in his game, he was able to sell one every once in a while and eventually had a long list of orders to fill. His biggest break was when Derek St. Holmes of the Ted Nugent Band tried one out.

The PRS SC250 Electric Guitar

The SC250 is the latest in model changes for the 25 inch scale Singlecut that PRS puts out. The difference? A much more intense treble pickup, an adjustable Stoptail bridge for heavy strings and the ability to ‘tune down’ the guitar for more modern sounds and fades. It also comes in an amazing 27 colors and sports some excellent PRS custom hardware. Here are your specs:

Body

• Carved Singlecut solid Mahogany back
• Carved Singlecut solid Flamed or Quilted Maple top

Neck

• 22 frets
• Mahogany base
• Rosewood fretboard
• Wide neck for ease in string depression

Hardware

• PRS custom adjustable Stoptail
• SC 250 truss rod cover
• PRS 14:1 Low Mass locking tuners
• PRS 250 Treble and Bass pickups
• Volume and tone control on each pickup
• 3 way toggle selector

Why and Where to Get One
The PRS SC250 is an excellent machine that will last a long time. It displays an immense amount of versatility in what kind of player it is comfortable for and will take a wide range in string gauge.

It also comes in some wicked looking colors and sports some very intense hardware. I love the way it feels in my hands, though I admit that the neck is wide and I’m clumsy with it. In average sized hands, however, this machine glows.

For more information about this awesome axe, visit the Paul Reed Smith website at www.prsguitars.com. If you are interested in purchasing one, there are several that can be searched by Google and on Amazon, new and used. The PRS SC250 will run between $2000 and $3000, depending on which options you purchase. Rock on!

In the 1940s, luthier and jazz musician Les Paul experimented with his skills in electronics to improve and change the sound of his guitar. He spent years building and re-building models, not realizing that the information he was collecting in his work would eventually shape the world of Rock and Roll.

By 1945 Les finally felt that he had come up with a presentable prototype, which he called The Log because of it’s solid body. Immediately he went to his favorite guitar manufacturer with the invention, hoping to sell it’s design. When he presented it to Gibson, however, the company rejected his model.

Hope was not lost. Because the axe was so interesting and the technology for this kind of instrument was so new, a relationship between Les and the Gibson company was formed. From that point on this rocky but interesting partnership produced many high quality pieces with extraordinary features. Today you can not only find vintage re-releases of the original Gibson Les Paul Electric but you can order fancy and fully loaded custom Les Pauls as well.

Vintage

Gibson Custom makes a lot of awesome axes with great additional features. For those of us, however, who are looking for something from the past, the Gibson Custom Historic Les Paul series is pure decadence. In fact, there are 10 decadent models to choose from, each highlighting a specific piece of hardware.

• 1957 Junior: This is a beautiful solid body axe whose focus is the low price and the lovely mahogany neck. It has an aluminum tail piece to keep it light and comes in Vintage Sunburst or TV Yellow.
• 1958 Junior: The 1958 version of the Junior was still focused on cost efficiency and a double cutaway body.
• 1960 Special Single Cut: The Special Single Cut was offered in 1960 as a mid-range guitar with the price of a Junior and the custom feel of the Les Paul. It has a great sound and feel.
• 1960 Special Double Cut: A step up from the single cut, the double cut offered more options in play and sound as well as a more heftier feel to the axe. An excellent guitar and very vintage.
• 1956 Goldtop: This fancy guitar offers a toggleswitch washer and jack plate, and an ABR-1 Bridge with aluminum stopbar tailpiece for lightweight action.
• 1957 Goldtop: The amazing 1957 Goldtop is back with Burstbuckers dual coil humbucking pickups combined with the ABR-1 Bridge. Magnificent.
• 1957 Custom: Because the dual coil pickups became standard in the Custom series, all Gibson had left to do with the 57 was change the color and offer yet another pickup. Thus, this usually black (comes in other colors) guitar features 2 or 3 pickups–your choice.
• 1958 Standard: As revealed by the company itself, the 58 Standard was released the same as its original but with a sunburst cherry color around the edges of the TV yellow. Yay for color.
• 1959 Standard: Quite an interesting revelation is the 1959 Standard. Jumbo frets were added to the Standard body, giving the 59 Standard more force in bend and a new feel.
• 1960 Standard: The 60 Standard was released with a dramatic change to the beautiful Mahogany neck–it was thinned out for a different feel and sound in bend. A great guitar.

The Custom Line

The Custom line of Gibson Les Pauls are supposed to be the highest quality a guitarist can ask for. They are made with only the highest quality woods, features and hardware. Take a look:

• Class 5 Quilt Top: This excellent piece of equipment offers a highly quilted Maple top, slim tapered neck and 2 or 3 Burstbucker pickups.
• Les Paul Custom: We all know he’s a flashy guy so it’s no surprise that the Les Paul Custom features gold hardware and 490 or 498 Alnico Pickups.

Limited Historic

Rare and exotic guitars like these are hard to find so it’s a relief that there is now a custom shop to turn to for vintage high quality. The Limited Historic line for Gibson is the ultimate in guitar buying power but only offers 4 models in limited quantities.

• 1954 Goldtop: The wraparound tail piece is what sets this baby apart from others. Still the classic Les Paul Goldtop, but improved in giving the player control over his tone and sustain.
• 1954 Oxblood: Still sporting the wraparound tail piece of the 54 Goldtop, the 54 Oxblood carved maple top comes in a beautiful almost-black finish and features two Burstbucker pickups.
• 1954 Custom: Because Les appreciated his work so much, he insisted that the Custom come with gold hardware to make a statement and a black finish to show the player’s hands off easily. The 54, however, is also known for being the first solid body to feature the ABR-1 Bridge. Either way, it’s a top notch axe.
• 1957 Custom Faded Cherry: Burstbucker pickups became standard on the Customs in 1957, so naturally this beautiful cherry stained guitar has them as well. This re-make also has gold hardware, of course.

Limited Custom

The Limited Custom series at Gibson only has one model but it’s a damn good one: The Les Paul Ultima. With tons of options for the player in mind, this gorgeous guitar is equipped with either a high quality or flamed maple top. It also has gold hardware and your choice of a Nashville TOM Bridge, Stopbar or Ultima Tail piece. It comes with a set of 57 Classic Humbucking pickups and Grover Imperial Tuners for rich, warm sound and long sustain. The finish, of course is that amazing Cherry Sunburst finish.

For Your Information

Custom guitars, despite how expensive they are, have been breaking boundaries and climbing steadily in demand over the years. Perhaps that’s because when a guitarist has played long and hard, they deserve to play gold. For more information about Gibson Custom Les Pauls or any other customizable Gibson guitar, visit their websites at www.gibson.com and especially www.gibsoncustom.com. Rock on!

Newsted Rings in 2001 With a Departure
On January 17th, 2001, Jason Newsted released a statement that he was leaving the Metallica band for “private and personal reasons…and [because of] the physical damage I have done to myself over the years while playing the music that I love.”

Newsted later told interviewers that he planned to work on a project with his side band Echobrain, which Hetfield was against while he was a part of Metallica. James felt that outside projects took inspiration and creativity away from the band and its vision. He even compared Newsted’s decision to work with Echobrain while a part of Metallica, to cheating on a spouse. The comments had sparked an unofficial argument in the past and Newsted blasted back at Hetfield, noting all of the outside work he had done.

The band claims that the break between them and Newsted was amicable and that there was profound respect between them but snide remarks have, over the years, been noted on both ends. Newsted now admits that the other band members of Metallica often hazed him and ridiculed him. The band’s behavior against Newsted has been attributed amongst some fans to being caused by their pain over Cliff’s death.

In April of 2001 Metallica became part of a film project. Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, two reputed documentary filmmakers, recorded the making of the band’s next album. They wound up with over 1,000 hours of footage but on July 19th, before the project could be released, Hetfield entered rehab for alcohol and drug addiction. The recording stopped and so did the band’s future.

December 4, 2001 marked the band’s new beginning. They went back to the studio and Hetfield returned to work with them part time. The finished project Some Kind of Monster, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and made moderate waves. The most notable portion of the documentary for some, was Jason Newsted’s decision to put his former band members down, using expletives and name calling, for hiring a therapist in trying to solve their problems.

New Bass for Metallica
2002 was pretty much hiatus for Metallica. They unofficially toured Some Kind of Monster in Sacramento and San Francisco from June 4th, 2002 to May 22, 2003 in 7 single shows. They also threw a party for 100 contest winners but all in all, stayed relatively close to home, something that many attribute to James’s need to be near his family.

2003 held better days as Metallica held auditions for Newsted’s replacement in the band. They recorded St. Anger with Bob Rock but it was time to get someone who would stick around for the long haul. They auditioned Pepper Keenan, Scott Reeder, Eric Avery, Jeordie White, Danny Lohner and Chris Wyse and, of course Robert Trujillo.

Robert has had quite a career himself as you can see in Soundetta’s Metallica biography. He was bassist for Suicidal Tendancies and Ozzy Osbourne’s band as well. The irony is that Jason Newsted joined Vovoid, a Canadian metal band but also replaced Trujillo in Osbourne’s band for the 2003 Ozzfest Tour. Even more interesting is that Vovoid also performed at the Osbourne shows.

June marked the occasion of Metallica’s 8th album being released. They, as you know, named it St. Anger and though it reached number one on the Billboard 200, many fans weren’t happy. There were noted dislikes for the aggression in the album, the crisp sounding snare drums which were overdone and the lack of guitar solos, which Metallica has been known for in the past.
Some enjoyed the album, however, and the title track won a Grammy for Best Metal Performance in 2004. It was also featured as the official theme song for the WWE’s 2003 Summer Slam.

Big Messes Little Successes for 04 and 05
The 2004 Download Festival in England was interesting for the band. Ulrich wound up in the hospital with an illness the band would not talk about and was unable to perform. Hetfield replaced him with Dave Lombardo from Slayer and Joey Jordison from Slipknot, both whom had volunteered.

As it turned out, Lombardo performed Battery and The Four Horsemen while Jordison picked up everything else. That is, with the exception of Fade to Black, which was performed by Flemming Larsen, Ulrich’s drum technician, which was awesome. I would imagine that if I were a drum technician and had the opportunity to play on stage for Metallica, I would do it happily, permitting my nerves would let me.

2005 was nothing special for the band. They spent most of their time with friends and family, which has been noted by both the band mates and hard core fans. Metallica did, however, perform two shows, both opening for the Rolling Stones on November 13th and 15th that year.

From 2006 to Now
Change is likely something the members of Metallica feel very used to. After 15 years with the band, Bob Rock decided against producing Metallica’s next album and instead, the band worked with producer Rick Rubin. Rubin has produced albums for Danzig, System of a Down, Slipknot and Slayer and holds quite a reputation in the metal industry.

Though the band wrote a couple of new songs, Trujillo was seemingly skeptical about them. Instead of releasing an album at that time, Metallica released a DVD of all the music videos they were responsible for from 89 to 04. They named it The Videos 1989-2004 and sold 28,000 copies in it’s first week out. It reached the Billboard Top Videos chart at #3 and their cover of Ennio Morricone’s The Ecstasy of Gold won them Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the Grammys.

On February 9th, 2007 the band released a statement confirming that they were finished with pre-production on their 9th album and that recording would begin shortly. On March 12th, they were back in the studio and in December they sat with their new producer polishing the album.

The band has said that they want to release the album in September which seems to have some fans upset over the constant waiting and others uncaring with a lack of faith in them currently. The buzz is, however, that there will be more guitar solos, harder ripping, longer wailing and more melody, too. Apparently the band has decided to listen up to what fans want and I’m anxious to see the outcome. Be sure to check out the tour that’s coming up as another milestone in the history of Metallica. Rock On and get more Metallica information from Soundetta’s Musician Biographies.

Home recording, especially when the subjects are music and voice, is a very complicated art and science.

An experienced recording artist knows that the appropriate PC, software and equipment are essential to great sound and quality work, as well as the right combination. However, compatibility also comes into play when choosing your guitar, along with other things to look for.

Furthermore, generally speaking, any high end guitar you might choose should sound good on any amplifier you run it through. That is not to say though that you might lose a lot by plugging a $2500 guitar into a $100 amp. Let’s be serious. Plug it into a decent Line 6 amp, Mesa Boogie, Marshall, or Fender amp to really get what you are paying for.

With that in mind, if you’ve got your home studio up and running and now need to replace or make a first purchase on a guitar, do some research and read up on what would be best for you. Do you prefer a light-weight model, something small or are you only worried about your budget?

The Best Pick
The guitar I would most like to record in my home studio with would have to be a PRS SC250. This is a beautiful electric guitar that offers the PRS standard. With PRS guitars each model has it’s own sound, which is great for selection.

The PRS SC250 sounds better than any Gibson or Fender I have had the pleasure of laying my fingers on, and that is saying a lot for someone who use to spend every day demonstrating guitars for the public in the music store I work. If you pick up one, it should sound and play exactly like the next one. No more spending an entire day playing several guitars of the same model to find the one that sounds the best. Plus the pickup choice is well done with the usual 3 selections and controls that help you play this thing which feels like playing glass.

This amazing guitar, however, comes with a price. Because it is relatively new (2007), it’s difficult to find, which is disappointing. It’s priced at $2,500 and well worth the cost but is obviously for the serious musician.

Next Best
The next best to a PRS SC250 is, hands down, a Parker Fly. The first time I ever saw one was when Dave Navarro was playing with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and I hated the thing. I had never seen a guitar that sounded so decent but looked so ugly. When I began working for a major guitar chain, however, I tried one out and was amazing to play. The sound is decent and the guitar is lighter than some acoustics, which makes it an awesome pick if you’re playing live, outside the home.

The Musicman Axis
Third on my list would be the Musicman Axis guitar. Musicman is a company which was begun by Ernie Ball, who has a reputation for his excellent products. These guitars have an amazing sound and are easy to play. The attention to detail and simplicity of design on the Axis is what makes it so popular.

Last but not Least
Fourth on my list would be a Gibson SG. I’ve always been a sucker for it’s evil look and after playing one, it has beaten out the Les Paul for me. Plus, the Gibson SG is lighter and you have the peace of mind knowing that your guitar has a great reputation and an industry leader that can warranty their products. A decent SG can also be purchased for under $600.

The Others
There are many different brands and custom made guitars for you to choose from, which will make the task of picking one out difficult. I have yet to find a Fender that was a must have and Ibanez makes a few that I would record with if necessary, but mostly I am only impressed by their bass guitars. The same goes for Washburn, which has some crazy designs but average sounds.

All in all, however, the best way to know what’s right for you is to make a list of what you want in your guitar, pick up to a dozen models that fit most of your requirements, and then go out and play them until your fingers bleed and you know exactly what you want.

They’re the recording geeks in your life and you find yourself needing to shop for one. Whether it’s a birthday, graduation or holiday gift, you know that socks, a sweater or even an MP3 player just won’t cut it. Your geek deserves to light up like everyone else and gift cards are just too impersonal. So, as my gift to all of the recording geeks who have gone without when there is a celebration, I bring you these ideas:

Buyers on a Budget

If you really love your geek, the sooner you accept that a $100 gift is a budget gift, the better. And if a hundred bucks sounds like a decent price for you, congratulations. You can afford to buy your geek something useful.

However, don’t despair if you really can’t afford the full $100. CD Rom discs, re-writable DVRs and USB cords are each under a hundred and are widely useful in extra quantities for any electronics lover.

Microphones are a great way to go for a hundred dollar budget. The Ball Dynamic Microphone made by Blue Microphones is actually a very good deal for what it is. This microphone can help out a geek in a pinch when they find that their usual mic has suffered liquid damage or a cut in its cord. The Blue Ball Dynamic Mic has been well rated despite its inexpensiveness and has surprisingly decent sound.

Musicians and recording specialists alike need to keep their data portable, which makes a flash drive a great gift. Even if your geek already has a flash drive, another will still come in handy and says that you’ve been paying attention. For around a hundred dollars, you can get an 8GB flash drive from Best Buy. If you’re willing to spend an extra twenty, get a decent name brand 8GB drive, like SanDisk, Sony or Kensignton.

Lastly, for about a hundred bucks the Sony MDR-7506 studio headphones will delight your recording geek. These inexpensive and cutting edge headphones feature the closed-ear design that hugs the ear to reduce external noise interference, gold connectors, copper cord and a case for protection.

A Few Hundred Bucks, a Lot of Thanks

If you’ve got more than just a $100 to spare, your gift just got a lot better. For around $300 you can get your recording musician the Cakewalk Sonar 7 software. With Cakewalk, your gift receiver will be able to mix, record and edit their work with this user-friendly program.

The Alesis MultiMix 8 professional mixer is another great idea for the home recorder. This bad boy is around $300 and features 2 1/4 inch line inputs, 100 preset effects, 4 mic lines, a 3 band EQ per channel and it’s compatible for both Mac and PC users.

The Whole Shabang

For around $2000 to $3000 you could set your professional recording specialist up with a Macbook Pro. These exquisite computers run the OS X, Apple’s most recent operating system and they come with some of the most advanced Apple software.

If you want to buy the ultimate in recording gifts, the Sound Master Recording Engineer School is a specialized program for those who plan to make careers of their recording passions and talents. It was established in 1972 and sports some of the most modern studios and equipment. For more information, visit www.soundmaster.edu.

The Los Angeles Recording School is another awesome choice. It was established in 1985 and offers cutting edge classes taught by industry professionals. It’s located on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood and offers plenty of information at www.recordingcareer.com.

Interface, simply put, refers to the many cords, ports, and docking stations located on all computers and other intellectual electronic equipment that allow different devices to communicate efficiently. This, of course, also refers to recording equipment like effects processors and mixers.

At the very least, you should be familiar with the common USB (Universal Serial Bus) cord and port. This is the most common type of interface in U.S. homes and offices and is mass marketed. The USB cord and port, for example, are used to connect a computer to a printer so that the printer can effectively pull images from the computer to print.

More specifically, inside the cord of any type of interface, are specifically designed and programmed wires that, when fired up, send signals to the devices they are connected to and assigns each one an address. In Layman’s terms, those signals or interruptions also ask the device what kind of information it wishes to process and then follows a specific set of patterns or commands that it was already programmed to understand according to each device.

USB Audio Interface

USB interfaces, which have flat and rectangular heads, are the most common. Most USB Audio cords are made by a company called M-Audio. They are good for beginners and budget systems but lack good analog to digital convertors. This means that they tend to add unwanted noise and coloration to the sound. Plus they are really only good for 1-2 channels of audio, though the new Tascam and Line6 8 channel USB interfaces are supposed to operate fully with 8 channels at 24 bit at 96k, though this is only an estimate of how much potential the product has.

Firewire Your Wires

Next up are firewire interfaces. Firewire is the direction the industry seems to be moving in these days. Firewire offers more efficient and better handling of data, and more importantly, it does it faster. Almost every company uses Firewire now, like M-Audio, Avid (ProTools), Focusrite, Mackie, Yamaha, E-MU, etc. Firewire can also handle 8+ channels of audio without any real problem, and you can daisy chain multiple interfaces without the need of a repeater or hub.

The only con to Firewire, which goes for any Firewire device, is that there can be compatibility issues depending on the maker of the firewire chip in the computer. Firewire is mainly intended for Mac users in the recording world. It’s not really an issue that can’t be resolved, however, by getting an add-on firewire card with the compatibly chipset. This can be annoying if you don’t research before buying the interface, of course.

PCI Audio Interfaces

Lastly there are PCI based audio interfaces. These have really fallen in popularity as they aren’t portable and also tend to raise bigger problems, like noise caused from being operated off the same power supply as the computers.

Many companies still use PCI for their low end and top tier systems, like E-MU and Avid (ProTools). Coming down the pipeline, however, there are rumors of PCI interfaces being released soon that can handle more channels and has greatly improved features. Again–research it.

The Interface Dilemmas

As a recording artist of over 10 years, the biggest issue I have with most of audio interfaces out there is that almost all the units that have built in Mic Preamps don’t offer insert points or they only offer them for 2 of the channels.

Inserts are a connection on a preamp that allows the signal to leave the equipment through a jack for processing after the amplification and before any other part of the signal path, like the digital conversion. The importance of this is really simple; Almost 100% of all interfaces out there do not offer compressors that aren’t software driven (meaning after the digital conversion), so you end up having to use a standalone mic preamp and compressor to bypass the built in ones, which then makes you question why you bought a unit with mic preamps in the first place.

In the end, knowing just a little bit more about audio interfaces and all the different ports you never paid attention to on your computer, will now help you understand compatibility in your equipment and may even save you some money and heartache. For excellent home recording information on all those pesky ‘how does it work’ questions you’re afraid to ask a cocky professional, keep check-in at our site and also visit www.howstuffworks.com.

My suggestion is that you really get familiar with how to run the equipment before you plop down a few thousand dollars on something you might not even enjoy all that much in the end.

First things first you should pick up a decent PC. Macs are more equipped for this type of artistic endeavor, but for a beginner a PC would be best because of it’s price and user ability. So instead, pick up a moderate but decent system for around $500, or use the one you’re using right now.
An ideal starter system should have around 1.5+ GHz for the processor, at least 1Gb of ram, a 7200rpm hard drive that is seperate from the one your operating system is on. Some of this of course can be played with and tweaked if you have IT know how.

The next thing you need for your PC home recording studio is the sound card. To narrow it down you should look at ones that have built in microphone preamps. This helps you keep costs and equipment lists down. The main ones to look at when starting out should be the M-audio brand as they offer great systems for a good price. They also have great product support and drivers, which is a must in computer audio and PC recording.

Try looking at the Fast Track Pro, which goes for about $200. It comes with some decent software, but I would suggest downloading a software called Reaper by the company Cockos. It’s only $50 and is an awesome program (there is a free demo on their site as well).

After choosing your sound card, a good set of headphones to listen back to your recordings and do some basic mixing is what you need next. The Sennheiser HD201 headphones are a great set as they are pretty flat sounding, meaning they don’t change what’s coming from your sound card much, and for $25 you can’t beat them. Most brands are pretty basic, but this is the one I’ve had the best experience with at the lowest price.

The last thing to get is a good microphone. Your recordings will only be as good as your mic. As always, I recommend the EV/Blue Cardinal as a great all around recording mic. Its priced around $200 but is worth every penny and will save you heartache later on. You could spend about half as much on standard Shure SM57, but I really would not recommend recording with it.

To summarize your purchases so far, you should have:
computer $500
sound card $200
software $50
headphones $25
microphone $200

Of course if you have a computer already, you’re halfway there. And many times you will find the budget sound cards, like some PreSonus models which come with the condensor microphone. This should save you a $100 or so and free up some cash for more software or the microphone I mentioned.

With plenty of research and the products I listed, or at least something similar, your home recording studio is incredibly affordable and can be done. Be sure to get plenty of advice from your local music retailer and always check out your product’s reputation online before making any purchases. Happy Recording!

If you’re like me and you like to give the crowd before you record at home, whether coffee shops or your little sister’s graduation party, the POD XT Live is awesome. It offers the kind of versatility you need to pick up and go or plop it down at home and flip the switch.

What It’s Made of
The Line6 POD XT Live boasts a whopping 42 amp models, like many other PODS, and the standard but awesome 24 cab models, both of which can get you soft sounds for a baby or ripping screams to scare the seniors off. The 80 effects models the XT Live uses are straight from the Vetta II amplifier and reputable stomp boxes. This, obviously, also lends to your being able to find the right range for when you record.

That versatility that I was talking about allows you to use the Line6 POD XT Live as a pedal for multi effects or you can plug the thing straight into your PA.

The Plugs
The Line6 POD XT Live can be connected to just about any computer with its USB port which is convenient because of the many software products you can get online. The XT Live comes with a USB cable and you can download free programs at www.line6.com.
Also available on the XT Live is the port that can connect you to a Variax guitar. I wouldn’t recommend this but there are some very die hard Line6 fans that truly enjoy using the Variax.

The MIDI in and out connections for the POD XT Live make for more convenience, as usual, but even more impressive is being able to plug some phones straight into the POD XT Live. In fact, the equipment automatically switches itself to a studio position whenever you plug your phones in.

Other features, besides the input where your guitar goes, include the Aux input which allows you to connect to many devices from a CD player or MP3 player or even a drum machine. Other electronic instruments can be used as well. The Output to Amp allows you to connect to an amplifier, recorder or mixer if you like. Just flip the switch in the back of the machine and rock without changing your tone!

Even crazier about the Line6 POD XT Live is the fact that you can connect another pedal to it, whether you choose a Line6 product or not. Of course, many believe that it’s simply better for the devices to use the same brand when connecting directly. For this, you could get the EX-1 which is pretty basic. The extra pedal will allow you to control volume and other functions all at once.

All in All
To conclude, the Line6 POD XT Live is an excellent piece of equipment to have if you like both sides of the coin: Home recording and live performances. If you prefer not to work live, however strange that may be as a musician, you can always go with the POD XT, which is also a superior machine without the fancy live action. Wail on.