PATCH RUBIN LAUNCHED Wide Sky Guitars in the mid-2010s with several acoustic guitar models. He branched into building electrics a couple of years ago with the P125, a non-cutaway semi-hollow design with a 16th-fret neck joint, and it quickly became a main squeeze for Gary Clark Jr. Now comes the P125C, a cutaway version of that model, which I'm looking at this issue.
Rubin's bio reads like the perfect backstory for a guy destined to build artfully functional guitars. Born in Albuquerque, raised in New York, Rubin trained at the Guitar Institute of Technology in L.A. in his youth before working as a tech for two years at Andy Brauer's legendary Studio Rentals business, servicing the instruments of countless big-name pros. Some 10 years on the road as a touring musician followed, peppered by side gigs as a jeweler, carpenter and custom furniture maker, before he established Wide Sky Guitars in Taos, New Mexico. Then, around the middle of 2021, Rubin and his wife moved the business to Hawaii's Big Island, where they now run a 100 percent off-grid, solar-powered shop and catch all their own water.
This story is from the May 2023 edition of Guitar Player.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 2023 edition of Guitar Player.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Steel of a Deal
Jerry Byrd’s Steel Guitar Favorites packs a heap of American styles in one outstanding disc.
The Knockoff That Became a Knockout
Forced to stop copying U.S. guitars, Ibanez launched the all-original Artist line and took America by storm.
UNCOMMON FOLK
He grew up in a folk music haven. As he celebrates his latest album, Wide Open Light, Ben Harper shares sights and memories of his childhood home.
WILD SIDE
After Lou Reed's Berlin concept album bombed, guitarists Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner helped him get his groove back. The result was Rock 'n' Roll Animal, the live classic that redeemed his spirit and saved his career.
'THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF OUR BAND IS TWO GUITARS'
Sleater-Kinney were making bass-less records long before the White Stripes and the Black Keys came along. Says co-leader Carrie Brownstein, \"The power comes from the conversation the guitars are having with each other.\"
YOUR INFLUENCES STICK WITH YOU
Scott Henderson spent lockdown training his ears and building improv skills. As Karnevel! shows, his jazz chops flourished, but his blues-rock roots remain as strong as ever.
EYE ON THE PRIZE
Erstwhile blues-rocker Hannah Wicklund finds her true self with an album of songs she calls the most authentic I’ve ever written.”
'I PLAY LESS NOTES THESE DAYS, BUT THEY ALL MEAN A LOT MORE'
On Broken, Walter Trout packs his licks for maximum impact as he testifies to the hope that can save our divided world.
TIP SHEET
Think effects are a crutch? Reeves Gabrels has a few choice words and good advice) for you.
WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE
As he releases One Deep River, Mark Knopfler reflects on the guitars he's loved, the music that keeps his passion youthful... and how he'd like a do-over on that Dire Straits Rock Hall induction.
