•  Reverend Sensei H90

    VG Approved Gear

     Reverend Sensei H90

    Live Wire

    So you want a Gibson-style solidbody that can cover humbucker-powered rock, yet also twangier/glassier tones using a P-90 pickup. Check. You also want to grab high frets via double-cutaway and have the pitch reliability of a tune-o-matic bridge and locking tuners. Got it. One more thing: it’s got to look cool and old-school. Hmm…. sounds

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JangleBox Acousticomp

Sweet Woodiness

Compression and sustain are the icing on most guitarist’s tonal palette. While many use such effects in service of electric guitars, acoustics can benefit from the same attention to detail.…

Goodtone Roadrage PD, Mad Professor Golden Cello

Secret Weapons

Goodtone Roadrage PD, Mad Professor Golden Cello Price: $155 Info: www.goodtone.com. Goodtone Amps builder Norm Matthews has a rep for building noteable guitar amps, and more recently he delved into…

Collings SoCo Deluxe

Super Semi-Hollow

Collings SoCo Deluxe Whether you’re a fan of the flat-top or simply appreciate a good archtop, chances are you’re familiar with Collings Guitars. The Texas-based builder is one of the…

Reeves Custom 100

Big Brit tone, top-notch deployment

Reeves Amplification founder Bill Jansen knows full well that anyone shopping for a boutique guitar amp has gobs of options, and vying for the player’s dollar is all about tone,…

Effectrode Tube-Vibe and Goran Fat Boy

Premium Pedalin’

Effectrode Tube-Vibe Price: $429 (Tube-Vibe) Contact: www.effectrode.com Goran Fat Boy Price: $429 Contact: www.goranguitars.com In the annals of guitar stompboxes, there are no tones more elusive than the mystical swirls…

Fender American Vintage II 1954 Precision Bass

Ageless Anchor

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…

Fuchs Blackjack-21 II Combo

Fuchs Blackjack-21 II Combo

Hit Me!

Fuchs Blackjack-21 II Combo Price: $1,750 Info: www.fuchsaudiotechnology.com Andy Fuchs is an authority in the world of guitar amps. One of his great accomplishments has been to closely replicate and…

Randall MTS RM50/RM100

For the gotta-have-more tube amp lover

After trying to get together for several years, in 2002, tube amp guru Bruce Egnater officially joined forces with Randall Amplification. The result? Randall’s MTS guitar amps! With its interchangeable…

McElroy OM Model

OM, Gee!

McElroy OM Model Price: $7,500 (base; $8,500 as reviewed) Info: www.mcelroyguitars.com. Brent McElroy is a Seattle luthier specializing in high-quality acoustics. One of them, the OM Model from his Generation…

Lollygagger FX Canaglia Overdrive

Rude ’Tude

Sean Wright’s love for guitars and electronics has resulted in a family business that realizes his vision of stompbox perfection. Throw in the business savvy of wife Colette, and Lollygagger…

The Reverend Koch Gristle 90

Pop The Hood

What happens when you mix a classic design with the creativity of twang ace Greg Koch? You get the Reverend Gristle 90, which may look like a sporty T-style guitar…

Warm Audio Centavo

Not Just Another Klon(E)

Most pedal enthusiasts consider a vintage Klon Centaur the pinnacle of overdrive boxes. With originals now approaching $10,000, it makes sense that Warm Audio has created a cost-effective reproduction with…

Stomp Under Foot Ram’s Head

Piece of the Pi

Matt Pasquerella has a reputation as a pi connoisseur… no, not the eating kind, the fuzzy kind. The creator of Stomp Under Foot effects has been building some of the…

Oxford Guitar Supply

Fine Finish

One factor keeping many people from working on their guitars is the availability of tools and materials to make those repairs. For refinishers, it meant owning a spray booth and…

The Supro Montauk 1×10

Club Combo

Striking out from its more historically inspired models like the Black Magick and Delta King, Supro’s new Montauk 1×10 combo tacks a more-original line and, in the process, throws down…

Girl Brand Crossroads

One Devlishly Sweet Axe

Girl Brand Guitars… No it’s not a clearing house for sparkley pink and purple guitars with short-scale necks and small bodies. Rather, Girl Brand is the brainchild of Tucson-based luthier,…

Oxford Guitar Supply

Fine Finish

One factor keeping many people from working on their guitars is the availability of tools and materials to make those repairs. For refinishers, it meant owning a spray booth and…

Ibanez BWM1 Bob Weir Cowboy Fancy

Return of Cowboy Fancy

The mid ’70s were a time for bold experimentation in guitar design, particularly with electronics. Guitarists were discovering replacement pickups, coil-tapping, onboard boosters, and active EQ circuits; some loaded their…

Carr Amplifiers’ Mercury V

Carolina Combo

Back in June 2003, Carr’s original eight-watt Mercury combo earned high praise in VG for its top-of-the-line components, attention to detail, and wide-ranging “Tone of the Gods” voicing. Recently, Steve…

Michael Kelly 1957

Michael Kelly 1957

Bargain Boutique

Michael Kelly 1957 Price: $875 (list) Contact: www.michaelkellyguitars.com Michael Kelly Guitars has steadily gained a reputation for offering big bang for the buck. The Michael Kelly 1957 model solidbody extends…

Musicvox 20th Anniversary MI-6 Guitar and Bass

By The Horns

Musicvox has earned a well-deserved reputation for capturing the mojo of ’60s-era gear in their import guitars and basses (and amps). The new MI-6 line is no exception. With their…

The Fender Bullet Deluxe/JP-90

No Frills, Didn’t Fly

    Fender has tried more than once to market basses with a low-budget vibe. And while the idea is laudable, most of the offerings never really caught on. In…

Juke 1210

Tonal Treat

Amp purists may have a tough time dealing with Warbler/Juke’s 1210. Until they hear it! The 1210 is unique both for its 2×10/1×12 speaker layout and lack of a distortion/overdrive.…

SurfyBear Compact Reverb

Bringin’ Springs

Reverb got a big push into the world of guitar when Leo Fender installed Hammond’s Accutronics Type 4 Spring Reverb in his 1962 Twin Amp. Ever since, players have pursued…

Arteffect Bonnie Wah

Cry No More!

Israel-based Arteffect’s new Bonnie wah pedal is an accurate re-creation of the highly soughtafter vintage Vox Clyde McCoy wah. The “Clyde wah,” you’ll recall, was designed to help guitar players…

Effectrode Blackbird Vacuum Tube Preamp

Uncaged

In a nutshell, the Effectrode Blackbird is a tube amp’s entire preamp section in a floor unit. And just why the heck would someone want that? The Blackbird is housed…

Tim Bogert’s Modified Fender

One Fudged Bass

When Vanilla Fudge helped pioneer the progressive-rock movement in the latter half of the ’60s, bassist Tim Bogert played more than one Fender Precision – and usually installed Telecaster Bass…

Cordoba Stage

Classical Gas

With a 1.5″/fully chambered mahogany body, the Stage – Cordoba’s first foray into the world of nylon-string electric guitars – brings a pleasing, ergonomic single-cut shape dressed with a beautiful…

Milbert Amplifiers GAGA D-60

Shape Shifter

The Milbert Amplifiers GAGA D-60 Price: $2,950 list Info: www.milbert.com/gaga Gear reviews, whether describing guitars or amps, often speak to the versatility of the equipment in question. While some gear…

Ball Amps 1950s GE TV

Turn Up The Television

Randall Ball crafts vintage amps like no others. At his workshop in Kearneysville, West Virginia, he translates tried-and-true schematics into new builds, then houses them in old cabinets adapted from…