Classic Instruments

Classic Instruments

Mick Taylor’s ’58 Les Paul Standard

Hard-edged face of the British Invasion, the Rolling Stones introduced the world to the implements, trappings, and accessories of rock-and-roll superstardom. With help from...

Ward Meeker

Classic Instruments

Eko’s “Celluloid” ’60s Basses

By the early 1960s, Europe’s industrial bases had mostly recovered from World War II. Many musical-instrument manufacturers stuck to products popular in their respective...

Willie G. Moseley

Classic Instruments

Roy Smeck’s Gibson L-5

Player endorsements are part of the tradition of guitarmaking going back to its earliest use for public performance. LeRoy G.A. Schmeck, a.k.a. Roy Smeck,...

George Gruhn

Classic Instruments

Familiar Names Create Music as J&B Brothers

The J&B Brothers make a sound equal parts Texas country, blues, folkie, rock, jazz, and soul – the spices that make music from the...

Pete Prown

Classic Instruments

Freddie King’s Gibson ES-345 Keeps on Playin’

Watching her baby boy become rapt whenever his grandma played country blues on her guitar, Ella May King had a notion... So, as soon...

Ward Meeker

Classic Instruments

Lloyd Loar

The Master Model instruments created at Gibson in the early 1920s are famous for their sound and build. Credit for their design is often...

George Gruhn

Classic Instruments

1968 Fender Vibrolux Reverb

Amplifier collectors swarm to models with descriptors like “first year” and “golden age,” but other types can be far more interesting; a transitional model...

Dave Hunter

Classic Instruments

Fender Custom Shop Marks 30 Years

In “official” terms, the Fender Custom Shop opened in 1987. But its story actually began February 1, 1985 – the day CBS announced the...

Vaughn Skow

Classic Instruments

Vintage Instrument Research

Fretted instruments can be examined in much the same way as zoological taxonomist or forensic pathologist would approach them. They fit well into a...

George Gruhn