(Source: Amazon)

There’s now one, or more accurately, four more reasons to get an Epiphone Les Paul Studio or Les Paul 100 electric guitar. According to a recent news release, Epiphone will give out an Electric Essentials Pack free with any one of the two guitars, from August 1st to September 30th this year.

The pack will contain a premium 20′ cable, a nylon guitar strap, a 12-pack of picks and a Masterbilt acoustic video. Admittedly, these are nothing to die for, but they are free.

P.S.: I wonder whether they’ll be giving out this pack to those who win a Les Paul through their recent sweepstakes.

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(Source: Musician’s Friend)

Acoustic-electric bass guitars are a tough nut to crack here at GuPiano due to the crazy number of categories they fall under. Yep, you’ll see this Rogue AB-304 categorised under acoustic guitars, electrics and even bass guitars. But the worst part of the whole thing is that the displeasure doesn’t stop with categorisation.

It’s reviewer over at Ultimate-Guitar.com goes so far to say that, “If it were to get stolen or lost I wouldn’t buy this bass again. I love how beautiful it looks but I hate how you can barely hear it without an amp and how touchy it is.” It’s a pity though, because with die-cast machine heads, piezo pickup and volume control, abalone rosette, top binding, plus mahogany sides, back and neck, the AB-304 looks like a pretty solid bass.

Overall, this Korean-made guitar scores a measely 5.8 out of 10 for its overall rating – though for features, it does get a more respectable 7 out of 10.

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(Source: Gibson)

Although the auction for this NBA Finals-themed Gibson Les Paul electric guitar started last month, there are sure to be those who haven’t checked out this autographed customised donation-aimed guitar. That’s one long phrase, eh?

Besides being only 1 of 2 made by Gibson, this nickle-plated parts guitar (which includes ‘57 Classic pickups BTW) will feature autographs by at least 7 big NBA names, including but not exclusive to Dwayne Wade, Clyde Drexler and Tim Hardaway. Special feature-wise, you’re looking an an ABR Tune-o-matic bridge and Grover Rotomatic machine heads.

If you’re interested, you’re going have to fork out at least US$4,400 as that’s the current bid on the guitar with around 4 and a half days to go. Bid increments are at US$50, and the proceeds of this auction will go to charities supported by NBA Cares. To bid, visit NBA Auctions’ website.

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(Source: Master Sound)

Today, we’ll be looking at a review of a guitar from the oh so wide world of Strat (Stratocaster) copies, the Dimavery ST-203 electric guitar.

For only 88.2 euros, it seems to be a good entry-level single-coiled guitar – with solid tone, not-so-noisy pickups, and a sufficiently strong and comfortable build. Of course, don’t expect quality tuners or a first-class finish on this 22-medium fret Strat copy.

But if you’re looking for a cheap feature-light (or rather, not-feature-heavy) guitar, from a sufficiently reputable brand (Dimavery has been in the copycat guitar reproduction industry for quite some time already), for a beginner friend, then the ST-203 looks like a good choice. At least, that’s what the reviewer’s 9 out of 10 impression rating and 7.8 out of 10 overall rating of the guitar tells me.

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(Source: imuso.co.uk)

Over at Ultimate-Guitar.com, the Ibanez JS1200 electric guitar gets a review, which (as usual) is an extremely positive one. Well, 9.8 out of 10 does indicate that, right?

Anyway, most Ibanez JS1000 owners would probably be familiar with most of the JS1200’s features since this Joe Satriani signature guitar comes with almost the same specifications, e.g. 22 frets, basswood body, rosewood board, JS Prestige neck, DiMarzio® Fred® Humbucker pickups, etc.

The few differences between the JS1200 and its older sibling include Paf Joe neck pickups (instead of Paf Pro), chrome hardware (rather than black) and the JS1200’s color-matched headstock.

So, how does the JS1200 fare? If the rating didn’t tell you everything, this should: “Personally I play a lot of Metallica, Led Zepplein, Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen, Velvet Revolver, Megadeth, RHCP, Steve Vai etc. Well, this guitar is fun and plays well with most of these songs, but for those that dont go too well with this guitar, I usually substitute a Stratocaster for that. Well, I love the versatility in playing this guitar. Its thin neck allows for fast action, its medium-small but solid body for comfort. Well, I wish it had a beverage holder other than that it has everything!”

Of course, you’ll have to be ready to pay “just a little bit extra” since you are buying a signature series guitar.

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(Source: Musik-Schmidt)

The title of this post should probably have contained the word “reviews” rather than “review” because we’re actually going to be looking at two Ultimate-Guitar.com user-contributed reviews of the ESP LTD M-200 FM electric guitar.

Both reviews were pretty favourable for this ESP axe, with one awarding it an 8.8 out of 10, while the other an 8.6 out of 10. Both reviewers loved the finish on the guitar, but they found a few minor glitches with several of the factory presets, e.g. action too high or too low, etc.

Overall, the bottom line was that, “I am a metal head by nature, and this guitar appealed to me with it’s EMG pickups, reverse headstock, and tremolo. If the guitar got broken, stolen, or anything of the sort, I wouldn’t necessarily buy the exact same model, but definately another ESP. ESPs give great hardware and features even for low end modeled guitars, so I recomend ESP to anyone that wants a good guitar for a low price.”

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(Source: Ultimate-Guitar.com)

Another awesome guitar by Ibanez gets reviewed, and this time, it’s the JS1200. Shape-wise, you’ll probably need some time to get used to it, but other than that, you are looking at a solid basswood-body guitar that could probably “…withstand a hammer throw….” (don’t try it though).

While its construction, reliability and durability are pretty much unquestionable, it seems that the Ibanex JS1200 is one of those guitars that just sparks the love in you because it scores a 9.8 out of 10 overall rating, and some highly effusive praise: “Well, I love the versatility in playing this guitar. Its thin neck allows for fast action, its medium-small but solid body for comfort. Well, I wish it had a beverage holder other than that it has everything!”

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