All Change
As we go to press with this issue, we heard news that Gibson has appointed a new CEO to replace its long-standing, embattled manat-the-top Henry Juszkiewicz. The incoming head of Gibson is former Levi’s president James ‘JC’ Curleigh, an avowed fan of Gibson’s heritage who says he owns many of the brand’s bestknown models himself – and that his plan is to focus on the core guitar-making business. That’s just as well, as it was Gibson’s adventures in other areas that holed them below the waterline financially and led them into Chapter 11 bankruptcy, as Henry Juszkiewicz told Guitarist in a recent interview. Most players, I suspect, will want that back-tobasics approach to be centred on well-priced examples of Gibson’s flagship electrics with rock-solid build-quality, great tone and very few gimmicks. Whatever course the company takes, we wish them the best of luck.
In a less dramatic spirit, we’ve made a few changes to Guitarist, too, based on what you told us you wanted more of. Fans of Dave Burrluck’s Mod Squad column, which concerns fettling your guitar for extra tone and playability, will be pleased to see Mr B has sprouted an extra two pages, so he can elaborate in more detail on DIY upgrades that will transform your guitar. It’s also moved further back in the mag so it can sit next door to our Q&A gear maintenance column, which is its natural shed-fellow, if you will. Turn to p134 to check out this month’s instalment, which deals with dialling in a new guitar with the best setup for your playing style. We also have a brand-new column that dissects the hottest new gear to come our way – it’s called Gas Supply and you’ll find it on p44. Meanwhile, we’ve made a few changes to our Pedalboard section to help you analyse more easily what pedal is best for you. Last but not least, it was a pleasure to return to Mark Knopfler’s West London studio to discuss the tones, guitars and songwriting approaches behind his new album. He’s one of those intriguing artists whose work seems to get better with time, so we hope you enjoy the feature. See you next time.