FEATURES
DAD’S DAY ’09
VG’s annual ode to fathers who inspire
THE VOX AC10
Anything from the ’60s bearing its three-letter logo will get a Beatles fan wound up, though “real players” typically withhold adulation from models below “15.” Truth is, though, this is one gargantuan tone machine. By Dave Hunter
GRAMMER GUITARS
Made in Nashville in the ’60s, they seemed a perfect complement for the gaudy stage clothing of the era. But underneath the cosmetic excesses was a serious guitar. By George Gruhn and Walter Carter
TONY IOMMI
HEAVEN AND HELL: THIS MOB STILL RULES!
“The Godfather” of heavy metal sits with VG to discuss the new album and tour by the band formerly known as Black Sabbath, and tells why their chemistry is overwhelming. By Lisa Sharken
THE G&L F-100
If guitars are in your blood, you know the story of Leo Fender. But there are names on the musical landscape that are not so obviously his “children,” such as this guitar. By Michael Wright
HALLMARK SWEPT WING SEMI-HOLLOW
One of the most striking designs to emerge from the Bakersfield area of southern California in the ’60s, it’s part of that area’s murky history of guitar brands and builders. By Willie G. Moseley
DEPARTMENTS
Vintage Guitar Price Guide
Builder Profile
Harmonic Design Custom Pickups
Upcoming Events
Vintage Guitar Classified Ads
Dealer Directory
Readers Gallery
FIRST FRET
Reader Mail
News and Notes
International Guitar Festival, Yamaha Marks 40 Years in U.S., Clapton, Bonamassa, Volkaert, Duncan, In Memoriam, more!
SHARON ISBIN
New Paths for Classical Guitar
By Pete Prown
PETE HUTTLINGER
Solo Tribute to Stevie Wonder
By Willie G. Moseley
Ask Zac
By Zac Childs
DOYLE DYKES
Fingerpicker Par Excellence
By Willie G. Moseley
FIRST FLAMES
New Duchoissoir Tome Focuses
on Gibson Lap Steels
By Eric C. Shoaf
JAKE CINNINGER
Rock-and-Roll Improvisor
By Pete Prown
BURR jOHNSON
Art Meets Technology
By John Heidt
PAUL JACKSON, JR.
The Guru of Groove
By Pete Prown
COLUMNS
The (Way) Back Beat
Burns, 1965: Summer of the Hollowbodies
By Peter S. Kohman
Q&A With George Gruhn
Fretprints
Robert Cray
By Wolf Marshall
“401K” Guitars
Thomas-Era Vox Amplifiers
By Gil Hembree
Acousticville
Mandolin For Everybody
By Steven Stone
TECH
Talkin’ Amps With…
Sergio Hamernik: Rusty Transformers
By David Jung
Dan’s Guitar Rx
New Tail-End for a Goldtop
By Dan Erlewine
Shop of Hard Knocks
A Big Box of Parts
By Will Kelly
REVIEWS
The VG Hit List
CD, DVD, and Book Reviews: Chuck Berry, B.B. King, Roy Rogers, Booker T, Gibson Electric Steel Guitars, more!
Check This Action
Grossman’s Guitar Shop
By Dan Forte
Vintage Guitar Gear Reviews
Vox Night Train amp, 3 Monkeys Orangutan, Visual Sound Open Road OD/Truetone Boost, Bogner Alchemist, Xotic Robotalk 2, Anderberg Custom, Planet Waves Chromatic Headstock Tuner, Henricksen Jazz Amp 10-Plus
Gearin’ Up!
The latest cool new stuff!