1960s Gear Through The Years…

Rickenbacker 360/12

(1963)

You could make a case for the 1961 launch of the Gibson Les Paul SG as the decade’s biggest guitar story, but the 12-string Rickys popularised by George Harrison and later used by The Byrds’ Roger Mcguinn gave popular music some of its trippiest and biggest sounds. The 12-string’s jangle never sounded so vital as in the 60s.

Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz‑tone

(1962)

The first commercially produced fuzz box gave guitar a new sound to play with when Keith Richards stepped on it for the (Ican’tget No)satisfaction riff.

Sola Sound Tone Bender Professional MKII

(1966)

Another fuzz, but how could we leave this out? The MKII (technically a third version) helped Jimmy Page find a sound on Ledzeppelin (1969) that would change rock for decades to come.

Vox V846 wah pedal

(1967)

Using a treadle to manually move a frequency filter’s resonance peak up and down, the wah pedal could make the guitar talk, and when it found itself in the possession of Jimi Hendrix, he created a whole new vocabulary for electric guitar, establishing the wah as one of guitar’s most-expressive effects.