On this edition of the Guitar Bucket List, I present my Squier Classic Vibe 60’s Jaguar in silver sparkle. This guitar caught my eye when I saw it as an exclusive to CME (Chicago Music Exchange). Something about that matching sparkle headstock just sold me…until I saw the price tag. I just couldn’t allow myself to spend over $500 on a Squier. That’s when the Fender website had their holiday sale…so I bought it for almost half that price!

Then, as always, something got in the way of this being the perfect deal…a small neck pocket crack in the lacquer. Happens all the time with these types of guitars. So I contacted Fender about it and they sent me some awesome Pure Vintage ’65 Jaguar pickups to put in the guitar! That MORE than made up for that little lacquer crack. And after the addition of my favorite pearloid cream pick guard (with some minor modifications), this turned into the Jaguar of my dreams… Well, I still wish it played a bit better. But now that I’ve polished the frets, sanded down the rough edges and gave it a good setup, it’s the best it can be. Will it ever be a Fender Custom Shop guitar? Nope. But I got it pretty darn close. Watch the video to find out more!

The Demo

The Verdict

The verdict? This turned into the Jaguar of my dreams. The Pure Vintage ’65 pickups were worth the lacquer crack, and a good setup got it playing its best. It’ll never be a Fender Custom Shop guitar, but for the price, I got it pretty darn close.

More Guitars Like This

Watch the full Squier Jaguar demo on YouTube, and keep exploring with two more offset-style reviews: the Gretsch Sparkle Jet in Ocean Blue Turquoise and the Fender 60th Anniversary Jazzmaster review. You can also browse every review in the Guitar Reviews hub.

On this edition of the Guitar Bucket List series, we’ll be looking at my Gibson ES-335 that is called the “Double Diamond” because of its Trini Lopez model style sound holes. It’s also in a rare white pearl color. This guitar was owned and played by Jeffrey Foskett of The Beach Boys. And, as a huge fan of the band, this guitar holds a special place in my collection.

The details

The guitar also looks great. It was definitely used quite a bit but was in good condition. After some polishing, it really looks fantastic. It has ’57 Classic Gibson pickups in it and I think it was Mr. Foskett who put the Custom truss rod cover and the Custom Made plaque on the front. The gold hardware and Bigsby tailpiece make this one look particularly flashy, too.

Guitar Bucket List checkoffs

This was able to check two items off of the Bucket List for me- the Gibson crown headstock inlay and the case shroud (the velvet sheet that’s attached inside the case that covers the top of the instrument). Watch the video for the rest of the details and hear how it sounds!

Watch the video demo

More guitars like this

Watch the rare Gibson ES-335 Double Diamond video demo · Ibanez AM73T · Firefly FF338 · Guitar Reviews

This is a hands-on review and video demo of the Gibson 70s Flying V in olive drab — the slim-bodied 70s version with open-coil pickups, cream plastics, and that pointy headstock. In this post, you’ll learn why I chose this model over the alternatives I considered, hear how it sounds in the full video demo, and get my verdict after playing it.

Why the 70s Flying V

My brother got “The V”, a very fancy version of the Flying V from the early 80s that had such a great look. That’s what started me down this road of getting my own flying V.

I couldn’t just get the same one, though I wanted to (same thing goes for his Gibson Les Paul Supreme…). So I had to think about what I wanted in a flying V. After seriously considering the korina V’s from Epiphone, I realized that I preferred the slimmer body shape of the 70’s version. And when I saw that they came in olive drab color with open pickups and cream plastics (plus that pointy headstock), I was hooked. There was only one problem… It was a Gibson.com exclusive color and it was sold out!

The demo and my verdict

It wasn’t even available on Reverb used at the time. I guess it was still too new and people hadn’t decided to part with theirs yet. Or maybe because it’s just that darn good and no one wanted to part with theirs! Whatever the reason, I was on a mission to get one and I finally got my chance when the Gibson Demo Shop (where they put guitars they feature in their stores, or give to artists to try, etc.) posted one. It wasn’t a great deal, but it was available and it looked great. Plus, it came with a COA and was set up from Gibson (a couple of things I wanted) so I went with it. And I couldn’t be happier with it. It’s a great guitar, a great look, and it ROCKS. Check out the video to learn more.

More guitars like this

Watch the full Gibson 70s Flying V demo on YouTube, and keep exploring with two more Gibson reviews: the Gibson Explorer and the Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s. You can also browse every review in the Guitar Reviews hub.

I’ve been a big fan of Firefly Guitars for a few years now. When I was first starting to check items off of my guitar bucket list, Firefly was a great option because it allowed me to get a whole bunch of different looks and features and only spend about $200 each time. This can get quite dangerous, considering how my collection exploded since I found out about Firefly… But, the best part about the guitars from them are the ones where you can’t really get a similar version from one of the major manufacturers.

That brings us to my FF338, which is an ES-338 style semi-hollow guitar from Firefly that has a spalted maple top. I don’t believe this is something you can get from Gibson, so this is a pretty unique piece. Every top looks a little different and the one I have is really nice- it has a great color, some flame figuring and a cool wood grain design that I’ve dubbed The Elephant (which you may notice in the video!).

The one upgrade I made to this guitar (because I knew I was going to keep it and wanted it to be one that I could potentially record with) is to put in Epiphone ProBucker pickups in it. This was a great upgrade and this thing really sounds as good as it looks now. If you haven’t tried out Firefly, I’d suggest it! And yes, Firefly, you can contact me to have me review guitars…please!

The Demo

The Verdict

The FF338 is a unique piece — an ES-338 style semi-hollow with a spalted maple top you can’t get from the major manufacturers. With the Epiphone ProBucker upgrade, it sounds as good as it looks. If you haven’t tried Firefly, this one’s worth a look.

More Guitars Like This

Watch the full Firefly FF338 Spalted Maple demo on YouTube, and keep exploring with two more reviews: the Rickenbacker 360/12C63, another semi-hollow electric, and the Firefly FFLP P90 Electric Guitar from the same brand. You can also browse every review in the Guitar Reviews hub.