Joel Handley

Vintage Vault

Did Hendrix Play This Rare 1968 SG Custom?

This 1968 Gibson SG Custom, just one of two produced, might have been in Jimi Hendrix’s hands during a legendary jam session.

Vintage Vault

The Slanted Fret Rickenbacker 481

The body style may have evoked McCartney, but this ahead-of-its-time experiment was a different beast altogether.

Vintage Vault

Revisiting a Forgotten Hippie-Era 6-String

The idiosyncratic, Summer of Love-era Musicraft Messenger had a short-lived run and some unusual appointments, but still has some appreciators out there.

Vintage Vault

The 6-String Bass with an ES-335 Look

You may know the Gibson EB-6, but what you may not know is that its first iteration looked nothing like its latest.

Vintage Vault

The Many Faces of the Howard Roberts Signature Guitar

This acoustic-electric, built for the jazz-fusion guitarist, was varied in both specs and brand names throughout the late 20th century.

Vintage Vault

A Fine-Tuned Signature Guitar for a Jazz Great

Jazz musician Johnny Smith set the bar high when it came to the design of his signature model, doing his own research and hopping manufacturers when his expectations were left unmet.

Vintage Vault

It’s Rosewood, But What Kind?

When it comes to rosewood, there’s a wide variety out there—which makes identifying it a bit of a challenge. On this K. Yairi guitar, the type of tonewood remains a mystery.

Vintage Vault

The Rig Rundown Rig Rundown!

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Did Hendrix Play This Rare 1968 SG Custom?

This 1968 Gibson SG Custom, just one of two produced, might have been in Jimi Hendrix’s hands during a legendary jam session.

The Slanted Fret Rickenbacker 481

The body style may have evoked McCartney, but this ahead-of-its-time experiment was a different beast altogether.

Revisiting a Forgotten Hippie-Era 6-String

The idiosyncratic, Summer of Love-era Musicraft Messenger had a short-lived run and some unusual appointments, but still has some appreciators out there.

The 6-String Bass with an ES-335 Look

You may know the Gibson EB-6, but what you may not know is that its first iteration looked nothing like its latest.

The Many Faces of the Howard Roberts Signature Guitar

This acoustic-electric, built for the jazz-fusion guitarist, was varied in both specs and brand names throughout the late 20th century.

A Fine-Tuned Signature Guitar for a Jazz Great

Jazz musician Johnny Smith set the bar high when it came to the design of his signature model, doing his own research and hopping manufacturers when his expectations were left unmet.

It’s Rosewood, But What Kind?

When it comes to rosewood, there’s a wide variety out there—which makes identifying it a bit of a challenge. On this K. Yairi guitar, the type of tonewood remains a mystery.

A ’30s Electric That Carved a Path Not Taken

Before electrics became branded in the mainstream as typically solidbodies, there were some early 20th-century models that explored alternate avenues.

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Joel Handley

This 1968 Gibson SG Custom, just one of two produced, might have been in Jimi Hendrix’s hands during a legendary jam session.

The body style may have evoked McCartney, but this ahead-of-its-time experiment was a different beast altogether.

The idiosyncratic, Summer of Love-era Musicraft Messenger had a short-lived run and some unusual appointments, but still has some appreciators out there.

You may know the Gibson EB-6, but what you may not know is that its first iteration looked nothing like its latest.

This acoustic-electric, built for the jazz-fusion guitarist, was varied in both specs and brand names throughout the late 20th century.

Jazz musician Johnny Smith set the bar high when it came to the design of his signature model, doing his own research and hopping manufacturers when his expectations were left unmet.

When it comes to rosewood, there’s a wide variety out there—which makes identifying it a bit of a challenge. On this K. Yairi guitar, the type of tonewood remains a mystery.

Before electrics became branded in the mainstream as typically solidbodies, there were some early 20th-century models that explored alternate avenues.