Latest articles by Dave Burrluck
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
“Huge pickup-swapping potential”: Cream T Crossfire Standard review
The UK builder brings quick and easy pickup swapping to an offset platform – and it might just convince you to take the plunge…
![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)
“Godin should be taken very seriously”: Godin 5th Avenue TL Gold Foil and Lerxst by Godin Grace review
Few, if any, major guitar manufacturers offer Godin’s extensive range of guitar styles. We catch up with a couple of new additions that couldn’t be more different
“It provides that switchable ‘clean’ tone instantly”: Mars-Tronic Perfecto Clean Switch review
No, it’s not a device that instantly removes gunk from your guitar, but the Mars-Tronic Perfecto Clean Switch could prove handy once we can work out exactly what it does…
“An almost timeless design from the hands and ears of one of the greats”: Lowden GL-J review
A Lowden electric? The GL-10 – originally introduced in 2018, and recreated for Ed Sheeran – now gets a semi-solid sibling
“We’re not hearing $1,750 difference”: Epiphone Joe Bonamassa 1955 Les Paul Standard and Gibson Les Paul Standard ’50s Mahogany Top review
Two recent Les Paul launches from Gibson and Epiphone take a nod back to the ’50s in style. But not only are they made on different continents, they’re very different in price. Which is best? Let’s find out
Meet West Valley Guitars, the UK brand making offsets like you’ve never seen before
Josh Stopford wanted to make a more player-friendly offset, a more feminine guitar – and finished in Tahitian Coral, this might be the coolest boutique offset we've played in a while
How Paul Reed Smith created the ultimate Dragon for PRS Guitars’ 40th Anniversary
Debuting PRS’s “throaty” new McCarty III humbuckers, the Private Stock 40th Anniversary McCarty Dragon is a work of art and a triumph of engineering – and, says Smith, it’s built to play
