Today's Top Stories:

  Updates and Upgrades

• Rob Papen/RPCX has updated BLUE to version 1.7, which features several brand new features including Unison, Chord memory with strum, Ensemble and Compressor FX. In all, there are now 400 new presets. The software also has increased audio quality with less CPU usage; a much improvedenvelope code makes presets sound punchier and removes envelope aliasing noise. Both the Arpeggiator and Sequencer can be accessed by entering notes by playing them. The Amp FX haas been optimized (requiring 50% less CPU).
• Apple has just released an update for one of the new iLife '08 applications. Word is, GarageBand users who are still using the original software will experience overall stability improvements by updating to version 4.1.1. This upgrade also addresses some issues discovered during file exports to Apple's hot new iPhone.

  New In Stock at Sweetwater

• Taylor GC5 - Completely re-voiced and now with an even deeper body, the Grand Concert is the quintessential small-bodied 24 7/8" guitar. Its comfortable shape delivers clarity and a balanced response for an unforgettable playing experience. The scaled-down proportions make the Grand Concert ideal for fingerstyle playing, particularly for players who have slightly smaller hands. The GC5's mahogany back and sides and cedar top complement each other to produce a smooth, pleasing tone. Taylor chose an ivoroid binding for the body, along with a colorful abalone rosette and abalone position markers on the premium rosewood fingerboard. Gold hardware gives the GC5 an upscale look and it ships in a Taylor hardshell case.
• Applied Acoustics Modeling Collection - Here's a collection of four of the most outstanding soft synths ever released! The Applied Acoustics Systems now offers the entire AAS Professional Series product line which includes the String Studio VS-1, Ultra Analog VA-1, Lounge Lizard EP-3, and Tassman 4. Best of all, it does so at an unbeatable price. This comprehensive software instrument solution includes more than 1,800 presets: basses, guitars, synths, electric pianos, organs, clavinets, leads, pads, violins and cellos, ethnic instruments, ambiances, percussions, sound effects, and many other-worldy sounds that we couldn't even put a label on! All of these are based exclusively on physical modeling for outstanding sound quality and they work with Windows and Mac OS X with DXi, VST, Audio Unit, and RTAS plug-in support.
• SWR Strawberry Blonde II - The original Strawberry Blonde made a believer out of us: Blondes do indeed appear to have more fun - as do those who play them. This is a great amplifier for acoustic instrumentalists seeking a clean, accurate, full-range amplifier for their guitars, mandolins, violins, violas, cellos, autoharps, bouzoukis, lutes, dulcimers - pretty much anything acoustic that needs to be louder on occasion. The Strawberry Blonde II remains faithful to the popular feature set and tone of the original while adding some new features to bring it up to date, like a tuning mute switch, new 1/4" balanced input, and an upgraded power amp for more headroom and efficiency. The SWR puts out 90 crystal clear watts through a 10-inch speaker with a phase reversal switch, 3-band active EQ, an onboard aural exciter, and a surprising smooth reverb.

  Guitar of the Day
Remember that feeling you got when you first flipped open the latches on your first "real" guitar's case. Imagine feeling exactly like that every time you open the case and lift out a Paul Reed Smith Modern Eagle! It's as much a piece of art as it is a musical instrument. In fact, this is about as high as you can go in the PRS line without moving all the way up to a Private Stock guitar. For the Modern Eagle, Paul Reed Smith and his staff developed a number of rich new stains that really bring out the beauty of the fantastic maple tops PRS has become famous for. Often a specific guitar might get two or even three applications of a stain before it's time to apply the final clear coat. In this case, the stain is what PRS calls Tiger Yellow. This has the effect of making the flame or figure really pop out of the maple top, so it has even more of that amazing 3-D quality. What's more, for the Modern Eagle, PRS developed a new satin finish. This gives the guitar the look and vibe of a vintage instrument, where years of playing night-after-night in hot smoky clubs have taken the original gloss finish and muted it slightly. The feature list is top-of-the-line PRS, with a carved, highly figured maple top, a premium tropical mahogany body and a remarkable solid Brazilian Rosewood neck and fingerboard with 22 frets and those trademark PRS rippled abalone bird inlays. The carve on the neck is wide-fat, which allows you to really dig into solos, as well as grab big handfuls of chords. The headstock boasts a special Brazilian rosewood headstock overlay with a special Modern Eagle inlay. The guitar is equipped with a pair of sweet-sounding RP pickups with satin covers. The switching is borrowed from the McCarty Series, so you get a master volume, a master tone with push-pull coil tap and a 3-way toggle switch. All the hardware is a combination of hybrid gold and nickel. A guitar this special doesn't come along every day, but if you've been considering the purchase of a premium guitar that will last you the rest of your life, the PRS Modern Eagle just might be it. What's more, it ships right to your door via FedEx absolutely free.