Skinted or minted?

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

If guitars are actually getting better by the day, us modders will have nothing to improve. Is it the end of the line, wonders Dave Burrluck, when he gets a new guitar on the bench

Gibson Les Paul Music City Special £1,599

EPIPHONE JEFF BECK OXBLOOD 1954 LES PAUL £1,199

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

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