Under the hood

Why are more and more guitar builders making their own pickups, wonders Dave Burrluck, and does it affect us players who are used to decades-old designs road-tested by giants?

Epiphone Flying V

With a raft of recent high-spec reissue launches, is Epiphone now the home of affordable ‘vintage’ Gibsons? On paper, yes. But what about in the flesh?

An Australian brand with a burgeoning reputation down under takes its first steps into the limelight in the UK with a pair of hand-built acoustics that incorporate premium tonewoods and a sharp eye for design

Five Stratocasters, all sunbursts and all different – so what is the best vintage if you’re craving a classic?

A year after their debut at NAMM 2024, the Victory MK Clean and MK Overdrive are the toast of the high-end valve scene. Chief designer Martin Kidd unfurls the schematics