Latest articles by Dave Burrluck
“On playability alone it feels like we’re playing a much more expensive guitar”: PJD Guitars St John Standard Plus review
Back in 2023, revitalised Brit-maker PJD rejigged its range to start with the new solidbody hardtail Standards. Need an offset with a vibrato? No problem: here comes the Standard Plus
“A very endearing, characterful instrument… a guitar that looks and feels old, played-in and used but is perfectly fit for purpose”: Vintage Proshop V72 Custom Build review
With guitars seemingly getting more expensive by the day, is a bespoke build now just a thing for the very well-off? We go in search of a more affordable route from the UK…
“It’s not just immaculate craft on show – it’s a real-world player’s guitar and would be a crime to keep cosseted in a case”: Nik Huber Krautster III review
We take advantage of the rare chance to get our hands on a Nik Huber guitar and celebrate 15 years of the stripped-down Krautster. Does guitar making get any better?
“A punky-edged rock ’n’ roll machine that’s light on your shoulder but far from lacking in heft”: Gibson Les Paul Modern Lite review
This is the lightest solidbody LP we’ve ever encountered, and comes in snappy colors with classic rock tones
“The HSS super-S has always been a journeyman guitar and the Polaris certainly keeps that flag flying”: Cream T Polaris Custom review
Having relaunched its Aurora model in 2023, co-designed by Billy F Gibbons, the British luthier’s latest addition is the entirely new ‘super-S’ style Polaris Custom. But where’s the rockstar and the pickup swapping?
“The SE range is leading the charge in terms of new PRS model additions”: PRS SE CE 24, SE Swamp Ash Special and SE Custom 24 Quilt review
With no signature artists involved, the first wave of new PRS SE guitars for 2024 includes a couple of old favorites and a posh makeover for the classic Custom 24
Meet the Lightning Bar, the new Gibson Les Paul mod that might have just settled the top-wrapping debate once and for all
Les Paul aficionados have long been divided over the string-through method or top-wrapping their strings. With the Lightning Bar, you can screw the tailpiece and enjoy the more acute string angle
“There’s more grunge and garage attitude here. Things can get quite nasty – in a very good way”: Guild Surfliner Deluxe review
This new Deluxe version of Guild’s uber-cool offset format has been a long time coming. Worth the wait or has it gone off the boil? Let’s take a look…
“If we were told these two Les Pauls were made in completely different factories, we’d believe it”: Gibson Les Paul Modern Figured and Modern Lite review
Two new Les Pauls are added to the Modern strand of Gibson’s expanding USA guitar range with quite a specification and cost difference. Which one to go for?
Patrick James Eggle 96 Contour Top review – astonishing craft married to stellar sounds with a feel that few can match
Named after a state route in Georgia, the 96 is Patrick James Eggle’s now quite long-running answer to the souped-up Stratocaster. How does it fit into the empire?
Epiphone Kirk Hammett 'Greeny' 1959 Les Paul Standard review – it may be $1.5k, but this is the best-quality Epiphone we've ever played… and better than some Gibson USA builds
It's one of the most talked about builds of 2023, but how does the latest Greeny model fare when it's put under the microscope?
Seth Baccus Argonaut Classic and Argonaut Classic Baritone review – not another boutique Fender bender, but a fresh shot at an original offset design
It’s been a long time coming, but Seth Baccus’s Argonaut is finally here and sets a new level for offset design. Guitar‑making rarely gets better than this!
Neet the boutique guitar built out of old floor joists, reclaimed Fender parts… and a Squier Affinity neck: Maybury Upscaler Fish Hook S review
British builder Jason Snelling aims to turn reclaimed wood, parts and pickups into viable and vibey Strat-style guitars
How the Ampeg Dan Armstrong may well have become a footnote in guitar history had the 'See-Through' electric not ended up in the hands of Keith Richards
Ronnie Wood, Joe Perry and Dave Grohl all played Dan Armstrongs over the years – here's why it's one of the coolest guitars ever
Joe Doe by Vintage Gas Jockey review – a madcap pairing of the Stratocaster and Firebird designed by a UK screenwriter
The new 2023 Joe Doe by Vintage range boasts a totally fictitious history but some refreshingly different takes on the classics
Gibson Greenybucker and Custombucker review – the affordable way to give your guitar a Custom Shop upgrade?
The modding world has gone pickup crazy, and now Gibson has joined the fray with its Pickup Shop. We put two of its flagship humbuckers under the microscope
Shergold Telstar Standard ST14 review – don’t sleep on this new boutique-style solidbody, especially at this price
Styled somewhere between a Firebird and a Cabronita Telecaster, this is a mighty fine-looking new design from the ’70s Brit-brand – and at a very tempting price
Haynes Demeanour review – the golden age for UK guitar making continues with this rock-ready offset
This fresh take on the classic offset outline teams humbucker and P-90 pickups with top-name hardware and stunning looks
Cream T Aurora Custom V2 review – a stunning Tele-meets-Gibson design with easy pickup swapping: is this the future of electric guitars?
Cream T’s fledging guitar line-up was upended earlier this year, but now its core model, the Aurora, is back, and with it, its radical pickup swapping feature
EMG JMaster Pickup Set review: vintage-voiced Jazzmaster tones with zero noise
The modernist pickup maker turns its attention to the wild and wacky Fender Jazzmaster to give it an active pickup makeover
Fret-King Eclat Custom Paul Rose Signature review: A single-cut with a difference – and we’re not just talking about that dramatic forearm scoop
Originally designed by Trev Wilkinson, the Eclat single-cut gets a makeover for 2023, and a signature tie-up with Brit guitarist Paul Rose
PJD York Standard review: a new take on the Telecaster that feels alive in your hands and feather-light on your shoulder
PJD is back doing what it always did: making great guitars. Let’s welcome the York, a celebration of where this story started
Bare Knuckle Triptych review: the most versatile Stratocaster pickup set on the market?
One of the most talked-about pickups of 2023, Rabea Massaad’s new signature set could be just what you need to cover all bases without losing those quintessential Strat sounds
The rubber bridge is the hottest trend in indie guitar and a cheap mod to try – here’s how to install one on your electric guitar
Used on recordings by everyone from Phoebe Bridgers to The National and Taylor Swift, the rubber bridge generates short-sustaining, almost otherworldly voices from an otherwise regular guitar
