Latest articles by Dave Burrluck
How Ivison Guitars became Britain’s hottest high-end brand
With new staff, in-house pickups and the continuing success of the Dakota, there’s plenty to discuss. We grab Neil Ivison for a quick chat
"Check one out before someone realises they’ve miscalculated the price!" PRS S2 Mira 594 Satin review
An old friend returns to the PRS USA S2 line-up 18 years after it was first introduced. The Mira is back, but check the price!
“Proof that semi-hollows can rock as hard as the clichés”: Gretsch Professional Broadkaster LX review
The Broadkaster is back on the air, this time with a number of modernized features to make this a contemporary, high-performance semi-hollow rocker
“Something a little different, with vibey and diverse sounds for not a lot of money”: Vintage REVO Galactica and Astrostar review
Revisiting guitars of yesteryear, the REVO models continue to move Vintage away from slavish repros to inspired retro champions for not a lot of money. Let’s hop in that time machine and take a look
Untangling the history of Jeff Beck’s Oxblood Les Paul, the most expensive Gibson Les Paul ever sold at auction
Will we ever know the true story of this fabled guitar? For some it’s iconic, for others it was simply a cobbled-together working tool for a master
“Not a hair out of place... A faultless, well-tuned and well-voiced working guitar”: Manson MD-3 Mikey Demus review
This UK-made MD introduces a new pickup set that piles on the beef. But, as we find out, it’s no one-trick pony
“A very clever original design, albeit one that could have come out of the Gibson factory in the early ’60s”: Ivison Dakota Standard review
Used by big names such as Richard Fortus and Audley Freed, and made in the UK, Ivison guitars recall the lost art of the ‘golden era’ but in very original dress
What’s the optimum weight for a Les Paul? And is there such a thing as too heavy?
Weight is one of the thorniest issues in guitar. We all have our preferences – but should there be a limit?
PRS Special Semi-Hollow, S2 Special Semi-Hollow and SE Special Semi-Hollow review
Along with its 40th Anniversary specials, PRS is cranking out the new releases, including three-pickup Special Semi-Hollow models in the S2 and SE line. We compare them with the Core version
PJD Guitars founder Leigh Dovey on the evolution of the UK’s most exciting electric guitar brand
The return of one of our favourite PJD models and a decade and a half of UK guitar-making needs a bit of a celebration. We pop a cork with PJD’s founder, Leigh Dovey
Why string spacing can radically change the way an electric guitar plays
Irrespective of the nut width, it’s the string spacing that determines how much room your fingers have. If you've struggled to find a neck wide enough, read on... Help might be at hand
“One of the most fit-for-purpose class acts we’ve encountered”: PJD Carey Classic review
The York, UK-based guitar maker delivers the latest version of its Les Paul Junior/Tele mashup – with remarkable results
“We have to ask: can the electric guitar get any better?” With 40 years of groundbreaking luthierie behind it, the limited PRS Charcoal Phoenix is deserving of its mythical status
One of PRS Guitars’ 40th Anniversary special editions, limited to 150 units, this is the one Paul himself plays, and it’s perched at the summit of our wishlist
“Simply great craft on every level with sounds to match”: Knaggs Kenai Hollowbody Genie review
With a nod to Bowie style, this latest Knaggs Hollowbody creates one of the finest Kenais we’ve played over the past 15 years. The Genie is truly out of the bottle!
“Not just another copycat design”: Eastman FullerTone SC ’52 and DC ’62 review
Last year’s D’Ambrosio series guitars signified numerous firsts for Eastman, not least that they were US-made with boutique prices to match. These new FullerTones capture the magic at a fraction of the price
“If you think PRS just makes guitars for well-heeled doctors and dentists, you might have to change your opinion”: PRS SE NF 53 review
A new month, a new PRS. This time the USA NF 53 gets the affordable SE treatment
“One heck of a rock ’n’ roll vision”: Newman Honeycomb Senior review
It started with a five-string, now the UK-made Newman range has a fully formed six-string with dual swappable pickups and oh-so-’70s credentials
“A timely reminder of a true great”: Epiphone Jeff Beck 1954 Les Paul Oxblood review
Another fabled Les Paul joins ‘Greeny’ in Epiphone’s top-end lineup
Why more guitar builders are making their own pickups
We speak to Juha Ruokangas about why his company took pickup design into its own hands – and then retrofitted an old PRS Custom 24 with his humbuckers to see how they sounded
"It’s certainly worth considering against the start-point of the Gibson USA Les Paul range. The lines are getting blurred": Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom 1959 Les Paul Standard Reissue review
Epiphone chases the flame of the world’s most coveted electric guitar
Paul Reed Smith on raising the Standard 24, finally cracking the noise-free guitar and why John Sykes is a tone hero
We take Paul Reed Smith back to the start of his 40-year-old company to discuss the new Standard 24 and quite a bit more
Stromberg is back! We get our hands on the Master 400 – a holy grail archtop with a price to match
The big-bodied archtop is a notorious powerhouse but its return – even at a hair under eight grand – has us tempted. Here's what the fuss is about...
“Finely tuned instruments”: PRS Standard 24 Satin and S2 Standard 24 Satin review
It’s not an official 40th Anniversary model, but the new Standard 24 Satin takes us right back to where this unique story started. It’s also the most affordable Core model that PRS has released for nearly a decade
![Lerxst Grace [left] and Godin 5th Avenue TL Gold Foil: Grace is a red HSS S-style with a mirror pickguard and a Vega tremolo system. The 5th Avenue model to its right sits beside a houseplant and is an arch-topped hollowbody with f-holes and gold-foil pickups.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6w2NUh4RxvR5ajrc52sFCB-840-80.jpg.webp)
