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UNCOVERED: Atb guitars - The Untold Story

“I struggle to think of any Fender that surpasses a Mary Kaye Strat in value or collector appeal”: Body dated January 1956, the first of its kind, played on an Aerosmith album – is this the holy grail of all holy grail Fender Stratocasters?

Only two features distinguished a Mary Kaye Stratocaster from any other Strat that might have rolled off Fender’s production line during the mid-to-late 1950s. So why are vintage examples so darn valuable?

Guitar World

“It may be a cliché, but let’s say it anyway: Jimi Hendrix didn’t do too badly with CBS Fenders”: Fender’s CBS era is often associated with the company losing its reputation for quality – but is that view still justified?

Fender’s CBS era is often boiled down to an equation of ‘corporate drive for profit and quantity = lowering of build standards,’ but like many things in life, it's not so simple

Guitar World

“Originally retailed for around $250, they can now fetch up to 2,500 times that”: 1959 Gibson 'Burst Les Pauls sell for a king's ransom, and have been played and cherished by everyone from Jimmy Page to Billy Gibbons – but what exactly makes them special?

Widely considered to be the Holy Grail for guitar enthusiasts and collectors, 'Bursts feature on many of the most important rock albums ever made. So what exactly went into the secret sauce?

Guitar World

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“It was under a staircase for 50 years. The owner’s family thought it could be worth £5,000. They were told, ’It’s worth more than that…’” The curious tale of Joe Bonamassa’s ‘Royal Albert’ Les Paul – and its mysterious mod

Bonamassa tells the story of the salvaged 1960 Les Paul and its bizarre mod, which was theorized to be inspired by Peter Green

Guitar World

“Some believe the slab ’boards have a different tone to veneer ’boards, but others think it’s more of a visual thing”: Everything you need to know about pre-CBS Stratocasters – the holy grail of vintage Fender guitars

Steve Hove of ATB Guitars presents us with five Strats from Fender's golden era and details their specs, the model's evolution, and the market dynamics behind their astronomical price

Guitar World

“An amazing piece of history from the British blues scene”: Robert Plant is selling a trove of gear for charity – including a John Birch-modded ‘62 Stratocaster with two switches that once belonged to Stan Webb of Chicken Shack

The 1990 Les Paul that Les Paul gave the former Led Zeppelin frontman has been sold but that Strat is one super-cool refin – so too the mandolin and resonator

MusicRadar

“If Slash had picked up a Strat, or stuck with his BC Rich, Gibson would have taken a different turn… Him playing a Les Paul changed the course of the company”: Behind the scenes of the most pivotal moments in Gibson’s history

We join two of experts on Gibson’s history to try to shine a light on some of the more interesting ‘what ifs?’ and behind-the-scenes moves that gave us the company we know today

Guitar World

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“Bought by Bernie Marsden in New York at the end of the ill-fated Whitesnake, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden USA tour in 1981”: The rescheduled Marsden guitar auction offers insight into the journey of the famed collector

The auction will now take place on June 14, and showcases the enormous variety of the late guitarist’s collection

Guitar World

Bernie Marsden’s vintage guitar gear is officially now up for sale via ATB Guitars’ Reverb store

The Beast might be staying at the Marsden residence but his ’52 Gold Top, ’61 Telecaster Custom and ’64 ES-345 TDSV are stunning and available now

MusicRadar

Bernie Marsden’s iconic “The Beast” ‘59 Gibson Les Paul isn’t going up for sale after all

The former Whitesnake guitarist was set to part ways with his iconic Burst for $1.3 million – but has had a swift change of heart

Guitar World

Bernie Marsden’s legendary “The Beast” ’59 Gibson Les Paul is up for sale for $1.3 million

The iconic Burst has been listed as part of a wider Bernie Marsden Collection, which will see the sale of numerous instruments owned by the former Whitesnake guitarist

Guitar World

The Beast is caged: Bernie Marsden has decided not to sell his Gibson '59 Les Paul Burst for $1.3 million after all

He's had a change of heart but the rest of the highlights of his prized guitar collection will still be sold by the UK's ATB Guitars

MusicRadar

Rare 1960s Gibson Les Paul guitar sells for £150,000 after 25 years in cupboard

US star Joe Bonamassa snaps up vintage instrument that had been left to gather dust

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