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Mick Ralphs (1944-2025)

We’re saddened to hear of the passing of Mick Ralphs, who had been featured in VG several times. We’ll publish a memorial in the September issue.

Playlist: A Mick Ralphs Sampler – Definitive Listening (2025)
Fretprints: Mick Ralphs by Wolf Marshall (September 2023)
Pop ’N Hiss: Bad Company by Bret Adams (September 2022)
Mick Ralphs by Elliot Stephen Cohen (April 2017)
Mick Ralphs by Willie G. Moseley (December 2011)
Mick Ralphs by Lisa Sharken (November 1999)
Mick Ralphs by Willie G. Moseley (November 1999)
Pictured: Mick Ralphs: mickeydb/wikimedia commons.

Mick Ralphs (1944-2025)

We’re saddened to hear of the passing of Mick Ralphs, who had been featured in VG several times. We’ll publish a memorial in the September issue.

Playlist: A Mick Ralphs Sampler – Definitive Listening (2025)
Fretprints: Mick Ralphs by Wolf Marshall (September 2023)
Pop ’N Hiss: Bad Company by Bret Adams (September 2022)
Mick Ralphs by Elliot Stephen Cohen (April 2017)
Mick Ralphs by Willie G. Moseley (December 2011)
Mick Ralphs by Lisa Sharken (November 1999)
Mick Ralphs by Willie G. Moseley (November 1999)
Pictured: Mick Ralphs: mickeydb/wikimedia commons.

Artists

A Mick Ralphs Sampler – Definitive Listening

Curated by Vintage Guitar’s Willie G. Moseley, this playlist showcases the evolution of Mick Ralphs’ sound through various songs he wrote or co-wrote. Included are tracks from Mott the Hoople, which Ralphs sang, along with selections from Bad Company featuring all three lead vocalists: Rodgers, Howe, and Hart. Mott the Hoople “You Really Got Me” […]

by Willie G. Moseley
Artists

Bill Nelson

Brit-Guitar Deluxe

Bill Nelson is one of the unsung heroes of British rock guitar. From his ’70s work with Be Bop Deluxe through a lengthy solo career, Nelson has delivered powerful, artistic songs and thrilling solos brimming with taste, chops, and soul. His latest, Songs for Ghosts, was cut in his studio in North Yorkshire, England, and […]

by Pete Prown
VG Approved Gear

Danelectro Doubleneck

Twice the Tone

  Jimmy Page. Don Felder. Even Elvis Presley. In fact, who amongst us hasn’t drooled over a 6/12 doubleneck at one point or another in our musical lives? Danelectro knows this and is once again offering a viable option with its Doubleneck, an affordable spin that offers one guitar with two necks and potential for […]

Artists

The Sebastian ‘Burst

Inspirational Icon

The mere mention of a Gibson Les Paul Standard made between 1958 and 1960 commands attention. But one like this, made famous in the hands of John Sebastian in the Lovin’ Spoonful, will stop the show. As the Spoonful emerged from the folk scene of Sebastian’s home turf in Greenwich Village, he and fellow Spoonful […]

Classic Instruments

Fender’s Musicmaster and Duo‑Sonic

Little Brothers

Often forgotten, the diminutive student-grade duo went from concept to reality in short order to capitalize on teenagers taking up guitar to play along with “Rock Around the Clock.”

Terry Foster and Tim Pershing
Artists

Randy Napoleon’s Rust Belt Roots

 Jazz prof brings spirit and feel Randy Napoleon plays the 2007 prototype for Benedetto’s Bravo Deluxe while doing this exclusive take on his original tune “The Man Who Sells Flowers.” You’ll hear the guitar throughout his new album, “Rust Belt Roots.” Catch our review in the May issue. Read Now!

The Peavey ValveKing II Micro-head 20-Watt Amplifier
VG Approved Gear

The Peavey ValveKing II Micro-head 20-Watt Amplifier

Royal Rock

The Peavey ValveKing II Micro-head 20-Watt Amplifier Price: $429.99 Contact: www.peavey.com Famous for their sturdy build and quality overdriven sounds, Peavey’s original ValveKing amplifiers were marketed to musicians who required great plug-in-and-go tones that wouldn’t send them to the poor house. The new Peavey ValveKing II Micro-head has all the nifty tones everyone knows and […]

Artists

Leo Lydon

Beefy Tones

The wildly named Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol doesn’t play the typical “doom metal” or “stoner metal” that has been hip for decades. Based in Austin, this power trio delivers its melodic, catchy, and often straight-up fun tunes on Doom Wop, combining the eight-string guitar of Leo Lydon, the bass of Aaron Metzdorf, and drummer Sean […]

Artists

Adrian Smith

Different Scales

Guitarists usually spend years learning their scales, but Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith enjoys scales of the aquatic kind. In his new memoir, Monsters of River and Rock, Smith details his love of fishing as a way to relax between mammoth Maiden gigs. VG talked to him about both kinds of scales.  Where did you get […]

Artists

Pop ’N Hiss: Wishbone Ash’s Argus

Twin-Lead Loadstone

Founded in 1969, Wishbone Ash attained fast fame in the U.K. with its meshing of intricate twin-lead-guitar passages and harmony vocals. With their third album, Argus, Andy Powell and Ted Turner (guitars), Martin Turner (bass) and Steve Upton (drums) created an enduring favorite. Unlike its self-titled debut album and the 1971 follow-up, Pilgrimage, the band […]

VG Approved Gear

PRS Fiore

Tone Poet

If you’ve seen guitar wizard Mark Lettieri (VG, November ’22) at work, you know how expressive he is. Whether laying down deep funk rhythms with Snarky Puppy or whipping out a fluid fusion solo, he’s a virtuoso who requires a versatile axe. To achieve his personal nirvana, Lettieri collaborated with PRS to create the Fiore […]

Demeter FZO-1 Fuzzy Octavulator
VG Approved Gear

Demeter FZO-1 Fuzzy Octavulator

Fuzz Flavors

James Demeter has a long history in the amp and effects biz. His project-boxed/Dymo-labeled Tremulator pedal pre-dates the ’90s boutique pedal explosion by more than a decade. During his 30 years of 100-percent analog designs, Demeter has produced everything from studio-quality rack effects and multichannel tube amps to a wide variety of first-class vintage-flavored stompboxes […]

The Oud
Classic Instruments

The Oud

Ancient to Modern

If Beatles guitarist George Harrison had used an oud instead of a sitar to give “Norwegian Wood” its distinct sound, the name Munir Bashir may be more recognized today than that of Ravi Shankar. That didn’t happen, of course, and Harrison’s spiritual pursuits led to the sitar becoming part of rock culture in the ’60s, […]

Musicvox Space Cadet and MVX-15 Studio Custom
VG Approved Gear

Musicvox Space Cadet and MVX-15 Studio Custom

Rockin’ Down the House

Musicvox Space Cadet and MVX-15 Studio Custom Price: $999 (Space Cadet)/$699 (MVX-15) Contact: www.musicvox.com For nearly two decades, Musicvox’s designs have captivated players and fans, appearing in Austin Powers and in the hands of serious players and bands like Keith Urban, Allen Woody, Polyphonic Spree, and Redd Kross. The company’s latest super-retro entries are the […]

VG Approved Gear

Furch Blue Deluxe SW

Czech Mate

You might not recogonize the Furch brand, but the Czech Republic builder has spent that last 40-plus years gaining a reputation for building high-quality acoustic guitars. One of the company’s newer builds is Blue Deluxe SW. Basic specifications for the grand-auditorium cutaway include a Sitka spruce top with black walnut back and sides – as […]

Artists

Eric Ambel

Proficient Professional

Ace sideman (Joan Jett, Steve Earle), producer of note (Bottle Rockets, Nils Lofgren, Marshall Crenshaw), and proprietor of Brooklyn’s 24-track Cowboy Technical Services (which has hosted the likes of Ryan Adams, Los Lobos, and Robert Randolph)… little wonder it’s taken Eric “Roscoe” Ambel 12 years to get around to a new solo LP. The result, […]

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Special Features

25 Most Valuable Amplifiers

Text by Dave Hunter Data compiled by Alan Greenwood and Gil Hembree Vintage Guitar is marking 25 years of publication with a year full of features. Using data compiled for The Official Vintage Guitar Price Guide 2011, we continue the celebration with a list of the 25 most valuable amplifiers – those that helped create […]

VG Approved Gear

Martin D-18 Satin

Spruce Stalwart

Death, taxes, and spruce on mahogany. There are only so many certainties in life, and these are three. Another is that there will always be spruce-on-mahogany Martin guitars. The newest flagship is the budget-friendly D-18 Satin. Going spec-for-spec with the august standard D-18, the Satin’s natural-finish Sitka-spruce top boasts arrow-straight grain and moderate silking along […]

Artists

Bryan Beller

Bass Aristocracy

If you love daredevil musicians, you’ll dig The Aristocrats. A contemporary-fusion trio, the band includes guitar monster Guthrie Govan (VG, September ’21), drummer Marco Minnemann, and Bryan Beller, a wizard on four- and five-string basses. We talked with Beller about the group’s latest effort, Duck, which finds them tackling ever more-challenging instrumentals, yet never losing […]

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