THE ACOUSTIC ISSUE

To play an acoustic guitar is to experience the instrument in its purest form – and it will make you a better all-round musician, too. Here’s why...

Switching Gears

After five months at home, Adam Goldsmith hits the music studio – as well as the television studio – for some well-earned adrenaline

Boutique To Go

Laney’s new combo blends cool looks and boutique tone at a price you really can afford

LARKIN POE

Southern siblings Rebecca and Megan Lovell have reinvigorated the roots scene as Larkin Poe. They tell us about hitting hard, the importance of writing bad songs, the battle for equality and rock ’n’ roll’s post-pandemic fightback

More Than A Maker

Reflecting on the experience of lockdown, Alex Bishop muses on the difficulties of ‘making it’ as a luthier in 2020

Minim

Palindromic ambience machine puts a reverse spin on your sound

And So It Began…

If the world doesn’t have enough vintage-style Telecasters already, here’s another one. The trouble is, it’s rather good

LOOKING BACK

On 25 July this year the world lost a music icon. Peter Green’s legacy goes far beyond what words can convey – and yet words are all we have. In the following pages, people who knew Peter, worked with him or saw him play during his rise to prominence in the late 60s offer their impressions of a humble master of the blues

WIRE CHOICE

Some like ‘modern-style’, others opt for ‘vintage’. But what do different wiring methods actually bring to your sound, asks a reader

Dynamic Duo

Revv’s high-gain head comes loaded with Two Notes Torpedo making it perfect for stage and studio – a small footprint with a huge sound

BIBI MCGILL

Bibi McGill – the former lead guitarist and musical director for R&B icon Beyoncé – is also a producer, DJ, masterclass mentor and yogi. We check in with the American guitar guru mid-lockdown to talk music making, inspiration and finding inner peace…

Good Ol' 55

Inspired by the Gibson Les Paul Junior – and a great song by Tom Waits – Eastman’s SB55 is a tribute to a 66-year-old guitar that just refuses to retire

DION

Coming up on the Bronx’s mean streets as the poster boy of 50s doo-wop was just the start for Dion DiMucci. Spared from the 1959 plane crash that killed tour-mate Buddy Holly, then seduced by the blues, his six-decade path has led through treacherous Southern juke joints, crippling addiction, rebirth and his late-period status as a rock ’n’ roll founding father. Now, with the release of new solo album, Blues With Friends – its all-star tracklisting featuring guitar luminaries from Jeff Beck to Joe Bonamassa – the 81-year-old New Yorker’s influence and legacy are beyond doubt.

Cort & Spark

An all-solid OM acoustic that comes Fishman-powered and feature-packed. And the price won’t break your heart, either…

Communication Breakdown

Two classic ‘tone-bending’ fuzz flavours side by side

LESS CAN BE MORE

It’s a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world reckons Dave Burrluck (via Ray Davies). When did cheap guitars get so good? We put one under the Mod Squad microscope…

Thinking Caps

In the second part of our focus on pickup controls we talk tone with Bare Knuckle Pickups’ tech support whizz Tim Bartle

MIKE LANDAU

He’s played with artists like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Phil Collins, Miles Davis and Pink Floyd – but he still mourns the ’61 Strat that got away…

FIRST CLASS

With a third album replete with impeccable funk and richly embroidered guitar sounds from around the globe, Khruangbin are fast becoming one of the most exciting trios working today

Built For Speed

Combining old-school curb appeal with modern performance, this silver dream machine from the kings of rockabilly offers that new-car smell for the price of an old banger

Shine On

This month Alex Bishop confronts every luthier’s most feared topic – the elusive art of guitar finishing

Playing Tribute

Larrivée’s new Tommy Emmanuel tribute guitar is already sending out shockwaves across the acoustic world. We speak to Tommy and Jean Larrivée to find out more

Custom Heritage

Yamaha’s custom shop is celebrating its 30th anniversary. We catch up with its founding father, Ken Dapron

Cracking The Nut

In the second of two pieces, Jamie Dickson speaks to luthier Seth Baccus about how a well-made nut contributes to tone and playability

A Man Of Many Parts

This month Adam Goldsmith embraces the advantages of remote sessions while celebrating his latest creation…

JOHN SMITH

John Smith is one of the UK’s brightest rising stars on the singer-songwriter stage, but the onset of lockdown meant cancelling his first American headline tour. You can’t tie a good man down, though, and his response was to release a new live album and take to the internet in order to promote it…

Revolution Rock

Martin’s vice president of product management, Fred Greene, explains some of the concepts and rationale behind the SC-13E, and admits that one aim of the design was to “upset the old guard”

No Limits

Martin’s big launch for 2020 is a very un-Martin-style ‘crossover’ guitar, strongly hinting at a desire to move forwards. A designer’s folly or the future?

Longtermers

A few months’ gigging, recording and everything that goes with it – welcome to Guitarist ’s longterm test report

JOHNNY A

He’s got taste and tone to die for, Gibson and Epiphone signature models to his name, and he’s played in the band that he grew up idolising. We join the mercurial Massachusetts guitar legend to talk gear, Yardbirds and the future...