Chance to see rare rock instruments at Joburg expo

The Music Emporium will showcase many familiar favourites at the expo, from top-of-the-range guitars, keyboards, drum sets and amps, to the latest in recording and sound equipment, including brands like: Yamaha, Dean, Schecter, Fender and Pearl.

The highlight of this year's music display, though, will be the opportunity to view some of the most rare and prestigious instruments in the world.

The Limited Edition Musical Instrument Showcase will include:

* Dean Guitar V Lost 100: At its inception, Dean Guitars started the serial numbers at 77 00101. The first 100 numbers were never produced - until now. The Lost 100 are numbered 77 00001 to 77 00100 and built to the exact specifications of the original Dean V, Z and ML guitars that were introduced in 1977. Each instrument is hand-signed by Dean B Zelinsky.

* The Merle Haggard Tribute Telecaster: Merle Haggard revolutionised country music with this unique Telecaster sound. In tribute, Telecaster is releasing the Limited Edition Merle Haggard, which is a modified Telecaster Thinline with four-way switching.

* Ernie Ball Music Man JPXI Signature Guitar John Petrucci: The JPXI is the newest collaborative effort between John Petrucci and the Music Man R&D team. Most notably, the JPXI neck has been streamlined to a symmetric, extra-slim profile featuring medium jumbo stainless steel frets with a finished mahogany neck and an ebony fingerboard.

* Jackson Guitar Soloist Dragon: This one-of-a-kind Jackson Soloist is perhaps the most under-appreciated 1980s'-designed guitar. Unlike many guitars, which were subtle variations of old Gibson and Fender guitars, the Soloist took the neck through construction, paired it with the comfortable and familiar Fender shape with Gibson neck specs, frets, and electronics. It is the perfect melding of old and new making it unique in tone and feel from anything else.

* Gibson Guitar 1968 SG: The Gibson SG is a model of solid-bodied electric guitar, which was introduced in 1961 by Gibson and remains popular in the present day. The SG, which stands for Solid Guitar, is a classic and the body style of the SG is often copied by other manufacturers.

* Paul Reed Smith (PRS): Santana Guitar Models: By the late 1970s, Carlos Santana had met Paul Reed Smith and begun using one of the original PRS guitars. It wasn't until about 20 years later, however, that the two teamed up to design, build and sell the PRS Santana signature guitars. With abalone fretboard inlays in the shapes of various birds, a flamed maple top (with accented centre line), and newly developed pick-ups are just some of the features that make the latest version of PRS' Santana Signature model guitar unique.

* Mesa/Boogie Amps Dual Rectifier Series Limited Edition Orange: Mesa was started by Randall Smith as a small repair shop which modified Fender combos to give them more gain. Prominent early buyers included Carlos Santana, and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, helping to develop Mesa/Boogie's reputation as an amp builder.

* EVH Eddie Van Halen 5150 III Guitar Amplifier Head: The EVH 5150 III is the brainchild of Rock and Roll hall of fame inductee Edward van Halen and the legendary tone masters of Fender, combining all the features, quality standards and tone Van Halen requires of his gear.

* Matchless Amp 30 Watt Avalon: The Avalon amp, the only one in SA, utilises a new hybrid construction method that combines point-to-point wiring, circuit tracing, and turret-style construction. All parts, including the transformers, are identical to those that go into traditional amps and are hand wired and built in the factory in Los Angeles.

* Martin Acoustic Guitar. The John Mayer OMJM Special Signature Edition: The John Mayer signature guitar's quick neck, ultra-responsive Engelmann spruce top, silver-colour line inlays and accents at the bridge and headstock, have proved as popular as the musician who designed it. To provide a touch of his personal style, John Mayer has created a unique art deco-inspired monogram, which is embroidered on the special vintage Geib-style hard shell case. Each guitar bears an interior label imprinted with the signatures of John Mayer and Martin Chairman CF Martin IV, and numbered in sequence.

* Martin Acoustic Guitar 28EC, Eric Clapton: In 1992, after years of performing live on electric guitars, Clapton made a history-making MTV Unplugged appearance playing a vintage Martin model that hadn't been made in over half a century. Martin Guitar unveiled its first collaboration with Eric Clapton when the Limited Edition 000-42EC was introduced in 1995. Just 461 of these special guitars were offered and the entire edition sold out within days of its introduction. In recognition of Clapton's stature in the music industry, Martin announced an unprecedented second design collaboration with one performer.