Wino prophecy

Not one but two - that's how many Epiphone Jerry Cantrell Les Paul you'd see in the market soon. I would see this as a smart move - adding an affordable version that is almost 10x cheaper than the real deal. However folks, there's no piezo feature in the Epi version, pickups are Epiphone versions & body is weight-relieved. Nevertheless, it looks appealing.

The other model is this Prophecy iteration, meaning, it has a modern slant to it. Fluence pickups & push-pull switching options set it apart from its Wino bother. Also, this one has two more frets. Of course, there's absolutely no news if the current Epiphone distributor here are still bringing stuff in. Your guess is as good as mine.

Pics: Musicradar

Fried Jerry

This was a recent release. It's a Jr version of the Jerry Cantrell signature head, 20W of thumping goodness. I've played some Friedmans in person before & my take on them is that they sound like polished Marshalls. That's the primary reason I own none in the mean time. Don't get me wrong, they are very good amps, I just don't want a Marshall-esque tone because I have Marshalls with me.

So the highlight here is that this one, in its dirty glory, sounds the most removed from a Marshall but still retains that Marshall bite we love coming from a cranked up unit. I think this one might be up your alley if, like me, you want a Friedman but not one that reminds you of a Marshall. OK so the Marshall associations are not entirely removed but it's a likeable tone all round- I even like the pushed cleans.

Rampaging QC

I was out & about, trying to get myself a belated present which is an alternative good reason for staying out & coming home late. Anyway, I saw the G&L Rampage, Jerry Cantrell model above. Being a sucker for guitars with a solitary humbucker, I took interest in it as it is $990 (rather affordable at this point in time of my life...). A closer look revealed misaligned strings (against the pickup pole-pieces) so it was a NO. I wonder if:

1. It's the manufacturer's omission in including a Duncan Trembucker version when the Kahler bridge doesn't require such a pickup manifestation (maybe) or,
2. this guitar is a second model, meaning- it has a non-life threatening defect but would sell anyway...

I really don't know. What I know for sure is, I won't be buying it.