HOME-GROWN TONE

Ever fancied building your own guitar but feel daunted by the options? Dave Burrluck, or rather Trev Wilkinson, has the answer with a new range of all-in-one kits. How hard can it be?

Zoia

This box of tricks could change the way you think about effects…

Michelangelo Overdrive Plus

The Italian maker presents a trio of voices for valve-style drive

GIBSON L-5

We take a look back at the history and evolution of Gibson’s seminal f-hole jazzbox, the L-5, with archtop historian Thomas Van Hoose and examine how this watershed design set a benchmark in guitar building

McCarty's Legacy

Always in the shadow of the Custom, the now 26-year-old McCarty was PRS’s first ‘vintage-aimed’ model. We take a look at this ever-evolving guitar in its 2020 guise

New Romantic

Eastman might be better known in recent years for its solidbody range, but this Romeo calls on the brand’s archtop heritage. Love at first sight?

OUTSIDE THE BOX

Innovation, artistry and elbow grease – how women luthiers are rewriting the rulebook

Mako D1 High-Fidelity Stereo Delay

A new range from Walrus kicks off with a compact but potent delay

Celebrate In Style

One of three special PRS models to commemorate the brand’s 35th anniversary, this S2 offers expanded sounds for half the price of the Core Custom

CORY WONG

If you haven’t experienced Cory Wong’s amazingly funky rhythm style with the bands Vulfpeck and The Fearless Flyers, we’d invite you to check out the video Introducing The Fearless Flyers on YouTube before reading any further. It’s okay, we’ll wait…

A DESIGN FOR LIFE

When the first Paul Reed Smith guitar found its way into the Guitarist office many, many years ago we knew we were looking at something really special. Suddenly, there was a new kid on the block and, boy, could he make guitars… Coming back up to date and that passion for design and sonic excellence continues apace as the brand celebrates its 35th anniversary…

Thrill Seeker

The latest amp from legendary British amp builder Dennis Cornell packs quite a punch in a small package. Your journey into the analogue zone starts here…

Slim Pickin'

Two contrasting models from Takamine’s new Thinline range tell tales of superb player comfort and excellent onstage performance. Let’s see how they measure up…

RICHARD SMITH

We caught up with the nylon-string maestro during one of his all-too-rare visits to the UK for a lively conversation about all things acoustic and a very special video masterclass…

Roaring Forties

One of the oldest ‘classic’ pickup designs makes a return to the Guild range. But is everything quite what it seems?

Lose Your Illusion

Hot on the heels of its reimagined ’59 and ’60 Les Paul reissues come four new LP models built to the specs of the Guns N’ Roses legend

ED WYNNE

We touch down on planet Earth with the captain of Ozric Tentacles’ space rock craft, Ed Wynne, following the release of his debut solo album, last year’s Shimmer Into Nature

Mods & Rockers

The Stray Cat struts in once again with a litter of killer new signature guitars to sink your claws into. Just don’t expect them to bat like 50s throwbacks...

GIBSON ES-330s

We take an in-depth look at the background development and evolution of Gibson’s ES-330 models with George Gruhn, co-author of vintage guitar bible Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars and proprietor of Gruhn Guitars in Nashville, Tennessee…

Bursting With Pride

As the new Gibson Slash Collection is unveiled at this year’s NAMM show, we grab a moment away from the crowds with the man himself to chat about his latest collaboration with Gibson…

ALIVE & KICKING

Peter Frampton’s diagnosis with a degenerative disease means May’s UK tour is likely to be his last. The guitar icon looks back at the triumphs and knocks of his career, into the eyes of his illness, and onto the music still to come…

SE Uprising

They may be a lot more affordable than PRS’s USA guitars, but the SE range is on a roll, epitomised by the new Hollowbody models. We track down the man behind the mark: Jack Higginbotham

SWITCHTASTIC

If you’re after more sounds, look no further than the Brit-designed and manufactured Free-Way, reckons Dave Burrluck

ROCK SOLID

We take a close look at Gibson’s iconic SG range from past to present with Mat Koehler, head of Product Development at Gibson, and David Davidson, owner of Well Strung Guitars and COO and curator of the Songsbirds vintage guitar museum

THE LONG WAY

Raised by the banks of the Mississippi, Jonathon Long’s electrifying fusion of jazz, blues and country brings to mind Danny Gatton’s eclectic brilliance on a Telecaster. We joined the slick but soulful guitarist from Baton Rouge to talk bayou blues – and pick up some of his best licks…

JOEY LANDRETH

He’s lauded worldwide as a songwriter, vocalist and guitar stylist par excellence – and he’s no slouch as a slide player, either. We caught up with the Canadian guitarist to find out what makes him tick

IRON MAN

TONY IOMMI TRULY IS THE IRON MAN OF ROCK. AFTER A HAND INJURY THAT WOULD HAVE HALTED MOST GUITARISTS IN THEIR TRACKS HE BATTLED A CONSTANT “YOU CAN’T DO THAT” FROM PARENTS, RECORD COMPANIES AND GUITAR BUILDERS, SURVIVED A REVOLVING DOOR OF BANDMATES (SINCE 1968 HE’S BEEN BLACK SABBATH’S ONLY CONSTANT MEMBER), AND EVEN BEAT CANCER. TO HONOUR HIS ASTOUNDING CAREER, GIBSON HAS RECREATED HIS HEAVILY MODIFIED SG SPECIAL, THE ‘MONKEY’ GUITAR. HERE, TONY WEAVES THE TALE OF THIS INSTRUMENT INTO THE STORY OF A CAREER THAT, WITHOUT SUCH DOGGED DETERMINATION, MIGHT NEVER HAVE HAPPENED…

FYLDE GUITARS

If Roger Bucknall were a chef he’d have two Michelin stars, possibly three. After all, in nearly 60 years of guitar making he’s served up bespoke tonewood recipes to some of the world’s principal gourmets of acoustic guitar tone…

Whatever We Want

They might be controversial, but aged relic guitars are here to stay, because that’s what more and more of us want. We talk taste and trends with World Guitars’ Julian White…

Black Magic Box

Hughes & Kettner hits the floor with its latest amp, which combines digital control of analogue solid-state. A new benchmark? We plug in to find out…