“My custom-made classical guitar with the synth module was stolen while we were on tour. I got it back thanks to some people who worked with Joe Bonamassa”: Steve Morse on gear-buying, his ‘FrankenTele’ and why he needs four pickups – no more, no less

Steve Morse plays his signature Ernie Ball Music Man electric guitar as he tests out his new Engl tube amp
(Image credit: Engl)

This month in Bought & Sold, the venerable rock guitar legend Steve Morse checks in to discuss his greatest gear hits and misses over the years.

The former Deep Purple guitarist (it still takes a bit of getting used to saying that) might not be a collector, but he knows exactly what he wants from the instrument – which is why his Ernie Ball Music Man signature guitar has four pickups. It’s a radical design, but as he explains here, everything – yes, including that neck pickup – is in its right place.

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Andrew Daly

Andrew Daly is an iced-coffee-addicted, oddball Telecaster-playing, alfredo pasta-loving journalist from Long Island, NY, who, in addition to being a contributing writer for Guitar World, scribes for Rock Candy, Bass Player, Total Guitar, and Classic Rock History. Andrew has interviewed favorites like Ace Frehley, Johnny Marr, Vito Bratta, Bruce Kulick, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Rich Robinson, and Paul Stanley, while his all-time favorite (rhythm player), Keith Richards, continues to elude him.