Eddie Van Halen [ tickets ] made a Friday (1/19) appearance at the annual NAMM convention in Anaheim, CA, during which he and Fender Guitar unveiled a limited-edition replica of the guitarist’s famous red-black-and-white striped guitar.

While on hand at the unveiling, Eddie gave a live demonstration of the guitar in action, which he played through a prototype amplifier that will be part of his forthcoming Fender line of "EVH-brand guitars, amps and musical products," according to Fender. The company has posted at YouTube.com a series of video clips from the event.

The replica guitar--a.k.a. the "Frankenstein" guitar--will be limited to 300 copies, which will retail for $25,000 each.

Hip-hop/soul artist Musiq [ tickets ] Soulchild will issue "Luvanmusiq," his debut set for Atlantic Records, on March 13, according to the label. The album features the lead-off single "Buddy," which has already hit radio stations. The track’s companion music video will premiere in mid-February, according to a press release.

Marilyn Manson has almost finished work on his next album, "Eat Me, Drink Me," which is due out this spring, according to Interscope Records. His group will launch a world tour to coincide with the album's release, details for which have not yet been announced.

Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Ne-Yo is splitting his time between working on his sophomore album--which is expected to surface this spring--and collaborating with Britney Spears and Rihanna, according to his publicist.

"His songwriting talents are also being sought after by Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, and Alicia Keys for their highly anticipated albums," his publicist said in a press release.