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Rig Rundown: The Afghan Whigs

The alt-rock pioneers show us the killer screen-printed Mesa/Boogies and piles of pedals they use to dish out both ethereal and rough-and-tumble tones.

Skibic runs a Mesa/Boogie RA-100 Royal Atlantic with EL34s. The amp runs into a Mesa/Boogie 4x12 cab with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers. If something stops working, an Orange CR120 steps in as a backup.

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Check out these ten exclusive Amazon Prime gear discounts, only available October 8-9. Upgrade your sound without hurting your budget!

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Name: Edward Sarkis Balian

Hometown: Detroit, Michigan

Guitars: The Van Gogh Brothers, Vinnie and Theo


The Van Gogh Strat, aka “Vinnie,” built with a Canadian alder body and featuring a replica of the painter’s famous work.

This passionate builder designed a custom Strat/Tele pair, both adorned with hand-painted replicas of The Starry Night.

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Photo by Jay Gilbert

Jeff "Skunk" Baxter expands his acclaimed first-ever solo album, Speed of Heat, with a brand new Storytellers Edition, featuring brand-new commentary tracks.

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Beauty and sweet sonority elevate a simple-to-use, streamlined acoustic and vocal amplifier.

An EQ curve that trades accuracy for warmth. Easy-to-learn, simple-to-use controls. It’s pretty!

Still exhibits some classic acoustic-amplification problems, like brash, unforgiving midrange if you’re not careful.

$1,199

Taylor Circa 74
taylorguitars.com

4.5
4.5
4.5
4

Save for a few notable (usually expensive) exceptions, acoustic amplifiers are rarely beautiful in a way that matches the intrinsic loveliness of an acoustic flattop. I’ve certainly seen companies try—usually by using brown-colored vinyl to convey … earthiness? Don’t get me wrong, a lot of these amps sound great and even look okay. But the bar for aesthetics, in my admittedly snotty opinion, remains rather low. So, my hat’s off to Taylor for clearing that bar so decisively and with such style. The Circa 74 is, indeed, a pretty piece of work that’s forgiving to work with, ease to use, streamlined, and sharp.

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