Pearly kings

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

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

Gibson Les Paul Music City Special £1,599

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

Will we ever know the true story of this fabled guitar? For some it’s iconic, for others it was simply a cobbled together working tool for a master…