Gearfuse

Well folks, our contest has come to an end and its time to announce the winners. I’d like to thank all of you for entering and sharing your favorite ’80s bands with us. Some people liked awful bands whilst others simply had great taste. Here’s the two winners we chose:

Kate really knows how to start a party:

• Hall & Oates
• Tears for Fears
• The Cure
• Genesis
• Journey

Rob plays power chords whilst reading bible verses:

• Metallica
• Def Leppard
• Quiet Riot
• Motley Crue
• STRYPER!

Now that’s rock and roll. Again, thanks for entering and keep an eye out for our next contest!

Oh my god. Yessssssss.

You gotta understand, people. I am a huge Van Halen fan. For years I’ve always picked up my guitar and started playing EVH songs like “Atomic Punk”, “Cathedral” and, of course, “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love.” Now, come August 4th, we’ll all be able to rock out to a shitload of Van Halen tracks via Guitar Hero. While I would have preferred for the game to be released on the Rock Band platform, GH is appropriate and I’m sure they’re not going to go fucking this one up. Even the PS2 is getting it, so you retro-gamers finally have something to get excited about.

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“The British are coming! The British are coming!”

Those words are running through every Best Buy employee’s mind right now as they prepare both mentally and physically for the upcoming release of The Beatles: Rock Band. Thank goodness their label, Apple Corps, decided to go with the Rock Band series and not Guitar Hero. Better interface, better equipment and better songs.

The best part about this release? You’ll be able to pick up a $250 set that features instruments modeled after The Beatles’ very own, including Paul McCartney’s signature Hofner bass. The worst part about this release? You’ll have to wait until September 9th to purchase it. Damn!

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I got a huge kick out of this commercial for the latest installment of Guitar Hero, World Tour. It features Alex Rodriguez, Michael Phelps, Tony Hawk and Kobe Bryant all playing songs in pink dress shirts and underwear a la Risky Business.

A-Rod sliding in really kills it for me. I wish I had millions of dollars so I could feign happiness…

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Since the 1970s, every serious rock and roll guitarist has used Ibanez’s Tube Screamer distortion pedal. I’ve played with an original vintage pedal and some of the later models that use digital processing and let me tell you: the original still remains king. The tone is so perfect for a humbucker and a Marshall that it’s truly scary.

Unfortunately, the remaining pedals from the ’70s don’t come cheap. Luckily, you can make your own through the magic of the Internet and Instructables. You’ll have to do some PCB etching, but don’t let that turn you off. Keep in mind that because this is DIY, there are no rules about having a pedal that goes past 11.

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