Manson ma junior and verona junior

This UK-made MD introduces a new pickup set that piles on the beef. But, as we find out, it’s no one-trick pony

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

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

Used by big names such as Richard Fortus and Audley Freed, and made here in the UK, Ivison guitars recall the lost art of the ‘golden era’ but in very original dress

THERE ARE VARYING degrees of guitar hero, but Carlos Santana is a name you’d expect to find near the top of any list. Like Jimi Hendrix, Brian May or Slash, Santana has transcended guitar music and pe