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A Beginner’s Guide to Standard Slide Dec. '20 Ex. 3

A rack of in-progress Aristides guitars, at the company’s factory in the Netherlands.

From the nascent days of our instrument into the future, wood has never been the whole story. Here are some builders taking an alternate approach to tone—with uncommon and innovative ingredients.

Electric guitars have pushed the boundaries of design, sound, and style since their inception. The warm embrace of timeless tonewoods will always be a cornerstone of the guitar-playing experience. But although they’ve only been a minor presence historically, materials from aluminum to plastic and beyond have been a part of the electric guitar’s design since the early days.

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Revv Amplification's limited-edition G-Series V2 pedals offer three fresh flavors of boutique Canadian tone, with V2 circuit revisions.

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Jack Higginbotham, PRS COO, trains guitar makers on fretboard approval and round at Cor-Tek’s factory in Indonesia.

Paul Reed Smith believes “that it’s not about the country that an instrument is made in. It’s always been about the skill level of the guitar makers.” Here’s why.

For us, import guitars started when Carlos Santana asked, “Paul, can we make a PRS that’s much more affordable for all the students that talk to me about owning one of my guitars?” I said, “Sure. I’ll get you a prototype for your approval.” When we brought him the prototype, he was impressed, and his comment was, “This was made in America, right?” And I said, “No. This was made overseas.” The contract for his approval was on the table, and he leaned over and signed it as fast as he could. It was a good moment for him and my company because our integrities were on the line, and we had a product we thought was a real instrument.

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