July-August 2023

Gabriel Tenorio - the GTSco

By Riverhorse. Gabriel Tenorio hand-winds every string at his Los Angeles shop, GTSco, using NASA-grade pure nickel and round cores to produce strings that last for months or years and deliver tone unlike anything mass-produced. ToneQuest Report sits down with this East L.A. artisan to explore his path from Guadalupe Custom Strings to his own celebrated line.

Carl Verheyen

By Rick Cuilty. Carl Verheyen — guitarist for Supertramp and in-demand session ace — reflects on his earliest musical influences, breaking into the Hollywood studio scene, and building a twenty-five-year solo career without sacrificing family or artistic integrity.

The LSL CV Special Strat

By George Gomez. Guitarist Carl Verheyen traces the origins of his signature CV Special Strat built by LSL Instruments, detailing the specs, tone philosophy, and collaborative process behind one of the most player-focused boutique Stratocasters on the market.

INTERVIEW LANCE LERMAN

Proprietor LSL Instruments

By George Gomez. Lance Lerman of LSL Instruments traces his unlikely path from California woodworker to China factory manager to boutique guitar builder, and shares the story behind the Carl Verheyen CV Special Strat.

My Custom LSL CV

By George Gomez. George Gomez shares his experience with a custom LSL CV Special guitar — a lightly reliced 3-tone sunburst Strat-style instrument built around the specs of Carl Verheyen's '61 Fender — and explores its tone through a range of amps and pedals.

CHANDLER LIMITED'S

Wade Goeke

By Riverhorse. Wade Goeke, the man behind Chandler Limited, shares the story of how his passion for recording gear took him from a small Iowa town to London's legendary Abbey Road Studios — and back again — to build faithful recreations of EMI's historic recording equipment. The interview also includes reviews of Chandler's handmade Germanium Drive and Little Devil Colored Boost pedals.

JCA CIRCUITS

The Vibe Amp

By Riverhorse. Jason Arthur's JCA Circuits Vibe Amp is a lovingly refined single-ended Class A design inspired by a 1970s silverface Fender Vibro Champ, delivering wide-open clean tones, surprising low-end stoutness, and onboard tremolo in a small, studio-ready package.

STOCKTONE'S

Hendrix Izabella Single Coils

By Riverhorse. Sherman Stockton of Stocktone walks through the design philosophy behind his Hendrix Izabella single-coil loaded pickguard — custom-aged Alnico 5s built to capture the "Voodoo Sound" of Jimi's flipped right-handed Strat. ToneQuest's own field test confirms they deliver woody, round, fuzz-friendly Strat tone with beautiful vintage-style gray bottoms.