Have Guitar Will Travel 054 – Bonnie Hayes

July 13, 2021 · Art Department

“Have Guitar Will Travel” host James Patrick Regan speaks with Bonnie Hayes, guitarist, songwriter, and head of the songwriting department…

Tommy Allsup

1931-2017 From Buddy Holly to Bob Wills

March 14, 2019 · Dan Forte

No article on the late Tommy Allsup would be complete without the story of an unsuccessful coin flip saving his…

The “Conversion” Les Paul

The “Conversion” Les Paul

Myth, Magic – and Mojo!

June 21, 2016 · Pete Prown

One of the more intriguing topics in guitardom is the Gibson Les Paul “conversion.” What is it? Most of the…

Vox Giulietta VGA-3D

Unconventional Archtop

December 23, 2024 · Pete Prown

It may look like a conventional archtop, but Vox’s latest box offers something truly different. Within the Giulietta VGA-3D is…

Eddie Roberts

Making It Up As You Go

March 3, 2017 · John Heidt

The New Mastersounds’ latest album, Made For Pleasure, has the usual mix of soul, jazz, funk, and even a bit…

Guild’s F-40 Standard

First-Rate Reboot

September 17, 2024 · Michael Shirek

Bigger may not always be better, but sometimes having a little extra juice can make all the difference. Born in…

  • Popa Chubby

    Popa Chubby

    I Love Freddie King

    The latest from blues dynamo Popa Chubby is a star-studded tribute to the late great Freddie King. Produced by Mr. Chubby and Mike Zito, I Love Freddie King is a…

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ARTISTS

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Michael Schenker

Acoustic Album, Electric Gear

April 29, 2016 · Pete Prown

One of the most influential guitarists in hard rock history, Michael Schenker has imbued the music of UFO, Scorpions, and…

Vintage Visionary

The First Golden Age of Ibanez 1973-1982

October 6, 2014 · Pete Prown

Thirty-Five years ago, Ibanez was a scrappy upstart guitar company that dared to challenge the big boys at Gibson and…

Bob Devos

Update on the Organ Trio

June 9, 2020 · John Heidt

Bob Devos says the idea for his new record, Shifting Sands, was pretty basic. “I wanted to record something that…

Kim Simmonds

Kim Simmonds

Back to Basics with Savoy Brown

November 11, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

Under the aegis of founder Kim Simmonds, Savoy Brown has always been a band “subject to change.” Formed in 1965,…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Supro S6651

Supro S6651 Big Star

March 8, 2016 · Dave Hunter

Don’t we guitarists just love gear that looks like it was salvaged from our mom’s kitchen circa 1961? Give us…

Dobro Model 27

Brother Oswald's Dobro – Country Music History Maker

December 22, 2014 · Vintage Guitar

The melodic, evocative warbling of a resonator guitar has for decades been a fixture in country music, and knowledgeable fans…

Thomas Custom Guitars

Rarities from the Pacific Northwest

January 9, 2026 · Peter Blecha

Certain makes and models of electric guitars are rightfully prized for their elegant physical designs and superior craftsmanship. Even better…

Classics: Jeremy Graf’s 1961 Fender Stratocaster

January 28, 2026 · Ward Meeker

A lifelong vintage-guitar nut who has had “a million guitars,” Jeremy Graf’s all-time favorite is this 1961 Stratocaster. A native…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

The Eastwood BW Artist

Dead Again

April 29, 2022 · Pete Prown

Thanks to über-tonemeister Carlos Santana, extended jamming, and the rise of overdrive, the ’70s gave rise to a solidbody trend…

Walrus Audio Eras Five-State Distortion

Serious Saturation

January 30, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

After its Ages Five-State Overdrive proved popular, Walrus Audio dipped back into the concept with a box offering five distortion…

Zemaitis’ CS Guitars

Super Models

March 5, 2019 · Michael Dregni

Artist. Iconoclast. Guitar builder to the stars. Tony Zemaitis was all that and more. Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards swear…

Eastwood EEB-1 and EUB-1 Basses

Horizontal Vibe

July 1, 2020 · Phil Feser

Eastwood’s EEB-1 and the EUB-1 take their design inspiration from Ampeg’s quirky mid-’60s Horizontal Bass series, the brainchild of Dennis…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

1843 Martin & Coupa

Retail Rarity

September 20, 2019 · George Gruhn

In 1833, C.F. Martin, Sr. and his family arrived in New York City. A trained luthier, Martin had studied under…

EHX String9

Orchestral Stomp

September 11, 2023 · Pete Prown

The EHX String9 String Ensemble lets guitar players create electronic-string sounds, in full polyphony and without requiring a special pickup…

Bob’s Playboy Pickers

May 6, 2016 · Rich Kienzle

Bob Wills was, first and foremost, a fiddler. But he began his career in childhood, strumming guitar and mandolin chords…

Vernon Reid

Kind of Blue

July 18, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Vernon Reid went against the grain of rock guitarists in the 1980s, conjuring Parliament-Funkadelic, Ornette Coleman, Bad Brains, Carlos Santana,…

Def Leppard

Diamond Star Halos

April 12, 2023 · Bret Adams

Def Leppard has always emphasized loving ’70s glam rock and protested being labeled a heavy metal band. Okay – but…

Mike Keneally

Uncommon Knowledge

February 2, 2024 · Pete Prown

For 35 years, Mike Keneally has been a go-to sideman for icons like Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, and Joe Satriani,…

Metal Pedals’ Raw Hide, Hard Core XXX

Saddle Up!

August 8, 2014 · Sean OBryan Smith

Metal Pedals’ Raw Hide, Hard Core XXX Price: $175 (Raw Hide); $230 (Hard Core XXX) Info: www.metalpedals.com. For many discerning…

Billy Sheehan

New Music, Old-School Basses

November 30, 2010 · Lisa Sharken

Among rock bassists, Billy Sheehan has been a standout in four decades. Whether with Talas in the ’70s, tapping toe-to-toe…

Dio

August 30, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

There’s his music, his style, and his metal-culture influence. But above all, Ronnie James Dio is responsible for creating one…

Tom Feldmann

October 28, 2014 · Michael Dregni

“And the Oscar goes to…” If they gave out Academy Awards for the best guitar instructional film, Tom Feldmann’s latest…

Xaviere XV-950

Jazzy Looks, Multi-Purpose

March 31, 2017 · Julian Burtell

Gibsonguildgretsch! Cumbersome as it may be in word form, Xaviere’s XV-950 gracefully combines attributes from the “big trio.” The XV-950…

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Kustom’s The Bag

A New Dimension in Electro-Thoracity

May 1, 2016 · Michael Dregni

When Steppenwolf’s John Kay took the stage, it was easy to believe he was performing a suitably ’60s ceremony celebrating…

Kiss

Destroyer 45

October 27, 2022 · Pete Prown

Following their Alive! breakout, Kiss hired producer to the superstars Bob Ezrin and cut what became their first platinum album,…

Eric Clapton

December 30, 2016 · Dan Forte

With Eric Clapton’s 2014 announcement that he would no longer tour, his tribute album to J.J. Cale the same year,…

D’Angelico Excel EXL-1

Laudable Likeness

July 24, 2019 · Michael Dregni

Few vintage guitars are as vaunted as John D’Angelico’s original handcrafted Excel archtops. Building a new – and affordable –…

The Slingerland May Bell

February 1, 2022 · Michael Wright

It’s hard to imagine a more poorly “documented” guitar brand than Slinglerland. The company has been around since before World…

Kramer Aluminum-Neck Basses

March 29, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

When it entered the music-instrument market in 1976, Kramer Guitars made a big splash with an aggressive marketing campaign, big-name…

Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+

The Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+

September 25, 2015 · Dave Hunter

Early Mesa/Boogie Mark Series amps were something of a sensation, but even with the line now having stretched all the…

Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit

Live From the Ryman, Vol. 2

November 7, 2025 · Rich Kienzle

Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium is a special venue for Isbell & the 400 Unit. As their stature has grown beyond roots…

Fretprints: Dave Grohl

Beyond Grunge

February 8, 2023 · Wolf Marshall

“Alternative rock” – more descriptor than genre – was a reaction to hair bands, technical excess, and pop-metal formulae. It…

Adrian Vandenberg

MK II

July 18, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

If you played rock guitar in the ’80s, you likely paid attention when Vandenberg videos/songs played on MTV or the…

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25 Most Valuable Amplifiers

May 24, 2015 · Dave Hunter

Text by Dave Hunter Data compiled by Alan Greenwood and Gil Hembree Vintage Guitar is marking 25 years of publication…

VG Q&A: ’71 Mahogany Precision?

Plus, a ’60s Conrad 12-String and Converting a ’65 ES-345TD-SV to Mono

June 5, 2025 · George Gruhn

I have a Fender Precision Bass with a 1971 neck date and serial number 296XXX, and I’ve always suspected the…

Frank DiBussolo

Jazz Master

January 14, 2025 · Steve Walker

Frank DiBussolo is an eight-time Grammy nominee who has been a featured soloist in the bands of Buddy Rich, Dizzy…

Alligator Greats

Bruce Iglauer Recalls 50 Years of Blues Guitar

May 10, 2022 · Sean McDevitt

Anyone wondering why a young Bruce Iglauer was so impassioned about recording the raw, high-energy blues of Theodore Roosevelt “Hound…

Bad Cat Cub V EL34 Amp

First-Class Blast

October 9, 2025 · Dave Hunter

The Bad Cat Cub has evolved through several iterations since arriving with the maker’s inaugural lineup 25 years ago. It…

“Tremolo” Trio

Three new approaches to replacement vibrato systems

June 24, 2020 · Phil Feser

Three new aftermarket vibrato systems for common double- and single-cutaway solidbody guitars offer the convenience of “drop in” installation. Each…

Gibson 1928 L-1 Blues Tribute

Blues Time Machine

October 12, 2015 · Michael Dregni

Gibson 1928 L-1 Blues Tribute Price: $4,255 retail; $3,299 street Info: www.gibson.com. The Gibson L-1 boasts the kind of intriguing…

Joe Goldmark

Blue Steel

July 5, 2018 · Rich Kienzle

Along with his work with Jim Campilongo and others, San Francisco-based pedal steel guitarist Joe Goldmark has produced eight solo…