Gator Cases MiniVault

Rolling Rack

August 4, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Every gigging guitarist who lugs their own gear (so, 95 percent of us) knows firsthand how instrument cases take a…

Martin Turner

Low-End Unorthodoxy

March 2, 2017 · Steve Rosen

When he transitioned from playing guitar, former Wishbone Ash bassist Martin Turner kept a pick in his right hand and…

Effector 13 Improbability Drive

“Beam Me Up, Jimi” – The Effector 13 Improbability Drive – spacey, fuzzy, and funky

August 15, 2013 · Phil Feser

We understand how you might react. “Another drive pedal?” There are so many… a lot of them similar, or nearly…

Traynor YGM-4 Studio Mate

Behind The Eight Ball

April 15, 2024 · Dave Hunter

Vintage-amp bargain hunters often compare the quality and features of smaller Traynor combos to Fenders and those of the larger…

Mason Razavi – Masterful Jazz

July 18, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

 Gibson L-5 on “You Stepped Out of a Dream” Mason Razavi is known in jazz circles for his superb…

Small Screen, Big Pickin’

Crew Strives to Keep it Real on “Nashville”

July 6, 2018 · Johnny Zapp

It’s not often that prime-time network television captures an audience of working class, professional musicians. In 1968, players watched Elvis…

  • 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…

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ARTISTS

Zakk Wylde

Electric Heart, Acoustic Soul

February 27, 2018 · Oscar Jordan

Storming the stage like King Conan The Biker, former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde was one of the highlights of…

Al Di Meola

Elegant Warrior

December 27, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

An evolved, technical player and soulful composer, his work has been staggering – from spellbinding compositions employing diverse jazz, rock,…

Ty Tabor

On A Roll

December 26, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

King’s X guitarist Ty Tabor is on a roll. Despite the band being on hiatus due to bassist Dug Pinnick’s…

 Jason Isbell

New Vistas, Old Gear

January 2, 2026 · Rich Kienzle

Jason Isbell’s powerful songs, compelling vocals, and formidable guitar skills have made him one of America’s most-respected singer/songwriters. A charismatic…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Out-Stratting the Strat

Out-Stratting the Strat

The Story of the G&L S-500

March 1, 2016 · Gabe Dellevigne

It would be an understatement to say that Leo Fender, with the help of George Fullerton, was prolific in the…

Dan’s Guitar RX: Finding An Old Friend, Part 2

What Goes Around…

July 26, 2024 · Dan Erlewine

In the September, issue I told the story of the ’58 ES-335 I sold to my friend, Al, for $225…

BAKERSFIELD-HOME-MAIN-BIG

Basses from Bakersfield

March 4, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

The history of guitar manufacturing in the Bakersfield area of California includes names like Mosrite, Hallmark, and Standel. One of…

Gibson Basses in The ’70s

Gibson Basses in The ’70s

Plucky Trio from the “Downer Decade”

February 29, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

Guitar enthusiasts have long heard that the 1970s were the “downer decade” for Fender and Gibson, both of which introduced…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

The Clark Gainster

Trick Your Tweed

June 10, 2020 · Art Department

Before he got into the effects pedal biz, Michael Clark had a reputation for building killer tweed-inspired amps. In 2001…

Martin 00-28 Modern Deluxe

Contemporary Vintage

June 29, 2023 · Pete Prown

Not every acoustic needs to blow the walls out with volume and projection; there are critical styles of guitar that…

Music Nomad Keep It Simple Setup

May 10, 2022 · Julian Burtell

Music Nomad’s Keep It Simple Setup kit includes three tool kits. The 26-piece premium guitar tech screwdriver-and-wrench set has a…

Maestro Ranger Overdrive and Invader Distortion

Evil Twins

August 10, 2023 · Michael Dregni

Maestro’s new all-analog overdrive and distortion pedals are like evil twins – two black-sheep siblings that differ in concept but…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

The Rickenbacker B14A

Silver Service

April 4, 2022 · Dave Hunter

  For most guitarists today, glimpsing a vintage Rickenbacker combo elicits a response like, “Wait… Rickenbacker made amps?” But remember,…

Jorma Kaukonen

Hot Tuna, Part 1

November 23, 2015 · Dan Forte

Guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady have been playing music together for 53 years – 40 of them as…

Guild Standard Series Acoustics

Legacy, Cont’d?

January 10, 2012 · Sean OBryan Smith

Founded by a jazz guitarist as jazz-box builder, the Guild company also built a solid reputation with its ’50s acoustic…

Don’t Call it Fusion: Julien Kasper’s “Upon a Green Hill”

February 29, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Beck (et al) Connection! The music made by Julien Kasper is connected to Miles, Beck, Hendrix, Mahavishnu, and Scofield, but…

A Mick Ralphs Sampler – Definitive Listening

June 27, 2025 · Willie G. Moseley

Curated by Vintage Guitar’s Willie G. Moseley, this playlist showcases the evolution of Mick Ralphs’ sound through various songs he…

Carolina Guitar Show

August 28, 2012 · Upcoming Events From Vintage Guitar

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Andrew Hendryx on a ’64 Fender Mandocaster

March 3, 2023 · Andrew Hendryx

 Andrew Hendryx Demoing ’64 Fender Mandocaster On a recent mandolin safari, Andrew Hendryx visited a shop in Asheville, North…

Fretprints: Led Zeppelin

October 29, 2025 · Wolf Marshall

One of the truly classic rock albums, Led Zeppelin’s IV brought together the band’s towering advances achieved with its first…

Music Man’s JP13

Petrucci Pick

February 23, 2016 · Chip Wilson

Music Man’s JP13 Price: $3,500 Info: www.music-man.com. Music Man has a knack for building blazing artist models for the likes…

Fargen Pete Anderson Tumbleweed

Fargen Pete Anderson Tumbleweed

Box Full Of Country

January 15, 2016 · Zac Childs

Fargen Pete Anderson Tumbleweed Price: $299 (list) Info: www.fargenamps.com. Pete Anderson is a touring roots and country guitarist probably best…

Paul Bigsby’s Myrtlewood Guitars

April 30, 2024 · Deke Dickerson

= Few things are as satisfying as a guitar with a good story to tell. Some vintage guitars might be…

Steve Gunn

Steve Gunn

Folk Rock’s New Visionary

March 16, 2016 · Kathleen Johnson

Steve Gunn’s Way Out Weather is a textured effort that takes cues from a diverse palette including John Fahey, Chicago…

Jeff Berlin

Flashback to Jack

July 26, 2023 · Pete Prown

Fusion bassist Jeff Berlin’s new album, Jack Songs, is an all-star tribute to Jack Bruce, the trailblazing virtuoso and frontman…

2022 January Issue on Spotify

December 30, 2021 · Vintage Guitar

This month we feature Carlos Santana, Dean DeLeo and Tom Bukovac’s Trip The Witch, Pat Martino, Danny Kortchmar’s The Immediate…

Home Feature Image

25 Most Valuable Effects

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…

Stephen Ulrich

Stephen Ulrich

Film Noir Guitar

March 29, 2016 · Pete Prown

The instrumental music of Big Lazy echoes of Hollywood soundtracks – scores from gritty detective flicks, suspenseful prison breakouts, and…

David Hamburger

Top-Tier Tutorial

November 7, 2025 · Dan Forte

Whoever said, “Those who can’t do, teach” has never heard David Hamburger. Among his two dozen instructional books and videos,…

Have Guitar Will Travel – Featuring 003 David Victor

May 13, 2019 · James Patrick Regan

David Victor wrote, recorded, and produced his first album in 1991, then later formed Velocity. A video of him doing…

Born in Chicago

Various artists

June 19, 2024 · Pete Prown

Tweaked and re-cut, this documentary charts the rise of America’s greatest urban blues and its gradual adaptation into rock. There…

Kevin Comeau

Crowning Achievement

February 2, 2024 · Pete Prown

If you dig Rush, you may have heard of a duo from Canada that virtually channels the iconic trio. Known…

Bloom

Larkin Poe

September 8, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

Grammy-winning sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell deliver an album that continues their trajectory into rural soundcapes and bluesy, heartfelt authenticity.…

The Dean Ween Group

March 30, 2017 · Dennis Pernu

The Dean Ween Group’s debut showcases all the genre-hopping shenanigans that became the stock in trade of Ween’s first band…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 043 Featuring Ranger Doug

January 26, 2021 · Art Department

The new episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel” features host James Patrick Regan’s conversation with “Ranger Doug” Green, guitarist, front man,…

Victoria Vic 105

The Victoria VIC 105

Raw And Responsive

August 21, 2013 · Zac Childs

Victoria VIC 105 Price: $1,495 Contact: Victoria Amp Co.; phone (630) 820-6400; victoriaamp.com. In the 1990s, Mark Baier put himself…

The Schaffer-Vega Diversity System

Making Rock Roll

December 8, 2021 · Michael Dregni

“ The best thing I ever did in the beginning was not use effects,” AC/DC’s Angus Young told VG in…

The Clark Gainster

Trick Your Tweed

June 10, 2020 · Art Department

Before he got into the effects pedal biz, Michael Clark had a reputation for building killer tweed-inspired amps. In 2001…

Steve Cropper

Friend, Legend

June 12, 2025 · Ward Meeker

Even before he began to record seminal music using an Esquire plugged into a Harvard amp – creating one of…

Ceil Thompson and her self-made guitar

January 25, 2023 · Dan Erlewine

“Dan’s Guitar Rx”: VG’s Rock-and-Roll High School(er)! In 2022, Dan Erlewine’s “Guitar Rx” column walked readers through a class-project guitar…

Heritage Guitars’ H-155M

Best-Kept Secret

July 24, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Heritage Guitars still builds instruments by hand… in Kalamazoo. Like its veteran brethren in the industry, it focuses on craftsmanship,…