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GALLERY: Gear of the Month 2012

See all 12 unique instruments featured as Gear of the Month in 2012.

"If imitation truly is the sincerest form of flattery, then CBS-owned Fender was infatuated with Gibsonуs ES line of semi-hollow electric guitars. Gibsonуs ES models had been heavily used by guitar icons like Chuck Berry (ES-350T and eventually the ES-345 and ES-355), Eric Clapton (ES-335 with Cream and Blind Faith), and B.B. King (ES-355), virtually dominating the semi-hollow world and prompting Fender to release its own semihollow creationяthe Starcaster in 1976. To differentiate itself from the popular Gibson modelsяwhich generally had a maple body, mahogany neck, and rosewood fretboardяFender took the all-maple approach when designing the Starcaster, which features an offset double-cutaway, asymmetrical maple body, neck, and fretboard. In addition, Fender stuck with its tried-and-true, bolt-on neck construction and 25.5"" scale length, which was in direct opposition to Gibsonуs set-neck design and 24.75"" scale length. "

Diamond Pedals introduces the Dark Cloud delay pedal, featuring innovative hybrid analog-digital design.

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Handcrafted by the Gibson Custom Shop, only 100 guitars will be made, featuring premium appointments and a Murphy Lab Light Aged Walnut finish.

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LA LOM from left: Jake Faulkner, Nicholas Baker, and Zac Sokolow

Guitarist Zac Sokolow takes us on a tour of tropical guitar styles with a set of the cover songs that inspired the trio’s Los Angeles League of Musicians.

There’s long been a cottage industry, driven by record collectors, musicologists, and guitar-heads, dedicated to the sounds that happened when cultures around the world got their hands on electric guitars. The influence goes in all directions. Dick Dale’s propulsive, percussive adaptation of “Misirlou”—a folk song among a variety of Eastern Mediterranean cultures—made the case for American musicians to explore sounds beyond our shores, and guitarists from Ry Cooder and David Lindley to Marc Ribot and Richard Bishop have spent decades fitting global guitar influences into their own musical concepts.

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Warm Audio Pedal76 & WA-C1 Demos | PG Plays
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Check out Warm Audio’s Pedal76 and WA-C1 with PG contributor Tom Butwin! See how these pedals can shape your sound and bring versatility to your rig.

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