• Duke Robillard – Lowdown

    Duke Robillard – Lowdown

    Vintage Guitar is happy to offer the premier of the new music video by Grammy nominee Duke Robillard. “Lowdown” is the  first single from his upcoming album, Blast Off!, set…

    Read more >>

  • 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 >>

J.D. Simo

Remembering Duane Allman

March 3, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

Chicagoan J.D. Simo began playing professionally at age 10 and just five years later was on the road full-time, eventually…

Webb Wilder’s take on “Beautiful Delilah”

November 3, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

“Hillbilly Speedball” sample Since the mid ’80s, Webb Wilder has cranked out consistently fine roots-rock. His latest is “Hillbilly Speedball,”…

BASSMAN-HOME-MAIN-THUMB

1964 Fender Bassman

February 17, 2016 · Dave Hunter

1964 Fender 6G6-B Bassman Preamp tubes: four 7025 (12AX7 types) Output tubes: two 5881 (a more-rugged 6L6 type), fixed-bias Rectifier:…

Rik Emmett

Canadian Custom

January 14, 2026 · Bret Adams

Rik Emmett is a master of many guitar styles and other artistic endeavors. As co-lead vocalist/guitarist in the hard-rock trio…

Providence Silky Drive and Stampede DT

Japanese Silk (and Stomp)

July 24, 2015 · Pete Prown

Providence Silky Drive and Stampede DT Price: $394 (Silky Drive); $249 (Stampede DT) Info: www.providence-ltd.com. From the Land of the…

Written In Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos

Various artists

June 19, 2024 · Michael Dregni

You may think you know Stax, but this seven-CD set of 146 tracks (140 never before released) proves again how…

  • Carr Skylark Special 1×12

    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…

    Read more >>

NOW AVAILABLE!

CURRENT ISSUE

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

ARTISTS

Thin Lizzy’s Scott Gorham and Vivian Campbell

Live and Still Dangerous!

May 19, 2016 · Lisa Sharken

Thin Lizzy has cemented its place in history as one of the most influential rock bands of all time. Recognizable…

Dave Specter, Swimming in ’verb!

February 15, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

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

Freddie Salem

Outlaw On The Trail

October 11, 2021 · Pete Prown

The Outlaws weren’t just a great Southern band, but also one of the most intense guitar experiences in all of…

Leo Lyons

Fifty Years After

September 9, 2024 · Pete Prown

More than a half-century ago, Ten Years After sat at the vanguard of British FM rock, blending blues boogies with…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Gibson Blond j-35 Photo: Kelsey Vaughn, courtesy George Gruhn. Vintage Guitar magazine Home Feature

Gibson’s “blond” J-35

January 17, 2016 · George Gruhn

In the world of vintage guitars, people tend to use the words “blond” and “natural” interchangeably to describe a finish…

Jimmy James’ Psychedelic R&B

September 4, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

“Parlor Strut” on a vintage Harmony! Proving that ’60s import guitars can make cool sounds, Parlor Greens guitarist Jimmy James…

Yamaha Image

December 26, 2013 · Michael Wright

Some years back, an insurance company promoted itself as “the quiet company.” While they probably wouldn’t like to hear it,…

Weymann Model 848

Mail-Order Rara Avis

October 8, 2019 · George Gruhn

From 1864 through the 1940s, H.A. Weymann and Son, Inc. made, imported, and sold marching band, orchestral, percussion, and other…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Tech 21 Fly Rig 5

Tech 21 Fly Rig 5

Tone To Carry-On

March 21, 2016 · Rich Maloof

Tech 21 Fly Rig 5 Price: $249 (list) Contact: www.tech21nyc.com Long before the Line6 POD, the Box of Rock, or…

Mojo Hand Octaverse

Reverse Gears

July 6, 2023 · Pete Prown

The Mojo Hand Octaverse is billed as a “dedicated reverse octave delay,” which is a mouthful, but accurate. It offers…

Luker Chameleon Combo

The Luker Chameleon Combo

True to Its Colors

September 2, 2015 · Bob Dragich

The Luker Chameleon Combo Price: $1,850 (list) Contact: www.lukeramps.com Considering the state of modern vacuum tubes, a surprising number of…

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,…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Les Paul Remembered

Les Paul Remembered

June 1, 2015 · Ward Meeker

When news of the passing of Les Paul spread through the guitar community August 13, 2009, reaction was swift and…

Spirit

It Shall Be, 1968-’72

July 5, 2018 · Pete Prown

Rock history is littered with truly gifted bands that inexplicably never broke big, from The Move to The Replacements. Spirit…

Tommy Emmanuel Straight Blazin’!

June 26, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Fingerpicking mastery on “Son of a Gun Whoa…. Check out Tommy Emmanuel backstage at the Grand Ole Opry with his…

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…

Jeff Waters

Canadian Thrash-Metal Veteran

March 28, 2019 · Greg Prato

Trends come and go, but Canadian rockers Annihilator always deliver crushing speed metal. Their newest release, Triple Threat, is aimed…

Fender’s Classic Player Strat HH

Fender’s Classic Player Strat HH

The Humbucker Paradox

November 5, 2015 · Pete Prown

Fender’s Classic Player Strat HH Price: $949.99 (list) Contact: www.fender.com One of the great guitar myths is that pro Fender…

Visual Sound’s H20 V3 Liquid Chorus & Echo and VS-XO Premium Dual Overdrive

Visual Sound’s H20 V3 Liquid Chorus & Echo and VS-XO Premium Dual Overdrive

A Step Further

July 29, 2015 · Sean OBryan Smith

Visual Sound’s H20 V3 Liquid Chorus & Echo and VS-XO Premium Dual Overdrive Price: H20 V3 $199 (list); VS-XO $199…

Ewan Currie

Hairy Tones in The Sheepdogs

July 27, 2023 · Pete Prown

There are a lot of retro bands, but few get the sonics correct. Hailing from central Canada, The Sheepdogs conjure…

Kevn Kinney

Kevn Kinney

Small 'N Happy

December 14, 2015 · Ward Meeker

As any fan of Drivin ’N Cryin can attest, Kevn Kinney at his creative best surrenders little to the greatest…

Evil robot Feature Page

Evil Robot EVR-C30

Advances in Mojo

June 11, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

Evil Robot EVR-C30 Price: $999 (list) Info: www.frettedamericana.com. In 2010, music retailer Fretted Americana joined forces with amp wizard John…

J. Rockett Audio Archer, The Dude, and El Hombre

Overdrive Ecstasy

November 13, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Part of the success behind J. Rockett Audio Designs lies in the fact that, like any player who might tackle…

Jerron Paxton

Country-Blues Scholar

August 12, 2025 · Pete Prown

Hailing from Los Angeles, Jerron Paxton is a remarkable bluesman, able to conjure sounds of the rural, interwar South through…

Steve Morse

Blazing Ahead with Deep Purple

April 22, 2016 · Pete Prown

While many classic British bands have hung up their spurs, Deep Purple is not only fully active after 45 years,…

Jeff Beck

He Can’t Help It… He Just Keeps Getting Better

February 26, 2014 · Dan Forte

In 1985, speaking of the ’83 Action Research into Muscle Distrophy (A.R.M.S.) Tour that united Yardbirds alumni Jeff Beck, Jimmy…

Anne McCue

Comes Into Her Own

July 13, 2020 · Dan Forte

As impressive as 2004’s Roll was, the eclectic Koala Motel (on Messenger Records) represents a major step up in Anne…

Shane Theriot

Shane Theriot

Diggin’ Daryl’s

April 13, 2016 · Will Kelly

What does it take to be the lead guitarist and musical director for one of pop’s most celebrated duos, transitioning…

2022 May Issue on Spotify

May 5, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

This month we feature Steve Vai, Edgar Winter, Joe Satriani, Del McCoury, Gregg Wright, Sam Williams, John Mayall, Eric Clapton,…

Robert Randolph

The Sacred Steel, Family, and SRV

January 3, 2014 · Ward Meeker

Living testament to the versatility of the pedal-steel guitar and a rarity in pop music, Robert Randolph adroitly addresses the…

Orange Super Crush 100 Head

Convincing Crunch

March 13, 2023 · Charlie Wilkins

When speaking of guitar amplifiers that have become part of rock-and-roll lore, you best mention the iconic Orange brand as…

Hall of Fame – Instruments

February 10, 2017 · Vintage Guitar

From 1990 to the present — read about each Readers' Choice Awards Instruments.

Strymon Sunset Dual Overdrive

Category Killer?

April 26, 2019 · Rich Maloof

Taste in overdrives is so subjective. A player might luck into a stellar $50 mini pedal or feel the absolute…

João Erbetta and Pete Curry

Los Angeles

May 31, 2025 · Dan Forte

Guitarist Erbetta has composed and produced film scores in his native Brazil, while Angelino Pete Curry plays bass with Los…

LsL Instruments’ Soledad

T-Bone with a Side of Sustain

March 31, 2017 · Phil Feser

Based out of Santa Clarita, California, LsL Instruments was founded by Lance and Lisa Lerman in 2008 after many years…

Mick Taylor

Shedding Light on the Genius of Mick Taylor

November 30, 2020 · P.J. Cotroneo

The mid/late 1960s were a fertile and progressive time for rock guitar, with “Swinging London” serving as the birthplace and…

Jack Bruce 1943-2014

Jack Bruce 1943-2014

December 4, 2015 · Willie G. Moseley

Jack Bruce, an icon of electric bass, died October 25 in Suffolk, England. Best known for his work with Cream…

Gretsch Country Gent #1

January 29, 2015 · Edward Ball

The Gretsch Country Gentleman 6122 was the third of four Chet Atkins signature guitar models created for the legendary guitarist…

Marshall’s EH-1 Echohead, RG-1 Regenerator & RF-1 Reflector

Little Marshalls, Big Tones

July 14, 2020 · Phil Feser

Continuing the tradition set forth by the stout little metallic gray/gold boxes of the GV-2 Guv’nor Plus, BB-2 Bluesbreaker II,…

Dweezil Zappa

Solo Sounds

March 3, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

To properly perform the music composed by his father, Frank, Dweezil Zappa had to revamp his playing style. The fruits…

The Mike Eldred Trio

August 30, 2016 · Michael Dregni

The Mike Eldred Trio’s latest was recorded at Memphis’ hallowed Sun Studios, but the deep blues are straight outta the…