From £1,000 to £2,000

PJD CAREY STANDARD £1,799

UK builder Leigh Dovey delivers superb design, crisp quality build and vibe-y resonance from the chambered light ash body, and achingly beautiful sounds from the Bare Knuckle Boot Camp Old Guard P-90 and bridge humbucker. The neck work alone, from quarter-sawn dark roasted maple, is up there with the best boutique guitars. At this price, it’s simply a steal. www.pjdguitars.com

EASTMAN ROMEO £1,949

Designed by archtop maker Otto D’Ambrosio who heads up Eastman’s USA design and custom shop, the Romeo is a thinline for modern times. Downsized and perfectly balanced, it features a carved spruce top, with a bridge block, paired with a lightly flamed maple neck and ebony fingerboard. Lollar Imperial pickups prove the perfect match. www.eastmanguitars.com

GRETSCH G6228FM PLAYERS EDITION JET BT £1,999

A Jet that plays and sounds as good as it looks, with a rockaimed voice via its Broad’Tron BT65 pickups, which owe more sonically to an overwound PAF than something you’d expect from TV Jones. “You get the curb appeal of the vintage original,” we said, “but the performance is as contemporary as it gets. This is the Jet you buy instead of a Les Paul.” www.gretchguitars.com

EASTMAN T64/V-GB £1,829

This Chinese-made ES-330-style hollowbody features top USA and Japanese-made parts and a unique Antique Varnish finish – which is less like a relic but rather evokes the general patina of age. It’s lightweight, hollow construction reveals an engaging unplugged voice, while the Lollar P-90s conjure up all manner of wide-ranging tones. A versatile and great value guitar. www.eastmanguitars.com

IBANEZ AZ2402 PRESTIGE FROM £1,989

Design tweaks abound for the AZ series with heavily radius’d heels, torrefied maple necks, stainless steel frets, locking height-adjustable tuners, and an excellent vibrato based on Gotoh’s ‘modern classic’ 510. Moreover, the Ibanez/Seymour Duncan Hyperion pickups and intelligent switching give this guitar incredible versatility. www.ibanez.com

IBANEZ AZS2200 PRESTIGE FROM £1,999

This Japanese Prestige model includes a Seymour Duncan Magic Touch mini-humbucker at the neck, Alnico II Pro Custom single coil at the bridge, Gotoh T1802 vibrato bridge, along with typical AZ features such as a roasted maple neck with stainless-steel jumbo frets. The Alter Switch wiring provides enhanced pickup combinations for serious versatility. www.ibanez.com