Spring's issue of Guitarist's Acoustic quarterly talks to maestro Tommy Emmanuel about his stage set-up, new signature guitar and amp, plus interviews with Dominic Miller and John Smith, and reviews including Taylor, Art & Lutherie and more.
QUIET REVOLUTION
JOAN BAEZ • After nearly six decades, Joan Baez says 2018 will be her final year of touring and her new album could well be her last. Dan Hobson chats to the queen of folk on the dawn of a new era
30 YEARS OF… LEVELLERS • Hated by the music press. Spied on by the police. Battling addiction and an unfashionable image, it’s a wonder Levellers ever went on to become the leaders of a counterculture phenomenon. Yet, 30 years since their formation, Levellers are back with an all-acoustic new album and they’re loving music more than ever
ROBERT JOHNSON AND THE MYTHS OF THE DELTA BLUES… • A deal with the Devil and his young death have added to the shroud of mystery surrounding King of the Delta blues singer, Robert Johnson. Yet, the truth we do know points to a man who was the first rock ’n’ roll casualty and a guitar genius…
GORDON GILTRAP • A national treasure on the acoustic scene, Gordon Giltrap has enjoyed a long and varied career – and now he’s embarking on a new project that will see him passing his music on to a new generation of players
THE LORD’S SEAT • Gordon Giltrap is a true virtuoso. Here, we let the man himself take you through one of his beautiful solo pieces
STREET WISE • He’s best known for his evergreen ballad Streets Of London, but Ralph McTell was a core member of the 60s folk guitar scene. He recalls the guitar artistry of Bert Jansch and explains why a Gibson J-45 is a player’s best friend – and why he decided to record his excellent new album of old-time blues and folk instrumentals on a sofa…
ANTONIO FORCIONE • From busking in London’s Covent Garden to playing on the world’s stage, Antonio Forcione takes a multicultural approach to playing acoustic guitar
HIGH FLYER • After 50 million album sales, Sheryl Crow is still rock’s most congenial global superstar. Here, the singer-songwriter talks about lucky guitars, A-list collaborations and the fight for real music
SO YOU WANT TO BUY AN ACOUSTIC? • These are our 82 favourite guitars from the last three years of Guitarist’s review instruments. Get your wallet ready…
FUTURE VISION • Not content with being the biggest guitar company on the planet, for 2018 Taylor is unveiling a new V-Class bracing system that could eventually be installed on all their guitars. Is the X-brace dead?
UPPER CLASS • Taylor is calling the introduction of V-Class bracing “a substantial new guitar development for 2018”. To inaugurate the concept they invited key media from across the world – including Guitarist, of course – to California to explain exactly what makes it different
V-CLASS: IN THE STUDIO
SPECIAL EFFECTS • Yamaha’s new models are bringing its eerily good TransAcoustic technology, which uses the guitar itself to generate reverb, to a temptingly low price
LEGACY ACT • As Patrick James Eggle bows out of the acoustic guitar industry, his designs created for Faith remain his heritage
NEW GROWTH • The two biggest names in acoustic guitar have championed non-traditional, sustainable tonewoods for this fine pair of mid-priced cutaway models
BROADER HORIZONS • A selection of six alternative tonewood guitars that Martin and Taylor are branching out with…
HIGH FLYING BIRDS • A couple of decades ago, a Canadian guitar company revolutionised the affordable acoustic market. Now they’ve released two new models that are set to rule the roost once again…
NEW GEAR • We journeyed out to the mighty NAMM Show in California to view 2018’s hottest new acoustic guitar launches...
