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Fender Introduces Next Generation of Flagship American Professional Series
Fender has announced the next evolution of American Professional, its flagship series of electric guitars and basses. Built around some of the most recognizable shapes in music, the refreshed series brings new player-focused design and performance upgrades to Fender’s iconic instruments.
The expansive collection represents a major launch for Fender. Built in Corona, California, the new American Professional series lineup includes the Stratocaster, Stratocaster HSS, Telecaster, Hotshot Telecaster, Jazzmaster, Jaguar, Precision Bass, Precision Bass V, Jazz Bass and Jazz Bass V and introduces updates across the range designed to refine how these guitars and basses feel, respond and hold up night after night, while preserving the character and identity that define each instrument.
See the demo video below:
Highlights of the new American Professional series include:
- New V-Mod III pickups: Custom-voiced for balanced output, string to string note clarity, and a unique touch sensitivity. New V-Mod III single-coils in the Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jaguar and Jazzmaster, a redesigned V-Mod III Humbucking bridge pickup in the Stratocaster HSS for more push out of the bridge position, new Jazz Bass V-Mod III pickups and a new V-Mod III split-coil in the Precision Bass.
- Redesigned bridges: Built for improved resonance and sustain, enhanced comfort, and solid stability. ClassicGear Radial bent steel saddles sit comfortably under the palm on the Stratocaster, the Telecaster runs a top-load or string-through bridge with ClassicGear compensated brass bullet saddles, the Jaguar and Jazzmaster pair a ClassicGear J-Bridge with a Panorama tremolo for the full range of expressive vibrato, and both basses get a redesigned HiMass Modern Bridge for added resonance and sustain.
- Advanced electronics: ClassicGear Precision Potentiometers offer improved taper and ideal tension while Push-Push tone controls on every guitar put extra voices one click away.
- Necks that feel played in: A Deep “C” on the guitars, a Medium “C” on the Precision Bass and a Slim “C” on the Jazz Bass, every one with rolled edges that let the fretting hand move freely across the fingerboard.
- Left-handed models coming Spring 2027: Fender will expand the American Professional Series with left-handed versions of the Stratocaster, Telecaster, Precision Bass and Jazz Bass.
Product highlights, color options and pricing information for each of the models is as follows:
American Professional Stratocaster -- Street Price: $1,799.99–$1,949.99 / £1,849–£1,899 / €2,199–€2,249 / A$3,049–A$3,249 / ¥302,500–¥319,000
- Upgraded 2-point tremolo for more sustain and clarity. Radial bent-steel saddles.
- Maple neck: Aged Cherry Burst, Oxblood, Black, 3-Color Sunburst, Natural, Dark Night, Olympic White. Rosewood fretboard: Olympic White, Oxblood, Dark Night, 3-Color Sunburst, Black.
American Professional Stratocaster HSS -- Street Price: $1,849.99–$1,999.99 / £1,899–£1,949 / €2,249–€2,299 / A$3,149–A$3,349 / ¥308,000–¥324,500
- Adds a V-Mod III bridge humbucker with calibrated single-coil tones. Upgraded 2-point tremolo for more sustain and clarity. Radial bent-steel saddles.
- Maple: Olympic White, Black, 3-Color Sunburst. Rosewood: Dark Night, Aged Cherry Burst, 3-Color Sunburst, Oxblood, Olympic White.
American Professional HotShot Telecaster -- Street Price: $1,849.99–$1,999.99 / £1,899–£1,949 / €2,249–€2,299 / A$3,149–A$3,349 / ¥308,000–¥324,500
- Adds a middle Strat pickup and 5-way switching.
- Rosewood: 3-Color Sunburst, Oxblood, Dark Night. Maple: Aged Cherry Burst, Butterscotch Blonde.
American Professional Telecaster -- Street Price: $1,799.99–$1,949.99 / £1,849–£1,899 / €2,199–€2,249 / A$3,049–A$3,249 / ¥302,500–¥319,000
- New top-load/string-through bridge.
- Maple: Natural, Butterscotch Blonde, Oxblood, 3-Color Sunburst, Aged Cherry Burst, Black. Rosewood: 3-Color Sunburst, Black, Oxblood, Natural, Dark Night.
American Professional Jaguar -- Street Price: $1,949.99 / £1,949 / €2,299 / A$3,299 / ¥319,000
- 24" scale, bridge-pickup tap, Rhythm Circuit and Panorama tremolo.
- Rosewood: Oxblood, Dark Night, Black, 3-Color Sunburst, Olympic White.
American Professional Jazzmaster -- Street Price: $1,899.99 / £1,949 / €2,299 / A$3,249 / ¥313,500
- Bridge-pickup tap, Rhythm Circuit and Panorama tremolo.
- Rosewood: Black, Olympic White, Oxblood, 3-Color Sunburst, Dark Night.
American Professional Jazz Bass -- Street Price: $1,899.99–$2,049.99 / £1,949–£1,999 / €2,299–€2,349 / A$3,249–A$3,449 / ¥313,500–¥330,000
- Slim “C” neck.
- Maple: Aged Cherry Burst, 3-Color Sunburst, Natural, Olympic White. Rosewood: 3-Color Sunburst, Dark Night, Oxblood, Olympic White.
American Professional Jazz Bass V -- Street Price: $1,999.99 / £2,049 / €2,399 / A$3,449 / ¥324,500
- Five-string version of the Jazz Bass, with a Slim “C” neck.
- Maple: Oxblood. Rosewood: Olympic White, 3-Color Sunburst.
American Professional Precision Bass -- Street Price: $1,999.99 / £1,949 / €2,299 / A$3,149–A$3,399 / ¥308,000–¥324,500
- Medium “C” neck.
- Maple: Aged Cherry Burst, Olympic White, Natural, 3-Color Sunburst. Rosewood: 3-Color Sunburst, Dark Night, Oxblood, Olympic White.
American Professional Precision Bass V -- Street Price: $1,949.99 / £2,049 / €2,399 / A$3,349 / ¥319,000
- Five-string version of the P Bass, with a Medium “C” neck.
- Maple: 3-Color Sunburst. Rosewood: Dark Night, Olympic White.
The refreshed American Professional series honors that identity while continuing to evolve for the way musicians play today. Every update is rooted in the people who build the instruments, the experimentation behind their development and the player insight that helps Fender determine what to preserve, what to refine and what to rethink.
“You don’t evolve an instrument like the Strat or Tele by changing things just to make them new,” said Justin Norvell, Fender Chief Product Officer, Guitars and Basses. "We balance modern, useful improvements with the familiarity of what has made them iconic. In the same spirit as Leo Fender, we create tools for musicians by listening to what they need. We start with the players—how they’re playing today, what they’re asking for and where there’s an opportunity to make the experience better. We put that insight in the hands of the designers, engineers and builders who know these instruments inside and out. American Professional is the result of that process: continuing to invest in original design, experimentation and craftsmanship while being thoughtful about what makes these instruments iconic in the first place.”
“There are incredibly talented designers, engineers and builders behind every one of these instruments,” said Edward “Bud” Cole, CEO of Fender. “They listen to players, test ideas and work through the details to make meaningful improvements for players. The American Professional series reflects that combination of player insight, experimentation and craftsmanship as we continue to push ourselves to make great instruments even better.”
The One. For All.
American Professional serves as a centerpiece of The One. For All., Fender's broader campaign celebrating the artists, music and communities that continue to shape what Fender's iconic instruments become. Featuring Dinosaur Jr., Mike Kinsella of American Football, They Are Gutting a Body of Water, Lindsey Jordan of Snail Mail, Steve Gunn, Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog, and Thurston Moore Group, the campaign brings together artists across generations and genres whose distinct sounds and creative approaches reflect the many possibilities within Fender's most recognizable designs.
Last month, Fender and Dinosaur Jr. brought that idea to life with The One. For New York., a series of intimate performances across New York City celebrating the artists, neighborhoods and communities that continue to shape music today. Go behind the scenes and watch the full film of The One. For New York. on Wednesday October 14th exclusively on Fender.com.
“New York was the first place we came where we had any fans or acceptance. We just kind of gravitated towards New York,” said J Mascis. “Starting a band I decided I wanted a Fender…I went to buy a Strat but they had a Jaguar for $200 and Jazzmaster for $300. The neck felt better on the Jazzmaster, it was worn in like a baseball bat so I just went for the Jazzmaster.”
The One. For New York. is the first of several city-focused chapters of The One. For All., with The One. For London., The One. For Tokyo., The One. For Shanghai., and The One. For Sydney. planned for later this year and 2027. Each will celebrate the artists, venues and communities that make a city’s music culture its own — and the people who continue to shape what comes next.
The new American Professional series Fender's continued investment in evolving its original designs while preserving the character, feel and identity that have made them enduring favorites. For more information visit Fender.com.
American Professional series
Fender has announced the next evolution of American Professional, its flagship series of electric guitars and basses. Built around some of the most recognizable shapes in music, the refreshed series brings new player-focused design and performance upgrades to Fender’s iconic instruments.
Housed within Fender’s newly revamped American Professional line is a bridge previously only available on top-line Custom Shop models: “It was like, ‘How can you make it in quantity?’”
Fender has revamped its flagship US-made American Professional line, offering up redesigned bridges, upgraded electronics, reshaped neck profiles and new V-Mod III pickups.
Clocking in starting at $1,799.99 (£1,849 in the UK), the new American Professional line comprises all the usual Fender suspects, including a Stratocaster, Stratocaster HSS, Telecaster, Hotshot Telecaster, Jazzmaster, Jaguar, Precision Bass, Precision Bass V, Jazz Bass and Jazz Bass V.
Fender says the changes are aimed at how the instruments feel, respond and hold up on the road, while keeping what defines each model. “You don’t evolve an instrument like the Strat or Tele by changing things just to make them new,” explains Justin Norvell, Fender’s Chief Product Officer for guitars and basses.
Fender American Professional series – what’s new
V-Mod III pickups are voiced for balanced output, string-to-string clarity and touch sensitivity. The Strat, Tele, Jaguar and Jazzmaster get new single-coils, the Strat HSS gets a redesigned bridge humbucker, the Precision Bass gets a new split-coil and the Jazz Basses get new pickups of their own. Fender senior design engineer Steven Casado tells Guitar World that revised magnet staggers follow the fingerboard radius more closely, which he said helps tone hold up under heavy distortion. These pickups are paired with ClassicGear Precision potentiometers, and every guitar gets a push-pull tone control for an additional voice.
The Strat has ClassicGear Radial bent-steel saddles and an upgraded 2-point tremolo. The Tele has a top-load or string-through bridge with compensated brass bullet saddles. The Jaguar and Jazzmaster pair a ClassicGear J-Bridge with a Panorama tremolo and both basses get a redesigned HiMass Modern Bridge.
Interestingly, the new ClassicGear J-Bridge found on the new Jaguar and Jazzmaster arrives as a cheaper version of the Fender Custom Shop RSD J bridge. This is only available on the brand’s top-line Custom Shop guitars and routinely sells for hundreds on the second-hand market as a result. “Everyone’s loved the Custom Shop RSD bridge,” says Justin Norvell. “That bridge is one of one, handmade and milled. It was like, ‘How can you make it in quantity?’”
Credit: Fender
Elsewhere, the guitars across the new American Professional line sport Deep “C” profile necks, while the Precision Bass has a Medium “C” profile, and the Jazz Bass a slim “C” profile – all with rolled fingerboard edges. The Telecaster and Hotshot Telecaster also get a newly sculpted heel.
Justin Norvell has also explained that the new Strat saddle design, which keeps screw ends from sticking up, addresses a “70-plus year gripe”.
The Hotshot Telecaster adds a V-Mod III Stratocaster pickup in the middle position with 5-way switching. The Jaguar and Jazzmaster have a tap function on the bridge pickup, plus the Rhythm Circuit. The Jaguar keeps its 24-inch short scale.
Finishes include Aged Cherry Burst, Oxblood, Dark Night, 3-Color Sunburst, Olympic White, Black, Natural and Butterscotch Blonde, depending on the model, with maple or rosewood fingerboards.
Fender says it will add left-handed versions of the Stratocaster, Telecaster, Precision Bass and Jazz Bass in spring 2027.
Learn more at Fender.
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Walrus Audio revives its Storybook Series with MKII versions of its much-loved Lore and Fable pedals
Four years after the launch of the Lore in 2022 – an ambient effects pedal built around five reverse delay and reverb programmes to evoke the concept of a storybook fantasy world – Walrus Audio has revived its Storybook Series with the Lore MKII. But that’s not all…
The Oklahoma audio company has actually unveiled two new pedals in the series, with the Fable MKII joining the new Lore version. The Lore MKII is marked as a Stereo Reverse Soundscape Generator, while the Fable MKII is a Stereo Granular Soundscape Generator. The original Fable landed in March 2023 as Walrus’s first granular delay pedal.
Both are built on Walrus Audio’s proprietary MDSP platform, developed entirely in-house and add full stereo operation with mono-in/stereo-out capability, MIDI control, clock sync, expression/external tap functionality and expanded presets. Each pedal has three onboard presets plus a Live mode, with up to 127 presets accessible via MIDI.
Both pedals run five custom dual-effect algorithms with complex feedback paths. The feedback and regen controls loop through these paths to build evolving stereo textures that Walrus describes as closer to instruments than effects.
A multifunction tweak control covers width, mod rate, mod shape, shift and ramp. A momentary dive/rise function lets players manipulate the clock rate in real time.
Two distinctive approaches
The Lore MKII’s algorithms range from reverse delay into reverse reverb to dual pitch delay combinations, producing reversed swells, octave shimmers, dark textures, sustained pads and intricate pitch-delay patterns. Separate feedback paths let sounds keep evolving rather than simply repeating.
The Fable MKII pairs delay with granular processing, which manipulates short sound samples through different playback speeds, directions and positions. Its five modes cover reversed textures, bright octave-up cascades, deep octave-down ambience, glitchy clouds and randomised pitch effects. Dual feedback paths can take sounds from smooth ambience to chaotic granular swarms.
Finish options
Credit: Walrus Audio
Each pedal comes in two finishes: an illustrated standard version with artwork by English illustrator Niall Grant (Green for the Lore, Gray for the Fable) and a Minimal Black version with a simplified icon on a black enclosure.
Both the Lore MKII and Fable MKII are now available at £319 / $349.99 each from authorised Walrus Audio dealers. More information at Walrus Audio.
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Geordie Greep, formerly of Black Midi, cancels three US tour dates following sexual misconduct allegation
Geordie Greep, former frontman of the now defunct London experimental rock band Black Midi, has cancelled three US shows on his North American tour, after denying an allegation of sexual misconduct during a recent show in Vancouver.
NME reported on Sunday that a total of five shows had been cancelled: in Boise (9 Oct), Salt Lake City (10 Oct), Boulder (12 Oct), Denver (13 Oct) and Omaha (14 Oct). But as of the time of writing, only the first three of those shows were cancelled, with tickets for the Denver and Omaha shows on 13 and 14 October, plus a date in Des Moines, Iowa on 15 October, still available on Greep’s website.
Greep has not issued a public statement about the cancellations, however they follow his October 8 show at The Pearl in Vancouver.
Before the gig began, an attendee reportedly handed out flyers reading “Geordie Greep A Rapist” and “You know what you did this morning Oct 8th”, apparently referring to an incident that happened earlier that day. The flyers gave no further detail of the allegation.
Greep went on stage alone and addressed the crowd directly. He explained that he had been out at bars with members of his touring party the night before where they met some people and ended up at a late house party. There, he said, he misread a situation and “got the wrong end of the stick with someone that was there”. He said he apologised immediately and described the episode as a “complete misunderstanding on my part”.
“I would never rape a woman. I’m not a rapist,” he told the audience.
Greep said he had not wanted to pressure his bandmates into playing given the circumstances and told the audience they were free to ask for refunds or leave.
“I just wanted to be transparent with you about what happened,” he said. “I’m very, very, very sorry; I made someone uncomfortable without meaning to. It’s not a good thing, it’s not good.”
He went on to perform a shortened solo set in which he said all proceeds from the show would be donated to an anti-violence organisation in British Columbia.
Greep addressing the allegations (credit: u/wreeum on the Geordie Greep subreddit) https://t.co/jnqJdV30zv pic.twitter.com/1GjTFbFW8n
— NINE-UP (@NINEUP5) October 9, 2026
Greep launched his solo career after Black Midi announced an indefinite split in 2024, releasing his debut album, The New Sound, later that year.
Earlier this year, former Black Midi guitarist Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin died aged 26 following a “long battle with his mental health”.
For help, advice or more information on sexual harassment, assault and rape, you can visit the Rape Crisis charity website in the UK or RAINN in the US.
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Zoom’s touchscreen Neurig pedal delivers hundreds of thousands of NAM captures plus AI stem separation, and could “redefine everything”
If you’re a bit of a pedal hoarder, Zoom might have crafted the ultimate multi-tool for you. The Zoom Neurig comes as the brand’s push forward into the “next-generation” of amp modellers – and Zoom believes the touchscreen tech’s 32 built-in amp heads, 139 effects and capacity to import over 700,000 Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) captures will “redefine everything”.
For those unaware, Neural Amp Modeler, often referred to simply as NAM, is a free, open-source AI project used to model guitar amps and pedals. As well as Zoom’s Neurig embracing NAM, it also has the ability to source digital models from TONE3000, an online community set up to share digital amp and gear models.
With NAM and TONE3000’s catalogue available for free, it essentially means that any model is just a click away when you’re using the Zoom Neurig. NAM integration means users can easily load up amps, pedals, and even full signal chain models… which sounds impressive, right? Well, it gets even better – because all this only costs ¥47,800, which is roughly $300.
But, alongside the staggering library and endless possibilities, the Zoom Neurig comes with a wealth of stock sounds out the box. It features 32 built-in amp heads, spanning from the more vintage feel of the 1965 Fender Twin Reverb to the likes of the Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier.
The real “next-generation” feel comes in the modeller’s native support for TONE3000’s NAM A2 Lite, with Zoom branding it “most accurate and best-sounding amp modelling technology in history”.
The supposed genius behind NAM A2 Lite is its ability to “reproduce the amplifier itself, not just the tone”. In essence, it doesn’t just mimic the sound of an amp, but it embodies the “behaviour of every knob and parameter” of any amp or pedal it chooses to emulate. In essence, it tries to understand the nuances of the original technology.
As for the built-in models, there are also six Zoom originals. These include Pollex, a drop-tuned, djent-focused tone, as well as the ‘60s-inspired Redloom, and blues-rock crunch of Muddy.
There are also effects to experiment with, of course. The Zoom Neurig comes with 139 built-in effects, allowing you to toy with reverbs, delays, bit crusher, ring modulator, and more. 17 effects are also tailored specifically for use with an expression pedal. You can also run up to 14 effects simultaneously in series, parallel or split routing.
In terms of hooking your gear up, you can plug in any of your physical gear into the unit’s send/return jacks. There’s also MIDI in/out, stereo and mono outputs, and the signal path can also be split in two. As for control, alongside the touch screen there are four footswitches and two rotary controls. There’s also Bluetooth connectivity, if that’s of interest.
Alongside the NAM A2 Lite’s AI-aided tech, the Zoom Neurig also comes with AI-driven tone generation and AI stem separation functionality, which are accessible via the SessionZ Pedal cloud service.
It’s also worth nothing that this compact bit of kit is very portable, with four and a half hours of battery life. So, if you’re a travelling musician, it’s pretty handy to be able to call on one tool that allows you access to hundreds of thousands of digital models in a pinch…
For more information, head to Zoom.
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Walrus Audio Announces Lore Stereo Reverse Soundscape Generator & Fable Stereo Granular Soundscape Generator
Walrus Audio is excited to announce the return of their "Storybook Series" with all-new expanded stereo versions of the Lore Reverse Soundscape Generator and Fable Stereo Granular Soundscape Generator.
Built for players who want to move beyond traditional delay and reverb, the Lore centers around five different modes of reverse reverb, delay, and pitch shifting, while the Fable pairs delay with granular processing through its five modes. Both pedals feature complex feedback paths that loop through the Feedback and Regen controls to build and create evolving stereo soundscapes that feel less like effects and more like instruments. While Lore and Fable share a common architecture, each takes a distinctly different path of sound creation.
The updated Lore and Fable also share an expanded control system designed to put deep DSP functionality directly beneath the player’s fingertips. A multifunction Tweak control provides access to Width, Mod Rate, Mod Shape, Shift, and Ramp, while the Dive / Rise momentary function allows players to manipulate the clock rate in real time. In addition to stereo functionality, both pedals have been given MIDI control, expression/external tap functionality, three onboard presets plus Live mode, or up to 127 presets via MIDI.
At the heart of both pedals is Walrus Audio’s proprietary MDSP platform, developed entirely in-house by the company’s engineering team. MDSP provides the processing power necessary to combine multiple algorithms, feedback paths, time manipulation, and modulation for an immersive soundscaping experience.
The Lore and Fable are available in two color variants with illustrated art by Niall Grant and minimal versions with a simplified icon and black enclosures.
Walrus Audio is offering the Lore and Fable MKII each at a retail price of $349.99. For a firsthand experience of the updated Storybook Series, visit walrusaudio.com or your nearest authorized Walrus Audio dealer.
Lore Stereo Reverse Soundscape Generator & Fable Stereo Granular Soundscape Generator
Walrus Audio is excited to announce the return of their ‘Storybook Series’ with all-new expanded stereo versions of the Lore Reverse Soundscape Generator and Fable Stereo Granular Soundscape Generator.
“Metallica is not here to influence you with any bulls**t”: James Hetfield explains why Metallica steer clear of politics at their shows
Last week, James Hetfield stated that he wont use Metallica’s ongoing residency at the Las Vegas Sphere as a way of platforming any “agendas” – instead, he hopes the shows can be an escape from “all the outside shit”.
On 10 October, the Metallica frontman took a moment to address the Las Vegas Sphere crowd. “Metallica is not here, like some other entertainers, to influence you with their bullshit,” he said. “Okay? We are here… no bullshit… we’re here to forget about all the outside shit, okay?”
“Metallica’s agenda is love, energy and heavy music, baby!” Hetfield concluded.
While his speech remained vague, some have honed in on Hetfield’s reference to “some other entertainers”, believing it to be a nod to Macklemore, who was recently dropped from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour after using his support slot to advocate for a “Free Palestine”. The rapper has since insisted that “being apolitical” in the current climate is fruitless.
Again, while politics isn’t outright mentioned by Hetfield, Redditors have been debating when the frontman became “apolitical”. Many have pointed to Metallica’s back catalogue as a case in point; 1988’s …And Justice For All is a seemingly anti-war political commentary, with a title track critiquing how money and greed influences the legal system, while Disposable Heroes and One both explore how soldiers are seen as disposable pawns, then left to deal with life-altering physical and mental wounds.
Others have also pointed to Metallica’s 1991 self-titled release, with the famous Black Album artwork featuring the Gadsden flag’s coiled snake, a symbol taken from the 1775 American Revolution. While the symbol has been co-opted recently by fascist, racist groups, Metallica’s usage seemed to fall in line with anti-government sentiments.
The “anti-government” sentiment was seemingly confirmed by the record including a track called Don’t Treat On Me, which is also another reference to the Gadsden flag as it was the flag’s motto. Again, many Reddit users have debated the meaning of this track for years, with many landing on the Gadsden reference being the “antithesis of fascism”.
With all this in mind, therein lies the question – have Metallica turned “apolitical”? Well, if we look back, the band have seemingly never wanted to “influence you with [any] bullshit”, because Hetfield has always distanced himself from taking a side politically.
“Don’t Tread on Me, I love the song, but it shocked a lot of people, because everyone thought it was pro-war when they thought we were anti-war… all we’re doing is writing songs, we’re not standing politically on any side,” Hetfield told Village Voice in 2012 [via MusicRadar].
But that shift isn’t a more recent change – in fact, one year after the release of …And Justice For All, Hetfield explained how he prefers to “steer away” from politics. “We’ve steered away from all that, we’ve had numerous letters asking us to play for this cause, that cause,” he told NME in 1992 [via The Guardian]. “We’re a musical band, [and not into] political shit.”
“I mean we’re not anti-war, we’re not pro-war…” he continued. “War has its purpose, y’know, but I’d rather not see it happen.”
Metallica are set to ride out their Las Vegas Sphere residency long into next year, extending their Life Burns Faster tour up until March 2027. For tickets, head to the band’s website.
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Troy Van Leeuwen on how 12-string guitars help make a “perfectly imperfect” sound
Queens Of The Stone Age’s Troy Van Leeuwen has pretty great taste. Between custom Echoparks, double-necked offsets and his very sought-after signature Jazzmaster, he’s rarely seen playing a guitar that doesn’t make you go “oh, what the hell is that and how do I get one?” And now, for one more guitar in his arsenal, that question just got a lot easier to answer.
While it started life as a custom-shop build, the new Troy Van Leeuwen Telecaster XII is not a high-end custom recreation, or even a mainline Fender model: it arrives as part of Squier’s ever-creative and weird Paranormal series, a perfect home for its mashup of design elements and unique approach.
I chatted to Troy about the origins of the guitar, how J Mascis paved the way for affordable signatures, and how the very nature of a 12-string gels with the perfectly imperfect approach of the new Queens record Perfecth.
Image: Press
Where did this guitar originate?
“There’s a little backstory that goes back to when I first started working with fender on my Jazzmaster. This was right when our record …Like Clockwork was coming out. There was so much 12-string on that record that I was like, I should probably have a double-neck guitar, you know – my idea was to have a Jazzmaster on the bottom and an Electric XII on the top.
“I was talking to Paul Waller, a Master Builder at the Custom Shop, and he was like, ‘This is probably gonna take six months from concept to playable guitar.’” We were about to hit the road, and I was using a Burns Double Six reissue for my 12-string. Paul basically said, ‘Why don’t I build you a 12-string Tele instead?’ – which was perfect, really, as I had always wanted a 12-string Telecaster, I just never saw one.
“So he took some measurements, and four weeks later I had this Custom Shop Telecaster 12-string, in a copper relic finish! Between myself and Dean [Fertita] we used that guitar a bunch – recording, live, what have you. So that’s how that particular guitar started. Recently when I was chatting to some of the guys at Fender, they were maybe talking about doing another signature. I just went, ‘we should do this 12-string Tele!’”
Squier Paranormal Troy van Leeuwen Telecaster XII. Image: Press
What was the benefit of working within the Squier range rather than making this a Fender release?
“My very first electric guitar was a Teisco Del Rey – that guitar always holds a special place in my heart! It was cheap, I got it from a garage sale for like 60 bucks – and it didn’t sound like anything else. So to me, to do something with Squier was important – there, J Mascis blazed the trail for us, really.
“It became about getting something out there that’s really simple and affordable for kids to try, too – I didn’t have a 12-string until I was in my late 20s! The new guitar is super accessible and simple. Plus, it’s a Tele. There’s a reason that guitar has been around for 75 years. It’s classic, it’s simple, it always sounds good!”
What makes you reach for a Telecaster over a Jazzmaster?
“There’s just a different kind of twang, you know. With a Jazzmaster, it’s more of a surf twang, the Tele, it’s more of a country twang. And if I grab a Jazzmaster, I’m probably gonna use the vibrato system, because it’s one of the best for staying in tune if you’ve got the right bridge, which for me is the Mustang bridge. The Tele is more straightforward: it’s a slab, it’s squared-off, it’s no-frills – the Jazzmaster gets you this plethora of other stuff, but with the Tele, you know what you’re gonna get.”
Squier Paranormal Troy van Leeuwen Telecaster XII. Image: Press
How do you make 12-string sounds fit well within a Queens Of The Stone Age song when it comes to writing and recording with them?
“A lot of what we do in Queens with 12-strings – because there’s three guitar players, myself, Dean and occasionally Josh – it’s usually single-note stuff. Especially focusing on the higher strings, for more of that ringy, doubled character. I guess you would call it a Middle Eastern sound. You can’t really get away with a lot of lushness with three guitar players. There’s not room for a lot of big, giant chords because it fills up the signal and the mix, and so with a 12-string in particular that’s why it’s more single-note parts.”
How has your approach to dialling in tones changed over the years?
“The older Queens stuff was leaning more on that big hollow-body, humbucker sound. But over the years, it’s definitely widened and sharpened at the same time. With single-coil you can get this clearer overdriven sound, if you’re pushing the amp with the right sort of boost. The cleans aren’t completely clean, and the overdrives aren’t searingly saturated – there’s this happy medium, and that’s where I hang out these days, I’m definitely leaning on the single coils.”
A 12-string arguably sounds great because it’s a slightly imperfect instrument, even more so than six-string guitars – always slightly out of tune with itself. Was that an approach you wanted to take generally on Perfecth, given the name?
“With this new record, it’s another examination of simplicity. Most of it was plugging straight into the amp without a lot of effects, even if there is a time and place for reverb and stuff. I’ve been using this really cool SG Systems amp, and it has a built-in Maestro phaser – it’s incredible, because you can plug it in and either have it phasing, or dial it in like a notched frequency thing. But it’s really liberating to just plug straight in on a record like this, and let it do the magic.
“As we’re also producers and guys that might jump in the mix, too. So you can kind of pre-mixing the record by deciding what tones are going to go down straight to the tape. There’s a song on the record called Insignificant Other, and it’s a seven-minute song that we recorded live at, well, probably 3am. It was take two. All of us in the room, no effects. Doing that you have to go, ‘Those are the frequencies Josh and Dean are going to live in,’ and so on. It’s when you start taking stuff away as part of that, everything opens up, and it feels more natural.”
The new record is taking a lot more of an analogue approach in a time where a lot of music is moving away from that.
“I’ll take it further than that: the name of our record is Perfecth, which is basically saying there’s no such thing for us. On Insignificant Other there are mistakes that we kept – some of those were happy mistakes, what you might call ‘magic’, and some of them are just us feeling it out in the room.
“Guitars are absolutely not perfect. They shouldn’t actually work. When you combine all the elements, a wooden neck, metal frets, metal strings – it’s never going to be truly in tune. So for us, we’re examining the human experience by doing things that are perfectly imperfect, perfectly human. I mean, people are using AI and that’s fine or whatever – but it’s just boring. It’s fucking boring!”
Find out more about the Squier Paranormal Troy Van Leeuwen Telecaster XII at fender.com.
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Podcast 565: Wood & Wire Fine Fretted Instruments
On today’s Fretboard Journal Podcast, we are talking to Jim and Frank from Wood & Wire Fine Fretted Instruments, a recently opened Chicago-area guitar store celebrating high-end and boutique instruments. This may just be the most Fretboard Journal-ish guitar retailer on earth.
Jim Newcomb served as CEO of the Old Town School of Folk Music and is responsible for bringing the Fretboard Summit to Chicago. Frank Hamilton is a former student at the Galloup School and headed the repair shop at the recently closed Guitar Works from 1999-2004.
Wood & Wire distinguishes itself with an inventory featuring bigger boutique brands like Collings, Huss & Dalton and Boucher alongside hand-picked luthier-built instruments from legends such as Jason Kostal, Tyler Wells, Paul Woolson and others. They also carry both high-end acoustics and electrics, vintage instruments, and select amps.
During our chat, we talk about the origin of the store, their desire to make it a community hub, the intricacies of modern guitar design, and so much more.
Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal’s quarterly print magazine. Issue 60 is now mailing and features Christopher Guest; a cover story penned by John Monteleone and other surprises: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription
We are brought to you by Peghead Nation: https://www.pegheadnation.com
(Get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription with the promo code FRETBOARD at checkout).
We are also brought to you by Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar: https://mmguitarbar.com, located in Seattle, Washington.
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Slash receives the 2026 Les Paul Spirit Award for his “pioneering musicianship and enduring influence”
Slash has been honoured with the 2026 Les Paul Spirit Award for his “creative legacy, pioneering musicianship and enduring influence on generations of artists and fans”.
The legendary Guns N’ Roses guitarist received the award this October during an intimate and private event presented by the Les Paul Foundation in partnership with Gibson Gives, held at The Les Paul Recording Studio at Universal Master Recordings in Hollywood.
The Les Paul Spirit Award is presented to an individual who “exemplifies the spirit of the late Les Paul through innovation, engineering, technology and music” each year.
The award, which is always made uniquely for the recipient, was created from hand-carved acoustic boards that Les Paul built and used in his home recording studio. Previous recipients include Bob Weir, Nile Rodgers, the Edge, Peter Frampton and Steve Miller.
Slash and Les Paul shared a special friendship during Les Paul’s lifetime and often played music together. Speaking of the award, Slash says, “Les was so much more than a great guitarist and innovator. He was an actual inventor who changed the instrument itself, built groundbreaking recording equipment and completely reimagined how artists could record music.
“I feel incredibly lucky that I got to know him, hang out with him and play music with him. I cherish the relationship we had, and receiving an award that carries his name and spirit is a tremendous honour.”
Credit: Les Paul Foundation
Michael Braunstein, Executive Director of the Les Paul Foundation, adds: “We are honoured to present the Les Paul Spirit Award to Slash this year. He and Les shared a special friendship and often jammed together when they could.
“Not only does Slash exemplify the creativity and curiosity Les had during his life, but he is also an extraordinary talent and a wonderful supporter of the Les Paul Foundation. If Les were still alive today, Slash and he would be jamming onstage together somewhere regularly.”
Slash ft. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators are due to release a new album next year. You can check out the first single, Flying Blind, below:
Find out more about Slash ft Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, or pre-order their new album, via Slash’s official website.
The post Slash receives the 2026 Les Paul Spirit Award for his “pioneering musicianship and enduring influence” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“I didn’t know what the f**k was going on”: Yngwie Malmsteen reveals that he was asked to join Kiss… and the bizarre reason they pulled out
Yngwie Malmsteen was once asked to join Kiss, but the reason why he was eventually turned down had nothing to do with his skills on guitar.
A member of the band’s team was very interested in having Malmsteen on board, according to the guitarist himself, but they never called him again after learning he was above six foot in height.
In an interview with eonmusic , Malmsteen is asked about the bands he’s been asked to join across his career, including when he was nearly recruited to join Ozzy Osbourne after the death of Randy Rhoads.
“It was right after,” he confirms. “What happened was, I sent this cassette tape to Guitar Player magazine, and it was me playing drums, bass, keyboards, guitar, obviously, and vocals, and they went fucking ape shit. And this guy, he would send my cassettes to everybody. I had people from Kiss, from Night Ranger [calling me].
“I can’t remember all the people who would call. I was still in Sweden. I was 18 years old, a kid. I didn’t know what the fuck was going on. It was funny because I remember [with] Kiss — I don’t know if it was a manager or whoever called – but he kept [saying], ‘You’re hot, you’re hot.’ I’m like, ‘What? What the hell?’, because I was speaking the Queen’s English in those days, and I didn’t [know what] ‘hot’ meant!”
He adds, “Anyway, they wanted me to come over and join Kiss, and they asked me if I’m six foot tall, apparently they wanted me to be six foot and I’m more than that, so they didn’t call back.”
Kiss wrapped their farewell tour, End Of The Road, in 2023 with a huge show at Madison Square Garden in New York. And, of course, the band are set to continue on with a string of widely anticipated avatar shows in the style of ABBA’s Voyage in the future.
At the time, fans called on the band do a mighty show at the Las Vegas Sphere. Speaking to American Songwriter earlier this year, Kiss frontman Paul Stanley explained why they were never tempted by it.
“Towards the end of the tour, people were saying, ‘Why don’t you play the Sphere?’” Stanley recalled. “The truth of it is, the Sphere minimises a band. It makes a band miniature. You’re not going there to see a band – you’re going to see screens.”
The post “I didn’t know what the f**k was going on”: Yngwie Malmsteen reveals that he was asked to join Kiss… and the bizarre reason they pulled out appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Get’m Get’m Introduces Bitch What! Strap Collection
Adding to the company’s line of eye-grabbing straps, Get’m Get’m has unveiled the new Bitch What! collection.
The new straps combine bold, fun colors with textured serpentine faux leather, premium materials, and Get’m Get’m’s signature multi-layer construction. Bitch What! straps are designed to deliver the comfort, support, and craftsmanship musicians expect from a high-end strap while giving them something visually unexpected.
Key features include:
- Available in nine colors: Aqua, Black, Gold, Neon Green, Neon Pink, Neon Yellow, Red, Silver, and White.
- Textured Serpentine Faux Leather—A distinctive, snakeskin-inspired texture with a bold, tactile finish. Get’m Get’m calls this look “serpentine” to distinguish the collection from its existing snakeskin strap designs.
- Premium Materials & Reinforced Stitching—Built for long sets, loud nights, and plenty of rock ’n’ roll.
- High-Quality Multi-Layer Construction—Lining is made of soft, high-quality nylon for comfort, stability, and better weight distribution while playing.
- Fully Adjustable Up to 65 Inches—2 inches wide and comfortably adjustable for guitarists and bassists of different sizes.
- Real 7 oz. Leather Tips—Strong, secure leather ends designed to keep the instrument where it belongs.
- Pewter Hardware—Durable pewter-tone hardware adds the final badass touch.
Each of the new straps is available for a $129 street price and can be purchased on the Get’m Get’m website: getmgetm.com/products/getm-getm-bitch-what-guitar-ba….
Bitch What! Strap Collection
Adding to the company’s line of eye-grabbing straps, Get’m Get’m has unveiled the new Bitch What! collection.
“A special edition Minotaur, fit for a Rat Queen”: Dunable launches signature model for Castle Rat’s Riley Pinkerton – but there’s only four available
Dunable has unveiled a signature Minotaur guitar for Castle Rat singer and guitarist Riley Pinkerton, but there’s just four of them available.
This ultra-limited guitar, called The Summoner, was designed by Pinkerton herself. Dunable says that she had “a very specific vision” for the guitar so that it would suit their music, and with it being so limited, it is priced at a high-end £2,760.99.
Specs-wise, the guitar has a mahogany body and neck, and an ebony fingerboard with 22 jumbo stainless frets. Visually, the model is really quite striking with its gold/white colourshift lacquer finish, further complemented by a custom gold crackle/gold holoflash pickguard.
Other features include a 24.75” scale length for “very fast” playability, gold hardware in keeping with its overall aesthetic, and only “the essential specs needed for heavy riffing”: a single Direwolf pickup and kill switch. It also comes with a hard case to keep it pristine.
The guitar is currently in production, and won’t ship until mid-November. Take a closer look at it below:
Last month, Guitar.com caught up with Pinkerton for a new episode of My Guitars & Me. She walked us through her favourite Gibson SGs, which fittingly show their fair share of battle scars, wear and tear from a suit of chainmail, and even a dash of body glitter.
A true highlight was her #17 SG, which she bought with her relief check during the COVID-19 pandemic: “I bought it used off Reverb. When the pandemic hit, we got a check, so I was like, I’m gonna buy a guitar.’ So that’s what I did,” she shared.
“It’s [got a] chainmail rash instead of buckle rash,” she added. “And everything I own is covered with sparkles, because I wear body glitter onstage, so that’s everywhere.”
Watch the full episode below:
Find out more about The Summoner guitar by heading over to Dunable.
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Johnny Marr says he’s more sentimental about clothes than he is about guitars: “I’d actually find it harder to get rid of some of my jackets”
Johnny Marr has a confession to make: he finds it harder to part with some of his clothes than he does with his guitars.
You might find that utterly bizarre, but Marr has only proven so with his recent guitar auction via Christie’s. Over 100 guitars went under the hammer across the five-hour event in September, fetching over £3.6 million and more than tripling the total estimate made prior to the event.
A key highlight was Marr’s 1982 Rickenbacker 330 Jetglo, used across his time in The Smiths, including on their second single This Charming Man and extensively on the band’s self-titled debut album. It sold for £358,400, far exceeding its £60,000-£80,000 estimate.
And yet, in an interview with Mr Porter, he says, “I’d actually find it harder to get rid of some of my jackets than I would some of my guitars. Oh man, I’m getting a visceral reaction even thinking about it.”
He goes on to explain, “Growing up in the inner city in the 1970s, me and my sister were clothes freaks. It’s like the way some families like football. It’s part of the culture. Before the Smiths, the only job [I’d] ever had was working in a clothes shop.
“I was a sales assistant then. But the reason I got that job was that me and my girlfriend [now his wife, Angie] would make what bits of money we could by jibbing on the train from Manchester to London, coming down to King’s Road and buying shirts and jackets, bringing them back up to Manchester. That’s how I made enough to buy my guitar and amp.”
Even now, Marr is particular about how he dresses on stage. In fact, there’s a fair bit of thought that goes into his style in an effort to serve the significance of his guitar: “I know what works for me and I have some strong, strong feelings about what you really can’t wear while you’re playing the guitar: anything that makes the guitar look like a fucking banjo. That’s the problem with baggy stuff. It makes your guitar look too small,” he states.
Johnny Marr’s new album, The Age Of Everything, was released this October. You can order it via his official website.
The post Johnny Marr says he’s more sentimental about clothes than he is about guitars: “I’d actually find it harder to get rid of some of my jackets” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Martin 5-28 Terz review: great guitars come in the smallest packages
$3,599/£3,799, martinguitar.com
The stringed instrument that we now know as the guitar has a long and winding history that goes back almost as far as the history of the human race itself: the oldest depiction of someone playing a stringed instrument is an ancient Hittite carving that dates back over 3,500 years.
Over the next few millenia, cultures across the world would conceive of various ways to make music through a combination of vibrating strings and wood – from the oud and the lute, to the vihuela and the cittern.
Even by the 1500s, when the proto-forms of what we now understand as a guitar started to become popular across Europe, there was a great deal of variety in terms of shape, size and the number of strings as makers and players experimented to work out what worked and what didn’t.
One of the most popular and important evolutionary forks is the Terz, which was extremely popular in the 1800s, especially in central Europe – often as an accompaniment to someone playing on a regular guitar. The Terz also has a special place in the history of Martin Guitars, as these are the sorts of instruments that Christian Frederick Martin Sr was building in his native Germany, before he emigrated to the USA.
For 2027, Martin has reintroduced the Terz guitar into the company’s standard line in the shape of the 5-28 – so what’s the deal?
Image: Press
What is it?
In essence, a Terz guitar is a small-bodied (Size 5) acoustic guitar where all the strings are tuned a minor third higher than E standard – G-C-F-A♯-D-G. “Terz” is the German musical terminology for a third, hence the name – in Francophone countries the guitars are sometimes called ‘tierce’ guitars for the same reason.
The Terz’s tuning gives the same effect as placing a capo on the third fret of your regular acoustic, but combined with the tiny body it gives a sweeter tone that makes it such a great accompaniment for a regular flat-top.
Over the years Martin has periodically made Terz guitars, and they’ve earned quite a reputation among artists over that time. Dolly Parton is without doubt the most famous and visible exponent of the Terz – for many years she used a 5-18 Terz as her primary guitar, but the guitar has also been used to great effect by the likes of Marty Robbins, Sting and even Billy Corgan.
This association has made vintage Martin Terz guitars very collectable – but they rarely come cheap. They were never mass-produced, and finding a clean vintage example is very tricky because the string tension of that added third is hard going on the bridge, top and braces.
Thankfully for those of us who have always been Terz-curious, the brand new 5-28 makes the experience a great deal more affordable and accessible – it’s still not a cheap guitar by any stretch of the imagination, of course, but at least you don’t have to be friends with a vintage guitar dealer to hope to see one.
As you’d expect from a Standard series guitar, you get premium tonewoods – a solid spruce top with solid East Indian rosewood back and sides, an ebony board, and 28-style flourishes including mother-of-pearl inlays and a multi-stripe binding around the body and the soundhole. The guitar comes with a hard case and is available for lefties, too – but what you don’t get is any onboard electronics: it’s a case of mic it up or get the drill out here.
Image: Press
Build Quality and Playability
The first thing that strikes you about the 5-28 is the size of the thing – it is a very tiny guitar, even by parlor standards. In fact, the 5-28 is the smallest guitar in the Martin catalogue at this time, unless you count the D-28 Christmas tree ornament, which only really counts if you’re a mouse or other musical rodent.
Despite its diminutive size, it feels every bit a Martin built by the craftspeople in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. From the top to the bottom of this tiny Terz, I could not find a flaw in woodworking, assembly, finish, fretwork or anything else – this feels like the sort of guitar that could become a family heirloom, something you can pass down through the generations, as has often been the case with historic Terz guitars. Thanks to the ageing toner on the guitar’s top, it already looks well-travelled.
The playing experience is certainly a lot more compact than a regular Martin dread – this is a 12-fret design, but the 21.38-inch scale length here is very noticeable, though the standard 1.75-inch nut width means that it at least only feels cramped in one direction. If you’re a bigger-handed, bigger-bodied player however, you may have to shake the feeling that you’re not having a Gulliver’s Travels moment.
Image: Press
Sounds
Considering the Terz is tuned 3-steps higher the sound is still surprisingly full and articulate with clean note separation all the way up the neck. You won’t achieve the bass notes or the rounded mids of a traditional D-28 or D-18, but the note clarity and fullness of tone exceed the series 5 body shape expectations.
For comparison I went back and forth between my Martin Bigsby D-28 and the Terz and although the pitch was higher with less bottom-end, the playability was very similar. The Terz sits in its own tonal space for sure, but there is a question about how useful it is on its own – you’d have to be sure your voice provided the right range to accompany it properly, or you’d have to be sure the band around you can provide some of the bottom-end fullness.
The smooth playability up and down the neck, combined with that compact scale length, does encourage ventures up the fretboard. Thankfully, I found the 5-28 to offer a tonality that was obviously higher in register, but never piercing or shrill – it’s actually rather rounded and lovely.
Image: Press
Should I Buy One?
If you are a tone chaser looking for different sounds than your garden variety Martin acoustic guitar, the 5-28 is a lovely instrument that adds a new sonic palette that you probably didn’t even know you wanted.
Given its small stature, it has more projection and focus than you might expect, but it’s going to struggle to be heard on a big stage or in an ensemble – the decision to not include a pickup feels odd in that circumstance.
Given its place in Martin’s history and the collectability of these instruments, it does feel like something that could be a musical investment – especially if more modern artists start to discover its charms now. From a practical perspective, its small size also makes it a much more realistic prospect as an airplane carry-on – its hard case would probably fit in the overhead locker of even the stingiest airline.
There are obviously some caveats to what is a niche instrument – you will likely have to rethink the key you sing in to be accompanied by the 5-28, and you’ll probably want some friends around to fill out the sonic spectrum too. Team it up with another acoustic guitar, mandolin or 12-string and it offers a really unique tonal texture in a separate frequency path.
But ultimately, the great thing about the 5-28 is that it will likely enable more players – like me – to spend some time with a Terz guitar and discover the unique magic these instruments offer. As a different kind of acoustic guitar experience, it’s up there with the very best.
Alternatives
Terz guitars are few and far between in the catalogues of most guitar brands, so you have to get creative. Martin is feeling the small-bodied bug at the moment, and the new 00L-16E ($2,499) is a less bijou guitar, but one with bags of character and great sounds. Gibson’s L-00 Special ($1,999) is another great parlor-sized guitar, with real Robert Johnson mojo. Another incredible US-made parlor is the Breedlove Roots Parlor E ($2,899), while the Larrivee P-03 Mahogany Recording Series ($2,149) used to be made in Canada, but is now built in California – it has a 24-inch scale and 12-fret neck join. String any of these parlors up Nashville-style (or stick a capo on three) and they’ll get you a little closer to the vibe of a Terz without actually being one.
The post Martin 5-28 Terz review: great guitars come in the smallest packages appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Happy Birthday Jackson Browne – And Everything I Know About Connecting Songs In Different Keys
October 9th. Jackson Browne’s birthday. And Sean Lennon’s too – still in his 50s, October 9th being what it is in music history. Jackson’s second album – For Every Man – really grabbed me when it came out. Particularly the way Take It Easy morphed into Our Lady of the Well as the opening medley. […]
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On the Bench: A 1957 Gibson Skylark
In 1957, the world was experiencing profound change. The Civil Rights Act was signed in September. Then, the space race ignited in October, when the Soviet Union launched their Sputnik satellite. The push to put a man on the moon had officially commenced.
Music was also rapidly evolving in 1957. Buddy Holly recorded “That’ll Be the Day” with the Crickets, and it became a defining song of the rock ’n’ roll era. Paul McCartney and John Lennon met in Liverpool, leading to the formation of the Beatles. Teenagers across America were watching American Bandstand on television after school, spreading music across the nation.
On the bench today, I have a 1957 Gibson Skylark. This model is the GA-5 without tremolo, with the designation GA-5T sporting an added tremolo circuit. It is a 5-watt amp, with a standard set of tubes: a 5Y3 rectifier, 6V6 output, and 12AX7 preamp. If this tube configuration sounds familiar, it is because the Fender Champ uses the same setup! There are many similarities between these two amplifiers. They both put out about 5 watts, have a single-ended output section, and house an 8-inch speaker. While they’re in the same family of amps, there are a few key differences.
“With the volume cranked, the Skylark delivers. The overdrive tone is raw, smooth, and well-balanced.”
Overall, I find the Skylark to have more grit than the Champ, with warm and mid-heavy cleans, whereas the Champ sounds more chime-y and bright. Since these are 5 watt amps, the user can max the volume for that natural tube breakup without rattling the walls. With the volume cranked, the Skylark delivers. The overdrive tone is raw, smooth, and well-balanced. It sounds naturally pleasing to the ear without getting too harsh. This is great for blues, rock, or any guitar player who wants that authentic edge.
The Skylark came in a few different versions over the years, with some using different tubes. This amp has only a volume control, and that’s it! There’s no tone stack either, which is one of the reasons why it has that perfect overdrive sound. The Champ, for example, has the typical TMB tone stack. This stands for “treble, middle, bass”, and is a combination of high-pass and low-pass filters. It is a network of capacitors, resistors, and potentiometers that bleed off specific frequencies. This type of circuit will result in a cleaner, more controlled amplification of the guitar. In the Skylark, the signal goes from the first gain stage through a coupling capacitor, to the volume control. There is not much there in terms of tone shaping, but that also means there is barely any signal loss. The signal then travels into the next gain stage—full frequency response and all.
This amp came to me mostly original. The speaker had been replaced, and a 1/4" jack was installed on the back panel. This modification was performed so the user could plug the amplifier into an external speaker cabinet, which provides a lot more versatility. I knew that this amp would need the original filter capacitors replaced, and a grounded power cord installed. The circuit is totally point-to-point, meaning there are no circuit boards or terminal strips. All of the components are soldered directly to the tube sockets, potentiometers, and so on. I like to hard-wire the new capacitors in, and solder their grounds directly to the chassis using my large 1940s soldering iron. This is how I typically ground the power cord as well.
After a quick service, it’s time to fully test the amp. I’m mainly listening for crackling and popping, and testing for coupling capacitor leakage. This amp sports the beloved bumble bee coupling capacitors, which I love to leave installed whenever possible. As a reminder, coupling capacitors pass the audio signal from one gain stage to the other, while blocking the DC voltage from the previous section. As time goes on, these coupling capacitors may begin to leak DC voltage into the audio signal. In this amp, only one of the coupling caps needed to be replaced, as it was leaking about 5 volts.
This amp is cathode biased, so I replaced the cathode bypass capacitor and resistor for the output tube. This is to promote reliability in the output circuit, and keeps the 6V6 running as intended. I left in the first stage coupling capacitor, as it tested totally fine. There’s always a line between originality and reliability, so it’s up to the repair technician to make that judgement call based on their testing and observations.
After testing for a while, I concluded that I did not need to replace any of the other resistors or tubes. The amp came to me with nice old American-made tubes, which can truly stand the test of time. I love being able to leave the old tubes in, especially if the amp has sentimental value like this one. The grit and growl of the Gibson Skylark is an essential component in any collection, and this one will be howling at the moon for another 70 years.
A Simple Way to Convert an 8 String Classical Guitar Tuning into a Brahms Guitar Tuning!
For those of you who don’t know what a Brahms guitar is, it is a classical guitar with eight strings, a cello end pin and the guitarist holds the guitar like a cello. Please visit my page on the Brahms guitar, Paul Galbraith’s website or Redmond O’Toole’s Instagram account for more details of this wonderful style of guitar.
About twice a year I receive emails from guitarists asking me if I will make them a Brahms, I tell them “yes, I can” and then they ask what I charge to make one for them. I tell them that the base price for my classical guitars is $8,000 and a Brahms guitar starts at $8,500 - that is when they lose interest. A lot of work goes into making a Brahms guitar: I triple laminate the sides; I hand cut all the fret slots, the fretboard is fanned, this guitar actually has eight different string lengths(!); the neck is wider than a standard classical; I have to make a special bridge, which is angled to matched the different string lengths; installing the cello endpin; etc., etc.
Recently, a guitarist asked me if I could make a Brahms guitar for them, and if I could send one to them to try out, just to make sure they would want one. I do not have a Brahms guitar on hand. I told them that a client of mine has one for sale, they should contact that client to discuss the playing technique used for playing a Brahms guitar and the possibility of buying the guitar.
The next week I contacted the guitarist and asked them why they wanted to play a Brahms guitar. Their answer was what I expected, the Brahms guitar offers more musical possibilities than a six string classical guitar. Then I suggested to them what a guitarist can do to experience a Brahms guitar without having to buy one.
WARNING! What I am about to suggest is to be done at your own risk! This is just a suggestion! I am not responsible for any damage done to any guitar! This suggestion is a way to try out the tuning of a Brahms guitar! DO NOT drill a hole in the guitar for a cello end pin! Hold the guitar as you would a standard classical guitar! If you do change strings, protect the guitar while you do the work! Please read this ENTIRE post before attempting!
If you really are interested in trying a Brahms guitar without a cello endpin, find someone who is willing to loan you a standard eight string classical guitar, or better yet, find someone with an eight string guitar that is interested in trying out the Brahms tuning. I also suggest that you read about the history of the development of the Brahms guitar before you attempt changing strings.
A Brahms guitar is usually tuned B1 E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4 A4. A standard eight string guitar is usually tuned A1 B1 E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4. All you need to do to convert that eight string guitar tuning over to a Brahms tuning is to remove the eighth string completely from the guitar. Once you do that, shift the remaining strings over towards the bass side, so that the seventh string now becomes the eighth string, the sixth string becomes the seventh string, the fifth string becomes the sixth string, so on and so forth until there is no longer a first string on the guitar. Then you need to find a first string that can be tuned to A4 without breaking.
I suggest buying a set of Aquila Bionylon High A Tuning Classical Guitar Strings.
Here is Aquila Strings description of the set:
High A tuning: A D G c e a, regular guitar intervals, but the 1st string is an above normal e.
We are proud to introduce the Bionylon® the first eco-friendly synthetic string in the world. These special sets also offered in Low A, High G and Low E tuning all designed for a guitar of 64-66 cm scale can give a guitar quartet, all using normal 6 string classical guitars, the range of an orchestra.
These strings get good reviews at the various on line guitar string dealers.
I suggest that you take that high “a” string and use it as the first string on the guitar. Eight string classical guitars are usually built to withstand the add tension of two extra strings, if in doubt about this you should contact your local luthier or qualified repair person. If you are uncomfortable in changing these strings take the guitar to your local luthier or qualified repair person and pay them to do the work!
Once you add that high “a” string, slowly tune all the strings, perhaps you should start with A435 to see how the guitar will react. To try out the tuning, hold the guitar as you normally would, DO NOT DRILL THE GUITAR FOR A CELLO ENDPIN! If you like the tuning and want a custom Brahms guitar, contact me or any luthier about making one for you!
Again, I must state that this procedure is just a suggestion, do not proceed with this if you are uncomfortable with the idea.
I first learned about the Brahms guitar in 1994, shortly after it was premiered by Paul Galbraith, I was immediately impressed by expanded range of the guitar. I shared the article with a fellow guitarist and he said, “Now, that’s best idea I’ve seen in a long time! Every guitarist should have one!
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If you have any questions or comments about this idea, please email them to me at
highcountrylutherie@gmail.com
I will not answer any comments posted to this post.
Vintage Vault: 1966 Gretsch 6122 Country Gentleman
What if I told you that you could get a vintage guitar model from the original Big Bang of rock for less than a new U.S.-made Fender or Gibson? With the Gretsch 6122 Country Gentleman, you can.
The double-cutaway Country Gents of the 1960s were ostensibly Chet Atkins signature models. But it was a young man named George Harrison who sent demand for these guitars through the roof, when he played one in living rooms across the United States during the Beatles’ first televised performance on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964.
Thanks to Harrison’s unofficial endorsement, Gretsch went from building a comfortable 2,000 models a year to struggling to keep up with demand, reportedly making 100 a day following the explosive Sullivan set.
While Harrison’s was a 1963, the production run of Country Gents he inspired from ’64-’70 brought about a few changes: the standard walnut brown finish was lighter than Harrison’s mahogany-colored, the Grover tuners had a more streamlined “kidney” shape, the mute pads changed from red to black, and, over time, some other minor changes were instituted (for example, the “Country Gentleman” branding was made more prominent on pickguards circa 1966).
However, the basic idea that Chet Atkins worked out with Gretsch had remained largely intact since ’61. These were high-end guitars, built for peak performance, without too many distracting frills: hollowbody, 17" wide and about 2" deep, with a laminated maple top, back, and sides. The f-holes were painted on, per Atkins’ orders, so that there were no real holes introducing feedback.
They had ebony fingerboards with a 12" radius, and a 24.5" scale length, a gold-plated Bigsby vibrato tailpiece, a Filter’Tron pickup in the bridge and Super’Tron at the neck, and three volume knobs—that’s right, count ’em, three—for neck, bridge, and master.
There’s not a single tone knob on the whole guitar, but there are three switches: a 3-way tone switch (to choose between bass, standard, and treble), a 3-way pickup selector, and a kill switch.
Add it all up, and you’ve got a certified guitar for a certified guitar player. (There’s even a felt pad snapped onto the back so you can stay comfortable while Travis picking for hours on end.)
“You could get a vintage guitar model from the original Big Bang of rock for less than a new U.S.-made Fender or Gibson.”
Back in the mid-’60s, a retailer would have asked for a whopping $595 for a new Country Gentleman—and that’s if they even had it in stock. Adjusted for inflation, that’s over $6,000 in 2026 money, a testament to the top-notch quality Gretsch and Chet targeted.
That figure puts into stark relief what a great buy these are on the vintage market right now. The 1966 Gretsch 6122 Country Gentleman selected for this Vintage Vault column is listed in good condition from Reverb seller Chicago Music Exchange for just $2,650. (Like Harrison’s, at some point a previous owner removed the string mutes and filled in the holes.)
A price tag of $2,650 is still a good deal less than the $3,799 Gretsch asks currently for the closest reissue, the G6122T-62GE Vintage Select. And even that is on the higher-end of average vintage prices at the moment. In 2026 so far, the average final sale price on Reverb for ’64-’70 Country Gents is $1,900, a big drop from the 2021 peak of $3,400.
Country Gent pricing follows a trend in the vintage guitar world that some people—particularly a lot of sellers of vintage guitars—seem to have missed: the vintage guitar market has cooled. Not by a ton, and certainly not uniformly. The overall market is down 10-15% compared to its 2021/2022 peak, with values on the whole remaining above what they had been pre-pandemic.
That said, a lot of once-offbeat models—like the Gretsches of the world, CBS-era Fender offsets, and others—gained a ton of value during the pandemic, only to have slipped further since. Final prices can be 20% to even 40% lower than their peaks. This Country Gentleman is just one example, with plenty more to be found.
It’s a good reminder to all of us vintage guitar nerds out there: These days, it’s a great time to be a buyer. So if you see a guitar you like, go ahead and throw out an offer. Refer to the actual final sale prices you can always find in the Reverb Price Guide, and don’t take asking prices at face value. You just might score a real-deal vintage gem, for way less a current reissue.
Get up to 20% off Fender this October at Guitar Center!
Guitar Center are currently offering big savings across the Big F catalogue, with a wide range of electric models, amplifiers and other gear from Fender reduced throughout October.
A number of its Player II models are reduced, and many are Guitar Center exclusives boasting unique finishes. Offers end on the 28 October.
- READ MORE: The best picks for electric guitar and acoustic guitar, from Jim Dunlop, Fender, Ibanez and more
From Stratocasters and Jazzmasters, to Teles and P-Basses – which are currently celebrating their 75th birthday this year – there is a wide range of deals to choose from, so we’ve rounded up some of the best. Take a look below.
Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS Plus Top in Blue Burst
This limited-edition Player II Stratocaster HSS Plus Top model has a maple fingerboard, an alder body, and of course, a striking flame maple top that gives it its “Plus Top” status. The HSS pickup configuration consists of a Player Series humbucker and Alnico V single-coils, for a versatile range of tones. Now $799.99, you can save $130 on this guitar.
Credit: Guitar Center
Fender Player II Advanced HSS HT Stratocaster in Surf Green Pearl
Save $260 on this mean looking Strat. Fitted with upgraded Seymour Duncan electronics and featuring “fast-playing appointments and the direct feel of a hardtail bridge”, the Fender Player II Advanced HSS HT Stratocaster is a performance-oriented model. It has an alder body, matte black hardware and an exclusive Surf Pearl finish.
Credit: Guitar Center
Fender Player II Precision Maple Fingerboard Limited-Edition Bass in Ocean Turquoise
This limited-edition P-Bass is now $799.99. It offers a punchy split-coil Precision Bass pickup, an alder body and maple neck, a 4-saddle bridge, synthetic bone nut and vintage-style tuners. It also has a Modern C-shaped neck and chrome hardware to complete its contemporary look.
Credit: Guitar Center
Fender Player II Jazzmaster Electric Guitar in British Racing Green
Save $80 on this exclusive Jazzmaster. It has a classic alder body, a maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard, and a pair of Player Series Alnico 5 Jazzmaster single-coil pickups for a wide tonal palette.
Credit: Guitar Center
To view these deals and more, visit Guitar Center.
The post Get up to 20% off Fender this October at Guitar Center! appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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