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The Latest Breaking News from Custom Shop

ESP vs LTD Guitars: What's the difference?

Looking for a capable guitar for playing rock or metal? We explore the history, spec and tone characteristics of ESP and its affordable sub-brand LTD

Guitar World

“She was about to lose her house, but the money she got from me via Guitar Center ultimately saved the situation”: Joe Bonamassa’s pre-war Martin was the ultimate “museum-grade” find – now it’s reborn as his first Martin signature

Bonamassa’s astonishingly clean Martin 000-45 was handed down as a family heirloom before he bought it and took it to the firm’s Nazareth base for close inspection

Guitar World

“This is a very iconic guitar. It’s one of the harder guitars I’ve ever had to replicate”: Fender’s latest Joe Strummer tribute model is a meticulous Masterbuilt Custom Shop creation that costs $20,000

The forensic replica is said to reproduce “every aspect” of the Clash trailblazer’s 1966 Telecaster, including all the scrapes and scars of the original model

Guitar World

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“The bass has been given the nickname ‘Momoa’s Koa’”: Jason Momoa is auctioning off a collection of Gibson and Fender Custom Shop guitars and handmade bass builds, including signed Slash and Billy Gibbons Les Pauls

The instruments are all being sold to raise money for a host of charities, having featured in the actor’s On The Roam series

Guitar World

“A lot of people don’t know cheap guitars require the same energy, and resources to make as an expensive guitar”: How this Danish guitar company is turning factory rejects into some of its finest builds

Baum Guitars’ Revival Collection has hit upon a rare form of guitar alchemy, turning some of its worst productions into its most desirable – and sustainable – builds

Guitar World

Fender's guitar models explained: We break down the entire Fender line-up from Player to Custom Shop, to help you find the right one for you

Get to know your Jazzmasters from your Jags and your Players from your Performers with our breakdown of the vast Fender catalog

Guitar World

“A timeless instrument crafted with precision and attention to detail”: Heritage’s new Core Collection H-575 is a Custom Shop hollowbody for jazz maestros with deep pockets

This high-end hollowbody from the brand played by the likes of Alex Skolnick features a pair of newly voiced Custom Shop 225 Classic Archtop Humbuckers and a build that's premium in every way

MusicRadar

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“Every element has been carefully sourced and crafted to deliver the ultimate playing experience”: Heritage's Core Collection H-575 is a fresh-yet-familiar high-end hollowbody inspired by one of the most popular jazzboxes of all time

The hollowbody beauty is one of the classiest new guitars of the year so far

Guitar World

“10,9,8,7…”: Tom DeLonge’s Fender Starcaster signature guitar is actually happening – but it might look a little different to the Blink-182 man’s main guitars

There’s no sign of meteorite dust or custom inlays on this pink teaser pic – and the origins of the new Starcaster might surprise some players

Guitar World

“It was found in the trunk of a car. They had sanded it to make it look like it wasn’t mine”: Tyler Bryant's stolen Pinky One Strat was played by Jeff Beck, inscribed by Steven Tyler – and, miraculously, returned to him five years after it was taken

The blues-rock guitarist recalls the loss – and remarkable recovery – of his most significant six-string

Guitar World

“There does seem to be something of an obsession with lighter guitars”: Do lighter electric guitars sound better?

The debate surrounding the effect of weight on electric guitars and tone is long-running and often divisive. Our panel of experts, er, weigh in

Guitar World

“Updated and more authentic than ever”: Epiphone rolls out the Gibson headstock for its latest high-end Inspired by Gibson Custom Shop drop, including a new 1959 Les Paul Standard – and a pink J-180

Epiphone has lifted the curtain on its “new crown jewels”, all featuring the iconic open book headstock

Guitar World

"Epiphone’s premium recreations of some of the most popular and iconic guitar designs of all time": The 7 new Inspired By Gibson Custom Shop models are a guitar tour-de-force – including Les Paul '59 and Custom models

Four electrics and three acoustics with 'open book' headstocks and some premium features – and Taylor Swift's new favourite stage guitar is amongst them

MusicRadar

“It’s an exciting guitar and it has stood the test of time”: Gibson restores the Everly Brothers J-180 signature acoustic to its core Custom Shop lineup

Buy, buy love! Buy, buy happiness! These high-end stunners have the double moustache pickguards, LR Baggs electronics, and have got some songs in 'em for sure

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Guitar World

“Museum-grade works of art”: Gibson has unveiled its most ambitious set of Master Artisan instruments yet – trust us, you’ve never seen Custom Shop guitars quite like this before

Drawing inspiration from the Mediterranean, Middle East, Wild West, and beyond, these one-of-a-kind builds champion the unique craftsmanship of Gibson's master artisan builder, Rickie Hinrichsen

MusicRadar

Gibson’s Theodore enters regular rotation as the Standard, updated with a pair of 57 Classic humbuckers for “effortless sustain and a rich diversity of tones”

Having been first introduced as a ltd edition Archive Collection release, the Theodore Standard brings Gibson's once lost design to the masses with dual humbuckers and a refreshed spec

Guitar World

“Inspired by original drawings from 1957”: Gibson announces the Theodore Standard – bringing the unearthed archive design to the firm’s core USA line for the first time ever

First released exclusively as a Custom Shop model based on a sketch from the ’50s, the Theodore is back – and it’s come with some choice tweaks

MusicRadar

“Striking limited edition reissues of the very first ES-335”: Gibson celebrates its 130th Anniversary with the Custom Shop, Murphy Lab-aged 1958 ES-335 Reissue

Fat '58 neck profiles, unbound fingerboards, tons of mojo, and just 130 units of each, this is a bona-fide call to action for guitar collectors with a soft spot for Gibson's legendary semi-hollow

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Guitar World

“He didn’t just work here – he lived and embodied the spirit of the brand”: Mike Lewis, the head of Fender’s Custom Shop – an industry legend who played with Chuck Berry and toured with the Rolling Stones – has passed away

From sideman to session player, retailer and 30-year Fender employee, Lewis worked on everything from the firm’s amps to revamping Gretsch and launching the first mass-produced humbucker Strat

Guitar World

“It’s the higher-profile artist associations that tend to attract the big money – things like your Pearly Gates and your Jimmy Pages”: Why Gibson’s replicas of famous Les Pauls are commanding almost as much as vintage guitars

Gibson’s highest-tier replicas are seriously sought after on the collector's market. We find out what all the fuss is about and examine a rare recreation of Jimmy Page’s fiendishly complex #2 Les Paul Standard

MusicRadar

“An authentic replica of the guitar designed by legendary automotive designer Ray Dietrich”: Meet the Epiphone and the Gibson Custom Shop’s latest collaboration, the 1963 Firebird I and V

Famously played by Johnny Winter, Eric Clapton and more, the Firebird remains a stunning bird, and this top-tier Epiphone model offers it with a vintage-style build and Gibson USA pickups

Guitar World

“The question was, ‘Where would you go to get the ultimate Gibson experience?’ The answer was it didn’t exist – we had to create it”: We went behind the scenes at Gibson Garage London to find out why it’s unlike any other guitar store

The guitar giant has opened the doors of its first flagship store outside of the US, and we’ve spent some time snooping around…

Guitar World

“The higher end the guitar, the more robust the demand is”: Why are guitars getting more expensive? We spoke to the world’s biggest guitar companies to find out

From $50k acoustics to eye-watering ‘premium offshore’ prices, the cost of big-name new guitars has felt like it’s spiraling. So how did we get here? And how do we get out of it?

Guitar World

“One of my top favorite guitars of all time”: Epiphone debuts the Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom – and it's got a Gibson-style headstock

The Tool man’s signature model follows the Kirk Hammett Greeny Les Paul in featuring an ‘open book’ style headstock, plus a classy Custom Shop-tier neck pickup

MusicRadar

“These guitars represent the pinnacle of excellence, blending innovation with the rich heritage of Fender”: The 2024 Custom Collection is a tour de force of high-end guitar design from the Big F Custom Shop

It's that time of year again when the Fender Custom Shop starts showing off with premium tonewoods, top-tier pickups, and epic relic jobs, and finish options to die for

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