Half a Million Dollars Worth of Timber Being Ceased from Gibson!

This isn't exactly new news but I came across this video reporting on why Gibson has supposedly the Lacey Act. What means is that Gibson has supposedly imported timber not according to it's home country's law. The Lacey act also applies to guitars that are already being build. Meaning, if the guitar is made with illegally smuggled wood or illegally forested wood, the guitar can also be confiscated by the government of the country, should they chose to enforce the Lacey Act. However, rest assured that it does not apply to individuals as stated in the video. Meaning, if you own a Gibson passed down to you by your father or grandfather, they can confiscate the guitar away from you by enforcing the Lacey Act. Now, we can all sign a relief.

The Truth about Thin Necks and Fat Necks

Thin necks and fat necks. What actually makes people go crazy about them? In my opinion, there are 2 things that contribute to a good playing guitar other than a well setup guitar. The neck and the bridge spacing. Some of us likes thinner necks while some of us prefer thick necks.

Does thinner necks equates to faster playing while thicker necks equate to slower playing? My answer to that is no. I have seen players playing slow bluesy tunes on an Ibanez (famous for their thin necks) and I have seen players shred on a Gibson Les Paul (which incidentally is well known for having baseball bat necks).

The truth is however that thinner necks does makes it easier to do fast runs, due to the shape of the neck making you having to curl your fingers at the fretboard, giving you more space to run your scales. Thick necks however gives you more grip, which also means more strength to hold down your strings or when you are performing a very hard bend (Think of opening a door knob).

Either way, do not let what you read affect your decision on your preference on a thin or fat neck. In the end of the day, it is your preference that counts the most.

Michael J Fox plays Marty McFly again

Michael J Fox once again assume his identity as Marty McFly by donning his red hollow body Gibson playing "Johnny Be Good" in his annual charity event "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinson's".

For those of you who can remember, Marty McFly shredded towards the end of the song in 1955 and stunned the crowded, where fast playing of many notes wasn't even being introduced yet. The video clip brings back many nostalgic fond memories of the movie (Back to the future). I've also attached the clip of Marty playing the whole piece for the benefit of the younger generation who never knew the existence of this movie.