Gibson Dusk Tiger – Another Attempt at a Super Guitar

Gibson’s most recent musical contraption is the rather attractive-looking Dusk Tiger. The most obvious design feature is the stunning marblewood top and chrome tailpiece which fits around the pickup and snakes around the bridge; giving it a flowing display and some of the untamed character suggested in its name. The appearance of this guitar may not be to everyones taste but personally i think these features give it distinct persona that no other guitar i have seen holds.

Unfortunately for many people hoping to experience this guitar, it comes with a costly price tag of £2,799 and is limited to a reserved 1000 production line, the Dusk Tiger will be an instrument available to only a minority of guitarists.

The Dusk Tiger inherits the same Robot technology as Gibson’s last attempt at a super guitar – the Dark Fire. This means it acquires the redesigned Master Control Knob, the MCK II, which, when activated, allows you to access a range of 11 tunings. Although apparently it’s much quicker and more precise than the one on the Dark Fire, it still fails to achieve 100% accuracy on all tunings.

A neat feature on the Dusk Tiger is that you have multi-function toggle switch which allows you not only to change between the magnetic pick-ups, but also has a blend function which means you can embrace the perfect ratio of magnetic to piezo tone in the guitars output.

If your one of the lucky few who will be getting a Dusk Tiger, it also comes with Gibson’s edition of Ableton Live 8 and a Robot Interface Pack (RIP) which is everything you need to connect your Dusk Tiger to your Windows or Mac and record your ideas , it will also give you access to hundreds of effects and amplifiers and the ability to create backing tracks.

The initial signs from Gibson look positive on their 4th attempt of a super guitar, however, when it comes to using the Dusk Tiger for heavy gigging and long hours in the studio will it perform to the high standard we all expect from one of the most famous guitar makes in the world?

Election Battle Heats Up

With just 9 days to go until voting day, the three party leaders; Nick Clegg, David Cameron Gordon Brown, are out doing everything in their power to claim the crucial votes of the public.

Today Nick Clegg launched the new Liberal Democrat environmental manifesto. In this Clegg declared that if the Lib Dems came into government, that they will invest 3.1bn in a new green economic stimulus package which ”plans to slash energy use and improve energy efficiency”. Clegg continued by dismissing the Labour party as having thirteen years to deliver on the environment and failing. He later claimed that the Liberal Democrats are the only solution to solving the current environmental crisis and ended his speech by encouraging voters to “Choose the only party that in the wake of the economic crisis is setting out a credible vision for a new and sustainable economy.”

Conservative leader, David Cameron has recently released his plans, that he claims will relieve the environmental crisis we’re in. These plans include; setting a legal limit on the amount of carbon emissions that power stations can release, creating four ‘carbon capture and storage’ equipped power plants. However, what is going to undoubtedly be one of the Conservatives toughest proposals to achieve is their promise to deliver a 10 percent cut in central government carbon emissions within 12 months of coming to office; an ambitious claim by David Cameron but one that may prove to make them more favorable to voters over the two opposing parties.

Finally, the leader of the Labour party, Gordon Brown addressed young people at a mobilisation event in Central London today. He started by suggesting that it is a myth that youth do not care about politics and recognized that the media encourage this myth. However, he claimed that he thinks the young population care more about the world around them then any other group of people. He continued that all of Labour’s policies are rooted in fairness and that those of his opponents are wrong and unfair. Later on in his speech he announced his green manifesto, it included commitments such as “making sure that the more than one hundred countries that are signed up to action will come together to agree a framework for reducing carbon emissions by 50% by 2050″. This is a massive commitment to make, however if it was successful, it would have a huge benefiting effect on the environment. He also claimed that he will help out low-income families with their energy bills.

So, after 13 years of a Labour government, do the public want change to the policies of the Conservative or Liberal Democrats? Only the decisions made by the voters on May 6th will decide. And in such a vital time for the economy and environment, the choice made in under two weeks by the public will prove decisive for the success of relieving the crisis in the current recession and global warming.

Glastonbury Line-Up Revealed

With only 2 months to go until the 40th Anniversary Glastonbury Festival, the line-up has been officially released. With musical legends such as U2, Muse and Stevie Wonder set to play on the Pyramid Stage, this epic festival promises to deliver on it fortieth birthday.

Tickets went on sale on October 4th 2009 and were sold out within 24 hours, proving that Glastonbury is one of the biggest and most popular festivals to attend. However, Glastonbury had some rivalry with line-ups from the well established festival T in the Park. The line-up for T in the Park was announced before that of Glastonbury’s and included some impressive acts such as Jay-Z and Eminem. For some time fans were sceptical as to weather Glastonbury could match the remarkable line-up of T in the Park, however a couple of months later they responded with a line-up to be jealous of, promising 4 days of captivating musical acts that everyone would be delighted to see.

So as fans count down the weeks till the big weekend, Glastonbury organizers are working hard to give the estimated 140,000 festival-goers a weekend of musical heaven they wont forget.

26 Miles in 26 Hours for 26 Charities; A True War Hero

Major Phil Packer was left paralyzed from the neck down and was unable to walk after a rocket attack on his army base in Basra in 2008.

Despite doctors assuring him he would never walk again, the war veteran has dedicated the past year to raising £1m for injured soldiers just like himself.

On Sunday, Phil Packer completed the London Marathon in 26 hours, thrashing his current personal record of 13 days which he set in last years London Marathon. Phil raised money for 26 different charities including The Children’s Trust and The Royal British Legion.

The recent London Marathon is only one of a few challenges that Phil has set himself since his life changing casualty in 2008. In 2009 he completed 3 major physical excursions; rowing the English Channel with Al Humphreys, walking the marathon and finally hauling himself up the El Capitan mountain in Yosemite Valley, USA. For his incredible efforts, Phil won the Fundraiser of the Year at the Pride of Britain Awards and the Helen Rollason Award at the BBC Sports Personality Awards.

Packer continues to dedicate his life to helping others by supporting young people with life restricting disabilities, his ambition is to provide hope and inspiration for those with disabilities between the ages of 16 and 25.

Phil Packer is a hero and an inspiration for people of any age, his response to such a devastating accident was not one of self pity, but one of selflessness and determination to make the best of his impairment.