Three to get ready

Gibson Les Paul Music City Special £1,599

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

EPIPHONE JEFF BECK OXBLOOD 1954 LES PAUL £1,199

Mike Zaite explains how a background in electronics and a front-row seat to the British Invasion of the 1960s led to the formation of Dr Z Amplification – and why the sonics always lead the schematics

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

ThorpyFX’s latest stacks up the germanium transistors for full-fat vintage tone in a functional modern setting