July-August 2024

Aluminati Guitars

By Scott Ulrichs. James Little of Aluminati Guitars has been building instruments from aluminum, carbon fiber, and Lucite since 2009 — and the results are guitars that play and sound remarkably consistent, no matter the climate or string gauge. ToneQuest visits his Asheville, NC shop to find out how science, sustainability, and cycling-industry materials converged into a genuinely novel approach to electric guitar design.

PRS SILVER SKY

A Player’s Perspective

By Pete Prown. Pete Prown offers a hands-on evaluation of the PRS Silver Sky John Mayer Model, tracing its evolution from its controversial debut in 2018 through its U.S.A. and SE variants, and weighing it against vintage Fender Strat benchmarks.

MUSIC CITY STUD FINDER

Compensated Wraparound Tailpiece

By Riverhorse. Joe Glaser and Tom Bukovac's Music City Stud Finder is a compensated wraparound tailpiece designed to improve intonation and resonance on vintage Gibson wraparound-bridge guitars. ToneQuest puts it to the test on a pristine 1955 Les Paul Junior.

JAY JAY FRENCH

My Journey To A Parts-Built Telecaster

By Jay Jay French. Twisted Sister co-founder Jay Jay French recounts a lifetime of guitar obsession — from buying his first Telecaster at Manny's Music on 48th Street in 1967 to hand-picking every part for a custom-built red Tele with help from Gleason Custom Necks, Warmoth, TonePros, DiMarzio, Seymour Duncan, and luthier Tom Crandall.

WHAT DREAM GUITARS ARE MADE OF

Cody Gleason’s Details On Jay Jay French’s Personalized Tele

By Cody Gleason. Guitar finishing specialist Cody Gleason walks through the custom parts build he assembled for Twisted Sister's Jay Jay French — a Warmoth-necked Telecaster spec'd with Les Paul-inspired playability and a lightly aged Candy Apple Red finish.

TODD SHARP

Sonic Solutions VTLD1 Loop Driver

By Scott Ulrichs. Veteran guitarist and Nashville Amplifier Service founder Todd Sharp discusses the design philosophy behind his VTLD1 Vacuum Tube Loop Driver — a handcrafted device built to restore signal integrity and dynamic feel for players drowning in pedalboards.

SHARP VTLD1

Driving Miss Daisy Chain

By Scott Ulrichs. Todd Sharp's VTLD1 tube loop driver is reviewed as a timely antidote for players who love stacking pedals but dread the fidelity loss that comes with them — preserving "true north" amp tone while offering a lush variable tube boost stage and flexible signal shaping tools.

FILIPE PAMPURI

Beetronics FX

By Oscar Jordan. Filipe Pampuri, guitarist and CEO of family-owned Beetronics FX, traces the Los Angeles pedal company's journey from homemade studio experiments in Brazil to a celebrated boutique brand whose clients include Adrian Belew, Jeff Tweedy, and Sean Ono Lennon. In this interview, Pampuri discusses the origins of his most beloved pedals, his design philosophy, and what's next for Beetronics.

BEETRONICS FX

Wannabee Beelateral Buzz

By Oscar Jordan. The Beetronics FX Wannabee dual overdrive houses both a Bluesbreaker and a Klon Centaur circuit in one pedalboard-friendly package, with flexible routing options that unlock a festival of tones from sparkling Brit-rock to gnarly ZZ Top grit.

BEETRONICS FX

Abelha Tropical Fuzz

By Oscar Jordan. Beetronics FX's Abelha Tropical Fuzz takes the classic fuzz tone and gives it a Brazilian tropical makeover, offering three distinct flavor modes — Polen, Nectar, and Honey — that range from sagged low-gain buzz to sweet high-gain overdrive.

JIM WEIDER'S

Masters Of The Telecaster Guitar Camp

By Oscar Jordan. Telecaster disciple Jim Weider discusses the Masters Of The Telecaster Guitar Camp, a four-day immersive event featuring instructors like G.E. Smith, Albert Lee, Bill Frisell, and Brent Mason. Weider shares his deep love of the Telecaster, his gear, and what students can expect from the camp.