Eddie Cochran’s Gretsch 6120

Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got that Twang

August 10, 2022 · Michael Dregni

One night in the late 1950s, Eddie Cochran set the world alight onstage in the City of Angels. Though the…

SCOTTY MOORE's GIBSON ES-295 Vinatge guitar Magazine

Scotty Moore’s Gibson ES-295

First Guitar of Rock and Roll

March 28, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Like a hound dog hit by lightning, the first notes of rock and roll blasted out of radios across the…

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…

Cry, Baby!

The Story of the Vox Wah

December 9, 2015 · Michael Dregni

Beyond being crowned “Album of the Century” by Time magazine, Marley and the Wailers’ 1977 LP Exodus is a wah-wah…

1965 Gibson Thunderbird

Cardinal Red Rarity

January 8, 2018 · Willie G. Moseley

Looking to finally make a real dent in Fender’s solidbody bass market, in the mid ’60s Gibson launched a line…

'39 Gibson EH-185

’39 Gibson EH-185

March 18, 2016 · Dave Hunter

Preamp tubes: three 6J7, one 6N7 Output tubes: two 6L6 Rectifier: 5U4 Controls: Instrument Volume, Microphone Volume, Bass and Treble…

  • 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

Six-String Kicks

Six-String Kicks

Wood from Famed Bowling Alley Set to Sing

March 31, 2016 · Ward Meeker

Few things scratch America’s cumulative itch for nostalgia like Route 66 – the famed wagon-trail-cum-highway that offered passage to those…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 034 Featuring Nalle Colt

August 31, 2020 · James Patrick Regan

Episode 34 of James Patrick Regan’s “Have Guitar Will Travel” podcast features Vintage Trouble guitarist Nalle Colt. They delve into…

Uwe Kruger

Swiss Precision for Americana

April 27, 2016 · Steven Stone

Uwe Kruger’s professional musical career began at age 15, when he and his brother, Jens, left their small town home…

Hall and Hoppen

Ongoing with Orleans

November 3, 2022 · Willie G. Moseley

In the ’70s, the guitar-driven melodic rock of Orleans was all over the radio, with hits such as “Dance With…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

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…

1944 Martin 00-28

March 16, 2015 · George Gruhn

This Martin 00-28 is a highly unusual instrument. Made as part of a group of six created with shop-order number…

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…

Gibson’s Fabulous Florentines

Archtop Elite

January 3, 2025 · Wolf Marshall

The image of Elvis Presley on his 1968 NBC “comeback special” was, in a word, badass. Dressed in black leather…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

AXL USA Hand-Aged Bulldog

Bark and Bite

April 16, 2014 · Chip Wilson

AXL USA Hand-Aged Bulldog Price: $699.99 (street) Contact: www.axlguitars.com Unabashedly inspired by the classic Les Paul Junior, AXL Guitars’ limited-edition…

Eastwood Sidejack DLX 20th LTD

Horn Section

August 4, 2024 · Pete Prown

If you love twangy guitars from the ’60s, you know about Mosrites – the immortal slabs of The Ventures and…

Yamaha’s Revstar RSP20CR

Mod Rocker

July 5, 2018 · Oscar Jordan

Having spent the last 120 years perfecting righteous guitar tones, Yamaha has set out to increase their coolness quotient. The…

Killer Guitar Components Killer Trem Bridge

Bridging the Gap

March 1, 2017 · Phil Feser

In the mid 1950s, Leo Fender and his crew spent countless hours on the design and manufacture of their revolutionary…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Check This Action: Back Aboard

May 1, 2023 · Dan Forte

Despite (or because of) the huge Folk Boom of the late ’50s and early ’60s, these days “folk” is almost…

Michael Gregory Jackson inspires on “Meditation in E

August 30, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Classic ’70s Bluesy-Jazz Flavor Jazz guitarist Michael Gregory Jackson changes it up by using a classic (and seldom-seen) ’59 SG…

The Beatles’ Casinos

January 17, 2018 · Andy Babiuk

Of all the guitars made famous by the Beatles, the only one that John, Paul, and George had in common…

Feature Guitar

Cardinal’s Magpie

Bird in Hand

March 4, 2014 · Pete Prown

Cardinal Magpie Price: $4,300 Contact: www.cardinalinstruments.com While most folks are happy to buy guitars off the rack, the Cardinal Magpie…

Recording King Ray Whitley

April 16, 2015 · George Gruhn

As a maker of high-quality instruments, Gibson was hit hard by the onset of the Depression in the 1930s. Company…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 009 Featuring Mt. Joy

June 10, 2019 · James Patrick Regan

In this episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel”, James Regan talks with Matt (Quinn) and Sam (Cooper) from the indie band Mt Joy. The band…

John Leventhal

Ready to Rumble

December 13, 2024 · Rich Kienzle

“I’ve been lucky enough to make a career co-writing and producing records with great singers and lyricists, John Leventhal explains.…

Vibesware Guitar Resonator GR-Junior II

Vibesware Guitar Resonator GR-Junior II

Sustain For Days

February 12, 2016 · Pete Prown

Vibesware Guitar Resonator GR-Junior II Price: $175 (list, depending on exchange rate) Contact: www.vibesware.com In the beginning, there was the…

Novax Sweet Annie

Silver Anniversary

November 29, 2016 · Chip Wilson

Remember chuckling at the Rick 481 slant-fret guitar? Or wondering about those fret intervals on Joni Mitchell’s dulcimer, or the…

 Yasmin Williams

Art of Collaboration

October 8, 2025 · Pete Prown

Yasmin Williams turned heads a few years ago with her brilliant solo acoustic music, often playing the guitar flat on…

Home Feature Image

Electro-Harmonix Soul Food, Nano Big Muff

Add OD, To Taste

November 4, 2015 · Pete Prown

Price: Soul Food, $89.25 (list), $62.81 (street); Nano Big Muff, $95.64 (list), $69.80 (street) Info: www.ehx.com Guitarists have an insatiable…

Saucerful of Strats

Pink Floyd Catalog Gets a Massive Reissue

April 30, 2021 · Pete Prown

By any standard, Pink Floyd has one of the mightiest catalogs in rock and roll – a 14-album pantheon dating…

Emma Electronic DiscumBOBulator V.2 & Big Joe Powerbox Lithium

Envelope Pushed

July 23, 2019 · Pete Prown

Scandinavia may not be the first corner of the globe that comes to mind when one ponders classic funk tones.…

Guild F-512

Iconic ’70s 12-String

December 28, 2017 · George Gruhn

Today, players typically equate the 12-string acoustic with Taylor and Martin. For its part, though, Guild’s F-512 remains one of…

1939-’42 Gibson SJ-100

$100 Cowboy Flat-Top

September 1, 2023 · Peter Stuart Kohman

Through the 1910s and early ’20s, Gibson catalogs denigrated flat-top guitars as inferior, unworthy of the company name. But that…

Marshall JCM800 2203

Marshall JCM800 2203

May 2, 2016 · Dave Hunter

Preamp tubes: three ECC83. Output tubes: four 6550. Rectifier: solidstate Controls: Pre-Amp Volume, Master Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass, Presence. Speakers:…

Check This Action: Real Gone for a Change

August 13, 2025 · Dan Forte

“Hold it, fellas.” After languidly singing the first line of “Milk Cow Blues,” Elvis Presley halted the proceedings. “That don’t…

Tony Rice

1951-2020

November 18, 2021 · Rich Kienzle

Tony Rice, the guitar master and vocalist whose skills and eclecticism took him far beyond his bluegrass roots, died unexpectedly…

Ruppert Acouswitch and Basswitch IQ DIs

Switching Up

March 27, 2016 · Phil Feser

Ruppert Acouswitch and Basswitch IQ DIs Price: $600 each with gigbag Info: www.rmi.lu. Part DI, part preamp, and part A/B…

Craig Ross

Rock and Roll, Alive and Well

November 28, 2016 · Johnny Zapp

Craig Ross is an integral part of the Lenny Kravitz sound. As lead guitarist and songwriting collaborator since the early…

Michael Staertow

Michael Staertow

Gramm Backer

April 11, 2016 · Chuck Riley

You may not recognize the name, but Michael Staertow has been playing some of classic rock’s most memorable riffs for…

Keith Richards’ 1977 Mesa/Boogie Mark I

Still Rollin’

November 30, 2023 · Dave Hunter

As ubiquitous as the little 1×12″ Mesa/Boogie Mark Series combo has become over the past 48 years – and as…

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…

Chris Cain

Tales to Tell

June 10, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Armed with a new deal with Alligator Records and producer Kid Andersen (of Rick Estrin & The Night Cats), Chris…

Check This Action: The Sound Of The Surf

September 12, 2023 · Dan Forte

Before acts like the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean sang about surfing, guitar bands in Southern California started playing…

’53 Gibson Les Paul Junior

May 2, 2018 · George Gruhn

Gibson records say the Les Paul Junior was introduced in 1954. But this instrument has tone and volume pot codes…

John McLaughlin

50 Years in Fusion

May 21, 2019 · Pete Prown

The name John McLaughlin is synonymous with jazz-rock fusion, the genre he helped invent and sustain for the past 50…

Molly Miller

Dr. J(azz)

June 3, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Molly Miller is on a quest to bring instrumental music back to storytelling. Her new album, St. George, fuses jazz,…

Tommy Castro

Tommy Castro

Amped Up

November 12, 2014 · John Heidt

Fans of Tommy Castro might be shocked with some of the guitar tones on his latest record, The Devil You…