Korina, korina

Gibson Les Paul Music City Special £1,599

Used by big names such as Richard Fortus and Audley Freed, and made here in the UK, Ivison guitars recall the lost art of the ‘golden era’ but in very original dress

EPIPHONE JEFF BECK OXBLOOD 1954 LES PAUL £1,199

Nearly 40 years on from the Custom Shop’s inception, its creations are more ambitious than ever. Find out how the team walks the tightrope between ‘canon’ and ‘cannot’, and where its guitars are heading next

Fender’s Custom Shop had a precarious start in the mid-1980s, but the story of its formative years is full of big ideas, some bizarre instruments, and a queue of famous guitarists

Along with its specific 40th Anniversary models, PRS is cranking out the new releases this year, not least with two new three-pickup Special Semi-Hollow models in the S2 and SE line. We compare those with the longer-running Core version