Latest articles by Rod Brakes
“I had to drive several hours through snow to get to him. He told me this was one of the first Stratocasters, and there were some things I noticed immediately”: This 1954 Fender Stratocaster is one of the most unusual Fender builds in history
David Davidson of Well Strung Guitars explains what makes this uniquely preserved vintage Strat so unique – starting with control pots from a TV set
“It’s the most money I’ve ever paid for a guitar in my life: over $400,000. But what’s a Flying V worth? It’s worth what someone’s willing to pay for it”: Joe Bonamassa opens the gates to Nerdville and shows off the most prized guitars in his collection
Bonamassa welcomes us to Nerdville to share the stories behind some of his favorite guitars, including a mint ’58 Flying V, Tommy Bolin’s mythical 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard and a tuxedo ES-355 that might, just might, be the only one in existence
“I’m at the height of my skillset, and the minute I can’t play or sing as well is the minute I plan the exit – I don’t want to be the old grey mare”: Joe Bonamassa’s career keeps hitting new peaks – but he’s already decided when he’ll give it all up
In this candid conversation, Bonamassa welcomes us to Nerdville to discuss his journey from 12-year-old prodigy to one of today’s most talked-about guitar players, what stops him being a traditional blues guitarist, and why he won’t be doing this as an old man
Beloved by Pete Townshend and Thin Lizzy’s Scott Gorham, the Gibson Les Paul Deluxe was the top-selling LP model of the early ’70s – but its success didn’t last
Inspired by Epiphone, the Deluxe introduced mini-humbuckers to the Les Paul format
“It's the most money I've ever paid for a guitar in my life”: Joe Bonamassa reveals the most expensive guitar in his collection
Meet the instrument known as ‘Donny J’ – to date, the priciest purchase in the blues rocker’s god-tier guitar haul
How Gibson leaned into the ‘50s modernist zeitgeist and created the Explorer – and changed the shape of electric guitars to come
The Explorer was borne out of a desire for Gibson to update its image, but like its siblings – the Flying V and ill-fated Moderne – it was ahead of its time. It had to wait to be a classic
“I made a deal, paid him in cash, and he died two months later. His last text to his daughter was, ‘I buried the money in the desert’”: Joe Bonamassa tells the story of the strangest guitar deal he ever did
The Bolin ’Burst is famed for its association with Deep Purple guitarist Tommy Bolin – but its route to Bonamassa was considerably less direct
“A completely new and exciting instrument… ”: How the double-necked Gibson EDS-1275 changed the course of rock guitar history
When it launched in the early ’60s, Gibson’s double-neck was seen as a novelty and had limited success – that is, until, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page came along…
“It was one of these totally experimental guitars, a complete one of one”: In 1967, Fender toyed with redesigning its most famous electric guitar – this is the secret history of the semi-hollow Stratocaster prototype
This 1967 semi-hollow Strat was built with zebrawood during a particularly experimental time for Fender – vintage expert David Davidson of Well Strung Guitars tells the story of an R&D oddity
The evolution of the late-‘60s Gibson Les Paul Custom – a near “exact duplicate of the original” that has become a holy grail for collectors
The late ‘60s was an era of great change for popular music and the guitars that would make it – and it was a time that found Gibson tinkering with a now-classic recipe and striking gold
The history of the Fender ‘Tweed’ Bassman – the tube amp for bass players that became a guitar classic
How the 1950s Bassman combo designs laid the groundwork for countless guitar amps
Meet the ‘Greenburst’ ES-335 – a 1968 model so rare even Gibson couldn’t identify the finish
This beauty has a big neck and a mysterious history – when it turned up at Well Strung Guitars, vintage guitar expert Dave Davidson told us its unusual story…
Best Gibson SGs: Our budget-spanning picks of Gibson’s famous Solid Guitar
From retro reissues to contemporary shredders, here are the best Gibson SGs on the market right now
The 12-string guitar that defined the ‘60s: in praise of the Rickenbacker Capri
A favourite of The Beatles and The Byrds, these era-defining electrics still resonate
In praise of the Fender Duo-Sonic, the electric guitar for students that the pros grew to love
Compact, fun, playable and affordable – and loved by Jimi Hendrix – the Duo-Sonic remains Fender's slept-on classic
Up close and personal with Mel Bay’s very own 1958 Gibson ES-335
David Davidson of Well Strung Guitars introduces us to a very special semi-hollow that was once the prize possession of guitar educator par excellence Mel Bay
The evolution of the Gibson Melody Maker – the original student electric guitar
Gibson’s “greatest value ever” electric solidbodies appeared in an array of designs. Here we trace the birth and development of one of the original budget electrics
The rise of the Gibson Les Paul/SG Standard
How the timeless rock machine found a user base that numbered some of the world's greatest players, and became a mainstay of the Gibson catalog
The evolution of the Gibson SJ-200: from 1937 custom order to its coronation as the undisputed “king of flat-tops”
The supersized acoustic is a holy grail guitar for many a singer-songwriter, with classy ornamentation gilding an instrument with a breathtaking voice
The rise of the original Fender Telecaster Custom, the upmarket alternative to a utilitarian classic
Many say Leo Fender got it right the first time with the Telecaster, but that never stopped Fender seeking improvements, with the first, pre-humbucker incarnation of the Tele Custom adding some luxury to the ultimate workhorse electric
The birth and evolution of the Martin D-18 Dreadnought – the archetypical acoustic guitar
A true workhorse of the Martin line, this iconic guitar is a zenith of flat-top design
The untold history of the Gibson Les Paul/SG TV
A close relative of the Junior that appeared in several guises, this double-cut is now a lesser-spotted gem in the vintage market
Meet the ‘Stringer’ Telecaster, one of Fender’s wildest experimental electric guitars
The history of a bona fide six-string unicorn, as told by vintage guitar expert David Davidson of New York’s Well Strung Guitars
