Latest articles by Rod Brakes
How the Gretsch 6128 Duo Jet took flight and became the go-to electric for the likes of George Harrison, Cliff Gallup and Bo Diddley
Taking cues from Fender and Gibson, Gretsch released its first solidbody in1953
The story of Gibson’s Thunderbird – the tricky, difficult but brilliant design that modernized bass guitar
This Thumpin' Thursday, let’s go way back to trace the history of an iconic bass with a body shape that remains radical to this day
The history of Fender’s sparkle finishes
Vintage guitar guru David Davidson of Well Strung Guitars takes us back to the hot-rod car culture of 1950s California to pick up the story of Fullerton’s most lustrous paint jobs
The rise, fall and rebirth of Fender’s Rosewood Telecaster – the solidbody made iconic by George Harrison
The story of a cult classic Telecaster that began life as a prototype for George Harrison, and was introduced to the world when he played it at the Beatles' 1969 rooftop gig
How the war effort shaped the history of Gibson acoustics with the LG Series
Introduced during World War II, these small flat-tops were a mix and match of greatness
How luthier Roger Rossmeisl shaped the look of Rickenbacker guitars with the legendary Capri series
Rickenbacker author Martin Kelly unpacks Rossmeisl’s crowning achievement
Johnny Marr: “The guitar helps you stamp your own identity – on your band and ultimately on the world… I love that”
Johnny Marr: “The guitar helps you stamp your own identity – on your band and ultimately on the world… I love that”
The strange, enduring magic of the Roland RE-201 Space Echo
The sounds of the iconic tape delay and spring reverb unit echo through the decades
How the Vox AC30 Twin found a voice of its own and became a British amp classic
Inspired by the Fender Twin, this tube combo helped establish the look and sound of Vox as we know it
How Gibson’s Byrdland took flight and bridged the gap between traditional jazz boxes and electric solidbodies
This short-scale carved-top electric hollowbody was Gibson’s premier thinline
Dave Brock: “I busked in cinema queues and subways. It taught me a lot and gave me plenty of practice performing”
From busking and the blues, to high times and some lows, the Hawkwind founder tells us tales of yore from his epic journey in space-rock
The history of Orange in four key guitar amps
This British brand has spawned many a classic design since arriving on the scene in the late '60s – we take a whistle-stop tour through its most influential heads
How Fender's Precision Bass set the template for electric bass guitars in 1951
Classic gear: Morphing from Tele- to Strat-style design, the P-Bass remains an industry standard
Orange Super Crush 100 Combo review
An affordable solid-state amp that will give a fair few tube combos a run for their money
The origins of Ibanez and the anatomy of Steve Vai's pioneering JEM
Classic gear: Japanese-made and US-inspired, this hot-rodded solidbody is a modern classic
Marshall guitar amp heads: what you need to know
From JTMs to JMPs and JCMs, Marshall’s product specialist, Steve Smith, tracks the evolution of these iconic amps
Why the P-90 pickup is making a comeback
Bare Knuckle Pickups founder Tim Mills details the tonal qualities that have players turning to the classic single-coil design once again
CBS Fender Telecasters: what you need to know
Custom Telecaster or Telecaster Custom? We clear up the confusion on CBS-era Teles...
Rickenbacker guitar pickups: what you need to know
Martin Kelly – author of Rickenbacker Guitars 1931-1999: Out Of The Frying Pan Into The Fireglo – straightens out the subject of Rickenbacker pickups
Classic gear: Rickenbacker 4001
This classic electric bass was Rickenbacker’s bestseller of the '70s
Classic gear: 1970s Fender Stratocasters
Taking a closer look at the Strat's CBS-era tweaks, for better and for worse
Boss overdrive pedals: what you need to know about the company's classic drives
We take a closer look at the essential evolution of one of the most important stompboxes of all time
Richard Fortus: "Gretsch were in rehearsals with us, winding pickups on the spot while I was trying them out"
The Guns N’ Roses guitarist on how he developed the hybrid PAF/Filter’Tron pickups for his signature Gretsch Falcon
