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Phil Feser
Nik Huber Orca
Good Wood, Good Sounds
German guitar builder Nik Huber is the latest in his family to continue a 100-year tradition of woodworking. Huber started in the guitar business as a Paul Reed Smith authorized repair shop in 1995, and he maintains a strong relationship with that company and its founder. Today, his line consists of seven models, most using…
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Phil Feser
Carvin Belaire 212
A Classic, Re-Voiced
When Lowell Kiesel started Carvin in 1946, his focus was on electric guitar pickups and lap steels. He had a fair amount of initial success, as many top country and surf players of the day (including the Ventures) used Carvin pickups. As the company moved into the ’50s, it offered small tube amps like the…
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Phil Feser
B.C. Rich Eagle Supreme, Bich 10 Supreme
For the Metalhead in All of Us
From the Mockingbird to the Bich and the Eagle, since the 1970s, B.C. Rich guitars have been seducing players (and fans!) with their over-the-top looks and sexy body shapes. Loaded with an unmistakable hard rock vibe, B.C. Rich axes have long induced a Pavlovian response in budding metalheads who salivate at the sight of one,…
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Phil Feser
Floyd Rose Model One
Redmond Model One
With his 1977 introduction of the Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo, Floyd Rose, the man, revolutionized the guitar tremolo and added a new dimension to a guitar player’s arsenal of tricks and licks. Over 25 years (and a million divebombs) later, he may be set to do it again, with the introduction of his Speedloader bridges.…
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Phil Feser
Blueridge BR140
Time to Sell the D-28?
Usually, I don’t give Chinese-made acoustic guitars a second glance. But when I saw that the Blueridge BR140 was made of all solid woods and retailed for $650, my interest was piqued. The BR140 features a solid spruce top, solid Honduras mahogany back and sides, and a mahogany neck with an Indian rosewood fretboard and…
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Phil Feser
Cornford Hurricane
Exemplary "extension of your playing" amplifier
Since its introduction, English amp builder Paul Cornford’s 6-watt Harlequin recording amp has had a reputation for great sound. Many an all-star Brit player, and notable Yanks like Joe Satriani, have been proudly pictured in-studio with one. But for those wanting to perhaps stage a tidy little Cornford combo, but thought six watts probably wouldn’t…
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Phil Feser
Trussart Steel
Classic Designs, Never Before Seen
James Trussart is a luthier who recently moved his headquarters from Paris to Los Angeles. A guitar builder since 1980, in recent years, he has upped his profile and reputation by crafting custom steel-bodied copies of Teles and Les Pauls in three finishes – rusty, chrome, and brushed. Though they offer a very distinct physical…
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Phil Feser
Capo Glider
Capo The Glider
Evolution has had fun with the trusty old capo. Invented in the early/mid 18th century as a way to simultaneously fret all the strings of an instrument, allowing quick key changes, etc., it actually became usable some 100 years later when a viable design was patented. Since then, no fewer than 130 patents have been…
