Editor’s Highlights

Gearing Up

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN HILL As we dive

Vibrato Vibes

Announced much earlier in 2023, this new Surf liner Deluxe has been a long time coming. Worth the wait or has it gone off the boil? Let’s take a look…

Universal Tone Machine

Fender’s big entry into the digital modelling floorboard arena offers stunning amp and effects models and double the processing power of its nearest rivals

Full Power

Fender’s new FRFR powered cabinets – which can partner with the new Tone Master Pro – pack a big punch

Green Machine

First we had Gibson’s Murphy Lab replicas, then the USA production version. And now, for half that money, Epiphone does its own ‘Greeny’

Over The Moon

It’s the sound of The Police – so take a small step (or giant leap) and hit the footswitch of this Andy Summers signature flanger

Prehistoric Power house

The Skeleton Key from UK-based company Funny Little Boxes aims to unlock that Queens Of The Stone Age guitar tone

Favourite Sons

PRS SE CE 24, SE SWAMP ASH SPECIAL & SE CUSTOM 24 QUILT

Class In Session

The Finnish brand is a fixture on many players’ ’boards and now has a new UKsingle distributor double – sopage it’s time opener to revisit some of the Mad Professor’s creations

Gas Supply

Our pick of the month’s most delectable and wallet-bothering new gear

Fretbuzz

A monthly look at must-hear artists from all corners of the guitar world, from the roots of their sound to the tracks that matter most

Albums

The month’s best guitar music – a hand-picked selection of the finest fretwork on wax

Tones Behind The Tracks

Malcolm Bruce speaks about a new album of Cream songs with a band that included Bernie Marsden, Ginger Baker and Paul Rodgers

Strad-O-Caster

Despite years working with guitars, Neville Marten reveals how he was shamefully brought down by his ignorance of other stringed instruments…

The Final Stop

This month Alex Bishop helps two of his longterm student projects reach the end of their ambitious guitar builds

For The Record

Jamie Dickson enters the studio to record his fingerstyle album – and finds plenty of careful tone choices need to be made

THREE TO GET READY

Inexpensive rootsy acoustics with character

Finding Triads (PART 1)

Richard Barrett encourages you away from your stock patterns and phrases with some familiar groups of notes

Feedback

Your letters to the Guitarist editor. Drop us a line at guitarist@futurenet.com

WIN A BOSS SDE-3000EVH & KATANA-AIR EX AMP!

Your chance to win this fabulous rig from Boss

JAMES WALBOURNE

The Pretenders guitarist recalls leaving a precious acoustic in the back of a taxi and how 60s SG Juniors rock his world…

A YEAR IN MODS

While we’re celebrating the best of the year’s reviewed gear, The Mod Squad has had its hands on some stellar kit, too. Dave Burrluck says 2023 might well go down as The Year Of The Pickup!

LIGHTNING STRIKE

Why are we excited about a new stud tailpiece, a design that dates back to the mid-50s? Dave Burrluck spills the beans…

Huw Price’s Nitty Gritty

Action

Hearing Straight

If you’ve ever been on a cramped stage with your amp blasting your ankles from the floor, you’ll appr eciate this advice from Zilla Cabs’ Paul Gough

MIKE McCREADY

As he returns with a beat-to-hell new incarnation of his signature Strat, the Pearl Jam co-founder tells us about flipping burgers for first guitars, learning Van Halen’s Eruption in his 50s, and his Townshend ‐worthy talent for auto-destruction

GEAR OF THE YEAR

We’ve rated the rest – now here are the best guitars, amps & effects we’ve tried in 2023

MAINSTREAM ELECTRICS

Character abounds from these sub -£500 electrics

MAINSTREAM ELECTRICS

A milestone year for some industry big-hitters brings even more stylish designs

ONCE UPON A BUILD

Our industry is dominated by the large heritage brands, but are they giving us what we really want? Should we start looking elsewhere?

MAINSTREAM ELECTRICS

Past and present collide in this enviable display of modern guitar-making

PRESTIGE ELECTRICS

The epitome of craft and style, these superlative electrics can’t be beaten

ACOUSTIC GUITARS

The instruments that shone bright for us in the acoustic world during the past year

LUTHERIE WITHOUT BORDERS

In recent times, a few makers have had stellar results combining small-workshop finesse with productionline output – casting aside preconceptions about how and where the ‘best’ quality guitars can be made

AMPLIFIERS

Homegrown tone continues to hold strong, plus a welcome revival from across the pond

FLOOR AMPS & MODELLERS

Digital innovation continues apace, bringing first-class tone to any environment

THE FUTURE OF VALVES

As digital guitar amplification continues to wow the market and guitar players alike, we ask – what will become of the legendary valve amp?

DRIVE EFFECTS

Triple, double or single footswitch? Dirt delivery takes varied forms this year

DELAY & MODULATION EFFECTS

Expansive, shrinking and repurposed vintage sounds for today’s players

Remembering ALAN MURPHY

As November 2023 would have marked Alan Murphy’s 70th birthday, we look back at the man, his music and his gear, with personal recollections from several key figures who knew and worked closely with the talented guitarist

Blues Headlines

Richard Barrett is on a mission to make you a better blues player – with full audio examples and backing tracks

Hear It Here

GO WEST GO WEST Alan adds a

BOSS

HOW ONE INNOVATIVE COMPANY CHANGED THE SOUNDSCAPE OF MODERN MUSIC IN FIVE DECADES

A TRADITION OF INVENTION

BOSS still lives by its famous motto – ‘We desig n the future’ – but don’t overlook the milestones that led the Japanese firm to the cutting edge of the modern music scene

THE HOLY TRINITY

Limited to a production run of just 7,000 units each – and featuring one-off finishes – BOSS’s 50th Anniversary DS-1, SD-1 and BD-2 are the ultimate collector’s editions

A NATOMY OF ABOSS PEDAL

10 pedal desig n features popularised by BOSS

MASTER CRAFT

If classic tones with custom voicings and enhanced functionality is what you’re after, in a package that’s built to the highest possible quality, Waza Craft is for you…

HISTORY REPEATING

BOSS’s trailblazing delay pedals changed the world – now the modern range salutes the Japanese firm’s storied past while forg ing ahead with bold new creations

ELEC TRIC DREAMS

Your guitar isn’t limited solely to traditional sounds. Roland and BOSS have been at the forefront of g uitar-based synthesis for decades – and they’re showing no signs of stopping

GAME- CHANGERS

You might know BOSS for its distinctive stompboxes, but the innovation to enable easier music-making goes way beyond effects

THE POWER & THE GLORY

BOSS’s status as an effects heav y weight is set in stone – but lesser-know n is how the visionary company reached the summit of the amp sector in under a decade

COLLECTIBLE COMPACTS

The BOSS compact pedals may be colourful little objects of desire to many, but it seems that some of them are more desirable than others...

UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Inspiring artists and gear desig ners alike, BOSS gear has shaped much of the last half-century of music. Here, we consider the company’s impact on guitar culture