Guitarist

The story of Squier, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year (see cover feature, page 68) is one of unintended consequences. Firstly, when Fender first introduced solidbody electrics to a sceptical music industry in 1950, it was probably hopi

A musical man of all seasons and session ace supreme, Skunk Baxter talks about his stunning new album, Steely Dan and guitars on p62 An extraordinary acoustic artist who has found new ways to summon music from the guitar, Yasmin tells us all about i

Darren Phillips [email protected] Lucy Rice [email protected] Jamie Dickson [email protected] David Mead [email protected] Scott Rowley [email protected] Dave Burrluck [email protected] Jason Sidwell ja

Earlier this year PRS released the Indonesian-made SE Silver Sky in trumpet-waving and near internet-breaking style. Another pair of releases went under the radar: the USA-made S2 Custom 24-08 and this little gem, the SE Standard 24-08, which is £30

PRICE: £620 (inc gigbag) ORIGIN: Indonesia TYPE: Double-cutaway solidbody electric BODY: Mahogany, bound top edge NECK: 3-piece maple, wide thin profile, glued-in SCALE LENGTH: 635mm (25”) NUT/WIDTH: Friction reducing/ 42.94mm FINGERBOARD: Rosewood,‘

The Lowden nylon-string Jazz first appeared in 1996, based on the small-body ‘S’. It was revoiced around 2003, benefitting from George Lowden’s continuing research into classical guitar construction that had begun in earnest in the late 80s. But desp

PRICE: £4,910 (inc hard-case) ORIGIN: Northern Ireland TYPE: 14-fret Lowden small body size with cutaway TOP: Red cedar BACK/SIDES: Walnut MAX RIM DEPTH: 106m MAX BODY WIDTH: 375mm NECK: 5-piece mahogany/ rosewood SCALE LENGTH: 650mm (25.6”) TUNERS:

PRICE: £799 ORIGIN: UK TYPE: Valve preamp, Class D power amp OUTPUT: 180W RMS into 4 ohms, approx. 90W into 8 ohms VALVES: 1x EC900 triode, 3x CV4014/CV5377 (EF91) pentode DIMENSIONS: 258 (w) x 174 (d) x 105mm (h) WEIGHT (kg/lb): 1.7/3.6 CABINET: Alu

PRICE: £185 ORIGIN: USA TYPE: Drive pedal FEATURES: True Bypass CONTROLS: Volume, Gain, Bite, Bypass footswitch CONNECTIONS: Standard input, standard output POWER: 9V battery or 9V-18V DC adaptor (not supplied) 18mA DIMENSIONS: 58 (w) x 102 (d) x 46m

Artist: Yasmin Williams Album: Urban Driftwood (Spinster) Discovering the guitar through the Guitar Hero II computer game, North Virginia native Yasmin Williams is now fully ingratiated into the solo instrumental acoustic genre. With a singular style

Artist: John Scofield Album: Solo (ECM) Another product of the enforced time off the road that the recent pandemic brought with it, John Scofield’s latest album was pretty much a happy accident. Whereas we might be more accustomed to hearing Sco in f

You won’t be surprised to learn that my love affair with the Fender Jazzmaster was somewhat short lived. I’d had this bee in my bonnet that I needed to overcome my irrational fear of them, so typically I went in at the deep end and bought one. Lake P

I’m writing this from my recovery position on the sofa after being in the house band for the BBC’s Platinum Party At The Palace on 4 June in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. It’s been a very interesting experience being part of such a huge mac

In this age of algorithms and automation it seems it’s become increasingly important to draw boundaries around different disciplines, often distinguishing people we know as ‘arty’ or ‘academic’ types, and jobs being designated to specific ‘sectors’.

Colour me hypocritical, but I’ve all too often ignored the advice I’ve given to readers in these pages, namely: always try a guitar in person before you buy it, if possible. Anything less and it’s a roll of the dice whether you’ll click with the guit

I’ve had a conundrum for some time, which I may have finally solved. Electric guitars have been around for some 70 years. Production numbers have fallen and risen – lower in the earlier years of Gibson, Fender and others, but rising dramatically in t

Inversions is the ‘classical’ name for what we often refer to as ‘slash’ chords, in which the lowest note is something other than the root. In theory, an A major with a Root-3rd-5th of A-C#-E features the notes in ascending scale order with the root

Although Charlie often loads up with a 12-string and a banjo along with a resonator both on record and on the road in the States, for this tour he came armed with just the Mule Resophonic Mavis, so it needed to be able to handle some tweaks and tunin

1 What does Vintage Modified mean? Essentially, Fender has taken its age-old Strat and Tele formula so brilliantly reimagined in the original JV (Japanese Vintage) range and brought it up to date with modern-style switching and tips of the hat to oth

Fender’s Vintera ’50s Modified Strat and Tele (£999 each) have revoiced, higher-output pickups, C-shaped (Strat) or ‘soft V’ (Tele) necks with 241mm (9.5-inch) radius and medium-jumbo frets. Bridges are contemporary two-point with bent steel saddles

PRICE: £1,249 (inc gigbag) ORIGIN: Japan TYPE: Single-cutaway, solid body electric BODY: Basswood NECK: Maple,‘thick soft V’ profile, satin finish SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”) NUT/WIDTH: Bone/42mm FINGERBOARD: Maple ‘slab’ style with 241mm (9.5”) radi

As Eastman says, it’s hard to avoid family resemblances when striking out to design an acoustic guitar because you’re inevitably going to end up looking like a Gibson or Martin. Sometimes, it’s just easier to go with the flow and add a few flourishes

PRICE: £1,949 (inc case) ORIGIN: China TYPE: 00 Size TOP: Adirondack spruce BACK/SIDES: Rosewood MAX RIM DEPTH: 101mm MAX BODY WIDTH: 375mm NECK: Mahogany SCALE LENGTH: 628mm (24.75”) TUNERS: Open-gear PingWell V93N NUT/WIDTH: Bone/43mm FINGERBOARD:

If you’re after the same general standard of workmanship and value for money then check out Eastman’s full range on its website (www.eastmanguitars.com) as there are plenty of dreadnought and OO models available there. If you’d rather have Gibson on

PRICE: £1,949 (inc case) ORIGIN: China TYPE: Dreadnought TOP: Adirondack spruce BACK/SIDES: Rosewood MAX RIM DEPTH: 114mm MAX BODY WIDTH: 406mm NECK: Mahogany SCALE LENGTH: 628mm (24.75”) TUNERS: Open-gear PingWell V93N NUT/WIDTH: Bone/43mm FINGERBOA

It sounds and functions like one, too, but this is a GX unit, rather than a GT. Well, Boss already has a GT-1000. The GX represents a move forward because it’s the first Boss floorboard with a touchscreen, so why not move on up the alphabet? Absolute

PRICE: £499 ORIGIN: Malaysia TYPE: Amp/effects floorboard processor FEATURES: Touchscreen, 300 memories (200 user and 100 preset), 23 amp types, 150+ effects, monophonic/polyphonic tuner, optional Bluetooth, audio interface capability, software edito

Over the past few years, you’d be forgiven for thinking that using a valve amp was a bit like owning a classic car. Yes, you get all the charm and charisma of the ‘real thing’ but also some less desirable old-fashioned attributes, including heavy wei

What was the first serious guitar that you bought with your own money? “The first guitar I ever bought with my own money was actually a Les Paul Custom, like the Mary Ford SG with three pickups. I got it at this weird shop in Franklin [Ohio] called

“I use a 2019 Gibson Firebird and a Fender Deluxe. I also use the EarthQuaker Devices Tone Reaper and I really love my JHS Milkman pedal, which is like a slapback pedal. I use a tuner; it’s important to keep in tune. But it doesn’t take much – I get

‘Polynesian’ prototype; German carve; no f-hole First production Capris (numbers V81-V111); flat tops; first 8 no f-holes Body depth reduced from 2” to 1½” John Lennon purchases 325 number V81 No short-scale Capris produced Split-level ’guard; 5x bla

“When we’re talking about this guitar, we really need to talk about its previous owner, Eddie Bertrand. The instrument surfaced in 2014, shortly after Eddie died in 2012. I searched my records to see who I bought it from and it appears it was acquire

Though nitro finishes may fade with time, the magic of playing and (for the lucky few) owning classic electric guitars never will. That’s why we’ve put together this richly illustrated 36-page guide to some of the most iconic vintage electrics in the

Though this album is more frequently cited as one of the classics of our time, it’s even more fascinating to go back and listen with fresh ears in 2022 and imagine you’re hearing it for the first time way back in 1969. Jimmy’s solos on Whole Lotta Lo

Despite the old gag about only 10,000 Les Paul ’Bursts still surviving, informed production estimates for the 1958-to-1960 era average out around 1,500. Verified examples still fall short of that number. So where are all those missing ’Bursts? If a r

If you think old wood sounds better and all guitars improve with age, then we’re afraid you’re deluding yourself on both counts. And if you believe they don’t make them like they used to, you’re about 20 years out of date. Granted, vintage guitars ca