Ernie Ball / Music Man Guitarist Alex Masi Announces Three New Albums, European Tour

Ernie Ball / Music Man Clinics to coincide with tour itinerary

LOS ANGELES (July 21, 2008) - In the wake of his successful Spring 2008 tour of Italy, Grammy-nominated guitarist Alex Masi is planning to go back on tour in late Fall 2008. A few stops on his multiple-city European tour will include appearances and guitar clinics for Ernie Ball / Music Man, who recently inked an endorsement agreement with Masi. Los Angeles tour dates are in the works and will be announced in September 2008.

Masi and Ernie Ball / Music Man have been working together for about a year, ever since he discovered the Music Man Silhouette. "The first thing that seriously caught my attention when I got the Silhouette guitar was that unique 'snapping' quality that every note seems to have when played on this instrument," said Masi. "It gives it an almost 3-D effect that makes it a pleasure to record with because there's very little need for EQing in order to make it stand out in the mix. Then there's the playability factor - it's built for speed and comfort... a very addictive guitar." Of course, it helps that he keeps it strung with Extra Slinky Ernie Ball strings.

Masi is back at work in his Haunted Hill Studio, with three projects lined up. He's known as much for his classical opuses as he is for his instrumental rock and metal compositions. Masi explains, "Continuing in the same tradition as 'In The Name of Bach,' I'm doing a Vivaldi album. It's my personal homage to the composer who represents the city of Venice to the world, my fellow Venetian, Antonio Vivaldi. I'm choosing excerpts from the Four Seasons to some more obscure pieces... two musicians from Venice meet across the centuries."

Inspired by the ongoing organic connections between Jazz, Fusion and Rock, Masi is also mixing it up with "something I've wanted to do for a long time: a heavily groove-oriented electronica that features massive amounts of orgiastic guitars. I'm not afraid to venture into the world of dance music; I like the idea of electronic sleaze shred." While many of Masi's albums are instrumental, he will also include vocals on this project.
"The third project," adds Masi, "is a rock album based on more traditional instrumentation, but no less daring in terms of envelopes being pushed and clichés thrown out the window - Hendrix, Cream, Zeppelin, etc., but with a 21st century twist." All three projects will be tracked and produced at Haunted Hill Studio.

About Alex Masi

Alex Masi, a Grammy-nominated guitar virtuoso and composer, has produced a body of work that is revered, respected and collected by passionate fans around the world. Noted for his fiery improvisational style and eclectic juxtaposition of musical genres, Masi has released 14 albums since 1984. His two recent albums are Late Nights At Desert's Rimrock (2006) and MCM 1900 Hard Times (2007). For more information, visit www.alexmasi.net or his MySpace pages at www.myspace.com/thealexmasiallaudiopage or www.myspace.com/alexmasi.

About Ernie Ball

Ernie Ball is a leading innovator of guitar strings. The company was the first to offer rock strings with the introduction of Slinkys, and further revolutionized the market by offering guitarists Custom-Gauge® single strings. Ernie Ball also produces Music Man® guitars and basses, volume pedals and other accessories. Strings and accessories are available in more than 5,500 music stores throughout the U.S. and in 75 countries. For more information, contact the Ernie Ball Company at (805) 544-7726, or visit their website at .

These products are Ernie Ball trademarks registered in the USA and many foreign countries:

ERNIE BALL®     CUSTOM GAUGE®     SLINKY®     EARTHWOOD®
MUSICMAN®
STINGRAY®     SILHOUETTE®     AXIS®
STERLING®     4+2®     3+1®

Trademark ownership is indicated by the symbol ®, however, for the sake of brevity it is omitted during the story.

Contact:
Brian Ball
Ernie Ball, Inc.
(760) 775-4222

Media Contact:
Kevin Scoles
Ernie Ball, Inc.
(760) 775-4222