Gear History
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Wizard of Odd: Late-’60s TeleStar Doubleneck
September 21, 2018
Here’s another beautiful weirdo from the Kawai Enshu factory.
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Modulation Nation: Chorus, Phasing, and Flanging
September 20, 2018
Explore the history and mystery of three classic effects.
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Jol Dantzig's Esoterica Electrica: Simple Times, Simple Gear
September 11, 2018
Today’s vast array of amps, guitars, and effects is a good thing, but so is learning to play without a net.
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Trash or Treasure: Danelectro Centurion
September 2, 2018
A groovy dorm-room amp from the early ’60s finds its way back to its owner—ready for rock, and a little repair.
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Acoustic Soundboard: The Retronym March
August 27, 2018
If it looks like a guitar and sounds like a guitar, then it’s just a “guitar,” right? Kind of.
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Axes & Artifacts: Rick Turner Model 1 Lindsey Buckingham Prototype
August 21, 2018
John Bohlinger plugs in the one-of-a-kind signature guitar custom-built for the Fleetwood Mac icon.
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Vintage Vault: 1977 Travis Bean TB1000A Artist
August 17, 2018
An aluminum-through-necked beauty that’s enjoying a renaissance in the world of heavy music.
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Wizard of Odd: ’60s Tombo 6-String Ukulet
July 25, 2018
What do you get when you cross a ukulele with a transistor radio?
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Vintage Vault: 1960s Kay Swingmaster K763
July 20, 2018
A semi-hollow player’s workhorse ready for a second life.
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All the World’s a Gain Stage
July 16, 2018
A beginner’s guide to what makes tube amps growl, bark, and purr—from preamp tubes to output transformers and every cathode in between.
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Trash or Treasure: Epiphone PR7E
July 15, 2018
A reader’s curious preschooler finds an old guitar in a spare room. The reader smartly inquiries about its value before handing it over to a 4-year-old.
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Anatomy of an Amp Cab
July 13, 2018
It may not be the sexiest part of your rig, but the speaker enclosure plays a crucial role in the signal chain. Here’s what’s going on inside.
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Wizard of Odd: Ripe for Slide—Mid-’60s Kawai SD Electrics
July 6, 2018
What do you get when a piano manufacturer turns to making electric guitars? Perhaps something resembling a serious piece of furniture.
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Vintage Vault: 1955 Gibson L-5 CES
July 5, 2018
Marvel at this post-World War II hollowbody, worn by play but still intact and all original.
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Jol Dantzig's Esoterica Electrica: Cover Bands and Clone Guitars
July 2, 2018
If imitation is the highest form of flattery but innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower, balancing the line is an art form.
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Axes & Artifacts: Albert King's Tom Holmes THC Flying V
June 11, 2018
John Bohlinger shreds on one of the late blues god's most unique instruments while Gruhn Guitars' Greg Voros reveals the fascinating backstory.
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Monster Mutilators: Vintage Guitar Synth Pedals
June 7, 2018
We stalk the rare "big beast" guitar synths of the ’70s— devices that created the tones of classic rock, stretched the definition of effects, and still challenge the imagination.
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Resonator Guitars 101
June 5, 2018
The “inside” story of spiders, T-bridges, biscuits, and cones—and how the instruments that incorporate them became the sound of the American dream.
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Signal to Noise: Being Heard—The Big Amp Revolution
June 1, 2018
“Clean platform” may be the current buzzword in guitar amplification, but the truth is, we’ve been here before.
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Wizard of Odd: Early-’60s Welson Kinton
May 29, 2018
What’s better than a cool mini-humbucker? Four of them, of course! And don’t forget that “all on” blower switch.
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