Reverb takes an exclusive first look at the brand new range of guitars and basses from Italia, evoking the style and glamour of the '60s without the inherant playing problems that era brought with it.

Take some of the most bizarre 1960's guitars, mix in a little Italian style and add a generous sprinkling of British rock 'n' roll attitude. Then factor-in the imagination, skill and craftsmanship of Britain's top guitar designer, Trev Wilkinson, and the result is Italia Guitars. Trev loved those 60's instruments; trouble was, they were awful to play. Their status as musical instruments was sacrificed at the altar of far-out styling and whacky features. So the intrepid luthier set-about encapsulating all that was good about the era, and combining it with the very best in modern guitar innovation, to produce the range that has got everyone talking, and arguing - about their favourite colours, the merits of silver-ultra-sparkle over pearloid, and which is the prettiest, or ugliest, guitar in the range.

But when the aesthetic debates subside, when the talking stops and the playing starts, serious musicians are discovering a collection of truly individual, distinctive, creative and precision-crafted musical instruments which have so much to offer to players of all conceivable styles. Suddenly the guitar-shaped spring-covers, the outlandish pickguards and psychedelic colour-schemes are forgotten, and the conversations switch to the awesome-sounding pickups, silky-smooth tremolo systems which actually work, 'players'

necks, and tones which simply cannot be found elsewhere.

Every instrument has its talking-points and has earned its place in the range on its musical merits. Think of the styling as a bonus. Take the Imola, for example, with its six tri-pole pickups and 25-way switching system! (two adjacent five-way switches). Try having ALL the bass-end and ALL the high-end 'zing' at once. Or experiment with the plethora of out-of-phase settings. There are so many sounds available, and yet you can always see exactly where you are set, simply and graphically. And when it's solo time, you can just slam both switches back to bridge position, just like a traditional five-way. Less time fiddling with toggle-switches or sliders, and more time making eye-contact with the honey (or the hunk) in the front row.

Then consider the Mondial Classic. Two humbuckers, a bridge piezo, separate EQ systems for each, and Italia's unique 'AcoustiGlass' top, combine to give a unique range of blues, rock and acoustic possibilities, without the need to change instruments mid-set. Or the Riminis - with their combination of lightweight, semi-hollow bodies and Wilkinson mini-humbuckers, these instruments give you the jangle and the warmth all at once. (the 12-string versions are simply awesome).

There's no need for the bass-player to be upstaged, either, with most of the six-string range having a matching, deep-voiced big-brother. Bands looking for something different visually should look at the many matching pairs in the range. Imagine going on stage with a lead and bass version of the Maranello Classic in Gold Ultra-Sparkle!

The basses also enjoy their share of innovation. Check the four rotated lipstick pickups on the Modulos for example. This just SHOULDN'T WORK! But it does - and it sounds huge. Another classic-in-the-making is the Maranello Z-Bass, developed by Trev Wilkinson at the request of the Manic Street Preachers' Nicky Wire, who needed an instrument for an acoustic gig.

Marillion just ordered some Riminis, Chris Rea turns to his four Maranellos when the blues get heavy. We've heard whispers that the Kaiser Chiefs and Maximo Park have made enquiries. Looks like these instruments are getting quite a fan-club together.