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Through thick and thin, the Boucher family has been building guitars in Canada since 1968. The first incarnation of the family company, Norman Guitars, closed in 1988 after a fire destroyed the workshop. And though founder Normand Boucher passed away in 1997, his nephew Robin (who's co-founder of the company's present incarnation) runs it to this day.
Robin likes to use Adirondack spruce in his guitars. And for good reason—many guitarists consider it the finest top wood of all. With the AVT Spruce Goose, however, Boucher has taken his Adirondack fascinations a step further, building the top, back, and sides entirely out of spruce. You might consider this unusual—even radical—but the bottom line is this guitar sounds unique and is really versatile too.
Adirondack Rocks
Like a lot of players, I love Adirondack spruce (sometimes called red spruce) for a top. Many luthiers consider it more responsive than Engelmann, German, or Sitka spruce. Bob Taylor has said using Adirondack is like adding a cup of sugar to your tone. At the very least, good Adirondack tops will add a little glitter and top-end bite to a guitar’s sound. And the best ones will also add the strength and elasticity to the bottom end that makes a guitar sound very even. However, it’s extremely unusual to encounter a guitar made with an Adirondack top, back, and sides.
The Spruce Goose is sort of the guitar equivalent of a blonde starlet—elegant and gorgeous. The very pretty, pale-hued body is complemented by the abalone trim, including the rosette, back stripe, and top binding. The fit and finish are impeccable, too. The body binding is Indian rosewood, which complements the spruce perfectly, and the fretboard is bound with ivoroid.
The Goose arrived in its standard Hiscox Liteflite Pro II case and had an optional L.R. Baggs iMix—a system I’ve always found rock solid and versatile. It’s easy to control and operate, has a natural sound, and is highly resistant to feedback. In short, the iMix is ideal for a guitar as lively as the Goose. The soundhole controller has two little knobs for Blend and Volume. And there’s no onboard preamp controller to add weight or detract from the fine lines and delicate curves of this beauty.
Though the neck is made of super-stable and substantial South African mahogany, it doesn’t make the lightweight Spruce Goose top heavy at all. In fact, the Goose is one of the most well balanced guitars I’ve ever had in my lap. The OOO-sized body is comfortable and compact—just under 15 1/4" wide and just 4" deep, gracefully curving to a slim 3 1/4" at the neck joint. The scale length is a familiar and comfortable 25 1/2".
Glitter Box
The first thing I noticed about the sound of this guitar is its overarching brilliance. The Goose has a complex high end that sounds like a choir of soft-voiced angels. It’s not loud, doesn’t project quite like rosewood- or mahogany-backed guitars, and it’s not likely to be the loudest guitar at a jam session. But the Goose’s rich, even, and dazzling midrange and high-midrange could make it a studio superstar—particularly on a rock or pop track. Not surprisingly, given its size and harmonic signature, the Goose is also a sweet fingerstyle guitar that responds nicely to either flesh or nails. And when you strum it, the glistening high end is pronounced without being overwhelming or blurry.
The Goose is very playable down around the first few frets, but the action seemed a little high past the 5th fret, and the guitar would benefit from a better setup. Dropping into DADGAD made things feel a little slinkier.
I played the Goose at a gig in a medium-sized and lively sounding room, using a pair of Fishman SA220s linked together. Using a L.R. Baggs Para Acoustic DI, I dialed back the mids a bit and added a little kick to the lows and highs. But I also boosted the low-mids at 110 Hz, which can be a feedback trouble spot for many amplified acoustics. Even with that frequency bump, the Goose and iMix combination performed exceptionally— adding a punchy, but not muddy low-end oomph that was a perfect complement to the guitar’s inherent high-mid sweetness. Jamming with two banjo pickers and a fiddle player, I thought the smooth and even Spruce Goose sounded like a layer of down riding lightly over the driving banjos, shining with an airy tone that made rhythm flourishes and picking nuances really present and audible.
The Verdict
The Boucher AVT Spruce Goose 000 is among the sweetest, most comfortable guitars I’ve played in a long while. It’s a great songwriting guitar because it’s little, light, and comfortable to hold for long sessions. But the open, spacious, and balanced tone is also great for voice accompaniment, and the guitar sounds superb whether you’re strumming or fingerpicking.
With the easy-to-use and natural-sounding iMix, the Goose is stage-ready right out of the case. And with its handsome and unusual all-spruce body, it offers a whole lot of stage presence too. If you’ve ever gravitated toward the looks and even the sound of maple-and-spruce guitars like the Gibson J-200, but found them, well, a bit jumbo for your style or tastes, the Boucher is a cool alternative—one with a voice all its own that can significantly expand your sonic palette.
Buy if...
you are looking for a light, comfortable, pretty guitar for songwriting, stage, or studio, and like a near-angelic high end.
Skip if...
you need the bombast of a dreadnought or jumbo-body cannon.
Rating...
List $4699; $5049 with Baggs iMix - Boucher Guitars - boucherguitars.com |
Gibson originally launched the EB-6 model with the intention of serving consumers looking for a “tic-tac” bass sound.
The Gibson EB-6 was announced in 1959 and came into the world in 1960, not with a dual-horn body but with that of an elegant ES-335. They looked stately, with a thin, semi-hollow body, f-holes, and a sunburst finish. Our pick for this Vintage Vault column is one such first-year model, in about as original condition as you’re able to find today. “Why?” you may be asking. Well, read on....
When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye. The real competition were the Danelectro 6-string basses that seemed to have popped up out of nowhere and were suddenly being used on lots of hit records by the likes of Elvis, Patsy Cline, and other household names. Danos like the UB-2 (introduced in ’56), the Longhorn 4623 (’58), and the Shorthorn 3612 (’58) were the earliest attempts any company made at a 6-string bass in this style: not quite a standard electric bass, not quite a guitar, nor, for that matter, quite like a baritone guitar.
The only change this vintage EB-6 features is a replacement set of Kluson tuners.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
Gibson, Fender, and others during this era would in fact call these basses “baritone guitars,” to add to our confusion today. But these vintage “baritones” were all tuned one octave below a standard guitar, with scale lengths around 30", while most modern baritones are tuned B-to-B or A-to-A and have scale lengths between 26" and 30".)
At the time, those Danelectros were instrumental to what was called the “tic-tac” bass sound of Nashville records produced by Chet Atkins, or the “click-bass” tones made out west by producer Lee Hazlewood. Gibson wanted something for this market, and the EB-6 was born.
“When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye.”
The 30.5" scale 1960 EB-6 has a single humbucking pickup, a volume knob, a tone knob, and a small, push-button “Tone Selector Switch” that engages a treble circuit for an instant tic-tac sound. (Without engaging that switch, you get a bass-heavy tone so deep that cowboy chords will sound like a muddy mess.)
The EB-6, for better or for worse, did not unseat the Danelectros, and a November 1959 price list from Gibson hints at why: The EB-6 retailed for $340, compared to Dano price tags that ranged from $85 to $150. Only a few dozen EB-6 basses were shipped in 1960, and only 67 total are known to have been built before Gibson changed the shape to the SG style in 1962.
Most players who come across an EB-6 today think it was a response to the Fender Bass VI, but the former actually beat the latter to the market by a full year.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
It’s sad that so few were built. Sure, it was a high-end model made to achieve the novelty tic-tac sound of cheaper instruments, but in its full-voiced glory, the EB-6 has a huge potential of tones. It would sound great in our contemporary guitar era where more players are exploring baritone ranges, and where so many people got back into the Bass VI after seeing the Beatles play one in the 2021 documentary, Get Back.
It’s sadder, still, how many original-era EB-6s have been parted out in the decades since. Remember earlier when I wrote that our Vintage Vaultpick was about as original as you could find? That’s because the model’s single humbucker is a PAF, its Kluson tuners are double-line, and its knobs are identical to those on Les Paul ’Bursts. So as people repaired broken ’Bursts, converted other LPs to ’Bursts, or otherwise sought to give other Gibsons a “Golden Era” sound and look ... they often stripped these forgotten EB-6 basses for parts.
This original EB-6 is up for sale now from Reverb seller Emerald City Guitars for a $16,950 asking price at the time of writing. The only thing that isn’t original about it is a replacement set of Kluson tuners, not because its originals were stolen but just to help preserve them. (They will be included in the case.)
With so few surviving 335-style EB-6 basses, Reverb doesn’t have a ton of sales data to compare prices to. Ten years ago, a lucky buyer found a nearly original 1960 EB-6 for about $7,000. But Emerald City’s $16,950 asking price is closer to more recent examples and asking prices.
Sources: Prices on Gibson Instruments, November 1, 1959, Tony Bacon’s “Danelectro’s UB-2 and the Early Days of 6-String Basses” Reverb News article, Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars, Tom Wheeler’s American Guitars: An Illustrated History, Reverb listings and Price Guide sales data.
Originally released in the 1980s, the Victory has long been a cult favorite among guitarists for its distinctive double cutaway design and excellent upper-fret access. These new models feature flexible electronics, enhanced body contours, improved weight and balance, and an Explorer headstock shape.
A Cult Classic Made Modern
The new Victory features refined body contours, improved weight and balance, and an updated headstock shape based on the popular Gibson Explorer.
Effortless Playing
With a fast-playing SlimTaper neck profile and ebony fretboard with a compound radius, the Victory delivers low action without fret buzz everywhere on the fretboard.
Flexible Electronics
The two 80s Tribute humbucker pickups are wired to push/pull master volume and tone controls for coil splitting and inner/outer coil selection when the coils are split.
For more information, please visit gibson.com.
Gibson Victory Figured Top Electric Guitar - Iguana Burst
Released in 1983, the Roland SDE-3000 rackmount delay was a staple for pro players of the era and remains revered for its rich analog/digital hybrid sound and distinctive modulation. BOSS reimagined this retro classic in 2023 with the acclaimed SDE-3000D and SDE-3000EVH, two wide-format pedals with stereo sound, advanced features, and expanded connectivity. The SDE-3 brings the authentic SDE-3000 vibe to a streamlined BOSS compact, enhanced with innovative creative tools for every musical style. The SDE-3 delivers evocative delay sounds that drip with warmth and musicality. The efficient panel provides the primary controls of its vintage benchmark—including delay time, feedback, and independent rate and depth knobs for the modulation—plus additional knobs for expanded sonic potential.
A wide range of tones are available, from basic mono delays and ’80s-style mod/delay combos to moody textures for ambient, chill, and lo-fi music. Along with reproducing the SDE-3000's original mono sound, the SDE-3 includes a powerful Offset knob to create interesting tones with two simultaneous delays. With one simple control, the user can instantly add a second delay to the primary delay. This provides a wealth of mono and stereo colors not available with other delay pedals, including unique doubled sounds and timed dual delays with tap tempo control. The versatile SDE-3 provides output configurations to suit any stage or studio scenario.
Two stereo modes include discrete left/right delays and a panning option for ultra-wide sounds that move across the stereo field. Dry and effect-only signals can be sent to two amps for wet/dry setups, and the direct sound can be muted for studio mixing and parallel effect rigs. The SDE-3 offers numerous control options to enhance live and studio performances. Tap tempo mode is available with a press and hold of the pedal switch, while the TRS MIDI input can be used to sync the delay time with clock signals from DAWs, pedals, and drum machines. Optional external footswitches provide on-demand access to tap tempo and a hold function for on-the-fly looping. Alternately, an expression pedal can be used to control the Level, Feedback, and Time knobs for delay mix adjustment, wild pitch effects, and dramatic self-oscillation.
The new BOSS SDE-3 Dual Delay Pedal will be available for purchase at authorized U.S. BOSS retailers in October for $219.99. To learn more, visit www.boss.info.