In 2005 some friends in New Zealand got together to start a band to combine the brutal sound of Slayer, Arkangel and Morbid Angel with a Christian message. Starting off playing in garages they moved up to headlining tours and playing festivals across the world. Their songs have been known to speak to issues such as betrayal, violence and abuse & addiction as well as messages such as friendship, hope & faith. We recently caught up with Seymour Duncan artist Vasely Sapunov, the guitarist for Saving Grace to talk about his band and his gear.

How did you come to be in Saving Grace?

“Saving Grace formed in 2005 in our hometown of Gisborne as a new project between myself and our vocalist Nick. We both grew up playing shows with each others bands when we were kids and quickly became best friends. When our previous bands disbanded, Saving Grace was born. Hundreds of shows, 3 studio albums and numerous international tours later, here we are.”

What are your thoughts on being both heavy metal and Christian, and how does that influence your writing/playing?

“Our faith permiates everything that we do, it is the core of this band and the reason we have been doing what we are doing for almost 8 years. Although musically, the majority of our influences are from secular hardcore and metal bands that we grew up listening to, we are stoked to break barriers and stereotypes and to be able to play bone-crushingly heavy music, that people would not normally associate with a Christian band.”

“I am glad that we can do what we love, and open up peoples eyes and minds to the fact that such violent and brutal music can be a form of worship. There should never be a barrier between our passions and gifts and the God who created us.”

What kind of gear do you use?

“I play Schecter Guitars, Seymour Duncan pickups, SIT strings and In Tune Guitar Picks exclusively, Peavey amplification and BOSS effects. My current main touring rig is a Schecter Blackjack ATX Solo 6 with Seymour Duncan Blackouts through a 5150 mark 2 head and matching Peavey cabinet with BOSS TU-3, NS-2 and DD-3 pedals.”

Why did you choose Seymour Duncan?

“Ever since I first picked up a guitar as a kid, Seymour Duncan to me was a name synonymous with quality, integrity and enormous, unparalleled sound! Many of my childhood guitar heroes such as Dimebag were playing Seymour Duncan pickups and drawing some of the most immense tones I had ever heard.”

“The Duncan Blackout’s that I have been using on tour and in the studio are a perfect fit for the sound of Saving Grace and the insane output and clarity that they give is a testament to the quality of the product, helping to show exactly why it is that so many incredible artists stand behind the brand and never look back.”

Any advice you liked to offer to musicians who are just starting out in a garage?

“Be Genuine. Be 100% into what you are doing and know why you are doing it. Creating music, like any other art form needs to be done with passion and with a reason. Anything ‘manufactured’, fake or shallow is transparent and people will see straight through it. Write songs because you believe in your music and you love what you do. Expect nothing, be grateful for everything, tour relentlessly, sleep on floors and treat people with kindness.”

Fore more information on Saving Grace, please visit:

http://www.savingxgrace.com/

Tony writes for the RockHouse Method, the #1 leading guitar lesson DVD series where he hosts their gear page known as the “Gear411.” Tony is also a clinician/product specialist for Blackstar and Korg USA.

What advice can you give to someone who wants to do clinics?
“Be prepared musically, but don’t overplay. Know how to sell the products without bad mouthing other products. It’s also very important to always make eye contact with members of the audience.”

How do you prepare for a clinic?
“Knowing what to say and what to play is the easy part; the part you have to work on is your people skills. You’re going to be dealing with lots of different personalities in many different parts of the world so knowing how to get along with the rep you’re traveling with, the dealer you’re doing the clinic for (along with their employees) is sometimes the most challenging part of the clinic.”

“The clinic attendees are easy because they are there to see the product and get all of their questions answered. Dealing with the customers is always my favorite part because they are all very complimentary even if they don’t like the product you’re selling.”

What is the average length of a clinic?
“It varies but always have an intro, a middle, and an ending. This will make a longer clinic go by faster for the customers attending. If you look lost and are searching for words, they will definitely get bored quickly.”

Why did you change out your stock pickups?
“Growing up all I could afford were entry level guitars and the only inexpensive way to make a cheap guitar sound good was to change the pickups so I upgraded all my guitars with Duncan’s. Wow, it made my pawn shop guitars sound like custom shop gems, so now when I get a new guitar no matter the price, it just doesn’t seem complete unless it has Duncan pickups in it.”

Which pickups do you use and for which guitars?
“I have Seth Lovers in my Les Paul, 59’s in my SG, a little 59’ and Antiquity single-coils in my sunburst Strat, a Pearly Gates Jr. in my custom Tele Esquire, a Custom Custom in my Yamaha Wes Borland hollow body, and I just installed the new prewired pick-guard with a JB Jr., a Duckbucker, and a little ‘59 in my custom reliced Strat – I love lower output pickups because they let the guitar’s personality come through and Seymour has got the formula down for winding vintage style pickups; they are as authentic as the originals and I have had the privilege to play some true originals.”

“For me the guess work is done. Seymour has done his homework so I have confidence knowing that I can go into any music store buy a Duncan pickup and I’m getting the same sounding pickup that comes in a $70,000 vintage guitar that I’ll never get a chance to own or gig with. Seymour Duncan pickups can make a bad guitar sound good, a good guitar great and a great guitar sound like the Pearly Gates have opened.”

How has it changed your playing?
“I respond to the sound I’m getting from my guitar. If my guitar is nailing the tones I grew up hearing, then it helps me with my phrasing, attack, and technique, because at the end of the day we all try to emulate our heroes.”

How would you describe your playing?
“I’d say my playing is like a gumbo, I use a lot of different ingredients to make up one dish. I like melody and simple progressions that take you somewhere. Technique is important, but too many depend on it and forget to be creative and just make some noise. ”

How would you describe your music?
“Alternative, if that’s even a category anymore. My goal is to write music instrumental (or not) that puts you in a sonic space that makes you feel something. For example, Dark Side of the Moon takes you somewhere, Tool’s 10,000 Days takes you somewhere, and that’s what I’m hoping to accomplish with my music.”

What kind of gear do you currently use?
“A lot of stuff, but guitars I keep it pretty straight forward: Les Paul, SG, Strat, Tele, hollow body – The foundation of what most classic rock albums were made with. I use Blackstar amps- the Series One 200 watt head, HT-5, Club 40 and the 1 watt. For pedals I used the new F-Bomb fuzz by Tim Jauernig, the Analog Alien Fuzzbubble 45 is all over the CD as well as the whole line of pedals from the Juliet Collective; if you haven’t heard these yet you are missing out on some seriously good tones! I also am currently addicted to these Dava Jazz picks, Love-em!”

Whose career would you most want to pattern yours after?
“Jeff Beck.”

What bands or artists influenced you and your career?
“Jimi Hendrix, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Satriani, Stevie Ray Vaughn.”

Tony will be releasing his instrumental EP Noise - available for download May 12th. Here are some quotes from some of Tony’s friends:
Joe Satriani states, “Cool vibe and crazy guitar tones”
Gary Hoey says, “Noise is a collection of guitar tunes with shred, style, melody and taste, but most importantly the compositions take you somewhere, “Circadia Collective”, “Kingdom By The Sea” and “Thunder” are worth the admission, can’t wait to hear what’s next!

To visit with Tony, please go to:
http://www.tonypasko.com
http://www.paskoconsulting.com/
http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/control_room/508687%23!/tonyjpasko
http://www.myspace.com/546494390
http://www.facebook.com/%23!/tony.pasko
https://twitter.com/%23!/tpasko
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=FLsLreeeRpH7aj5U47tVCMUw&feature=mh_lolz

As you may have seen on our forums recently, Musicians Institute and Seymour Duncan Pickups and Pedals are offering three innovative scholarships to support bass players, guitarists and luthiers at the legendary music school.

Each $2,000 scholarship (tuition credit) will be awarded in Fall 2012 to a newly enrolling intermediate or advanced student (US or non-US citizens) in the Associate of Arts in Performance (Bass) program, the Guitar Craft Academy (GCA) Certificate program and the Associate of Arts in Performance (Guitar) program.

The deadline for the scholarship application is August 24th, 2012. For more information, follow these links!

The Seymour Duncan Bass Scholarship

The Seymour Duncan Guitar Scholarship

The Seymour Duncan Guitar Craft Scholarship 

And for even more info:

http://www.mi.edu/news    

http://www.mi.edu/admissions/scholarships

http://musiciansfoundation.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/TheMusiciansFoundation

https://www.facebook.com/MusiciansInstituteAlumni

Joel Hoekstra is quite possibly the busiest guitar player you’ve never heard of….yet. Joel has been touring the world alongside Brad Gillis, Jack Blades and Kelly Keagy in Night Ranger for the last 4 years. When at home, he is in the hit Broadway show Rock of Ages 8 shows a week and as if that isn’t enough, he has set it all aside (replacing Alex Skolnick) for the arena-filling Trans-Siberian Orchestra winter tour. Recent projects? Did we mention filling in for Foreigner’s Mick Jones, playing on Jeff Scott Soto’s and Jack Blades’ solo albums, appearing in Dee Snider’s new video or making a cameo in the Warner Bros. movie Rock of Ages?

What part did you play in the movie, “Rock of Ages”?
I am in the protest scene. Basically they took Sebastian Bach, Nuno Bettencourt, Kevin Cronin, Debbie Gibson and me and put us around Russell Brand, singing a song across the street at Catherine Zeta Jones.

Did you learn anything from that experience?
Yeah, Baz (Sebastian Bach) is a madman!  In a great way. I love that dude! We had a blast on the set.

What would you like to share about it?
A cool moment was putting on a concert for the actors in catering on no rehearsal, soundcheck etc. We played everyone’s hits. It was really crazy to be playing and look out and see Russell Brand, Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta Jones all watching us.

How did you get your gigs with so many well know bands?
I got Night Ranger through playing in the house band for Jim Peterik’s World Stage shows. Kelly Keagy (Night Ranger drummer) was one of many artists to come out to sing their hits each year and eventually that led to my “audition”, which was basically a gig on no rehearsal..haha! Rock of Ages I got through knowing the music supervisor. We met while I was subbing on the show Tarzan and he was the keyboard player. With Trans-Siberian Orchestra, I had a couple friends put in a good word for me, but I had to audition just like everyone else.

When taking over guitar duties in a well-known band, do you do your own solos, play them note-for note, or something in-between?
I’m a big believer in making the OTHER people in the band feel comfortable. It’s not about you. The gigs are always bigger than you are, so I try to play things initially as note-for-note as possible. As time goes by, I gradually put my own spin on things.

Why did you change out your stock pickups?
Mostly, I made the change simply because I prefer Seymour Duncan. I always request Seymour Duncan pickups if a guitar is being built for me.

Which pickups do you use and for which guitars?
My Atomic Rock in America guitar has a Seymour Duncan Custom SH-5 in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan L’il 59′ in the neck (alongside a Fernandes Sustainer). My Schecter Hellraiser has a JB in the bridge and a ’59 in the neck. On my Gibson Les Paul Axcess, I have a Little 59 in the neck position (also alongside a Fernandes Sustainer.)

How would you describe the sound of those pickups?
The SH-5 is a high gain monster with a good, solid fat punch! The JB is very punchy, but delivers a nice midrange that cuts beautifully on lead work, etc.  The ‘59 and the L’il ‘59 both deliver a beautiful, warm, round tone for me in the neck position. Both are warm, not woofy and deliver clarity and sustain. Whatever sound I’ve been in need of, Seymour Duncan has always delivered.

How has it changed your playing? (if it did)
Having the right sound and obviously pickups are a huge part of that, helps you to play the way you WANT to play. If your sound isn’t right, you can end up fighting with your instrument and that in turn, compromises your performance.

How would you describe your playing?
Lately through Night Ranger, Rock of Ages and Trans-Siberian Orchestra, I am known mainly for playing hard rock.  I have also released 2 albums of my own that could be described as rock/fusion and another album that is all acoustic. Over the years, I have played all types of gigs from blues, country, jazz, etc…

What was your favorite gig and why?
There are two. My first gig with Night Ranger was with no rehearsal and a limited soundcheck. It was like jumping out of a plane without knowing if you had a parachute and when the chute opened it felt damn good. I had a very similar experience filling in for Mick Jones of Foreigner. I only had 24 hours notice to get their set together and it was a blast having everyone from the tour watching in the wings.

How would you describe your music?
Undefined has elements of rock, funk, blues, country and jazz. The Moon is Falling is more in a prog-rock direction. Virgil Donati (Steve Vai, Planet X) and Ric Fierbracci (Andy Summers, Frank Gambale) play absolutely amazing stuff on both of them. 13 acoustic songs is a collection of chord melody songs I wrote. It’s more about nice songwriting and arranging than blowing chops.

My music is my escape from the commercial world, so I just view it as EXACTLY what I feel like playing at that time. When it comes to playing other gigs, I do my best to deliver what they are looking for and try my hardest play it at the very highest level possible.  You can check it out my music and some of the albums I have played on here:
http://www.myspace.com/joelhoekstra/music/songs?filter=POPULAR

I’m at Rock of Ages 8 shows a week in NYC when I’m not on tour with Night Ranger or Trans-Siberian Orchestra, so it’s very easy to catch me live these days.  You can check dates here anytime:
http://www.joelhoekstra.com/live.html

To visit with Joel please go to:
http://www.joelhoekstra.com
http://www.facebook.com/JoelHoekstra13
https://twitter.com/#!/JoelHoekstra13

Keep an eye out for Joel in the Warner Bros. movie Rock of Ages premiering June 15, in theaters everywhere as well as Dee Snider’s new video Mack the Knife.

Many players prefer their pickups running at full tilt all the time, partly because they don’t like the sound when they back off the guitar’s volume. Constantly running on ten is fine if your music calls for it (and sometimes a simple kill switch in place of a volume control can be the perfect tool for the job), but there’s something to be said for the sonic territory that one can explore when they use the volume control to influence the interaction between guitar and amplifier. Still, what can you do if you want to vary your gain from the guitar’s volume knob but you wish to maintain the treble response?

A treble bleed modification is the answer! This is a very simple trick which maintains the high end when you roll back the volume control, and it’s especially noticeable if you play a guitar with a H-S-H layout with coil splitting in the 2 and 4 positions. It works great with Strat® pickups, and it unlocks a wider range of bright cleans from humbuckers, which are especially prone to the treble reduction effect. It allows you to maintain a similar basic tone throughout the volume knob’s travel, while lowering the gain generated by the amplifier.

And it’s easy to perform! Simply solder a .002 capacitor and a 100k resister in parallel between the input and output terminals of the volume pot. Depending on how neatly the pot is soldered, you may not even need to remove and re-solder any wires. There’s a diagram here which shows you where to solder the capacitor and resistor. Once you’ve performed the mod, explore the new sounds at your fingertips. Many players who have given in to the joys of the treble bleed mod like to dial in their maximum required gain amount with the guitar on 10, then use the volume pot to reel it back for a cleaner rhythm tone. And if it doesn’t quite do it for you, the mod is easily reversible.

When Black Sabbath announced plans for a reunion album and tour last year, the metal world went into a frenzy. The legends were back! But then Tony Iommi announced his diagnosis with cancer, and the band scaled back its planned appearances to small number of dates. To fill the void left in the wake of some of the already-announced Sabbath shows, Ozzy Osbourne called up a few friends to do something really special: Ozzy & Friends. This European tour features Ozzy’s current band – guitarist Gus G, bass player Blasko and drummer Tommy Clufetos – with some very special guests: Slash, former Ozzy and current Black Label Society shredder Zakk Wylde, and none other than Black Sabbath bass legend Geezer Butler. Gus recently sent us a pic from rehearsals and we needed to know more, so we called him up late last week to give us an update on all things Gus: Ozzy, the forthcoming Firewind album, and his signature Gus G Fire Blackout pickups.

How are the rehearsals going for the tour?

“It’s okay! It’s been going really good! We did a few days in a row with just the band, then Ozzy came down, Geezer Butler came down for a couple of days, Zakk Wylde came down for a couple of days. Then today Slash was there. So we’ve been going through the songs that each guy is going to come up and do separately. And tomorrow is a day when we all get down there for rehearsal, so it’ll be one big meeting.”

I don’t think you should give away which songs you’ll be doing, but you got to play with Geezer?

“Yeah I did! That was amazing, man. He’s the best, heaviest bass players out there. No doubt. And it was great to hear those songs with the original bass lines.”

And Zakk Wylde – he’s been very supportive of you in the press.

“Yeah! He’s been really supporting me. That’s very nice of him. I’m a fan of the guy, and I really like the guy. We got to hang out a couple of times, and he’s really fun to be around. He’s got a lot of cool stories and he’s just a funny guy. He was down there for a couple of days. And Slash is great.”

So what guitar rig are you using on this tour? 

“It’s the same thing, really. I have by Blackstar Series 200 heads and cabs, a bunch of my ESPs – both the Eclipse and the Random Stars. The only thing that’s actually changed lately is my pickups. Before I had standard Blackouts on all my guitars, and now I’ve switched. I still have some of the standard Blackouts, but my Random Stars all have my own signature pickups. They have such an organic sound. It definitely doesn’t take over. You can hear the wood and the harmonics of the guitar. You can hear the actual guitar, and at the same time it’s loud as ****!”

So why all the different guitars? Are some in different tunings? 

“I use the Eclipse guitars for the Sabbath stuff and I use my Random Stars for the Ozzy material, and that’s it.”

I listened to Scream again last week for the first time in about a year and a half, and it really holds up well. 

“That’s very nice to hear! You know what? I actually did the same just a few weeks ago. I put it on my iPod and I was like, ‘Hey! Two years later this album doesn’t sound bad at all!’ There’s some really good music on there.”

Yeah. Songs like ‘Life Won’t Wait’ sit up there with the best of the Ozzy stuff. 

“That is a really good song, yeah. ‘Time’ is also another really cool ballad. We put a lot of hard work into that album. I’m glad to hear that a couple of years down the road people have not forgotten about it!”

Have you been writing for a future Ozzy release?

“I’ve written a bunch of stuff already. I have lots of ideas. The thing is, it’s not really up for discussion right now, because Ozzy was concentrating on the Sabbath thing, and the next Ozzy album might take a bit longer than expected, but as far as material goes I definitely have a lot of riffs. I wrote some stuff with Ozzy on the road as well that sounds pretty good. It’s just a matter of when we’re going to get together to do that.”

And Firewind are releasing a new album, Few Against Many, just before the Ozzy & Friends tour.

“Two days before the tour. It’s a very heavy album compared to the previous Firewind records. And that’s because we cut down a lot of the keyboards and there’s more guitar in it. So there’s a lot more riffing, and it’s a lot more groovy as well. It’s still like Firewind but I think that the power metal element is a bit more eliminated, so to speak. It’s a bit more of a straight heavy metal album. And I think it’s the kind of record where it could please fans from both sides of the Atlantic. It’s cool. You’ve got to check it out. We just released a single the other day, ‘Wall of Sound.’ It has a different sound as well, because we mixed it somewhere else. We mixed it with the guys from Audiohammer studio in Florida, Jason Suecof – he’s done Trivium and all those sorts of bands, and he really gave us a fresh sound. It’s much bigger. I tried out different tones in the studio. I’m very happy with the outcome and I can’t wait for people to hear it. And we start touring right after the Ozzy tour is done. We start doing festivals in Europe in July, and then in August we go to China for the first time, and Taiwan, and after that we go back home and we do a pretty extensive UK tour, then a mainland European tour. And I think after that we’re going to try to get over into America. So it’s going to be a world tour. The whole run.”

Ozzy & Friends Summer European Tour

May 23, 2012 Helsinki, Finland – Hartwall Areena

May 25, 2012 Stockholm,Sweden – Stockholm Stadium

May 27, 2012 Jelling, Denmark – Jelling Festival

May 29, 2012 Bergen, Norway – Bergen Calling Festival

May 31, 2012 Oslo, Norway – Oslo Spektrum

June 2, 2012 Malmö, Sweden – Malmö Stadion

June 4, 2012 Dortmund, Germany – Westfalenhallen

June 6, 2012 Prague, Czech Republic – O2 Arena

June 15, 2012 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain – Azkena Rock Festival

June 17, 2012 Clisson, France – Hellfest

June 20, 2012 Mannheim, Germany – SAP Arena

June 22, 2012 Dessel, Belgium – Graspop Metal Meeting

June 24, 2012 Milan, Italy – Gods of Metal

June 26, 2012 Vienna, Austria – Wiener Stadthalle

June 28, 2012 Belgrade, Serbia – Ušće Park

July 1, 2012 Athens, Greece – Rockwave Festival

Firewind – Live 2012:

June 10, 2012 Donington Park (UK) – Download Festival

July 14, 2012 Vizovice (Czech Republic) – Masters Of Rock Festival

July 18, 2012 Thessaloniki (Greece) – Mylos Open Air

July 28, 2012 Rotterdam (The Netherlands) – Roadgrill Festival

August 17, 2012 Dinkelsbühl (Germany) – Summer Breeze Open Air

August 24, 2012 Beijing (China) – Star Live

August 25, 2012 Shanghai (China) – Mao Livehouse

August 26, 2012 Taipei (Taiwan) – Hwa Sha Auditorium

Firewind & Leaves’ Eyes – “Few Against Many” European Tour 2012:

September 25, 2012 Paris (France) – Divan du Monde

September 26, 2012 Colmar (France) – Le Grillen

September 27, 2012 Bochum (Germany) – Matrix

September 28, 2012 Hamburg (Germany) – Knust

September 30, 2012 Berlin (Germany) – SO36

October 2, 2012 Aschaffenburg (Germany) – Colos Saal

October 3, 2012 Ingolstadt (Germany) – Eventhalle

October 4, 2012 Cologne (Germany) – Underground

October 5, 2012 Zwolle (The Netherlands) – Hedon

October 6, 2012 Vosselaar (Belgium) – Biebob

Sergio Vallín and Fernando "Psycho" Vallin rock Staples Center

On April 25th, Seymour Duncan Custom Shop manager Maricela Juarez (MJ) and art director Andreina Diaz attended a historical concert by the legendary Maná at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.

Maná is the most influential band out Latin America since the late 80s  – the equivalent of U2 or The Stones for Spanish speaking countries. They set a new record at the Staples Center with eleven consecutive sold-out shows, smashing the previous record of nine sold-out shows set by Britney Spears.

After the concert MJ and Andreina met with Maná lead guitarist Sergio Vallín and rhythm Fernando “Psycho” Vallin to talk tone. Here are some snaps of this historic concert, and of MJ catching up with the band afterwards.

Sergio Vallín and MJ

Psycho, MJ and Sergio

Mana at Staples Center

Mana at Staples Center

Mana at Staples Center on April 25

Here’s his message to fans of Ozzy, Gus and Seymour Duncan:

“Hey everyone, I’m in L.A. at the moment rehearsing and getting ready for the “Ozzy & Friends” Summer European tour. I can’t wait to fire it up with my new Fire Blackouts pickups. They sound killer!

See you all out there!”

Gus has also sent us this sneak peek of his signature ESP guitars lined up and ready for action at rehearsals. If you look closely you’ll spot the distinctive graphics of the Gus G FIRE Blackouts.

Ozzy & Friends Summer European Tour Dates:

May 23, 2012 Helsinki, Finland – Hartwall Areena

May 25, 2012 Stockholm,Sweden – Stockholm Stadium

May 27, 2012 Jelling, Denmark – Jelling Festival

May 29, 2012 Bergen, Norway – Bergen Calling Festival

May 31, 2012 Oslo, Norway – Oslo Spektrum

June 2, 2012 Malmö, Sweden – Malmö Stadion

June 4, 2012 Dortmund, Germany – Westfalenhallen

June 6, 2012 Prague, Czech Republic – O2 Arena

June 15, 2012 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain – Azkena Rock Festival

June 17, 2012 Clisson, France – Hellfest

June 20, 2012 Mannheim, Germany – SAP Arena

June 22, 2012 Dessel, Belgium – Graspop Metal Meeting

June 24, 2012 Milan, Italy – Gods of Metal

June 26, 2012 Vienna, Austria – Wiener Stadthalle

June 28, 2012 Belgrade, Serbia – Ušće Park

July 1, 2012 Athens, Greece – Rockwave Festival

The Seymour Duncan Invader has a well-earned reputation as the most aggressive passive pickup ever. It’s the weapon of choice for metal, punk and rock players who seek maximum power and sustain without switching over to a battery-powered active system.

Now this high-gain classic gets a visual makeover inspired by longtime Invader user Synyster Gates of the chart-topping metalcore band Avenged Sevenfold. Synyster Gates Invaders sport eye-catching chrome-plated pole pieces in place of the original black ones. They are also offered with gold and white pole pieces.

Synyster Gates Invaders are available in a Trembucker-spaced bridge version and a standard-spaced neck version. They’re the same ones used in Schecter Guitar Research’s Special Edition Synyster Custom model. Neck and bridge pickups are sold individually and as a set.

Naturally, Synyster Gates Invaders have all the amp-pummeling power of the original Invader, thanks to their triple ceramic magnets, overwound coils, and the extra-wide magnetic field generated by twelve oversized cap screws. Non-active pickups simply don’t get more powerful than this — they’re passive and massive.

To help celebrate the launch of this pickup we have teamed up with Schecter Guitars to launch the Summer of Syn Giveaway. Here is your chance to win a signed Synyster Gates Custom Guitar from Schecter featuring the Seymour Duncan Synyster Gates Invader. You can enter by visiting Seymour Duncan and Schecter Guitars Facebook page below:

Enter on Seymour Duncan Facebook:  http://on.fb.me/I5OYDu

Enter on Schecter Guitars Facebook:  http://on.fb.me/JxpMoL

For more information on the Synyster Gates Invader, please see the link below.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/humbucker/high-output/synyster_gates/

We all have our hobbies outside of making music – in my particular case I’ve always enjoyed devoting all my free time (anything not work or guitars) to chasing storms. It all started with a coming of age eastbound trip 12 years ago in the year of 2000. I was heading out towards NorthWestern University in Chicago in my first cross-country. Something about being cheap, defiant and poor that makes you want to keep driving into the late night, so I crossed the Rocky Mountains and into Denver well past 10 P.M.

As it approached midnight, the black sky in front of me started to light up as if someone was flipping a light switch quickly off and on. It was brilliant and ‘cool’ to me but being from California I had no idea exactly what was happening in front of me – California is a land of many disasters but thunderstorms are quite uncommon along the coast.

As I pulled into the town of ‘Loveland’ my amusement of the lightning show quickly diverged into mass chaos. The sirens across town were blaring out and the winds suddenly picked up with the tree’s dancing in the flashes of lightning. It suddenly occurred to me the situation I was in. Here I was, practically out in the middle of nowhere, in the pitch black night, with no one knowing where I was and I had driven into some freakish storm. I turned on the radio and an erie mechanized voice drained on about a tornado near Loveland and something about seeking cover immediately. In my youthful wisdom, I decided to get out of the car and watch the storm.

With each flash of lightning, the clouds under the storm would change shape as I suddenly felt the wind behind me whip around and start pushing towards the storm. Then there was a huge transformer flash that illuminated a tornado moving through the fields of Colorado.

It was mesmerizing and I felt a complete lack of any sort of reversion to the danger before me and it wasn’t just the usual thoughts of teenage immortality or a punk rock indifference to life – there was something truly beautiful about watching the world erupt into a tempest. It’s like when you go to that concert, and you see the energy on stage, you feel the roar of the crowd, you feel the power of the music and it lights a wildfire in you to become a musician, whatever the cost.

I spent the next 12 years chasing, learning, and for many years living in the Great Plains so that I could experience each and every storm possible. In those years I’ve driven over 150,000 miles chasing, seen over 80 tornadoes, lost two windshields due to hail and experienced one twister from my car (which is aptly named ‘The Hindenburg’). I’ve also seen the destruction and pain caused by these storms which has weighed heavily on me but is commonly counteracted by witnessing the incredible resiliency of the human spirit, to rebuild, persevere and be better people (click here to read about Greensburg, Kansas). I’ve also seen time and time again that with each and every violent storm comes a moment of peace whether it be a sunset or a sunrise, rainbows, colored skies, cool northern breezes and clouds in the distance. The times of weather are always changing, those floods turn into droughts and the warmth summer months turn into the frigid calls of Winter.

What has been your experience with storms? Share your best storm encounter story in the comments below.