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The Latest Breaking News from Custom Shop

“10,9,8,7…”: Tom DeLonge’s Fender Starcaster signature guitar is actually happening – but it might look a little different to the Blink-182 man’s main guitars

There’s no sign of meteorite dust or custom inlays on this pink teaser pic – and the origins of the new Starcaster might surprise some players

Guitar World

“It was found in the trunk of a car. They had sanded it to make it look like it wasn’t mine”: Tyler Bryant's stolen Pinky One Strat was played by Jeff Beck, inscribed by Steven Tyler – and, miraculously, returned to him five years after it was taken

The blues-rock guitarist recalls the loss – and remarkable recovery – of his most significant six-string

Guitar World

“There does seem to be something of an obsession with lighter guitars”: Do lighter electric guitars sound better?

The debate surrounding the effect of weight on electric guitars and tone is long-running and often divisive. Our panel of experts, er, weigh in

Guitar World

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“Updated and more authentic than ever”: Epiphone rolls out the Gibson headstock for its latest high-end Inspired by Gibson Custom Shop drop, including a new 1959 Les Paul Standard – and a pink J-180

Epiphone has lifted the curtain on its “new crown jewels”, all featuring the iconic open book headstock

Guitar World

"Epiphone’s premium recreations of some of the most popular and iconic guitar designs of all time": The 7 new Inspired By Gibson Custom Shop models are a guitar tour-de-force – including Les Paul '59 and Custom models

Four electrics and three acoustics with 'open book' headstocks and some premium features – and Taylor Swift's new favourite stage guitar is amongst them

MusicRadar

“It’s an exciting guitar and it has stood the test of time”: Gibson restores the Everly Brothers J-180 signature acoustic to its core Custom Shop lineup

Buy, buy love! Buy, buy happiness! These high-end stunners have the double moustache pickguards, LR Baggs electronics, and have got some songs in 'em for sure

MusicRadar

“Museum-grade works of art”: Gibson has unveiled its most ambitious set of Master Artisan instruments yet – trust us, you’ve never seen Custom Shop guitars quite like this before

Drawing inspiration from the Mediterranean, Middle East, Wild West, and beyond, these one-of-a-kind builds champion the unique craftsmanship of Gibson's master artisan builder, Rickie Hinrichsen

Guitar World

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Gibson’s Theodore enters regular rotation as the Standard, updated with a pair of 57 Classic humbuckers for “effortless sustain and a rich diversity of tones”

Having been first introduced as a ltd edition Archive Collection release, the Theodore Standard brings Gibson's once lost design to the masses with dual humbuckers and a refreshed spec

MusicRadar

“Inspired by original drawings from 1957”: Gibson announces the Theodore Standard – bringing the unearthed archive design to the firm’s core USA line for the first time ever

First released exclusively as a Custom Shop model based on a sketch from the ’50s, the Theodore is back – and it’s come with some choice tweaks

Guitar World

“Striking limited edition reissues of the very first ES-335”: Gibson celebrates its 130th Anniversary with the Custom Shop, Murphy Lab-aged 1958 ES-335 Reissue

Fat '58 neck profiles, unbound fingerboards, tons of mojo, and just 130 units of each, this is a bona-fide call to action for guitar collectors with a soft spot for Gibson's legendary semi-hollow

MusicRadar

“He didn’t just work here – he lived and embodied the spirit of the brand”: Mike Lewis, the head of Fender’s Custom Shop – an industry legend who played with Chuck Berry and toured with the Rolling Stones – has passed away

From sideman to session player, retailer and 30-year Fender employee, Lewis worked on everything from the firm’s amps to revamping Gretsch and launching the first mass-produced humbucker Strat

Guitar World

“It’s the higher-profile artist associations that tend to attract the big money – things like your Pearly Gates and your Jimmy Pages”: Why Gibson’s replicas of famous Les Pauls are commanding almost as much as vintage guitars

Gibson’s highest-tier replicas are seriously sought after on the collector's market. We find out what all the fuss is about and examine a rare recreation of Jimmy Page’s fiendishly complex #2 Les Paul Standard

Guitar World

“An authentic replica of the guitar designed by legendary automotive designer Ray Dietrich”: Meet the Epiphone and the Gibson Custom Shop’s latest collaboration, the 1963 Firebird I and V

Famously played by Johnny Winter, Eric Clapton and more, the Firebird remains a stunning bird, and this top-tier Epiphone model offers it with a vintage-style build and Gibson USA pickups

MusicRadar

“The question was, ‘Where would you go to get the ultimate Gibson experience?’ The answer was it didn’t exist – we had to create it”: We went behind the scenes at Gibson Garage London to find out why it’s unlike any other guitar store

The guitar giant has opened the doors of its first flagship store outside of the US, and we’ve spent some time snooping around…

Guitar World

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Guitar World

“The higher end the guitar, the more robust the demand is”: Why are guitars getting more expensive? We spoke to the world’s biggest guitar companies to find out

From $50k acoustics to eye-watering ‘premium offshore’ prices, the cost of big-name new guitars has felt like it’s spiraling. So how did we get here? And how do we get out of it?

Guitar World

“One of my top favorite guitars of all time”: Epiphone debuts the Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom – and it's got a Gibson-style headstock

The Tool man’s signature model follows the Kirk Hammett Greeny Les Paul in featuring an ‘open book’ style headstock, plus a classy Custom Shop-tier neck pickup

MusicRadar

“These guitars represent the pinnacle of excellence, blending innovation with the rich heritage of Fender”: The 2024 Custom Collection is a tour de force of high-end guitar design from the Big F Custom Shop

It's that time of year again when the Fender Custom Shop starts showing off with premium tonewoods, top-tier pickups, and epic relic jobs, and finish options to die for

Guitar World

“This year’s collection will set a new standard for excellence in the world of custom guitar”: Fender pays homage to golden era guitars and pushes the boundaries of contemporary design with 2024 Custom Shop collections

The Big F goes big on Bigsbys, serves up an assortment of wild finishes and opts for exotic tonewoods across its 6 new catalogs, which each serve a specific design purpose

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Guitar World

“A limited-edition collection showcasing the rich heritage and legacy of this incredible instrument”: Fender continues its 70th Anniversary Stratocaster celebrations with ultra-luxurious Custom Shop drop

2024 is set to be a year of celebratory releases for the Big F, which has continued to mark the Strat's milestone with five new Custom Shop creations

MusicRadar

“Jimmy Page once said to me, ‘Have Gibson not been onto you?’ And I said, ‘No, maybe I play too many Strats…’” – John Squire on the signature guitar that never was and why he's going on tour with a Kemper

"No one's asked me"

Guitar World

“Whichever model you choose, you’ll never be underdressed”: Four of Gibson’s most enduring acoustics have received the Custom Shop tuxedo treatment inspired by the Les Paul Custom

The beloved J-45, Hummingbird, SJ-200 and Songwriter EC models have all been celebrated with custom shop craftsmanship

Guitar World

A Slash Jessica Les Paul, new Epiphone Firebirds, a Dual Falcon 20 amp and the Theodore goes Standard: Gibson just surprised us with a massive preview of unannounced guitar gear for 2024

Take a look at some of the treats on display at Gibson’s pre-NAMM LA hangout

Guitar World

“Playability is where this guitar shines. This Strat is a player”: Fender Mike McCready Stratocaster review

With its Road Worn finish and easy neck, the Pearl Jam guitarist's new signature Strat feels like it's had a few decades under its belt, and is just warming up

Guitar World

“Artfully aged by the Murphy Lab to match the look and feel of Kirk’s original”: Gibson’s Custom Shop takes on Kirk Hammett’s mod-heavy, “blacked-out” 1989 Les Paul Custom – and it’s safe to say it’s nothing like Greeny...

The Metallica guitar god debuts his latest signature Les Paul – and it’s a little different to his other recent custom shop build...

MusicRadar

NAMM 2024: “A lineup of instruments designed for the serious-minded, high-performance guitarist”: Jackson launches four Concept Series shred machines for the discerning metal player

The limited edition lineup includes a beast of an 8-string Dinky, a typically weaponised King Kelly, a classy Floyd-equipped Rhoads and – holy moly – a Soloist with 27 frets

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