Guitars come in all shapes and sizes, and in all levels of quality, too. The funny thing is that one man’s awful guitar could simply be golden in another man’s hands, and that is also what has made so many “orphan” guitars into collectibles, with sought-after sounds. Now, I feel that playability is really just about the most important thing in selecting a guitar, and what makes it good or bad for you. Most of the time, the playability problems can eventually be taken care of. Warped necks, bad bridges, too high or low action and other bothersome things can really be cured, and you needn’t hate an otherwise perfectly good guitar for it!

Many musicians, myself included, have experienced a kind of extra-added “pressure” when dealing with the act of recording. I grew up in the studios of New York City, where there was always a kind of “time’s money, money’s time” attitude, and with their need to bang out tons of jingles and other kinds of tracks in haste, rarely even left room for mistakes! In most of these situations, one can rarely even do more than one take, and the pressure can be enormous.

The years that I toured on buses with various acts and bands were really quite amazing. It can be a ton of fun, since it really becomes your home on wheels for a long time. But, after all, you are on a moving vehicle going through all the different seasons, including wintry snow and ice, and it can be quite hazardous at times.

Getting “endorsed” by a company, whether it is as simple as the brand of strings, or as big as a guitar with your name on it, is really quite an honor, and something that can really mean a lot for your career. I have endorsed many musical products over the years, and been given many wonderful instruments, by manufacturers large and small, and for many reasons. Also, as an aside, I have noticed that many artists these days say “I’m being endorsed by…….”, when in actuality it’s the “artist who endorses the product.” This is an important distinction, and keeps the “chain of command” correct. Any products that say “Arlen Roth uses…….” Is a product that Arlen Roth endorses.

It was the instrument that was cool enough for KISS’s Paul Stanley and Ace Frehley to use, and one of its siblings was enough to woo Ron Wood away from his heavily customized instruments. It was the Gibson Marauder, an unconventional and unmistakably ’70s guitar from the company’s Norlin era. It was never a huge seller for the company, but it carved out its own corner of rock history.

There was a time when hefting a 12 or 13-pound Les Paul seemed to be the mark of a real man. Players talked a lot about sustain as if it related directly to weight and how you needed all that weight and mass to achieve a desirable tone. The truth is, not everyone believes that “heavier” equates to “better” in sonic terms, nor do many players want to sling a 13-pound guitar over their shoulder for a 90-minute set. What’s the answer? For Gibson, for many years, it has been found in carefully, strategically weight-relieving guitars, and the procedure brings many benefits to the player.

During a recent trip to the Gibson Custom shop in Nashville, Joe Bonamassa sat down to talk music, guitars and his brand-new album, Driving Towards the Daylight. In the video below, the guitar wiz shares some behind the scenes information about the making of the record, which was produced by Kevin Shirley and features Aerosmith axeman Brad Whitford.

In 2012’s social media world of texting, Tweeting, Facebook-liking and general online sharing, marketing guitars is now a rich process. Back in the day, guitarists were not so well served. If you wanted to see a new guitar model, you’d have to go to your local music store. And, if you bought a guitar magazine – as we’re sure, most guitarists still like to do – you’d see a print ad. But even after that, you’d go to your music store. So, what about those classic print ads?

Lee Roy Parnell blew into the national music scene like a warm wind from his native Texas with the 1990 debut album that bore his name. Eight more full-length discs down the line, he’s established as one of the most determinedly iconoclastic performers to emerge from Nashville’s music industry — unflinchingly eclectic in his embrace of blues, rock, country, jazz and anything else he chooses to dip into from his wide palette of influences. With a truly deep love of blues, he’s also an acclaimed wizard of slide guitar with an affinity for the Gibson Les Paul...

For many players and collectors the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville, Tennessee, is a six-string Mecca, a nearly holy place where great instruments with the aura of history are created and re-created. And the Custom Shop’s most valued guitars are its Signature models and Collector’s Choice issues.