Fender Custom Shop marketing director Mike Eldred will join the Seymour Duncan forums on Tues., March 16, as part of their popular Guest Luthier Series.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. PST, Eldred will field live questions from the forum members about his custom builds, which over the years has included working with some of the world’s most respected artists such as Randy Rhoads, Jeff Beck and Eddie Van Halen.

Eldred also had the tremendous honor of inspecting, documenting and hand-building four clones of the famed White Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock.

So mark your calendars for March 16 for an opportunity to hear more about Eldred’s storied experiences.

Click here to visit the forums.

Portugal. The Man
Photo credit: Emily Ibarra

Check out the exclusive videos and photos from the Rhapsody Rocks Seattle party with AutoVaughn and Portugal. The Man. CLICK HERE NOW.

NPR Music selected Visqueen’s “Hand Me Down” on Friday as its South by Southwest song of the day.  The track opens A Message to Garcia, the new album from the Seattle based band that’s fronted by Fender artist Rachel Flotard.

Each weekday during SXSW, NPR will spotlight a different track by an artist playing the music festival.

Give it a listen and get the free download at NPR here.

Muse

Billboard.com has reported that Muse will play next Saturday night at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. According to Billboard, the British power trio is expected to play at Stubbs on a bill that also includes the Canadian indie rock band Metric.

Billboard.com has also revealed its 20 Bands to Watch at South by Southwest. Similar to Fender’s Guide to SXSW, Billboard’s list includes Band of Skulls and Temper Trap.

Another SXSW guide to check out: Spin’s 50 Must-Hear Bands at  SXSW

“Even in a room that inhaled bass, I got a pleasing vintage sound, not overly deep or bright, but with a solid punch and plenty of volume that worked its way into the overall mix and sync’d up tightly with the kick drum. Counter to what I expected, this single-15” cab was not the slightest bit flabby and didn’t give a hint of struggling to keep up.” – Premier Guitar, January 2010

This Premier Guitar review of the Bassman TV Fifteen amp can be found in full here.

“Vintage Vibe, Modern Twist… Its red jewel power indicator looks like it should be in the cockpit of a spaceship from a ‘50s sci-fi film. The overall aura is all Bassman. But are they truly worthy of the Bassman name? Well, yes.” – Vintage Guitar, April 2010

Pick up the issue and flip to page 130 for the entire “speak-the-truth” review, which claims that of the Bassman TV Series, the Duo Ten is the crown jewel.

To view the entire Bassman TV Amp Series, click here.

Also, page 38 of the April issue features the sixth installment of “Fender Amps By the Numbers,” which is an effort to track down the serial numbers of every Fender tube amp made between 1946 and 1984.