Mr. Smith goes to Rudy’s
Nashville has Music Row and London has Soho, but if your heart starts palpitating at the mere mention of carved wood, PAFs, and steel...
1988 Guild Liberator Elite
Every once in awhile you find a guitar that’s almost too beautiful to play. It’s just enough to sit there and admire it, not...
The Rogue VB-100 Violin Bass
The Rogue VB-100 Series II is an homage to the venerable Höfner 500/1 semi-hollowbody. Popularly known as the “Beatle bass,” this axe was used...
The Valley Arts Custom Pro Bass
In 1969, when a North Hollywood guitar teacher named Duke Miller teamed up to start a music store with students Mike McGuire and Al...
Guyatone Micro Effects
Musical-instrument accessories importer Guyatone introduced its first series of Micro Effects three years ago to widespread praise. Knowing it was on to a good...
The Thompson Tremor Bender
Longtime musician and professional tool-and-die maker Don Thompson recently introduced the Tremor Bender, a retrofit stringbending device for most Fender- and Gibson-style instruments.
Thompson’s goal...
Fender Mustang
Despite its short scale, the Mustang has a potent sound, and as a result it was used by many notable players.
Fender’s short-scale Mustang Bass,...
B.C. Rich Eagle
When my son was young I used to do “guitar shows” for his classes, showing off 10 or so electric guitars that started with...
Hanburt Electric Guitars
As a brand of American electric instruments, the name “Hanburt” is about the furthest thing from being a household term. Nevertheless, the recently documented...
Italian Smorgasbord
American guitars made in the 1950s and ’60s constitute an almost-holy canon, yet most players in that era took their first steps on imported...