The High Gain

Episode 350 - The Final Episode

It’s been our great pleasure to make this show for anyone who would listen, week after week, for 7 years. Knowing you were out there, and hearing from so many of you, rea

Episode 349 - Epiphone 1963 Firebird I

In 1963 Gibson introduced the Firebird series of guitars. It came in multiple variations, with several options. The “lowest” model was the Firebird I, so named because of

Episode 348 - Hamer Steve Stevens SS2

Hamer had a long history of making great guitars, especially for the metal crowd. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that not only did Steve Stevens have a signature

Episode 347 - Yamaha Samurai SG12A

Yamaha was founded in 1887 by Torakusu Yamaha. Dealing primarily in keyboard instruments, it took a while to get around to designing electric guitars. But in the 1960s th

Episode 346 - Squier Hello Kitty Stratocaster

Hello Kitty is perhaps the most recognizable character of Japan’s “cute” culture. The ubiquitous cat has appeared on just about every object you can imagine, and guitars

Episode 345 - Fender Yngwie Malmsteen Stratocaster

When you grow up listening to classical music, and studying the violin pyrotechnics of Nicolo Paganini, you’re bound to emerge as one of the most unique shredders in the

Episode 344 - Dwight Guitars

Man, that Dwight guitar sure does look like an Epiphone Coronet, you might be thinking. You’ve got a sharp eye my friends - back in the day, the fine folk from Kalamazoo

Episode 343 - Jackson Monarkh Baritone

It was Danelectro that brought us the baritone electric guitar, but it’s Jackson that has now released what is perhaps the doomiest version of that instrument. We tried o

Episode 342 - Doubleday Guitars

We are truly living in a renaissance of custom guitar building. Just when you play one, another pops up to surprise and delight you. And the Doubleday Broadwing is no exc

Episode 341 - Epiphone Coronet USA

Originally introduced in 1959, shortly after Gibson bought the brand, the Coronet was the first Epiphone solidbody guitar. What started out as a student model would event

Episode 340 - Gibson Victory

In 1981 Gibson introduced one of its pointiest guitars yet. With an Explorer headstock and a slightly offset superstrat-style body, the team in Kalamazoo was ready to mee

Episode 339 - ESP E-II Horizon-II

Once a major provider of parts, bodies and necks to brands like Kramer and Schecter (which it ended up buying), ESP now occupies valuable territory in the metal world of

Episode 338 - Squier Mami Sasazaki Jazzmaster

Scandal is a Japanese band that holds the Guinness World Record for longest-active all-female band that still has all its original members. So it’s no wonder that they’ve

Episode 337 - Fender Jack White Triplecaster Telecaster

Jack White has carved out a place of distinction for himself. His approach to music is at once considered and no-holds barred. He knows what he wants to hear, and has nev

Episode 336 - Greco Shrike

Greco was among the many brands created to capitalize on the guitar boom of the 1960s. These instruments were mostly copies of well-known American brands, and were made i

Episode 335 - Ampeg Dan Armstrong Lucite Bass

Dan Armstrong was an original thinker. As a musician he toured with Van Morrison. He was one of the creative forces behind the Ampog SVT amplifier. Who else, then, in the

Episode 334 - Yamaha Revstar

In 2013, Yamaha was looking to make a splash with a new guitar design. They wanted something that looked both old and new, but not too out there. Taking cues from their o

Episode 333 - Fender Contemporary Stratocaster

When CBS sold Fender to a consortium of employees, the US factory was not included in the sale. So, while the new owners figured out where their new home would be built,

Episode 332 - Guild S-50 Jet-Star

When Guild decided to enter the solidbody guitar game, in 1963, they did it by introducing a series of instruments with funny headstocks and curves cut into the bottoms;

Episode 331 - Riggio Tango

The Pacific NW is proud to call itself home to some amazing makers of guitars, pickups, effects and more - they grow well in the rain up here. For 30 years Joe Riggio has