Vol. 26, No. 8
June 2025
Players, Gear & Sound — The Inside
In this issue, we trace the hard-earned path of real tone across six standout stories from the road, the shop, and the studio. A ’58 Custom Shop Strat is brought fully to life with Slider’s ’59s, vintage Centralab pots, and a reworked harness. Our latest ToneQuest custom build—a 3.5 lb. pine-body Strat with flamed grain and a massive soft-V neck—delivers raw power through Stocktone Rude Moods and a Smokey B’s harness. Greg Koch’s Blues retrospective unleashes fretboard fire with his Reverend Gristlemaster and Fishman Fluence pickups. We feature a 1935 Gibson L-50 reborn with a Mojotone Quiet Coil P-90, the clarity-enhancing design of Music City’s Groove Master Saddles, and a deep dive into Lollar’s Special S pickups with Jason Lollar and Kevin Moe. For those who know—tone is built, not bought.
PLAYERS, GEAR & SOUND
The Inside
The Northern Sunlight Strat
By Riverhorse. A deep dive into a Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster discovered at Guitar Riot in Cleveland, followed by the building of a stunning pine-body ToneQuest Strat with Stocktone Rude Mood pickups and a Smokey B's custom harness — plus interviews with Sherman Stockton and Brandon Ficquette.
GREG KOCH
Enter The Gristle
By Oscar Jordan. Greg Koch returns with Blues, a retrospective album featuring Larry McCray, Jimmy Hall, the Memphis Horns, and more. Koch talks musical influences, his Reverend signature guitar, Fishman Fluence pickups, Tone King amps, and the JAM Pedals Koch Ness Monster Supreme pedalboard.
A PHOENIX OF A DIFFERENT KIND
Modified 1935 Gibson L-50
By Scott Ulrichs. A "left for dead" 1935 Gibson L-50 gets a second life at the hands of a skilled luthier — transformed with a new cutaway, a Mojotone hum-cancelling P-90, and a reshaped neck into a uniquely playable and sonically stunning instrument. Scott Ulrichs chronicles the serendipitous discovery and remarkable resurrection of this one-of-a-kind archtop.
JASON LOLLAR AND KEVIN MOE OF LOLLAR PICKUPS
Pickups Of Future Past
By Oscar Jordan. Celebrating 30 years designing sought-after electric guitar and bass pickups, Jason Lollar and production manager Kevin Moe sit down with TQR to discuss the philosophy, craft, and future of Lollar Pickups — from P-90s and the new Super-Caster to hum-canceling breakthroughs and what's coming next.
LOLLAR SPECIAL S STRATOCASTER PICKUPS
Vintage Pickups For The Modern Strat Player
By Oscar Jordan. Lollar's Special S Stratocaster pickups deliver a darker, hotter, and gainier vintage single-coil sound with a fuller midrange and less glassiness — a dream upgrade for Strat players craving more power without sacrificing classic tone.
GROOVY TIMES
Music City Groove Master Telecaster Saddles
By Riverhorse. Music City's Groove Master brass saddles promise to solve the classic Telecaster "sitar" problem while improving string spacing and intonation. TQR's Riverhorse puts them to the test with TQR Advisory Board Member Clancey Compton — and the results surprised everyone.
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