Dave Burrluck
Dave Burrluck is one of the world’s most experienced guitar journalists, who started writing back in the '80s for International Musician and Recording World, co-founded The Guitar Magazine and has been the Gear Reviews Editor of Guitarist magazine for the past two decades. Along the way, Dave has been the sole author of The PRS Guitar Book and The Player's Guide to Guitar Maintenance as well as contributing to numerous other books on the electric guitar. Dave is an active gigging and recording musician and still finds time to make, repair and mod guitars, not least for Guitarist’s The Mod Squad.
Latest articles by Dave Burrluck
Patrick James Eggle 96 Contour Top review – astonishing craft married to stellar sounds with a feel that few can match
By Dave Burrluck published
Named after a state route in Georgia, the 96 is Patrick James Eggle’s now quite long-running answer to the souped-up Stratocaster. How does it fit into the empire?
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
By Dave Burrluck published
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?
Seth Baccus Argonaut Classic and Argonaut Classic Baritone review – not another boutique Fender bender, but a fresh shot at an original offset design
By Dave Burrluck published
It’s been a long time coming, but Seth Baccus’s Argonaut is finally here and sets a new level for offset design. Guitar‑making rarely gets better than this!
Neet the boutique guitar built out of old floor joists, reclaimed Fender parts… and a Squier Affinity neck: Maybury Upscaler Fish Hook S review
By Dave Burrluck published
British builder Jason Snelling aims to turn reclaimed wood, parts and pickups into viable and vibey Strat-style guitars
How the Ampeg Dan Armstrong may well have become a footnote in guitar history had the 'See-Through' electric not ended up in the hands of Keith Richards
By Dave Burrluck published
Ronnie Wood, Joe Perry and Dave Grohl all played Dan Armstrongs over the years – here's why it's one of the coolest guitars ever
Joe Doe by Vintage Gas Jockey review – a madcap pairing of the Stratocaster and Firebird designed by a UK screenwriter
By Dave Burrluck published
The new 2023 Joe Doe by Vintage range boasts a totally fictitious history but some refreshingly different takes on the classics
Gibson Greenybucker and Custombucker review – the affordable way to give your guitar a Custom Shop upgrade?
By Dave Burrluck published
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
Shergold Telstar Standard ST14 review – don’t sleep on this new boutique-style solidbody, especially at this price
By Dave Burrluck published
Styled somewhere between a Firebird and a Cabronita Telecaster, this is a mighty fine-looking new design from the ’70s Brit-brand – and at a very tempting price
Haynes Demeanour review – the golden age for UK guitar making continues with this rock-ready offset
By Dave Burrluck published
This fresh take on the classic offset outline teams humbucker and P-90 pickups with top-name hardware and stunning looks
Cream T Aurora Custom V2 review – a stunning Tele-meets-Gibson design with easy pickup swapping: is this the future of electric guitars?
By Dave Burrluck published
Cream T’s fledging guitar line-up was upended earlier this year, but now its core model, the Aurora, is back, and with it, its radical pickup swapping feature
EMG JMaster Pickup Set review: vintage-voiced Jazzmaster tones with zero noise
By Dave Burrluck published
The modernist pickup maker turns its attention to the wild and wacky Fender Jazzmaster to give it an active pickup makeover
Fret-King Eclat Custom Paul Rose Signature review: A single-cut with a difference – and we’re not just talking about that dramatic forearm scoop
By Dave Burrluck published
Originally designed by Trev Wilkinson, the Eclat single-cut gets a makeover for 2023, and a signature tie-up with Brit guitarist Paul Rose
PJD York Standard review: a new take on the Telecaster that feels alive in your hands and feather-light on your shoulder
By Dave Burrluck published
PJD is back doing what it always did: making great guitars. Let’s welcome the York, a celebration of where this story started
Bare Knuckle Triptych review: the most versatile Stratocaster pickup set on the market?
By Dave Burrluck published
One of the most talked-about pickups of 2023, Rabea Massaad’s new signature set could be just what you need to cover all bases without losing those quintessential Strat sounds
The rubber bridge is the hottest trend in indie guitar and a cheap mod to try – here’s how to install one on your electric guitar
By Dave Burrluck published
Used on recordings by everyone from Phoebe Bridgers to The National and Taylor Swift, the rubber bridge generates short-sustaining, almost otherworldly voices from an otherwise regular guitar
PRS Modern Eagle V review – 17 pickup options and a jaw-dropping guitar build that’s impossible to fault
By Dave Burrluck published
While PRS has been making its mark on the bolt-on market, we finally get a new Core model, the shape-shifting modern Eagle V. But is it really new?
“On a quick trip to interview Paul Reed Smith I was told we were going to the White House so I’d better pack a suit”: Celebrating 500 issues of Guitarist, one of the world’s greatest guitar magazines
By Jamie Dickson published
From playing Eric Clapton’s Strats to narrowly avoiding knocking out Slash, Guitarist editors past and present share their favourite – and sometimes most embarrassing – memories of working for the esteemed UK publication
Fender Gold Foil Telecaster review
By Dave Burrluck published
When is a Telecaster not a Telecaster? When it comes with a pair of mini-humbuckers, a mahogany body and ebony fingerboard like this one…
“We’ve been talking about it for a decade – our artists want ‘that’ sound in their arsenal”: How Myles Kennedy and Paul Reed Smith reinvented a classic
By Dave Burrluck published
Satisfying an artist is one thing, creating a new version of an old favorite is another. With the new Myles Kennedy signature and NF 53, PRS has attempted to do both
Harley Benton Fusion-T 25th review
By Dave Burrluck published
The affordable gear company is celebrating its 25th with a slew of high-spec, lowly priced Anniversary models. We take one for a spin
Atkin Mindhorn Deluxe and The Boosh OS review
By Dave Burrluck published
High-level acoustic maker turned electric champion Alister Atkin has already successfully cloned the classic T and S styles. Now, he explores something a little different...
Myles Kennedy bought his first PRS guitar after he borrowed one at a gig and accidentally ruined it
By Matt Parker published
The Alter Bridge frontman still uses the red PRS McCarty to this day, proving it wasn’t such a bad move
Gibson Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul Junior review
By Dave Burrluck published
The Green Day leader gets a new signature in typical showman style, with a fresh pickup design that dates back to the late ’50s
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