Excited to let you all know about a new special guest: Dweezil Zappa. This is a really great interview that features some incredible playing and insightful topics. Find it in the Special Guests area in Music+, or click on the picture for a direct link to Part 1! For more on Dweezil's music, touring, and albums go to  http://www.dweezilzappaworld.com/

Today I had the great pleasure of announcing the release of my 25th anniversary Ibanez signature model guitar. I went to the Ibanez booth and talked about the guitar, and also about my previous models, and my many enjoyable years as an Ibanez endorser. I did a short video interview for a writer from Guitar Player magazine, and then went to visit Larry DiMarzio at his suite in a nearby hotel. The NAMM show can be a noisy place, and Larry likes to do his business in a peaceful environment. His room is always a oasis from the noise of NAMM, and it's fun to talk about guitars and pickups with him as well. My last stop was at the Majik Box booth. They make my "Fuzz Universe" pedal, and there was a long line of people waiting for me for autographs and photos. On the way to leave the show, I saw the Empress Effects booth, so I stopped there to thank them for making my favorite parametric EQ pedal.

The drive home took two hours. Friday night in L.A. is busy! I invited Freddie Nelson to my house for dinner, and my wife, Emi, cooked some delicious Japanese food for us. Freddie is a fantastic singer, and also a good friend, so we had a great time eating and talking.

More NAMM adventures tomorrow!

I grew up in Greensburg, Pennsylvania... a small town, where a visit from a famous musician was a rare event. But on Feb. 2nd, 1982, Randy Rhoads came for a whole day of guitar clinics at a music store in Greensburg. Of course I went to one of the clinics, and the photo above was taken when I was standing in line (upper left, in the photo) and waiting to get an autograph from Randy.