1989 Fender Custom Shop H.L.E. StratocasterHere is a very special Stratocaster, back in 1989 as the Fender Custom Shop opened it’s doors, the plans were made to make a limited edition Stratocaster in honour of Homer Haynes who was part of a musical, comedy duo ‘Homer and Jethro’ in America back in 1957. Haynes being…
Lovely guitar, nice resonant tone.
Excellent example of the revered 80s/90s Japanese Squier range. The finishing quality is head and shoulders above anything within the price range (think £200 to £500 second hand). This particular model had a comfortable one piece maple neck, with the silver Squier logo and “made in Japan” on the headstock. The lacquer had worn away…
An incredibly impressive instrument for the money, the NCR offers loads more tonal options (than usual for a Gibson design) and is quite a head turner too. Occupying an odd middle ground inbetween a Les Paul and an SG in more ways than one; the slimmer than LP body is comfortable for extended periods of…
This guitar is probably the first electric guitar I ever saw, this Fender Stratocaster belongs to my father. I was lucky enough to grow up around many great guitars but this one is the first and greatest one of all. My father doesn’t play much guitar these days but this guitar is his “number one”…
I loved the look of these Ibanez S-Series guitars in my teens, but only acquired my first one some 20 years later. You know what you’re getting with these guitars; flat wide and thin necks, perfect for shredding. The slimline body is well weighted, in that it sits nice and light, but unlike a Gibson…
Nice late 90’s Japanese made Performer series Jackson, with a light flame top. After a set up and service it played pretty well, as is usual of these guitars. Their slim necks and flat profile fingerboards make shredding a breeze and this particular one did everything expected of it. Everything on it was as factory, although it…
I have a big part of my heart reserved for SG’s, the influences of Hendrix, Iommi, Young, Krieger, McPhee, Marriott and many more have meant that I love them. What I don’t particularly like is the fact that they are 9 times out of 10…cherry. Now, I remember back in 2007, when Gibson had their…
Where to start with this one…back in 2008 I was in the mood for a new guitar (like most of us, weekly) I had a Les Paul, I had a Strat what could I get that would be “different” After a few days searching online, I stumbled upon this advert… £850? OK, I called…
I’m a big fan of Les Pauls, but being a typical, peer-led guitarist, I only like flame top variations, goldtops and customs…and juniors…love them too. Anyway; I recently traded a Strat for this, a 2005 Gibson Les Paul Classic 1960 in a cool tobacco sunburst, or desert burst as it is known by Gibson. (Excuse…
Breathtaking flame maple top on this one. The colours and depth in the grain/finish are really exceptional. The maple truly dances in the light, drastically changing the guitar’s appearance depending on the viewing angle. It came by these ends with a problem high e string, namely a metallic buzz up and down the board….
Well cared for example of an 80’s Japanese Stratocaster in candy red. Barely played, with no fret wear and not a bump or scratch in sight. The highly lacquered maple neck is chunky, certainly vintage flavoured. It’s completely as factory apart from the replacement pearloid scratchplate. It looks, plays and sounds like a well…
A mate asked me to set this up with a lower action, and it was a real pleasure to have it in the house for a week. Very well made instrument, certainly a player’s Strat. The one piece birds eye maple neck had a un-Fender like flat fingerboard radius, brass nut and chunky frets. …
2007 Fender American Hot Rod 57’ Stratocaster. This guitar was bought as a replacement for a custom shop Stratocaster I’d had for a decade (see AV62 post) I was after a new Strat and was torn between the Hot Rod 57’ model and the Eric Johnson signature guitar, ultimately, this one won due to lack…
My 2007 Gibson Les Paul Custom, 1968 VOS. This is a special one for me, having seen photos of all of my heroes playing Gibson Les Paul Customs, I knew that I needed to have one. I bought a 2003 “standard” custom many years ago and loved its double bound body and headstock, ebony board…
I recently received a phone call from a friend of mine who was suffering from a severe case of AAS…(acoustic acquisition syndrome) he needed rid of a guitar that he’d bought after seeking my advice to pull the trigger so to speak. The guitar in question was a Strat. Nothing fancy, just a plain old…
Acoustics have always been a fickle friend to me over the past 20 years, I hated them, loved them, couldn’t play them right, smashed them, stuck stickers on them and never really gave them a second thought over the shiny Fenders and Gibsons in this world. As I grew up, acoustic records began to filter…
I’ve never been a fan of the Jag/Jazz family of guitars, simply not a guitar I would choose to play. However, I picked up this body, neck and scratchplate for a good price so it made sense to have some fun refurbishing it. A previous owner of the guitar had attempted some form of artwork,…
Made between 1987 & 1991 the AW100 featured mahogany back and sides, and a spruce. The tone is metallic and thin, very lacking in bottom end and any kind of warmth. For a beginner; the action is low without fret buzz and ideal for getting started without breaking the bank.
Nice budget guitar with a solid spruce top, rosewood bridge and flame maple back. The tone was surpassingly rich with a lot of depth to it. Made in Korea, 1998.
Excellent example of this budget but timeless 50’s design. The lack of a truss rod means it’s generally down to luck if you find one that plays well. This one was a strange combination of being aesthetically excellent but incredibly high action. It suggests a well cared for life, but in plenty of warm environments!…
STRATOCASTER SOUND TEST Squier Affinity 1970s-style relic Vs Fender 1985 Japanese Modern The Fender is panned hard to the left speaker, and the Squier to the right. Each guitar comps rhythm while the other solos. Both guitars were recorded direct into Logic X via a Focusrite Sapphire Pro 26 mic pre. They have identical amp/reverb/eq/compression…
Yamaha changed the budget guitar game in the 1990’s with the Pacifica, bringing a solid alder bodied guitar that played and sounded great at an extremely competitive price. I picked this model up in a poor state, showing years of use without any kind of servicing. I undertook an extensive deep clean, re-soldered some connections,…
The best guitar I’ve ever had, without exception. Built in 1992, the first full year of production, it is beautifully designed and constructed. The only things I’ve changed from factory are the control layout and pickups. I prefer the volume and tone in Strat positions (with the switch at the back), to the standard Eggle…