Ask Zac: Deep Dive on the Wide Range

Plus, Joey Molland’s Stratotone

Vivi-Tone “Skeleton

A Master’s Magnificent Misfire

  • Joe Satriani

    Joe Satriani

    The hardest-working guitarist in show business, Joe Satriani recently wrapped up a successful Van Halen tour, a G3 Reunion tour, a live album, a residency in Las Vegas with Sammy…

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ARTISTS

Webb Wilder

Full-Grown Rocker Comes Full Circle

January 5, 2010 · Dan Forte

The V is a reissue, but the solidstate Gretsch Nashville amp is all original. Photo: Tom Comet. In 1986, when…

Have Guitar Will Travel 104 – Pete Sears and Roger McNamee (Moonalice)

June 21, 2024 · James Patrick Regan

In episode 104 of “Have Guitar Will Travel”, presented by Vintage Guitar Magazine, host, James Patrick Regan. is at BottleRock…

Graham Parker plays “We Did Nothing”

January 3, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Reflective take on the world In his review of Graham Parker’s “Last Chance To Learn The Twist,” Dan Forte recalls…

Mike Vernon

July 26, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Surf-Guitar Ace Mike Vernon Chills on “Lucky Boy” Surf-instro revivalist Mike Vernon grabbed his (semi-hollow) Gretsch Tennessee Rose (with flatwounds)…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Boss MA-1

Spice Up a Small Amp

November 5, 2001 · Gary Nelson

Normally, when you think of an effect pedal, an image of a stompbox comes to mind; one you step on,…

Zemaitis Acoustic Bass

March 9, 2010 · Vintage Guitar

1972 Zemaitis fretless acoustic. To say Tony Zemaitis made eye-catching instruments would mean uttering one of the great understatements in…

Fender Custom Shop Marks 30 Years

Dream Makers

May 9, 2019 · Vaughn Skow

In “official” terms, the Fender Custom Shop opened in 1987. But its story actually began February 1, 1985 – the…

L-5 to Super 400

L-5 to Super 400

The Story of Gibson’s Big Archtops

September 30, 2015 · George Gruhn

The archtop guitar is a uniquely American instrument which can be traced directly to the creative genius of one person…


APPROVED GEAR

Harmony Comet

Michigan Meteor

June 21, 2022 · Bob Cianci

Whoever coined the phrase “Everything old is new again” knew what they were talking about. The resurrected Harmony brand, associated…

Wolfetone Pickups P-90, Alnico II, and V-Mag humbucker

May 17, 2005 · Vintage Guitar

Wolfetone pickups are relatively new to the market, but go right to the heart of what vintage tone freaks seek.…

Gretsch Roots Collection: Jim Dandy Flat-top, Dixie 6 Guitar-Banjo

Back to the Country

December 15, 2014 · Dennis Pernu

Gretsch Roots Collection: Jim Dandy Flat-top, Dixie 6 Guitar-Banjo Price: $239 retail (Jim Dandy Flat Top) and $499 retail (Dixie…

National’s Pioneer RP1

Steel Soul

April 23, 2019 · Michael Dregni

What do you get when you cross a National Duolian with a solidbody electric? Answer: a guitar that Elmore James…

  • Classics: Tommy Castro’s ’66 Fender Stratocaster

    Classics: Tommy Castro’s ’66 Fender Stratocaster

    Tommy Castro has never been much for sitting with a guitar teacher, preferring instead to rely on good ol’ time in the saddle to hone his craft. But this 1966 Stratocaster has taught him a couple lessons. The guitar entered Castro’s universe in the hands of San Francisco music legend John Newton – known on…

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  • Classics: Arena-Rock Alternative Amps

    Classics: Arena-Rock Alternative Amps

    Mad Maxed

    As rock started hitting the big time in the mid ’60s, it became clear to guitar-amplifier manufacturers that 100 watts or more was the way to go. The best approach to big power, however, would follow several paths. The stories of the high-powered amps introduced by Fender, Marshall, and Vox through the ’60s have been…

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  • Vivi-Tone “Skeleton

    Vivi-Tone “Skeleton

    A Master’s Magnificent Misfire

    The eternal question “Who invented the electric guitar?” has no single answer. By the late 1920s, many players, tinkerers, and inventors were exploring ways to get more volume from fretted instruments. Steel-string flat-tops from Martin, f-hole archtops from Gibson, and metal-bodied resonators from National were louder than their predecessors, but ran up against physical limits.…

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  • 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 per customer, any double entries will be automatically disqualified. See previous winners!! *ELIGIBILITY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.One entry per…

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  • Paul Johnson

    Paul Johnson

    The Hepcats Live at the Ajax Novelty Company

    This isn’t live, there may not be an Ajax Novelty Company, and the three felines known as the Hepcats are actually the brainchild of Paul Johnson, whose Belairs were early-’60s pioneers of surf music. Suspend reality and dig how the “trio” expertly articulates layers of acoustic guitar. Across decades, Johnson has embraced folk-rock, psychedelia, and…

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Mark O’Connor

Virtuoso Comeback

March 4, 2022 · Pete Prown

Some musicians are multi-instrumentalists, but Mark O’Connor is something else – a multi-virtuoso. Regarded as a master on guitar, violin,…

Lari Basilio

Your Love

July 7, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Lari Basilio’s latest recording is a melodic and shred-tastic, yet compassionate, antidote to the effects of lockdown. The Brazilian phenom…

Paul “Mayo” Mayasich

November 1, 2016 · John Heidt

The latest from guitarist Paul Mayasich and his band of buddies is an eclectic mix of American music. You get…

How Ron Wood’s New Barbarians Saved the Stones

Ear-to-Ear Violence

January 5, 2018 · Michael Dregni

Today, the Rolling Stones continue to perform live, more than 50 years since their first gig. But few realize how…

Rupert Neve Designs’ Portico 5017/ SE Electronics’ Voodoo VR1

Studio on the Go

March 13, 2019 · Pete Prown

Despite what some folks may tell you about the merits of “going direct” for guitar, nothing sounds better than a…