Fender Custom Shop Marks 30 Years
In “official” terms, the Fender Custom Shop opened in 1987. But its story actually began February 1, 1985 – the day CBS announced the...
The Les Paul Becomes The SG
It may be difficult to imagine now, but Gibson’s original Les Paul was only a modest success.
Introduced in 1952, the Gibson Les Paul Model...
Andy Summers
For Andy Summers, it would be easy to compose Police-like music – reggae rhythms, clean/chorus guitar tones, etc. But fans learned to expect the...
Warwick Thumb Bass
Founded in the early 1980s by Hans-Peter Wilfer, Warwick has a familial connection to another well-known German brand from a time when that nation...
William Peale, Jr. Gibson Super 400
The iconic “singing cowboy” was created by Hollywood actors like Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Tex Ritter, and others. Many used fancy, customized guitars, often...
First-Rate Second Fiddles
No two ways about it, as his career hit stride, Jimi Hendrix was a Strat guy. Not famously loyal to any particular guitar going...
Rik Emmett
Triumph was one of the leading arena-rock acts of the late ’70s and early ’80s. Striking gold and platinum with albums including Allied Forces,...
Fender’s 1960 Bandmaster
The earliest renditions of our gear icons are often the most valuable, but on many occasions it’s the transition models – those that bridged...
Gospel Guitars
When he wasn’t crafting Mosrites, Semie Moseley could often be found on the road, providing music for evangelists. It makes sense that his aspirations and beliefs were manifested in these instruments.
Music Man HD-130 Reverb
Intended to be the masterpiece of a titan in guitar-amp design, Music Man amps of the mid/late ’70s are all too easily mistaken for...