Electric Dreams

Unplugged acoustic may be the fundamental voice of

ICONIC GUITARS

A visual celebration of 30 fine, historic & rare guitars spanning three centuries

1937 D’ANGELICO EXCEL

John D’Angelico, one of history’s most influential archtop

1954 GIBSON ES-295

In some ways a deluxe offshoot of Gibson’s

1951 FENDER ‘OSCARMOORE ’NOCASTER

As iconic guitars go, few are more beautiful

1957 FENDER ESQUIRE

There’s a beauty to simplicity – and few

1966 FENDER STRATOCASTER

No electric guitar is more iconic than the

SAN DIMAS ® BASS

MODDED FOR MORE

1969 FENDER ROSEWOOD TELECASTER

Fender’s beautiful Rosewood Telecaster debuted in 1968 and

1958 GRETSCH SILVER JET

The 6129 Silver Jet was a sparkling, drum-wrap-clad

1959 GRETSCH WHITE FALCON

Designed to outshine Gibson’s opulent Super 400, this

1956 GIBSON ES -5 N SWITCH MASTER

The grandly proportioned ES-5 was launched in 1949

1961 GIBSON SUPER 400 CES

Gibson’s most prestigious archtop of the 50s and

1937 NATIONAL STYLE O RESONATOR

National’s Style 0 resonator debuted in 1930 and

1953 GIBSON J -2 0 0

Arguably the most iconic of Gibson’s flat-top acoustics

1958 GIBSON LES PAUL CUSTOM

Though the black Les Paul Custom is often

2008 MONT ELEONE IS A BELLA

This stunning example of the luthier’s art was

1902 MARTIN 00 -45 S

The second-oldest of the guitars featured in this

1930 MARTIN OM-4 5 DELUXE

Only 14 examples of this exquisite OM-45 were

2011 HUBER ORCA DSB

Not all classics are decades old – as

GARY MOORE’S 1959 GIBSON LES PAUL STANDARD

Sunburst Les Pauls from the late 50s are

RORY GALLAGHER’S 1961 FENDER STRATOCASTER

Few guitars bear such graphic evidence of the

1959 GIBSON LES PAUL STANDARD

Still the benchmark for Holy Grail humbucker tone,

1993 PRS DRAGON II

Representing the pinnacle of finely embellished electric guitar

1978 ZE MAITIS METAL FRONT

London luthier Tony Zemaitis built custom guitars for

DAVID GILMOUR’S 1969 FENDER STRATOCASTER

Immortalised as ‘The Black Strat’ in David Gilmour’s

1960 RICKENBACKER 36 0F

The “thin full body F Series” was debuted

2019 PRS PRIVATE STOCK MODERN EAGLE V

Paul Reed Smith’s Modern Eagle designs embody the

BRIAN MAY’S RED SPECIAL

Easily the most famous home-built electric of all

Top Thirty

With a reputation for finely honed, modern and progressive guitars, Vigier is hardly a new maker. And with his Excalibur design celebrating a significant birthday, we take the start-up model out for a spin

Torpedos Away

In collaboration with Rabea Massaad, this compact guitar amp from Victory combines versatile high-gain overdrive with world-class cabinet simulations. Stand back!

Tear It Up

A bolt-on addition to the solidbody range? Like us, you might be surprised after hitching a ride with this low-priced Junior Jet Club…

Solid Opportunity

They may look almost identical, but it’s the body woods that make all the difference for this trio – and they’re outstandingly affordable, too

Crossover Success

The poor relation of the steel-string flat-top, the nylon-string ‘classical’ guitar has a rich history and really should be a part of any serious player’s collection. We explore its potential with two new 2021 ‘crossover’ models

Go Big

The HX Stomp XL enters the Line 6 family, answering the call for increased switching flexibility over its smaller sibling, while retaining the powerful core of the larger floor-based Helix devices

MicroPitch Delay

Eventide ports another classic effect into its own dedicated pedal

RD Compact Hot Rod

The RevivalDRIVE Compact with extra cojones for that modded amp sound

Dunlop pedals

Two ’board-friendly treadle pedals designed alongside Pedaltrain

Gas Supply

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

The Players

The latest news, views and happenings from the world of your favourite guitarists

Albums

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

Tones Behind The Tracks

The latest LP from famed comedic TV actor and multi-instrumentalist Matt Berry is a complex Ricky-infused affair in psychedelic colour

Double’s No Trouble

As Adam Goldsmith returns to Abbey Road Studios, a twosession day necessitates some welcome gear experimentation

Curtain Up

With the end of lockdown in sight and after more than a year of no gigs, Neville Marten refreshes his memory on what it takes to play a show

Art Of The Inlay

This issue Alex Bishop gets the chisels out to create acoustic guitar rosettes from some extra-special pieces of wood

How Acoustics Are Born

Taylor’s master luthier Andy Powers takes Jamie Dickson on the journey from prototype to production

Variations On A Theme

Richard Barrett highlights the breadth of tonal possibilities offered by the guitar, with characterful variations on a single chord

Feedback

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

Parallel Pedal Processing

Stefan Fast of YouTube channel ThePedalZone challenges you to experiment with your signal chain and try out some parallel pedal ideas

CHARLIE STARR

Blackberry Smoke’s main man exhibits a passion for single-coil pickups and recounts how he was once gifted a ’58 Les Paul Custom

AMPLIFIER VALVES

We plug into the expert knowledge of analogue gear guru and Raw State founder Neil Perry

SIGNATURE TONE

Signature guitars can be odd enough, but signature pickups? If only we could all sound like our heroes by just installing a set of their pickups. Dave Burrluck gives it a try…

Submarine

We dive deep into the realms of Submarine pickups with founder Pete Roe

ClassicGear

1950s Fender Stratocasters

STEVE CROPPER

He infallibly appears on ‘greatest guitarists of all time’ lists, was part of the house band at Stax Records where he backed and wrote for soul legends such as Otis Redding, Sam And Dave and Wilson Pickett, and had huge hits with Green Onions, Time Is Tight and Soul Limbo with his band Booker T &  The MG’s. He now has a new solo album, Fire It Up, his first for a decade…

90 Years  Of The Electric Guitar

Photography Neil Godwin What began with Rickenbacker’s ungainly

50 Architects Of The Electric Era

Since the earliest ‘Frying Pan’ models of the 1930s, pickup-loaded instruments have undergone constant evolution in the hands of almost a century of innovators. We celebrate the pioneers whose envelope-pushing ideas have changed the face of the electric guitar

Rick ’N’ Roll

Martin Kelly, co-author of Fender: The Golden Age 1946-1970, retraces the evolution of Rickenbacker guitars ahead of the release of his new book, which promises to finally nail down the brand’s vital history in full

MEET THE EXPERTS

Are today’s electric guitars better or worse than they used to be? What makes a truly great electric? And where is electric design going next? We assembled a panel of the world’s leading authorities on lutherie and tone to debate the big questions from 90 years of electric guitar

LONG & WINDING ROAD

So much for guitar making – how have pickups advanced in 90 years?  We talk to Tim Mills, the man behind Bare Knuckle, about tone and progress

IS IT A KEEPER?

Four lutherie and tone experts tell us the methods they use to evaluate if an electric guitar is any good the first time they try it

ROYAL CHARTER

Queen guitarist Brian May has had his own range of guitars for some time, based around his own Red Special. But now there’s a new addition to the range, designed by US singer and guitarist Arielle

VintageIcons

Lavender Lilac Teles

Blues Headlines

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