From Cheap to Sheik: How Budget Brands Shaped Guitar Culture

From Cheap to Sheik: How Budget Brands Shaped Guitar Culture

Posted by Robinson Earle on Aug 2nd 2021

In the early to mid 20th-century, America fell in love with the guitar. It started with the ukuleles and lap-steels that were built to capitalize on the Hawaiian music craze of the 1910s, and developed into a distinct culture of stringed instrument manufacturing. While companies like Gibson and Mart …

PRS Guitars: History & Current Lineup

Posted by Robinson Earle on Feb 16th 2021

Paul Reed Smith started out as a shop class whiz and part-time guitar slinger with a dream of creating a 6-string that boldly positioned itself between the two giants of the industry: Fender and Gibson.The History of PRS GuitarsDuring the 1980s, the two major guitar manufacturers in America were Fen …
Harmony Guitars: The Historic Brand Revived

Harmony Guitars: The Historic Brand Revived

Posted by Robinson Earle on Feb 3rd 2021

Established in Chicago in 1892, the Harmony musical brand produced consistent and affordable instruments of all kinds throughout the better part of the 20th century. The artists who learned to pick on Harmony guitars are legion, including Howlin Wolf, Elvis, Keith Richards, Syd Barrett, Big Joe Will …
The Rockin' History of Magnatone Amps

The Rockin' History of Magnatone Amps

Posted by Robinson Earle on Jan 7th 2021

Long before it was known as  Magnatone amps, the Dickerson Musical Instrument Company was founded in the 1930s and largely catered to the still-burning Hawaiian steel guitar boom that started around the turn of the century. In 1946, it was acquired by Art Duhamell who changed the name to t …

Music Theory: Chords, Scales, and Triads

Posted by Robinson Earle on Dec 11th 2020

As most humans are only capable of producing one note simultaneously, it’s safe to say that monophonic music came first. Over time, melodic threads were combined, creating the sort of sonic tapestry that can still be heard in isolated villages of Eastern Europe, and deep in the heart of the Ituri …

All About Larrivee Guitars

Posted by Robinson Earle on Oct 9th 2020

Larrivee Guitars are known around the world for their uncompromising quality, beautiful, all solid wood bodies, and attention to detail. No matter which Larivee guitar model you choose, you can be sure that it was crafted with the finest materials possible. Their X-Brace and Scalloped Hybrid brac …