Last week we told you we were close to our 100,000th post on our newly redesigned Gibson Forums, and this week we hit the mark in stride! Congratulations to Mike B. from Cartersville, Ga., who won our contest to see who would be the lucky person to make the 100,000th post. He’ll be receiving a FREE Gibson t-shirt and hat, along with a few other goodies we found laying around our give-away bins here at the office.

The Les Paul Axcess Standard from Gibson Custom carries all the elegant styling, fluid body lines and rocking attitude of a classic Les Paul Standard from the golden era of the late 1950s. Upon closer examination, however, you’ll find many substantial modifications made in the name of maximum playability and versatility.

As everyone from Jeff Beck to Jimmy Page to Joe Bonamassa to Slash already knows, the Gibson Les Paul Standard has been one of the most playable electric guitars in rock for more than 50 years. And now – with the release of the new Les Paul Axcess Standard from Gibson Custom – the “ultimate player’s guitar” just got more playable.

Surprising albums by veteran artists gave the blues scene a creative boost this year. B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Amos Garrett, in particular, took unanticipated turns with their latest discs. And others, including Delta stylist Rory Block and Chicago slider Lil’ Ed Williams, made soul stirring records that stuck to the music’s roots. Here’s a rundown of the 10 best blues albums of 2008.

JD & The Straight Shot ― with lead vocalist/guitarist Jim Dolan and guitarist/chief songwriter Bruce Koplow ― have crafted a new album, Right On Time, that includes guest appearances by two of the greatest musicians to ever touch a six-string.

Rock stars are not like us. They don’t think twice about spending half their lives on tour buses. For breakfast, they eat groupies and large swaths of leather, washing it down with a glass of fire. And they can knock out amazing songs while sitting on the crapper. It’s only when they open their mouths and say something so preposterously stupid that we realize they’re human too ― only with far lower IQs. Since our “10 Stupidest Rock Quotes” feature was so popular last year, we’re making it an annual tradition. And since these artists really outdid themselves this year, we’re making the list 50 percent longer!

Although social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook have made celebrities and artists more accessible than ever before, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to respect your favorite artist’s personal space — even if your cell phone does have a pretty sweet camera. Remember, don’t try this at home.

Singer Songwriter Darius Rucker, also known as Hootie from Hootie and the Blowfish, debuted Gibson's new Dark Fire guitar while he performed on this year's Gibson Guitar float in the 82nd annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York.

Is there a greater picture of pure rock and roll than Ace Frehley in late 1977 with his flaming Gibson Les Paul standing in front of a stack of Marshalls? I think you’d be hard pressed to find one, especially during the era when KISS released one of the greatest live albums of all time, Alive II.

After gathering dust for three decades in the Who’s film vault, the masterfully produced DVD The Who At Kilburn 1977 – a chronicle of their Dec. 1977 show at London’s Gaumont State Theater in Kilburn – reveals a musical outfit whose raw, riveting power still puts many a contemporary band to shame. And while the release of this long-awaited footage will surely be embraced by Who devotees around the world, it also will serve as an ironic testament to a band whose harshest critics were so often its own members.