The corporate buyouts of Fender and Gibson in the mid to late 1960s have long been perceived as a trigger for a significant dip in the quality of musical instrument manufacturing. But a session guitarist wants to dispel that belief. In fact, he points to the Beatles’ breakout success as the cause for the era’s production chaos.

The claim comes from Brad Allen Williams, who has worked with Alabama Shakes guitarist Brittany Howard, jazz drummer Nate Smith, and soul singer Bilal, amongst others. Of course, he acknowledges that the two biggest guitar firms of the period underwent tough changes at this time, which today are blemishes on their histories. Yet he feels the root of the problems can be traced back to February 9, 1964, when the Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.

It was the dawning of a turbulent time for instrument makers, with corporate buyouts, an overwhelming surge in demand, and experiments with production techniques creating a perfect storm that flooded the market with subpar instruments.

Two electric guitar giants, Fender and Gibson, were both on the end of buyouts that dramatically changed their operations. CBS acquired Fender for $13 million in 1965, with Leo Fender facing a staggering production backlog and health issues. He was happy to sell up. Gibson, meanwhile, was acquired by Norlin in 1969, while Baldwin assumed control of Gretsch upon the founders’ retirement.

For years, many guitarists have pointed to CBS’s cost-cutting measures as the reason its reputation started to slide, as it bid to churn out the instruments the market was ravenous for by any means necessary. Some view its moves as quantity over quality, and similar stories have been spun about the Norlin and Baldwin-era operations, too.

Williams, though, wants musicians to take a step back and assess the bigger picture.

“I don’t want to rage bait, but I am about to argue against probably one of the most widely held and uncontroversial beliefs about vintage guitars,” he says in an Instagram post. “That’s this idea that the big corporate acquisitions and mergers of the 1960s were what caused the decline in quality of the major American guitar brands. I don’t think it was.

“I do think quality was declining around the time,” he notes, “I just think that in most cases that was already well underway by the time the actual mergers happened, and if I had to affix a turning point, it would be the same date for every American guitar and drum company: February 9, 1964. That’s when the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.”

Culturally, the Beatles’ five-song performance was a landmark moment. It was, for the likes of Tom Petty, Gene Simmons, Joe Perry, and Nancy Wilson, among so many others, the singular moment that made them want to pick up an instrument and play. That, from a supply-and-demand perspective, was troublesome.

“This was such a seismic pop culture moment that it caused this massive overnight sudden spike in demand,” Williams says. “And all these companies were blindsided. When Ted McCarty started at Gibson in 1948, total production was around 2,000–3,000 guitars a year [other sources claim the figures are around 1,100 and 3,700].

“By the time he was burnt out and leaving in 1966, that was over 100,000 guitars a year,” he expands. “When Leopeningnder sold to CBS in January 1965, Fender was something like $9 million in inventory backordered. In a later interview, he said that with the Fender Mustang alone, they were 150,000 units backordered.

“I don’t care who owns the company; if you’re trying to ramp up your production rate that fast, something’s got to give,” he adds. “You’re going to have a lot of people making guitars, amps, and drums who have never made them before.” One of the first things CBS did once it assumed control of the Big F was to expand its production operations, with new facilities opened in hopes of chipping away at those daunting backorder numbers. But he believes by the time their new corporate owners tweaked production and processes, these companies were already on the slide.

“Vintage Gibson collectors know that, 1969 with the Norlin era is not a hard cut off of the quality,” Williams continues. “You start to notice things changing as early as 1965 or 1966.”

He uses Ludwig “flinging” drums out of its factory before their finishes had even dried as evidence of “the environment these guitars were made in.”

“So, I don’t really think that the corporate buyouts were the cause,” he concludes. “I think they were more the effect.”

It’s a fascinating perspective. Music lovers are quick to point to the incredible impact the Beatles’ success had on Western musicians, and the list of future stars seduced by rock’ n’ roll after watching the Beatles on that February evening in 1964 underscores the romanticism swirling around that night. But there was a darker side to the story that is spoken about far less.

Still, CBS produced some iconic guitars despite its mounting challenges, and Stratocaster enthusiast Walter Trout believes CBS-era builds don’t deserve the bad rep they get. The Beatles helped reshape the music industry in a myriad of ways, but did their success also come at a price?

If there’s one thing you can always count on, it’s that July 4th means big guitar deals, and this year, it’s the Les Paul that steals the show. Whether you’re a longtime fan or just curious to see what all the fuss is about with this famous singlecut, now is the time to grab one and add it to your collection.

This stunning guitar shaped the sound of rock ‘n’ roll and has been the axe of choice for some of music’s biggest icons, but unfortunately, they’re usually not cheap!

The good news is I’ve tracked down some sweet Les Paul deals at shops like Guitar Center, Sweetwater and Musician’s Friend, with savings up to $899 off. That’s not just for the fancy Gibsons, either. Yes, I’m a huge Gibson fan (13 out of my 25+ guitars are from them!), but I’ve got a soft spot for Epiphone, too. They’re making some seriously awesome guitars these days that combine classic looks and modern appointments, and they are way more wallet-friendly.

So, whether you’re looking to score your first Les Paul or add another beauty to your collection, check out my favorite Epiphone and Gibson deals from the July 4th sales below.

Joe Bonamassa owns a collection of electric guitars with long, unusual histories. Among them is Terry Reid’s heavily modified 1952 Fender Telecaster, an instrument whose discovery he called “one of the greatest guitar safaris of my life.”

Reid was a British singer, guitarist and songwriter who emerged in the 1960s U.K. rock scene. Widely respected by his peers, he was Jimmy Page’s first choice to sing in Led Zeppelin before he declined and recommended Robert Plant for the job.

He went on to build a solo career that included acclaimed albums such as Seed of Memory and River, the latter of which featured guitarist David Lindley. Reid remained a cult figure in British rock up to his death on August 4, 2025, at the age of 75, from complications related to cancer.

As Bonamassa explains, Reid purchased the Telecaster in Chicago, circa 1968, while he was the support act for Cream’s final U.S. tour. When the neck pickup died during that tour, he had it replaced with a humbucker at Manny’s on New York City’s 48th Street Music Row.

The opportunity to buy his hero’s guitar arose in the summer of 2014 when Bonamassa received a call from a guitar dealer he knows, who asked if he had any interest in buying Reid’s guitar.

“I told him that of course I would love to own it,” Bonamassa said, “but even more so, if nothing else, just to meet the guy who gave a young David Lindley one of his first professional gigs.”

They agreed on a price, but when calls to Reid went unanswered for several days, Bonamassa figured the opportunity had passed.

Coincidentally, that same evening he received a message from a friend on Facebook asking if he was interested in Reid’s guitar.

“I replied, ‘Yes, but he can’t be reached so I guess it’s not available,’” Bonamassa recalled. “Long story short, my friend responded with Terry’s cell phone number and, lo and behold, I was speaking to him within minutes. We set a time the next day for me to drive way out into the desert to meet him and check out the guitar.”

“The following day I set out in my car from Los Angeles to Palm Desert. When I left my house the temperature was 82 degrees — mind you, it is August. As I approached the freeway exit in Palm Desert, it was a balmy 112!”

“I find Terry’s house, knock on the door, and there he is — one of my musical heroes and a super nice guy. I say, ‘Is it always this hot?’ He replies, ‘Nah... it’s kind of cool today.’”

Over the next two hours, Reid shared stories of the road and photos of Jimi Hendrix. Bonamassa described it as “a glimpse into a time that I wish I had lived in: London in the late ’60s.”

Bonamassa noted that Reid was invited not only to join Led Zeppelin but also Deep Purple, “but he chose to follow his own musical path, something I respect a great deal.”

As the visit came to an end, Bonamassa said he began to question whether he should proceed with the purchase.

“As it came time to leave I realized just how attached he was to the guitar,” he explained. “So I told him that it will forever be at his disposal and it will always be his — I will just look after it for a while. I gave him a big hug and said goodbye. I’m honored to have it and even more honored to call him my friend.”

Bonamassa has since taken the guitar out on the road and often uses it to play the song “Slow Train,” as seen in this clip from his 2017 show at Red Rocks.

Thomann, the world’s largest music retailer, is suing Fender in an effort to halt the company’s cease-and-desist campaign against guitar makers that use Stratocaster-style body designs.

In doing so, Thomann says it is standing up not only for its own Harley Benton brand, but also for other manufacturers affected by Fender’s legal action.

For weeks, Fender has been sending cease-and-desist letters to U.S. guitar makers such as PRS Guitars, as well as retailers of S-style electric guitars across Europe and the U.S.

The campaign stems from a December 2025 ruling by the Düsseldorf Regional Court, which determined that the Stratocaster’s body shape qualifies as a copyrighted work.

Since May, Fender has cited that decision in demanding that manufacturers and retailers cease production and sales of Stratocaster-style guitars. In addition, the company has called on them to recall instruments already sold and provide customer and sales data.

Fender CEO Edward “Bud” Cole said in June that Fender is not suing anyone, but simply enforcing its intellectual property rights. The company’s position directly affects Thomann, particularly its Harley Benton line of guitars.

However, Thomann says its lawsuit is about more than protecting its own interests.

“We used to be a small music store ourselves and know exactly where we have come from,” Thomann CEO Hans Thomann says. “Many of those affected do not have the financial and legal means to conduct such a legal dispute. We therefore see it as our responsibility to have this matter clarified in court not only for our own company, but for all parties involved.”

Thomann also notes that the Düsseldorf ruling was a default judgment issued after the defendant — a Chinese seller of Stratocaster-style guitars — failed to appear in court. By pursuing its case, Thomann hopes to have the copyright claim tested in a fully contested trial.

There is a personal side to the dispute as well. Thomann debuted in 1954, the same year Fender introduced the Stratocaster. Since then, the retailer has carried Fender products alongside S-style guitars made by numerous other manufacturers.

At the heart of Thomann’s case is the claim that form follows function — that the Stratocaster shape is not merely artistic but functional as well. The guitar’s double cutaways provide upper-fret access and help balance the body, making them practical design elements. Thomann also argues that Fender has benefited from the shape’s ubiquity, which can be seen in everything from Eddie Van Halen’s Frankenstein to the rise of the Superstrat.

Thomann is not seeking financial damages, but rather a determination that the use of an S-style body shape does not constitute copyright infringement.

Lenny Kravitz learned plenty about vintage electric guitars from Tom Petty and Mike Campbell. But one of the best lessons came later, when a man facing jail time pulled into a parking lot with a car full of vintage instruments — including the Les Paul that would become Kravitz’s number-one studio guitar.

Kravitz says his education in vintage gear began when he opened for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers following the release of his album Let Love Rule. Campbell, in particular, owns a number of classics, including the Fender Broadcaster he calls “the guitar I can’t live without.”

“When Let Love Rule came out, I opened for Tom Petty, and he and Mike Campbell taught me so much about vintage guitars,” Kravitz recalled. “I’m talking about ’89, when you could still find good things at really great prices. I’d go with Tom and Mike to stores in each city, and at that stage I couldn’t afford the things that they could, but I felt that they were educating me.”

Once albums like Mama Said and Are You Gonna Go My Way turned him into a major star, Kravitz was finally able to put those lessons to use.

“I really started to pick up a lot of great guitars,” he said. “People used to show up in the parking lot, find somebody from the crew and ask them to tell me that they had guitars to sell.”

One encounter proved particularly memorable.

“I got word that this guy was in the parking lot selling guitars,” Kravitz recalled. “And he, unfortunately, was facing jail time and needed to get a lawyer. I went out to his car, and I probably bought five guitars that day.”

The haul included a ’57 Telecaster, an early-’50s Stratocaster and a ’53 Les Paul Goldtop conversion that quickly became one of the most important guitars in his collection.

“It became my number one studio Les Paul from that time to now. It’s got a great Les Paul bite, and the distortion is really smooth and even, from the high end to the mids to the low. It’s on the slightly cleaner side — the pickups are not hot, but they’re just perfect. This has been on every album since I got it, starting with Are You Gonna Go My Way.”

Peter Buck wasn’t looking to become a defining guitar voice of the 1980s. In fact, when R.E.M. were just getting started in Athens, Georgia, he was barely a guitarist at all.

“I was really struggling to get, like, the F chord down,” Buck told Guitar Player. “I knew my five chords, and I just kind of stuck with them.”

His guitar at the time was a Fender Telecaster, “because I liked the way they look — and I still do.”

“Then I got my Telecaster stolen,” he says. “I needed to replace it real fast.”

Buck paid a quick visit to Chick Piano, a small local shop, where he found a blond Rickenbacker 360 with flat-wound strings.

“There was this piano shop in Athens… I went in there to get a used guitar real cheap, and I found a Rickenbacker that was, like, $175. I played it and it felt too good to believe, so I bought it.”

Buck used that impulse buy to help define one of the most recognizable guitar sounds in alternative rock: bright, chiming, percussive — and deliberately anti–guitar hero.

When, like its predecessor, that guitar was stolen in 1981, Buck had become so enamored of its sound that he replaced it with another Rickenbacker: a black 360.

“That's the one that's been on every R.E.M. record except the first single, and I bring it to pretty much every session I do,” he told Reverb. “It's still the guitar I go to every day. It has real clarity of tone."

Even so, he’s never been intent on mythologizing it.

“I can basically get the sound I want with any guitar,” he told Guitar Player. “It’s just a matter of getting the feeling and the comfort.”

Buck admits he had no shred chops or formal training, nor any roadmap for success — just instinct and a band willing to build around it.

Still, anyone who’s heard early R.E.M. albums like Murmur or Reckoning knows he turned that feel into something very specific and ear-catching: rhythmic, interlocking electric guitar work that dodged traditional lead playing entirely.

And he did it at a time when shredding was all the rage. But Buck never saw himself as a shredder and didn’t want to be one.

“I think I’m a good rhythm guitar player in that I’ve got a good sense of where the beat is and how to play against it,” he says. “And I can play kind of pithy lines that are both melodic and rhythmic.”

That philosophy put him on a completely different wavelength from the guitar heroes dominating the era. No endless solos. No technical showboating. Just tight, strange, hypnotic rhythm parts that locked into Mike Mills’ bass lines and Bill Berry’s drums.

Buck’s influences weren’t exactly shred school either. His favorite guitarists include Chuck Berry, Steve Cropper and the Lovin’ Spoonful’s Zal Yanovsky, served up with a heavy dose of Velvet Underground attitude.

“I really like Steve Cropper a bunch,” he says. “He’s kind of playing these rhythmic lines. That’s something I tried to adopt.”

And it shows. R.E.M.’s early records — from their earliest releases to 1980s hits like “The One I Love” — don’t sound like traditional rock guitar albums; they sound like a cohesive system in which every part leaves space for the others. But it’s Buck’s guitar that pulls it all together.

Even the recording approach reinforced that philosophy. The band often cut tracks fast — sometimes before they’d fully figured them out.

“We just went in and played,” Buck says. “Songs we’ve never played, we’ve recorded them on the first takes a lot of times.

“When we did “Talk About the Passion” [from Murmur], we’d never played it all the way through before. It was like a rehearsal take, and [producer] Mitch Easter said, “That’s fine.”

In that context, the $175 Rickenbacker was the right weapon at exactly the right time. Cheap, unexpected, and completely unglamorous, it ended up helping shape one of the most influential guitar sounds of the decade.

Buck, however, still rejects the idea that gear or genius is the story.

“I think any person who had my history of listening to music — if they picked up an instrument and got into this band — would probably be playing similarly to what I’m doing,” he says.

Perhaps. But not many of them bought a $175 guitar and unintentionally helped define a genre.

The 1969 Woodstock festival produced some of rock’s most iconic guitar moments: Richie Havens strumming his beat-up open-tuned Guild D-40 acoustic as he improvised “Freedom.” Pete Townshend taking his Gibson SG to Abbie Hoffman’s head after the political activist interrupted the Who’s set. And Jimi Hendrix playing “The Star Spangled Banner” on a white Fender Stratocaster.

Among those standouts performances is Ten Years After’s Alvin Lee leading the group through “I’m Going Home” while playing the heavily stickered and modified Gibson ES-335 he called Big Red. The instrument would go on to become one of the most recognizable and prized electric guitars in rock history, and is currently under lock and key in the possession of his daughter Jasmin.

The guitar’s legend began in 1963 when Lee purchased it for £45 with a fitted case from Jack Brentnall’s, a musical instrument store in his hometown of Nottingham, England. By the time Big Red made its live debut a few years later, Lee had already begun modifying the instrument. The first distinctive change was the addition of a Fender single-coil pickup in the middle position, between the guitar’s two PAF humbuckers, giving it a brighter, sharper tone when needed.

“I now have a Gibson which sounds like a Tele just when I want it to,” Lee explained in an August 1975 interview with International Musician & Recording World.

At the same time, he began covering the instrument with stickers: peace signs, psychedelic decals, astrological imagery and the logo of the Ten Years After Music Lovers Society. By the time Lee walked onstage at Woodstock, Big Red already looked unlike any other Gibson in rock.

“Dad was always tinkering with the guitar doing stuff with it,” Jasmin tells Guitar Player. “In early 1970, he took the Bigsby off and replaced it with a TP-6 tailpiece with fine tuners. And because of that, he put more stickers on it.”

Ironically, the guitar’s appearance was permanently frozen in time by accident. During a 1972 show at London’s Marquee Club, Lee threw the guitar in the air and smashed the neck against the venue’s low ceiling.

“He used to throw it around quite a lot onstage,” Jasmin says. “Unfortunately on this particular night he threw it up and broke the dot-inlaid neck right off the guitar.”

Lee sent Big Red to Gibson for repairs. When it returned, the original neck had been replaced with a block-inlay version, and all the stickers had been lacquered over.

“The stickers became part of the guitar,” Jasmin says. “He couldn't take any off or change them.”

Gibson’s unsolicited preservation act ultimately helped turn Big Red into an artifact of classic rock history. It also obscured the guitar’s date of manufacture. Lee referred to it as a 1958 model, but without the original neck, it’s impossible to know.

Lee continued using the guitar throughout the 1970s and into the ’80s, but as its value climbed he gradually retired it from the stage. By 1992, insurance costs forced him to place it in storage altogether.

Years later, Gibson attempted to produce a signature replica, resulting in a painstaking Woodstock 50th-anniversary re-creation in 2019.

“Gibson actually worked quite closely with Dad on this guitar,” Jasmin says. “They sent him quite a few prototypes, but he was like, ‘Nope, nope, that’s not right.’”

Today, the original Big Red remains secured in storage while its replicas hang at Dean St. Studios in London. The Lee family hopes the original instrument will eventually find a new owner who understands both its musical significance and the decades of history embedded in every scratch, modification and sticker sealed beneath its lacquer finish.

The fun part about writing this column is learning a guitar’s back story — where and when it was made, who played it — and assessing its playability and sound.

But sometimes you get a surprise, as I did with this 1961 Watkins Rapier 3 electric. Its creator was Sid Watkins, whose company — Watkins Electric Music, or WEM — played a fascinating role in British musical-instrument engineering. Sid was not just a luthier and woodworker but something of an electronics genius as well. He designed the electronics for the Vox Phantom Synth guitar as well as the echo units used by Hank Marvin and the Shadows.

As the company grew and its product lines expanded, WEM became nearly ubiquitous in the U.K. In addition to guitars, WEM made amps and PAs used by groups like the Who, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. The company even made Vox guitars to help the brand keep up with manufacturing demand during the guitar boom of the ’60s.

Watkins launched the Rapier line in 1959, and it continued until 1970. As for the surprise I mentioned earlier: There are photos of George Harrison playing a highly modified Rapier 33 that belonged to his friend Del Mandel at the Beatles’ Apple Studios in 1971, while he was producing the Radha Krishna Temple album. That’s right — a Beatle touched it!

WEM also became known beyond the U.K. through exports. At one point the company was shipping 500 guitars a month overseas, most of them to the United States.

At the risk of sounding snarky, the Rapier 3’s weirdo factor is that it’s an early British guitar that actually sounds and plays great. If you’ve ever played any of Vox’s clunky guitars, you’ll know what I mean.

The Rapier 3 originally sold at the bargain price of 29 guineas, or $85, about a third of what a Fender Stratocaster cost at the time. But don’t let that fool you. These are well-made instruments.

At first look, this is an inviting glossy fiesta-red guitar not unlike a Strat, with three pickups, a vibrato bar, offset cutaways, a toggle switch and three knobs. As it turns out, there actually is something weird here, and it’s hiding in those knobs. Their functions aren’t as straight ahead as you might think.

The first knob is a rotary pickup selector with four detented stops. The next two are global volume and tone controls. As for the toggle, used in conjunction with the rotary knob it allows you to employ only the middle pickup. But depending on what setting you’re using, it also can act as a tone bypass and/or a kill switch. It only took me about an hour to figure that out.

But my patience was rewarded when I discovered a bunch of cool sounds and switch combinations along the way. This guitar is deep! It goes from rich-sounding jazz tones to really cool phasey rhythm guitar sounds and the thinnest banjo-like setting I’ve ever heard on a guitar without active EQ or processing. I’m not sure what you’d use that for, but I couldn’t stop playing the Status Quo song “Pictures of Matchstick Men” with it. The middle two pickup settings are where this guitar really comes to life, with usable clean tones that sound great with overdrive or distortion.

The maple neck is skinny and fast, and has a rosewood fingerboard with 22 frets, plus a zero fret. The neck is relatively straight, but the truss rod seems to have plenty play left on it. In addition, there’s a Hi/Lo vibrato that works cleanly and offers little resistance. But while it’s great for playing surf rock, there will be no dive-bombing on this guitar.

Note that the sticker on the pickguard is right in the strum path. The original one disappeared years ago, but I replaced it with an aftermarket sticker that I’ve already managed to scratch up.

In sum, this guitar is light, easy to play and sounds great.

Despite its features and history, the Watkins Rapier 3 never really achieved cult status. They can still be found online for well under a thousand bucks.

I bought the guitar shown here from its original owner, Francisco, whom I met on Facebook Marketplace. He and his brothers played in bands all through the ’60s and ’70s and this was the guitar he used.

When I showed up at his house to pick up the guitar, he and his brothers were in their garage amid drums, keyboards, guitars, amps, mixers, exercise equipment and a man-fridge. Classic. The guys were so friendly, and Francisco gave me a great deal on the guitar. My thanks to Paul Connet for getting the stickers off (sorry Francisco) without harming the finish.

Contact me with questions or pics of your whack jobs. I may even write about them.

Based on high-dollar Gretsch models in the Falcon, Nashville and Synchromatic lines, the new Streamliner Hollow Body electric is designed to capture “that great Gretsch sound” at an eminently affordable price. It features a fully hollow arched body constructed of laminated maple with a width of 16 inches and a depth of 2 3/4 inches.

My review guitar arrived in a glossy Fairlane Blue sparkle finish that looks fantastic with the aged white binding, thick single-ply pickguard, matching cream pickup surrounds and quartet of cream “radio” knobs with inset gold tops.

True to form, the f-holes are smaller than the ones on many other Gretsch archtops, and the hardware consists of a Bigsby B60 vibrato tailpiece and a nickel-plated Adjusto-Matic bridge that sits atop a pinned laurel-wood base. Pickups are Gretsch’s own BT3S humbuckers with Alnico 2 magnets in the neck position and Alnico 5 magnets in the bridge position, both featuring 12 adjustable pole screws.

Carved to a Soft C shape that feels great in the hand, the Streamliner’s nato neck attaches at the 14th fret via a glued-in joint and sports white binding and a matching heel cap. The laurel fingerboard has a scale length of 24 3/4 inches and a radius of 12 inches and carries 22 lightly polished medium-jumbo frets and a set of pearloid “thumbprint” position markers.

Strings ride over a bone nut to a set of nickel-plated die-cast tuners on a bound headstock with a gloss black facing and gold Gretsch logo. This well-made guitar exudes classy coolness that immediately attracts attention and proved a lot of fun to play.

The Streamliner has a robust acoustic sound and good natural sustain, and it’s great that someone at the factory took the time to get the intonation right and the strings comfortably low with no fret buzz. The guitar tuned up easily and stayed in tune quite well once the strings and the Bigsby settled in enough to allow spirited whammy workouts.

Played through a selection of amps that included a PRS DGT 15, ’65 Deluxe Reverb reissue (hand-wired by Alessandro) and a reissue Vox AC10, the Streamliner delivered cool tones across the board. The use of Alnico 2 and 5 in these pickups optimizes them for their respective positions, overall providing great string-to-string clarity and plenty of bottom-end to facilitate everything from burnished jazz textures to rockabilly snarl to crushing rock grind.

The lower output neck unit sounded great for blues and roots rock, delivering warm, clear tones that didn’t become murky when the volume and/or tone controls were rolled down. Switching to the middle position which combines the brighter, louder bridge pickup, elicited more twang and bite—nice for country and rockabilly — and the bridge pickup by itself when pumped though a pedal or high-gain amp was perfect for bluesy metal in the Billy Duffy camp, delivering ripping archtop-electric muscle that can make a solidbody guitar sound thin by comparison.

That said, if you want skinnier, funkier tones for channeling Nile Rogers or Leo Nocentelli, just pull the master-volume knob and the guitar delivers single-coil sounds that sit beautifully in a track or with a band that has horns, keys, singers, percussion and other instrumentation.

The Streamliner Hollow Body is an inspiring guitar that plays well, is lightweight for its size and has the sonic flexibility to handle just about any style. It’s an impressive performer for the money and well worth a test drive if you’re looking to bring some Gretsch love into your life.

SPECIFICATIONS

CONTACT gretschguitars.com

PRICE $649

NUT Bone, 1.6875" wide

NECK Nato, glued-in, Soft C profile, gloss finish

FINGERBOARD Laurel with aged white binding and black side dots, 24.75" scale, 12" radius, pearloid “thumbnail” inlays and bound headstock with gold Gretsch logo

FRETS 22 medium jumbo

TUNERS Nickel-plated die-cast

BODY Fully hollow arched maple construction with aged white binding, three-ply purfling and gloss finish

BRIDGE Nickel-plated Adjusto-Matic with pinned laurel wood base

TAILPIECE Bigsby B60

PICKUPS Broad’Tron BT3S humbuckers with Alnico 2 magnets (neck position) and Alnico 5 magnets (bridge position)

CONTROLS Master volume (with push-pull coil split), master tone and individually adjustable pickup volume controls. Vintage radio-style knobs and 3-way toggle switch

EXTRAS Single-ply cream pickguard (as tested) or three-ply tortoise color with gold “Gretsch” logo. Available in Fairlane Blue, Brandywine, Robusto Burst, Midnight Sapphire and Havana Burst

FACTORY STRINGS Nickel Plated Steel, .010-.046

WEIGHT 7.2 lbs (tested)

BUILT Indonesia

PRO Cool retro-style look. Classic big-body resonance and tone.

CON Gig bag not included. Corners on the nut are sharp.

How many pickups should a guitar have? One? Two? Three?

How about 64?

That’s the total number of active pickups in the PolyMap system, a new experimental electric guitar developed by audio engineer David Wieland of Dark Art Guitars.

“Traditional electric guitars have two or three pickups and you have to decide while playing which ones are active,” Wieland explains in a video demonstration of the system. “This can limit what is possible with the playing, which is why I developed PolyMap.”

Traditional electric guitars rely on just two or three pickups to capture the vibration of the strings. Those pickups shape everything from a Stratocaster’s glassy bite to a Les Paul’s thick growl. PolyMap blows up that model entirely. Instead of a handful of magnets, the experimental instrument uses 64 individual pickups arranged in a grid, allowing software to combine them into virtual pickups placed anywhere along the string.

The project is Wieland’s entry in the AES Student Design Competition 2026, where it also serves as his master’s thesis.

“It’s a polyphonic guitar pickup system that detects each string individually at eight different locations,” he says. “Then in software, you can decide which pickups are active, how they are blended, and apply various effects.”

At the heart of PolyMap is an 8×8 pickup grid that samples each of the guitar’s six strings at eight positions along its length. In total, the instrument houses 64 active pickups, each feeding a carefully designed signal path.

Those digital signals pass through buffered, bandwidth-controlled analog stages before entering eight multichannel analog-to-digital converters. From there, the data is aggregated into a Multichannel Audio Digital Interface (MADI) stream and transmitted over a single coaxial cable, which also delivers 12 volts of DC power to the pickups. The system outputs its stereo signal at 24-bit/48 kHz resolution.

Once recorded into a DAW, a specially designed plugin lets users shape their performance via two modes. Manual mode gives players direct control over each pickup’s level, phase, pan and micro-delay. Virtual mode allows users to position a simulated pickup beneath each string while the software blends signals from the sensor grid in real time.

Because the system captures the strings at multiple points simultaneously, players can also reshape the tone of the “virtual pickup” itself — dialing in sounds that mimic everything from vintage passive pickups to ultra-clean modern designs.

The multi-pickup architecture also opens the door to unusual effects. By introducing timing offsets between sensors, the system can create delay and diffusion effects. Players can even route signals independently — sending the lower strings to a bass guitar rig, for example, while the higher strings feed a traditional guitar amp.

PolyMap isn’t commercially available yet, but Wieland has published the project’s hardware designs, software and documentation on GitHub for anyone interested in exploring the system.

If it eventually reaches the market, he estimates the guitar would cost around $2,000.

“I would say at the very least six months until we can even talk about how the final system looks,” Wieland says. “Realistically, it’s probably going to be next year before it’s possibly available.”

Known for its high-quality Japanese production for more than three decades, Gretsch has also diversified into several other quality-related pricing tiers in the 21st century, and the new Electromatic Premier Jet presents a striking new addition to the sub-$1,000 lineup. Part homage to the classics, part stripped-down redrawing of the blueprint, it’s a guitar likely to appeal to the Gretsch-ogling rockers out there while offering something for a broad range of budget-conscious players.

If the original Duo Jet on which the new model is roughly based was always regarded by some as “Gretsch’s Les Paul,” the Electromatic Premier Jet is arguably even more so. Although it passes for a solidbody visually, it uses a chambered mahogany body much like the company’s ’50s single-cut, albeit with a somewhat heavier, denser construction.

Tap the carved solid-maple top, for example, and there’s less of a clue to the open airspace within — and there’s a little more weight here than you’ll find with most older Duo-Jets, to further amplify the impression of solidity. Other minor changes — such as comfort-enhancing ribcage and thigh contours at the back of the body’s waist — also help to bring it into the modern age.

The glued-in neck is carved from solid mahogany with a bound ebony fingerboard, all laid out to a slight variation of the traditional Gretsch scale that comes in at 24.88 inches, with a width of 1.6875 inches (a.k.a. 1-11/16 inches) across the GraphTech NuBone nut. The 22 medium-jumbo frets are neatly crowned and well polished, and they partner with the medium-C neck profile to yield an easy playability.

Looks-wise, the neoclassical thumbnail fingerboard inlays, Falcon-like split-V headstock and three-ply body binding lend the whole affair an air of class, while the glow-in-the-dark Luminlay side-dot inlays aid visibility on a dark stage. The Onyx Storm finish on my review sample (a gloss black that reveals a fine-grained metalflake on closer inspection) is probably my favorite of the four options for the model and looks archetypally Gretsch, but with a modern twist.

The triangular control layout reflects one of Gretsch’s long-standing design points. Along with the single upper-bout selector switch, it nods to the earlier rendition of the Duo Jet. But the knobs here also conceal the versatile new wiring setup Gretsch has loaded into the Electromatic Premier Jet. They include a single master volume and two individual tone controls, with a push-pull switch on the former potentiometer to tap Gretsch’s Lumen Filter, and no-load pots on the latter.

The Lumen Filter achieves a brighter, spankier, more single-coil–like tone by running both pickups through a small capacitor — not entirely unlike the “strangle switch” on a Fender Jaguar, for example (and in no way related to the creepy mind-altering corporation in the TV series Severance) — rather than actually splitting the humbuckers’ coils. The no-load pots take the tone control and tone cap completely out of the circuit when rolled fully clockwise, where they click into a firm detent that lets you know you’ve hit home.

This setup governs a pair of Gretsch’s new Sphera Twin Six humbuckers, a standard-sized design that presents more chrome than the smaller Filter’Tron humbucker of old. Made with 12 individually adjustable pole pieces (six per coil) and Alnico VI magnets, they employ polysol-coated wire in the neck position and plain-enamel wire in the bridge to best tailor their performance to each.

Whether in the lap or on the strap, the Electromatic Premier Jet reveals ergonomics that are different from those of more traditional Gretsch guitars. I would dare say they’re more Gibson-like, with the adjustable wrap-tail bridge pitching the strings closer to the top of the body than the old-school floating-bridge options. The result is a guitar that you feel you are hugging closer than the Duo Jets of old, and which you perhaps feel confident hitting harder.

Tested through a 1964 Fender Bassman head with a 2x12 cabinet and a Matchless Spitfire 1x12 combo, the Electromatic Premier Jet proved itself a solid and versatile performer that punches well above its class. It delivers more power than the typical Filter’Tron-equipped guitar, certainly, but also a metallic bite and silvery clarity that still screams “Gretsch!” through both clean and overdriven amp settings.

Those who find modern Gibson-style humbuckers dark or muddy are likely to love these Sphera Twin Six units, which definitely push the amp when needed but present an appealing blend of girth and articulation overall, with a signature brightness that rarely sounds too harsh.

All of this enables the new model to excel in the country, Americana, roots-rock and rockabilly arenas, in which the seminal Duo Jet has traditionally performed well. But it also brings a stinging, searing tone to heavier rock genres. This is further enhanced by the added sustain of the solidly anchored wraparound bridge, which induces more ring and resonance than the more lightly strung trapeze-and-floating-bridge arrangements of yore.

Pop the Lumen Filter, though, and there’s even more snap and jangle via faux-single-coil tones that arguably sound more authentic than the usual coil-splitting. The detents for the tone controls’ no-load settings are a little stiff and might feel kind of “locked in” for those who reach for quick and subtle control changes, but the feature does what it should, letting the pickups’ full clarity shine through.

All in all, then, the new Electromatic Premier Jet is very impressive, and even more so when you factor in the price point. At first glance, I was planning to say something like, “…but you can’t expect ‘that great Gretsch sound’ with full-size humbuckers like these,” and yet it’s somehow there, to a degree at least.

From the choice of paint to the inlays to the binding, the guitar is well constructed and beautifully finished. Playability and functionality are great, and the Electromatic Premier Jet is likely to find its way into the hands of guitarists who could otherwise afford to spend significantly more.

Many players who gasped at the thought of picking a Chinese guitar two decades ago have long overcome their reservations, but this one is yet another testament to how far the country’s instrument manufacturers have come, and to Gretsch’s thoughtful design and guidance as well.

SPECIFICATIONS

CONTACT Gretsch.com

PRICE $799 street

NUT GraphTech NuBone, 1 11/16" wide

NECK Mahogany, 24.88" scale length

FRETBOARD Ebony, 10"–14" compound radius

FRETS 22 medium-jumbo

TUNERS Gotoh locking

BODY Chambered mahogany with solid maple top

BRIDGE Locking adjustable wraparound

PICKUPS Two Sphera Twin Six Alnico VI humbuckers

CONTROLS Master volume with push-pull Lumen filter, two no-load Tone controls, three-way switch

FACTORY STRINGS D’Addario .010-.046

WEIGHT 8.4 lbs

BUILT (country of origin) China

PRO Well-built and cleverly designed, offering impressive sonic versatility and playability for the money.

CON The detents in the no-load tone pots take some getting used to for those making frequent control changes.

Revered jazz guitarist Larry Carlton made his name as a hardworking studio musician across the 1970s and ‘80s, through sessions with Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt and Quincy Jones, among many others. Throughout his career, his sunburst 1969 Gibson ES-335 has been his choice of electric guitar, for most of those sessions.

He says finding the semi-hollow model was a stroke of luck that allowed feel and play “more like me” on the countless hits he made it.

“I was starting to get busy in the studio scene in 1970, and so back then the guys would carry a Tele, a jazz box, or a Strat if they had one,” he tells Vertex Effects. “So I had a Tele, and I had a Les Paul, but coming from more of a jazz influence, I wanted something that felt more like a jazz box.”

In his teens, ES-335s were common sights in the hands of the jazz maestros he grew up admiring, so the guitar's natural appeal was evident. Little did he know how perfect a match he and the guitar would be. He picked the guitar from a trio of ES-335s hanging on the wall of Southern California music store.

“They had three 335s hanging on the wall, so I tried each one of them,” he recalls. “I didn't plug them in, I tried them acoustically, and this is the one that caught me.”

The 1969 model was brand new when he bought it for $850. Signs of the original Bigsby bridge it came with are evident on the top. The guitar underwent other modifications as Carlton finessed the instrument to his desires.

A graphite nut and Schaller tuners have been installed. But vitally, the original twin humbuckers, now looking glamorously aged from countless hours spent working away in the studio, remain in place.

As Carlton explains, getting the right instrument in his hands for those sessions was crucial in his role as a gun for hire.

“It’s the crown jewel,” he once told GP of the guitar. “I bought it out of the blue, and it’s been real good to me.”

It was paired with a Fender Princeton combo amp for Joni Mitchell's 1974 hit “Help Me”, and it can also be heard on Steely Dan's “Kid Charlemagne” after it beat a Strat in a shootout.

However, though his reputation grew to warrant a Gibson signature guitar, his relationship with the brand soured over time.

“I liked being with Gibson,” Carlton admits, “but as they started doing their production for retail, the quality wasn't like my 335, which was the whole idea. They got the color right – that's the easy part – but the guitar wasn't like mine.

“But we did it,” he adds. “And they didn’t promote it very well. Guys, especially in Europe, would bring their guitars to my concerts and ask me to sign them. I'd say, ‘Sure,’ and I'd take them out of the case, and the neck was not anything like mine.”

Sire Guitars convinced Carlton to jump ship and make its own attempt at reproducing his majestic 335. His signature model, he says, “sings beautifully.”

Even with this guitar in his hands, not all of Carlton's sessions were a dream. The guitarist famously quit working with John Lennon after one day. Steve Lukather, meanwhile, has recalled the lesson he learned from a Larry Carlton string break.

A luthier has showcased what is set to be 2026’s most heartwarming and simultaneously heartbreaking guitar of 2026, with the Matriach – a one-of-a-kind electric guitar that pays tribute to his late wife in the most beautiful way.

Micah Teruya, who runs Teruya Guitars out of Syracuse, IN, typically documents his guitar-making process every step of the way for his 9,500+ Instagram followers. This time, he kept the build secret until he posted a video of himself playing it. And with good reason.

“I lost my beautiful wife to leukemia in August 2025,” he writes. “To honor her legacy, I built this guitar.”

The centerpiece of the pink offset is its sole fretboard inlay, which forgoes traditional mother-of-pearl in favor of a far more personal touch.

“I embedded her wedding band into the fretboard,” he explains. “Traditionally, it would be placed on the 12th fret to mark the octave. However, we were married for 10 years, 11 months, and 14 days [when she died]. Therefore, I decided to place the ring between the 10th and 11th fret to symbolize how long we had been married.

“If you look closely, you can see almost all of it sits in the 11th fret, since we were so close to our anniversary.”

One key part of the build, however, was documented, as he took her ashes and inlaid them into the signature on the gutiar’s headstock.

“This was the most painful experience I have ever had building an instrument,” he confesses. “But now, she is in every note I play. Having to deal with the technical aspects of building a guitar, while colliding with the emotional weight of who I lost was unbearable.

“Often, I could only work for 10-30 minutes on this before being physically and emotionally drained,” he continues. “This guitar needed to be finished before I could continue on any other projects. It took me over six months to finish.”

Karrah had survived ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) and a bone marrow transplant for seven years before her passing, which naturally left Micah and his family devastated. But what a legacy he has created for her with his own two hands.

“Karrah was the Matriarch of our family and friends,” he writes in another post. “Nobody tells you that you can continue to love someone more even after they leave this life. I built this guitar to honor her life and her legacy in a way that is personal and sacred to me.”

At the time of writing, the main post has just shy of 35,000 likes, and the comments section is a reminder that not all hope for humanity – despite the problems in the world – is lost. The Teruya Matriarch is a thing of beauty.

And as Ukrainian luthier Tanya Shpachuk showed earlier this year, when she painstakingly restored a Gibson Les Paul left for ruin by a Russian drone strike, guitar building can send a powerful, positive message beaming into a world that can often be excruciatingly dark.

For other unique builds, check out Jack White's Ugly Stick, a garish guitar/half-bass hybrid made by Eddie Van Halen's go-to luthier, and the twin-necked microtonal monster powering the viral sensation Angine de Poitrine.

Ian Horne can vividly recall the moment he realized he had lost Paul McCartney’s Höfner 500/1 violin bass.

“It felt like the worst moment of my life,” Horne tells RadioTimes of the morning in October 1972 when he discovered the instrument missing. “I walked up to the truck, saw the padlock on the ground, and my heart sank.”

This was no ordinary bass. It was the instrument with which the Beatles became famous in 1962 and ’63, heard on early hits like “Please Please Me” and “She Loves You.” McCartney was just 18 when he purchased it for £30 in Hamburg in April 1961 during the band’s residency on the Reeperbahn.

Within two years, the bass had been worn down from constant use, prompting McCartney to purchase a second Höfner as a replacement. The original instrument was largely retired, surfacing only occasionally, most notably during the filming of Let It Be.

By 1972, the Beatles had been broken up for two years, and McCartney and his wife, Linda, were recording and performing with their new band, Wings. Horne had joined them the previous year as their sound engineer. At the time, Wings were bouncing between London studios while recording tracks for their second album, Red Rose Speedway.

At the end of one long studio session, Horne loaded the band’s equipment into their truck.

“It was a three-ton truck with a roller shutter at the back,” he recalls.

Afterward, he drove Wings crew member Trevor Jones to his flat in Notting Hill, in West London. It was late, and Jones suggested Horne stay the night. In what would turn out to be the worst decision of his career, Horne agreed. He parked the truck nearby on Cambridge Gardens, in what he describes as a rough neighborhood of drug dealers and artists.

“There were lots of nice people in the hippie culture,” he says. “But there were some dodgy people about as well.”

The next morning, Horne returned to the truck and immediately saw something was wrong. The padlock that secured the roller shutter was lying on the ground.

“When I pushed the shutter up, I saw straight away that it was gone,” he says. “The bass wasn’t there.”

Jones led Horne to several nearby houses where he suspected the instrument might have ended up. Armed with tools from the truck, the two men knocked on doors and confronted a few residents.

“We went to two or three places in a sort of threatening manner,” Horne recalls. “But we didn’t find it.”

There was nothing left to do but report the theft to the police — and then deliver the news to McCartney himself.

“I realized I had to go and tell Paul in person.”

At the time, McCartney was living near Abbey Road Studios. Horne, clearly shaken, went to see him and broke the news directly.

“I just came out with it: ‘I’ve got some bad news, Paul. Our truck was broken into and the bass was stolen.’”

Horne braced for the worst.

“I expected him to go ballistic,” he says. “But Paul was lovely about it. He said, ‘It’s all right, I’ve got another one.’”

In fact, McCartney was so concerned about Horne’s reputation that he chose not to publicize the loss, fearing it might damage the engineer’s career. The decision had an unintended consequence: with little attention drawn to the theft, the bass quietly disappeared into obscurity.

Which helps explain why it took decades for the search to begin in earnest. In 2023, the Lost Bass Project launched a global search to find the Höfner. Within weeks, a woman discovered the instrument was among the guitars her husband left behind when he died during the COVID outbreak. That search is the subject of the new documentary Paul McCartney: The Hunt for the Lost Bass.

So why did McCartney finally decide to look for it in 2023?

“I think anything that’s nicked, you want back — especially if it has sentimental value,” he said. “It just went off into the universe, and it left us thinking, ‘Where did it go?’ There must be an answer.”

Some guitarists are quick to dismiss their instruments as mere tools of the trade. For others, however, a guitar can carry deep sentimental value. For Zakk Wylde, his famed “Grail” Les Paul represents exactly that: the instrument tied to the most pivotal turning point of his life. When he believed he had lost it forever, a small identifying detail on the guitar ultimately helped bring it back to him.

Wylde’s life changed dramatically in the late 1980s when he went from being a Randy Rhoads–obsessed guitar teacher to becoming his successor. At just 20 years old, Wylde landed the role of lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, becoming the singer’s third full-time guitarist after Jake E. Lee concluded his two-album run with the band.

Wylde reportedly beat out several high-profile contenders for the job, including Dutch virtuoso Adrian Vandenberg—who would later join David Coverdale’s Whitesnake—as well as shred guitarist Chris Impellitteri. Wylde himself has suggested there may have been a reason the unknown newcomer ultimately got the nod.

Shortly after he joined Osbourne’s band, Gibson quickly offered him an endorsement deal. Around the same time, Wylde struck a deal with a friend, Scott Quinn, to acquire his dream instrument: a cream-colored 1981 Les Paul Custom.

Wylde used the guitar to write his first song with Osbourne, “Miracle Man,” paying homage to both Hendrix and Rhoads in the process. Soon afterward, however, he decided to move away from the direct visual association with Rhoads, who frequently played a cream Les Paul Custom during his time with Osbourne.

That decision led to the electric guitar’s now-famous bullseye paint scheme. Ironically, the finished result was not exactly what Wylde had originally envisioned. Yet years later, when the guitar was lost under dramatic circumstances, that imperfect paint job helped identify it and ultimately led to its return.

“Don’t ever sell your first guitar,” Wylde said in a recent interview with Thomann. “You’ve got too many memories attached to it. Never get rid of them, because it’s got the mojo.”

The story of how he lost the Grail is almost as remarkable as how he got it back.

Wylde and his band were traveling overnight from Dallas to Oklahoma after stopping to watch Dimebag Darrell perform with Pantera. While the band slept, a critical oversight occurred.

“I remember when we woke up in the morning,” Wylde recalled. “The guys didn’t lock the back of the U-Haul trailer on the back of the bus, so the door went up and gear was falling out onto the highway. The Grail fell out of the back of the trailer onto the side of the road.”

Fortunately, the guitar was protected inside a durable Gibson “Chainsaw” hard case, which allowed it to survive the fall. It was later recovered by an unknown passerby.

“I just figured it was gone forever,” Wylde said. “But somebody saw the thing on the side of the road, picked it up and brought it to a pawn shop.”

The person who found it quickly sold the instrument and moved on. But the pawn shop owner happened to notice something distinctive.

“The guy who had it in the pawn shop took off the pickup ring, and it had ‘Z.W.’ on the back of it underneath the pickup,” Wylde explained. “And he said, ‘This is Zakk’s guitar.’”

By that point—around the year 2000—Wylde and his signature bullseye design were widely recognized. That small identifying mark, combined with the guitar’s unmistakable look, allowed the shop owner to track down its rightful owner.

Wylde ultimately traded one of his signature Gibson models in exchange for the instrument.

“I swapped him one of my signature Zakk Wylde Gibsons—the Bullseye—for it,” he said. “Not a bad deal.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Wylde also reflected on some of his favorite memories with Osbourne — though he admitted at least one of those moments was far less enjoyable for the Prince of Darkness. He has also suggested that Osbourne had been considering a return to the sound of No More Tears for a future album before his passing.

When the Lost Bass Project launched a search for Paul McCartney’s missing Höfner bass in September 2023, it quickly became a global event.

What no one realized was that, around the same time, a woman entirely unaware of the search had already found the instrument. It was upstairs in the attic of her home — roughly 12 miles from where McCartney lives.

The story was revealed in The Times on March 28, just ahead of a new BBC documentary about the instrument — McCartney: The Hunt for the Lost Bass — that debuts in England this week.

McCartney’s 1961 Höfner 500/1 violin bass is the stuff of legend. The instrument, which he purchased at age 18 during the Beatles’ second trip to Hamburg, was played at the band’s early shows and on their early recordings, including their debut album.

By October 1963 the Höfner needed repair, prompting McCartney to purchase an almost identical 500/1 while the original was serviced. He rarely played the 1961 bass afterward, although it did make a brief appearance during the band’s sessions for Let It Be.

In 1972, while McCartney and his band Wings were recording Red Rose Speedway at studios around London, the 1961 Höfner was among several instruments stolen from an equipment van parked in the city’s Notting Hill neighborhood.

According to the story that later emerged, George Glenister stole the bass in an act of petty thievery, believing he could sell it “for a few quid.” Once he realized what he had, Glenister knew the instrument was far too recognizable to sell. Instead, he gave it to Ron Guest, proprietor of the Admiral Blake pub in Ladbroke Grove, in exchange for a few pints of beer.

When Guest died in 1992, the bass passed to his son, Haydn Guest. Haydn married Cathy, and they moved to Hastings in East Sussex. When Haydn died during the COVID-19 pandemic, his guitars — including the Höfner — went to her.

“I inherited about 15 guitars,” she told David Collins. “I knew there were a few in the attic but hadn’t been up there for years as it was inaccessible.”

She discovered the bass in September 2023, around the time the Lost Bass Project announced its search. Cathy said she was unaware of the effort and only realized what she had after uploading a photo of the instrument to Google Images.

“The results immediately came up with Paul McCartney,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it, but I knew he only lived about 12 miles away, so I thought I would just drive there.”

“There” was McCartney’s farm in East Sussex. He was in Los Angeles at the time, so Cathy instead spoke with his security team and sent photos of the bass for verification.

“I slept with it that night because I was worried,” she said.

After McCartney confirmed it was his Höfner, the bass was returned to him on September 21, 2023, and was later restored.

McCartney: The Hunt for the Lost Bass captures the moment he was reunited with the instrument. Holding it for the first time in more than 50 years, he murmurs: “Welcome home, honey.”

To see Keith Urban live is to see an icon wholly unafraid of brandishing any guitar he wishes to play. Lately, he’s been bonding with a well-worn ’64 Strat, and he’s also had ongoing discussions with PRS about creating a versatile signature model that can do it all.

But the guitar at the heart of Urban’s career is — and has been — Clarence, a beloved 1989 Fender 40th Anniversary Telecaster. Urban will be the first to tell you that the guitar is far from perfect. Years of road wear have done it no favors.

But he loves it so much that the neck profile is the inspiration for his yet-to-be-finished PRS.

“It’s a whole conversation about where physics clash with correctness,” Urban says. “We all know for a fact that there’s no soul in perfection.”

Which is why Urban continues to lean on Clarence, despite its inherent dysfunction. But he admits that, due to mileage, its future is as a wall-hanger, which is why his collaboration with PRS will be something to watch.

“It’s just like when they come out with new guitar processing gear. You still find yourself going back, and people ask, ‘Why are you playing that? They improved it.’ And you go, ‘Yeah. That’s where they fucked up,’” he says with a laugh.

“Sometimes, the shittier elements are what give things their mojo.”

Where and when did you find Clarence?

I was on my first trip to America. I went to Nashville, but I really wanted to go to New York and have a look around at Manny’s Music because it was world-famous, and I had my eye on getting a really great Telecaster.

The very first guitar I ever owned was an Ibanez Telecaster copy. I got it when I was nine, so the Telecaster shape was something really familiar to me. When I was about 15, I bought a Strat because I was obsessed with Mark Knopfler. But as I got into my late teens and early 20s, I got really big into chicken-pickin’, and I really wanted a Telecaster.

Is Manny’s where you found Clarence?

Yes. So, we got to New York. I went to Manny’s, walked in, saw this guitar, and asked the guy if I could play it. He pulled it out of this glass case, like it was the Mona Lisa. I played it and just immediately loved the feel, the tone, the speed, and the fluidity.

I mean, compared to guitars I’ve played previously, it was just amazing. But I didn’t have anywhere near enough money to buy it, so I borrowed some money, bought it, and took it back to Australia. And because it was gorgeous-looking, with the gold hardware, tobacco sunburst finish, and the bird’s-eye maple neck that was just exquisite, I didn’t want to take it on the road.

I made my very first solo album, Keith Urban, in Australia, and if anybody can find a copy of that, you’ll see the guitar is on the cover. I had only just gotten that guitar, so I was very excited to be featured with it on the cover of the album. I played it on every single song of that album.

Since Clarence was your only guitar, and you didn’t want to tour with it, what did you use on the road?

I bought a really shitty black Squier Strat, and that was my road guitar. I kept the Telecaster in its beautiful, immaculate tweed case under my bed, and when I’d come home off the road, I would pull it out from under the bed, sit on the floor, and play it.

I’d go, “Oh man, this guitar is so much easier to play than my piece of shit Squier. I wish I could take this on the road. Oh, well.” Then I’d put it back in the case and under the bed. [laughs]

And then, one day, I was like, “What a dickhead I am! Like, just play the damn thing, man!”

So I took it to a gig that night, and somewhere in the next couple of days it fell off the stand and it got a chip somewhere on the body. That’s when I said, “Okay, the gloves are off. It’s a road guitar.”

And that was it. [laughs] It became my number-one guitar for decades to come. Since then, Clarence has been on various album covers and certainly countless videos, things like “Somebody Like You” and “Who Wouldn’t Want to Be Me” — you know, pretty much all of those hits of mine through the 2000s and 2010s.

For somebody wanting to hear the sound of Clarence, what are a few notable studio moments that you’d call out?

Well, obviously, I’ve played a lot of Telecasters since then and have realized it’s an okay guitar. [laughs] I mean, I’ve definitely got Teles that are way better sounding than sweet little Clarence is, but on that first solo album, there’s an instrumental, “Clutterbilly,” which we recorded for my first album and then rerecorded for The Ranch in ’97. That’s Clarence through and through on both of those.

And if you can actually find the video for “Clutterbilly” on YouTube, you’ll see Clarence in full bloom. And that’s a good example of why I love that guitar; it’s just the speed, articulation, and consistency across all the strings.

There’s something to be said about a guitar you know very well, too.

It doesn’t really die anywhere along the neck, up and down. And you know, a couple of years ago, I was talking with John Mayer about guitar tone and guitars and various things. He said to me — and I love John’s mind because he has a really unique view of things — but he said to me, “When we talk about gear, no one ever talks enough about how well the player knows the guitar”

He said, “I think more than anything, when you hear a solo that you love, in a lot of cases what you’re hearing is how well that player knows the guitar. That’s really what you’re hearing and feeling.”

And I thought, “Man, you’re so right, John.” And in some ways, I feel like I played better when I had one guitar versus six or more.

And so, I’ve sort of made it my mission to try and get back to playing one a bit more dominantly throughout the night. But you know, Clarence is just a guitar that I’ve bonded with because I didn’t have any other guitars, and he covered so much of what I needed at that time.

With that being said, when you strap on Clarence and close your eyes, what do you feel that’s singular to that guitar?

Maybe it’s familiarity, even with its slightly dysfunctional way of being. [laughs] Because when I’d pick it up, it was like butter. It was just effortless. I know every single inch and millimeter of that guitar and how to make it do pretty much anything I’m trying to express.

But when I started playing other guitars — like a Nocaster that I love, and obviously a lot of other guitars, like the ’64 Strat that I started to bond with — they’re all very different in their neck shape, radius, and all that sort of stuff.

When I hadn’t played Clarence for a long time, I went back to him, and there was a part of me that kind of went, “Oh, this is a different guy. This isn’t as easy as this other guitar I just played.” But then that familiarity with the dysfunctionality came back so quickly, and it was just an old friend again.

What sort of modifications have you made to Clarence over the years?

One of the questions I’ve been asked is more about the hole in the pickguard, since there’s a hole in the middle position. And that happened because I was taking Clarence everywhere, and so many times I wished I had a Strat, too. I did have my Squier Strat, but in some situations, I could only take one guitar, and I just wanted to take Clarence.

I saw a video online with Brent Mason, where he’d pop the middle pickup in there, and I went, “Oh, fantastic. That’s what I’ll do.” And because I don’t know shit about electronics and how to put pickups in, I said to the guitar tech, “I wanna put this middle pickup in and a five-way position switch, blah blah blah…”

But I said, “I don’t wanna mess with this original pickguard. Can I just find another pickguard?” And he goes, “Oh, you can just cut into that one. You can find those pickguards all day long.” I went, “Are you sure?” And he went, “Oh yeah, they’re everywhere.” I said, “Okay,” and we hacked into the middle position.

So the guitar tech came back with the guitar, and I messed with various combinations for a while, but it just always sounded like a Tele trying to be a Strat. I just couldn’t get it to ever sound like what I wanted.

Eventually, I took the pickup out and told the tech, “Let’s get a replacement pickguard now to put back in ’cause I’m not gonna go with the middle pickup anymore.” But we couldn’t find one! [laughs] Turns out, when you look really closely at that 40th Anniversary Tele pickguard, it’s got a very fine tiger stripe pattern through it to give it that sort of cigarette-stained ivory color. It’s actually achieved through this very fine striping.

I couldn’t find another one. I was so pissed off, and it seemed like every pickguard I put in just looked awful. And so, I went, “I’ll just go with this one with the hole in the middle because the hole in the middle looks better than the wrong pickguard with no hole in the middle.”

In 2010, all your guitars ended up in a devastating flood in Nashville. Was Clarence in that flood?

It’s a great question. I gotta imagine he was, but I can’t recall now. But I mean, every guitar I had went into the Cumberland storage at Soundstage, which was right next to the river. Genius, right? [laughs]

It was a Friday when the rains came, and I was gonna start an album called Get Closer. I was in Hawaii at the time. We called Soundstage and asked if they could take all of my guitars off the high shelves they usually sat on and put them on the floor, ready to be loaded into the truck on Saturday morning. So everything had been put on the floor: my amps, guitars… You can’t make this up. [laughs]

Pretty much everything floated around in that river for, like, five days or something, because all the power lines were down, they weren’t letting people in. They said, “We just gotta wait until all the water subsides before we can get into Soundstage.” [Due to the flood, Urban bought guitars on eBay to continue recording his 2010 album, Get Closer, an act he compared to cheating]

Everyone who had a guitar in Soundstage knew our guitars were floating in water for days, but we couldn’t get in and do anything about it. But you know, most of the guitars I had survived. They all got dried out, disassembled, meticulously cleaned, and put back together. Most of the acoustics were destroyed, but most of my electrics came back to life, and I kept them all.

It must have been agonizing to wait those five days to see the damage.

It was a lot of frustration. Obviously, we all knew the faster we got them out of the water, the better. It was really frustrating having to just wait for the water level to subside and for the authorities, or whoever, to say, “Okay, the coast is clear, you can come on in. Get your babies out of here.”

But it’s kind of remarkable, and I’m sure that a lot of luthiers learned a lot from it. And I noticed just how many guitars came back to life, especially the old ones. For me, the guitars that just collapsed and never recovered were mostly the newer ones. I found that the older ones, even the electronics in them, fared better across the board. It was really extraordinary. So they definitely don’t make ’em like they used to.

You mentioned John Mayer earlier, who also helped hook you up with PRS. How is that going?

In that same conversation that we were talking about before, he was talking about how Paul [Reed Smith] had made him his primary guitar that he was using in Dead & Co. He had said that he’d just like to play one guitar all night, much like Jerry [Garcia] did. I thought, “Man, I used to play one guitar all night.”

I said, “I’d love to get back to something that has the versatility that I need, because my music covers so many different styles, and it’s really hard to just have one guitar. But still, one guitar that’s got versatility would be good.” So that was the conversation that I started with Paul and Bev at PRS, and that’s still ongoing.

What exactly are you looking for beyond just one guitar to rule them all, so to speak, and how does Clarence factor into that, if at all?

It’s just a sort of discovery mission for every little detail of body style, scale length, woods, weights, pickups, yada yada yada. But interestingly, with what I mentioned earlier about how well someone knows a guitar, I sent Clarence to Paul, and said, “Well, let’s start by meticulously getting all the measurements, details, and data from Clarence so we can replicate at least his neck down to the nth degree.”

And so Paul did that and sent me the guitar. He came to Nashville to my studio, and I was playing a couple of the prototypes, and this particular one, where he’d mapped out Clarence, I was playing it, and I got up really high on the highest string, up past the 12th fret, and I was like, “Something feels weird up here, Paul. I can’t put my finger on what it is.”

Paul said, “Oh well, you had so much wear on Clarence that you can’t even press the E against the fretboard without it sliding off.” So, he fixed that.

I went, “What?” I picked up Clarence, and when I got to that fret, the E string never fell off once. I said, “What are you talking about?”

He looked at me and goes, “How are you doing that?” I said, “Because I know the guitar, Paul.”

I said, “This isn’t about physics; this is about familiarity.” And my familiarity was that I could make this work, even when another guitar player couldn’t. So, I said, “I need you to clone this verbatim — but don’t get all physical on me.” [laughs]

It was a really great little kind of moment of two ways of approaching things crashing into each other. And so the prototype is ongoing right now.

There’s something to be said about those late ’80s Fenders, where they sort of fight you, but in a good way.

That’s another conversation that’s been… interesting. [laughs] PRS guitars are historically revered for their fine craftsmanship, playability, and refinement, but I’m constantly asking Paul if he can put more fight in the guitar. [laughs]

What does he say to that?

Of course, Paul looks at me, and he goes, “Why? Why do you want to fight?” [laughs] I say to him, “I don’t want to fight, it’s just what I know. And when I get onstage, my adrenaline kicks in. This guitar doesn’t handle my adrenaline.” And then, Paul looks at me, and he goes, “Well, rein in your adrenaline.” And I go, “That’s a fair point.” [laughs]

And it is a fair point. I tell my guitar tech, Chris Miller, “When I hit it like this, it just sort of implodes.” And he goes, “Well, don’t hit it like that.”

I get it. I would like to have more of that refined approach, but it’s just not how I play.

Something about Fenders that I’ve always loved is that they’ve got an agricultural, working-class spirit in them that feels very familiar to me. I mean, I literally came from a working-class family, and there’s just a little bit of attitude in the guitar, where it almost says, “You’re gonna have to work to get me to do something.”

I respond well to that. It’s where the passion and the fire come from. It’s from that friction, you know? Friction is where the spark and heat come from. I’m just not one of those players that has that fluid dexterity and refinement.

It’ll be interesting to see if we can get to the place where I get what I need out of the guitar, and where Paul can maintain the qualities that PRS is so renowned for, you know? It’s almost like I feel like I’m trying to put some stick-ass rims on a Rolls-Royce, and Rolls-Royce is looking at me going, “Why, what are you doing?” [laughs]

When your PRS is finally done, what does that mean for Clarence’s place in your world?

Look, in a lot of ways, Clarence — and this is with all due respect to the Fender Custom Shop at the time — you know, the wood hasn’t fared as great through its lifetime as, say, some guitars from the ’50s and ’60s. So, he’s gotten beaten up, maybe past the great tonal quality that he used to have… he’s kind of lost a lot of that.

So I think what’ll happen with Clarence is I’ll probably have him hanging in my studio, and he’ll be just a great little studio guitar to grab for various things. But I don’t know if I’ll use him live very much, though I do love the 40th Anniversary Teles.

That’s why I’ve acquired a couple more over the years in that exact same spec. They made 300 of each of those, and I’ve got two others. So Clarence is number one, and then I have a 40th Anniversary which we just call Number Two. I take it out on the road occasionally, and that one sort of feels and sounds more like Clarence used to in his former glory.

Some purists believe you shouldn’t mess with classic gear combinations. A Les Paul through a Marshall stack. A treble booster and Vox AC30 à la Brian May or Rory Gallagher. These are the sacred formulas of rock tone.

But Jack White wanted no part of them.

In fact, he says he “decidedly hated” the most iconic electric guitars of all.

Speaking in a new interview with Reverb, White recalled how, as a teenager searching for his own voice, he rejected Stratocasters, Les Pauls and other widely used instruments — not out of rebellion for its own sake, but out of a desire to escape what they represented.

“In my late teens,” he says, “I decidedly hated anything to do with Stratocasters, Les Pauls, [or] any of the common instruments that you see everybody use.

“I thought it’s so overused, and so indicative of ‘white boy blues’ if you had a Stratocaster.

“I would rather try to find something that didn’t have any connotations already thrown on it. So I was attracted to Silvertones and Airlines and things that you just didn’t see on TV or on videos.”

That instinct would help define his sound — and his image.

White instead embraced pawnshop oddities, most famously his fiberglass-bodied 1964 Montgomery Ward Airline Res-O-Glas, which became a key instrument in the breakthrough success of White Stripes.

Its offbeat look and raw tone perfectly matched the band’s stripped-down, anti-establishment ethos — an approach that even Alex Lifeson of Rush has said resonates deeply with him.

At the time, White wasn’t trying to make a statement. He was simply trying to be different.

“In the ’90s, I had a Silvertone guitar in Detroit, I never saw anybody use that guitar,” he says. “I never saw anybody on TV, definitely nobody playing shows or anybody I knew that owned one. So when I was using it, it felt very unique.”

The irony, he later discovered, was that these forgotten guitars had once been everywhere.

“Then you start talking to older people, and it’s like, ‘When I was a kid, that’s all anybody had, was Silvertones.’ Nobody had enough money to pay for a real guitar,” he explains.

“[It’s] different time periods, you know. It’s about trying to find uniqueness, a new voice for yourself. I didn’t wanna use the same tool that everyone else was using.

“I’m glad I did that. I’m glad I had that desire to carve something out. Because once you do that, then you can rewind and put on one of those more common guitars and get something out of it.”

Ironically, White would later come full circle, releasing his own signature Fender Telecaster — albeit one loaded with eccentric features true to his outsider spirit. He’s also continued to pursue unconventional builds, even hiring Eddie Van Halen’s go-to luthier to create a guitar-bass hybrid.

In the same interview, White also revealed that his obsession with unusual gear once led him on an eight-year search for an amplifier he didn’t even know existed. Elsewhere, he’s shared the invaluable advice he received from Prince, and his candid thoughts on what separates rock players from blues guitarists.

Presidents' Day is here, and you know what that means: music retailers across the country are dropping prices left, right, and center. Whether you’re eyeing a new axe, need to upgrade your pedalboard, or just want to stock up on strings and accessories, there are deals everywhere you look.

Whether you’re a weekend warrior, bedroom producer, or gigging veteran, there’s something for everyone in this year’s Presidents’ Day sales. Everyone from Guitar Center to Musician’s Friend, Sweetwater, and Fender is getting in on the action, so it’s a great time to cross off those wishlist items or finally take the plunge on that piece of dream gear.

Expect to see savings on everything from beginner packs and practice amps to boutique pedals and pro-level audio interfaces. Many retailers are also sweetening deals with free shipping, bonus accessories, and even extended financing options to help make upgrading your rig a little easier on the wallet.

Below you’ll find our top 5 sales worth shopping this Presidents’ Day.

It’s Presidents’ Day today, and that means it’s a great opportunity to save big on some fresh guitar gear. One of the best sales I’ve seen so far is over at the official Fender store, where you can bag yourself up to $600 off Vintera II guitars. It includes Strats, Teles, Mustangs, Jaguars, and more, so it’s well worth a browse if you’re a Fender fan.

It’s not just Vintera II guitars in the sale either, you can also save on some select Fender Player Plus instruments, plus a nice selection of Squier guitars. The Paranormal, Sonic, and Affinity lines all have reductions if you want to pick up a great playing guitar for relatively little cash.

I’ve had a look through the full sale, and the first deal to catch my eye was a hefty $510 off this Fender Vintera II 50s Nocaster. Based on one of the most famous Fender guitars ever made, it’s got a surprisingly thick-sounding pair of single coils in it, and the ‘U’ neck profile is really comfortable considering it’s not a shape you usually find on guitars these days.

There’s also a chance to save big on an anniversary guitar, with the Fender 70th Anniversary Vintera II Antigua Strat getting a gigantic $600 reduction. Unusually, it’s a hardtail Strat, so expect rock-solid tuning stability, and the trio of vintage-style 70s single coils will give you all those classic Strat tones.

Finally, another Strat grabbed my attention thanks to a generous $410 off this Fender Vintera II 70s Strat. It’s another guitar that attempts to recreate an iconic version of probably the world’s most famous guitar, with a 7.25” radius fingerboard and narrow tall frets. Add in the synchronized tremolo with bent steel saddles plus a set of ‘F’ stamped tuning machines, and you’ve got the perfect vintage Strat for way less than a grand at just $799.99.

• Amazon: - save big on accessories
• Guitar Center - up to 30% off guitars
• Sweetwater - great guitar sale
• Musician’s Friend - up to 60% off gear
• Reverb - new and used up to 67% off

Guitar makers have long recognized the benefit of having an artist’s name attached to their wares. Les Paul, Chet Atkins and Nick Lucas — likely the first guitarist to have a signature model — all had their names emblazoned on guitars.

As the electric guitar boom got underway in the 1960s, a few gear makers continued to release artist models. Gibson had the Trini Lopez semi-hollow, while Mosrite teamed up with the Ventures to create the Ventures model line.

Over in Japan, a surf band called the Sharp Five received a signature model from Guyatone, the LG 350-T Sharp 5 (the company chose the numeral over the word). The band featured star guitarist Nobuhiro Mine, who helped design the Sharp 5 at age 20. He’s since been involved in creating many iconic guitar models and remains an active performer.

With the Sharp 5, Mine became a trailblazer in the world of Japanese surf rock. Unfortunately, neither his band nor the guitar that bears their name made a splash in the U.S., which is a shame. Both were quite good and novel in their own ways.

Made in Guyatone’s Kawai plant, the 1968 LG 350-T shown here is a fine example. The exaggerated offset cutaways and whack-as-hell headstock are the most noticeable weirdo features, but they are balanced by the beautiful blue pickguard atop a deep-blue sparkle body with a sculpted, almost German-style carve top. A carve top was an unusual feature not found on other guitars of the day aside from some Rickenbacker models and a few Mosrites.

Looks aside, this is an excellent and well-made guitar that could have been a contender in the late-’60s and remains a clear winner on today’s vintage market. It sports a super skinny neck, similar to what you’d find on a Mosrite, with 22 low-profile frets set into a rosewood fingerboard with cream binding. Like a Mosrite, it has a metal nut and a zero-fret, but no pesky volute. It adds up to a guitar that’s easy to play, and fast as well.

The two single-coil pickups have a decidedly Fender Jaguar look and sound, although they’re a bit louder and bassier. Electronics include global tone and volume controls with a three-way pickup selector. This guitar is super cutting for funk strumming and/or surf lead lines. The middle setting is out-of-phase, and sounds excellent.

This guitar also slams with distortion added. It has a lot of harmonic “chick” sounds but doesn’t get too microphonic — although I understand that some later model years had noisier pickups than others. Early examples, like this one, are quiet. The tremolo works beautifully as well, along the lines of a Bigsby, so no dive bombing.

At 24 inches from nut to saddle, the Sharp 5 is on the long end for a three-quarter-scale guitar. The frets are slightly closer to each other, but not all that noticeably. My only complaint about the guitar is the neck angle. The headstock travels straight off the neck, with no downward pull. Three dual string trees compensate for the lack of string tension, but it’s still a bit banjo-like to play. That complaint aside, it’s a killer guitar.

In 1968, the LG 350-T sold for roughly $95. Today, a Sharp 5 in good condition could fetch between $1,000 and $2,000. I paid $1,300 for mine in 2025, which was a great deal considering its age and overall condition, and especially since it has the Sharp 5 decal that the later models didn’t have. If you’re looking for a unique vintage electric that looks and sounds great, is light and easy to play, and is comparably affordable, I can recommend it.

Described as a “retro-refined take on a classic Gretsch design,” the Electromatic CVT is a hip-looking solidbody electric guitar that melds throwback styling with powerful tones tailored to suit modern players. With its double-cut mahogany body — which is comfortably rounded on the edges — solid wraparound bridge and pair of Twin Six humbuckers, this guitar is a rock machine par excellence.

It plays well thanks to a combination of a bolt-on C-shape mahogany neck that’s capped with a 24.6-inch-scale laurel-wood fingerboard sporting 22 lightly polished medium-jumbo frets, which are beveled on the tips and don’t feel prickly when you’re sliding along the neck.

My review sample was finished in Vintage White, which was nicely set off by a swooping tortoise-color pickguard that surrounds the neck pickup and the nickel-plated, flat-top control knobs, which are knurled on the sides to make them easy to grip.

The Electromatic CVT is a well-made guitar with no finish or binding flaws. It has a solid feel throughout and seems like it should cost more than it does. I initially brought it along on gigs as a spare in case a string broke on my PRS Dustie Waring signature model, but the Gretsch proved always perfect to strap on and rock out with, notwithstanding that it’s a budget axe compared to the U.S.-made PRS.

In terms of playability, the comfortable C-shape neck and 24.6-inch-scale fingerboard offer a great playing feel. The rounded neck joint makes it easy to rip to the high frets and the body’s sculpted cutaways provide plenty of access, while the contours on the front and back of the body allow the guitar to sling naturally against your body.

The factory setup on this test guitar was good, providing comfortably low action as well as tuneful intonation when chording in the higher and lower positions. The wraparound tailpiece is solidly anchored, and I think it contributes to the guitar’s sustaining sound.

The Twin Six pickups deliver tones that have a good balance of clarity and output. Perhaps a little stronger than a typical PAF pickup, they had plenty of push to drive my ’72 Marshall 50-watt into distortion, and they also sounded great with a PRS DGT 15 and a reissue Vox AC10.

I used the neck pickup a lot for rhythm and lead, switching to the middle position to broaden the sound and get a crisper tone, and the bridge setting for anything from country twang to hard rock. I found it easy to switch between the PRS and the Gretsch without feeling the guitars were too dissimilar. If anything, the CVT’s slightly shorter “G” scale made bending strings a bit easier too, which is something many players will appreciate.

The Electromatic CVT is a bang-for-buck champ that’s worth considering if you’re looking for an affordable Gretsch that performs above its price class. It’s a hip grab-and-go guitar that would be a great backup for your regular humbucker axe.

SPECIFICATIONS

CONTACT gretschguitars.com

PRICE $419

NUT Graph Tech NuBone, 1.68" wide

NECK Bolt-on mahogany with Performance C shape and gloss finish

FINGERBOARD Laurel with aged while binding and black side dots, 24.6" scale, pearloid Neo-Classic “thumbnail” inlays and bound headstock with abalone Gretsch inlay

FRETS 22 medium jumbo

TUNERS Nickel-plated die-cast

BODY Mahogany with beveled contours and gloss finish

FINISH Available in Vintage White, Wychwood and Havana Burst

BRIDGE Wraparound with adjustable saddles, nickel plated

PICKUPS Twin Six humbuckers with Alnico 5 magnets

CONTROLS Volume, tone, 3-way toggle switch with nickel tip

FACTORY STRINGS Nickel Plated Steel, .010-.046

WEIGHT 7.6 lbs (tested)

BUILT China

PRO Cool retro-style look. Plays and sounds more upscale than its price implies.

CON Gig bag is not included

The worlds of country rock and glam metal may seem far removed, but a rare vintage Fender has bridged two stars of the genres.

In the hands of Cindarella’s Tom Keifer, this 1950 Fender “Nocaster” was used and abused. But when a major country player got the chance to buy it, it got a less bruising new life.

“I used to throw it across the stage during the show,” Keifer told Vintage Guitar about his example of Fender's early, transitional solidbody electric guitar.

A Nocaster is one of a small number of '51 Fender Broadcasters that were produced without a name on the headstock. Fender was forced to eliminate the model name when it came into trademark conflict with a Gretsch drumkit known as the Broadkaster. Fender continued to produce the Broadcaster without a name decal until some point in 1951 when the guitar was rebadged the Telecaster. To own one of these rare nameless guitars is to own a rare piece of Fender history.

Not that Keifer handed such a relic with care. Inexplicably, he traded it in to Nashville vintage guitar store, Gruhn's, where serial Grammy winner and Tele-obsessive Keith Urban came across it.

“I don't know why Tom sold it; maybe it served its purpose in his life, as they do, and it was time for someone else to own it,” Urban says in the new print issue of Guitar World. “I was at Gruhn's many, many years ago. I played it, fell in love with it, and bought it.”

Urban professes not to remember the price but says “it wasn’t cheap.” Still, for a man whose favorite guitar is his 1989 Fender 40th Anniversary Telecaster, dubbed Clarence, it was a purchase that made complete sense.

“It's just an unusually great guitar with, hands down, the most ferocious, dynamic pickups I've ever heard in a Telecaster,” he says. “The whole thing is original — well, maybe not the frets — but the electronics, hardware, and everything else. It's amazing.”

It isn’t clear when exactly Kiefer sold the Nocaster, but it's known that he later regretted his decision. He tells Vintage Guitar that he later shelled out on a 1950 Nocaster and paired with a 1972 Marshall Super Lead tube amp for his 2013 solo single, "Solid Ground."

However, he told Guitar World that same year that the Nocaster was his favorite guitar, suggesting it was likely his second model — a fondness perhaps strengthened by the regret of letting go of a guitar that Keith Urban’s paws are now all over.

Elsewhere, former GP cover star Urban has made a suggestive lyric change to one of his hits after announcing his divorce from Nicole Kidman, and it lands his co-guitarist, Maggie Baugh, at the center of the story.

Off stage, he's hard at work with Paul Reed Smith on a signature Tele that can help him “get a bit of a fight out of a guitar designed to give you no fight.” He wants it to be the most versatile T-type guitar in the world, and early signs are promising.

Queen guitarist Brian May has gifted Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi a left-handed model of his Red Special replica that merges elements of the two guitarist's custom guitars.

Built by master builder Andrew Guyton, the electric guitar was placed in Iommi’s hands last week, which led to his celebratory Instagram post over the weekend.

“Huge thanks to my best friend @brianmayforreal and master builder Andrew Guyton @guyton_guitars for this incredible left-handed Red Special replica,” Iommi wrote on Instagram. “Andrew personally delivered it last week — a true gift from Brian, two years in the making. Christmas came early! 🎸🎄 - Tony

“Andrew said ‘It’s built with the exact vintage construction of Brian May’s original Red Special, but shaped to match Tony’s iconic Jaydee Old Boy neck. Features a built-in treble booster and authentic vintage-style pots and pickups to replicate the classic tone.’”

The original Red Special was built by May and his father in the early 1960s and became a key part of Queen’s sound and identity.

In creating Iommi’s guitar, Guyton carefully matched the neck profile of Iommi’s Jaydee Old Boy electric, the custom guitar built between 1975 and 1978 by John Diggins, the founder of JayDee Custom Guitars as a successor to Iommi’s original Gibson “Monkey” and black John Birch SG. The Monkey was itself a heavily modified Gibson SG Special that defined the sound of the early Black Sabbath albums, which in turn became a hallmark of the heavy metal genre.

Iommi and May’s friendship goes back decades and began out of mutual respect — Iommi has been a fan of May’s guitar sound, and May has rightfully recognized Iommi as the father of heavy metal. May has called Iommi his "dearest friend in the business,” while Iommi has dubbed May a "rock god.”

Although the duo have never released an album together, Iommi appeared at the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert to perform on "I Want It All" and "Stone Cold Crazy,” while May has played on Iommi’s self-titled 2000 solo album.

Depending on what era of Jeff Beck’s unique guitar playing one prefers, he’s typically imagined with either a Gibson Les Paul or a Fender Stratocaster in his talented hands. Or perhaps his love-it-or-hate-it Les Tele-Gib hybrid springs to mind?

Certainly not a PRS.

However, Paul Reed Smith has now claimed that, in his final years, Beck was glued to one of his electric guitars. And he's desperate to get it back.

In the Yardbirds, Beck played a sunburst Les Paul that, since his passing, has been loaned out to Lenny Kravitz’s foil, Craig Ross, and Marcus King. Later, his Blow by Blow era — which saw him butting heads with Beatles producer George Martin — was underpinned by his Oxblood Les Paul.

But, after once claiming that the Gibson axe “means business,” he pivoted to the “endless color” of the Fender Stratocaster, an instrument he was deeply associated with until his death.

Smith’s claim, then, that PRS had pulled him over to the dark side comes as quite the surprise.

So what’s going on?

“People don’t know this, but Jeff Beck had a PRS at home, and he loved it,” he says in the new issue of Guitar World. “He told me I’d never see him with it, but he used it to record.”

Unfortunately, Smith remains tight-lipped about what model of PRS it was. Educated guesses include an early prototype of John McLaughlin's signature, a Private Stock McCarty, or even a semi-hollow model, but those could all be way off the mark.

The important thing for Smith is tracking the guitar down.

“We’ve been trying to get it back,” the luthier and businessman explains. “It wasn’t part of the auction this year, but I know he loved that guitar.”

That auction saw big hitters like the Yardburst Les Paul that went for $496,484, and the OxBlood model became the world’s most expensive LP and smashed a series of auction records. But the PRS never made it so far.

So did it leave his possession before his death, or is it somewhere in the Beck family vault still?

In March, Manfred Mann's Earth Band guitarist Mick Rogers claimed he owns Beck's last-ever recording, but added that it is unlikely to ever be released. Going off Smith's words, Beck may have tracked the song with his PRS. But, of course, this is pure speculation.

It’s a fascinating mystery either way. Let’s hope the truth soon reveals itself.

In related news, Buddy Guy has been reflecting on how Jeff Beck and the British blues guitarists of the 1960s gave his career a shot in the arm, and Ronnie Wood has revealed why he switched from rhythm guitar to bass in the Jeff Beck Group.

On Black Friday I was raving about Fender.com's Player II Series Tele deal – and unsurprisingly, it has now sold out completely. But there is a great Cyber Monday guitar deal option elsewhere, it's not much more money and I think this darker Racing Green Player II Tele at Guitar Center for just $649.99 is actually a better finish than the Fender.com deal's Forest Green.

I reckon this one will sell out too. You get all the great Player II features here that make the series the best buy in Fender's catalogue: rosewood fingerboard with rolled edges on a C-shape neck that's a benchmark for comfort, ClassicGear tuners like the US models and Alnico 5 pickups that blend traditional Tele twang with some low-end versatility. I'm a Fender modder and even I'd think twice about ever swapping them out.

I've been focusing on what I consider to be truly great guitar deals for Cyber Monday, and this is the one I think is the best right now. It's surely going to sell out like the Fender.com has. It's only $50 than what Guitar Center is charging for the Indonesia-made Fender Standard Telecaster!

• Amazon: Huge holiday savings
• B&H Photo: Early Bird Holiday deals
• Fender store: Player II Strat lowest price ever
• Guitar Center: Up to 40% Black Friday sale
• Guitar Tricks: $899 $99 annual sub
• IK Multimedia: Up to $300 off Tonex hardware
• Musician's Friend: Early Black Friday 50% sale
• Native Instruments: Over 50% off UA bundle
• Plugin Boutique: 100s of software savings
• Positive Grid: Up to $50 Spark savings
• Reverb: Black Friday early access
• Sweetwater: Up to 80% off Black Friday sale
• Universal Audio: 12 Days of UAD software sale
• Waves: Huge plugin bundle deals up to 95% off

Update: This deal has now sold out. But the good news is the Player II Tele deal below is currently available and is currently the cheapest I've found.

I'm not sure how controversial it is to say this, but I think Fender might have created a problem with its Player II Series Telecaster – especially in the Black Friday guitar deals. I've found them to be so good for the money, I wonder if many players will think it's worth paying more for the company's more expensive models. Now I've seen one with $252 off at Fender.com and I honestly can't believe it.

A $50 discount I could understand, but $190 is huge for a Player II Fender – and in an exclusive, classy Forest Green finish, third-party guitar retailers can't stock? Even more incredible.

The rosewood fingerboard with rolled edges is a huge upgrade from the Player line, giving the Player II Tele neck an incredibly smooth and tactile feel. The ClassicGear tuners are the other big upgrade for me – as found on much more expensive US models.

The pair of Alnico 5 pickups surprised me as someone who is big on upgrading their Ensenada Fender models – I'm not sure I'd bother paying extra to swap them out as Fender's stock models are so usable, especially with my own rig where stacked overdrive pedals are a central part.

• Amazon: Huge holiday savings
• B&H Photo: Early Bird Holiday deals
• Fender store: Player II Strat lowest price ever
• Guitar Center: Up to 40% Black Friday sale
• Guitar Tricks: $899 $99 annual sub
• IK Multimedia: Up to $300 off Tonex hardware
• Musician's Friend: Early Black Friday 50% sale
• Native Instruments: Over 50% off UA bundle
• Plugin Boutique: 100s of software savings
• Positive Grid: Up to $50 Spark savings
• Reverb: Black Friday early access
• Sweetwater: Up to 80% off Black Friday sale
• Universal Audio: 12 Days of UAD software sale
• Waves: Huge plugin bundle deals up to 95% off

You'll often see older electric guitar stock in the Black Friday deals as retailers make way for new models – great deals but not the latest specs. So imagine my surprise to see this year's PRS SE NF53 not just get a decent reduction over at Sweetwater, but a whole $200.

All four finishes are included with Pearl White and three distinctive Doghair options; Black, White and Purple. The swamp ash PRS SE NF53 is a highly-rated guitar for good reasons, and another testament to the high quality of the company's more affordable models.

PRS SEs are consistently some of the very best set up guitar I encounter as a reviews editor, but the pair of Narrow Field DD 'S' humbuckers here are what makes this sounds unlike any other T-style guitar out there. They are a best of both world's blend of single-coil focus and humbucker muscle and breadth. It makes for a guitar that has wide potential appeal.

Check out more Sweetwater Black Friday deals.

• Amazon: Black Friday instrument deals
• B&H Photo: Early Bird Holiday deals
• Fender store: Player II Strat lowest price ever
• Gear4Music: Early Black Friday deals are live
• Guitar Center: Up to 40% Black Friday sale
• Guitar Tricks: $899 $99 annual sub
• IK Multimedia: Up to $300 off Tonex hardware
• Musician's Friend: Early Black Friday 50% sale
• Native Instruments: Over 50% off UA bundle
• Plugin Boutique: 100s of software savings
• Positive Grid: Up to $50 Spark savings
• Reverb: Black Friday early access
• Sweetwater: Up to 80% off Black Friday sale
• Thomann: Up to 70% off Cyber Week sale
• Universal Audio: 12 Days of UAD software sale
• Waves: Huge plugin bundle deals up to 95% off

For the guitarist who isn’t interested in traditional instruments, I’ve got a super Black Friday guitar deal for you. In the Sweetwater Black Friday sale you can get your hands on a Strandberg Boden Essential with a gigantic $300 reduction. It’s a mega discount on a guitar that’s all about comfort and playability, eschewing traditional design in the pursuit of technological advancement.

I’ll admit I was skeptical before I first got my hands on one, so when it came into the office for review I wasn’t really expecting much. Flash forward five minutes and I found I couldn’t put it down. I’ve honestly never played anything like it, and while I get that headless guitars aren’t for everyone, you’ll be doing yourself a disservice not trying one.

• Grab the Strandberg Boden Essential with $300 off at Sweetwater

I’ve been playing guitar for over twenty years now, so it’s pretty rare that a piece of gear completely takes me by surprise. That was exactly the case with the Boden Essential though. At first I found the EndurNeck profile quite alien in my hands, thanks to the wide flat strip that runs down the centre of the roasted maple neck.

It’s like playing a really extreme ‘V’ profile, but cleverly, it gives your thumb a platform to always be placed flat, which encourages better playing technique. This design reduces strain on your wrist by forcing you to keep your thumb as the anchor for your fretting hand. Once I got over the initially strange feel, I was soon flying across the fretboard with three-note-per-string legato licks aplenty.

The body is different from anything else I’ve tried too. Again, the shape looks very strange, but it's actually cleverly designed so you can place the guitar on either leg, or in the classical position for proper shredability. It’s lightweight too, so you can easily chuck it in a gig bag and take it to shows with you, or bring on a train or plane.

When wearing it on a guitar strap you can hardly feel it’s there, and the lack of a headstock means there’s far less chance of stabbing your singer or bassist, even when playing on a tiny stage. For me the size and weight add to the overall performance of the guitar, tying in beautifully with the playability to make one of the most all-round ergonomic experiences I’ve ever had playing an electric guitar.

Shop more Black Friday deals

• B&H Photo: Early Bird Holiday deals
• Fender store: Player II Strat lowest price ever
• Gear4Music: Early Black Friday deals are live
• Guitar Center: Up to 40% Black Friday sale
• Guitar Tricks: $899 $99 annual sub
• IK Multimedia: Up to $300 off Tonex hardware
• Musician's Friend: Early Black Friday 50% sale
• Native Instruments: Over 50% off UA bundle
• Plugin Boutique: 100s of software savings
• Positive Grid: Up to $50 Spark savings
• Reverb: Black Friday early access
• Sweetwater: Up to 80% off Black Friday sale
• Thomann: Up to 70% off Cyber Week sale
• Universal Audio: 12 Days of UAD software sale
• Waves: Huge plugin bundle deals up to 95% off

You know what? I genuinely get excited when Black Friday rolls around, especially when there's a slew of Gibson and Epiphone deals to sink my teeth into. This year, I was honestly blown away by the number of fantastic bargains out there. Stores like Guitar Center and Sweetwater have some amazing discounts on everything from Gibson classics to Epiphone signature models and so much more.

As someone who's a huge fan of Gibson, I have to say that my love for their instruments runs pretty deep. Sure, my collection isn’t all about Gibsons, but they definitely make up a huge chunk of it. Out of my 25+ guitars, 13 of them are Gibsons, so you can imagine my excitement when I see a bunch of them on sale.

And just to be clear, I’m not one of those guitar purists who turn their nose up at Epiphone. I genuinely think they offer incredible bang for your buck. The current line from Epiphone is fantastic, blending timeless designs with modern features. Whether you’re looking for spot-on replicas of classic Gibson models or some cool new designs, there’s a lot to appreciate. Below, I've highlighted a few of my personal favorites that I've come across while browsing online.

Sweetwater is getting a head start on Black Friday, offering fantastic deals, discounts on big-name brands, and a tempting array of exciting gear up for grabs in their early Black Friday sale. If you're hunting for a new guitar, amplifier, pedal, or that perfect addition to your home studio setup, Sweetwater may just be worth your attention right now.

Naturally, with so many incredible deals to explore, visiting the website is potentially dangerous for your wallet. To save you some valuable time, and hopefully a fair bit of cash, we've gathered some of the most striking deals we could find, including some enormous reductions on gear straight from the top table.

As one of the leading names in American musical instrument retail, Sweetwater's Black Friday sale always lives up to its reputation. But with savings available throughout the site already, this early Black Friday sale could be the perfect moment to treat yourself.

The sale ends on November 12, so you’ll need to act quickly before it concludes or stock runs out. Will Sweetwater's official Black Friday sale begin on the 13th? And will the deals be even better? Unfortunately, we don't have that information yet, but it will definitely be a tough act to follow.

The Gibson Les Paul has been a mainstay of Warren Haynes’ guitar arsenal since his days as a fledgling player in his native Asheville, North Carolina.

And it’s partly thanks to Haynes that the company has a Les Paul 12-string in its catalog. The model dates back to approximately 1990, when Haynes was performing at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

“Rick Gembar, who was head of the Gibson Custom Shop at that time, was at the show and sitting next to one of his employees,” Haynes tells Guitar Player. “I played an Epiphone 12-string — it was a 335 shape, not even a Les Paul — and Rick turned to his employee and said, ‘Uh, what the hell is Warren doing playing an Epiphone?!’ kind of half-joking.

“The guy with him, also half-jokingly, answered, ‘Well, we don’t make a 12-string Les Paul.’ And Rick said, ‘We do now!’

“They came backstage and Rick walked straight to me and said, ‘Warren, if you’ll put that Epiphone away, I’ll build you a 12-string Les Paul.’ And I said, ‘You got a deal!’”

Gibson handed over a pair of the guitars to Warren in 1990. In 2012, more than 20 years later, the company finally added the model to its lineup.

“I think they only made two of them for a long time, so that conversation turned into me having a one-of-a-kind — or two-of-a-kind — instrument,” Haynes explains.

Differentiating Haynes’ 12-string from the mass-production model, he says, is that “the headstock is enormous, and in return it’s fairly heavy.” But like any of those instruments, he notes, it has a unique sound from others.

“Most 12-strings are a little airier, or brighter,” Haynes explains. “Twelve-strings in general are designed to get that kind of shimmery sound, like the Rickenbackers or the Epiphones, which is great. Having a 12-string Les Paul, you get that thick, chunky Les Paul sound. And so to offset that a bit, there’s a coil-tap switch for the pickups that turns them into single-coils and makes it a little brighter, if you want that sound.

“I use the brighter setting quite a bit, but I also use the chunkier setting. It’s more like a throaty sound— bluesier and heavier.”

Haynes used the 12-string to record Gov’t Mule’s “Railroad Boy” and “So Weak, So Strong,” among others. These days, he says, he keeps it “in the truck” whenever he hits the road.

“I play it every now and then,” he notes, “but not a ton, because the set’s different each night. It’s there for when we need it, and I really enjoy playing it. And everybody that’s played it really loves it.”

Through a career that’s included the Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule and his own projects, Haynes has never been short of interesting electric guitars to play — his own and others’.

“It’s cool to play some of these different instruments,” he acknowledges. “I’ve played a bunch of iconic guitars here and there, and there’s something there that’s different and inspiring. They all have unique sounds that inspire you to play differently, which is always a nice challenge. Just to have that opportunity is very cool.”

Haynes outdid himself, in a way, when Gov’t Mule — teamed with the Tedeschi Trucks Band — played in Chicago recently, on September 9. The night before the show, he visited Timeless Gem Studios to sample some of its collection and wound up taking Jeff Beck’s 1959 “Yardburst” Les Paul to the venue for a rendition of “Freeway Jam,” as well as Doug Irwin’s #24, which he used for “Ruby.”

“I really loved playing it,” Haynes says of the Beck guitar. “There’s some serious energy in that guitar. They told me that Beck apparently took the original pickups out, which in hindsight would’ve been PAFs, and replaced them with ’60s pickups, so it sounds different than a normal ’59 largely due to that.

“Back then,” he continues, “nobody knew that those guitars were going to be worth a fortune, so people were just making changes based on what they were hearing and what they wanted it to sound like. I guess he was looking for a little different sounds. The ’60s pickups probably have a little more aggressive midrange or something. Usually the ’57, ’58, ’59 pickups are pretty smooth-sounding and beautiful, so maybe he was looking for something a little different.”

The Irwin guitar, meanwhile, was not one of those ever owned by Jerry Garcia but did serve as a prototype for the iconic Tiger, Wolf and Rosebud that came in its wake.

“It was on its way to being similar to Tiger, but not there yet,” Haynes says. “I don’t mean as far as quality or good or bad. Some of the main elements that made Tiger had not been established yet.

“I played the actual Tiger at one of my symphonic shows, at Red Rocks. It’s a fantastic instrument. I also played Wolf on a whole tour, which was fantastic.

“Those guitars instantly sound like Jerry Garcia — they put you one step closer to that sound. Whatever they did in designing those guitars to work for him became just an iconic thing.”

The #24, Haynes adds, “was still a little bit more like a Gibson, so it was kind of like in between a Gibson and Tiger. It still has some of that chunky, meaty Gibson sound, but it also had some of that high-fidelity kind of Garcia-esque Tiger sound as well.”

The Chicago experiences add to Haynes’ formidable checklist, which is likely to only grow over the years. Among his other greatest memories are playing Eric Clapton’s Fool SG from his Cream days, as well as a Jimi Hendrix Fender Stratocaster the guitarist gave to producer Al Kooper, which now resides with a collector in Japan who brought it to a show for Haynes to play. Haynes calls it “a beautiful-sounding guitar.”

And then there’s the litany of vintage Allman Brothers axes that both he and Derek Trucks have had access to over the years. They include the Les Paul goldtop that Dickey Betts stripped and painted red, and the 1957 goldtop Duane Allman played on Derek and the Dominos’ Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs album that was brought to the Allmans’ performance at Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival during 2013 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

“It had a bite and this midrange that was different than a lot of them. It was very aggressive,” Haynes reports. “I walked back into Eric’s dressing room to show it to him, and he turned around and said, ‘Wow, is that a replica of Duane’s old guitar?’ and Derek said, ‘No, this is Duane’s guitar.’ And Eric played it and was just fascinated. He said, ‘I haven’t seen this guitar since we made Layla.’”

“They all sound different and they all have a unique thing about them. All those guitars from that time period did sound a little different, and they all sound unique — mostly great. Occasionally you hear one that doesn’t sound great, but not very often. Mostly those eras’ guitars sound fantastic.”

Frank Zappa’s Baby Snakes SG is heading to auction. The heavily modified electric guitar, which was one of the musician’s most beloved axes, is expected to fetch around $500,000.

Heritage Auctions is including the guitar in a lot that includes Pattie, an acoustic guitar formerly owned by both George Harrison and Eric Clapton. The guitar's nickname refers to Pattie Boyd, the model/photographer whom both musicians married and who was the inspiration for both the Beatles' "Something" and Derek and the Dominos' "Layla."

Although it appears to be a Gibson SG, Zappa's guitar is a knock-off created by Phoenix luthier Bart Nagel, who was just 19 and studying at Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery at the time he built it.

Nagel replaced the neck with a three-piece mahogany neck he made himself that added an extra fret, bringing the total to 23. He also bestowed its ebony fingerboard with intricate silver inlays. But it was its body that received the greatest modification, including gorgeous rosewood and ebony body detailing.

He presented it to Zappa in 1974, during a performance in Phoenix, and the guitarists snapped it up for $500.

The modifications didn’t end there. Additional changes were implemented by Rex Bogue, who had resurrected Jimi Hendrix’s charred Miami Pop Festival Stratocaster after Zappa secured from Hendrix’s roadie in 1968.

Bouge installed a custom onboard preamp that delivered an 18dB boost and included phase-switching and tone-shaping circuitry, all of which was controlled by the numerous additional knobs and switches found on the guitar's body.

Zappa used the guitar for numerous performances, including a 1976 appearance on the syndicated Mike Douglas Show. A year later, the guitar was featured in his Halloween 77 show at the NYC Palladium, and it appeared later in his Baby Snakes film, from which it got its nickname.

“The ‘Baby Snakes’ SG isn’t just a collectible,” says Heritage Auction's Aaron Piscopo. “It’s a playable piece of Zappa’s legacy, ready to inspire its next owner with the same innovative spirit.”

The auction house calls the guitar “a holy grail for Zappa fanatics and guitar nerds.” It has remained in good condition over the years and would be “ideal in the hands of a musician ambitious enough to carry on Zappa’s legacy of sonic exploration.”

Bidding at the December 5 auction is set to start at $300,000, but the guitar's prestige and condition lead Heritage to believe it will likely sell for a figure closer to half a million dollars.

Such a figure would make it by far the most expensive sale of anything from the Zappa vault, surpassing the Captain Beefheart original artwork that sold for $32,500 in 2023, far in excess of its $500-700 estimate.

Zappa's most unusual pieces of gear have remained in his family since his death in 1993. They include his futuristic $300,00 live rig, his Shut Up ’n Play Yer Guitar Les Paul Custom, and the custom Performance Strat that featured on his last tour in 1988.

The auction will take place on December 5. Head to Heritage Auctions for more.

In related stories, Frank Zappa saw one of his songs credited to John Lennon and Yoko Ono when it appeared on their album Some Time in New York City. And Eric Clapton has recalled his jam with Zappa, saying it “fucked me up completely.”

Rory Gallagher’s iconic and heavily worn 1961 Fender Stratocaster is finally being put on display at the National Museum in Ireland.

The Irish bluesman bought the guitar second-hand for £100 from Crowley’s music store in Cork in 1963, and it was his number one guitar throughout his storied career. The Strat, the first one to reach Irish shores, had originally been ordered by Jim Conlon of the Royal Showband, but he was left disappointed when the sunburst model, as opposed to the red one he ordered, turned up.

It has, save for several museum stays, been kept in the possession of Gallagher’s brother and former manager, Dónal, since his passing in 1995. Much furore was caused when its sale was first announced last July, with Irish politicians, and the daughter of the man who sold Gallagher the instrument, campaigning the keep the guitar in Ireland.

“This guitar means so much to us in Cork, and we need to become the custodians of that magical guitar,” Sheena Crowley wrote at the time. “We feel tied to him, and the guitar is a symbol of what he represents for us.”

Joe Bonamassa was also behind the campaign, and hailed the news that it would be donated to the National Museum at Collins Barracks, Dublin, following its $1.16 million sale as “the best news I've heard all year.”

From October 16, the guitar is set to be displayed at the museum as one of 250 pieces relating to Irish history and culture. It comes as part of the biggest expansion of its public galleries in over two decades.

The exhibition, entitled The Changing Ireland Galleries, puts the country’s most important moments under the microscope, with artifacts from those times speaking of its history. The fact that Gallagher’s Strat — and quite possibly his 1932 National Resonator recently taken for a spin by Joe Bonamassa — will feature alongside a decommissioned RPG7 rocket launcher used by the IRA in the 1970s, during the Troubles, and items from the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921) shows its cultural significance.

Speaking about the electric guitar last year, Gallagher's nephew, Daniel, stressed its importance in his career.

“It meant a hell of a lot to him, and was a huge part of his sound,” he said. “He played it to death. I don't think he would have swapped it for anything in the world.”

Bonamassa recently played three nights in Gallagher’s hometown of Cork, and even bought a sunburst Strat from Crowley’s Music in a bid to follow in his footsteps. Since then, he’s spoken with Guitar World about why Gallagher’s talents are underrated by many.

“Rory always played with a fiery intensity and communicated great emotional depth in every performance,” he wrote. “And within the world of slide guitar, he is one of the greatest ever.”

Discussing his earliest memories of Gallagher with Guitar Player last year, he recalled being rapt by his “Live in Europe” album.

“Here's this guy with long hair, a flannel shirt and he looked like he just came out of an auto factory playing some of the most gutbucket blues and rock you've ever heard,” he said.

The sale of Gallagher’s Strat, which was bought by Live Nation Gaiety Ltd, makes it one of the most expensive Strats ever sold at auction. It’s bested only by David Gilmour’s Black Strat ($3.9M). the Reach Out to Asia Strat ($2.7M), which was auctioned for victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and Gilmour's 1954 #0001 Strat ($1.8M).

Fender CEO Andy Mooney had once, unsuccessfully, tried to buy Gilmour's famed #0001 Strat, calling it his “holy grail.” Considering the eye-watering price it ultimately went for, it’s no surprise that Gilmour wasn’t willing to do a deal.

It was first owned by country player Rex Gallion, and passed through the hands of Seymour Duncan before it made its way to the Pink Floyd guitarist. It's on that guitar that he recorded the Nile Rodgers-esque rhythm parts in "Another Brick in the Wall."

The S2 Special Semi-Hollow electric is a unique beast in the PRS menagerie. One of two new Specialty releases in the S2 line along with the S2 Studio, the Special Semi-Hollow is a real tweener, and having been one my whole life (Gen X, middle child, Libra) I’m intrigued for multiple reasons.

For starters, the whole S2 Series represents a middle ground between the flagship Core Series and the affordable SE Series built overseas. As the name suggests, the S2 Special Semi-Hollow also has a tweener body style. Its sleek double-cutaway emanates a solid vibe, yet the body is indeed chambered as evidenced by a single f-hole.

A unique triple-pickup configuration consists of two humbuckers plus a PRS Narrowfield, which is a sort of hummer/single hybrid, located smack dab in the middle. Equipped with a five-way blade selector and a pair of coil-tapping toggle switches, there are a whopping 12 pickup combinations at one’s fingertips for sonic adventuring. Also equipped with the PRS Patented Tremolo, it would seem no tone or microtone is beyond its sonic reach.

So is the S2 Special Semi-Hollow a jack of all trades and master of none, or a stringed Swiss Army knife capable of conquering practically any musical challenge in the hands of one who understands how to use its many tools?

The story starts with the build and pickups. For ages, players looking to maximize tone while minimizing cost have purchased more affordable bodies and upgraded particular elements, especially pickups. PRS mitigated that move a little over a decade ago with the introduction of the mid-priced S2 Series. It stands for “Stevensville 2,” as the guitars were manufactured on a second assembly line in Stevensville, Maryland, right alongside the flagship Core Series. S2 Hallmarks include a multipiece neck with scarfed construction (rather than a single piece), and a beveled maple top (rather than a fully arched top) with a subtler figure.

These days the S2 series is fully integrated into the same production line as PRS Core instruments, and beginning last year all S2 models feature American-made pickups and electronics. The S2 Special Semi-Hollow was recently introduced along with several other three-pickup models including the amazingly affordable SE Studio Standard, which received a five-star review from GP.

PRS COO Jack Higginbotham says, “The deep dive into our Narrowfield technology is obvious with this launch.” The PRS Narrowfield is essentially designed to deliver single-coil bite and punch along with the quiet power of a humbucker. The Narrowfield is physically svelte at about half the width of one of the 58/15 LT humbuckers it sits in-between on the S2 Special Semi-Hollow, and it adds extra intrigue to this modern electronic marvel. There are a dozen distinct pickup combinations, but interestingly, no way to isolate the Narrowfield on this guitar, as the middle position on the five-way selector combines the two outside humbuckers.

The Narrowfield’s situation on this S2 Special indicates its purpose to add extra nuance to the primary tones. It’s similar enough to work right alongside the humbuckers in the bass and treble positions, with their clear power and wide tonal breadth, yet the Narrowfield seems to have a more focused tone that works very well in combination with either one. It’s always complimentary and never overbearing, even when you split coils on in the bass or treble positions to enter distinctly S-style sonic territory.

It took me a while to get familiar with the whole setup and easy to forget what setting I was on during a jam, so here's a breakdown of pickup options along with a diagram:

Position 1 (switch down): Treble humbucker

Position 1 (switch up): Treble w/coil-tap

Position 2 (switch down) Treble + Narrowfield

Position 2 (switch up): Treble w/coil tap + Narrowfield

Position 3 (switches down): Treble humbucker + bass humbucker

Position 3 (switch 1 up): Treble w/coil-tap + bass humbucker

Position 3 (switch 2 up): Treble + bass w/coil-tap

Position 3 (switches up): Treble w/coil-tap + bass w/coil-tap

Position 4 (switch down) Narrowfield + bass humbucker

Position 4 (switch up): Narrowfield + bass humbucker w/coil-tap

Position 5 (switch down): Bass humbucker

Position 5 (switch up): Bass w/coil-tap

Considering how its carved maple top (generally bright sounding) and mahogany back (generally mellow sounding) add to the tonal equation — and factoring in how its semi-hollow body naturally adds air and depth while enhancing sustain — I think it’s obvious why the S2 Special can deliver such an array of dimensional, complex tones.

I mostly tested it through a 1983 Fender Super Champ. Designed by Paul Rivera as a sort-of Boogie killer for the era, it’s quite a versatile two-channel amp, capable of everything from classic Fender clean to girthy half-overdriven tones and searing leads. Between the PRS S2 Special Semi-Hollow and the Rivera-modded Fender, I was able to achieve pretty much any tone I could imagine. The bridge pickup cuts like a knife, while the same pickup placed in the neck position sounds downright balmy. My favorite sounds came from myriad combinations, which was no surprise.

Throw the five-way switch into position 3 and you get a great blend of humbucker tones right off the bat, thick and creamy with a bit of articulation and serious sustain. From there it’s interesting to experiment with coil tapping one, then the other, and then both humbuckers.

My favorite of those options is having the neck in full humbucker mode while adding just the coil-tap from the bridge pickup to reduce its bite to more of a soft edge. Positions 2 and 4 are endlessly fascinating as shaping these phasey tones using the Narrowfield in conjunction with a coil-tapped humbucker is like combining a hybrid with a different hybrid. All the laws you thought you understood about humbuckers and single coils kind of fly out the window and you simply go with the sonic flow that sounds and feels right for whatever you’re in the mood to create.

To make a cannabis comparison, it’s kind of like the indica verses sativa strain situation. In the old days, folks say that the former is heavier, and the latter is lighter, kind of like humbuckers and single-coils, but now we understand that there are so many variables in the cannabinoids and almost everything is a hybrid of some sort, so you throw the old rules out the window and find what works for you.

I found the S2 Special Semi-Hollow fabulous for playing everything from edgy classic rock to smooth blues à la J.J. Cale, and from percussive funk to silky jazz and clean pop. I appreciated being able to seek out and home in on them all in my own very customized way.

Playability on this instrument with its low factory action is almost too easy. If you know where to put your fingers, it practically plays itself. And the tremolo bar action is right there as well. You don’t have to fight it or finesse it much at all. It’s there if you want a little shake with your fries, and easy enough to leave on the side if you don’t. The trem floats ever so slightly, so you can pull up just enough to raise a note by a microtone, or up to a half step in the most extreme case, which is the open G string. Pull up all the way on that to achieve a G sharp.

The locking tuners function well, and the whole system stays pretty darn well in tune. It’s also worth noting that the bridge is small and perfectly machined to be a cozy-feeling part of the guitar rather than some added piece of hardware that feels somehow extra or bizarre.

The Pattern Regular neck profile is nice and full and round, yet feels comfortable in even my rather small hand. I dig the easy playability on the 22-fret set mahogany neck, but I would raise the action a bit or put on heavier strings, just to make it a bit more of a challenge under the fingers for a cat that also plays a lot of acoustic and is used to a bit more of a battle. The volume knob is smooth and perfectly positioned for swells, so you can ditch the volume pedal too. The only issue was a bit of scratchiness in the pot.

I wouldn’t change a single thing about the aesthetic of this gorgeous guitar. It might not be quite not as stunning as some of PRS’s famously fancy and vivid instruments, but this duskier design is plenty gorgeous. I love this unit in Faded Gray Black Purple Burst with maple wood grains visible and some blue hues in the ripples. Add in Classic Birds inlays on the rosewood fretboard and PRS Phase III nickel locking tuners with wing buttons on the signature shaped PRS headstock, and this is a true beauty from top to bottom.

I’d recommend the PRS S2 Special Semi-Hollow to any guitarist looking for a super-flexible instrument, rather than the player who’s totally dedicated to a particular sound or style. The options here are simply too good and too tempting. For the sophisticated player that wants it all—Strat-style slinkiness, the heartiness of a Les Paul, the open woodiness of a 335, along with the hallmarks that have made the PRS electric a modern classic over the past 40 years such as its refined tremolo, systematic reliability, easy playability and appealing appointments—the S2 Special Semi-Hollow is especially for you.

SPECIFICATIONS

PRS S2 Special Semi-Hollow

CONTACT prsguitars.com

PRICE $2,599 with gig bag

NUT PRS proprietary material, 1 21/32" wide

NECK Set mahogany, scarfed construction

FRETBOARD Rosewood, 25" scale, 10" radius, “Old School Birds” inlays

FRETS 22, 25" scale length

TUNERS PRS Phase III nickel locking with wing buttons

BODY Carved maple top, mahogany back

FINISH High-gloss nitro

EXTRAS Available in Faded Gray Black Purple Burst (as tested), Black Amber, Dark Cherry Sunburst, Faded Gray Black Blue Burst, Fire Red Burst, Lake Blue

BRIDGE PRS Patented Tremolo

PICKUPS PRS 58/15 LT humbuckers in the bridge and neck positions; PRS Narrowfield in the middle

CONTROLS Volume and tone knobs with 5-way blade pickup selector and two mini-toggle coil tap switches

STRINGS PRS Signature, .010–.046

WEIGHT 7.4 lbs (as tested)

BUILT USA

PROS Fantastic tonal flexibility. Outrageously easy playability. Dusky good looks. Smooth volume knob perfectly positioned for swells

CONS No way to isolate the Narrowfield pickup. A bit of a learning curve to master so many other pickup configuration options. Volume pot a little scratchy

Hugely respected luthier Ken Parker has passed away aged 73, less than a week after launching a crowdfunding campaign to assist with his mounting medical bills.

The man behind the innovative Parker Fly guitar, an instrument that former King Crimson maverick Adrian Belew says he plays better on, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in 2023.

He’d been battling the “nasty” disease ever since, with the cancer slowly eroding his body. That subsequently forced his retirement from guitar building, although he had been teaching his colleague, Sam Krimmel, to fill his shoes.

Parker launched a GoFundMe page on September 29, calling on the guitar community and those touched by his inventive craftsmanship to help cover his growing medical expenses.

“In early 2023, I was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that has slowly been debilitating me,” he wrote on the page. “It hasn’t been easy living with this nasty disease, having chemo treatments that zapped my energy and slowly took away my ability to earn a living.

“Now, I’m on a breathing machine 24/7, and I’ve started to lose the use of my left arm. I humbly ask for your support to reduce the medical and personal debt that I’ve incurred and to help with my family’s expenses.”

The luthier passed away peacefully at his home in Gloucester, MA, on October 5, 2025, with Susan Kolwicz by his side. His family is keeping the GoFundMe page active in his honor, with contributions helping to cover the medical expenses accrued.

Born in Long Island, 1952, Parker was just 13 years old when he crafted his first guitar out of a combination of cardboard and wood. He would dedicate his entire life to the art form of building electric guitars, regularly pushing the envelope with his builds.

His flagship Parker Fly, built from lightweight woods and reinforced with a carbon fiber exoskeleton, solves many issues he perceived with traditional builds.

“Wooden guitars tend to deform. The wood is loaded with a tensile force of all the strings, and that's quite a lot of force for a little piece of wood to sustain year after year,” Parker told D'Addario last year. “So this is where composite material comes in, and I added it to wood as an ingredient to help the wood withstand the continual load that it sees as a result of having a set of guitar strings tuned up to pitch.

“We wanted to deliver a high-quality product that didn't need repair and would hang in there and serve the musician as a dependable piece of gear. So, just like a cicada or a lobster, all the strength of the structure is right at the outside surface.”

The Parker Fly grew even more ingenious once Belew, wanting a versatile instrument for King Crimson's live shows, turned to Parker for a signature model.

His futuristic axe features a DiMarzio bridge humbucker, a Sustainiac in the neck, and a Piezo pickup for acoustic guitar emulations. The inclusion of a Line 6 Variax unlocks 25 different guitars, ranging from Stratocasters and Telecasters to Dobros and sitars, much to the delight of Belew’s musical oddisms.

Speaking to Sweetwater about that exoskeleton, Belew marvelled at the benefits it provided.

“It's some remarkable sci-fi material, and it makes the wood 10,000 times stronger,” he said. “You could stand on this neck and it's not gonna hurt it. It'll never go out of tune or need to be intonated.”

Adding to his praise in conversation with Premier Guitar last year, Belew felt Parker's builds went above and beyond the classics.

“I felt like Ken Parker had taken 20 years to eliminate all the things that normally happen with electric guitars,” he beamed. “All the problems you have, the tuning, the neck, the frets wearing out; everything that normally can go wrong with a Fender or Gibson. He figured it all out.

“I swear this guitar never goes out of tune. Plays beautifully. I play better with the [signature] Parker Fly. I can't explain it better than that.”

Parker was also an early adopter of stainless steel frets, something commonplace in today's market. Moreover, the carbon fiber exoskeleton, which helped solve tuning and intonation issues, is similar to the material Aristides uses for its guitars today, once again proving how ahead of the curve Parker was.

“Ken Parker, gentleman visionary. I cannot thank you enough for your incredible Parker Fly design,” Belew wrote on Instagram after hearing of Parker’s passing. “Your genius changed my life. Thank you.”

Readers can visit his GoFundMe page for more.

As the leaves start to turn and the days grow shorter, most folks think of cozy sweaters and pumpkin spice everything. But for us at Guitar Player, October isn't just about cider and costumes, it's all about cranking up the volume! Get ready for an electrifying Rocktober like no other, courtesy of Musician's Friend. They’re hosting a jaw-dropping sale with discounts of up to 40% on gear from the biggest names around.

I've gone through the sale, and there really is something for everyone in this glorious assortment. We're talking a buffet of guitars from iconic brands like Fender, Taylor, and Ernie Ball. And hey, it’s not just about guitars. Snag great deals on everything from must-have accessories to live sound gear and even drums.

To help you navigate this treasure trove of deals, I’ve handpicked some highlights.

First on our list is the jaw-dropping Epiphone DG-335, your ticket to capturing that legendary Grohl sound without selling your soul (or your kidney). With a whopping $300 off, this beauty comes loaded with Gibson USA pickups, including a Burstbucker 2 in the neck and a Burstbucker 3 in the bridge.

Next up, we’ve got the show-stopping Ernie Ball Music Man Luke III HH in Cherry Burst, the choice of legendary axeman Steve Lukather himself. With a killer $800 discount, this guitar features high-output humbuckers that’ll make your riffs sing, and with a built-in 20dB boost on the push/pull volume knob, you’ll be soaring to new sonic heights.

Last but definitely not least, feast your eyes on the fabulous Gretsch 5427TG, now available for only $769.99. With $250 knocked off, this retro gem packs Gretsch's FT-5E Filter'Tron pickups and a Bigsby vibrato into a stunning Midnight Sapphire finish.

But don’t stop there! With so many amazing finds waiting for you, we encourage you to dive into the full Rocktober catalog. And if you’re still hunting for killer deals, check out our Prime Day guitar deals hub for even more discounted guitars, amps, and pedals.

Part of a new series that Fender refers to as classic electric guitars for modern players, the Player II Modified Telecaster on review here is designed for those who prefer such amenities as a wider radius neck, bigger frets and noise-free operation, all of which set it apart from Fender’s vintage-spec offerings available at different price points.

As with the Player II Modified Strat that we reviewed, the "modified" part really says it all. The Player II feels great in the hands thanks to its silky smooth maple neck with Modern C profile and rosewood fingerboard slotted for 22 evenly crowned and polished medium-jumbo frets. Strings load from the back through brass ferrules and glide over a nicely worked TUSC nut out to a set of Fender short-shaft locking tuner with a string tree keeping the E and B strings at the proper height.

The alder body is fitted with a Fender string-through-body bridge with satin-nickel-plated brass-block saddles and a pair of Fender Player II Noiseless Tele pickups. A three-way blade switch makes the usual neck/both/bridge selections where the signal is passed to the volume and tone controls, the latter featuring a push-pull switch that puts both pickups in series when in the “up” position.

This hip feature doesn’t change the stock look one bit but it produces a louder, meatier tone that sounds great with distortion, but also beefs up the clean tones in a nice way. And when you push the chrome-plated knob down you still get that classic Tele sound.

I used the Player II with a Fender Deluxe Reverb reissue (with hand-wired circuitry by Alessandro Amplifiers) and a PRS DGT-15 head through a Bogner 1x12 cab loaded with a Celestion Vintage 30. On gigs varying between rock and country covers to mostly original instrumental music, the Player II did it all so well.

The heftier response with the tone knob pulled made it perfect for rhythm and lead, and because the pickup selector is defeated in that mode (both pickups are always on) you can just rock out and not think about switching pickups because the balance is so good. This is cool too, because you can leave the selector in the bridge, neck or middle setting for an instant transition to a classic Tele tone.

The Player II is an inspiring guitar that feels great under the fingers and, like all Teles, is versatile and can handle pretty much anything you point it at. The “modified” control system is a real advantage for those who appreciate vintage-style Tele but can really use the more muscular, pickups-in-series tones this guitar delivers.

A classic guitar with modern attitude, the Player II Modified Telecaster offers excellent playability, a high-quality build and noise-free tones that can suit any application. Bottom line: This timeless design constantly improves as Fender continues to evolve and refine the venerable Telecaster. So get your hands on a Player II Modified Tele and give it an audition.

SPECIFICATIONS

CONTACT fender.com

PRICE $1,049, gig-bag included

NUT TUSC, 1.650" wide

NECK Maple bolt-on, Modern C shape, satin-urethane finish

FINGERBOARD Rosewood, 25.5" scale, 9.5" radius, dot inlays. Also available with maple fingerboard

FRETS 22 medium jumbo

TUNERS Fender Deluxe short-shaft, die-cast locking

BODY Alder

FINISH Dusk, gloss polyester

BRIDGE String-through-body Tele with six adjustable block-brass saddles

PICKUPS Fender Player II Noiseless Tele single-coil (neck and bridge)

CONTROLS Volume with treble bleed, tone with push-pull series switch, three-way blade selector

EXTRAS Available in six colors: Dusk, Electric Blue, 3-Color Sunburst, Harvest Green Metallic, Olympic Pearl, Sunshine Yellow. Player II Modified Telecaster SH ($1,079) features a humbucker in the neck position and a push-pull coil-split pot

WEIGHT 8.8 lbs (as tested)

BUILT Ensenada, Mexico

PRO Excellent tones. Great playability. Push-pull tone pot puts the pickups in series for a beefier sound

CON None

From ultra-rare 1950s Broadcasters to Vernon Reid’s greatest-ever guitar find, Norman’s Rare Guitars in Tarzana, California has long since been home to some incredible vintage guitars.

And yet, the best-sounding Stratocaster in the store right now isn't a rare vintage model; it’s a midpriced Fender from 2018, one of the less-glamorous electric guitars in stock.

So says the store's Secret Stash Instagram page, where Norm's spotlights its more unusual wares.

“OK, I know what you’re thinking, and I will agree with you 2000%: it’s ugly as shit,” the post states. “But if you want probably the best-sounding Stratocaster in the house, then you might wanna get over the look.”

The model — a Fender Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster — was part of a limited-edition run of guitars in Ultraviolet finish that paid homage to the late guitar great. True to form, it features an alder body, a maple neck and fretboard, and a trio of vintage single-coil Strat pickups. It even has a reverse headstock, alluding to the fact that lefty Hendrix played right-handed guitars.

The guitar sold for the low price $1,080, but it has blown away Norman Harris, his team, and every customer who’s heard it.

“Ask anyone in the store, and they will tell you,” the post continues. “The other day, [L.A.–based guitarist Michael] Lemmo played it and everyone in the shop agreed this guitar holds up to any Strat we have, even the vintage ones.

“It’s just special. It has that thing and sounds ridiculous. I guarantee whoever gets this one will be thanking us.”

Unlike most sought-after Fenders, the Strat wasn’t made in its Corona, California factory but south of the border, in Mexico. Today, the company's Player, Player Plus and the retro-inspired Vintera series all come out of Ensenada.

Fender set up a manufacturing facility in Ensenada in 1987, just five years after it struck a deal to build its first guitars overseas, in Japan. Since then, Mexican Strats have built a reputation for sounds that belie their price tags. And the folks at Norman’s Rare Guitars can see why.

Meanwhile, Norman Harris has revealed he had the chance to buy George Harrison’s famed Gretsch Country Gentlemen, but saw it become the one that got away after he turned down the trade for one specific reason.

Over the years, the store has become an authority on vintage guitars and was responsible for putting a Cherry Red ES-345 in Marty McFly’s hands in the movie Back to the Future. However, the props team didn’t heed Harris’s advice when picking an instrument for the scene, and, as a result, they got some key details wrong.

The guitar hasn’t been seen since filming wrapped 40 years ago, leading Gibson to launch a worldwide search for an electric guitar that has inspired thousands to play.

Fender, meanwhile, has continued to roll out Hendrix-inspired Strats, complete with their Authentic Hendrix neck plates. But that love-it-or-hate-it Ultraviolet finish has been consigned to the history books.

It would have been safe to assume that, following last year’s record-breaking auction, it would be a long time before another Mark Knopfler–played guitar went under the hammer. Yet, a Baldwin/Burns Double Six solid-body 12-string guitar, used extensively by the Dire Straits man, has defied the odds. It is expected to sell for more than $40,000 when it goes on the block at U.K. auction house Gardiner Houlgate on September 9.

Knopfler sold a staggering 123 guitars via Christie’s in January 2024, raking in roughly $11 million. Just under 30 of those instruments fetched $100,00 apiece, while the standout was a 1959 Vintage Gibson Les Paul Standard that sold for $876,000.

It's little surprise Knopfler acquired so many guitars, given that he has been an inveterate collector throughout his career.

“I still stop and look in a guitar shop window when I pass one on the street,” he told Guitar Player just last year. “Nose up against the glass, that whole thing.”

The unusual Baldwin/Burns Double Six wasn’t one of his impulse buys, however. Knopfler “borrowed” the guitar for a rather extended 50-year period from his pal Jeff Sadler, a fellow northeast England native best known for his work in the folk-rock group Lindisfarne. Sadler bought the guitar in the mid 1970s before lending it to Knopfler. The pair, who were school friends, regularly traded and shared gear.

In Knopfler's hands, the Double Six found employment both in the studio and on stage. It was prominently used in the recording of “Angel of Mercy” and “Portobello Belle,” both from Dire Straits' 1979 sophomore album, Communiqué, and it appeared onstage at Wembley Stadium at 1986 show for the Prince’s Trust (now the King’s Trust). Knopfler also used it to perform “Sailing” at the show with Rod Stewart and Eric Clapton.

The Double Six is one of several models sold by Burns in the U.K. and rebranded by Baldwin for sale in the U.S. (Burns is the same firm behind Jeff “Skunk” Baxter’s bargain six-string, which he played on a disco classic.) The Double Six remained in Knopfler’s hands until last year. It had been earmarked to feature in his Christies fire sale. Upon discovering it in the trove scheduled to go on the block, Knopfler had the guitar returned to Sadler.

Now Sadler has put the guitar up for auction. It's set to be sold in the Gardiner Houlgate auction along with two other notable electric guitars: a 1957 Gretsch Chet Atkins 6120 owned by Jimmy Page, and a 1989 Takamine FP-360SC acoustic-electric used by Pete Townshend.

The Double Six isn't one of Knopfler's better-known guitars, nor is it associated with a major hit record. Although Communiqué is certified Gold in the U.S. and Platinum in the U.K., it produced no major hit singles and is the only Dire Straits record not represented on the Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler compilation album Private Investigations.

Still, the weight of its reputation and the fact that it remained by Knopfler's side for so long is enough to warrant an estimated $40K sale price.

“Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits had a huge influence on music and guitar players not just in the 1980s and ’90s, but through today,” says Gardiner Houlgate auctioneer Luke Hobbs. “I’m confident that this guitar will attract a lot of attention from fans and collectors alike — particularly as it has such a great story behind it. There's lots of provenance to this guitar.”

Visit Gardiner Houlgate for more information ahead of its sale on September 9.

Elsewhere, Knopfler has revealed the iconic guitar tone of one of the band's biggest hits was a stroke of dumb luck, explained why the most challenging aspects of Dire Straits' live shows had nothing to do with guitar playing, and detailed how a cheap guitar inspired his most famous guitar solo.

He's also discussed the one guitar he is “never without.” Like the Burns 12-string, it's another guitar he acquired from a friend and fellow rock legend.

Labor Day marks not only a much-needed long weekend but also a fantastic opportunity for musicians to score an amazing deal on a new guitar. As retailers roll out special promotions and discounts to celebrate the holiday, shoppers can find a wide selection of instruments at reduced prices. Whether you're a seasoned player looking to upgrade your gear or a beginner eager to start your musical journey, this Labor Day is the perfect time to invest in a quality guitar and take your passion for music to the next level.

The biggest discount I've seen so far is a colossal $3,525 off the Breedlove Showstopper Concert C Myrtlewood-Cocobolo acoustic guitar in the enchanting Ricochet Burst finish. This concert-size flatop features an eye-catching AAA figured myrtlewood top, cocobolo back and sides, and a striking figured maple neck. This guitar truly is a showstopper.

Now, even with over $3,000 off the price, this guitar is still expensive and out of reach for the vast majority of us. Below, I've listed three guitars that I actually think you'll buy this Labor Day, and I'd be happy to add any of these guitars to my collection.

First up is the Epiphone DG-335. After waiting everlong for an affordable version of Dave Grohl’s iconic Trini Lopez-inspired signature guitar, Epiphone finally delivered, and as predicted, the guitar was an instant hit. Arguably one of the most anticipated guitar launches in recent memory, the Pelham Blue semi-hollow took the guitar world by storm, and as such, they became pretty tricky to get hold of. Now that the model is more readily available, we've seen decent discounts. For Labor Day, you can pick one up with a generous $300 discount at Sweetwater.

So, this is a call to Foo fanatics; you don't want to miss this epic deal! This is literally the lowest I've ever seen this guitar, and I doubt it will get any cheaper.

Next up, we have the Schecter BlackJack SLS Avenger FR-S in the unique Aquaburst. This guitar is a metal monster, and the addition of the Sustainiac neck pickup seals the deal for me. For those not in the know, this special pickup features a sustain circuit that's designed to let notes ring on as long as you like. Save a monstrous $300 at Sweetwater.

Lastly, I'd like to give a shout-out to the gorgeous Fender Limited-Edition American Performer Timber Stratocaster in Mocha. This Limited-edition American Performer Timber Stratocaster features a sassafras body, a maple modern “C”-shaped neck, rosewood fingerboard, and a trio of Yosemite single-coil pickups. This guitar plays and sounds just as good as it looks, and it's even better with $320 off!

As a devoted fan of Gibson guitars, I've amassed quite a collection over the years. While my lineup features a variety of brands, Gibson instruments significantly dominate my stash. Out of the 25 guitars I own, 13 of them are proud members of the Gibson family.

Among my favorites are several distinct models, including a classic Firebird V alongside two Non-Reverse Firebirds. My repertoire deepens with a striking cherry red SG Standard, a Pelham Blue '61 reissue SG Special, and a '60s style Les Paul Standard. I also cherish the '60s reissue ES-335, its compact counterpart, the ES-339, and a TV Yellow Les Paul Special. Rounding out my collection are a '70s reissue Flying V, Explorer, the unique Theodore Standard, and my reliable acoustic, the J-45.

• Shop the full Musician's Friend Labor Day sale

Despite my current lineup, I can't help but feel the itch to grow my collection further, much to my wife's chagrin. I’ve recently discovered an opportunity to add another Explorer, thanks to the fantastic Labor Day sales.

Right now, Musician’s Friend is offering remarkable discounts on select Gibson models - up to $450 off some standout guitars! This includes the brand-new Double Trouble Les Paul and the eye-catching '70s Explorer in the timeless Antique Natural finish.

To grab these exclusive deals, you need to become a Musician's Friend member. Signing up is completely free and takes just 30 seconds. Simply fill in your details, and you’ll gain access to special discounts not available to non-members.

The Gibson Explorer is my go-to guitar for gigs; it’s dependable and always delivers. I’ve been contemplating getting a second one as a backup, and with a whopping $374.85 off, now seems like the perfect time. The Explorer model is everything I admire in a guitar. The balance in its design, the rocking 70s Tribute pickups, and, of course, its stunning appearance.

Another model worth mentioning is the Gibson Les Paul Studio. It may not have the flash of its more glamorous counterpart, the Standard, but it certainly encapsulates all the qualities that make a Les Paul remarkable. With its mahogany body and neck, ebony fingerboard, trapezoid inlays, and elegant mother-of-pearl Gibson logo, this versatile single-cut guitar is a great find, especially with a discount of $269.85.

One surprise from the current promotions is the Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s Double Trouble. Just released in March, this model boasts enticing features like uncovered 'Classic White' humbuckers and vintage nitrocellulose finishes in a limited run. With an impressive $419.85 off, it could be the perfect addition for anyone captivated by its Ace Frehley-inspired look.

This Labor Day sale is an excellent opportunity for both seasoned collectors and newcomers to add a genuine Gibson guitar to their lineup at an unbeatable price!

Labor Day is here, and that means it's time for incredible discounts on your favorite guitar brands! Whether you’re looking for a striking electric guitar, a beautifully resonant acoustic, or a powerful bass, now is the perfect occasion to snag that musical gear you’ve had your eyes on.

This year, some of the biggest names in music retail, including Guitar Center, Musician’s Friend, and Fender, are pulling out all the stops with substantial price cuts on their best-selling products. However, the standout deals are coming from Sweetwater, where you can enjoy discounts of up to 50% on a variety of musical equipment.

To help you dive right into the savings, we’ve rounded up some of the most enticing offers available this Labor Day.

First on our list is the stunning Epiphone DG-335, now boasting a remarkable $300 discount. This guitar pays homage to Grohl’s legendary Gibson, allowing you to capture that signature Foo Fighters sound without breaking the bank. Equipped with Gibson USA pickups, featuring a Burstbucker 2 in the neck and a Burstbucker 3 in the bridge, it's the ultimate choice for achieving his legendary tone.

Next, let's talk about the alluring D'Angelico Premier DC XT. This eye-catching instrument showcases a laminated semi-hollow maple body, a maple neck, and a walnut fingerboard, all enhanced by a pair of Supro Bolt Bucker pickups. To sweeten the deal, you can enjoy a jaw-dropping $100 discount this Labor Day!

Lastly, we have a true gem for collectors and enthusiasts alike, the Sweetwater exclusive Gibson Les Paul Supreme Koa Top. With its breathtaking Koa top, this single-cut beauty is a rare find, and right now, you can score it at an amazing $500 off.

Don’t miss out on these incredible offers and make this Labor Day the perfect opportunity to enhance your musical collection!

Greeny, the iconic 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard, has been owned by blues giants Peter Green and Gary Moore. Given its history, would it be any surprise if the guitar had landed in the storied guitar collection of another blues giant like Joe Bonamassa?

It could have happened. But as Bonamassa explains in a new interview with Guitar Interactive Magazine’s Jonathan Graham, he has no regrets things went the way they did.

Peter Green’s 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard is an icon among rock’s star-studded electric guitar universe. It's famed for its honky, out-of-phase tone on its middle pickup switch setting, the result of the neck pickup having been accidentally flipped during a repair, reversing the polarity of its magnets. The guitar featured in Green’s work with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers through to his years in Fleetwood Mac, where it was used on cuts like “Black Magic Woman” and “The Green Manalishi.”

He then sold it to Irish blues-rocker Gary Moore, a devoted follower of Green, who used the guitar throughout his career with Thin Lizzy and on his solo efforts, including his 1995 Green tribute, Blues for Greeny. The guitar took a beating during its time with Moore and suffered a headstock break in an automobile accident, which was subsequently repaired.

Although Moore loved the guitar, when financial troubles struck, he was forced to sell Greeny. Guitar dealer Phil Winfield purchased it and sold it, after which it changed hands before landing with Melvyn Franks, who consigned its sale to guitar dealer Richard Henry.

It was at this point Bonamassa had an opportunity to own Greeny. He had possession of it briefly when he used it to perform “Midnight Blues” at London’s Royal Albert Hall in March 2013. As he revealed in a 2023 social media post, he had a chance to buy the guitar that same year, but turned it down.

"Greeny wasn't for me,” he explains to Guitar Interactive. “Guitars let you know when they're for you. And — truth be told — I think that guitar ended up — one thousand percent without a doubt — with the person who loves it the most. That means more than anything else.

“Now, you're not going to find a bigger Peter Green fan than me, and you're not going to find a bigger Gary Moore fan than me. But at the time, how it was being presented to me was not the way I would want to remember that.”

Bonamassa doesn’t elaborate on how the guitar was being sold, and unfortunately he’s not pressed to provide more details. According to various rumors, he either didn’t like the headstock repair, the asking price was too high (some claim it was $6 million) or he was unhappy with the guitar’s sound. Joe confirms to Graham that the latter was not the issue.

“It sounded fine,” he says. “It was a Les Paul — and it quacked in the middle,” he says with a grin, referring to its out-of-phase pickup setting. “But, you know, give me five minutes and a screwdriver, I can make any Les Paul quack. You just flip the magnet. It's quacking.

“But that's the one, you know?”

As Joe makes clear, he has nothing but good vibes for Greeny’s owner, Kirk Hammett. As he wrote in the previously mentioned 2013 post, “It found its right home since then. Collecting is about what you love and what you are gonna do with it. PG's Les Paul gets played every night. I'm very happy for its current owner. And he is a friend and a hellava player.”

As Hammett has previously revealed, he was in London in 2014 when Richard Henry offered him a chance to add Greeny to his growing guitar collection. He played the guitar through a vintage Marshall Bluesbreaker combo and was wowed by what he heard.

“After about 30 seconds,” he says, “I thought to myself, ‘Wow, this is not your standard Les Paul…’ and I went to the middle position, because, you know, that’s the revered sound, and I started ripping out, and I thought to myself, ‘Holy shit, this is a total contradiction.’

“It sounded like an incredible Les Paul in the bridge position and in the neck position, but when you put it in the middle position it kind of sounded like a Strat through a 100-watt Marshall stack!”

Hammett, of course, became Greeny's third famous owner and has continued to give the iconic Les Paul workouts both onstage and in the studio. Bonamassa, meanwhile, has no regrets about taking a pass on it. Which only underscores what’s been said many times about guitar collecting: What you choose to own is as personal as how you play.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know that Fender has just launched the new American Ultra Luxe Vintage collection. This new lineup showcases a fantastic array of Stratocasters and Telecasters that are quickly making a name for themselves as some of the tastiest guitars in the current catalog. The American Ultra series has always represented the peak of Fender’s electric guitars, and with the arrival of the American Ultra II and Luxe Vintage range, it has reached new heights.

With this fresh update, many older models are now being offered at impressive discounts of up to 20%. For a limited time, you'll be able to grab a multitude of guitars from the renowned Ultra Luxe, Ultra, and American Professional II series, along with the innovative Acoustasonic line.

Whether you’re on the hunt for a classic Strat, a reliable Tele, a versatile Jazzmaster, a punchy P-Bass, or even acoustic guitars and spare parts, there’s something for everyone in this incredible sale. Make sure you act quickly, as these deals are available only until August 24!

I’m particularly excited about the American Ultra Luxe Telecaster. This beauty delivers phenomenal performance with its unique Augmented "D" neck profile, providing amazing comfort. Its 10"-14" compound-radius fingerboard, stainless steel frets, and Ultra Noiseless Vintage pickups ensure excellent playability while giving you that classic Tele twang, minus the unwanted buzz. Right now, you can save an impressive $530 at Fender.

Then there’s the American Professional II Jazzmaster, which merges over sixty years of innovation with the modern player's needs. It boasts a Deep "C" neck and V-Mod II pickups designed for better clarity, along with a versatile Panorama Tremolo system. I consider it a great deal at a discount of $200.

Also check out the Limited Edition American Performer Timber Stratocaster, made in Corona, California, featuring Yosemite single-coil pickups for those signature Strat tones. It’s designed with a comfy “Modern C” neck and comes with 22 jumbo frets for today’s players. Right now, you can save $320 on this fantastic instrument.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! I really encourage you to explore Fender.com to see their impressive selection and take advantage of these amazing sales. Just remember, the clock is ticking, and you only have until August 24!

Eddie Van Halen's 1982 Kramer electric guitar, which bears his signature stripes design and played a surprise role in a glam metal classic, is headed to auction this fall.

Going under the hammer as part of Sotheby's inaugural Grails Week (October 21 to October 28), the electric guitar is expected to go for $3 million, considering its heritage. That would make it the fifth most expensive guitar ever sold at auction, falling just behind another red, white, and black-striped Kramer – Eddie's "Hot For Teacher" axe, which sold for $3,932,000 in 2023.

If the guitar is to fetch that price, it would knock John Lennon’s “Help!” 12-string Framus Hootenanny out of the top bracket. The acoustic guitar sold for $2,857,500 in 2024, after it hadn't been seen or played in 50 years.

The Kramer is based on Eddie’s infamous home-built Frankenstein Strat, which was last used by Wolfgang Van Halen during the recording of Mammoth’s new track, “The End”. The Kramer featured prominently across Van Halen’s 1982-83 tour dates, having been played in Philadelphia and extensively across South America.

Featuring a Floyd Rose tremolo and a humbucker in the bridge and single coil in the neck – complete with a vacant middle cavity to mirror the Frankenstein – it’s the epitome of EVH luthiery. Signs of heavy wear, particularly across its maple fretboard, show the guitar has been used and abused plenty during its lifetime.

Known for gifting his guitars – just ask a teenage Dweezil Zappa, and Mark Tremonti – the virtuoso later gave the twin pickup guitar to his longtime tech, Robin "Rudy" Leiren. It even has a personalised inscription on the guitar from Van Halen to Leiren on the bass side horn.

By the end of the decade, it was in Mick Mars’ hands, and he used the guitar across the recording of Mötley Crüe's 1989 album, “Dr Feelgood”, when the band were at the height of their powers. It’s been confirmed that it was used on the track “Slice of Your Pie”.

“Played during some of Eddie's most iconic performances and later used by Mötley Crüe's Mick Mars, this instrument connects two giants of heavy metal,” says Sotheby’s Ian Ferreyra de Bone. “With its custom build and incredible backstory, it's a true grail.”

The guitar will be put on display in Monterey, California, from August 13 until August 16, ahead of its sale.

In related news, Eddie Van Halen’s lifelong friend has opened up on how he was a “pretty complex” character, while a recording engineer who worked on “A Different Kind of Truth” has explained why he didn’t double-track his riffs.

With its back-to-the future offset styling that echoes the ’90s-era Jackson Surfcaster, the LM-87 exudes a classic-cool vibe that Lee Malia of British rock band Bring Me the Horizon sought for his signature axe.

The LM-87 is an all-new model, however, as witnessed by its open-pore black satin finish and cream binding on a body made of okoume. It’s mated to a three-piece set neck with a contoured heel that literally guides your hand into the high positions. The 25.5 inch-scale amaranth fingerboard has a compound radius of 12 to 16 inches and carries 22 well-attended jumbo frets. The cream/black Shark-Eye block inlays are a crowning touch that exude a bit of ’50 nightclub flair.

In the hardware department, a Tune-o-matic–style bridge is paired with a top-loading stop tailpiece equipped with fine tuners. It’s a setup that provides good sustain and lets you easily make close tuning adjustments after pulling the strings to pitch with the locking tuners on the Gumby-esque headstock.

The pickups consist of Jackson’s LM-87 humbucker at the bridge and LM-87 P90 in the neck position. Riding in black plastic bezels with screws on either side to adjust height and tilt, these pickups stand out with their chrome housings with black bobbins. The P90 has adjustable chrome-plated pole pieces while the humbucker uses dual sets of poles with chrome hex-head adjusters.

Topped with retro-style skirted knobs, the volume and tone controls sit on a brushed aluminum panel adjacent to the three-ply pickguard. The volume pot is a push-pull type that splits the coils in the bridge and middle positions when pulled up. Interestingly, the dual-pickup setting sounds slimmer and a bit brighter in split-coil mode, as you’d expect, but the output stays quite strong compared to most guitars with coil-splitting functions.

I suspect it’s because the single-coil of the bridge pickup is being paired with the neck P90, which has its full output to overcome the volume loss while still delivering a single-coil sound. At any rate, I often didn’t realize the volume knob was in the up position when playing with an overdriven tone.

A three-way toggle with a chromed tip provides the usual pickup selections. Unfortunately, the switch is right in the path of your strumming hand. After constantly knocking it out of position, I was wishing they’d put it on the upper bout instead.

The LM-87 is well sorted for rock, as its bridge humbucker sounds massive through a high-gain amp or pedal. I used the LM-87 with a Matchless Chieftain 2x12 combo and a Fender Deluxe Reverb, using distortion pedals from Fulltone and Keeley, and it delivered the goods for lead and dirty rhythm and was totally controllable from the guitar’s volume knob.

The neck pickup also sounded great for clean playing, thanks to its bell-like clarity. Switching between it and the more open response of the dual-pickup setting (in either split or full-humbucker mode) made the guitar suitable for even jazzier styles, further highlighting its flexibility.

Jackson’s Pro Series Lee Malia LM-87 is offbeat in all the right ways and a wolf in sheep’s clothing with its Surfcaster, alt-rock vibe and potent pickups. It’s a sweet-playing guitar courtesy of the satiny C-shape neck and 22 jumbo frets, and it caters to those who care about being in tune by virtue of the easily tweakable tailpiece tuners.

As it stands, the Lee Malia M-87 is a great choice for anyone who wants a great-looking guitar that, despite its metal leanings, can handle anything you throw at it.

SPECIFICATIONS

CONTACT jacksonguitars.com

PRICE $899, gig-bag included

NUT Black plastic,1.687" wide

NECK Okoume 3-piece set neck with graphite reinforcement and open-pore semi-gloss finish

FINGERBOARD Amaranth, 25.5" scale, 12" to 16" compound radius. Cream binding, black side dots and Shark-Eye block inlays

FRETS 22 jumbo

TUNERS Jackson-branded die-cast locking

BODY Okoume with cream binding

FINISH Black open pore semi-gloss

BRIDGE Jackson Tune-o-matic with anchored tailpiece and fine tuners

PICKUPS Jackson LM-87 humbucker (bridge), LM-87 P90 (neck)

CONTROLS Volume with push-pull coil-split, tone, three-way toggle with chrome tip

EXTRAS Three-ply (black/white/black) pickguard with brushed-aluminum control plate

WEIGHT 8.36 lbs (tested)

BUILT China

PRO Classic looks. Combines humbucker heft with potent single-coil tones. Fine tuners on tailpiece allow for precise tuning adjustments

CON The pickup selector is in the path of your strumming hand

Given the chance to check out Jackson Guitars’ most recent additions to its American Soloist series, the SL2 DX, I could hardly pass it up. After all, Jackson was first to embrace the high-velocity and fierce driving styles employed by electric guitarists in the early hard rock scene, and helped launch metal into the mainstream.

Even 40 years out from the small Charvel repair shop that started it all, the company has a black-nailed finger on the pulse of today's metal players and the style’s ever-growing number of subgenres.

As metal guitars go, its specs are spot-on: a Superstrat design with a familiar pair of well-respected Seymour Duncan pickups, 24 jumbo stainless-steel frets, and a three-piece maple neck with neck-through-body construction. In addition, my review model — the SL2 DX HT — features a Hipshot hardtail bridge; the SL2 DX version comes with a Floyd Rose 1500 Series double-locking tremolo bridge system.

The SL2 DX is actually the third iteration of the company’s popular American Series Soloist. It’s designed for metal, and its looks don’t lie. With Jackson’s iconic angular inline headstock, menacing Shark-Fin fret markers inlaid on the deep black ebony fretboard, stainless frets and a no-fuss satin Porsche Grey unbound finish, it's an enticing package that begs to be picked up and played. (The SL2 DX HT is also offered in Lemon Ice, Scorched Earth and Snow White finishes.)

Even before playing it, I was impressed by how the SL2 DX felt in my hands. The build is extremely solid, which is surprising when you realize that its shallow “D” shape has a heelless joint and offers unencumbered access to all 24 frets.

This is down to the combination of the three-piece maple neck, dual-action truss rod system, and an internal graphite neck reinforcement that allows for its ultra-friendly shape right up to the 24th fret. These are important, and possibly critical, features for metal players who play in dropped tunings. It also provides for an extremely low action (it came setup that way) that gives the fretboard a fast and silky feel, while it supports accurate muting and other techniques experienced metal players can really milk.

Playability in the upper registers of the neck is surprisingly easy thanks to the rolled ebony fingerboard and the neck's compound radius, which makes the fretboard slightly more flat at the upper frets. With the stock light strings and low action, the guitar felt effortless.

I played the SL2 DX pretty aggressively for several hours on day one, and the combination of the Hipshot 6 fixed bridge and Gotoh MG-t locking tuning machines kept it solidly in tune. Even after the guitar spent a night in the case and endured some travel, tuning was nearly spot on.

The SL2 DX has a Seymour Duncan JB TB-4 humbucker — known for its high output and a thunderous low end — in the bridge position, and a Seymour Duncan ‘59 SH-1N — equally famous for its sparkling treble and characteristic scooped mids — in the neck position. It’s a popular pickup combination that delivers both searing heavy and smooth clear tones.

While either pickup is a good fit for most heavy styles, the variety of tones offered by the five-position pickup switch is extraordinary.

You’ll find both a volume and a tone control on the SL2 DX models and you’ll likely want to use them both with all the additional tonal range you get from these pickups, especially compared to an active pickup configuration.

I tested the SL2 through my Fender digital rig using various emulations, and through a Mesa/Boogie Filmore50 amp with a Friedman BE-OD overdrive pedal. While a Mesa Triple Rectifier or Mark V might have been a better test of the guitar’s metal tones, I got the highly responsive and deep chugging I’d hoped for from the JB. I’ve heard others describe the pickup as “hot but not too hot,” which I would agree with. It’s compressed, but by carefully adjusting the guitar’s volume it was easy to get a reasonably clean tone out of it.

The 59 pickup is Seymour’s take on the classic Gibson P.A.F. humbucker. Notes are clear and well defined note, even with a healthy amount of distortion, and I got a beefy rhythm sound that kept its definition nicely. Melodies and single-note lines sounded sweet and clear, with a consistent, pleasant percussive attack. It sounded great clean, and just as good dirtied up a bit, making it a nice complement to the JB.

Positions two and four split the coils and open the door to a slew of other options that work great with chorus and various reverbs, along with lots of overdriven sounds. While these tonal choices may be of less interest to traditional metal enthusiasts, they do offer more opportunity to use this instrument in other musical contexts. Hard rockers will appreciate the fat tone and fast action, for sure.

There are many tonal variables here, so your mileage may differ, but I found lots of options for both clean and overdriven sounds, including some unexpected tones coming from a guitar built for metal and shredders. As metal has evolved away from in-your-face driving sounds to include more tonal variation — even some clean environmental passages — it would seem that this pickup combination might provide inspiration for creative metal players looking for new sonic territory to conquer.

Clearly built to handle the rigors of live performance in the metal arena and come back for more, the American Series Soloist SL2 DX is made from start to finish in Fender’s Corona, California factory. It is, as the company has promoted it, a premium guitar built for speed and metal, and it offers even more than you might expect from a modern high-performance axe.

However, to make it road ready, you’d be advised to get a hardshell case, as the light semi-rigid case it ships with offers only minimal protection and doesn’t seem to be a great fit around the lower bout.

Not just another fast guitar with the company’s trademark aggressive look, Jackson’s new SL2 DX’s impressive set of features, solid craftsmanship and thoughtful design put it right on track with the evolution of modern metal. More than worth a look, this guitar screams to be played.

SPECIFICATIONS

CONTACT jacksonguitars.com

PRICE $2,399 gig bag included

NUT Graph Tech TUSQ XL, 1.6875" wide

NECK Jackson Speed Neck, three-piece maple with graphite reinforcement and dual-action truss rod with wheel adjustment

FINGERBOARD Ebony, 25.5" scale, 12" to 16” compound radius, bound edges with Luminlay side dots

FRETS 24 stainless steel jumbo

TUNERS Gotoh MG-T locking

BODY Alder with Jackson Soloist shape

FINISH Porsche Gray

BRIDGE Hipshot 6 (fixed .175)

PICKUPS HH Seymour Duncan: JB TB-4 bridge, ‘59 SH-1N neck

CONTROLS Volume, tone, five-position blade switch

STRINGS Nickel-plated steel, 009–.042

WEIGHT 7.6 to 8 lbs (depending on model)

BUILT USA

PROS Designed to play fast and hard, many tonal options, extremely stable tuning

CONS Case is lightweight and has a loose fit

It’s either totally crazy or completely understandable that the most unique electric guitar to come through in many moons is designed by a guy who runs one of the biggest acoustic operations in the world. Andy Powers is famous for redesigning and re-imagining pretty much everything happening at Taylor. But he loves electric guitar as well, and over in some secret Area 51 laboratory, the endlessly inquisitive luthier built an altogether different beast: the Powers Electric A-Type.

I first got wind of this development a couple of NAMM shows ago, but there were no Powers Electrics to be found anywhere around the Taylor booth. I hunted one down at the Two-Rock booth, where I dug its retro-future sensibility and tonality, from what I could hear in such a noisy environment. Powers and company let me know they were happy to keep it a boutique item until it organically grew from a hip side project into a bigger deal, and now that time has come.

I was completely stunned when the guitar arrived for review. I remembered it being cool, but not this cool! Without even plugging it in, I could see there was so much to take in on this eclectic instrument.

Aesthetically, the Powers Electric has the vibe of a pawnshop prize with modern mechanics and boutique amenities. It’s as if Powers jumped into Doc Brown’s DeLorean from Back to the Future, set the date for 1963, walked into a mom-and-pop guitar shop to pillage various pieces, and then jumped back to the present to combine them in a state-of-the-art contemporary workshop.

The are no f-holes, but the A-Type has a hollow body. It’s double-cutaway frame is slightly larger and deeper than a Strat, and it has a Danelectro or even a Supro kind of style. The Camtail vibrato tailpiece is essentially a newfangled Bigsby that appears as if it could have come from a Gretsch.

It’s got dual single-coil pickups kind of like, say, a vintage Gibson with P90s, but these pickups have their own distinctive flair. The neck would look right at home on an Ernie Ball/Music Man. And then there are all the boutique-y nuances, such as the blown-glass style caps on the volume and tone knobs, as well as the vibrato arm.

Finally, there’s the color scheme. It’s available in myriad vibrant hues that draw on bold classic car colors. I was attracted to Mint Green, Blue Lagoon and Viola Purple Metallic — the model shown here is in Silver Jade Mach 1 — but the review unit available was Aubergine, as seen in my demo video below, which is a shade of purple that’s pretty plum.

I tested this guitar in several settings, from the home studio to a funk gig at John Lee Hooker’s old Boom Boom Room to a ZZ Top tribute where it really knocked me out on “Cheap Sunglasses.” Playability is simply perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing. In fact, I’m kind of timid about even changing the strings because these are so on point.

The open-pore mahogany neck feels very much like an Ernie Ball/Music Man as well, and it plays slinky as hell. Something about the uncommon scale length of 24.875 inches and having only 21 frets equates to being able reach things on this guitar that are normally beyond my grasp. You wind up playing all sorts of chords and licks that were never apparent. It’s weird not to have at least 22 frets, but string bendability is off the charts, and when you combine that with the awesome action on the vibrato system, wild stuff ensues.

Powers Electric offers a top-loading hardtail option for the A-Type, but to me, having a whammy bar is half the fun of playing an electric guitar. The cool thing about this Camtail system is that when you’re not using the vibrato, it’s so locked down that it practically feels like a hardtail. There is zero string slag when performing traditional bends. The A-Type stays holistically in tune no matter what you do.

Now, I’m a floating trem kind of cat from the Jeff Beck school, so it took a minute to get used to the bar only going down rather than down and up. Then Taylor let me know that there’s a little screw you can remove to unlock the bar and make it float. That facilitates upward mobility to a reasonable degree for a Bigsby-style vibrato.

The main thing to keep in mind when utilizing that ability to momentarily raise notes and chords sharp is to remain conscious about ending with a quick downward push for a return to ground zero. Somehow, the advanced mechanical mojo of this system makes the platform feel solid even when it’s not technically locked down. Traditional string bends still sound true. What a godsend!

The Powers Electric emits a happening tone all its own. You can feel the lightweight A-Type body made of sustainable Urban Ash resonate against your body acoustically. You can even have a buddy play it and simply grab the headstock to feel the good vibrations resonating up through the neck.

It’s about twice as loud and vibrant as a typical solidbody before being plugged in, and it doesn’t disappoint through amplification. I played it through several different amps, from a powerful Rivera Knucklehead to a Fender Super Champ. In every scenario the Powers Electric delivered multiple killer tones.

Clean sounds are so percussive that much of the funky fingerstyle slap-and-pop stuff I normally reserve for acoustic playing becomes fair game on this electric. It’s so spanky! There’s a pristine high end that shines through on both pickups in all three toggle-switch positions, perhaps reflecting its solid maple top.

In the bridge position, this new Powers pickup creation cuts like a knife and stabs like an ice pick. In the neck position, it warms up nicely. The middle toggle-switch position offers a beautiful balance of both. That was ground zero for me, and I’d flip it forward or backward depending on the situation. Very practical.

These Powers pickups are kind of like low-noise, high-powered P90s, and when you add some gain, things get really interesting really quick. They won’t sound exactly like humbuckers, but they can sound thicker than your run-of-the-mill single-coils, due in no small part to the substantial hollow body.

Like a fine jazz box, notes will blossom if you give them time to do so. Playability is so sweet that it’s tempting to flail away, but when you slow down and let a note sustain, it will open up and bloom like a magnolia tree in springtime.

The tone control is unique and ultra-practical. Roll it back and that top shimmer goes away without changing the overall tone too drastically. I found it super useful for playing lead passages, especially when using high gain. When a lot of sizzle is being generated by pedals and tubes, you don’t need so much from the guitar, so it’s nice to be able to curtail it in one fell swoop of the control knob without having to worry about entering a tonal twilight zone.

Andy Powers is perhaps the most fascinating person in the musical instrument business because he’s a modern renaissance man. Andy is as interested in cars, skateboards, surfing and growing an organic fruit tree farm on his property as he is guitars. He’s as much a player and artist as he is a luthier, and while he obviously designs a lot of Taylor products to suit that huge brand, it’s clear that many of his creations are simply to satisfy his own cat-like curiosity.

Powers may have originally designed the A-Type to suit himself, but he wound up creating something that every single player I’ve presented it to finds fascinating. As for my editorial opinion, the Powers A-Type is my single favorite electric guitar I’ve tested in more than two decades at Guitar Player. In my 10th year serving as Frets editor focused on acoustics, it's fitting that my fave electric comes from a fellow acoustic aficionado.

SPECIFICATIONS

CONTACT powerselectricguitars.com

PRICE $3,999 with groovy custom leather, Mad Men-approved gig bag inspired by classic Porsche seat upholstery

NUT Ebony, 1.7" width

NECK 1-piece mahogany, asymmetrical “Powers Electric carve” profile, glued-in

FRETBOARD Honduran rosewood, Italian acrylic “Twin Arch” inlays, 24.875" radius

FRETS 21, jumbo

TUNERS Enclosed chrome-plated

BODY Urban ash back with solid maple top, double-cutaway “trussed” hollowbody

BRIDGE High-carbon steel baseplate with Delrin saddle, machined aluminum Camtail vibrato tailpiece

PICKUPS Two Powers Electric PF42 single-coils

FACTORY STRINGS D’Addario XS Coated Nickel, gauges .010 - .046

CONTROLS Three-way pickup selector, volume and tone knobs

WEIGHT 6.4 lbs (as tested)

BUILT USA

PRO Outrageously inspirational, totally unique, an electric guitar with wonderfully percussive dynamic response and perfect playability

CON Not a single thing

Jimmy Page gave away a guitar as a competition prize more than 50 years ago. Now it could be fetch roughly $70,000 when it goes to the auction block.

The 1957 Gretsch Chet Atkins 6120 electric guitar was offered as the prize in a competition run by New Musical Express magazine, now known as NME. The contest was announced on the October 12, 1974 issue’s cover with a photo of Page holding the guitar like a cricket bat.

To compete for the prize, entrants had to correctly match six guitars with the celebrity artists who played them, with the winner selected from the correct entries.

The lucky winner was Charles Reid of Hornsey, north London, who was clearly thrilled with his prize.

“Page must be mental giving away such a terrific guitar as this,” Reid said at the time. “It’s the kind of instrument that every guitar player dreams of owning but can never really afford.”

As Page explained in an interview that accompanied the contest, he purchased the guitar in Nashville for £200 in 1972.

Reid held onto the instrument until September 1990, when he sold it to Phil O’Donoghue, of Chessington, Surrey, for £2,000, or roughly $7,800 in 2025. O’Donoghue had performed with a rock group in the 1970s known as the Wild Angels. He held onto the guitar until his death, in early 2025.

O’Donoghue’s family is now selling the guitar, which is expected to fetch between £30,000 and £50,000 — about $40,000 to $67,000 — when it goes on the block at Gardiner Houlgate on September 9.

Auctioneer Luke Hobbs notes that few of Page’s guitars ever come up for auction. “And when they do, they attract huge interest from collectors, investors and fans of Led Zeppelin.

“What’s so wonderful about this guitar is that we have the copies of the New Musical Express showing the competition and even a photo of Page giving the guitar to the winner, Charles Reid,” he says.

The guitar is being sold with original copies of New Musical Express, receipts and correspondence.

Page reportedly owned another orange Gretsch Chet Atkins in his early years, which he traded in 1961 for a Gibson Les Paul "Black Beauty."

Coincidentally, the guitar up for auction is the same year and model Gretsch owned by guitarist Randy Bachman.