From Muscle Shoals to Bond Street: Billy Reid’s Guitar-Obsessed Style

Designer, guitarist and certified culture tinkerer Billy Reid drops by Axe Lords to talk about the overlap between great guitars and great clothes — and why both have to look cool.

Tom, Dave and Cindy grill Billy on the leather jacket he made for Jimmy Page, the custom Gibson Hummingbird he designed, and his deep obsession with ’70s Japanese acoustics like Yamaha “red labels” and Tokai Cat’s Eyes. Billy breaks down how Japanese builders and denim heads chase “perfect imitation,” how he hides signature details inside garments, and why some designs bomb at first only to become cult favorites — including wool shorts.

Axe Lords is hosted by Dave Hill, Cindy Hulej and Tom Beaujour. Produced by Studio Kairos. Executive Producer is Kirsten Cluthe. Edited by Justin Thomas at Revoice Media. Engineered by Patrick Samaha. Recorded at Kensaltown East, NYC. Artwork by Mark Dowd. Theme music by Valley Lodge. Follow @axelordspod for updates, news, and cool stuff.

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