• 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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Lords of Atlantis: Cliché-Free Surf

January 16, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Ivan Pongracic Lords of Atlantis includes members from a handful of high-profile surf bands, and its debut album is a…

Fretprints: Hiram Bullock

Dangerously Funky Fusioneer

February 4, 2024 · Wolf Marshall

In the sonic constellation orbiting jazz-rock, Hiram Bullock traveled a separate trajectory. His work on “Angela,” the theme for “Taxi,”…

Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Labor of Love

April 19, 2016 · John Heidt

Kenny Wayne Shepherd called his latest record, Goin’ Home because, he says, “It was another opportunity for me to share…

Anthony Gomes

Blues, Rock, and Joy

October 4, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Blues-rock connoisseur Anthony Gomes stays on point with his latest, High Voltage Blues. Leaning into the heavier side, Gomes’ feisty…

Mesa Boogie California Tweed 6V6 2:20 1×10 Combo

Ankle Biter

June 29, 2023 · Charlie Wilkins

Classic Fender tweed amps are known for fat, warm clean tones, but even more for their raunch when cranked. Mesa…

Dio

Holy Diver Super Deluxe Edition

June 9, 2023 · Bret Adams

After Rainbow and Black Sabbath, vocalist Ronnie James Dio assembled his own band with previous accomplices Jimmy Bain (bass) and…

  • 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

Carl Verheyen’s Passionate, Ebullient virtuosity!

December 28, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

It’s about the song! Enjoy as Carl Verheyen and his ’58 Fender Strat glide through pieces of “Dragonfly,” “Electric Chair,”…

Bobby Eli

Philly-Soul Pioneer

July 11, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

With this year marking the 50th anniversary of Philadelphia International Records, the spotlight is on the songwriting team of Kenneth…

Seth Lover

Seth Lover

Humbuckers and Other Lover innovations

February 24, 2010 · Stephen Patt

The history of the musical instrument business is full of stories, from the drab to the miraculous. Some bean counters…

JONATHAN WILSON

Jonathan Wilson

Charlotte to Cali

March 12, 2014 · Kathleen Johnson

Jonathan Wilson is having a very good year. His Gentle Spirit CD (Bella Union), a hippie-soul drenched 80 minutes of…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Rex Solidbody

Italian Connection

November 30, 2023 · Michael Wright

An internet search for “Rex guitars” will turn up a fair – if confusing – amount of information about the…

Classics: December 2022

Reid Farrell’s Fender Tele

August 8, 2023 · Ward Meeker

In 1964, high-school freshman Reid Farrell bought a Fiesta Red ’59 Telecaster with help from his guitar teacher, John Andrews.…

John Pizzarelli Swings On A Vintage D’angelico

September 4, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Jazz Ace on an Heirloom Guitar For this exclusive rendition of “Just In Time,” swing ace John Pizzarelli grabbed the…

Peavey RJ-IV

October 23, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

Peavey RJ-IV bass, serial number 04938996. Photo: Bill Ingalls Jr. Instrument courtesy of Naffaz Skota. Americans by the millions “know”…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

The Daddy Mojo Ozark

All But The Kitchen Sink

May 21, 2019 · Bob Cianci

For a decade, Daddy Mojo has been making cigar-box guitars that refine the vibe of those rudimentary instruments. In 2016,…

Positive Grid Spark

Cloud Nine

October 15, 2021 · Pete Prown

Once upon a time, you had a guitar, amp, and pedals – a complete guitar universe. Today, there’s a fourth…

Awesome Musical Instruments T3 Pickup Switch Upgrade

Wicked Switch

December 22, 2014 · Phil Feser

Awesome Musical Instruments T3 Pickup Switch Upgrade Price: $149.99 (black or white three-ply); $164.99 (white pearloid); $169.99 (brown tortoiseshell) Info:…

Strymon Iridium Amp & IR Cab

Model Citizen

March 4, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

It can be tough, living in the golden age of gear tech. Which piece of amazing equipment to get next?…

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…

Fishman Fluence Single-Width Pickup

Fishman Fluence Single-Width Pickup

Hum-Free, Cutting-Edge

March 1, 2016 · Zac Childs

Fishman Fluence Single-Width Pickup Price: $224 (set) Contact: www.fishman.com Larry Fishman is one of the most respected names in the…

PRS_P22-HOME-MAIN-BIG

PRS P22

Split Personality

December 23, 2013 · Phil Feser

PRS P22 Price: $6,092 (as tested, retail), $3630 (street) Info: prsguitars.com. While PRS has for several years offered a piezo…

Billy Sheehan

Back to Big

April 24, 2019 · Greg Prato

Though there’s no denying Billy Sheehan’s exceptional technical talents on the bass, he has always kept sight on the importance…

Demeter FZO-1 Fuzzy Octavulator

Demeter FZO-1 Fuzzy Octavulator

Fuzz Flavors

October 24, 2014 · Zac Childs

James Demeter has a long history in the amp and effects biz. His project-boxed/Dymo-labeled Tremulator pedal pre-dates the ’90s boutique…

D’Angelico Excel SS

Classic Versatility

December 23, 2024 · Bob Cianci

The modern D’Angelico company specializes in hip semi-hollow guitars with a nod toward their namesake, legendary luthier John D’Angelico. Case…

100 Years of Boston’s MFA

Playable Exhibits

May 9, 2019 · Michael Wright

Musical instruments – guitars – present an interesting philosophical dichotomy. On one hand, they’re utilitarian objects whose very purpose –…

Jethro Tull

December 30, 2016 · Pete Prown

Released in the summer of 1969, Stand Up was Tull’s first album with guitarist Martin Barre and showed them honing…

The Minus 5 and the Monkees

Monkee Business

August 2, 2016 · Dennis Pernu

The 1960s – that halcyon decade which Americans today are most inclined to reconsider with dewy eyes – is in…

Classics: Mike Semrad’s ’57 Gibson Les Paul Custom

October 29, 2025 · Ward Meeker

Mike Semrad’s musical roots run deep in his hometown of Fremont, Nebraska – at least as far back as his…

Danelectro Viscount

January 11, 2016 · Dave Hunter

1961 Danelectro Viscount Preamp tubes: two 12AX7, one 6AU6 Output tubes: two 6V6GT Rectifier: 6X5 Controls: Volume, Tone, Vibrato Strength,…

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…

Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Laying Down the Blues

April 24, 2019 · Greg Prato

Blues-rock suffered a blow in 1990 with the death of Stevie Ray Vaughan. But later in the decade, a crop…

JOHNNYSMITH-HOME-MAIN-BIG

The Guild and Gibson Johnny Smith Models

December 3, 2013 · Jim Hilmar

The name “Johnny Smith” is synonymous with class, elegance, and style. Most guitar players are familiar, if not with the…

Neil Young

Chrome Dreams

October 8, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

After being shelved for more than 45 years, Neil Young’s long-lost 1977 album finally sees daylight. Nestled between an impressive…

Tom Guerra

Tom Guerra

Rock and Roll Swagger

January 24, 2015 · Pete Prown

After 15 years and four albums with Connecticut trio Mambo Sons, Tom Guerra just released his first solo album, All…

Ally Venable

Real Gone

February 8, 2024 · Sean McDevitt

Ally Venable has deep roots in blues-rock, but it’s easy to picture her as a festival headliner. A legitimate triple…

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 –…

Fretprints: The Beatles’ Revolver

Sonic Floodgates

January 14, 2025 · Wolf Marshall

If any rock album can be labeled “groundbreaking,” it’s the Beatles’ Revolver. A sweepingly innovative masterpiece, it divides the ’60s…

Analog Man’s King of Tone Overdrive

Holiest of Holies

June 1, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Amid this golden age of music gear, the Analog Man King of Tone Overdrive, first produced in 2005 in collaboration…

Swart Atomic Jr.

Splitting The Atom

April 23, 2019 · Phil Feser

When Swart decided to split their Atomic Jr. five-watt combo into a piggyback, they not only went from an 8″…

Steve Carr

Twenty-Five Years of Tonemaking

August 7, 2024 · Ward Meeker

In the mid ’90s, Steve Carr was a guitarist playing weekends and working weeknights as a waiter in a swank…

Chris Leuzinger

Country Crunch

November 17, 2022 · Ward Meeker

Growing up in the tropical air of West Palm Beach, it’s little wonder that Chris Leuzinger’s first musical revelations had…

EHX Good Vibes, Tone Corset

Rawk Boxes

July 3, 2019 · Michael Dregni

The musical spirit of the ’60s and ’70s lives again in two of EHX’s latest stompboxes: the Good Vibes analog…

Kid Ramos’ Raunchy Slide

January 25, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Kid Carves it up! Proving that tone is less about fancy gear and more about feel, Kid Ramos used his…

Kentucky Colonels

1966

May 13, 2024 · Pete Prown

Clarence White is best known as the B-bendin’ Telecaster pioneer with the Byrds – and his tragic 1973 death. But…

Jake Andrews

Train Back Home

April 19, 2024 · Dan Forte

In his early 40s now, for some folks around Austin, he’ll always be “Guitar Jake.” When Andrews was eight years…

Gibson’s Budget Redux

The SB Series Guitars and Basses

March 2, 2017 · Willie G. Moseley

As the 1960s rolled into the ’70s, Gibson had established itself in the electric-bass market with front-line instruments such as…

Rosalie Allen’s SJ-200

Trophy Flat-Top

March 27, 2019 · George Gruhn

On the pages featuring the Super Jumbo 200, Gibson’s 1940 catalog trumpeted, “This king of the flat-top guitars was especially…