Fifty years on from their first successes, Roger McGuinn, the 12-string architect of THE BYRDS , tells Uncut about their exceptional first 18 months – and his relationship with Gene Clark. As the young group make their jet-powered escape from the folk think tank, we hear about making the scene on the Strip, outraging Iowa and a muted response in the United Kingdom. But ultimately how “Eight Miles High” became the spectacular conclusion of the band’s first era. “I almost left The Byrds entirely to go and be in this space band With Dino Valente,” McGuinn tells John Robinson

The country superstar shares his love for Dumbles, writing riffs on cheap guitars, and the Nocaster once owned by Cinderella’s Tom Keifer that’s “worth every cent”

COMPARED TO THE “holy triumvirate” of the Gibson Les Paul Standard and Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster, the Gibson SG Standard is the solidbody guitar equivalent of Rodney Dangerfield — it doesn’t

Mary Kaye models are probably the most desirable of all 1950s Fenders, so the very first one made must be the ultimate vintage Strat

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Moving into four figures, there’s a considerable, very diverse choice of serious electrics