The 1966 Murph Squire II-T
Despite what many enthusiasts believe, there has been only one really significant “lawsuit” that defined a class of guitars – Norlin v. Elger, 1977...
The Airline GIM 9151A
1970 Montgomery Ward Airline GIM 9151A
Preamp tubes: three 12AX7
Output tubes: four 6L6GC
Rectifier: solid-state
Controls: Volume, Treble, Bass on each...
Simon Adahl’s 1958 Höfner 162
He may not be part of anthropological history like Dutch paleontologist Eugene Dubois, but Simon Adahl did have to dig a bit to discover...
Gibson K-5 Mandocello
The violin-style f-holes of Gibson’s F-5 mandolin, L-5 guitar, and other Style 5 instruments, are the most famous and most significant elements of Lloyd...
Gibson’s 1958-’62 ES-335TD
The Redoubtable “Dot-Neck”
Early every guitar conceived or designed by Ted McCarty during his tenure as president of Gibson (1948-’66) is
today seen as exemplary of...
Dano Redux
In his book, Neptune Bound: The Ultimate Danelectro Guide, author Doug Tulloch charts the adventures of Nat Daniel as he rode the electric guitar...
Selmer Truvoice
Selmer Truvoice Selectortone Automatic, ca. 1961
Preamp tubes: one ECC83, two EF86
Output tubes: two EL34, cathode-bias
Rectifier: GZ34
Controls: Channel I: Volume, Tone. Channel 2: Volume, Tone,...
New Lease on Life
If restoring dusty, neglected old tube amps built more than half a century ago isn’t challenging enough, restoring amps with delicate built-in tape-echo units,...
The Bass That Waited
In the January and February installments, we looked at Gibson’s Thunderbird, an instrument condemned by its maker to a quick demise only to be...
The Ray Butts EchoSonic
If you want to talk star-user ratio, the Ray Butts EchoSonic is near the top of the heap. Most accounts agree that fewer than...