Extended range guitars for everyone!

You first heard about HALO and our extended range guitars during  Winter NAMM 2007 with the OCTAVIA. HALO now allows every body design they make to be available in an Eight, Nine, & Ten string version. We here at HALO  welcome in the extended range guitar players with open arms.

All extended range guitar is hand crafted using mahogany body and neck, set in construction, dual truss rod, dual truss rod, Kahler tremolo bridge systems, you own custom control pattern, and EMG pick ups. We would like you to know that the Eight String guitars now come with the choice of having the highly desired LUNDGREN M8 humbucking pick up. All Halo Guitars come with a limited lifetime warranty on all electronics and hardware.

Prices for the extended range series start at a LIST PRICE of $1250 for an EIGHT string, and $4200 for a TEN string.

Come check out the NEW website for HALO GUITARS, and get more information on our extended range guitars, and see all of our new body styles. Go to www.haloguitars.com

The Kahler  tremolo systems, offer fully adjustable saddles providing string spacing, up and down individual saddle height adjustments for any radius from 7.25" to 20" and forward and back for dead on intonation. Kahler bridges are constructed using the highest grade of alloys such as 360 H/H brass, 303 stainless steel, 1018CRS steel and 5060T6-7075 aluminum. For more information, please visit www.kahlerusa.com.

The Lungren M8 model pickup, delivers tone with lots of power and attitude. The design is a combination of winding and a ceramic magnet placed under the pickup to give you more of everything and caused many players to give up active pickups. With lots of gain on your amp, harmonics is a piece of cake. The powerful high output M model humbucker lets your notes come through even with your distortion cranked up on your amplifier. The M pickup also has plenty of low end. For more information, please visit www.lundgren.se.

The EMG pick up, built by having the coils precision wound, matched both resistively and inductively, and finally, vacuum sealed. All internal preamplifiers are Surface Mount Technology (SMT) for quality and reliability. Each pickup is tested for audio quality and reliability before encapsulation and again before shipment. For more information, please visit .www.emginc.com.

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Popular Indianapolis metal band "PLAGUE SAYER" have now become part of the HALO familia.

Both guitarists Ross & Dave will be sporting custom HELLFIRE guitars, while bassplayer Tyler will be playing his custom five string INVERTED bass guitar.

PLAGUE SAYER is an up and coming hard hitting metal band who is out on tour now and will soon be coming to a city near you.

TO LISTEN TO PLAGUE SAYER, PLEASE VISIT www.myspace.com/PLAGUESAYER

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WINTER NAMM (RE-CAP)

Thanks again to everyone who came out to show your suport to the 2008 winter NAMM show for HALO GUITARS. It was a real pleasure to meet all of you.

A special thanks to our new HEAD of Model Relations Vita De' Void.

We released the following new guitar models.
* MORBUS
* 667 (Joe Fraulob Signature Series)
* SQUID (Glen Telford Siganture Series)
* RAPTOR
* INVERTED
* Collecror Series (Heavy Metal, SAW, 30 Days Of Night)

We also introduced our new line of MAD MOUNTS wall mounts where art meets music.

And thanks to all the Halo Gals that came out to the show.
* Vita De' Void
* Anne Johnson
* Star Malone
* Rachell Collins

We want to announce the sigining of National at JET FUEL ONLY. You kids RAWK!

Tony Smothering & Halo will be releasing his new signature line in JUNE at the summer NAMM show.

The release of the ten string was ver welcomed.

Thanks again for everyone who came oput to our showcase on friday night you all kick ass as well.

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What’s Happening In 2008 w/ HALO

The questions from everyone have been...

What new guitars are releasing at NAMM in January?

We are having the "Official" release of the following guitar models.
-MORBUS
-SQUID (Glen Telford Signature Series)
-XSI (ten string guitar)
-HEAVY METAL COMICS COLLECTOR SERIES
-FILM COLLECTOR SERIES (SAW, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT)
-DEVOUR (bass guitar)
-667 (Joe Fraulob Signature Model)
-INVERTED
-RAPTOR
-MAD MOUNT GUITAR WALL HANGERS

Are we moving the company?

Yes, Halo Guitars is relocating in  early 2008 to Houston, Texas. We are very excited about this move, and we have been welcomed with open arms by the city of Houston, Texas. We will update you when we have the new facility up and going so that you can stop on by and see the new showroom and USA Custom Shop.

What else does Halo have up its sleave for 2008?

We will be dabbling in some new ideas including the following; NASCAR, NHRA, MONSTER TRUCK RACING, HALO MUSIC PROGRAM FOR SCHOOLS, OFFICIAL HALO GUITAR MUSEUM, and much much more.

Currently listening : Murder the World By Down Factor Release date: 04 October, 2005

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Paul Raven (R.I.P) 1961 - 2007. You will not be forgotten friend.
Current mood: sad

Mob Research founder and bassist Paul Raven passed away in a private home in a small French village on the Swiss border after suffering an apparent heart attack on 20th October 2007. Raven (who is also known for his work with KILLING JOKE and PRONG) was in Geneva working with French recording artists TREPONEM PAL on their new release alongside drummer Ted Parsons (PRONG).

Raven was the charismatic bass player for Killing Joke for many years, also Prong and most recently Ministry and Mob Research. He was a great friend to many and a legendary bass player. We shall all miss Paul incredibly. We love you...

Statement on behalf of the Raven family

"The expression 'one of a kind' has lost its value but my beautiful brother, Paul Vincent Raven, redefined it. He was a one man army, as intelligent, funny, loving and singularly angry a man as I have ever known. His life was truly his own, from its beginning to this awful, tragic end. He was a born saint and an unbelievable asshole. This family's heart is bleeding and it will never stop. To know that we will never hear his voice and see his face again is a wound that nothing will heal. We would like to thank Paul's friends and comrades for their invaluable support at this impossible time."
Daniel Jon Raven.

Ted Parsons (Prong/Swans): "We made a lot of great music together. Words can't describe how I feel right now. I'm devastated. He will be missed by many. He was the king of the one-liners. Please send Raven and his family love and light."

Al Jourgensen (Ministry): "I am in total shock. The world of music is a sadder, emptier place. Not only was Raven an extraordinary talent, but one of my closest dearest friends. Our condolences and prayers go to his immediate family. He will be truly missed by artists, musicians and his fans the world over. The one consolation is knowing Raven's already hooked up with the right people and started a new project in the After Life. Godspeed, Raven. Rest In Peace, you fucking pirate."

Jaz Coleman and Geordie Walker (Killing Joke): ''We are all deeply stricken with grief at the unannounced departure of possibly the funniest man on planet Earth and a brother to us all. Paul Vincent Raven unimaginable sadness is felt by all''

Wayne Hussey (Mission UK): "Raven was one of the good guys. He became a good friend of Mick Brown first and then gradually I got to know him and we got on very well. He was always encouraging, loved music, talking about it and playing it. The last time I heard from him was a month or so ago. Ironically he emailed me to tell me that it was 'a very nice thing to do to post a news message on MWIS about the death of a fan (Ashira)'. He also went onto say that he loved the idea of the Shepherds Bush shows and was gonna try to get to at least one or two of them. I shall miss him. I liked him a lot."

Mark Gemini Thwaite (Mission UK/Mob Research): "Although I'd known Paul for nearly 20 years, I had really gotten much closer to him as we started work on Mob Research this year. He was so excited about the future of the band and we hoped to have the record out by Spring 2008.. His enthusiam and determination to make things happen was infectious and I shall miss him greatly. His sense of humour was priceless and, both hailing from the same part of the midlands in England, we shared many a brummie and black country joke together.. the rock world has lost one of its most shining sons, may he have gone to a better place"

Tommy Victor (Prong): "Paul Raven was a grand-master of our cult, high up in the inner sanctum sanctorum. His status can never be forgotten, nor his presence replaced. One of our heroes. An unbelievable loss, but we are always going to laugh and smile in remembrance. exactly how he wanted it."

Sin Quirin (Ministry): "I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes because you're not physically with us anymore. I cant believe you're not here and it hurts a lot man.. But at the same time I can't help but smile at all the good times we had together. Those are the memories I'll always carry with me and I know you'll be smiling down on me as well. Not only were you a badass musician, you were one of my great, genuine friends, I'm going miss you Raven, but you'll never be forgotten and you'll always be with us."

Burton C. Bell (Fear factory): "I will miss my friend dearly, and I will think of him fondly throughout my days until we meet on the other side."

Waylon Ford (Halo Guitars): "I am stunned and shocked. Not only has his family lost a son, brother, father, and husband. I have lost a friend. I am proud to have been able to call you that. You will be missed, and the world has indeed lost a great person and musician. You will never be forgotten"

Currently listening : Killing Joke By Killing Joke Release date: 26 July, 2005

11:43 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

WINNER of the signed TESTAMENT Halo Guitar!

Currently listening : The Legacy By Testament Release date: 25 October, 1990

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Halo Guitars & Lions Gate Films Join Together For SAW Guitars Series!

11:40 AM - 3 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Halo Guitars & Dale Jr in Riverside, CA

..> ..>

Dale Jr. , Halo Guitars, American Made Outlaw, and KCAL 96.7FM Los Angeles, Ca.

-

ONCE AGAIN!

HALO GUITARS, KCAL Rocks 96.7,
American Made Outlaw, and Budweiser has set up a one night stand with DALE EARNHARDT JR.

You will need to get tickets!

Thursday, August 30th, you can hang with all of us at the Riverside, Municipal Auditorium. (It's at 3485 Mission Inn.)

There are three ways for you to get tickets:

Listen to 96-7 KCAL Rocks to score a pair.

Join the You Rock Crew and enter the contest to win them.  If you're already a member, just log in to enter.

Go to one of our Hangin' With Dale Junior warmup events where you can get tickets.  For a list of upcoming KCAL events, just hit the KCAL Events Calendar on our website.

There are two important things you have to know:

You have to be 21 or older to attend, and

1. At the door, you'll have to make a $5 donation to a great cause - the Sea World Conservation Fund.

Here's how the event will go down.

• Doors open at 7pm on Thursday the 30th.
• Around 8, you'll hear live rock music from the Monsters of Rock. 
• Just before 9, Dale Earnhardt Junior will speak, answering questions about his life as a NASCAR Nextel Cup driver, the Busch Series team he owns, the latest on the 8 Budweiser Race Team and how to race at local NASCAR tracks.

10:46 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Halo as seen on CNN, NBS, FORBES, FOX NEWS, LA TIMES, NY TIMES, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, & more

CUPERTINO, Calif. - There aren't too many mean-looking things in Cupertino, this sleepy Silicon Valley haunt of Apple employees and overachieving middle schoolers.

But there's something gruesome growing in one corner of town: Halo Custom Guitars, Inc.

Fueled by a resurgence in heavy metal music, and its numerous dark sub-genres, Halo makes and sells evil looking instruments with bodies carved to resemble rotting flesh, distended eyeballs and bone. The demonically-themed guitars primarily find their way into the hands of death metal musicians.

Regular heavy metal music can cover the usual topics of scorn and despair, while death metal sub-genre leans heavily on growled vocals and themes such as Satanism and dark mythology.

Both are an important niche for electric guitar manufacturers like 5-year-old Halo. It sold 200 guitars its first year in business and now sells 200 to 300 a month in direct sales and another 200 per month to dealers, said co-founder Waylon Ford.

"Ever since we started making more outrageous designs, we started selling more guitars," he said. "We really owe a lot to the metal genre."

Street teams of Halo guitar players and hangers-on keep the company's buzz alive across the U.S., posting links to their favorite Halo-using bands on their MySpace pages and posting images of the lithesome Halo Gals, young models that appear in ads wearing little more than underworldly undergarments.

More established guitar makers are taking notice of metal's rebirth as well. B.C. Rich Guitars boasts an aggressive looking lineup that includes the "Warbeast," "Warlock" and "Dagger," the latter available in the color "Blood," according to the company's Web site. The Warlock is pointy from all angles, while the Warbeast looks like a bit like a Fender Stratocaster with an attitude problem.

"B.C. Rich had a huge heyday in the 80s, obviously when metal and big hair bands were all the rage," said Ted Burger, a spokesman for Davitt & Hanser Music Group, the Hebron, Ky.-based parent company of B.C Rich.

Then came the 90s and Nirvana and grunge bands that wanted nothing to do with big hair or brightly colored guitars. Grunge bands sported unkempt hair, plaid shirts and let their standard guitars to the talking.

Now grunge is a trivia game answer and metal is king again.

"People just missed the pleasures of a nice piercing guitar solo," Ford said.

Ford takes his designs to the extreme and his guitars boast names such as "Satyr," Hellfire," and "Fallen Angel." The "demon" headstock, where tuning pegs adjust string tension, looks like a horned profile of Lucifer himself.

Halo sells custom-made models as well as lower priced machine-cut guitars fashioned at an overseas plant.

The metal niche guitars fill a void that your regular old Fender Strat or Gibson Les Paul won't. Those standard guitars look out of place in the hands of a growling 20-year-old lead metal guitarist wearing black nail polish and white face paint screaming into a microphone about Norse mythology, a favorite theme of many metal practitioners.

Led Zeppelin's heavy metal of the early 1970s gave way to an angrier, more puerile version. Metallica and Slayer are a couple of the current metal music standard-bearers, and still newer bands go even heavier on the face makeup and gloomy stage presence and themes of death.

The heaviest of heavy metal is well-represented on Apple's iTunes, with downloads from bands like Dismember, Cannibal Corpse and Hatebreed all available. And notably, Richmond, Va.-based Lamb of God, a death metal band, peaked on the Billboard album chart at No. 8 last year with "Sacrament," further cementing metal's comeback to broad acceptance.

Marc Minarik, who runs Minarik Guitars with his father out of Glendale, Calif, said there's no doubt he owes his business success to the recent metal resurgence.

"I put everything on the line for this. I sold everything I owned, every dollar I had to my name, to put into this company," Minarik said. The result was the 2002 introduction of the $1,199 Inferno, a guitar with a body shaped like licks from a raging fire. That unique design, and a newfound consumer appreciation of metal paid off for Minarik.

"It's the reason that we are where we are. It's because we launched the company with one of those exciting, edgy metal, neo-metal shapes. The Inferno. And no one had ever seen anything like that," Minarik said.

Minarik Guitars sells between 115 and 130 pricey custom model guitars per year, and more than 2,000 lower-priced machine cut models annually, Minarik said. As with most guitar companies, the handmade U.S. models command a higher price and are favored by serious players. The offshore-produced guitars range from $300 to $1,300, while the U.S.-made Minariks start at $2,950 and go up from there, based on the amount of customizing required.

"You may look at that flame-shaped body and be like `Oh yeah, cool. Flames.' But I engineered each one of those flame tongues to generate a certain frequency response. Everything about that guitar is completely thought out," he said.

Minarik is thrilled when famous rockers such as Dave Navarro, formerly of Jane's Addiction, and Claudio Sanchez, of Coheed and Cambria, occasionally play his wares. They're not purveyors of death metal, but they're noticed among guitar players.

Minarik likes the possibility of expanding to traditional designs, since the music tastes can be fleeting and the fire for metal may flame out, yet again.

"It's a pendulum. It'll swing back the other direction and hopefully we'll have our line well padded with instruments that the other styles of music will find equally pleasing," Minarik said.

So what exactly is the allure of the whole demonic metal scene? The deafening crunch of 8-string metal guitars on stage? The fake blood and white pancake makeup? The screamed "Cookie Monster" vocals few listeners can comprehend?

"'Cause there's always kids and your parents tell you not to listen to it," Ford said. "It's a really good outlet for your aggression."

As for his mean guitar designs, Ford put it simply.

"Some people like skulls," he said.

___

On the Net:

Halo Custom Guitars, http://www.haloguitars.com/

links to the story:

9:59 AM - 5 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

Check out this event: SUMMER NAMM BASH 2007

Hosted By: Halo Guitars
When: Saturday Jul 28, 2007
at 7:00 PM
Where: CLUB ELYSIUM
705 RED RIVER
AUSTIN, TX 78705
United States
Description:
Halo Guitars

Click Here To View Event

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