Gus G

Gus G.
Gus G live with Firewind.
Background information
Birth name	Kostantinos Karamitroudis
Also known as	Gus G, Kostas (Κώστας)
Born	(1980-09-12) September 12, 1980 (age 36)
Origin	Thessaloniki, Greece
Genres	Heavy metal, melodic death metal, thrash metal, power metal, black metal
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, keyboard, vocals
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Century Media Records
Associated acts	Firewind, Ozzy Osbourne, Mystic Prophecy, Dream Evil, Nightrage, Arch Enemy, Kamelot, Angel Vivaldi
Website	http://www.gusgofficial.com/
Notable instruments
http://www.jacksonguitars.com/guitars/star/models/usa-signature-gus-g-star-rosewood-fingerboard-satin-white-with-black-pinstripes-gus-g-logo-at-12th-fret/

Konstantinos Karamitroudis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Καραμητρούδης born September 12, 1980), also known as Gus G, is a heavy metal guitarist. He currently plays with his band Firewind and Ozzy Osbourne. He has also played in Mystic Prophecy, Nightrage, Arch Enemy and Dream Evil.

Konstantinos was born on September 12, 1980 in Thessaloniki, Greece. His father was a part-time singer who sang Greek folk music at bars and taverns. He was also a fan of rock music. He was introduced to bands like Pink Floyd, Santana and the Eagles by his father's album collections. Gus G. was inspired to start playing guitar after listening to his father's copy of Peter Frampton's album Frampton Comes Alive. He was drawn in particular by Frampton's use of the Talkbox. At the age of 10, Gus asked his dad for a guitar. His father bought him a classical guitar and he started to take lessons from a local music school. When he finally received his first electric guitar at the age of 14, he got heavily into practicing and took lessons from a rock guitar teacher at a local conservatory.

The stage name "Gus G." has two sources of origin. "Gus" is a common Greek American English translation of the name "Kostas," and "G" was a nickname given to him by a friend during his time living in the US.

At the age of 18 he left Greece to enroll in the Berklee College of Music, but left after only a few weeks and began working on making a name on the metal scene. During his brief time at Berklee Gus came into contact with Joe Stump, who he credits as a great influence on his career. In 1998, Gus G. decided to record a demo with some close musician friends in the United States. The project was entitled Firewind, and was used as a showcase for Gus's guitar skills in an attempt to earn a professional recording deal. The demo attracted the attention of Leviathan Records, but activity was put on hold when Gus was hired by Nightrage, Dream Evil, and Mystic Prophecy. After the release of these bands' debut albums, Gus's attention returned to his band, Firewind. The band has released seven studio albums to date and has gone through many lineup changes. Gus G. was declared third of the three best guitar players all over the world in 2003 by the Japanese magazine BURRN!.