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For Immediate Release: ....
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Gibson
Guitar, Epiphone and Monster Cable Join Forces With Legendary Guitarist Zakk
Wylde to Host the Ultimate Rocktober Event: Zakk Wylde’s Hellfire Halloween Bash
in New York....
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Hard Rock Café New York In Times Square to Host Exclusive Concert Event....
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Zakk Wylde and Black Label Society Kick
off a Month Long series of Major Promotions to Celebrate the New Gibson USA Zakk
Wylde Bullseye, the New Epiphone Graveyard Disciple and Monster Cable’s Turbine
Pro Headphones....
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New York, New York….October 2, 2009 --
Gibson Guitar, Epiphone and Monster Cable have partnered to celebrate the launch
of two new signature model guitars and pro headphones with a special event in
New York on Halloween, October 31, 2009.
Zakk Wylde, legendary guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and founder of the
heavy metal band Black Label Society is set to perform at a free concert event
at the Hard Rock Café New York in Times Square beginning at 8pm.
The event will feature a major nationwide promotional radio campaign,
special online contesting and viral marketing and a first-hand look at the
special line of the signature Zakk Wylde Gibson USA guitar and Epiphone
Graveyard Disciple. The event is also co-sponsored by Dunlop Pedals.
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Gibson’s month long promotional “Rocktober” campaign will culminate with two
major Zakk Wylde appearances and events in New York City. In addition to the
concert performance, Zakk will host a special “meet and greet” at New York’s
renowned 48th Street Sam Ash Music Store from 4PM to 7PM the night
before, October 30, 2009. “Zakk Wylde’s Hellfire Halloween Bash” concert with
Black Label Society follows the next day at New York’s Hard Rock Cafe in Times
Square. The concert will include V.I.P. guests who won their exclusive “all
access” tickets and the opportunity to meet Zakk through a major nationwide
radio contest that will be promoted heavily throughout the month of October. ....
In addition, fans of Zakk Wylde will be offered the opportunity to register for
tickets to the event. Interested fans will be given the opportunity to show the
world their best “Zakk Wylde” audition through a major YouTube contest launched
on www.gibson.com
in mid-October. Monster will also be
doing major online promotions for their new headphones and giving musicians and
fans alike the chance to win a pair of Turbine Pro in-ear speakers and a new
Gibson Zakk Wylde Gibson BFG guitar from Gibson USA personally signed by the
guitar maestro. Look for Zakk’s special video message at
www.monstercable.com or
www.gibson.com. For information on how to
register for free tickets fans can go to
www.monstercable.com beginning on Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 12pm ET/9am
PT. Tickets will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis and will be
limited to two per person per household.....
Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO, Henry Juszkiewicz and Monster Cable’s Head
Monster, Noel Lee will be on hand to award special surprises to some of the
guests and partake in media interviews. ....
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Winners of the radio promotions will receive a new Epiphone Zakk Wylde Graveyard
Disciple guitar, a set of Monster’s new Turbine Pro in-ear speakers, a set of
Dunlop pedals, tickets to the Zakk Wylde’s Hellfire Halloween Bash, a special
meet and greet with Wylde and entry into the Hard Rock Times Square. ....
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Hi-res image above available upon request via contacts listed below....
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A diehard Gibson/Epiphone guitarist and famous Monster, Zakk exclaimed: “There
is nothing better than the sound of one of my Gibson or Epiphone guitars plugged
into my rig using Monster Cable…From Ozzy to Black Label Society, it’s kind of
like the soul of my sound.” As for this new line of Gibson guitars, Zakk said:
“It’s an honor. I grew up watching guys like Jimmy Page play a Gibson Les Paul
and since day one, nothing has ever sounded better. And my new line of Gibsons
are ridiculous! They are beyond amazing.” As for Zakk’s take on Monster’s new
Turbine Pros Zakk smiled and said: “I get why Monster calls them in-ear speakers
instead of headphones. They make my guitar sound like it’s supposed to sound:
loud and with clarity, I’m starting to use these Turbine Pros for everything.”....
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“Zakk Wylde is the man, His designs combined with his remarkable talent makes
these new guitars some of the best we have every produced,” said Henry
Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. “I am excited to be working with
Monster Cable on this first annual Zakk Wylde Bash and effort. The world will
never be the same on Halloween!”....
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Head Monster Noel Lee noted: “Monster Cable and Gibson are both companies that
value great sound, and Monster is very proud that Zakk and so many pros all over
the world use products from both our companies in their pursuit of the very best
sound and music making experience. That’s why we’re especially excited to be
joining Gibson to celebrate the career of one of these great musicians, Zakk
Wylde, and to help inspire more and more up-and-coming professionals and devoted
amateur guitarists to keep on rockin!”....
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The new Zakk Wylde Epiphone Graveyard Disciple* is dying to be played!
Interested fans can already catch a glimpse
on
www.youtube.com of Zakk performing on the
2009 "Peddle to the Metal" tour and caught a glimpse of this monster on stage.
Designed by Zakk in cooperation with Epiphone, the new Graveyard Disciple
combines killer sound with equally killer looks. Shaped like a coffin, the edges
of the body are tapered and "pin-striped" in silver giving it a striking visual
appearance and depth while providing for a comfortable feel. ....
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As with most all Zakk's guitars, the neck is made of Hard Maple for bright
attack and glued into a solid Mahogany body adding a touch of warm and of
course, sustain. The neck features a "D" profile, SlimTaper neck with a smooth,
satin finish for fast and effortless lead work. It is topped
off with a bound, Ebony fingerboard and medium-jumbo frets with easy
access to all 22 frets. ....
The Graveyard Disciple combines an original Floyd Rose(tm) tremolo with EMG HZ
pickups. The tremolo cavity allows for serious dive bombing as well as pull-ups.
The EMG HZ-4A is positioned in the bridge position for optimized lead
performance while the EMG HZ-4 is voiced for and positioned in the neck
position. Designed to emulate the sound of their active counterparts (the EMG 81
and 85), these HZ's are probably the quietest passive pickups available. ....
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Other features on the new Graveyard Disciple include a multi-bound headstock
with mother-of-pearl "cross" inlay, black hardware with premium 16:1 ratio
Grover(tm) machine heads, Mother-of-Pearl topped metal knobs, Epiphone's
non-rotating output jack and Zakk's signature silhouette on the back of the
headstock. For added comfort and convenience while playing in the seated
position, the guitar features the brilliantly designed and patented Steinberger
LegRest. Fold it down and rest it on your leg. Fold it up and it practically
disappears. It comes with a custom-made Coffin(tm) case featuring the "Graveyard
Disciple" artwork on it. And for this limited edition model, you also get a
Certificate of Authenticity. For more information and photos go to
www.epiphone.com.....
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The new Zakk
Wylde Gibson USA BFG Guitar embodies the mammoth tone and over-the-top rock
attitude of its name sake and offers all the equipment necessary to undertake
your own scorched-earth attack on your local music scene. It features a
rough-hewn book matched maple top, a rounded 50’s spec neck with ebony
fingerboard, sizzling EMG 81 and 85 humbucking pickups all approved by Zakk
Wylde himself. The guitar comes in two Zakk certified finishes to choose from,
a Bullseye graphic or Buzzsaw graphic over a satin natural nitro finish all
produced by the world’s most famous guitar manufacturer, Gibson USA.....
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Monster Turbine Pro headphones utilize the company’s patented design, with
advanced engineering and technologies to offer a new level of portable audio
performance geared toward serious audiophiles and audio professionals. The
ultra-wide range 8mm drivers are housed in a
high-density metal casing that absorbs unwanted vibration, providing an inert,
non-resonant acoustic chamber. The result is flawless bass and absolute
audio precision. The cable itself further enhances audio performance, featuring
MicroStrand conductors and Monster’s patented Magnetic FluxTube™ to cleanly
transfer every sonic detail. ....
In addition, the
company's patent-pending "SuperTip" sound-isolating eartips were exclusively
created for use with Turbine Pro. They literally block out extraneous sound like
no other eartip available, allowing users to immerse themselves in the music and
hear many audio details they may have previously missed.
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As part of Gibson’s Rocktober celebrations, Gibson will also launch and promote
Signature Series guitars from stars including Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath),
Dethklok, Buckethead, Epiphone Triumph Bass & more.
About Monster
Monster is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2009. The company was founded
by Head Monster Noel Lee with a commitment to creating products under the
Monster Cable® brand to literally “make music sound better.” Today, Monster has
grown and diversified to become the world's leading manufacturer of connectivity
solutions for high-performance audio, video, car audio, computer, console and
computer gaming, as well as a leading innovator in the field of iPod® and
iPhone™ accessories and professional audio and sound reinforcement.
Additionally, under its Monster Power® brand, the company is the leading
manufacturer of high-performance AC power line conditioning and protection
products for audio/video systems. Explore the world of Monster at www.monstercable.com. ....
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About Gibson Guitar
Gibson is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of
fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, and
banjos. The Gibson Les Paul guitar is the best selling guitar of all time and
bears the name of the late, great Les Paul. Gibson’s HD.6X-PRO Digital Guitar,
the Gibson Robot Guitar and Gibson's Dark Fire represent the biggest advances in
electric guitar design in over 70 years. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo , Michigan
, and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corp.’s family of
brands now includes Epiphone, Dobro, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Echoplex,
Electar, Flatiron, Slingerland, Valley Arts, Maestro, Oberheim, Baldwin,
Sunshine Piano, Take Anywhere Technology, J&C Fischer, Chickering, Hamilton, and
Wurlitzer. Visit Gibson’s website at
www.gibson.com....
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About Hard Rock International ....
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With a total of 157 venues in 52 countries, including 127 cafes and 12
Hotels/Casinos, Hard Rock International is one of the world's most globally
recognized brands. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the
world's greatest collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its
locations around the globe. Hard Rock is also known for its collectible fashion
and music-related merchandise, Hard Rock Live performance venues and an
award-winning website. In addition to the two flagship Seminole Hard Rock Hotels
and Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood, Fla., Hard Rock Hotels/Casinos are located
in Las Vegas, Biloxi, Orlando, Chicago, San Diego, Tulsa, Pattaya, Bali, Macau
and Penang. Additional hotel and
casino projects have been announced in Singapore scheduled to open in 2010; Palm
Springs, Atlanta and Panama, scheduled to open in 2011; Hungary, Dubai and Abu
Dhabi, scheduled to open in 2012.
Hard Rock International is owned by Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, Inc. For
further details on Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos, visit
www.hardrockhotels.com. For more
information on Hard Rock International, visit
www.hardrock.com.
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About Zakk Wylde and Black Label Society
In the two decades since Ozzy Osbourne hired him away from his job at a New
Jersey gas station to become his new guitarist, Zakk Wylde has established
himself as a guitar icon known and revered the world over. Writing and
recording with Osbourne led to multi-platinum success, inspiring him to create
the now legendary Black Label Society in 1998. In the decade since, BLS has
turned the notion of what a rock band should be upside down by inspiring
legions of fans (known as Berserkers) all over the world to follow the mantra:
Strength, Determination, Merciless, Forever. SDMF for short, the Berserkers,
along with Wylde have created a heavy metal institution true to his vision of
uncompromising, unfiltered and unrestrained rock and roll. Wylde’s inspiration
comes from not only the fans, but from such notable guitarists including Randy
Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen, Frank Marino, Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Albert
Lee , as well as the vocal stylings of Elton John, Gregg Allman and late Lynyrd
Skynyrd frontman Ronnie VanZant. Wylde has won nearly every guitar award
imaginable, and is a major influence to a new battalion of rock guitarists
currently popular today. One thing is for certain, wherever Zakk Wylde’s Black
Label Society travels: brewtality is sure to follow.
For more information please visit
www.blsnation.com and/or
www.blacklabelsociety.com....
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*The Graveyard Disciple is under license from Coffin Case Company.....
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CONTACTS:....
Caroline Galloway
GIBSON 615-423-4904 caroline.galloway@gibson.com
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Maureen O’Connor
Rogers & Cowan 310-854-8116
moconnor@rogersandcowan.com
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Allison Giella
DBA Public Relations (212) 388-1400
agiella@dba-pr.com
Monster Cable....
Jim Baltutis/Global
Brand Media (Zakk Wylde & Black Label Society inquiries) (310) 601-7663;
jim@globalbrandmedia.com....
Penny Palmer/Global
Brand Media (Zakk Wylde & Black Label Society inquiries) (310) 293-8968;
penny@globalbrandmedia.com....
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