GEAR 23_COVER - JHS

Picking up ‘Best In Show’ capped a successful NAMM 2009 for Facelift,
which recently had its official licence to produce a Yamaha Pacifica
range extended from UK-only, to a worldwide deal. “I’ll soon be
announcing at least two further official licence deals with major
guitar manufacturers, to join those already in place with Fender
and Yamaha,” continues Hrano. “Less than three years from
launch, Facelift is truly a global success.”
Guitar body overlay ‘Facelift’ won ‘Best In Show’ at the
annual Winter NAMM event in Anaheim, California!
On the final morning of the four-day 2009 USA NAMM show, attended
by more than 85,000 MI professionals, seven industry experts,
having trawled the exhibition to identify the best products
declared Facelift ‘...A cool product made by cool guys. You
can have one guitar and 30 different looks with Facelift.’
"The accolade was completely unexpected and a fantastic
tribute," responds Mike Hrano of Rockano Productions
Limited, which produces Facelift. “Finding anything at NAMM
can be something of a challenge,” he continues, adding, “and
this year, there were 1505 exhibitor stands, so for Facelift to have
shone out from among them is amazing. Ours was the only product or
company from the UK or from outside of the USA to pick up ‘Best In
Show’. It’s certainly something to be very proud of, and I am.”
A removable and re-usable
laminated vinyl overlay for
guitar bodies developed to
quickly change the appearance
of any guitar, Facelift is coated
in ‘ultra-low tack’ adhesive
that leaves no residue. It can be
applied and re-applied in seconds
to instantly transform any guitar,
new or old. The Facelift
range comprises nine
designs each to fit
Fender® Telecaster®
and Stratocaster®
guitars, with recent
designs to fit the Yamaha®
Pacifica® 112V, 012 and 112J guitar body shapes.
Give your guitar an instant new look with a re-usable Facelift
guitar overlay – including the excellent ‘Quo’ Francis Rossi and
Rick Parfitt 'signature guitar’ versions – for only £19.99 rrp!
BENHOWMAN
Ben Howman is another working professional guitarist who has discovered the
superb qualities of the Vintage Advance guitar range.
After obtaining a degree in music from York St. John University, at which he was also
part of several music scenes he is currently working in several groups of various styles,
including a corporate function band that has just done a videoshoot for gigs abroad in
places like Dubai etc, plus blues, soul, jazz, and rock groups, D F Sec, and Back to
Black, to name just two.
Able to play in a variety of styles, he says his particular favourites are jazz, blues,
funk, rock, metal, fusion, and world music, some classical and various mixtures and
sub-divisions of all these genres. (do you play any Kylie Minogue? – sarcastic Ed)
“My personal guitar favourites would have to be Greg Howe, Robben Ford, Larry Carlton,
George Benson, David Gilmore, Guthrie Govan, Mike Stern, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan,
Joe Bonamassa, and Tony Macalpine to name a few.”
lVintage
AV2HNF
£429rrp
6
2
‘The humbuckers give it
a nice fat sound,
ideal for jazz blues
and even metal...’
Playing such a diverse range of material, Ben
needed a guitar that was incredibly versatile,
and able to go from screaming metal lead to
subtle jazz at the flick of a button.
ADVANCE Series TM
"I tried Vintage guitars mainly by recommendation, but also curiosity as I'd never played one before”
He found himself more than a little pleased with what he found. “My Vintage Advance AV2HNF guitar
is fantastic," he exclaims happily. "The humbuckers give it a nice fat sound, ideal for jazz blues and
even metal, and then all I need to do is roll off the humbucker and there you have all the bright
twang and shimmer of single coil tone too."
4
50
Through his work with the Lincolnshire Jazz and Rock Academy in which Ben
leads the contemporary rock group, and other events, he has worked and
played alongside some of the country's finest musicians, including Ray
Fenwick, Dave Ital, Dave Swift and Harry Harris.
He currently continues to gig and teach in his native Lincolnshire.
4+1
www.myspace.com/benhowmanmusic