Today's Top Stories:

  Apogee and PT8
Our friends at Apogee have let us know that all X-HD converters, including the AD-16X, DA-16X, Rosetta 800, and Rosetta 200, have been approved for use with Pro Tools HD 8 hardware and software running on Mac OS X 10.5.5 or Windows XP SP 2.

  Universal Audio to Receive Technical Grammy
Universal Audio will be honored by the Recording Academy with a Technical Grammy Award on February 7th at the invitation-only Special Merit Awards Ceremony. The award, which recognizes UA's technical contributions to the recording industry, is, in fact, the second Technical Grammy given to the company - Bill Putnam Sr. was awarded a Technical Grammy in 2000 for his pioneering achievements.

"Everyone at Universal Audio is thrilled and very honored by this award. We would like to accept this Technical Grammy Award on behalf of our customers, many of whom are Grammy winners and nominees themselves," commented Bill Putnam Jr. "Universal Audio was started by my dad to make music sound better. To have UA honored with a Technical Grammy Award is a wonderful vote of confidence that UA is carrying on my father's tradition and legacy."

  Ron Asheton Passes
Ron Asheton, influential guitarist for The Stooges, passed away on Tuesday, January 6, 2009. Asheton was an original member of the band, which was formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1967 and featured singer Iggy Pop. The band was a part of the late-1960s Michigan scene that included the MC5, Bob Seger, and Commander Cody. The Stooges reunited in 2007 and released a new album, The Weirdness. They also toured in support of the release.

  Guitar of the Day
Few guitarists have earned the universal acclaim given to the legendary Chet Atkins. Though there have been numerous guitar models that carried his name, if you're after the ultimate "Atkins" guitar fix, then today's Guitar of the Day is for you: the Gretsch G6120SWR Chet Atkins Relic. This ultra-limited-edition guitar - built by master luthier Stephen Stern - is designed to look and feel as if it were a vintage instrument from the original 6120 era of the late 1950s. A worn Vintage Orange nitrocellulose finish over a maple single-cutaway hollow body and a maple/walnut/maple neck is complemented by aged gold-plated hardware, a rosewood fingerboard, a Bigsby bridge and tailpiece, two Seymour Duncan Dynasonic single-coil pickups, and Grover V98G tuners.

The 6120 was designed by Gretsch and Atkins to bridge the country, rockabilly, and rock 'n' roll styles of the day, and this vintage re-creation has all the twang, depth, resonance, and character of the original. Only 50 of the G6120SWR Chet Atkins Relics will be made, and we've got one in stock right now. Don't hesitate, or you'll miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime chance to own a truly magical instrument.