Houston is the closest major U.S. port to the tropical hardwoods of South and Central America, so it makes sense that Ellis Guitars makes good use of them. Grabbing the Houston builder’s TX3, the eyes are drawn to the rich colors of the cocobolo top, with padauk center section over a basswood body single-bound…

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Ukuleles are inherently charming, and Fender amplifies (literally) that charm with the Dhani Harrison Signature model. A tilted four-inline headstock with vintage-style tuners? On a glued-in mahogany neck? It’s a Fender and then some. Dhani’s dad, George, loved the humble uke and had a sizable collection, so the Dhani Harrison model didn’t exactly come out…

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Imagine a Strat tuned to open G, a D chord being floated at the seventh fret with a Craftsman deep-well socket. What is that ethereal sweetness and sustain under Lowell George’s voice? Oh, yeah… a compressor pedal. The Little-Feat-approved Dyna Comp and the Ross Compressor are the inspirations for Guitar Tech Craig’s Dino Sauce, which…

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Cigar-box guitars are a 19th-century creation that today are enjoying a trendy surge in popularity, and attracting the design expertise of some talented folks. Why? Well, because cigar box guitars are quirky and equally fun for musical neophytes and advanced players. Take Rob Wrobel, who makes his three-string CBG Model with Lace Matchbook Sensor pickup…

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The mere name of Don Lace’s Cybercaster may set calloused fingertips to head-scratching. After all, “cyber” connotes cutting-edge, futuristic. How could that possibly jibe with “caster,” which implies beloved mid-century designs? Truth be told, though, cutting-edge and retro go hand in hand on the sleek Cybercaster, which gives off a hint of Selmer on its…

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Though electric guitars have undergone radical change since the world first laid eyes on Rickenbacker’s “frying pan,” acoustics have rarely strayed from tradition. Andrew White is tweaking the system. The West Virginian has reinterpreted the shape and dimensions of acoustic-guitar design, finding a median between jumbo and dreadnought with his Freja 1013W NAT. The Freja…

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In 1922, Gibson introduced Lloyd Loar’s L-5, lauded as the first modern archtop. Luthiers have been “advancing” the design ever since.  Marchione Guitars’ 16″ Archtop shows how the violin family influences evident in Orville and Lloyd’s work have fared in the hands of Stephen Marchione. Larger archtop guitars were created to fill the demand to…

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Which new Martin is based on a vintage-reissue with a pronounced low-end? Noooo, the model designation does not begin with a D!  The CEO 8.2E finds inspiration in the Martin Grand Jumbo introduced in 2009, with a distant ancestor in the similarly shaped 1979 J-35E. It’s one of several recent designs issued as part of…

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What’s a pedal platform? Nope, it’s not a carbon-fiber Pinarello mountain bike with Shimano shifters and derailleurs. It’s another term for the Bravado 40-watt head designed by pedal impresario Brian Wampler for any player who wants to hear that floor-bound pedalboard climb high like a Pinarello. Behind the classy if understated exterior details and logo…

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Every pro guitarist who has laid eyes on the Pirate Guitar Effects Plank has initially thought they recognized the logo and taken a second look. The Plank is something other than a clone, though: it’s a take on a classic overdrive circuit – with added bonus points. Germanium this, true-bypass that – all of the…

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