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A ’61 Supro That’s Super for Slide
November 22, 2020
This original archtop Coronado’s Vistatone pickups speak the language of Ry Cooder and other tone hounds.
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Meet Murph, My Surf-Rock Friend
November 16, 2020
SoCal in the ’60s was a hotbed of guitar building, but it wasn’t just the big guys equipping aspiring rock stars.
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Logo Advice from a Living Legend
November 8, 2020
For starters, says Hamer Guitars cofounder Jol Dantzig, avoid stock typeface at all costs.
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The World's Doomiest SG?
October 25, 2020
Cue metal music for this two-pickup 1962 Gibson EB-6 bass—one of just 68 in existence.
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"I Don't Have Any Regular Settings"
October 16, 2020
Fantastic Negrito on the “freaky” Orange amp with as many moods as his Grammy-winning tunes.
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How Could Guitars with Names Like These Not Be Amazing?
October 8, 2020
Meet the Custom Kraft Beat Blaster, Agitator, Bone Buzzer, and Groover!
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The Tale of the Hamer DuoTone—an Innovative Model That Satisfied Zero Demand
September 24, 2020
How—despite being embraced by Jeff Tweedy, Stone Gossard, Ty Tabor, Dweezil Zappa, and other luminaries—this acoustic-electric hybrid was somehow DOA.
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When Exactly Did "Boutique Pedals" Become a Thing?
September 17, 2020
Travel back in time 30+ years and meet the circuit-tweakers who started a stompbox craze.
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Surf with a Space-Age Samurai
September 14, 2020
Up close and personal with a mint-condition 1968 Yamaha SG-5.
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Freeman Vines and the Hanging Tree Guitars
September 10, 2020
How a rural North Carolina luthier’s instruments unearthed a buried story of the American South.
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A 6-String Fit for Yuri Gagarin
September 6, 2020
The Soviet-era Jolana Star X does not have a built-in gamma-ray phaser, but the otherworldly solidbody makes up for that with built-in fuzz.
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Billy Bought a Guitar ... Company
August 9, 2020
This is what happened when Nashville hit-maker Billy Grammer decided to fund his own “perfect” flattop.
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Iso Lab: Gibson ES-335, ES-336, ES-355 & ES-150
August 3, 2020
The Rig Rundown host offers taste tests from his personal collection of "Electric Spanish" guitars, including pieces vintage and modern.
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Dialing 9-1-1 for a Hoyer 725
August 2, 2020
Resuscitating a quirky, heavily damaged ’60s-era electric is made possible by a skilled technician and friend.
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Last Call: Why We Like Distortion
July 30, 2020
While researching guitarists’ obsession with tone, I found a fascinating take on why heightened sound frequencies excite humans.
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A Rock ’n’ Roll Survivor Beats the Odds Again
July 12, 2020
Time and a tornado can’t stop this 18-watt Gibson GA-20 Minuteman—or the little Nashville guitar shop that’s selling it.
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The Fascinating Peavey T-60 Tone Circuit
July 3, 2020
With out-of-phase and coil-switching options, a treble-bleed network, and individual volume and tone controls for each pickup, this dual-humbucker’s wiring was ahead of its time when it came out in 1978.
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Iso Lab: 1966 Fender Deluxe Amp
June 29, 2020
Watch John Bohlinger get busy with his light-but-loud blackface amp that has become a favorite for recording twangy tunes.
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A Thick Body Rick Classic in Perfect Fireglo
June 29, 2020
This 381 from 1970 also features then-new Hi-Gain single-coil pickups.
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