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The Latest Breaking News from Custom Shop

“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

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“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

“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

Guitar World

“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

MusicRadar

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“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

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

Guitar World

“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"

MusicRadar

“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...

Guitar World

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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

Guitar World

Ever seen Vs like these? Gibson expands its One of One Custom Shop family with three new-look Flying Vs – giving a surf-y SoCal twist to one of its most enduring rock ‘n’ roll designs

The ’58 Korina Flying V as you've never seen it before: feast your eyes on the latest drop from the Gibson Custom Shop

Guitar World

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?

Guitar World

My local guitar store owner has $20K custom shop models sitting about, yet he plays one of these Lava acoustics every day – now you can scoop one up with a healthy 25% discount

You’ve seen them all over YouTube, but the touch-screen guitar is now on sale

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MusicRadar

Epiphone unveils Kirk Hammett ‘Greeny’ 1959 Les Paul Standard – a top-tier collab with the Gibson Custom Shop and “amazing opportunity for more players to experience the spirit of Greeny”

The Metallica guitarist’s new model replicates one of the most famous Les Pauls ever and features the first Gibson open-book headstock on an Epiphone production build since the '80s

Guitar World

“An amazing opportunity for more players to experience the spirit of Greeny”: the Epiphone Kirk Hammett ‘Greeny’ Les Paul is finally here – complete with a Gibson headstock and a price tag to match

The most anticipated Epiphone model in its history hails the arrival of a new era of Inspired by Gibson Custom Shop models

Guitar World

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

MusicRadar

Fender Mike McCready Stratocaster review

A new level for a Mexican Fender – both in relic'ing scale and asking price

Guitar World

“A meticulous recreation of Kirk’s prized original”: Epiphone has launched a Kirk Hammett signature 1979 Flying V – and it’s a lot more affordable than the Gibson Custom Shop version

Made in partnership with the Gibson Custom Shop, the Metallica man’s accessible Epi pays homage to “one of the most important heavy metal guitars of all time”

MusicRadar

Fender honours the late outlaw country icon Waylon Jennings with a meticulous $25,000 Custom Shop replica of his leather-covered ’54 Telecaster

If the Masterbuilt Tele is out of the price range of most players' budgets, the good news is there is a very reasonably priced signature phaser pedal, and an accessories range, too

Guitar World

“Spot on… it’s amazing to think that players will be able to honor my dad by playing on a replica that’s so identical”: Fender recreates Waylon Jennings’ leather-clad 1954 Telecaster with $25,000 Custom Shop guitar

Shooter Jennings has teamed up with Fender on a series of Waylon signature gear, including a phaser pedal, strap, hardcase and even a leather-clad pickguard

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