FIREWIND/OZZY OSBOURNE Guitarist GUS G. Visits SEYMOUR DUNCAN; Video Available

Greek guitarist Gus G. (FIREWIND, OZZY OSBOURNE) recently paid a visit to the Seymour Duncan factory. Video footage of his visit — which includes a question-and-answer session with the axeman — can be viewed below.

Seymour Duncan is a leading manufacturer of guitar pickups and effect pedals.

Gus recently joined Rock House's roster of master instructors.

"Gus plays with a great sense of melody and when he combines his technical chops and tone, out comes mind-blowing riffs," said Joe Palombo, Executive Director of Rock House. "More than just a shredder, Gus really plays with tremendous amounts of feel. His work with FIREWIND and DREAM EVIL show his has incredible writing abilities and versatility."

Details of the programs are still being finalized with Gus, but you can bet that Rock House will take an in-depth look at his technique, how he constructs his leads, how he writes melodies and harmonies, and much more.

The new Rock House product featuring Gus G. is scheduled for release in May 2010. Stay tuned to RockHouseMethod.com for more details.

Gus' Rock House instructional product will be available at MI retailers around the world for $24.99. All Rock House instructional products are distributed through Hal Leonard Corp. 1-800-554-0626. Each one of Gus' DVDs will come with a free tab lesson booklet, iPod-ready video and membership to Rock House's lesson support site at RockHouseMethod.com. This feature, exclusive to Rock House and its partners, offers students supplementary support for the lessons featured on the DVDs.

Rock House has developed an accelerated yet easy-to-use system of learning that utilizes the functionality of DVD and print, integrated with the accessibility of the Internet. Aspiring musicians who have a product produced by Rock House receive free membership to RockHouseMethod.com for 24-7 lesson support. Students use this fully interactive site along with their product to enhance their learning experience, expand their knowledge, link with instructors, and connect with a community of people around the world who are learning to play music using the Rock House Method.

Gus spoke out about getting the job with Ozzy in a Greek edition of Metal Hammer magazine. Asked how he got the gig, Gus said, "I got a message on my MySpace page from Rob 'Blasko' (Nicholson),Ozzy's bass player, asking me what was doing, if I was living in America or not and saying that he wanted to talk to me. I never thought he'd want me for something like that (playing with Ozzy). I initially thought that maybe he wanted to talk to me about doing a project or something and then he told me that one of Ozzfest's managers was looking for me. The manager said that they wanted me to fly out to Los Angeles immediately for a show that Ozzy was about to do in Anaheim, California."

Gus added that he came to the States and jammed with the other members of Ozzy's band first before Ozzy showed up to sing. Then Gus explained what happened: "Everybody else came into the room and shut the door behind them — Ozzy, Sharon (Osbourne, Ozzy's wife/manager),the band, the managers... You can imagine how anxious I was feeling at this time! Then they came out and said that I got the job and that we're gonna play that BlizzCon show together."

As for replacing longtime Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde, who apparently did not find out until late in the game that he was being sidelined, Gus said, "Zakk is a tremendous guitar player, just like all the guys that have played with Ozzy. In fact, Zakk is my favorite Ozzy guitar player ever and my biggest influence of them all! It's quite an honor for me to step into his shoes."