One of the venerable companies that made guitars in Chicago at the middle of the last century was Kay. Their instruments provided tremendous value at an affordable price. One such instrument was the Barney Kessel Pro. These were recently reissued, and we found our example to be a whole hell of a lot of fun to play. Enjoy!

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The Rickenbacker 300 series of guitars was introduced in 1958. Designed by the esteemed Roger Rossmeisl, these guitars have changed little, but withstood the test of time. Just when we thjought we knew what we were dealing with, however, a 330 in matte black shows up. We had to grab it. Enjoy!

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We’re pretty big fans of vintage Gretsch guitars over here at High Gain HQ. Especially the S-100, with its indispensable phase switch. If it’s good enough for Kim Thayil of Soundgarden it’s good enough for us. So when we got a line on the new Guild S-100 Polara Kim Thayil signature guitars, we had to try them. We were not dissappointed. Enjoy!

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When Ovation began making solidbody guitars, just about everything they came up with was full-featured, well-made and very playable. Their designs were perhaps a little forward thinking for most, however, and they didn’t fare too well in a market of Teles and Les Pauls. When it came to bass guitars, they fared little better. But the Magnum bass is a beast, and it found its way into the hands and onto the records of many a top-tier player. We thoroughly enjoyed this instrument. Enjoy!

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Carlos Lopez started his guitar-building journey on the production line at Fender. Before long he joined the Custom Shop. Not long after that he was apprenticing to become a Master Builder. You could say our man Carlos has the chops… So, it’s really no surprise to see him sailing and thriving under his own banner - Castedosa Guitars. Along with his wife Stephanie (a master pickup winder!), Castedosa is turning out some of the most thoughtful, exquisite instruments we’ve seen, including the black Conchers model we got our hands on this week. Enjoy!

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Robert Godin started his guitar-making journey in a small shop in La Patrie, Quebec, in 1972. Over the years he expanded into five factories, across six well-known brands, including, of course, Godin Instruments. The goal was/is to make quality guitars at a reasonable price. Not easily done without cutting corners somewhere, but Godin never did. No outsourcing overseas, no inferior materials, no shoddy craft. These are eminently playable instruments. Enjoy!

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Graig Markel and Zera Marvel of Recovery Effects have been making some of our favorite effects for a long time. At any moment they can be found on our pedal boards, emitting the precise lushness Recovery has become known for. So when Graig stopped by with two of his latest, the Moonstruck reverb/delay and the Revere overdrive, we knew what we had to do. The Danelectro Double Neck 3923 proved the perfect vehicle for the time, even if it did end up receiving a (rare) triple-deny. Enjoy!

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Among the first original designs Ibanez made after the famed Gibson lawsuit was the Musician Series. These were guitar re-thought from the ground up. They are still considered sturdy workhorses, and they mark a direction that would set Ibanez on the path to being one of the world’s leading guitar makers. This MC200 got a rare ‘double buy’ from us. Enjoy!

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Paul Reed Smith, the man, has been creating the highest quality guitars ever since he made one for college credit, after which he dropped out to pursue the art fulltime. PRS instruments are known for their attention to detail, impeccable response, and beautiful tops. Why then, haven’t we paid more attention to them? We’ve been remiss, and we apologize. Enjoy!

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Bernardo Chavez Rico grew up making classical guitars. He learned the craft from his father. Luckily for us, Bernardo decided to branch out into solidbody electrics. And the world was never the same, as musicians across all genres played his instruments at some point in their careers (Elliot Easton of The Cars? Yup…) We were fortunate enough to take this vintage Mockingbird for a spin, and decode its many knobs and switches. Enjoy!

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