• Super PickupGiveaway 2025

    Super PickupGiveaway 2025

    Win Big! 11 Sets! 11 Winners! Win a set of pickups from one of these sponsors: Deadline is March 15, 2026. Complete the survey below to enter giveaway. One entry…

    Read more >>

Alairex H.A.L.O.

Heavenly Possibilities

July 22, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

Alairex H.A.L.O. Price: $399 Info: www.alairex.com. Guitarist Alex Aguilar is a veteran player, former guitar-mag columnist, and today runs an…

Arteffect Bonnie Wah

Cry No More!

May 12, 2010 · Phil Feser

Israel-based Arteffect’s new Bonnie wah pedal is an accurate re-creation of the highly soughtafter vintage Vox Clyde McCoy wah. The…

Eric Johnson

Renaissance Guitarman

December 9, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Eric Johnson digs deep. Not in the way that guitarists will explode an artery to nail the ultimate epic guitar…

Brian Setzer

Return to Rumble

May 10, 2022 · Ward Meeker

Like any guitarist at his level, Brian Setzer lives life answering the call of music. Grateful for the gift, he’s…

Fretprints: Cream’s Disraeli Gears

Supergroup Alpha

January 14, 2026 · Wolf Marshall

Jack Bruce claimed Cream was two bands – live trio and studio group. Live, bassist Bruce, guitarist Eric Clapton, and…

Ty Tabor

Digging Deep

February 7, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

King’s X guitarist Ty Tabor’s latest solo album is a guitar-centric meditation on mindfulness and the complexities of existence. With…

  • Rickenbacker’s Electric 12-Strings

    Rickenbacker’s Electric 12-Strings

    Double-bound for Glory

    George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacher founded Electro String in 1931 to manufacture what everyone would soon call “Rickenbacker” guitars. Success came early and their lap steels set standards of quality,…

    Read more >>

NOW AVAILABLE!

CURRENT ISSUE

Join 25,700+ subscribers & be notified when new articles & more becomes available!

ARTISTS

The Collins Kids

Mostly-Moseley Memories

January 8, 2024 · Willie G. Moseley

Siblings Lorrie and Larry Collins sprang into the public eye in the mid 1950s – dawn of the television era…

Jonas Reingold

Bass Mechanic

February 2, 2026 · Pete Prown

Acclaimed as bassist for The Flower Kings, Jonas Reingold is a master four-stringer. He’s recorded with many artists, including Jon…

Toronzo’s Tasty Blues!

September 27, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Chicago Blues Master plays “Something To Do, Man” More than “just” a great blues player, Toronzo Cannon is an outspoken…

Mike McCready

Strat Swap: Fender CS Mark Anniversary of Ten

June 13, 2022 · Ward Meeker

“I smashed a lot of guitars!” says Mike McCready of his nights onstage as Pearl Jam rode the crest of…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Sonny James's Epiphone Excellente

Epiphone Excellente

Sonny James' Epiphone Excellente

November 19, 2002 · Walter Carter

The Epiphone Excellente was the fanciest flat-top Gibson made in the 1960s, and to some ears it was Gibson’s best.…

Classics: September 2023

Bill Fudge’s Micro-Frets Huntington

May 2, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Several years before he became a luthier who deserves much greater recognition, Ralph Jones sold new Fender guitars and amps…

Gibson ES-300 Prototype

Les Paul and the First Gibson ES-300

April 20, 2010 · Lynn Wheelwright

When a guitar junkie hears the words “soapbar” and “P-90,” the mental image is usually that of a cream-colored rectangle…

Fender 5E3 Deluxe

November 9, 2020 · Dave Hunter

Fender 5E3 Deluxe Preamp tubes: one 12AY7, 12AX7 PI Output tubes: two 6V6GT, cathode-bias Rectifier: 5Y3 tube Controls: Independent Volumes…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Reddick Voyager CS

Mods Made Easy

May 13, 2024 · Rich Maloof

Exploring creative designs at his shop in Georgia, luthier Ian Reddick aimed to solve a common problem – how to…

Gibson’s 1941 SJ-100

Second Coming

March 19, 2014 · Steven Stone

Gibson 1941 SJ-100 Price: $3,868 (list)/$2,999 (street) Info: www.gibson.com Sporting a unique “stair step” headstock, the first Gibson SJ-100s began…

Bayou Guitarworks Hardware

May 10, 2022 · Johnny Zapp

Players often buy a factory aged guitar and swap the plastics and hardware to more accurately represent the overall aesthetic.…

Effector 13 Improbability Drive

“Beam Me Up, Jimi” – The Effector 13 Improbability Drive – spacey, fuzzy, and funky

August 15, 2013 · Phil Feser

We understand how you might react. “Another drive pedal?” There are so many… a lot of them similar, or nearly…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Hands On

Lenser Twists Musician Portraiture

July 9, 2019 · Ward Meeker

In 2012, photographer Marc Mennigmann conceived of shooting musician portraits in a very different way – looking beyond faces and…

Bray Coco 50

Feelin’ Brown

October 28, 2024 · Charlie Wilkins

Eddie Van Halen’s “brown sound” is, for many players, the Holy Grail of guitar tone. Featured on his band’s 1978,…

Gibson Wall-Board Guitar

Out of the Woods, Off the Wall

September 28, 2024 · Deke Dickerson

In the world of “guitarcheology,” it’s well-documented that the truly interesting stuff – prototypes, one-offs, custom instruments – usually surface…

Gretsch 6119 Tennessean

Gretsch 6119 Tennessean

June 21, 2016 · George Gruhn

Chet Atkins was the most important endorser ever employed by the Gretsch company. When introduced in the 1950s, models bearing…

Magic Magnets

TV Jones’ Starwood Humbuckers

April 16, 2020 · Oscar Jordan

Best known for making the vintage-sounding Magna’Tron, Power’Tron, and Supra’Tron pickups, TV Jones has expanded its well-regarded line to include…

Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives

May 2, 2017 · Dan Forte

For decades, Stuart has been one of country music’s biggest champions, and may yet be its savior. His Fabulous Superlatives…

Bill Nelson

Still Deluxe

September 9, 2015 · Pete Prown

Most people remember Bill Nelson as the front man/guitar hero in the English band Be Bop Deluxe. Since folding that…

Robert Cray

Sweet Soul Music

March 30, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

Robert Cray’s new album with producer-drummer Steve Jordan and the Hi Rhythm section is a no-brainer slam-dunk – and a…

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Evolution

June 17, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram’s latest album shows the 22-year-old blues prodigy flourishing with maturity and tone for days. Titled 662, the…

Steve Dawson

Deeper Roots

April 3, 2024 · Pete Prown

Calling Steve Dawson a “roots” artist seems a disservice to a musician so eclectic and wildly talented. On Eyes Closed,…

Sheryl Bailey

New Ground in The SBQ

August 6, 2024 · Wolf Marshall

Sheryl Bailey has enjoyed a steady upward trajectory since her career launched 20 years ago. One of the leading proponents…

Mark Sampson

Back Cat

November 7, 2025 · Ward Meeker

Epitome of the restless designer/tinkerer, Mark Sampson has co-founded four guitar-amplifier companies, two of which – Matchless and Bad Cat…

Dave Davies

Reflections From A Kink

April 3, 2024 · Dan Forte

Twenty-seven years after their last performance, the Kinks still command a loyal following. The 60th anniversary of this fascinating British…

The Xaviere XV-JT90 and XV-585

Planks for Pennies

September 19, 2013 · Pete Prown

Xaviere is a company that imports its guitars from China, sets them up in its Massachusetts shop, then sells direct.…

Molly Martin

Molly Martin

D-35 Savior

January 6, 2016 · Kathleen Johnson

Sometimes, it’s better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. Such was the case with singer/songwriter Molly Martin. As the summer…

Bad Cat Black Cat 1×12 Combo

Roarin’ Back

December 23, 2023 · Charlie Wilkins

When Bad Cat Amplifiers trimmed its line to just four models with modern circuits, some wondered if they’d capture the…

Ace Frehley

Back From Space

March 14, 2010 · Lisa Sharken

Ace Frehley’s first solo album was released in 1978, when each member of Kiss simultaneously released solo albums. As it…

Backlund 400

Over the Moon

July 24, 2019 · Pete Prown

If George Jetson – or his daughter Judy, for that matter – played guitar, it’s safe to assume they’d go…

Micki Free

Turquoise Blue

December 9, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Grammy winner Micki Free’s latest is loaded with rockin’ badassery. With influences ranging from Billy Gibbons and Carlos Santana to…

Gibson’s 1966-’70 Flying V

In Detail

July 1, 2020 · Ward Meeker

Body is two-piece mahogany. Pickguard mounts to body with 13 screws. Pickups are patent-number humbuckers with chrome-plated covers. Tune-O-Matic bridge…

Roy Treviño

Joining the Conversation

May 20, 2021 · John Heidt

With his new self-titled album, South-Texas-based guitarist Roy Treviño accomplished his goals by simply being himself and letting the music…

Robert John & The Wreck’s Henry James

July 28, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Cali-Style Southern Rock Southern-fried rock from California? You bet it’s tasty. Check out the guitar work of Henry James Schneekluth…

Kansas’ Leftoverture

Iconic American Prog

December 23, 2023 · Willie G. Moseley

Progressive rock emerged from the British psychedelic scene in the late ’60s with bands like the Nice, Procol Harum, Moody…

Vox’s AC30CH and V212C Cabinet

Get Back

July 9, 2018 · Michael Dregni

The Beatles helped popularize Vox amps, and Sir Paul tours with them today because they still have that sound –…

Bill Frisell

Bill Frisell

January 13, 2016 · Vintage Guitar

For the December ’14 issue of Vintage Guitar magazine, Dan Forte interviewed Bill Frisell. Here’s a look at the many guitars used…

Get Your Copy Now

January 24, 2024 · Doug Yellow Bird

Limited Quantities! Pushing hard to compete with Fender and be seen as hip, in 1958, Gibson gave its Les Paul…

Tom Feldmenn CC Rider

Tom Feldmann’s Beginner Fingerpicking – Lesson 3

July 25, 2017 · Doug Yellow Bird

Vintage Guitar is teaming with Collings Guitars and Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop to present an exclusive eight-part series on beginner…

Steve Rosen

Chasing EVH Memories

March 16, 2024 · Bret Adams

From 1977 through 2003, music journalist Steve Rosen formed and fostered a personal and professional relationship with guitar legend Edward…

Square Amps’ Chippy

Radio King

May 30, 2019 · Yoel Kreisler

Matt Richards builds basic cathode-bias amps housed in the carcasses of vintage radios. They’re designed to be compatible with various…