The High Gain

Latest Episodes:

Episode 320 - Fender Mustang Jun 26, 2024

Show notes

Ed has recently acquired one of the most uniquely beat up Fender Mustangs we’ve ever seen. Made in the year the model was released, every last sticker, scrape and scratch on it is perfect; character like this comes along rarely. So , naturally, we thought it best to do a review of what makes the Mustang the rock machine it is to this day.

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Episode 319 - Author Nick Corasaniti Jun 19, 2024

Show notes

Nick Corasaniti is a domestic correspondent covering national politics for the New York Times. He has covered four presidential cycles, along with countless congressional, gubernatorial and mayoral races in more than 15 years at the Times. He was once the Times’s Jersey correspondent, tracking the politics, policy, people, trains, beaches, and eccentricities that give the Garden State its charm. He is a born and raised—and exceptionally proud—New Jerseyan, who splits his time between Asbury Park and Brooklyn. Enjoy!

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Episode 318 - Supro Kingston Jun 12, 2024

Show notes

Thanks to people like Jack White and Dan Auerbach, budget line catalog guitars remain fondly in our conscience as the vibe-laden machines they are. Supro was/is no exception, having crafted some amazing instruments out of little more than a pickup and some fiberglass. Among them was the Kingston, with its buff sand color and swoopy good looks. Enjoy!

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Episode 317 - Airline Upbeat Stereo Jun 05, 2024

Show notes

Montgomery Ward produced one of the largest mail order catalogs in the US, starting way back in the 1870s. By the time the 1950s rolled around, they were including electric guitars, like the Upbeat. Our example is a stereo version, and left us scratching our heads more than we thought it would. But it sounds good, and plays well, as most budget instruments built by the Chicago Boys did in the day. Enjoy!

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Episode 316 - Ernie Ball Music Man Armada May 27, 2024

Show notes

like, well, cool things that drop out of stuff. The Armada was the company’s first guitar designed with a neck-through. The result is every bit as sonorous as you might imagine. Enjoy!

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Episode 315 - Fender Jaguar Thinline May 15, 2024

Show notes

In 2012, Fender celebrated the 50th anniversary of one its greatest instruments, the Jaguar. In the US reissues were designed to evoke the look of those original guitars. In Japan, production took a wider turn that saw a double bound thinline model hit the market. We’re divided as to how successful it was at the time, or what we think of it now, but come along - we’ll fill you in. Enjoy!

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Episode 314 - Harmony Rebel May 08, 2024

Show notes

Starting in the 60s, and up into the 1970s, the world was awash in earth-toned appliances; refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, you name it. Autumn Harvest and Avocado Green were at the top of the heap. No wonder, then, that Harmony would create a version of its Rebel guitar to match. Because nothing says modern convenience like the color of guacamole. Enjoy!

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Episode 313 - Epiphone 1959 ES-355 Inspired by Gibson Custom May 01, 2024

Show notes

Epiphone started life as a primarily jazz-tinged manufacturer, making some of the finest hollowbodies there were. Eventually, Gibson bought the company, and eventually moved production overseas, where the brand would be relegated to mostly budget guitars. Now, though, Gibson is ramping up the build quality of these instruments - using US-made components. So, are these “Inspired by Gibson Custom” guitars worth a look? We think so. Enjoy!

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Episode 312 - Knaggs Kenai-J Apr 24, 2024

Show notes

Joe Knaggs spent many years at PRS, contributing guitar designs that came to be classics. So, of course, when he left those hallowed halls, Joe fired up his own shop and hung his shingle on a whole new family of instruments, this time bearing the name Knaggs Guitars. These are elegant, next-level machines. Enjoy!

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Episode 311 - Gibson Map Guitar Apr 17, 2024

Show notes

In the early 1980s, Gibson undertook an ad campaign, the slogan for which was “American made, world played”. It featured a photograph of a guitar cut into the shape of the continental United States. Visibility of that ad increased curiosity about the guitar itself, and Gibson were soon making it available for purchase. It underwent various refinements, changes in appointments, and finishes; it was even re-released a time or two in subsequent years. But it was never really outlived that initial curiosity. Enjoy!

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