• 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…

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Alvino Rey’s 1936 Gibson mini guitar Vintage Guitar magazine Home Main Big

Alvino Rey’s “Mini” Gibsons

April 20, 2016 · Lynn Wheelwright

Alvino Rey’s 1936 Gibson mini guitar. From its beginnings, Gibson has built custom orders and unique instruments for specific artists,…

Gibson L-5S Ron Wood Signature

Serious Lumber

January 25, 2017 · Bob Dragich

In 1972, Gibson introduced the L-5S as a smaller, thinner solidbody version of its L-5 hollowbody. Most mistook it for…

Duke Robillard – Lowdown

January 15, 2026 · Vintage Guitar

Vintage Guitar is happy to offer the premier of the new music video by Grammy nominee Duke Robillard. “Lowdown” is…

Walrus The Melee

Super Soaker

December 23, 2023 · Pete Prown

Just when you think you’ve seen everything, along comes Walrus’ The Melee: Wall of Noise, a pedal with a built-in…

The Birth of Newman Guitars

September 29, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

  Newman Guitars was established in Austin, TX in 1977 by Ted Newman Jones. Ted was a pioneer of design…

Tone King Royalist MKIII

Firebreather U.K. Three-Speed

August 28, 2024 · Charlie Wilkins

British tube amps from the mid ’60s and early ’70s have inspired countless designs emulating their beloved tones. In 2014,…

  • 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,…

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ARTISTS

Yasmin Williams

Fearless Imagination

January 26, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

On her latest album, Urban Driftwood, Yasmin Williams’ wanderlust expands beyond the acoustic polyphony her fans know well. The songs…

Brian Tarquin

Brian Tarquin

No Idle Hands

May 2, 2016 · John Heidt

Brian Tarquin is more than keeping busy. In the space of six weeks, he recently released two very different instrumental…

Lincoln Goines

The Bass Choir

November 13, 2023 · Pete Prown

Check out the credits on many jazz, pop, and Latin albums over the past four decades and you’ll see the…

Classics: September 2021

Fenton Robinson’s Gibson ES-225

May 6, 2022 · Ward Meeker

Kevin Ludwig first became aware of Fenton Robinson in 1975, when he heard Boz Scaggs’ version of “Somebody Loan Me…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Zac Schulze gets straight to it!

December 8, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

If you’re a fan of Cream, Zeppelin, and Rory Gallagher (who isn’t?), you’ll dig Zac Schulze Gang, a British power…

Dallas Rangemaster and Scala Combos

Texas Two Step

May 9, 2023 · Dave Hunter

Fascinating also-rans, C-list classics, or both, the amps manufactured by London-based Dallas Music Ltd beginning in 1959 tie directly to…

The (Way) Back Beat: Top O’ The Line, For Only $150!

The Immortal Danelectro Guitarlin

December 10, 2024 · Peter Stuart Kohman

Having looked at the most expensive electric guitars offered in 1960s – over 50 years ago. Traditional makers – Gibson,…

Jay Geils

Blues and Archtops

July 6, 2023 · Tom Guerra

If you grew up listening to music in the ’70s, you probably associate the name J. Geils with a five-piece…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Newman Guitars Lake Placid Blue

Portrait in Blue

July 5, 2018 · Rich Maloof

Excitement at the arrival of this offset beauty was dampened by the sad news that its creator had passed away…

Looks Aren’t Everything

Ugly Amps Big Ugly 50 and 100

April 15, 2020 · Phil Feser

Steve O’Boyle got his start converting old tube PA heads into guitar amps. Flash forward nearly 17 years and O’Boyle…

To The Limit

The Effectrode LA-1A Leveling Amplifier

April 15, 2020 · Pete Prown

In the world of guitar effects, there are consumer-grade pedals and pro-grade pedals. The former are affordable and fun, the…

Lengardo Milano JBE Series

Lengardo Milano JBE Series

Beyond Kalamazoo

February 15, 2016 · Zac Childs

Lengardo Milano JBE Series Price: $4,254 Contact: www.JBEPickups.com Though a name unfamiliar to most, Lengardo is a brand of Phaselus,…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

The Howlin’ Brothers

August 18, 2014 · Michael Dregni

Like a long-lost radio show from the ’50s suddenly coming to life on your radio in the late nighttime hours,…

Home Feature Image

Bohemian Boho Moonshine

In The Can

June 9, 2016 · Stephen Stone

Here at VG, we see all manner of guitars – those made out of steel, graphite, even animal shells. But…

Selwyn Birchwood

Living In a Burning House

February 4, 2022 · Sean McDevitt

Selwyn Birchwood’s third album for Chicago-based Alligator Records represents new creative frontiers for the 36-year-old Florida native. The robust use…

Nick Perri

Constant Creator

March 16, 2024 · Ward Meeker

The elements of life that mold a person are constant and ever-evolving. Influence is all about perspective. Philadelphia-born Nick Perri…

Daion Headhunter HH-555

April 30, 2010 · Michael Wright

The trajectory of the Japanese guitar industry in many ways has mirrored that of the United States, though in a…

McGregor Pedals’ Crunch and Crunch Plus

Transparent Pair

May 5, 2022 · Phil Feser

McGregor Pedals founder and self-proclaimed “Chief Mad Scientist” Garth McGregor Heslop hand-wires pedals in his Vancouver shop. Two of them…

Glenn Hughes

Golden-Voiced Bassist

December 26, 2017 · Greg Prato

In the past year, Glenn Hughes has experienced highs like being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame…

Nils Lofgren

Great American Journeyman

March 29, 2017 · Johnny Zapp

Nils Lofgren’s resumé stretches 47 years and counting. He joined Neil Young’s band at age 19 and was a member…

The House of Stathopoulo Harp Guitar

Surreal Missing Link

April 3, 2020 · Paul Fox

One of the rarest Epiphone instruments in the world, the House of Stathopoulo harp guitar lends a glimpse into a…

Glenn Hughes

Golden-Voiced Bassist

December 26, 2017 · Greg Prato

In the past year, Glenn Hughes has experienced highs like being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame…

The Gretsch G5655T-CB Electromatic Center-Block

The Gretsch G5655T-CB Electromatic Center-Block

Gettin’ Gainy

May 13, 2016 · Bob Dragich

The Gretsch G5655T-CB Electromatic Center-Block Price: $1,275.00 (list); $899.00 (street) Contact: www.gretschguitars.com It’s no secret that hollowbodies don’t excel in…

Carr Impala

Big-Block Tone

October 16, 2015 · Phil Feser

Carr Impala Price: $2,490 (retail, in black); $2,640 (two-tone) Info: www.carramps.com. While the new Carr Impala amplifier gets its name…

Matchless JJ-30

Stage Staunch

May 9, 2019 · Dave Hunter

Rare and sought-after, in part because only about 40 were built, the Matchless JJ-30 John Jorgenson is the only Signature…

Walden Sean Harkness 12-String, CG4070E

Grand-Auditorium Cousins

April 26, 2016 · Chip Wilson

Walden Sean Harkness 12-String, CG4070E Price: $1,100 (Sean Harkness Model); $1,350 (CG4070E-CERT) Info: www.waldenguitars.com. With 16 years of producing attractive,…

The G&L El Toro

April 26, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

At the beginning of 1983, Leo Fender was just more than three years into his last guitar-manufacturing venture when he…

Fretprints: Mick Ralphs

Delivering in Bad Company

April 29, 2024 · Wolf Marshall

Unabashedly British and irresistibly swaggering, Bad Company personified ’70s arena rock. Detractors denounced them as machismo, but fans have bought…

Kenny Burrell

Playing It, Meaning It, Living It

April 25, 2016 · Wolf Marshall

Few can claim the title of living legend. Kenny Burrell is just such a person. In fact he’s more –…

Paul Hartmann Custom Manhattan

The Paul Hartmann Custom Manhattan

Not Your Granddaddy’s Semi-Hollow

September 1, 2015 · Pete Prown

The Paul Hartmann Custom Manhattan Price: $3,895 as tested Contact: www.phguitars.com Luthier Paul Hartmann’s Custom Manhattan is a classic semi-hollowbody,…

Wolf Strat

A Legend’s Guitar, Discovered

December 28, 2017 · Pete Prown

After possessing it for several years, curiosity finally got the best of the owner of this 1963 Stratocaster. He had…

John McLaughlin

The Montreux Years

January 17, 2023 · Pete Prown

This retrospective from the Swiss jazz festival spans 28 years, covering miles of jazz-rock territory. In 1984, McLaughlin formed a…

Khalif Wailin’ Walter

Phoenix Risin’

August 13, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

Spawned on the mean streets of Chicago but making his home in Essen, Germany, blues man Khalif Wailin’ Walter has…

Scott Henderson

Voodoo Carnival

January 14, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

Scott Henderson continues to blow minds with his ever-evolving guitar mastery. From his early years blending bop and Holdsworth to…

Mosrite Joe Maphis

July 14, 2020 · Willie G. Moseley

The 1960s were arguably the most memorable decade in the history of American guitar manufacturing. True, some legendary electric guitar…

Epiphone Empero1965 Main

1965 Epiphone Emperor

November 1, 2022 · George Gruhn

The Epiphone Emperor has a long, convoluted history. It first appeared in Epiphone’s catalog in late 1935 as a response…

Fender’s J Mascis

Fender’s J Mascis Artist Jazzmaster – J’s Rockin’ Axe

January 30, 2014 · Phil Feser

Introduced in the late 1950s as Fender’s “jazz guitar,” the Jazzmaster was also supposed to compete in the market with…

Mu-FX Tru-Tron 3X

Get Tha Funk Out

September 4, 2015 · Michael Dregni

The Mu-FX Tru-Tron 3X Price: $369.63 Contact: www.mu-fx.com. Think funk. Think Bootsy Collins’ wacked-out Parliament Funkadelic Space Bass lines. Think…

Heathkit TA-16 Starmaker

Basement Jams & Blown Speakers

October 29, 2025 · Dave Hunter

1966 Heathkit TA-16 Starmaker Combo The days when a kid would break out the soldering iron and take on a…

Jabo, Vince, and Broadcaster 0048

Special Addition

September 9, 2022 · Rich Kienzle

It’s routine for Vince Gill, as one of Nashville’s true connoisseurs of electric and acoustic gear, to receive tips about…

Lynyrd Skynyrd

30 Years Strong

March 9, 2020 · Arlene R. Weiss

Gary Rossington leads the charge against the challenge that has always come with being a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd. The…