GuitarsToBePlayed

GuitarsToBePlayed Come see the new showroom! Fano, Novo, Larrivee, Shabat, Shelton, Magnatone, Carr, Amplified Nation, BadCat, Ibanez, ESP, Spector, Aguilar, Phil Jones

06/18/2026

Let’s face it, we’re all massive nerds when it comes to guitar gear… so let’s indulge that nerdy side for a second.

The other day, we plugged this stunning Novo Guitars Serus J 3X into the glorious Magnatone Amplifiers Panoramic Stereo and were transported to another plane of existence.

That sent us down the rabbit hole of trying to understand Magnatone’s pitch-shifting varistor vibrato circuit, and then we decided to challenge ourselves even further by trying to show you what we learned in under a minute. What can we say, we’re gluttons for punishment.

This guitar and amp combo was one of the most inspiring pairings we’ve ever come across, so we advise you to put on headphones to hear what we were hearing.

Every Novo Guitars is special, but the signature series guitars are special even by Novo’s standards. Weighing under 6lb...
06/11/2026

Every Novo Guitars is special, but the signature series guitars are special even by Novo’s standards. Weighing under 6lbs total, this Swamp Ash-bodied Miris HS practically floats away every time we take our hands off it (that’s our excuse for not being able to stop playing it, at least!)

Loaded with a pair of Lollar Pickups Novel Ts that perfectly complement the unbelievable resonance on this guitar, it is ready to sing at a moment’s notice. When we picked this one up we had to double check that the gig bag did, in fact, have the guitar inside it was all so light! You can tell as soon as you strum that first chord and feel it vibrate against you that you are playing something absolutely one-of-a-kind. This one, like all Signature series Novos, truly earns that Dennis Fano signature on the headstock!

Perfectly balanced, both in terms of weight and tone, this guitar, in its eye-catching Fire Glow finish, truly feels like an extension of your body and soul.

It’s CMA-fest here in Nashville, and there’s another new band in town that’s got everybody talkin’…These three beauties ...
06/05/2026

It’s CMA-fest here in Nashville, and there’s another new band in town that’s got everybody talkin’…

These three beauties all arrived today from and immediately took our breath away. Do not adjust your phone settings! We do, in fact, have perfectly matching lefty and righty versions of this mind blowing bull black over 3tsb , both flanking this stunning starry night . Now we just need to find a band capable of rocking all 3 onstage at once…

Listings are already up!! (Link in bio) Hurry before they get split up! If you’re in town for CMA fest (or trying to avoid downtown as a local) now’s a great time to swing by in person! We’re open 10-4 on Saturdays and 9-5 on Mondays (as well as 9-5 Tuesday-Friday!).

06/04/2026

May was a month of experimentation at the shop — Here are some of our favourite daily rigs from last month!

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The mahogany Dakota Standard with their Freebird pickups matched up perfectly with the Telstar. The ideal balance of grunt and chime at both ends of the signal path. Incredibly touch responsive, with a really satisfying note bloom for riffing!

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The pine body on this T-style is so lively and snappy it balances beautifully with a rosewood board, and paired with the equally energetic clean sound on the Revv D40 it had the perfect amount of expressiveness and compression. Add a touch of the awesome onboard reverb and we were off to the races!

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This maple-boarded Idris was incredible at helping to cut through even the most saturated tones, allowing string definition to remain intact even as we squeezed all the compression out of the preamp. We typically prefer the Wonderland Overdrive with a tube rectifier, but with the Skyliner mod that this particular one has, the solid state rectifier helps keep everything tight and balanced, it’s all a balancing act these two kept everything in perfect order!

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The thinline body and jazzmaster pickup covers make this animal a true wolf in sheep’s clothing… not only is it made of mahogany, this Galaxyflite also hides two lambertone Grinder humbuckers under the unassuming jazzmaster facades! Zero hum no matter how much gain, and it was fun to push the AC10 as far as it could go, but as this clip shows, just because it can get mean, doesn’t mean it has to. The sweet compression of the Vox was a perfect pair for the lively humbuckers and it gave a gorgeous compressed clean sound for ambient parts.

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The Bel-Ray contains a real who’s who of iconic rock sounds. , , and flavours all at your fingertips. With these 3 incredible circuits, who needs to faff around with any more than one pickup? This PX6’s lively body vibrates against you with every chord, and it was a true joy to hear it come alive.

05/27/2026

Are the best ?

It’s all subjective, obviously, but with this used 1997 35th anniversary 100W and Ox box in the store on a trade-in we thought we’d try a few out side by side. They’re all running into the Marshall’s 4x12 loaded with G-12M , so the Marshall is definitely on home turf. And they’re all running through the OX for attenuation only.

The signature SL-100 and the Super Fifty-Nine M-80 line up alongside the Mercury V head as challengers. What do you think? Which do you like most?

The XSC-1 we used throughout is no slouch either, and we felt like it really highlighted that beautiful sound they’re all capable of. let it rip as usual and the OX was cooking back there!

It should be said, there are numerous features not highlighted here, like the Magnatone’s tube buffered FX loop, or the Carr’s reverb and cascading gain options. Both the Magnatone and Carr are capable of producing these sounds at much lower volumes, without the need for the OX, too. But there’s only so much you can fit in a 57s long video!

Yes, we know that are capable of some of the most stunning finishes imaginable, but you know what’s also hard to get ri...
05/25/2026

Yes, we know that are capable of some of the most stunning finishes imaginable, but you know what’s also hard to get right? Gold…

needs no introduction, not least because you can see him coming from a mile off with one of these slung over his shoulder! But his signature bass is the perfect studio tool. And if you wanted even more, then how about an extra string or two??

If you’ve ever wished you could get a low B-string to sound clearer, or a high C-string to sound more full-bodied and balanced, then Dingwall has you covered. Don’t let Nolly’s exceptional reputation in the progressive metal world pigeonhole his signature bass, this is a wildly capable and versatile instrument, and the 4-way rotary pickup selector gives you quick-access to all of these incredible tones on the fly. This bass is a studio tool of the highest order, and has been seen on the biggest stages in every genre.

A Tone Capsule preamp stands at the ready with the flick of the active/passive switch to tweak the tone even more microscopically, and the three adjacent FD3n pickups give you plenty of places to rest your thumb for even more tonal variation.

Last but by no means least… this particular one happens to be going at a reduced price… so if you’re fascinated by all of this, give us a call to get first dibs before it gets listed!!

05/23/2026

Round 5 of 5 of roulette! We’re celebrating Memorial Day weekend with a true American classic look. Swamp Ash in butterscotch feels like the apple pie of guitar bodies 🦅, and this one is as lively as you could ever hope for! The “Classic 90” pickups and the swamp ash body make for a great, clear low end whilst never feeling tinny or thin.

The Aurora 45 is the perfect pair for it and we’re not kidding when we say that we struggled to pull ourselves away from these two together!

Thank you for tuning into Freeman Roulette, we shall return you to your regularly scheduled programming next week!

05/22/2026

#4 is here! An alder body, maple neck Vintage T with 2 of Friedman’s “Classic 90” P90s in an unapologetically showy 3-tone sunburst sparkle finish. These guitars waste no time making their presence known and perfectly embody the glory-hogging spirit inside all of us guitarists!

Alder and Maple is an underrated combination. Offering a snappy and present transient attack with plenty of balanced bass response, it’s a perfect marriage with these P90s that offer the same balanced approach.

As our resident expert in all things pointy and saturated, was understandably nervous about p90s given their tendency to hum at higher gain settings, but we think you’ll agree with us that not only was that not an issue, but that the clarity and snarl sounded great through the ferocious Phantom DRGN 100!

Yet another winner from !

05/21/2026

Roulette pick #3 is this purple metallic Alder Vintage T. was pretty upset he didn’t get this one, so we let him join the fun and show that this beauty can handle clean and mean equally well!

The mismatch of the Friedman Classic H in the neck and Classic Plus in the bridge is perfectly balanced and allows for plenty of clarity in both positions, without coming at the cost of low end. The Alder body is a really nice compliment to this, too!

2 more to go!

05/20/2026

Day 2: Round 2 of roulette!

chooses wisely and finds himself unearthing a treasure trove of tonal titillation! This sparkle finish is not for the bashful and neither is the sound found beneath it. Lively and energetic, this one has all the snap and sparkle a good alder-body “litigation-style” guitar should have, and the humbucker is well balanced in full humbucking and coil-split modes!

The Dragon 100 felt like the perfect amp for this beast and Cam made sure the dusty end of the fretboard sounded as good as the money-making end. We can now officially confirm that it does.

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