A manifeste of musical and spiritual freedom, Axis: Bold As Love was JIMI HENDRIX ar his most exploratory, utopian. But as a new box set explores, notes of unease and psycho-autobiography cut through the Aquarian haze and freaky, proto-stereo FX, as the Summer of Love entered its more conflicted autumn. "It was all vivid colour," peers and Fhu tell MARK PAYTRESS, "with Jimi at the height of his powers."

During its long history, Fender has navigated several tricky turning points, but 1965 marks for some the start of a decline from the standards set by Leo’s original company. Is that view still justified?

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Not only does this 1969 Tele illustrate Fender’s slowly changing post-Leo period, it also documents a lot of modding. Dave Burrluck should know – he was there!

DURING THE MID-EIGHTIES, Ibanez became stuck in a rut. Although the company’s guitars sold pretty well, they were rapidly losing market share to up-and-coming competitors like Charvel/Jackson, Hamer,

VERY FEW NAMES in our industry command as much respect as John Suhr’s. His creations are widely considered to be world-beating manifestations of design and craft colliding at the highest possible leve