ESP LTD EC-1000 Granite Sparkle 2026 Review - Exceeded My Expectations YouTube video by Nick Neumann

Check out my full review for the new 2026 ESP LTD EC-1000 Granite Sparkle. This one exceeded my expectations!

youtu.be/1H0zOHrau8Q

#ESPLTD #EC-1000 #guitar #guitarreview #NGD

Oh yeah! When I saw this announced at NAMM, I knew right away I had to have it!

ESP LTD EC-1000 Granite Sparkle Review 2026 ESP LTD EC-1000 Granite Sparkle review 2026. New for NAMM 2026, featuring Fishman Fluence Modern 3-Voice pickups, stainless steel frets, set-thru mahogany construction, and TonePros hardware. Full han...

Full review here: nickneumann.com/esp-ltd-ec-1...

New Gear Day - ESP LTD EC-1000 Granite Sparkle (2026). Just got this guitar and it does not disappoint!

#guitar #ESP #LTD #EC-1000

How Grunge Became 'Boring' To Kurt Cobain By The Time Nirvana Released 'In Utero': 'This Is The Closing Of The Chapter Of The Three-Chord Formula' By the time Nirvana released In Utero in 1993, Kurt Cobain had already grown tired of the genre he helped define. Grunge, the movement that had made Nirvana one of...

Kurt Cobain on grunge in 1993: "It's really kind of boring for us. It's something we can't deny." In Utero was his deliberate attempt to burn the formula down which made Nirvana famous. 30 years later it stands as one of rock's greatest artistic pivots.

guitaroverse.com/kurt-cobain-...

Yes, Even Hetfield Cheats: Downpicking Is Thrash Metal's Most Punishing Technique And Gary Holt's Injuries Explain Why Downpicking, the relentless right-hand technique that defines the crushing rhythmic attack of thrash metal, is so physically demanding that even James Hetfield, widely regarded as one of the greatest ...

Even Hetfield cheats at downpicking. Gary Holt broke down the reset trick every thrash guitarist uses to survive. Holt has tennis elbow, arthritis, and cortisone injections from years of it. Master of Puppets is 212 bpm downstrokes for 8 minutes straight.
guitaroverse.com/thrash-metal...
#Metallica

Slipknot's Mick Thomson On Why Learning Guitar Is 'The Greatest Gift You'll Ever Give Yourself', And What Buddy Guy Taught Him About Never Quitting: 'It's Something You're Gonna Have Forever' Slipknot guitarist Mick Thomson has spoken candidly about the lifelong value of learning guitar, framing it as one of the most rewarding commitments a person can make and drawing on...

Mick Thomson: "Learning guitar is the greatest gift you'll ever give yourself because it's something you're gonna have forever." Saw Buddy Guy in his mid-50s on fire the whole show and never forgot it.

Never to late to get back at it!

guitaroverse.com/mick-thomson...

#slipknot #guitar

'When Making Guitars For The Masses, Quality Will Go Down': Mark Tremonti Explains Why Prs Is 'Like A Boutique Company' Mark Tremonti has spoken out about why PRS Guitars stands apart from the wider guitar manufacturing industry, arguing that the company operates with the mindset and standards of a boutique...

Mark Tremonti says PRS still feels like a boutique company. "When making guitars for the masses, quality will go down. The quality control at PRS is just phenomenal."

I never really gave PRS a shot. What's so great about them?

guitaroverse.com/mark-tremont...

#guitar #prs #guitars

Muse announce 10th album The WOW! Signal – listen to its lead single now Muse have announced their 10th studio album, The WOW! Signal, set for release on June 26 via Warner Records, alongside lead single Be With You. The track opens with layered...

Muse just announced their 10th album, The WOW! Signal, out June 26. Named after a real 72-second radio burst from 1977 that suggested possible extraterrestrial contact.

They were my favorite through Black Holes and Revelations.

guitaroverse.com/muse-wow-sig...

#music #muse #guitar #newmusic

“Instead of two or three pickups, we have a few dozen that are only picking up one string each”: This guitar has 64 pickups – and it could revolutionize guitar recording David Weiland of Dark Art Guitars has built the PolyMap, a polyphonic pickup system that houses 64 individual pickup capsules inside a single eight-string headless guitar, developed as his master's...

A guitarist built a 64 pickup guitar for his electrical engineering master's thesis. Eight pickups per string, each captured in complete isolation with a 64 channel audio interface built into the body.

I can't even decide between neck and bridge.

guitaroverse.com/dark-art-gui...

#guitar

Primus' Les Claypool Reflects On First Failed Metallica Audition: 'Nobody Laughed' Les Claypool has opened up about his famously failed 1986 audition for Metallica, the one that followed the tragic death of Cliff Burton, revealing in a new interview with The...

Les Claypool showed up to his 1986 Metallica audition in skater pants, two different colored shoes, and a blonde Mohawk. Then asked if they wanted to jam on some Isley Brothers. Nobody laughed.

guitaroverse.com/les-claypool...

#Metallica #primus

“Push the reset button on the debate on AI and copyright”: The music industry breathes a sigh of relief as plans to let AI firms pilfer copyrighted material are dropped The UK government has abandoned its proposal to allow AI companies to train their models on copyrighted works without artists' consent, delivering a significant win for musicians, songwriters, and the...

UK artists just got the protection US musicians can only dream about. The UK dropped plans to let AI train on copyrighted music after 88% backed tighter protections. McCartney, Elton John, Dua Lipa and more pushed back hard.

guitaroverse.com/uk-ai-music-...

#AI #Copyright #Music

“I just wasn’t ready to spend $250,000 on a guitar at that stage in my life and my career”: Butch Walker turned down the opportunity to buy the Greeny Les Paul before Kirk Hammett bought it Butch Walker passed on the opportunity to purchase the legendary Greeny Les Paul before Kirk Hammett acquired it, a choice the singer-songwriter has come to regret. At the time, Walker...

Butch Walker passed on the Greeny Les Paul before Hammett from Metallica got it. $250k was too steep. "That was just a Tuesday and a lunch tab for Kirk Hammett."

Now Gibson and Epiphone make a killing off the reproductions.

guitaroverse.com/butch-walker...

#guitar #metallica #greeny #gibson

“This may be the best album Peter’s ever made”: Peter Frampton announces first album in 16 years – and it features an all-star cast Peter Frampton is returning to the studio with Carry the Light, his first album in 16 years. The record marks a significant comeback for the legendary guitarist and features an...

Peter Frampton is back in the studio for the first time in 16 years. New album Carry the Light features Tom Morello, H.E.R., and Sheryl Crow. Co-wrote it with his son too.

I would love to write an album with my kids one day.

guitaroverse.com/peter-frampt...

Steve Vai Nailed Frank Zappa's Famously Unplayable 'Montana' Melody And Got His Rarest Possible Reaction Steve Vai impressed Frank Zappa by mastering the notoriously difficult "Montana" melody during his second tour with the legendary bandleader, earning one of Zappa's rarest compliments. In a recent con...

Frank Zappa stopped the entire band mid-show, stared at Steve Vai, and said "Not bad, sport." For Zappa, that was basically a standing ovation. The story behind Vai mastering the unplayable Montana melody.

guitaroverse.com/steve-vai-frank-zappa-montana-melody/

#frankzappa #stevevai #guitar

His Mental Breakdown Unravelled In Front Of David Bowie: And Ziggy Stardust Was Born # Vince Taylor's Mental Breakdown Inspired David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust Vince Taylor, born Brian Holden in 1939, was an early British rock musician who found success in France with his...

The real life inspiration for Ziggy Stardust was Vince Taylor, a British star whose career ended after a mental breakdown.

David Bowie witnessed Taylor's decline firsthand, including him claiming to be Jesus and pointing out UFO landing sites on a map.

guitaroverse.com/his-mental-b...

#DavidBowie

What Kurt Cobain Had To Say About The Real Meaning Of Nirvana's Lyrics: 'People Want To Read Into It' Kurt Cobain revealed that he often wrote Nirvana's lyrics last minute out of laziness, then had to devise explanations for their meanings afterward. He acknowledged that fans frequently read deeper...

Kurt Cobain said he wrote Nirvana lyrics last minute and had to invent meanings afterward. Got so frustrated with people misreading his songs that he wrote "Rape Me" just to be impossible to misinterpret.

I need to be more like Curt when I write, just less talent 😃

guitaroverse.com/what-kurt-co...

Former Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent has released an album – but you’ll have to pay $2 million to hear it Former Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent has completed a 10-track rock album titled Guitarmaggedon and is offering it for sale at a $2 million price tag, which works out to $200,000...

Vinnie Vincent is selling his new album, Guitarmaggedon, for $2 million.

The buyer gets the masters, artwork, and a license to the Vinnie Vincent Invasion brand. He calls it "one of the greatest rock albums of all time."

guitaroverse.com/former-kiss-...

#VinnieVincent #Kiss #MusicIndustry #rock

“People want to play it — but a lot of them can’t.” Andy Summers says the Police’s biggest riff is harder than most guitarists think Andy Summers has revealed that "Message in a Bottle," one of the Police's most iconic songs, is significantly more difficult to play than most guitarists realize. The distinctive riff that...

Andy Summers says The Police's "Message in a Bottle" is way harder to play than it sounds.

The iconic riff requires unusually large finger stretches, making it a technical challenge despite its simple sound.

What are some "easy" songs that are actually hard?

guitaroverse.com/people-want-...

“People want to play it — but a lot of them can’t.” Andy Summers says the Police’s biggest riff is harder than most guitarists think Andy Summers has revealed that "Message in a Bottle," one of the Police's most iconic songs, is significantly more difficult to play than most guitarists realize. The distinctive riff that...

Andy Summers says The Police's "Message in a Bottle" is way harder to play than it sounds.

The iconic riff requires unusually large finger stretches, making it a technical challenge despite its simple sound.

What are some other "easy" songs that are hard?

guitaroverse.com/people-want-...

#police

“I realized very quickly, ‘I do not f*** with this.’” Grace Bowers says she’s abandoning the sound that launched her career Grace Bowers, the 19-year-old guitar virtuoso who rose to fame with her funk-driven debut album, is moving away from the sound that launched her career. She has decided to pursue...

19-year-old guitar phenom Grace Bowers is abandoning the funk sound that launched her career.

She says she "realized very quickly, 'I do not f*** with this'" and is pivoting to punk and rock to better match her authentic self.

Bad for funk, good for Rock and Punk!

guitaroverse.com/i-realized-v...

Bumblefoot Says He Left Guns N' Roses Because The Gig 'Wasn't Gonna Become More Than It Was' Ron Thal, known professionally as Bumblefoot, has revealed that he departed from Guns N' Roses because he felt the position had reached its creative ceiling. The guitarist, who joined the...

Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal says he left GN'R because the gig "wasn't gonna become more than it was."

On one hand, a legendary band. On the other, no creative input. But did it even matter? You knew Slash would eventually be back, and he'd be out anyway.

guitaroverse.com/bumblefoot-s...

#GunsNRoses

Thrash Metal Was Born To Reject Glam's Commercialism. The Big Four Ended Up Replicating It Quick SummaryThrash metal emerged in the 1980s as a deliberate rejection of glam rock's commercialism and polish, with bands like Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth (the "Big Four") championing ...

The great irony of metal: Thrash was born to reject glam's commercialism, but the Big Four ended up replicating it.

They started as a raw backlash against polish and spectacle, only to become polished, commercial spectacles themselves.

guitaroverse.com/thrash-metal...

#ThrashMetal #Metallica

“My comfort zone is big volume and lots of blues”: Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell has died aged 64 # Summary Phil Campbell, Motörhead's longest-serving guitarist who played with the legendary metal band for over three decades, has died at age 64 following a major operation. Campbell joined Motörhea...

RIP Phil Campbell. Motörhead's guitarist for 30+ years. "Big volume and lots of blues" said it all. 64 years old. Gone too soon.

guitaroverse.com/my-comfort-z...

“I don’t think we would’ve found any success had I not written any songs or had someone else been the lead singer. Me and the fellas would’ve been playing down at a local club somewhere”: The story of... # Guitaroverse Summary A rock classic has surpassed two billion streams, with the song's lead singer and primary songwriter reflecting on how instrumental his dual role was to the band's...

"Have You Ever Seen The Rain" by CCR just hit 2 billion streams. The song was written by John Fogerty during the band's internal tensions, using their discord to create a timeless classic.

Sometimes great music comes from a dark place.

guitaroverse.com/i-dont-think...

#CCR #JohnFogerty

How Guitar Tabs Took Over In The '80S, And Why Steve Lukather Still Thinks They're Pointless Quick Summary Guitar tablature became a defining learning tool during the 1980s as the instrument entered its most technically demanding era. Players like Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, and Yngwie...

In the 80s, guitar tabs exploded. Kirk Hammett says they made it easy to become a rock musician. Steve Lukather calls them pointless, comparing them to Guitar Hero.

Steve would hate me, I never learned to read music but can still make music and have a good time.

guitaroverse.com/how-guitar-t...

David Gilmour’s Black Strat is the world’s most expensive guitar again – selling for a staggering $14,550,000 David Gilmour's Black Stratocaster has sold for $14,550,000 at Christie's in New York as part of the Jim Irsay Collection auction, reclaiming the title of the world's most expensive guitar...

David Gilmour's Black Strat just became the world's most expensive guitar again, selling for a staggering $14.55 million at auction.

It more than doubled the previous record held by Kurt Cobain's MTV Unplugged Martin.

Insane!

guitaroverse.com/david-gilmou...

#DavidGilmour #PinkFloyd #guitar

“What is this entire piece-of-s**t setup?”: Josh Homme once showed his Peavey/Yamaha bass rig to John Paul Jones – this was his reaction Josh Homme recently recalled showing his unconventional bass rig to John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin during their time together in Them Crooked Vultures. The setup consisted of a Yamaha...

Josh Homme showed John Paul Jones his "piece-of-s**t setup" a Yamaha hollowbody bass into a Peavey Decade practice amp. JPJ laughed. Then he played it. Then he loved it.

Homme's whole philosophy: give me your worst gear and we've got something nobody else has.

guitaroverse.com/what-is-this...

“I just think it’s more important that kids learn how to actually play the guitar. It’s a tough instrument. It’s not easy”: Unlike Guns N' Roses, Metallica and Aerosmith, Prince never allowed his musi... # Prince and Guitar Hero: A Philosophical Difference Prince declined to allow his music to be featured in Guitar Hero, unlike major rock acts such as Guns N' Roses, Metallica,...

Prince refused to let his music appear in Guitar Hero. He wanted kids to actually learn guitar. But did games like that inspire players or hold them back?

guitaroverse.com/i-just-think...

Joe Satriani Destroyed His Tendons Perfecting 'Shockwave Supernova' And Had To Rebuild How He Plays Guitar Joe Satriani suffered serious tendon damage while developing the material for his album "Shockwave Supernova," causing him to experience significant physical limitations in his playing hand. The legen...

Joe Satriani destroyed his tendons perfecting "Shockwave Supernova," leaving him with an immobile pinky and fearing his career was over.

He had to completely rebuild how he plays guitar without surgery.

Have you ever felt pain from practicing too much?

Discuss: guitaroverse.com/joe-satriani...