Classic Instruments
Beyond the Parlor
Ed. Note: In part two of his series on the guitar in 19-century America, Tim Brookes addresses the common belief that the guitar was strictly a ladies’...
Classic Instruments
Star Board: Rudy Jaramillo
Rudy Jaramillo is quick to mention that his effects setup is very simple. "I go into my 1) Boss tuner, then to a 2)...
Classic Instruments
Three Larsons
At first glance, these three guitars appear to be a straightforward collection of different sizes of the same model. A comparable set of three...
Classic Instruments
The G&L El Toro
At the beginning of 1983, Leo Fender was just more than three years into his last guitar-manufacturing venture when he decided to diversify the...
Classic Instruments
Tele of Two Legends
One day in the mid 1950s, up-and-coming thoroughbred jockey Bill Shoemaker – long before he gathered 8,833 career wins (including 11 in Triple Crown...
Classic Instruments
Peter Green
Establishing the provenance of a vintage guitar can be a daunting task, even for a seasoned pro. In the case of one particular 1960...
Classic Instruments
An Odd Gibson EH-150
Lap-steel guitars were the first commercially available electrics – ancestors of the guitars we plug in today, regardless of their shape. The popularity of...
Classic Instruments
Alvino Rey’s “Mini” Gibsons
Alvino Rey's 1936 Gibson mini guitar.
From its beginnings, Gibson has built custom orders and unique instruments for specific artists, sometimes by request, other times...
Classic Instruments
National N-275
Gibson is widely known for its guitars, mandolins, and banjos, but many are unaware the company built instruments for nearly 30 brands for several...
Classic Instruments
Gibson Tal Farlow
The Tal Farlow is one guitar in a quartet of full-depth Gibson Artists models first cataloged in the early 1960s. Introduced in ’62, it was...
