In one of the most unique collaborations of the year, Jackson Guitars has teamed up with Malevolence guitarist Konan Hall and Blizzard Entertainment to release a limited-edition Kelly model inspired by World of Warcraft.

The exclusive guitar made its debut during Malevolence’s surprise performance on the Avalanche Stage at Download Festival this past Sunday. Lucky fans in attendance witnessed the dramatic unveiling of this custom instrument.

Officially titled the Jackson Pro Plus XT Limited Edition Kelly KE HT6 Baritone, the guitar features bold World of Warcraft-themed artwork across its body and headstock. However, this collaboration goes deeper than just eye-catching visuals. Hall is a longtime fan of the game, and the design pays homage to his in-game character, a Dwarf Paladin named Thraiin.

“World of Warcraft and music are two of my favourite things,” Hall shared. “Playing with the Jackson guitar on stage will remind me of the hours I spent in the taverns of Azeroth.”

For those unfamiliar, Azeroth is the fictional realm where the events of World of Warcraft take place. In addition to a depiction of Hall’s Paladin, the guitar boasts the game’s iconic “W” emblem. A special Easter egg is also tucked away on the back of the guitar – a tribute to Hall’s favorite in-game weapon: the Battle Axe.

Beneath its thematic visuals, the guitar maintains serious professional specs. As part of Jackson’s Pro Plus Series, it sports a Nyatoh body and a graphite-reinforced three-piece maple thru-neck for enhanced stability. It has a 27-inch baritone scale length, a 12”-16” compound radius ebony fretboard with cloaked Sharkfin inlays, 24 stainless steel frets, Luminlay side dots, and powerful Seymour Duncan Nazgûl and Sentient pickups.

Konan Hall assured fans that this fantasy-inspired axe will be featured prominently at Malevolence’s upcoming live shows.

Ciari Guitars has officially launched its first-ever Signature Series model with the introduction of the Steve Stevens Signature Ascender — a revolutionary travel guitar that combines folding technology with high-end performance features. Specifically designed for musicians who are always on the move, this innovative guitar boasts premium materials, custom pickups, and one-of-a-kind design details.

The collaboration brings together Ciari Guitars, known for creating some of the most advanced travel guitars on the market, and Grammy Award-winning guitarist and songwriter Steve Stevens. Recognized globally for his legendary work with Billy Idol, as well as contributions to Michael Jackson and iconic soundtracks like Top Gun, Stevens now brings his signature tone and creativity to Ciari’s state-of-the-art platform.

The Steve Stevens Signature Ascender™ showcases Ciari’s patented folding neck technology, fused with elite-level performance specifications. Engineered to deliver exceptional sound quality, easy portability, and eye-catching aesthetics, this model sets a new standard for professional-grade travel guitars. Ideal for use on stage, in the studio, or during travel, this guitar ensures musicians never have to compromise.

“Imagine flying with a professional, high-quality guitar without worrying about airline damage,” says Stevens. “With my signature Ciari guitar, you fold it up, place it in its included backpack, and slide it under your seat. Ciari has truly changed the game, and I’m honored to have my name on this instrument.”

Personally crafted with materials and components chosen by Stevens himself, the guitar is built for performers who demand both convenience and top-tier performance. It includes a custom neck profile, exclusive pickups, and visual details that reflect Stevens’ distinctive style.

The Signature Series features two editions:

Steve Stevens Signature Ascender Platinum — available in Jet Black Glass and Olympic White Gloss.

Steve Stevens Signature Ascender Premier — available in Jet Black Glass, Olympic White Gloss, and a bold Josie Pink.

Key Features of the Steve Stevens Signature Ascender:

• Bare Knuckle Ray Gun pickups for dynamic and articulate tone.
• Coil-splitting for flexible sound options.
• LED Selector Switch with Red, Green, and Blue indicators built into the Ray Gun logo.
• Bezel tuners for smooth and precise tuning.
• Premium electronics featuring stacked potentiometers for intuitive control.
• Trapezoid inlays and Ray Gun-inspired design accents.
• Ciari’s patented foldable neck system, enabling it to fit as a personal item during flights.

“Partnering with Steve Stevens for our inaugural Signature Series has been a dream come true,” said Jonathan Spangler, Founder & CEO of Ciari Guitars. “Steve represents everything Ciari stands for — creativity, innovation, and musical excellence. This guitar is the realization of our shared vision.”

The Steve Stevens Signature Ascender is now available for pre-order exclusively through the official Ciari Guitars website.

EarthQuaker Devices has unveiled two new compact utility pedals designed to expand creative routing options for musicians: the One to Four Splitter and the Four to One Mixer. Built with high-quality components and backed by a limited lifetime warranty, these devices are engineered to support bold sonic experimentation.

The One to Four Splitter empowers musicians to route a single input into four separate buffered outputs, enabling limitless creative possibilities. Whether you’re aiming to connect four amps for a stunning quadraphonic experience, send one signal directly to your DAW while preserving another through your standard effects chain, or create dual stereo signal paths, this device is built to deliver.

Each of the splitter’s outputs includes a unity gain buffer, ensuring signal strength and clarity. With a high 1M Ohm input impedance and a low 100 Ohm output impedance, it maintains a flat frequency response and ensures pristine audio fidelity across all outputs.

Complementing the Splitter is the Four to One Mixer, a compact 4-channel device that combines multiple audio sources into a single output. Each input features independent level control and a selectable phase switch to correct polarity mismatches, allowing for seamless integration of diverse signals.

The Mixer also boasts a high 1M Ohm input impedance and low 100 Ohm output impedance, maintaining sonic integrity across all channels—even over long cable runs. With generous headroom and robust input handling, it accommodates everything from guitars and basses to synthesizers and drum machines without distortion or clipping.

Used together, the One to Four Splitter and Four to One Mixer open up a vast range of parallel signal path options. Whether crafting studio effects chains or live performance setups, these tools offer flexibility and precision at the flip of a switch.

EarthQuaker Devices invites all sonic adventurers to explore new tonal terrain with these reliable and powerful new tools.

The future of brick-and-mortar music retail in the UK is looking increasingly uncertain. Over the past few months, several iconic brands such as GAK and Bax Music have shut their doors, closing in March and April respectively.

Just last week, PMT – the UK’s fourth largest music retailer by revenue – went into administration, while family-run Hobgoblin has launched a crowdfunding campaign to try to stay afloat on the high street.

With these long-established music retailers disappearing, what does the future hold for the industry?

YouTuber KDH warns that these closures could lead to a monopoly, where fewer retailers control larger shares of the market. The retailers that survive tend to be those with large online operations and extensive warehouse facilities.

“Physical stores always have higher overheads compared to warehouses that can buy in bulk and ship directly,” KDH explains.

He recalls predicting this trend two months ago when GAK closed and says the warning now feels more relevant than ever. “I remember someone laughed at my comment back then, but every day it’s becoming clearer. We are heading towards a monopoly, which isn’t good for consumers.”

KDH highlights the distribution strategy of Behringer, a brand valued at over $2 billion, which sells affordable synths, guitar pedals, and other music equipment. Behringer designates certain retailers as “Super Partners” who place larger orders and receive lower prices.

For these Super Partners, “prices are more competitive than for anyone buying smaller quantities, so customers tend to buy from them because it’s cheaper.”

This means larger retailers can offer better prices thanks to bulk buying, putting smaller stores at a disadvantage and accelerating their closures.

“As small retailers shut down, and even bigger ones struggle to match online prices, what happens next?” KDH asks. “You end up with just one or two retailers. They might start with low prices, but without competition, they could raise prices later on.”

He predicts this shift won’t happen overnight but could take about 10 years to fully unfold.

“A store like PMT, which has tens of millions in annual turnover, isn’t closing because people don’t want to play music or buy gear. It’s closing because it can’t keep up with online prices.”

Peter Gelb, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera, has pointed out that ticket sales have dropped alongside a decrease in tourism to New York City, which coincided with the Trump administration’s stricter immigration policies.

During this period, the Met sold 72% of its seats, slightly below its yearly projection but consistent with the 2023/24 season’s figures. International buyers accounted for 11% of sales, falling short of the expected 16%.

This decline in international visitors reflects a broader trend across the city, with New York City Tourism & Conventions lowering its 2025 international visitor forecast by 17% in May 2025.

Long-term factors also play a role: before the pandemic, international ticket buyers made up about 20% of the Met’s total sales.

Gelb also highlighted that recent global economic uncertainty has affected consumer spending habits.

“We were on track to continue improving,” Gelb said. “The last two months of the season were disappointing — our projections were higher, but I attribute missing our goals to a sharp drop in tourism.”

He added, “It’s unfortunate, but these are the times we live in.”

Gelb noted that while the Met sold as many tickets last year, more were discounted, especially in the final two months of the season.

“The stock market’s volatility made people feel insecure,” he explained. “In one week, advance sales for next season dropped significantly, then rebounded.”

When Lewis Kaplan was just four or five years old—an age when most boys might ask for a toy gun or a bicycle—he surprised his mother by asking for a violin. She was open to the idea but thought it would be best to get him a toy instrument.

However, Kaplan’s grandmother had a different idea: why not get him a real violin?

That’s exactly what he received. “That,” Kaplan said, “was the beginning.”

He remembers that moment with joy. “I was screaming and plucking,” he said, “trying to get any kind of sound I could out of the instrument.”

That was 87 years ago. Since then, Kaplan—a violinist, conductor, and violin teacher at New York City’s prestigious Juilliard School—has maintained his passion for music.

In the 1960s, he helped establish and lead the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Brunswick, dedicating fifty years to it before stepping down, feeling it was time to move on.

But his musical journey didn’t end there. Without missing a beat, he founded the Bach Virtuosi Festival, which is now celebrating its tenth season from June 18 to 24 in Portland and Cape Elizabeth.

For Kaplan, music has been a source of great joy throughout his life. He hopes festival attendees will have an experience that goes beyond the everyday.

“In a world that’s torn apart and challenging for all of us,” he said, “to sit in a church and listen to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach…you’ll find something that drugs won’t give you, that nothing else will give you.”