Almost 100 years ago, Martin reinvented the flat-top box when it began delivering X-braced, square-shouldered, and oversized dreadnoughts. Now, the company is again reinventing the acoustic guitar to keep up with the realities of the 21st century. The new GPCE Inception Maple looks and sounds like a Martin, but there’s plenty going on under the…

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Bigger may not always be better, but sometimes having a little extra juice can make all the difference. Born in the USA, the jumbo acoustic is American as apple pie and Elvis Presley. One contributor to the world of the jumbo is Guild. For its 70th anniversary, the builder is offering a refreshed line of…

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With a tradition going back more than 70 years, Guild Guitars was there from the beginning of rock and roll, at the peak of folk, and through the Summer of Love. The company’s instruments brought distinctive styling, and it boasted a distinguished roster of players. In a nod to its past, Guild’s refreshed versions of…

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It wasn’t literally the first electric bass, but Fender’s Precision was the genesis of the instrument the world knows today. For more than seven decades, the four-string workhorse has been a favorite in the studio and on stages, and the story of modern music can’t be written without it. Fender’s American Vintage II line (VG,…

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Pickers sure love to talk about their guitars, and more than a few will enthusiastically tell you about their favorite acoustic’s “bell-like” tone, describing its chime and the way it rings. Perhaps this is where Gallagher Guitar drew inspiration for its Bluegrass Bell, a proper dreadnought that shares many specs with the bluegrass cannons of…

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Gibson has always had a knack for producing distinctive guitars. The EDS-1275 in Cherry finish will forever be tied to “Stairway to Heaven,” while the white version veritably proclaims “Hotel California!” Les Paul was a bigger-than-life figure in the early days of electric guitar, but his eponymous model was so ubiquitous among the blues and…

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Death, taxes, and spruce on mahogany. There are only so many certainties in life, and these are three. Another is that there will always be spruce-on-mahogany Martin guitars. The newest flagship is the budget-friendly D-18 Satin. Going spec-for-spec with the august standard D-18, the Satin’s natural-finish Sitka-spruce top boasts arrow-straight grain and moderate silking along…

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In the decade leading up to World War II, guitar builders started scaling up their acoustic offerings to meet the demands of working musicians, and bigger was better. In Kalamazoo, Gibson rolled out the Jumbo, then in 1942 debuted the flagship J-45. Certain specs have wavered over time, but it has always been a 14-fret,…

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Luna’s newest entry in its Vintage Series, the Art Vintage Parlor takes modern playability and puts it in a rustic package. The guitar’s solid spruce top on mahogany back and sides is a classic combination, and an attractive distressed satin sunburst finish, cream binding, and open-back aged-nickel tuning machines help make a great first impression.…

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In the beginning, there was the Precision Bass. Following Leo Fender’s revelation, things branched out in all directions as builders experimented with the idea that the double bass could be embodied in the form of a guitar. It wasn’t long before bassists had options including semi-hollows. Grez Guitars tips its hat to that particular sound…

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