•  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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Reverend Ron Ashton Vintage Guitar magazine

Reverend Guitars Ron Asheton Model

Raw Power

Reverend Guitars Ron Asheton Model Price: $1,079 Info: www.reverendguitars.com. If Ron Asheton had recorded just one album in his musical career – the Stooges’ 1969 debut – he still would…

Supro’s Thunderbolt S6420+

Supro’s Thunderbolt S6420+

35 Watts on a Gold Platter

Supro’s Thunderbolt S6420+ Price: $1,599 (list) Contact: www.suprousa.com Upon introduction in 1964, the Valco-made Supro Thunderbolt Model S6420 was a misfit. Like Fender’s 4×10 Bassman, it was designed “exclusively for…

Guild D-50 Standard

Rosewood Renaissance

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…

The Vox Bobcat V90

Feral Feline

In the Swinging ’60s, Vox guitars were all the rage, particularly among British and European players. Though stylish and visually innovative, the Italian-made guitars were also inconsistent, with anemic pickups…

MOD Kits DIY 102+ Amp Kit

MOD Kits DIY 102+ Amp Kit

Do It Yerself

MOD Kits DIY 102+ Amp Kit Price: $265 (list) Contact: www.modkitsdiy.com A good friend jokingly remarked that building tube amps is the legal equivalent of taking opiates – instantly gratifying…

Bixonic Expandora 2000R

Full-Range Distortion

Bixonic Expandora 2000R. Bixonic introduced the Expandora distortion/fuzz pedal in 1995, and it quickly became popular among guitarists the likes of Billy Gibbons, Joe Satriani, Megadeth, and Bootsy Collins. The…

Gigliotti Special

More Than Just Another Classic-Inspired Axe

The Gigliotti Special is a lot more than just another guitar inspired by a classic design. Rather, it’s a unique-looking custom instrument that sounds as good as it looks. Builder…

Höfner Verythin Classic

Box For Any Occasion Höfner Verythin Classic

When most vintage instrument players and enthusiasts think of Höfner, visions spring to mind of the legendary Beatle bass, or maybe some stuffy jazz box. And indeed, Höfner today is…

Big Knob Pedals

Big Knob Pedals

What’s in a Name?

Big Knob Pedals Price: Tube 808, $139; Echo Flex, $149; Vibe Tone, $159; Octavius, $129 (all list) Contact: www.bigknobpedals.com Gary Kibler started making pedals almost by accident. Originally from Los…

Demeter Mighty Minnie Pedalboard Amplifier

Demeter Mighty Minnie Pedalboard Amplifier

Mighty Fine

Demeter Mighty Minnie Pedalboard Amplifier Price: $899.99 Info: www.demeteramps.com Years ago, backstage after a concert, slide-guitar virtuoso Sonny Landreth mentioned to renowned amp designer James Demeter that it would be…

Homegrown Tone 420

Homegrown Tone 420

Legalized Tweed

Buzz Feiten Blues Pro Price: $1,799 (list) Contact: “Homegrown Tone Amps” on facebook.com Can’t get enough hemp in your life? Then you may need some Homegrown Tone. These boutique amps…

Visual Sound’s H20 V3 Liquid Chorus & Echo and VS-XO Premium Dual Overdrive

Visual Sound’s H20 V3 Liquid Chorus & Echo and VS-XO Premium Dual Overdrive

A Step Further

Visual Sound’s H20 V3 Liquid Chorus & Echo and VS-XO Premium Dual Overdrive Price: H20 V3 $199 (list); VS-XO $199 (list) Contact: www.visualsound.net Since bursting on the scene with its…

Jammy Instruments’ Jammy G

Digital Six

Digital, MIDI, and synth guitars have been around for decades. One newer entry in the field is the Jammy G, a digital guitar connected to an app that accesses its…

Sam Ash Fuzzz Boxx

Sam Ash Fuzzz Boxx

Atomic Wedgie

Sam Ash Fuzzz Boxx Price: $149.99 Contact: http://www.samash.com. Guitarists who lived in New York City in the late ’60s might recall the Sam Ash Fuzzz Boxx. Introduced in ’67 as…

Brown Guitar Factory Chambered Electric

Beast Mode

To use a slightly skewed metaphor, John Brown builds guitars to the beat of a different drummer. After all, who wants a custom builder without vision, churning out yet another…

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Singular Sound BeatBuddy

Drums Even You Can Play

Everyone knows a good drummer joke. Or two. Drummers are indeed a special breed. Singular Sound’s BeatBuddy drum-machine pedal, however, is no joke. And as the first drum-machine-in-a-pedal designed for…

Colby Dual Tone Booster 50

Double Versatile

Colby DTB50 Price: $3,800 (head); $750 (cabinet) Contact: www.colbyamps.com From 1978 through 2010, Mitch Colby helped Marshall become a preeminent name in amplifiers. He recently founded Colby Amplification, where he…

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Mu-FX Octave Divider

The Mu Is Back

This is rocket science. Or at least as close as a stompbox gets. Sure, building a pedal that tweaks a guitar’s signal around and about isn’t exactly putting a man…

PureSalem Honey Bunny, Pink Beard, Attack Captain

Bring The Fuzz

Remember your first fuzz pedal? Maybe, like a certain reviewer, you literally worked up a sweat trying to strike a deal between the body resonance of an ES-175D and the…

Majik Box Paul Gilbert Fuzz Universe Custom

“Scarifying” OD

Majik Box Paul Gilbert Fuzz Universe Custom Price: $329.99 retail Contact: www.majikboxusa.com Since Dave Simpson and Rob Nishida joined forces to form Majik Box, they’ve been the go-to stompbox company…

Meris LVX Delay

Next-Gen Echo

Designed for guitarists drawn to effects with a simple, straightforward interface, Meris LVX Modular Delay System is an attention-getter. Perfect for the menu-phobic, it’s a powerful box that’s incredibly easy…

Frantone “The Sweet” Fuzz

Sturdy, Fuzzy, and Sweet

Frantone Electronics is a New York City company that has been hand-making a variety of effects pedals since 1994, and recently launched it’s germanium-transistor powered The Sweet, which the company…

Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe

Boom Box

Martin’s new Modern Deluxe line offers a tantalizing idea – a traditional-looking/playing premium acoustic, but with high-tech innovations under the hood. Being a revised take on an iconic dreadnought, it…

The Vox Bobcat V90

Feral Feline

In the Swinging ’60s, Vox guitars were all the rage, particularly among British and European players. Though stylish and visually innovative, the Italian-made guitars were also inconsistent, with anemic pickups…

JHS Charlie Brown Overdrive

Beautiful Noise

While few guitarists get the opportunity to plug into every vintage Marshall amp and hear their distinguishing tonal characteristics, most know a good crunchy stompbox when they hear it. The…

Arbiter Fuzz Face Reissue

Psychedelic tones of the past

If you’re a fan of vintage ’60s fat-bottomed fuzz, nothing sounds better than a vintage Arbiter/England Fuzz Face… when it’s operating right. The pedal is highly regarded among players and…

Washburn Pilsen Idol electric and D78SW acoustic

Ready For Prime Time

Washburn Pilsen. Most often when you see a Washburn guitar, it’s in the hands of artist endorsees (including Nuno Bettencourt, Dimebag Darrel Abbott, etc.). For whatever reason, though, the brand…

Epiphone 1963 Firebird V

Legacy-Worthy

Looking to up the ante in the market battle with Fender, in October of 1962, Gibson CEO Ted McCarty asked retired auto designer Ray Dietrich to sketch some ultra-modern guitar…

Metal Pedals JH-3

Metal Pedals JH-3

Swiss-Army Distortion

Metal Pedals JH-3 Price: $235 (list) Contact: www.metalpedals.com Like a Swiss Army knife, the multifunction Metal Pedals JH-3 Johnny Hiland has more options than you’d expect in such a small…