In 1981, at the Dallas Guitar Show, I was talking with Tom Murphy, a soon-to-be legend at Gibson!) when he was approached by a young guy wielding two rather plain looking mahogany bodied guitars. The man had a big bushel of hair on his head and was really animated in conversation. He was selling his work, his idea, and his vision. It was Paul Reed Smith. Another soon-to-be legend and contemporary visionary in the guitar world. With Paul Reed Smith Guitars celebrating

The 1981 Connection Walking into the hall this past weekend, I couldn't help but feel a massive wave of nostalgia. It has been 45 years since I first walked into the Dallas Guitar Show in 1981. Back then, the vintage market was just finding its feet, and the "holy grail" guitars were just starting to become legends. Comparing the atmosphere of that first visit to the 2026 show is a testament to how much this community has grown, yet how the spirit of the instrument remains un

In the world of vintage guitars, stories of rare prototypes and "lost" designs are common, but few are as audacious or entertaining as the tale of the Gibson Thunderbolt (often called the Flying Z). The Thunderbolt! What started as a clever prank eventually blurred the lines between fiction and reality, involving rock legends, custom builders, and even Gibson’s own Custom Shop. The Ultimate April Fool’s Gag The mystery began in April 1992, when the UK’s The Guitar Magazine

1956 Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster in Mary Kaye Blonde Finish The Gold Standard: Why the 1956 Stratocaster Still Defines Cool If you ask a guitar purist to close their eyes and picture the "perfect" electric guitar, there is a very high probability they are seeing a 1956 Fender Stratocaster. While the Strat debuted in 1954, it was 1956 that solidified the blueprint for what we now consider the ultimate vintage axe. It was a year of transition, refinement, and that unmistak