No. 264, December 2014

Forty years after his death, Nick Drake continues to inspire

BY DERK RICHARDSON 

Wayfaring Stranger No More

Ed Sheeran has taken the acoustic guitar to places it hasn’t seen since the rise of the Everlys

BY MARK SEGAL KEMP 

Free Spirits

Hot Rize reunion results in a tour and first studio album in 24 years

BY JEFFREY PEPPER RODGERS

SPECIAL FOCUS

Your Next Guitar

What you need to know to take the next step in your acoustic guitar journey 

NEWS

The Beat

Allman Brothers end on a loud note

Songcraft

Doug Paisley’s not-so-silly little love songs

Basics

How to rock your accompaniment with ‘5’ chords

Weekly Workout

Walk your jazz bass lines with chord accompaniment 

Here’s How

Safety tips for traveling with your guitar

Kitbag

Improve the sound of your home-recording space

Playlist

Damien Rice’s charming third effort, My Favourite Faded Fantasy, plus new releases by Luke Winslow-King, Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick, Rome, the Alt, and David Childers

Guitar Guru

What happens when your flattop loses its flat top? 

Great Acoustics

Hank Williams’ Other Guitar

Shop Talk

Tempo AnyCase Device lets you track your case’s whereabouts 

Makers&Shakers

Paul Reed Smith’s acoustic guitars are as powerful as the company’s electrics

Review: Blueridge BR-65KCE

An affordable guitar for the performing singer-songwriter

Review:Collings 01 12-Fret

The parlor guitar with the big sound 

Review:Eastman E20SS

A handsome instrument at a workhorse price

Bedell’s Revere Orchestra

Built for the road, but you may want to keep it at home

Pickin’

Seagull’s new Merlin gives guitar players an exciting new voice