This 1957 Gibson ES-5 Switchmaster is a blues and country machine
The Gibson ES-5 Switchmaster is regarded as the first commercially available electric guitar with three pickups, and this example from 1957 is loaded with original PAFs.
Gibson’s ES-295 kickstarted rock ’n’ roll, and this 1953 specimen is a heartbreaker
The ES-295 is one of the most iconic Gibson models of the 1950s. It probably would have earned that accolade on looks alone, but when a Tennessee picker used one to lay down some tracks with a Tupelo truck driver, the result was rock ’n’ roll history. Check out this stellar example from way back in ’53…
Vintage Bench Test: 1966 Fender Jazzmaster
A close encounter with an original Ocean Turquoise Fender offset is a rare event indeed, and this ’66 Jazzmaster even has case candy. We take a deep dive…
Vintage Bench Test: Gibson GA-5 Skylark
The Gibson Skylark is an underrated small amp from the late 50s and early 60s that many vintage collectors are focusing on as a viable alternative to pricier Fender equivalents. Read on to discover that great things really do come in small packages…
Vintage Bench Test: 1964 Gibson Firebird VII
Like the V and Explorer before it, Gibson’s 60s Firebird range was a radical rethink of the possibilities of guitar design. Of the many Firebirds over the years, the VII is regarded as the pinnacle.
Vintage Bench Test: 1957 Fender Stratocaster ‘Mary Kaye’
Forget your ’54s and custom colours, the most collectable Stratocaster of them all is the blonde and gold ‘Mary Kaye’.
Vintage Bench Test: 1957 Gibson ES225TDN
The ES-225 was Gibson’s first thinline hollowbody, and yet it doesn’t get the same attention as its golden-era Kalamazoo siblings. But with original P-90s and a fabulous neck profile, it’s one of the few remaining 50s Gibsons that doesn’t cost rockstar money.
Vintage Bench Test: 1963 Gibson SG/Les Paul Standard
The Les Paul officially became the SG in 1963, but guitars were still leaving Kalamazoo with the man’s name on their truss rod covers until the tail end of the year. Huw Price gets to grips with one of the last examples, along with that sideways Vibrola…
Vintage Bench Test: 1950 Fender Broadcaster – Broadcast Quality
The roots may be showing on this old blonde, but it sure can sing. Huw Price surfs the airwaves with one of Fender’s first guitars: a 1950 Broadcaster…
Vintage Bench Test: 1956 Gibson GA-40 – Signature Sounds
Though not as famous as the guitar that bore his name, in the 1950s Les Paul also lent his name to a line of Gibson amps that made a complete signature ‘guitar outfit’. Huw Price gets two-toned with the GA-40…