Dave Hunter

Dave Hunter

Dave Hunter is a writer and consulting editor for Guitar Player magazine. His prolific output as author includes Fender 75 Years, The Guitar Amp Handbook, The British Amp Invasion, Ultimate Star Guitars, Guitar Effects Pedals, The Guitar Pickup Handbook, The Fender Telecaster and several other titles. Hunter is a former editor of The Guitar Magazine (UK), and a contributor to Vintage Guitar, Premier Guitar, The Connoisseur and other publications. A contributing essayist to the United States Library of Congress National Recording Preservation Board’s Permanent Archive, he lives in Kittery, ME, with his wife and their two children and fronts the bands A Different Engine and The Stereo Field.

Latest articles by Dave Hunter

1970 Kustom Electronics K200B

What Did Johnny Cash, the Grateful Dead, and the Jackson 5 Have in Common? They All Embraced the Kustom Look and Sound

By Dave Hunter published

These bold, punchy solid-state amps rocked the backlines of many noteworthy stars

PAF

All You Need to Know About Gibson PAF Humbuckers

By Dave Hunter published

These hum-cancelling pickups are legendary for their tone, but is the “magic” just hype?

gold-foil pickups

A Firm Favorite of Ry Cooder and Dan Auerbach, Here's Why the Humble Gold-Foil Pickup Can Deliver About as Much Aural Magic as Any of the A-List Coils

By Dave Hunter published

The cult of the gold-foil has acquired a mystique and made its place among us

Acoustic Control Gamma effects pedals

Acoustic Control Gamma Effects Pedals Review

By Dave Hunter published

All are worth checking out, but the Atlas Boosted Overdrive and Narcissus Warm Delay deserve Editors’ Pick Awards

Carvin electric guitars (l-r): 1960 Carvin 3-SGB, 1970 Carvin SS-65 and circa-1974 Carvin CM95

With a Surprising History Dating Back to the 1940s, Carvin Later Achieved Kudos With Endorsements by Steve Vai, Allan Holdsworth and Joe Walsh

By Dave Hunter published

Launched as a post-WWII startup, the firm grew into a guitar gear giant, one catalog sale at a time

Photo of Keith RICHARDS; L-R: Ron Wood (Ronnie Wood) and Keith Richards (of the Rolling Stones) performing live onstage as the New Barbarians

Played by Keith Richards and Peter Buck, Fender’s Humbucker-Loaded Telecaster Custom is a CBS Classic

By Dave Hunter published

Punchy, powerful and versatile, version two of the Telecaster Custom carries a big slab of Seth Lover-certified humbucker mojo

1959 Gibson PAF humbucker

Are Vintage Pickups Better Than Modern Pickups? Here's What You Need To Know

By Dave Hunter published

There was no mystical fairy dust sprinkled between the windings in Fullerton or Kalamazoo

Tim Bram Tribute Archtop

More Playable, Portable and Versatile Than a Regular Jazz Box, Tim Bram’s Tribute Archtop Pays Homage to a Vintage Fender From His Youth

By Dave Hunter published

Simultaneously traditional and alternative, this heirloom-level guitar is a Telecaster tribute with a twist

Dan Amstrong guitar the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Bill Wyman

Played by Keith Richards, Joe Perry and Tom Verlaine, the “See-Through” Ampeg Dan Amstrong Guitar Earned Its Own Fan Club of Top-Name Guitarists

By Dave Hunter published

The story of the beloved and delightfully bizarre 1969 Ampeg Dan Armstrong

Yamaha SG2000

A Favorite of Carlos Santana, Al Di Meola and John Frusciante, Yamaha’s SG-2000 Was Intended as a Les Paul Killer

By Dave Hunter published

Appealing to players fed up with declining U.S. quality, the most successful and acclaimed Japanese guitar of the late ’70s wasn’t a direct copy of anything

Epiphone 1958 Korina Flying V and Epiphone 1958 Korina Explorer

Epiphone 1958 Korina Flying V and Explorer Reviews

By Dave Hunter published

These are surprisingly adaptable and expressive designs, so don’t let their radical looks lead you astray

Fender Duo-Sonic electric guitar

The History of the Fender Duo-Sonic

By Dave Hunter published

A favorite of Jimi Hendrix, this petite powerhouse gives a taste of authentic pre-CBS Fender without the five-figure price tag

Fender Twin-Amp

Fender’s Glorious Twin Amp of the Mid to Late ’50s Is the Epitome of Rock and Roll Amplifiers

By Dave Hunter published

The 80-watt “high-powered” tweed Twin appeared in ’58, but nothing beats the delectable dynamics and easy grind of the earlier 40-watt versions

MXR Phase 90

A Favorite of Eddie Van Halen, the MXR Phase 90 Smeared Its Luscious Tones Over Countless Classic Recordings

By Dave Hunter published

More dramatic sounding than MXR’s Phase 45, more affordable and less obtrusive than the larger two-knob Phase 100, the Phase 90 hit the sweet spot

b3 Cielo Deluxe

“I Needed an Instrument That Could Withstand the Elements”: How Climate Extremes Led Gene Baker to Re-Envision the Acoustic-Electric With b3 Guitars’ Cielo Deluxe

By Dave Hunter published

Enter the Cielo, a thinline hybrid acoustic-electric guitar with a chambered body made of solid woods

Advertisement for washburn mandolins, guitars and banjos by Lyon and Healy, Chicago, Illinois, 1899.

With X-Braced Tops, Top-Notch Tonewoods, and Plenty of Bling These Guitars Rivaled Martin – so Why Is No One Talking About Lyon & Healy Today?

By Dave Hunter published

Read the fascinating story of Lyon & Healy – one of America’s best guitar makers of the early 20th century

Death By Audio Disturbance

Death By Audio Disturbance Lockable LFO Modulator Pedal Review

By Dave Hunter published

Boasting filter, flanger and phaser capabilities the Disturbance yields a plethora of textured synth-like tones with lush, multidimensional depth and movement

Mullard ECC83 tubes

Here’s What You Should Know About Replacing Guitar Amp Tubes (It Can Transform Your Sound!)

By Dave Hunter published

How to better sculpt your tone by changing preamp and output tubes

Stratocaster and tools

9 Pro Guitar Tech Tips You Need To Know

By Dave Hunter published

These simple secrets of the pros will make your guitar and gear sounds its best (and several of them won't cost you a penny!)

Les Paul Standard with Brazilian rosewood fretboard

Ever Wondered Why Brazilian Rosewood Is a Big Deal? Here’s All You Need to Know

By Dave Hunter published

Although many players infer a “warm, mellow” tone from Brazilian rosewood’s vintage credentials, the reality is quite different

PRS SE Zach Myers Signature

PRS SE Zach Myers Signature Review

By Dave Hunter published

A versatile package that isn’t limited by any overly pigeonholing design choices

Roland Jet Phaser AP-7

With Its Combination Fuzz-Phase Effect, Roland’s Jet Phaser AP-7 Can Sound Like a Jet Taking Off

By Dave Hunter published

Sibling to the Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble, this 1970s vintage stompbox kicks out a raw, raucous, perpetual motion-type effect that virtually takes over your instrument

Morley PWF Power Wah Fuzz

Introduced in the 1970s, Morley’s PWF Power Wah Fuzz Pedal Was the Final Word in Unrelenting Fuzz-Wah Tone

By Dave Hunter published

Swathed in shiny chrome, they were presented as the best of the best in the effects revolution’s boomingest decade

Reverend Rick Vito Soul Agent and Reverend Pete Anderson Eastsider Custom

Reverend Pete Anderson Eastsider Custom and Rick Vito Soul Agent Review

By Dave Hunter published

Either is worth laying your hands on, but the Rick Vito Soul Agent earns an Editors’ Pick Award for its sheer effortless versatility

K-Line Bevo

K-Line Bevo and Manchester Reviews

By Dave Hunter published

Either offers a trenchant take on classic club-sized combos of yore, and both will likely win over many happy players

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