-
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…

The Collings I-35
Soul in the Details
Occasionally, in the world of guitars, events influence the market. The introduction of a new guitar can send ripples through…

Geddy Lee
My Effin’ Life
Great autobiographies fill gaps and provide details untold in prior interviews. That’s true with this memoir by Rush vocalist/bassist/keyboardist Geddy…

Dave Specter, Swimming in ’verb!
Twangy Texas blues via Chicago Dave Specter (no relation to Phil!) uses his reissue Jazzmaster plugged into a ’65 Vibrolux…

Preston Thompson 00-45
New Old Vintage
Given their scarcity, few mortal pickers will ever own a pre-war Martin 00 or 000 with 45-level appointments. But a…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 024 Featuring Barry Grezbik
In Ep. 24 of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan visits with luthier Barry Grezbik, of Grez Guitars.…
Jim Peterik
Of the Bard, Brian Wilson, Buddy Guy and "Butt-Ugly" RDs
Veteran guitarist/songwriter/vocalist/keyboard player/producer Jim Peterik’s career has taken yet another intriguing turn in its long and ever-active history. The Chicago-area…
-
Carr Skylark Special 1×12
Take Flight
Arriving a little more than 10 years after the original Skylark, Carr Amplifiers’ new Skylark Special adds versatility and enhanced tonal depths to squeeze a lot more into this diminutive…
ARTISTS

Steve Lukather
Bridges to Toto’s Past
Discussing his ninth solo album, Steve Lukather is a ball of energy – reflective, witty, ready with a joke. “I…

Rik Emmett
Triumphant Return
Triumph was one of the leading arena-rock acts of the late ’70s and early ’80s. Striking gold and platinum with…

Jim Lauderdale’s honkey-tonk toe-dip
Singer/Songwriter’s Stylistic Twist Jim Lauderdale paid a visit to one of his favorite Nashville hangs and grabbed a gorgeous 1940…

Debashish Bhattacharya
Subcontinental Slide
Not many musicians can claim to have invented an entire style of music, but Indian guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya is one.…
CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Steve Dawson and his Tricone, “Singin’ the Blues”
Roots Artists Expands the Genren The wildly talented Steve Dawson uses a modern National Tricone for this take on “Singin’…

Traynor YBA-2 Bass Mate
Canadian amp maker Traynor gets a lot of respect in some circles for turning out solid, good-sounding tube amps that…

1986 Dumble Overdrive Special
The exalted amps of Alexander Dumble have been legendary since he began building in the late ’60s, and have become…

Benson Model 300H
Wrecking Ball
Even with all the excellent guitar amps available by the late ’60s, nothing was quite good enough for jazz and…
NEWSWIRE
APPROVED GEAR
-
Live Wire
-
Narrow(field) Win
-
Take Flight

The Epiphone ES-175 Reissue
Return of a Classic
There are plenty of affordable hollowbodies on the market, but Epiphone’s recent reissue of the Gibson ES-175 is almost a…

Fender American Vintage II 1954 Precision Bass
Ageless Anchor
It wasn’t literally the first electric bass, but Fender’s Precision was the genesis of the instrument the world knows today.…

Marshall Handwired Series 2245THW Head and 1960AHW Cabinet
Bluesbreaker Redux
Marshall Handwired Series 2245THW Head and 1960AHW Cabinet 2245THW Prices: $4,800 (list); $3,299.99 (street); 1960AHW Prices: $2,180 (list); $1,399.99 (street)…

JHS’ SuperBolt and Morning Glory Pedals
Zep in a Box
Started with a quick repair to a Boss pedal in Josh Scott’s Mississippi apartment, JHS has evolved into a well-regarded…
WHAT ELSE IS NEW
-
And an Archtop Mystery
-
Supergroup Alpha

Xaviere XV-950
Jazzy Looks, Multi-Purpose
Gibsonguildgretsch! Cumbersome as it may be in word form, Xaviere’s XV-950 gracefully combines attributes from the “big trio.” The XV-950…
Jeff Golub
Unfinished Business
The route taken by Jeff Golub in making Train Keeps A Rolling is unlike that followed by any other artist.…

Tunerette
Smokin’ Tuner
The guitar world has many options to stay in tune but none as cool-looking as the Tunerette. Don’t let the…

Henriksen’s The Bud
This One’s For You
In theory, a big guitar amp should sound larger than a smaller one. Then there’s Henriksen’s The Bud. Based on…








































