January 2010

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FEATURES

Holy Cripes!
The Story of Jerry Garcia’s Last Guitars
Steve Cripe was not a guitar player, not a songwriter. But the cabinet maker became part of the fabric that makes up the story of the Grateful Dead when he built guitars for the legendary Jerry Garcia. By Steve Armato and James D. McCallister

The Flot-A-Tone
Flot-a-what? The word doesn’t exactly inspire sonic simulacrums of unearthly tone. But when an amp looks this groovy, one can forgive the marketing schism. By Dave Hunter

Paramount Style C
Interesting not only because it is beautifully ornamented and fine-sounding, this early-’20s instrument was also one of the first banjos with truly modern playability, and a sound for bluegrass. By George Gruhn and Walter Carter

Roger Giffin Builder To The Stars
The renowned British luthier began dabbling in guitar repair as a teen, after seeing an acoustic built from a kit. How could he have known it would lead to working with the likes of Clapton, Page, Beck, Van Halen, et al? By Ward Meeker

The Alvarez Dana Scoop
When it comes to guitar design, history is replete with stories of bad accidents. But sometimes, there are good, or “happy,” accidents. This unusual ’80s classic is a good example. By Michael Wright

The Robn Wedge
Regular VG readers are familiar with Robin, the Texas brand of guitars and basses that have been staged by the Vaughan brothers, Billy F Gibbons, and others. This model is the company’s entry in the “funky-bizarre guitar“ category. By Willie G. Moseley

DEPARTMENTS

Vintage Guitar Price Guide

Builder Profile
Widman Custom Electrics

Upcoming Events

Vintage Guitar Classified Ads

Dealer Directory

Readers Gallery

FIRST FRET

Reader Mail

News and Notes
Steve Wariner inducted, Verheyen tours, L.A. Amp Show, Mark Doyle, In Memoriam, more!

Stanley Clarke
Jazz in the Garden
By Lisa Sharken

Whit Smith
Long Road to Swingtown
By John Heidt

Ask Zac
By Zac Childs

Dan Toler
New, But Still Dangerous
By John Heidt

Jim Davies
Electronica Meets the Riff
By Pete Prown

Greg Koch
Soundscapes, Soul, and Greeting Cards
By Willie G. Moseley

Gettin’ Heavy
…With Heavy Trash
By Michael Dregni

Mike Stern
Big Neighborhood, Small World
By John Heidt

Jim Weider
It’s All in the Groove
By John Heidt

COLUMNS

The (Way) Back Beat
The Plastic Fantastic Electro Spanish
By Peter S. Kohman

Q&A With George Gruhn

Fretprints
Mike Stern
By Wolf Marshall

“401K” Guitars
Determining Market Size
By Gil Hembree

Acousticville
His, Hers, and Ours
By Steven Stone

TECH

Talkin’ Amps With…
Blackie Pagano: Secrets to Vintage Tone
By David Jung

Dan’s Guitar Rx
Something Old, Something New, Part III
By Dan Erlewine

Shop of Hard Knocks
A Les Paul Mystery
By Will Kelly

REVIEWS

The VG Hit List
CD, DVD, and Book Reviews: Rory Gallagher, Steve Vai, Happy Traum, Robert Cray, Ricky Skaggs, Robin Trower, The Grateful Dead Scrapbook, more!

Check This Action
Bromberg is Back!
By Dan Forte

Vintage Guitar Gear Reviews
Teye Electric Gypsy La Mora S Plus, Mack Amps’ Heatseeker/Skyraider, Regal RC-58TT, Pigtronix Mothership/Philosopher’s Tone, Carvin BX500/SB4000, Blackstone Effectors Whetstone, Campbell American UK-1, Normandy ATB-CH

Gearin’ Up!
The latest cool new stuff!

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