Gibson has officially announce a new partnership with Dave Mustaine, the legendary guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and Grammy-winning founder and leader of MEGADETH, who joins Gibson as a Brand Ambassador. The new Dave Mustaine Collection will span acoustic and electric guitars across Gibson, Epiphone and Kramer. Dave will join the Gibson Artist Alliance — a forum which includes legendary musicians, innovative movers and shakers, and new talent — to share in thought leadership, research & development, mentorship of the next generation of players, as well as philanthropic endeavors. In addition to the Dave Mustaine Collection, Dave will be featured in original content and special projects across Gibson, Epiphone and Kramer. "One of first albums I ever bought was 'KISS Alive'. On the back of that LP was the Gibson logo, followed by 'KISS uses Gibson guitars because they want the best.' Period," says Dave Mustaine. "Years later, I'm still that same fan, but now I've been playing, touring, writing, and performing around the world myself, and I can say that I could not agree more with that statement. As I was looking for a change in my guitars, I met with Cesar and got his perspective on the vision and direction Gibson is taking. I saw passion, respect for the instruments, a focus on quality and a company that is led by guitar players. I feel I am finally at home with Gibson and I am proud of what we're building together. I can't wait for the world to get their hands on the new Gibson, Epiphone and Kramer Dave Mustaine Collection guitars. This is a dream come true for me, don't #@!# wake me up." "It's an honor to welcome icon, pioneer and visionary musician Dave Mustaine to the Gibson family as our brand ambassador", said Cesar Gueikian of Gibson Brands. "Dave is one of the most influential metal icons and riff lords of all time, having paved the way for multiple generations of players to carry the flag for hard rock and heavy metal, from riff writers to shredders and everyone in between. Working with Dave is especially gratifying because he is a guitar nerd like me, who gets involved in every aspect of the development of the concepts and ideas we have been designing with him at the Gibson Lab. When I was as kid learning how to play guitar, I aspired to play Dave's riffs and I was one of the fortunate fans who attended their 'Youthanasia' tour concert at Estadio Obras Sanitarias in 1994, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the 'Aguante Megadeth' chant was born over the song 'Symphony Of Destruction'. That was an epic night that I will never forget. I look forward to bringing this partnership to life and unveiling the first stages of the Dave Mustaine Collection to the world." In November 2019, Mustaine sold off much of his gear, including several Dean prototype signature models that he had used over the years. Two months ago, he confirmed that he was going separate ways with Dean after spending 13 years with the company. Mustaine's Gibson announcement comes two months after a employee for the American guitar maker accidentally leaked an image of a guitar that some devoted guitar aficionados speculated could be Mustaine's new signature model. The same prototype model was also spotted in an Instagram post by Gueikian. When Mustaine's deal with Dean was first announced back in January 2007, he said he chose Dean over other guitar companies "because they understand the value of Dave Mustaine and MEGADETH. And it's mutual," he explained. "I know that this is the right place for me to finish out my career, endorsing their products, and having my guitars made by Dean." Ranked No. 1 by Joel McIver in "The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists" book, Mustaine godfathered fast-heavy-metal guitar generations, first as the original lead guitarist for METALLICA, and then as the founder of legendary MEGADETH. In 1983, Mustaine founded MEGADETH, and the band released its first album two years later, established Dave and his bandmates as pioneers in the thrash metal movement. The band has since sold 38 million albums worldwide, including five consecutive platinum or multi-platinum albums in the U.S., while garnering 12 Grammy nominations. MEGADETH also landed a 2017 Grammy for "Best Metal Performance" for "Dystopia", the title track of the band's 2016 album. Prior to MEGADETH, Mustaine was an early member of METALLICA. Before leaving the band in 1983, he had co-written a half dozen songs that would appear on METALLICA's first two albums. In the video game arena, Mustaine composed the Grammy-nominated MEGADETH track "Sudden Death" for the 2010 release "Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock". The game also featured two other Mustaine-composed MEGADETH songs: 1990's "Holy Wars… The Punishment Due" and 2009's "This Day We Fight!" MEGADETH is currently working on its 16th studio album.
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