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GALLERY: Healdsburg Guitar Festival 2011

Beautiful instruments from some of the world''s finest luthiers.

"Charles Freeborn officially introduced his Freestyle Parlor at the 2011 Healdsburg Guitar Festival. This model features a unique bevel design where the bevel is actually integrated into the top rather than carved into the side. The Freestyle Parlor has a western red cedar top, Oregon walnut back and sides, and a mahogany neck."

Stevie Van Zandt with “Number One,” the ’80s reissue Stratocaster—with custom paisley pickguard from luthier Dave Petillo—that he’s been playing for the last quarter century or so.

Photo by Pamela Springsteen

With the E Street Band, he’s served as musical consigliere to Bruce Springsteen for most of his musical life. And although he stands next to the Boss onstage, guitar in hand, he’s remained mostly quiet about his work as a player—until now.

I’m stuck in Stevie Van Zandt’s elevator, and the New York City Fire Department has been summoned. It’s early March, and I am trapped on the top floor of a six-story office building in Greenwich Village. On the other side of this intransigent door is Van Zandt’s recording studio, his guitars, amps, and other instruments, his Wicked Cool Records offices, and his man cave. The latter is filled with so much day-glo baby boomer memorabilia that it’s like being dropped into a Milton Glaser-themed fantasy land—a bright, candy-colored chandelier swings into the room from the skylight.


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Danelectro Spring King Junior Reverb | First Look
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Watch Bohlinger get deep in the tube with Danelectro's compact, 100-percent genuine spring reverb.

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This versatile ramping phaser is distinguished by a fat voice, vibrato section, and practical preamp.

Uncommonly thick phaser voice. Useful range of ramping effects. The practical preamp section can be used independently. Nice vibrato mode.

Visually cluttered design. Some ramping effects can be difficult to dial in with precision.

$249

Beetronics FX
beetronicsfx.com

4.5
4.5
4
4.5

The notion behind a ramping phaser predates the phaser pedal by many moons—namely in the form of thetwo-speed Leslie rotating speaker. A Leslie isn’t a phaser in the strictest sense, though the physics behind what the listener perceives are not dissimilar, and as any phaser devotee can tell you, there are many audible similarities between the two. At many phase rates and intensities, a phaser stands in convincingly for a Leslie, and the original king of phasers, theUniVibe was conceived as a portable alternative to rotary speakers.

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Bohlinger Builds a Stellar Strat and Tests 2 Maple Necks
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Follow along as we build a one-of-a-kind Strat featuring top-notch components, modern upgrades, and classic vibes. Plus, see how a vintage neck stacks up against a modern one in our tone test. Watch the demo and enter for your chance to win this custom guitar!


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