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  • Red Special Meet-up 2012

    The 2012 Red Special Meet up will be taking place at Hugglescote Village Hall, Hugglescote, Leicester on saturday 18th August from 10am – 6pm. To view almost every type of Red Special there is, including many home builds, amps and just generally geek out, come and join us. Entry is about a fiver. See you [...]

  • A Strings Competition

    We want you to video yourself playing God Save the Queen in any style you like – be it flamenco or thrash metal – and send it to us. 1st Prize – A BMG Mini May Electric Guitar signed by Brian May 2nd Prize – A special Andrew Guyton photographic print of his Red Special [...]

  • Hofner 4572

    This is a Hofner 4572. Back in the mid-late 60s, my grandfather was a foreman for a building company. He bought this guitar off a workmate who was struggling to pay some debts. He gave it to my Dad and the guitar was forgotten about for 20 or so years (Dad managed to work out [...]

  • So I made myself a Pedalboard…

    I know I sell ‘em, but it always seemed to me that Pedalboards are a bit of a rip-off. I mean, a piece of ply, gaffa tape and you’re done right? I’ve never been a heavy FX user. I’ve only ever really used a Peterson floor tuner and a Treble Booster (sometimes 2 x boosters [...]

  • Tech Tips with ‘Deptford’ John Armitage – Part 1

    I’m extremely proud and excited to introduce a different type of Newsletter for you this week. ‘Deptford’ John Armitage is widely regarded as one of the most experienced, knowledgable and respected Guitar Techs in the industry. He has been responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of instruments for artists such as Iron Maiden, Manic Street [...]

  • Mango Duo 50 Attenuator Prototype

    A while back I suggested to Nigel Butters of Mango Amplification that a 2 in 1 or even 3 in 1 Attenuator would be handy for many people. I reckon around 75% of people who i’ve sold the Mango Attenuator 50 16ohm units to are using them in Brian May style setups, and a good [...]

  • Digitech iPB-10 iPad Pedalboard

    Introducing the pedalboard of the future… TODAY! The DigiTech iPB-10 is designed for iPad integration. Download the app on to your iPad*, slot it into the iPB-10 and enjoy – 87 different pedals – 54 amps – 26 cabs Configure your sound in the comfort of your armchair and go to your next gig (be [...]

  • Dean Markley Strings

    “Cryogenically frozen guitar strings? Get outta here” I hear you holler. Well believe it baby. These strings are definitely the coolest strings in the shop, and at £6.49 a set, they’re worth a punt. Check them out here… Dean Markley Blue Steel electric guitar strings The Electric and Helix HD electric sets will be added [...]

  • Update 2/11/11

    Well the Rugby World Cup came and went. Wales were robbed of a place in the Finals and as a result you didn’t get your discount. Don’t blame me, blame Alain Rolland. There is a tidal wave of new gear available at A Strings. Because there’s so much being added on a daily/weekly basis, stuff [...]

  • You’re gonna want Wales to win…

    Wales are playing their biggest ever game of Rugby on Saturday morning against France. Why would you want Wales to win? Because if they do win, this code walesrwc11 will be good for 10% off EVERYTHING in the A Strings online store. So get your Red tops on, tune into ITV on Saturday morning at [...]

  • How thick is your Pick?

    Here is an extract from an article I wrote for my newsletter customers this week focussing on guitar Picks. This section looks at guitar pick thicknesses and their benefits/limitations. If you would like to add anything to this article, please email me or respond to this post. Thickness One of the first things to ascertain [...]

  • Update 18-05-2011 –

    Guitarist Magazine takes delivery of a Deacy Monday 9th May I popped into Guitarist to drop off a KAT Deacy, my own Burns Red Special and a Treble Booster for Simon Bradley to get his dirty paws over. I first mentioned the Deacy project to Simon back in January this year and he’s been chomping [...]

  • The joys of working in Cardiff – Part 1

    This is pretty irrelevant to the world of guitars… On the way home the other day I found myself reading this…

  • Links to friends of A Strings

    Brian May – http://www.brianmay.com Manic Street Preachers – http://www.manics.co.uk Deptford John – http://www.guitarhospital.co.uk Aeriel Studios – http://www.aerielstudios.co.uk/ Guyton Guitars – http://www.guytonguitars.com Kim Webber Guitars – http://www.kimwebberguitars.co.uk Mark Feltwell – http://www.markfeltwell.co.uk Red Special Forum – http://www.red-special.com Retro-sonic Pedals – http://www.retro-sonic.com