Burns Steer Cutaway

The Burns Steer Cutaway

June 3, 2011 · Sean OBryan Smith

The story of the Burns Steer Cutaway begins in 1925 with the birth of the “British Leo Fender,” James Ormston…

Edgy Alt-Blues from Jesse Dayton and Samantha Fish

June 15, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Duo rips on “Settle For Less” Proving that sparks can fly when regional styles collide, Texas native Jesse Dayton and…

Knaggs Guitars’ Steve Stevens Signature Model

Rebel Yell

February 3, 2014 · Pete Prown

Knaggs Guitars’ Steve Stevens Signature Model Price: $6,000 Contact: www.knaggsguitars.com Everyone wants to build a better mousetrap, and those who…

Six-String Basses from the 1950s and ’60s

The Big Twang!

February 4, 2022 · Peter Stuart Kohman

Electric bass, bass guitar, baritone guitar; four, five, or six strings – many varieties of low-tuned instruments are available today.…

Ty Tabor

On a Roll

March 2, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

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

Paul Gabriel Vintage Guitar magazine

Paul Gabriel

Rollin’ With Robillard

April 26, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

For Paul Gabriel, the opportunity to work with fellow guitarist Duke Robillard happened decades after they’d met and first played…

  • 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

Larry McCray’s R&B-Blues Meld

July 15, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Rust Belt Veteran does “Arkansas” Larry McCray and his bodacious Custom Shop Flying V show us the hard-drivin’ guitar parts…

Eric Ambel’s New-Guitar Magic

June 27, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Producer/player’s experience may be like yours! Guitarist/producer Eric Ambel talks about how a guitar can inspire a new lick, which…

Robben Ford

Sky Above The Note

October 17, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

 The new album from Robben Ford is packed with beautiful music and the indelible ingredients that for decades have made…

Colin Linden

Bringing it Back Around

April 21, 2016 · John Heidt

Colin Linden’s Still Live is a step back to his first recording – a live album made three decades ago.…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Gibson’s Experimental Archtop

February 1, 2024 · George Gruhn

Orville Gibson invented the carved-top guitar in the 1890s, and his company refined the design with f-shaped sound holes in…

The Travis Bean TB1000S Standard

A Better Idea

April 14, 2020 · Michael Wright

Guitar history is littered with “better ideas,” some of which stayed around, went nowhere, or went somewhere before landing in…

 The Guitars of Gary Rossington 

A Legend’s Legacy

October 30, 2025 · Ward Meeker

When the time came for Gary Rossington’s family to decide what to do with his guitars and amps after his…

Gibson 1953 GA-40 Les Paul Model

Brown Sound

March 31, 2025 · Dave Hunter

Gibson landing Les Paul’s name on the headstock of its debut solidbody electric in 1952 was the biggest guitar-star endorsement…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Reddick Voyager CS

Mods Made Easy

May 13, 2024 · Rich Maloof

Exploring creative designs at his shop in Georgia, luthier Ian Reddick aimed to solve a common problem – how to…

Mojo Hand Octaverse

Reverse Gears

July 6, 2023 · Pete Prown

The Mojo Hand Octaverse is billed as a “dedicated reverse octave delay,” which is a mouthful, but accurate. It offers…

Railhammer Hyper Vintage Humbucker

Poles Apart

October 3, 2014 · Lisa Sharken

Railhammer Hyper Vintage Humbucker Price: $139 list / $89 direct Contact: railhammer.com Developed by Joe Naylor of Reverend Guitars, Railhammers…

The Pickaso Guitar Bow

Fiddle Stick 

October 15, 2021 · Pete Prown

Ever since Jimmy Page grabbed a bow for “Dazed and Confused,” players have tried to bridge the gap between guitars…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Heathkit TA-16 Starmaker

Basement Jams & Blown Speakers

October 29, 2025 · Dave Hunter

1966 Heathkit TA-16 Starmaker Combo The days when a kid would break out the soldering iron and take on a…

PureSalem Honey Bunny, Pink Beard, Attack Captain

Bring The Fuzz

December 27, 2017 · Chip Wilson

Remember your first fuzz pedal? Maybe, like a certain reviewer, you literally worked up a sweat trying to strike a…

Styx

Crash of the Crown

April 4, 2022 · Bret Adams

BreaBreaking While 2017’s concept album The Mission embraced progressive rock, the new Styx album has even higher ambitions. Returning to…

Joe Peña

Bad Breakups, Free Guitars

June 26, 2020 · John Heidt

“[My ’59 Les Pal Junior] sounds so good that whoever’s going to play the main part in a song plays…

Eric Krasno

Always

October 27, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

On his fourth full-length solo record, two-time Grammy winner Krasno continues to explore the subdivisions of blues, soul, funk, and…

Aaron Moreland

Where Zeppelin Meets Son House

June 9, 2015 · Dan Forte

Growing up in a small Kansas town, 38-year-old Aaron Moreland took up guitar at 15, and his first garage band…

Mike Zito

Reemerging with Resurrection

May 9, 2022 · Willie G. Moseley

It’s obvious why guitarist Mike Zito’s 2020 album was titled Quarantine Blues, but he’s compelled to clarify the reasoning behind…

Electro-Harmonix Synth9

Downright Synth-Ful

May 21, 2019 · Pete Prown

For 40 years, guitar synthesizers have come and gone, but the Electro-Harmonix Synth9 looks to be a game-changer for several…

Webster-Chicago RMA 375 Model 166-1

Grammy Winner

July 18, 2019 · Dave Hunter

Modified or repurposed amps generally don’t fit into our monthly discussion here, but some are representative enough of a certain…

Burlison & Sugg

Demon Eye, At Your Service

November 28, 2016 · Kathleen Johnson

Demon Eye mixes the best elements of ’70s hard rock and ’80s metal, and delivers the goods in tight, dark…

Hall of Fame – Players

February 11, 2017 · Vintage Guitar

From 1994 to the present — read about each Readers' Choice Awards Players.

Julian Lage

Jazz Memoir

September 1, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

The latest from Julian Lage contains mesmerizing originals featuring Bill Frisell’s supple artistry and Lage’s potent six-string imagery. View With…

Fender Blender

The Fender Blender

Extreme Fuzz

July 7, 2016 · Michael Dregni

When Robin Trower segued from his wah-driven blues-rock riffing into the slowed, deep-blues groove of the second half of his…

Molly Miller – top-flight instrumental rock, jazz, and twang

August 30, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Trio rips on “2 West” Instrumental guitar music is having a moment. Offering a stellar example, Molly Miller and her…

Martin Style 000-28K

February 13, 2023 · George Gruhn

During the 1920s and ’30s, Martin made a considerable number of guitars with bodies constructed of Hawaiian Koa wood. The…

The Eastman SB55

Little Devil

May 6, 2022 · Michael Dregni

When re-creating a classic, it’s all too easy to feel hidebound to the original – especially if it’s an icon.…

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…

Dave Gant’s Amp Collection

Key Collection: Nashville pro Dave Gant fosters an impressive gathering of amps

May 7, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Dave Gant grew up in Ada, Oklahoma, and while the city of 17,000 will never be confused with Memphis or…

Dan’s Guitar RX: Restoring a Vintage Jazz Bass

Mashed Fender

June 4, 2022 · Dan Erlewine

The owner of a ’62 Jazz Bass recently sent it to my shop for repair and renovation. He’d bought it…

Vox Real McCoy Chrome Wah Ltd and V846 Vintage Wah

Replica Treadles

May 8, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

Thanks to notable users ranging from Del Casher and Frank Zappa to Jimi Hendrix and Kirk Hammett, the “wah wah”…

Mark Lettieri

Can I Tell You Something?

August 13, 2025 · Pete Prown

The Snarky Puppy virtuoso delivers a set of crisp funk-fusion, touching on everything from Steely Dan jazzisms to an ’80s…

In Memoriam: John Regan

April 3, 2024 · Ward Meeker

John Regan, a songwriter, producer, and bassist who was a member of Peter Frampton’s band and Frehley’s Comet, died April…

Outlaws

Rising Tides

December 30, 2025 · Bret Adams

By the mid ’70s, Southern rock emerged as one of the most-exciting and successful genres in pop music, thanks to…

Letritia Kandle

and the Magnificent Grand Letar

February 11, 2014 · Deke Dickerson

Run down the list of early electric-guitar innovators and an all-male group typically comes to mind – Les Paul, Alvino…

Frank Zappa

Funky Nothingness

June 19, 2024 · Dan Forte

The stream of archival Zappa releases would be overkill if not for the fact that the quality remains excellent –…

Laur Joamets

Metamodern Sounds In Country Picking

March 2, 2017 · Michael Dregni

The time-worn, well-trodden path to Nashville traditionally starts from a Tennessee holler, Arkansas cabin, or Texas jook. For Laur Joamets…

John Lee Hooker

Mr. Boogie

December 30, 2016 · Pete Prown

John Lee Hooker was the bridge between country blues and electric blues, something elegantly captured during a 53-year career. The…

Don Latarski

Electrifying

November 13, 2023 · Pete Prown

Don Latarski is well-known in the Pacific Northwest as a player, author, teacher, and composer. His acoustic playing is revered,…

Tyler Morris

Have Guitar Will Travel – 036 Featuring Tyler Morris

October 7, 2020 · Art Department

The latest episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” features host James Patrick Regan speaking with Tyler Morris. They discuss what…