Dave Mustaine has long been considered one of metal’s all-time greatest guitarists, and his status was further cemented a couple years ago when he partnered with one of the world’s most renowned guitar companies, Gibson, for the Dave Mustaine Collection.
The Megadeth frontman’s signature line, which continues to grow, not only includes guitars under the Gibson name, but also two of its owned-and-operated brands: Epiphone and Kramer. Now, Heavy Consequence is giving away one Epiphone Flying V Prophecy in Aged Dark Red Burst and one Kramer Vanguard “Rust in Peace” in Alien Tech Green to a pair of lucky winners (one guitar each) who enter the contest below.
After his exit from Metallica in 1983, Mustaine almost immediately formed Megadeth, which quickly became one of the leaders of the then-burgeoning thrash metal movement. The band went on to release such metal classic albums as Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?, Rust in Peace, and Countdown to Extinction, as well as such metal anthems as “Peace Sells,” “Wake Up Dead,” “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due,” “Symphony of Destruction,” and “Sweating Bullets.”
Megadeth — whose current lineup consists of Mustaine, guitarist Kiko Loureiro, bassist James LoMenzo, and drummer Dirk Verbeuren — are still going strong, as evidenced by last year’s release of their 16th studio album, The Sick, the Dying…and the Dead.
Mustaine spoke with Heavy Consequence during a break in touring, as he discussed his Gibson guitar line, his first notable guitar, his musical influences, the current Megadeth lineup, and his recent reunion with former Megadeth bandmate Marty Friedman in Japan.
Read the interview below, and enter for a chance to win one of two guitars — the Epiphone Flying V Prophecy in Aged Dark Red Burst and the Kramer Vanguard “Rust in Peace” in Alien Tech Green — in the contest form above the Q&A.
One winner will get the Epiphone, while the other will receive the Kramer (contest ends July 28th at 11:59PM PT). For more on the Dave Mustaine Collection, visit Gibson, Epiphone, and Kramer.
What does it mean for you to have your own Dave Mustaine Collection with Gibson?
God, it means the world to me. I guess to some people it means that I’ve arrived. [Laughs] It’s an American success story. If you keep trying and you do your best, great things will happen for you. I’m not saying if you have a job making toothpicks out of logs that you’re going to end up owning the world one day – I think that’s kind of a long way around things – but I’ve worked hard over my career and had a lot of “learning stuff” over the years. But I learned from it. And here I am.