Today's Top Stories:

  Music Industry Says Goodbye to Bo Diddley
We knew him as the inspiration behind much of today's hard-edged rock music. And now another founding father of modern rock and roll is gone. Bo Diddley died on Monday, June 2, of heart failure after months of declining health. He was 79 years old, but his raw, spikey guitar sound will live on for generations yet to come. He had come back to his home in Archer, Florida, after suffering a debilitating stroke in August of 2007 while touring in Iowa. With his bigger-than-life stage personna, his dark glasses, black hat, and rectangular guitar, Bo was a sure-fire inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but he also had a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and received a well-deserved lifetime achievement award in 1999 at the Grammy Awards. He played gigs in the Bush, Sr. and Clinton White Houses, then quipped, "It didn't put no figures in my checkbook." For those who first picked up a guitar in the 1960s, it was imperative to know Bo's classic, "I'm a Man," which was famously covered by The Yardbirds with Jeff Beck on lead guitar.

  Free Tutorial DVD from Propellerheads
If you purchase a copy of Reason or any other product from Propellerhead between June 1st and August 31st, 2008, you'll be eligible to receive an absolutely free Brainwerks tutorial DVD. It's a $59.99 value and makes your purchase an even better deal! Now you can master Reason 4, the Thor PolySonic synth, RPG-8 arpeggiator, REGroove Mixer, and much, much more in record time! This offer is valid only in the U.S. and you can get all the details at the official rebate site.

  New in Stock at Sweetwater

• Zoom ZFX Stack Package - This package offers up an all-in-one solution for recording guitar and bass on your PC! Using the S2t USB audio interface, you can employ Zoom's potent ZFX software to sculpt your tone in nearly any manner imaginable! It offers a wealth of legendary amp, cabinet, and stomp box models. You can virtually move mics around and tweak your tone just like you would with a real amp, only without the lengthy setup time! Zoom's newly developed modeling algorithms use precise analysis of impulse response and frequency response to emulate the sonic characteristics of real tubes and transistors found in the best classic amps.
  
• Submersible Music Tempestapack I - Need great drum sounds from a hard rock and metal master? This hot new drum sample collection gives you the intense hard rock and metal sounds and stylings of an incredible stickman! Renowned for his work with Rob Zombie, Exodus, Testament, Black Label Society, and others, John Tempesta brings his hard-hitting, rapid-fire kick drum style to the Tempestapack I in propulsive style. Inject some of his intensity into your mixes with this DVD full of great beats. All you need is Drumcore 2 and a DVD drive and you're ready to rock!
  

  Guitar of the Day
When most of us first imagined a robot we could actually afford, we're pretty sure we all anticipated something that would, you know, clean the house or something. Never in our wildest dreams did we consider that it would be a guitar that actually tunes itself. Now the company that gave you the original, one-and-only Les Paul guitar, Gibson USA, has released a Robot Les Paul Studio that doesn't walk, talk, or straighten up the place, for heaven's sake! At first glance, the Gibson Limited Edition Robot Les Paul Studio looks like, well, a Les Paul Studio in an eye-catching Red Metallic finish. The four control knobs seem to be indistinguishable from those on any other Les Paul. But look again. While the four knobs do provide the standard tone and volume controls for each of the two pickups, the Multi-Control Knob (MCK) - that's the one with the illuminated top - serves as the master control for all aspects of the Robot Les Paul Studio Limited's amazing, self-tuning system!

The MCK is what is commonly known as a "push-pull" knob. When in the normal position (down), it behaves as a regular volume or tone pot. When it is pulled out, the Robot Les Paul Studio Limited's radically new self-tuning system is activated and ready for use. It immediately places the guitar in standard tuning mode (A-440). A quick turn of the MCK presents six factory presets, all of which can be customized. At any time, you can also restore the tunings to the factory presets and start all over again. The LED display on top of the MCK also lets you know when a string is out of tune, or when all strings are in tune, and even when the tuners are turning to get them in tune. It even guides the setting of accurate intonation. At the end of the tuning process, the blue lights on top of the MCK flash. Push the MCK back in and it's ready to go. The only thing you have to do is play. It has your standard chambered mahogany body and neck (with the '50s rounded profile) and a maple top with a nitrocellulose finish. There's a pair of standard Gibson humbuckers and a 22-fret ebony fingerboard. There's also a Neutrik jack onboard. But other than that, well, it's a killer Les Paul Studio!