Gibson is holding a guitar solo competition on the beta website Votigo this month that will be running until June 17th. To get a chance to win the Epiphone G-400 SG guitar you will have to record a video of yourself playing any kind of solo and upload it to the Votigo website. Then on June 17th, the video with the most amount of votes will win.

It looks to me like the contest is actually being held by Votigo to promote their website. This is only open to entries from within the 50 United States and the District of Columbia. Apparently one of the rules is to tell your friends to vote… Yeah, it’s a good idea, obviously. There is no limit to how many solos you can submit, but don’t bother submitting the same entry more than once… it just doesn’t make sense. Oh, and you have to be at least 13 years old.

I’m not sure how they are planning on confirming authenticity…. I mean I could upload a video of some random who is really good at shredding and win without even picking up a guitar. They do reserve the right to disqualify any entry, so please don’t try that.

The guitar as I said is an Epiphone G-400 SG. The contest states that it is a $500 value, but they are going on Musicians Friend for $299. It’s nothing to scoff at really, it’s a free guitar if you’ve got the chops. My guess though, is if you have the chops then you already have a better guitar and have no use for an entry level SG.

This video below isn’t me, but out of the 10 or so entries so far it is my favorite. Probably cause he shreds like Wylde. May the best solo win!

Dolan Trout has an interesting post on his blog titled My Guitar History and has encouraged his readers to comment with their current and past gear. This has sparked me to do the same, although I have not owned many guitar’s, I have owned a few, and am now in the market for more!

My first guitar was a gift from a family friend. It’s a Yamaha FG-450SA acoustic that he was storing at our house. While it was at our house I had decided I wanted to learn to play it. When he came back a month later he heard me playing and was impressed with how much I had picked up on my own, so he gave it to me.

That guitar has seen better days… I moved from BC to Alberta and did not pay attention to proper humidity and the guitar dried up and cracked. (more…)

The Les Paul, one of the greatest guitars ever created has been the choice for guitar legends including Jimmy Page, Zakk Wylde, Toni Iommi, and many more for decades. The Gibson Les Paul is the guitar to buy if you want a heavy, crunchy sound to your music, but many guitarists don’t have thousands of dollars to shell out for a multi-thousand dollar Gibson guitar. Thanks to the Epiphone, guitar players who want a more entry level guitar can still have the great sound of a Les Paul. Starting at around $500, instead of $1500, the Epiphone Les Paul Standard has a great bang for its buck. It’s the guitar I chose and I love it.

The Epiphone Les Paul Standard sports features such as a mahogany/alder body, carved maple top, rosewood fingerboard, chrome-covered humbuckers, cream body and fretboard binding, and chrome hardware. Musicians Friend gives the guitar a 9 out of 10 and I’d have to agree. (more…)