It’s been a bit of a shocking month or two for guitar. Not only have we lost some wonderful players, but there have been some seismic changes in the guitar industry itself, which some at least will perceive as the death of an era. Marshall has, for many players, long been the brand equivalent of an indomitable castle over which the British flag always flies. Last week, however, we learned that the Marshall family has sold the company to Zound Industries, a Swedish audio-electronics company that made its fortune with its Urbanears headphones. We’ll be chasing down the full story in coming issues but, in the meanwhile, the news certainly makes you reflect on the nature of change in our world of guitar.