Guitar players worldwide who dream of making it big get their chance with the "Best Guitar and Bass Player on the Web Contest," sponsored by Ernie Ball Music Man and Sonic Foundry. The contest is also sponsored by Guitar Player, Bass Player and Gig magazines.

Contest entry ends November 1, 2000, with on-line voting running through December 1, 2000. Entering is easy - contestants log on to http://Acidguitar.com (the official contest website), download a special version of Sonic Foundry's Acid Express software, record their best performance, save it as a WMA audio file, then e-mail the entry back to the Acidguitar.com website.

"It's a once in a lifetime chance for guitar and bass players worldwide to showcase their instrumental prowess and the chance of a lifetime to perform onstage with some of the greatest players ever born," said Sterling Ball, president of Ernie Ball.

"Sonic Foundry's amazing software and multi-media - Internet expertise really levels the playing field for all players, plus it's a ton of fun!"

"Sonic Foundry is very excited to be a part of this incredible opportunity to provide guitar and bass players the forum to showcase their talents," stated Jeff Conover, vice president of marketing at Sonic Foundry. "We feel that our ACID software provides the tools needed to create extremely compelling music and we're looking forward to seeing the results from the contestants."

Grand prize winners will be treated to an all-expense paid trip to the Winter 2001 NAMM International Music Show in Anaheim, California, where he or she will perform onstage with an all-star band made up of accomplished musicians such as Steve Morse, Vinnie Moore, Albert Lee, Steve Lukather, John Petrucci, Dave LaRue, and Tony Levin. Other contest winners will be awarded Ernie Ball Music Man guitars and basses, Ernie Ball strings and accessories, Sonic Foundry's award-winning software and other items."

Best Guitarist and Bass Player on the Web" will feature two separate contests: one for guitarists and one for bassists. A panel of celebrity guitarists, including such notables as Steve Morse, Tony Levin, John Petrucci, Steve "Luke" Lukather, Dave Larue, and Vinnie Moore will ultimately choose the grand prize winner from the top 100 guitarist and bassist selected by voters worldwide on the online popular vote for each genre (rock, alternative, pop, etc).

Guitarists interested in entering the "Best Guitarist on the Web Contest" can check out the official contest website at http://www.acidguitar.com.

For more information about Ernie Ball guitars and accessories, contact the Ernie Ball company at (800) 543-2255, or visit their website at http://www.ernieball.com. Sonic Foundry can be contacted at (608) 256-3133 or at http://www.sonicfoundry.com.