Vol. 23, No. 6
April 2022
Players, Gear & Sound — The Inside
The issue opens with a note on the passing of David Wilson, the magazine's publisher and editor, who had just finished it. His own feature follows a 1973 ShoBud pedal steel and a Fender Vibrosonic. The rest turns to the Flying V: an Epiphone Korina V, Gibson's 2015 120th Anniversary V, the wood Korina itself, Albert King, Dan Erlewine on building King's guitar Lucy, and Lonnie Mack. Riverhorse also puts the Boss Waza Air headphones to work.
PLAYERS, GEAR & SOUND
The Inside
Head, Hands, Knees and Feet…
David Wilson traces the arc from Renaissance orchestras to the golden age of pedal steel guitar, documenting his own quest to acquire a vintage 1973 ShoBud and a matching Fender Vibrosonic amp. A tribute note from the ToneQuest family opens the issue, marking the passing of the magazine's beloved publisher and editor.
PETE TOWNSHEND–GUITAR PLAYER, OCTOBER 1989
'59 Vibrasonic
The Fender Vibrasonic was a landmark amp — the first with a JBL speaker standard, the first with solid-state rectification, and the first above 20 watts with built-in tremolo — yet its high price kept production numbers scarce. This review explores what made the brownface 1×15" Vibrasonic so special, from its harmonic vibrato circuit to its punchy, articulate tone.
2020 EPIPHONE LIMITED EDITION
Korina Flying V
ToneQuest puts the 2020 Limited Edition Epiphone '58 Korina Flying V through its paces — from a deep dive into the used-market landscape to a pickup swap with Slider humbuckers that transforms this affordable V into a genuine PAF-voiced player's axe.
Korina
Considered by some experts a "super mahogany," Korina is the exotic African wood behind Gibson's legendary 1958 Flying V and Explorer — yet limited supply and the wood's notorious tendency to split and stain keep it rare in modern guitar-making.
THE 2015…
120th Anniversary Flying V
Gibson's 2015 Flying V 120th Anniversary is a well-built, affordable limited edition that delivers exceptional resonance and versatile tone from a solid mahogany body and neck. At around 7 pounds and finished in nitrocellulose lacquer, it's a surprisingly comfortable and rewarding player that stands on its own merits.
Albert King Bio
A concise biography of blues guitar giant Albert King, tracing his origins on a Mississippi cotton plantation through his landmark recordings for Stax and his signature approach to the upside-down Flying V.
Dan Erlewine On Lucy
In 1970 Dan Erlewine met Albert King at a Michigan festival and offered to build him a personalized Flying V from Michigan black walnut — giving birth to the legendary "Lucy." Here, Dan recalls that fateful encounter and brings us up to date on the Lucys being built today in collaboration with Bryan Galloup.
Lonnie Mack
A portrait of Lonnie Mack — the Indiana-born Flying V maestro who scorched the charts with "Memphis" in 1963 and later recorded Strike Like Lightning with Stevie Ray Vaughan — drawn from a rare interview conducted shortly after SRV's passing.
A PHONE CALL FROM HOME
The Boss Waza Air Headphones
By Riverhorse. Riverhorse puts the Boss Waza Air wireless guitar headphones through their paces — from late-night bedroom jams next to a sleeping companion to mountain hikes and tailgate sessions — and finds the tone surprisingly convincing. A vivid, personal account of how a $400 pair of headphones changed his playing habits entirely.
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