Univox Uni–Fuzz & Super–Fuzz

Univox Uni–Fuzz & Super–Fuzz

Full, Fat Fuzzzy

March 15, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Pete Townshend sent many a guitar and amp to an early grave. But there’s no known evidence of him doing…

Neil LeVang

Neil LeVang

Six Strings Behind — and Beyond — Champagne Music

January 29, 2015 · Rich Kienzle

Neil LeVang was about to get a lecture. Days earlier, the A-list studio guitarist’s new boss, Lawrence Welk, had golfed…

Guild’s Orpheum Slope Shoulder 14-Fret Rosewood Dreadnought

Guild’s Orpheum Slope Shoulder 14-Fret Rosewood Dreadnought

Reviving the ’30s

October 24, 2014 · Steven Stone

Guild’s Orpheum Slope Shoulder 14-Fret Rosewood Dreadnought Price: $4,999 (list); $3,799 (street) Info: www.guildguitars.com. Compared to Martin’s longstanding factory location…

Shooter Jennings & the Werewolves of Los Angeles

Do Zevon

December 6, 2024 · Dan Forte

He may not have found a home in a certain institution in Cleveland, despite overwhelming “fan votes,” but the late…

’72 Marshall “NARB” Tremolo 100

Mirror Image

October 25, 2024 · Dave Hunter

When is a Marshall not a Marshall? When it’s a Narb, of course. Long a fascinating footnote to the company’s…

Dave Gonzalez

Western Soul Brother

April 27, 2020 · Wally Marx Jr.

For a guitarist with fans and admirers around the world, Dave Gonzalez is one humble man. “I’m still trying to…

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ARTISTS

Alex Machacek

Stripped Down

February 16, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

When you get the thumbs-up from icons like John McLaughlin and Chick Corea, it’s got to feel good. But, fusion…

Snowy White

Snowy White

One Man, One Guitar

March 11, 2016 · Donald Wiedman

Snowy White, one of the finest blues and rock musicians to come out of the U.K., built a career on…

Richie Kotzen

Goin’ Supergroup

February 25, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Veteran guitar monster Richie Kotzen has done it all from opening for The Rolling Stones, recording with Stanley Clarke, to…

Tony Mottola

Mr. Big, Guitar Pioneer

June 12, 2025 · Jim Carlton

Some argue that Tony Mottola was more legendary than famous. In a career spanning 50 years, the guitarist logged thousands…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Classics: Tommy Castro’s ’66 Fender Stratocaster

December 12, 2025 · Ward Meeker

Tommy Castro has never been much for sitting with a guitar teacher, preferring instead to rely on good ol’ time…

Ro-Pat-In’s First Electric Spanish

Granddaddy to the Stars!

January 10, 2023 · Lynn Wheelwright

The story of George Beauchamp’s invention of what would become the first commercially successful electric guitar is shrouded in the…

The Komet Constellation

January 4, 2016 · Dave Hunter

Amid the general run of vintage amps we have explored in this space, the occasional “modern classic” has proved itself…

Wild Rabbit Salad’s “Postcard From Houston”

July 1, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Eclectic sounds from Marietta and Bucky Roebuck Wild Rabbit Salad’s “Postcard From Houston” Bucky and Marietta Roebuck of Wild Rabbit…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Mu-FX TruTron 3X

ToneVille Amplifiers Broadway

Red-Carpet Ready

January 2, 2015 · Ray Wuolo

ToneVille Amplifiers Broadway Price: $2,295 Contact: www.tonevilleamps.com What is it that drives boutique amp builders to expend gallons of skull…

Oxford Guitar Supply

Fine Finish

May 8, 2025 · Joe Bigley

One factor keeping many people from working on their guitars is the availability of tools and materials to make those…

Musicvox Space Cadet and MVX-15 Studio Custom

Musicvox Space Cadet and MVX-15 Studio Custom

Rockin’ Down the House

August 31, 2015 · Pete Prown

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…

Tone Pump Solara Studio

Tone Pump Solara Studio

Clean ’N Dirty

February 9, 2016 · Zac Childs

Tone Pump Solara Studio Price: $1,099 (list) Contact: www.tonepumpamplifiers.com The story is a familiar one. A guy learns to repair…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

John Tropea

A Life in the Studios

June 26, 2020 · John Heidt

John Tropea has spent much of his life in a studio, playing guitar, helping make hit records for people with…

Eric Bibb

Beyond the Blues

June 30, 2022 · Pete Prown

It’s almost a curse to categorize a musician a “blues artist,” as it implies someone who simply plays standard I-IV-V…

Dio

Holy Diver Super Deluxe Edition

June 9, 2023 · Bret Adams

After Rainbow and Black Sabbath, vocalist Ronnie James Dio assembled his own band with previous accomplices Jimmy Bain (bass) and…

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Heart & Soul Blues

October 4, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Born and raised in Clarksdale, Mississippi – homeland of the Delta blues – Christone Ingram learned gospel music in the…

Taylor Baritone-8

Crazy Eight

May 10, 2014 · Pete Prown

The Taylor Baritone-8 Price: $3,998 list; $3,200 street Info: www.taylorguitars.com Some guitarists are happy with conventional guitars and basses. Others,…

Heritage Guitars’ H-157W

Turnkey Head-Turner

April 16, 2019 · Zac Childs

In 1985, Heritage Guitars took over a certain factory space at 225 Parsons Street in Kalamazoo, Michigan, after the former…

Larry McCray

Blues Without You

March 10, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

After 40 years of playing under the radar, Rust Belt bluesman Larry McCray finally gets his big break. On Blues…

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Randy Bachman

The Album Title Says It All

May 7, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

Canadian guitarist/guitar collector Randy Bachman is known worldwide for his classic licks in songs by the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner…

Ca. 1960 Custom Mosrite/Gretsch

A Bakersfield/Brooklyn Cowboy

October 2, 2024 · Peter Stuart Kohman

In the history of vintage guitars, Gretsch and Mosrite are sometimes linked, and often associated with ’50s hot-country pickers and…

Forty Quid of Klunk

Tales of the Harmony Bass

January 6, 2014 · Peter Stuart Kohman

Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh, Klunk! It’s not the most artful musical introduction, but it was effective. And by the time a screaming Hammond…

Maintenance, Man

Basic Skills for Every Player

January 3, 2018 · Will Kelly

Acquiring and owning musical equipment is an expensive proposition. Used regularly, guitars and amps require maintenance that can lead to…

Washita Love Child: The Rise of Indigenous Rock Star Jesse Ed Davis

Douglas K. Miller

July 2, 2025 · Bret Adams

“(Jesse Ed Davis) is the cream of the crop; he’s better than Clapton and Hendrix put together,” said Gram Parsons.…

Beat Portraits: Burns Volume 7

1965: Summer Of The Hollowbodies

February 14, 2018 · Peter Stuart Kohman

The Way Back Beat survey of instruments designed by James Ormston Burns continues with the final products developed by his…

Phil DeGruy

Laughin’ Matters

April 14, 2020 · Jim Carlton

Phil deGruy is the rare jazz artist who’s also a bona fide entertainer – and a funny one, at that.…

Effectrode Blackbird Vacuum Tube Preamp

Uncaged

March 5, 2019 · Pete Prown

In a nutshell, the Effectrode Blackbird is a tube amp’s entire preamp section in a floor unit. And just why…

Scotty Moore

Can't Keep a Good Man Down

May 27, 2005 · Kevin Woods

As the world marks the 50th Anniversary of the recording of “That’s Alright Mama,” one can’t help but wonder what…

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…

2Frontiers’ Authentic Appalachian Sounds

September 23, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Exclusive run at “Long Dead Man” When you’re in the mood for old-timey Appalachian music done very well, grab “New…

Pentangle

The Albums

July 5, 2018 · Dan Forte

Take Five When one thinks of bands with two (or more) lead guitarists, groups like the Eagles, Buffalo Springfield, Quicksilver…

The Story of Jay Gower

Startup in Music City

April 18, 2019 · George Gruhn

In Nashville today, there are enough professional luthiers to meet the need for guitar repairs, modifications, and custom builds. In…

Freddie King’s Gibson ES-345 Keeps on Playin’

Family Ties

May 29, 2019 · Ward Meeker

Watching her baby boy become rapt whenever his grandma played country blues on her guitar, Ella May King had a…

Arlen Roth & Jerry Jemmott

Super Soul Session

February 9, 2024 · Dan Forte

Roth is well-known for his “Hot Licks” instructional videos and method books. But his career is far from academic, having…

Brian Setzer

Sparking Another Rockabilly Riot

August 15, 2014 · Michael Dregni

Three decades, umpteen records, and several stellar bands into his career, and Brian Setzer still makes rockabilly sound fresh and…

King’s X

In the New Age: The Atlantic Recordings 1988-1995

February 9, 2024 · Pete Prown

Absurdly talented – and eternally misunderstood – King’s X was always on the cusp of stardom. This box set with…

Have Guitar Will Travel 067 – Eric Montgomery

January 13, 2022 · James Patrick Regan

Episode 67 of “Have Guitar Will Travel” features Eric Montgomery, guitarist/keyboardist for singer/songwriter Maren Morris. Host James Patrick Regan speaks…

Charlie Ballantine

Midwest Expressive

May 21, 2019 · Pete Prown

Befitting a guitarist from America’s heartland, Charlie Ballantine’s mixes jazz, folk-rock, surf/instro, blues, pop, and country into a simmering pot…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 013 Featuring Josh Zee

August 16, 2019 · James Patrick Regan

In this episode of the Have Guitar Will Travel podcast, I speak with Josh Zee, who has recorded two major label albums…

The Bad Cat Era 30

Retro-Great

December 5, 2025 · Dave Hunter

So often has the phrase “Mark Sampson era” been applied to pre-2000 Matchless amps or early examples of the Bad…

João Erbetta: Eclectic instrumentalist

October 30, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Five-guitar run on “Bubbles” João Erbetta’s all-instrumental album, “Los Angeles,” is eclectic and quirky. Here, the guitarist/banjoist/bassist/keyboardist/steel-guitarist plays five guitars…