20 Best Guitars of guitarguitar’s Lifetime
Published on 04 June 2024
In 20 years of guitarguitar, we’ve seen some pretty interesting instruments coming through our collective doors! From odd designs to instant classics, bizarre graphic finishes to bejewelled masterpieces, we’ve had all types in here!
As part of our 20th Anniversary celebrations, I thought it might be fun to look back at some of the most interesting pieces, from new designs that have struck us as being great to some more ‘esoteric’ offerings. As a staff member since 2007 and a salesman from then until 2017, I’ve seen plenty. I certainly have my favourites (in both good as well as less good ways lol) but today’s list reflects the choices of a few of us here at guitarguitar. We all have different tastes - and different ideas on what is good, bad & indifferent - so hopefully these choices will offer a picture of the roads less-well travelled by the guitar playing populous.
As I say, some of these are just cool guitars that have remained in our minds for a while, and others are memorable pieces that were a little less common to begin with. The only caveat is that it had to have been made during guitarguitar’s life so far, so that’s 2004 till now. Have a look and see what made our list!
Contents
- Strandberg Boden 8 string
- Epiphone Adam Jones Les Paul Custom
- Fender Acoustasonic Jazzmaster
- Yamaha Revstar RSS20
- Gibson ES295 Scotty Moore
- Fender Final Fantasy Stratocaster/ Neon Genesis Evangelion Telecaster
- Kramer Cobra Kai
- Gibson Guitars of the Week
- EVH Striped Series Frankie
- Martin SC13
- Ernie Ball Music Man St Vincent
- Fender Violinmaster Telecaster Relic
- Ibanez 20th Anniversary JEM
- Gibson Robby Krieger Les Paul Custom
- Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster
- Taylor GS Mini
- PRS John McLaughlin
- Ernie Ball Music Man Kaizen
- Gibson Billy Gibbons Pearly Gates
- Fender Robbie Robertson ‘Last Waltz’ Stratocaster
Strandberg Boden 8 string
Strandberg instantly jump to my mind (and others here too) on sheer merit of originality. When I started at guitarguitar, Dean ML’s and ESP EC-1000’s were the order of the day for heavy rockers. If somebody told me that a headless, ergonomic 8-string with a square neck and slanted frets would not only exist in the near future, but be pretty popular, I’d have laughed in your face and asked for a glass of whatever you were drinking.
Here we are, though, and the Strandberg Boden 8-string is a hit guitar with a host of innovations that have caused a seismic shift in the guitar building industry. I’ve had the opportunity to chat to Ola Strandberg a number of times, and I've always been impressed by not only his dedication to improvement through engineering, but his willingness to listen to musicians and peers. No wonder these guitars have become so popular: they are a genuine alternative in more than just looks. The future of guitar is right here.
Epiphone Adam Jones Les Paul Custom
Not everybody wants a headless 8-string with a square neck, though. I fully get that, and that ‘past self’ I mentioned a second ago would be equally incredulous if he was told that Epiphone were putting out guitars that cost 4 figures and had the famous Gibson ‘open book’ headstock. Well, that’s happening too, and these days, Epiphone’s top-price builds (you can still get very affordable Epis too) are really blurring that once-huge gap between their output and that of Gibson USA.
You don’t even have to be a Tool fan to appreciate this wonderful Adam Jones Les Paul Custom: it is the right weight, the correct shade of silver, it has top-tier electronics and an SD Distortion pickup in it, so in reality, it’s VERY similar to Adam’s own American guitars. The only appreciable differences really are the country of manufacture, the poly finish (instead of Gibson’s customary nitro) and the logo on the headstock. When you put it that way, this Epi - and the others in the Inspired by Gibson Custom line - start to look like really good value after all.
Fender Acoustasonic Jazzmaster
The Fender Acoustasonic Jazzmaster was the third model in Fender’s somewhat iconoclastic Acoustasonic range, after the Telecaster and Stratocaster models. I believe this one is perhaps the most effective, since the supplied tones from the bridge humbucker are maybe more directly useful than those of a single coil like on the Strat and Tele. It depends what you’re after of course, but the JM gives you single coil tones, humbucker tones, plenty of acoustic richness and the ability to blend these into something unique.
This guitar is one of those ‘go anywhere’ instruments, because it’s loud enough to work as a standard acoustic (albeit without the same volume and projection levels as a dreadnought, but that’s to be expected!) and is convincing on stage doing all of its myriad jobs.
Many were sceptical at first, but just look at how many pro artists are using them now!
Yamaha Revstar RSS20
The Revstar is one of the very few original guitar designs to have appeared recently that everyone agrees is cool looking. No mean feat, to be honest, and I hope the Revstar has staying power because it’s a genuinely successful redrawing of the electric guitar, and it suits many genres and styles.
Coming across like a mix between an SG and a Yamaha BB bass, the Revstar has ‘new classic’ written all over it, with that all-important attitude behind the design that gives it its somewhat punky, alternative edge. The shape is available in a number of models with different bridges, pickups and so on, and they are all very nice, but I reckon the stop tail and double humbuckers of the Revstar RSS20 is the one to aim your sights at!
Gibson ES295 Scotty Moore
Why oh why do Gibson not make the ES295 a regular production model? In all my years working at guitarguitar, I’ve only ever seen a new model once, and it was this tribute model to Elvis’ guitarist Scotty Moore.
It’s an absolute stunner, and I also love how Moore has sharpied his name slap bang on the front of the guitar, right on the nitro finish! When we had this one in store, we had to keep checking it on its hanger to make sure nobody had rubbed the signature off!
Fender Final Fantasy Stratocaster/ Neon Genesis Evangelion Telecaster
I was initially a little underwhelmed by Fender Japan’s Final Fantasy tribute. As a long-time fan of the franchise (FFVII for the win!), I feel like they could’ve gone much further in decorating the guitar to match the sumptuous and outlandish look of the game series.
On second thoughts, though, it's actually kind of excellent. It’s subtle enough to fit into anybody’s image/vibe/stage look, but those details, when noticed, become really artful. It’s much better taste than some crazy graphics, and fans will appreciate the genre-specific features like the meteor inlay and so on.
A similarly cool Telecaster was made by Fender Japan for the enormous anime franchise Neon Genesis: Evangelion, and in my opinion this is actually much cooler than the FF Strat! The colour scheme is really bold and future-forward, and that’s before you realise that it’s based on a character’s costume! Add in those Lace Alumitone pickups and you have vibes for days! These guitars deserve their own places in the blog but I felt that more than one anime/game crossover with Fender Japan was pushing it, so I’ve squeezed them both in the one entry!
Kramer Cobra Kai
Not that there’s anything wrong with a crazy graphic in dubious taste, I might add! When the instrument, licence and referencing are as on-point as this Cobra Kai Kramer, it’s a thing of synergetic beauty.
Cobra Kai obviously riffs hard on the hair metal glory days of the 80s, when karate ruled and guitarists were called ‘gunslingers’. Kramer are one of the most trapped-in-the-80s brands ever, so they are the perfect brand to offer up the logo-and-slogan graphic for Reseda’s most badass karate gym.
This high-kicking superstrat was a limited run from a few years ago, and it pitched itself perfectly, paving the way for Stranger Things’ BC Rich and other guitar-centric tie-ins. Bow to your sensei!!!
Gibson Guitars of the Week
This one’s a bit of a cheat, since there are dozens of different guitars involved, but it’s the idea I’m celebrating as much as anything!
Back in 2007/8, Gibson unleashed a very cool project: Guitar of the Week. It’s not much of a fancy title, but Guitar of the Week did exactly as the name suggested, with a new limited edition instrument released every single week (well, more or less) for a year. The cool thing was that each guitar had something unique about it, from Les Pauls that were a mix of Custom and Classic (including three pickups and an ebony fingerboard) to a backwards Flying V, which was as mad looking as you’ve just imagined.
Each model was limited to 300 pieces, never to be repeated. True enough, we’ve never seen their likes again, and Gibson have not as yet repeated the project. Did you manage to get one of these Gibson Guitars of the Week?
EVH Striped Series Frankie
Now here is a great idea: do a relatively affordable version of a very famous, idiosyncratic guitar, and actually sweat the details for once. We’ve seen tons of stripey superstrats over the years, all associated with Edward, but it wasn’t until this EVH Striped Series Frankie was released that we saw one done properly, for under £1500 too!
It’s all here: the broken pickguard, the dummy single coil, the wear & tear in all the correct places…given that this is a production instrument, it’s very impressive indeed. If you secretly don the spandex and headband in the privacy of your own home, then this guitar may be the ultimate axe for your 80s rock dreams.
Martin SC13
How often do Martin come out with a genuinely surprising new guitar? Let’s be clear, I’m a Martin fan, but it’s for models that have existed for the best part of a century, not for forward-thinking space age instruments. That said, the Martin SC13 is actually a very tasteful and timely design for them. It’s an innovative offset acoustic (unusual in itself) with some new technology in the neck join, but it’s not ‘Parker Fly’ levels of futurism here: it’s still very recognisably a standard acoustic guitar, just one that’s developed a little.
It makes sense to look at the state of guitar building in 2024 and realise that things can be moved into new areas, and I applaud Martin for taking this bold and very successful step forwards.
Ernie Ball Music Man St Vincent
Talking about progressing the design of the guitar? It’s hard to make something that’s both unique and decent in the guitar world, but Music Man have achieved it a couple of times in guitarguitar’s lifetime, as we’ll see.
The Ernie Ball Music Man St Vincent guitar is of course the sig model for Annie Clark, and it strikes that delicate balance between acceptability of outrageousness. Interestingly, unlike some other sig guitars, it’s not just St Vincent fanboys and fangirls who are buying it, either: it seems to be getting accepted as a legit electric guitar choice, which is a wild concept in itself!
Although original, it reminds me a little of the Gretsch Bo Diddley and Jupiter guitars, but with its own sheen and slight nod towards Futurism. It’s also a very capable instrument that offers no preconception on how it’s supposed to sound or be used. In other words, it’s a real breath of fresh air in the guitar world!
Fender Violinmaster Telecaster Relic
We had this particular specimen recently and it caused more than a few gasps. Why had nobody done this before? A Telecaster - one of Fender’s most universally loved designs - constructed like an antique Stradivarius violin! Genius!
This is quite an exceptional instrument, and feels simultaneously fresh and ancient. Whilst guitars of this pedigree are clearly collector’s pieces, it would be great to see more made in this sort of mould, especially if those guitars actually made it onto some stages and saw some action!
As it is, it’s a superbly tasteful example of what Fender’s Master Builders can do with the world’s humblest electric guitar.
Ibanez 20th Anniversary JEM
Steve Vai’s signature guitar, the Ibanez JEM, is already quite an eccentric guitar, what with its Monkey Grip, Tree of Life inlay and outrageous colour schemes. Doing a special 20th Anniversary model, therefore, is going to take some doing. How do you top the JEM?
Well, if you’re Ibanez, you go to a company who makes aquariums and get them to build you a bunch of JEM bodies out of solid acrylic. Then, you introduce a ‘3d interior’ design with neon paint captured inside the body. THEN you fix a bunch of interior LED lights so that the whole dang thing can glow like a radioactive spaceship!
There were only 500 of these made in 2007, and one of my earliest guitarguitar memories was seeing this hanging above the till. Amazing stuff! In three years, it’ll be the JEM’s 40th Anniversary: what will they do for that?
Gibson Robby Krieger Les Paul Custom
Although best known for his use of an SG Special during his days with legendary LA band The Doors, Robby Krieger also made good use of a particularly tasty Les Paul Custom. Gibson honoured him with a Custom Shop Tribute model, and we were lucky enough to get one in the Glasgow store, complete with Robby’s hand-signed autograph on the back of the headstock with a gold Sharpie! I’ve since been privileged enough to interview Robby for guitarguitar, but until then, this was as close as I - or anybody else I suppose - could get to that mercurial Doors legend.
Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster
Without any trace of trying to be clever or subversive here, I’m choosing the Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster as one of the best guitars of guitarguitar’s lifetime.
During our time of trading, the Squier brand has elevated itself from budget beginners’ official Strat copies to Fender’s most affordable and adventurous sub brand. The quality has gone up, the designs ever more exciting and the prices have remained most reasonable.
And there was just something about the J Mascis signature Jazzmaster that was ‘right’ from the word go: a better-than-standard neck, good pickups that delivered on the gain front as well as clean, and a super-cool look that married a white body to a gold anodized pickguard. It was too cool for school, and here’s a word to the wise: they are still currently in production, but nobody knows for how long…
Taylor GS Mini
No instrument has sent such a seismic shock through our industry like the Taylor GS Mini. Who’d have thought that such an unassuming, diminutive acoustic guitar could spark a revolution in design?
I’m not being hyperbolic, either. This is one of the world’s best-selling guitars, and it has encouraged most major manufacturers to design their own smaller-sized acoustic guitar as a result. I expect the market will now always have such an offering, since it makes so much sense!
But what is the GS Mini? Simply put, it’s an acoustic guitar modelled on a Taylor Grand Symphony, but downsized a little in every direction. The body is smaller and shallower, the scale length is shorter and the whole thing is just slightly less than full-sized. The GS Mini sits between a ‘travel guitar’ and a full-sized instrument, but the kick is that it delivers a rich, punchy voice that is easily better than most full-sized efforts in the same price range.
The GS Mini has a hugely moreish quality to it, and for many guitar players who only casually strum an acoustic, it’s all they need. You can get a GS Mini in a great range of timber options, with and without a pickup, so there’s basically one for everybody!
PRS John McLaughlin
This situation here is a little like how I described the difficulty of upping the game on the Ibanez JEM for the 20th Anniversary JEM: PRS guitars are already so lush and impressive, so what do you do when you want to make an even more special one?
Well, short of going full-out on a Dragon (see my PRS Dragon blog, pals), it seems that the smart thing to do is to stick to the familiar formula, but turn it all up a bit: incredible timber, precision build, and some extra details of a typically ‘PRS’ style.
Jazz legend John McLaughlin obviously deserves a stunner of a guitar, and this Private Stock John McLaughlin signature model should be directly filed under ‘M for Masterpiece’.
Ernie Ball Music Man Kaizen
Like a sleek shark from some futuristic waters, the Ernie Ball Music Man Kaizen is further proof that EBMM aren’t looking to the rose-tinted past when it comes to their guitar design.
The Kaizen is a forward-facing collab between EBMM and Animals as Leaders’...well, leader, Tosin Abasi. It’s still recognisably a guitar, but this thing puts you in a different universe, with it’s Stealth bomber-style body and ‘infinite conical’ radius fingerboard.
It’s not one for the local blues jam, I daresay, but for those looking to make a statement with their sound and their vibe, well, this’ll do it!
Gibson Billy Gibbons Pearly Gates
Forget the fact that all of Eliminator was actually recorded using a Dean guitar equipped with DiMarzios. No one needs to know that, even if it’s true! What we all want is a slice of the Billy Gibbons legend, and a huge part of that is his famous ‘59 Les Paul Standard, Pearly Gates. Just watch any footage of Revered Willy playing it live and you’re watching rock history in motion. Who wouldn’t want a piece of that?
Who indeed, and Gibson agreed a few years back, making a small run of Pearly Gates replicas available to the public. This was the start of these forensically analysed, absolutely spot-on recreations of famous guitars. Let’s face it, there were never enough ‘59 Les Pauls to begin with, back in 1959! I fully stand behind the idea of grabbing immortal guitars and scanning every crack and ding on it. In fact, I reckon it’s time they did this one again, eh?
Fender Robbie Robertson ‘Last Waltz’ Stratocaster
For the last choice today, it was between this and the George Harrison Rocky Strat. This one wins because, well…it’s literally been dipped in bronze!
Robbie Robertson wanted something special for The Band’s last ever performance, a filmed mega-gig featuring guest stars like Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Muddy Waters. Robertson’s idea of ‘special’ is something I can get behind: the Strat body was dipped into a vat of hot bronze and left to dry/cool/whatever bronze does. Afterwards, the rest of the parts were put back on, including Robbie’s unorthodox pickup configuration: that’s not actually a humbucker there; he just didn’t like the middle single coil getting in the way of his right hand technique, so he had it shifted!
Rumours abounde that the Last Waltz Strat replica was as horrifyingly heavy as the original (we had one to sell but I never got to see it) but you’re hardly choosing this guitar to not make a statement, are you?
How Many Amazing Guitars Did We Forget About?
Well, there’s 20 belters for you, and they aren’t all top-price show ponies, either. There are loads of reasons why a guitar might be cool, awesome, memorable etc, and it’s fun to allow them their own place in the scheme of things.
The main thing about guitars is that they are fun! Expressing, cool, exciting, but fun above all else. Grab the guitar you have sitting nearest to you and have some fun playing it!
