Musikmesse – the biggest fair for musical instruments, live music and the music business! Musikmesse in Frankfurt am Main is the world’s most international fair for musical instruments, sheet music, music production and marketing, and has been the foremost meeting place for the musical-instrument industry for over 25 years. Comprehensive product overview for four days During the four days of the fair, manufacturers and dealers, as well as professional, semi-professional and lay musicians get together in Frankfurt am Main and find out about the latest new products. At Musikmesse, manufacturers from all over the world present a complete spectrum of …

Want to have a great year? Kick it off with a great show! Make your plans now to attend the industry’s most important event: The NAMM Show, January 19-22. Why should you come to the NAMM Show? 1. Attending NAMM’s world-famous trade shows is one of the biggest perks of Membership and admission is FREE if you register before the January 5 deadline. Plus, by booking ahead, you can secure the lowest airfares for your trip! 2. Coming home with new gear, fresh ideas and a renewed sense of excitement is a great way to propel your business into action. NAMM U …

Gibson Firebird X review: A digital guitar for the 21st century Not all digital guitars are game controllers. Gibson’s Firebird X is a real guitar with a chameleon-like ability to drastically alter its sound with digital effects, and even automatically tune itself with the flick of a string. In rock music, innovations take a long time. The first electric guitars that actually stayed in tune and worked well for stage performance were produced in the 1950s, and the basic design – fretboard, pick-ups, tuning knobs, a quarter-inch jack – has not changed much in the last 60 years. The Gibson …

Let’s face it: carrying gear on the road is a pain. Anything that minimizes the load of guitars, effects and amps that needs to be piled in the van by Joe Roaddog and his bandmates before he hits the highway for Hackensack is a positive. And for the working road warrior, that’s Job One for the Firebird X. It’s great to rave about the revolutionary guitar’s on-board effects, its fast neck, the lightweight body, its electro-acoustic properties and lightning speed microprocessor technology. But what really counts for a working musician is practicality. What the Firebird X offers in all those functions …

Technology aside, it’s a top-flight Les Paul in the traditional sense, too, yet with a plethora of custom upgrades befitting its Limited status. Constructed with a Grade-AA flamed maple top, Grade-A chambered mahogany back, and one-piece mahogany neck, the Les Paul Standard 2010 Limited offers classic Les Paul tonewoods, combined with a look that’s exclusive to this run of only 400 guitars. A unique new Fireball finish with dark ’burst edges graces its top, while its back, neck and sides are dressed in a deep Vintage Sunburst with a dark cherry center and dark edges. Like several of Gibson USA’s …