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GALLERY: Gear of the Month 2012

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

"рIt was a dark and stormy Christmas Eve when a stranger showed up at my front door with this old guitar case,с recalls Drew Jacques, a guitar hobbyist and newly minted guitar tech. рHe just wanted a simple string change and a fresh setup. The first thing I thought about the guitar was who was the idiot that filed down and rounded the frets [laughs] и at this pointяbeing a bit of a rookieяI had no idea about the Fretless Wonder or its peculiarly low frets.с But that soon changed as Jacques dove deep into the history of this particular Gibson Les Paul Custom Reissue. рAfter cleaning it up a bit and doing a little homework on the instrument, I soon realized it was much more than an ordinary vintage Les Paul.с Through his research, Jacques used the serial number on the back of the headstock, which didnуt have the рMade in the U.S.A.с imprintяand the fact that it had no neck voluteяto narrow down the guitarуs origin to the late у60s. The рU.S.A.с stamp and volute were changes introduced in 1970 models. Other anomalies on this guitar were its one-piece mahogany body capped with a multi-bound maple top and a one-piece mahogany neck. "

Here’s how 21 killer players from the past year of Rig Rundowns—including Justin Chancellor, Zakk Wylde, MonoNeon, Carmen Vandenberg, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, and Grace Bowers—use stomps to take their sounds outside the box.


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The moe. frontline from left: Chuck Garvey (guitar), Rob Derhak (bass), Al Schnier (guitar), and Nate Wilson (keyboards). In the mist behind them is Jim Loughlin (percussion) and Vinnie Amico (drums).

Photo by Paul Citone

The two guitarists are known for their sympathetic 6-string interplay. They remain as tight as ever, despite setbacks, as they deliver the buoyant, vibrant Circle of Giants, the long-running jam band’s 14th studio record.

Thirty-five years ago, a group of University of Buffalo students gathered in a basement, drank a lot of beer, and played some tunes. They had no goal other than to have fun and party. But it wasn’t long before they headed into a studio housed in an apartment above local guitar shop Top Shelf Music to record the debut moe. album, Fatboy. Slowly, the band built a devoted fan base, crisscrossing the country in a van. As they persevered, the band and their audience grew up together, and now it’s the fans’ children who are discovering the group.

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Bassist Scott Thunes first started with Frank Zappa’s band when he was 21 years old.

The idiosyncratic musician has gone from Zappa to the classroom, even though he says “I can’t write a bass line to save my life.”

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Eminence Speaker launches the Karnivore guitar speaker, developed in collaboration with metal producer Kristian Kohle.

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