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GALLERY: The Rickenbackers That Rocked the World

Take a walk through this brief historical photo gallery which outlines the beginnings and design progression of the Rickenbacker guitars that rocked the world. Photos and captions by Ron O''Keefe

"The 400 series Combos were slab-bodied guitars with gold metal pickguards and a single-coil Toaster Top pickup in the bridge position. This example also has a toaster-top pickup in the neck position, as indicated by the 50 in the model number. From 1954 through 1957, the Combo was the predominant Rickenbacker electric guitar offering and came in Cloverfield Green (shown) as well as turquoise, white, blonde, natural, and black."
- YouTube

PG's demo dude expands his flirtation with active pickups by dropping a set of EMG Fat 55 Retro Active Humbuckers into his warhorse 2003 Gibson Les Paul. Luthier friend Dave Johnson handles the surgery and shares a few key tips to make the project go smoother for you.

Previously, John Bohlinger was curious about what active pickups could do for his anemic 1994 Stratocaster and EMG offered their drop-and-go Steve Lukather SL20 Pickguard set. JB was floored with the guitar's fresh voice and responsive dynamics he wanted to expand the active experiment to his beloved 2003 GibsonĀ Les Paul. So we got a set of EMG Fat 55 Retro Active Humbuckers that required a full install and our luthier friend Dave Johnson walks us through the whole process before John got to test out his old friend's tonal makeover.

Learn more about EMG Fat 55 Retro Active Humbuckers here.

Guest picker Ally Venable

Blues rocker Ally Venable joins PG’s editors to imagine what their dream late-night band would sound like.

Question: What’s your dream late-night show band?

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- YouTube

Pick one of these stomps, ranging from silicon-driven to germanium-juiced and beyond, to supercharge your signal.

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GTRS Announces the W902, The Latest Update to its Wing-series ofĀ Intelligent Guitars
GTRS Announces the W902, The Latest Update to its Wing-series ofĀ Intelligent Guitars
GTRS has introduced the W902, the newest release in GTRS’ Wing-series Intelligent Guitar lineup, expanding on the series’ cutting-edge features while maintaining an accessible price point.
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