Acoustic

Future Classics

This month’s cover story on page 52 is

Editor’s Highlights

Joan Armatrading She’s one of Britain’s greatest

Pocket Plexi

Friedman Amplification is known for its boutique hot-rod all-valve amp tone, so what can this affordable solid-state alternative bring to the party?

Nineties Style

Fender has treated some of its most iconic guitar models to a new, stripped-down format that turns them into lean, mean rocking machines

Deluxe Addition

The 70s are back, at least that’s what Gibson would like us to think with its new erainspired, mini-humbucker-loaded Les Paul. But does it do justice to the original Deluxe?

the Wishlist

Dream gear to beg, borrow and steal for

Vintage Vibe

Looking rather like something The Mod Squad might have cooked up, the ProShop Unique range from Vintage offers bashed-up and aged versions of those classics you can’t afford

Mods Like Us

One way to view these new ProShop guitars is as pre-modded Vintage models. So with our own Mod Squad experience in mind we grilled the team

Redefining Nylon

Back in 2009, Yamaha introduced its NCX and NTX nylon-string cutaway electro guitars, which helped redefine the modern electroacoustic nylon-string. Just before the pandemic, the company introduced new, updated versions – and they are finally available in-store

Shaping Sound

Few guitar companies have the kind of technology Yamaha boasts at their disposal when it comes to the acoustic. The redesigned NX series illustrates some complex electronics under the hood of these new nylon-strings

Polychrome Analog Flanger

This colourful pedal delivers many shades of flange

Angry Rhubarb Paradynamic MKII

Give your tone its just desserts with this combination of drive and EQ

Browne Amplification pedals

Two US pedals that may just provide all your ’board’s dirt needs

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

With Rory Gallagher’s debut solo record hitting its 50th anniversary, bassist Gerry McAvoy recalls the sessions behind the historic album

All together now

This issue Adam Goldsmith gets together with like-minds for some top-quality studio time

Lost & Found

Neville Marten shares the tales of three lost guitars miraculously returned by generous citizens who respected the musician’s plight

Gypsy Queen

Can Alex Bishop rise to the challenge of bringing a road-worn jazz guitar back to its former glory?

Diminished 7th chords

Richard Barrett explores the dissonant nature of the diminished 7th chord and shows how it can fit into a guitarist’s musical vocabulary

Feedback

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

Guitarist

Blackstar Fly 3 Mini Amp worth £65 when you subscribe to

Dream-Pop Tones

Stefan Fast of YouTube channel ThePedalZone shares some ethereal soundscapes inspired by Cocteau Twins’ meditative pop

Longtermers

A few months’ gigging, recording and everything that goes with it – welcome to Guitarist ’s longter m test report

CHRIS BUCK

The Cardinal Black guitar maestro spins tales of a bargain ’62 Strat and how the P-90 is criminally underrated…

RICKENBACKER PICKUPS

Martin Kelly – author of Rickenbacker Guitars 1931-1999: Out Of The Frying Pan Into The Fireglo – straightens out the subject of Rickenbacker pickups

CHEAP & UNIQUE

Most of our mods or even ‘partscaster’ self-builds are all based on a pretty small number of very familiar classics. But this time, Dave Burrluck decides enough is enough…

Epiphone Slash Les Paul ProBuckers

As authentic clones, the pickups in these Epiphone signature guitars offer true Gibson tone

ClassicGear

1980s Fender Stratocasters

Vintage Icons

1941 Martin D-45

GUITARIST Nextmonth

‹ PHIL MANZANERA The Roxy Music man on his

TROY REDFERN

A musical awakening courtesy of that famous sequence in Back To The Future led to a lifelong interest in country blues, National Resonators and gnarly, fuzzed-up slide guitar…

60 YEARS OF THE SG

Its sharp horns seemed to belong to the Devil’s orchestra, not the polite jazz scene of the early 60s. As a statement of intent, the SG’s radical styling succeeded – but maybe not as first intended. The design was swiftly disowned by Les Paul, though it was supposed to be his signature instrument. Rejected by its patron, the SG grew up in the shadow of its iconic sibling, the Les Paul Standard, becoming the anti-hero’s tool of choice from Angus and Iommi onwards

GIBSON SG HISTORY: THE FIRST TWO DECADES

At the tail-end of the 1950s, Fender’s Stratocaster was reigning supreme over the electric-guitar market while sales of Gibson’s single-cut Les Paul were heading south. Kalamazoo needed to fight back. And in 1961, the double-horned beast was born, supplanting Lester’s original and leaving a legacy all of its own…

SG ANNIVERSARY: CELEBRATING IN STYLE

To commemorate 60 years of its longest-running solidbody, Gibson started from scratch to recreate the first two Les Paul SG models. We speak to Gibson’s Head of Product Development, Mat Koehler to find out more

JOAN ARMATRADING

She’s the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter whose observational songs have struck a chord since ’72. Now, as Joan Armatrading releases her 22nd studio album, Consequences, she tells us about pawn-shop guitars, disapproving parents and why human emotion still drives her songwriting

TEENAGE FANCLUB

AS GLASGOW’S FINEST RETURN WITH THEIR ELEVENTH ALBUM, ENDLESS ARCADE, WE ASK CO-FOUNDING GUITARISTS NORMAN BLAKE AND RAYMOND MCGINLEY ABOUT SONGWRITING, S TOLENGUI TARS ,CHANNELLING ROBERTFRIPPANDWHYTHEIR WORKING RELATIONSHIP IS “LIKE THE CHUCKLE BROTHERS”…

Blues Headlines

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

theWishlist

Dream gear to beg, borrow and steal for

FREE RADICAL

David Crosby, free-thinking founder of The Byrds and CSNY – and a legend in his own lifetime – has a new album out, For Free, named in honour of Joni Mitchell. As he turns 80, the musician joins us to reflect back on the decades

Five Minutes With… KT TUNSTALL

Since blowing away the nation on Later… With Jools Holland in 2004 as an unknown ex-busker, the Scottish songwriter has clocked up millions of album sales and a host of awards – and all as a self-confessed “scrappy guitarist”…

PLAYING LIVE

Plug an acoustic guitar into an amp or a PA and it becomes a completely different animal. We gather together industry experts and top players to talk about how to get the best possible sound from your instrument on stage

MARTIN STYLE 45

We take a close look at this stunning pre-war 000-45 and catch up with CF Martin & Co’s museum and archives specialist, Jason Ahner, as he schools us on the history of Martin’s flagship flat-tops

Hybrid Guitars

Acoustic guitars with ‘electric’ sounds, or maybe an electric guitar with ‘acoustic’ sounds? The technology is out there…

Affordable Acoustics

Need to get your acoustic chops in order but don’t have the budget for a high-line steel string? No worries, there’s plenty to satisfy

Workhorse Electros

Need a buddy for some serious gig use? Here’s some suggestions for a reliable electro