Even if you can’t make it to Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show this weekend or Anaheim for the NAMM show next weekend, that doesn’t mean you can’t be there in spirit.

You already know the Internet is an incredible resource for musicians, but with the record industry in a tailspin and the economy falling flat, there’s no better time to seek out the Web sites that help guitarists keep doing what they do best. It’s time to update your bookmarks with these indispensable online destinations.

It takes years of dedication, hard work and sheer fan enthusiasm for a good tribute band to succeed. Which is why it’s nothing short of amazing when a lone, enterprising musician pulls off the feat all by themselves. Meet American indie scene vet Matt Mahaffey and French YouTube subscriber Steackmike, who at first glance don’t seem to have a lot in common – other than a serious jones for the hard rocking sounds of AC/DC, that is.

Gibson Chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz presented Dark Fire to Tak Matsumoto, Japan’s biggest rock star and one of the world’s foremost guitarists, at Gibson Japan’s event on Dec. 20, 2008 to celebrate the opening of its new Tokyo headquarters in Ginza.

Puddle of Mudd is one of those bands I put in the same category as Black Stone Cherry -- full on rock that makes you want to pick up a guitar and play along.

When Gibson launches a new product ― especially a product as historical and thrilling as Dark Fire ― we strive for nothing less than excellence. And when we say “we,” we mean “we.” A whole team of forward-thinking inventors, engineers, luthiers, craftsmen and tech experts worked for years to conceive of and create Dark Fire. For many members of this team, Dark Fire is truly the culmination of a lifetime’s worth of work.

Glasvegas, the four-piece band from Glasgow, Scotland that thanks to its epic self-titled debut album is hovering near the top of countless year-end critics’ lists in its native United Kingdom.

The Killers’ third studio album, Day & Age, is a celebration of all things ’80s. Produced by Stuart Price, the mastermind behind new wave throwbacks Les Rythmes Digitales and Madonna’s 2005 Confessions on a Dance Floor, the Las Vegas band’s latest disc neatly captures all the excess, glitter and plastic emotion of the Reagan era by drawing on many of the usual influences, complete with leopard print trousers to match.

Let’s say it at the start: Joel McIver’s latest book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists is a terrific read. McIver, who also penned the best-selling tome Justice For All: The Truth About Metallica, as well as other guitar books, brings impeccable credentials to the subject.

Christmas on our planet may be over, but luckily it’s never too late for Christmas On Mars. I’m referring to the Flaming Lips’ homemade science fiction film, which is finally available on DVD after a sporadic seven years of work.