• 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…

    Read more >>

Motörhead Bassist Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister Passes

1945-2015

December 29, 2015 · Willie G. Moseley

Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, founding bassist for the iconic heavy metal band Motörhead, died December 28, two days after reportedly being…

Gibson Kalamazoo Award

Designer's Dream Come True

February 1, 2016 · Gil Hembree

In 1978, Gibson craftsman Wilbur Fuller produced the company’s first hand-carved, tuned-by-ear custom guitar. The instrument, which in a blind…

Two Legendary Les Paul Deluxes

Southern Gold

April 24, 2019 · Willie G. Moseley

In the late 1960s, Gibson reintroduced the single-cutaway Les Paul based on its classic ’50s model. But, a new version…

The Yamaha THR10

Yamaha THR10

Practice Perfection?

August 19, 2014 · Phil Feser

Yamaha THR10 Price: $299 Contact: usa.yamaha.com. As a rule of thumb, practice amps are a compromise. Blissfully portable, they typically…

Home Feature Image

Gibson 1958-’60 Les Paul Standard

A ’Burst by Any Other Name…

June 9, 2016 · Ward Meeker

One Thousand, Seven Hundred and Twelve. That’s the number of Les Paul Standards Gibson produced between 1958 and 1960. Amongst guitar…

Tsakalis Experience, Emma ON-1 Okto-Nøjs, and Mad Professor Twimble

World Sounds

July 3, 2019 · Pete Prown

It seems that every other stompbox on the market has dual-footswitch functionality, packing two entirely different circuits into one housing.…

  • 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,…

    Read more >>

NOW AVAILABLE!

CURRENT ISSUE

Join 25,700+ subscribers & be notified when new articles & more becomes available!

ARTISTS

Dad’s Day 2021

VG’s Annual Salute to Fathers Who Inspire

March 7, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Marty Ashby’s very musical family has been playing together since he was a little kid. Here’s a shot of them…

Lloyd Loar

An Alternative View

May 21, 2019 · George Gruhn

The Master Model instruments created at Gibson in the early 1920s are famous for their sound and build. Credit for…

Pop ’N Hiss: Vanilla Fudge’s Near The Beginning

Proto-Prog Tour De Force

February 4, 2022 · Willie G. Moseley

Rock fans recall the New York quartet Vanilla Fudge for its dramatic reworkings of pop hits; the band melded classical…

Albert King’s THC Flying V

Coterie Complete

January 2, 2026 · Willie G. Moseley

Robert Johnson has been a fixture in the vintage-guitar community for more than a half-century. As a player and music…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Fender 
Telecaster Thinline

Weight-Loss Trial

July 22, 2019 · George Gruhn

Born in turbulent times on the downslope of the “guitar boom,” Fender’s Telecaster Thinline has always existed in the shadow…

David Hidalgo Plays Joe Walsh’s ’59 Les Paul

June 29, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

 David Hidalgo Plays Joe Walsh’s ’59 Les Paul The video that helped convince Joe Walsh to reunite with his…

Classics: January 2022

Sam Ash’s Early PRSs

September 1, 2022 · Ward Meeker

Sammy Ash first laid eyes on a PRS guitar in the early ’80s, after catching a glimpse of one in…

Classics: Norman Harris

Rare Pioneer

January 30, 2026 · Ward Meeker

As a teenager who just wanted to play music, Norm Harris lived with the reality that he and his band…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Orange Super Crush 100 Head

Convincing Crunch

March 13, 2023 · Charlie Wilkins

When speaking of guitar amplifiers that have become part of rock-and-roll lore, you best mention the iconic Orange brand as…

Analog Man BC183 Sun Face

Here Comes the (Black Hole) Sun

April 15, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

Analog Man BC183 Sun Face Price: $185 Contact: www.analogman.com Mike Piera has been building his line of stomp boxes bearing…

Fender’s 60th Anniversary Jazz Bass

Golden-Era Glory

February 7, 2022 · Michael Shirek

Though it looks to be straight from a ’60s catalog, Fender’s 60th Anniversary Jazz Bass isn’t a true reissue. Rather,…

Prestige Heritage Premier P90 FM NAT

Liberating the P-90

November 29, 2016 · Bob Dragich

Approach longtime players with a (yet another) single-cut/single-coil solidbody, and you may find it tough to get their attention. But,…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

The Story of Melobar

Stand-Up Steel

October 4, 2022 · Willie G. Moseley

Born in Northern California in 1920, Walt Smith took piano lessons and became a child prodigy on several instruments before…

Mark St. John

The Lost Kiss Interview

March 13, 2024 · Pete Prown

With the release of Kiss’ recent live album, Off The Soundboard: Poughkeepsie, New York, 1984, fans hear one of precious…

The JangleBox J-Boost

Seamless Sheen

March 5, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Twelve years ago, Janglebox founder Steve Lasko set out to create effects pedals that capture the sparkling clean chime made…

Heritage Guitars’ H-157W

Turnkey Head-Turner

April 16, 2019 · Zac Childs

In 1985, Heritage Guitars took over a certain factory space at 225 Parsons Street in Kalamazoo, Michigan, after the former…

The Audiovox 736 Electric Bass and 936 Amp

Rare Pair

August 12, 2022 · Peter Blecha

Eight decades ago, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer revealed the story of Paul H. Tutmarc debuting his latest invention – a solidbody…

TC Electronic Spark

Booster Shot

June 12, 2023 · Pete Prown

Everyone’s guitar tone sometimes needs a little assistance, especially playing with a band. To the rescue comes the TC Electronic…

Fender American Vintage II 1954 Precision Bass

Ageless Anchor

August 4, 2024 · Michael Shirek

It wasn’t literally the first electric bass, but Fender’s Precision was the genesis of the instrument the world knows today.…

Bob Devos

Update on the Organ Trio

June 9, 2020 · John Heidt

Bob Devos says the idea for his new record, Shifting Sands, was pretty basic. “I wanted to record something that…

Premier Twin 12

February 5, 2016 · Dave Hunter

Sometimes it takes just the slightest aesthetic twist to get an amp nut all worked up. This 1960 Premier Twin…

Collection of Jonathan Kellerman

May 11, 2014 · George Gruhn

Talent for mysteries, passion for guitars, best-selling Novelist Jonathan Kellerman is a lifelong lover of the guitar. A player for…

Supercool “800,” The Thneed, and ’77 Fuzz Blender

Hip Sounds

October 28, 2024 · Pete Prown

Supercool Pedals is a Canadian company that makes stompboxes that sound hip and look seriously groovy. Among its offerings is…

Beyond the Parlor Part Three: Women

Beyond the Parlor

Part Three: Women

December 28, 2015 · Tim Brookes

Ed. Note: In the final installment in his series on the guitar in 19-century America, Tim Brookes offers a study of several…

Rick Vito – Cadillac Man

July 25, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Rick Vito – Cadillac Man Make sure to check out Rick Vito’s latest album “Cadillac Man” available now at Blue…

Fretprints: Billy Bean

Missing Link of Modern Jazz Guitar

August 1, 2022 · Wolf Marshall

The rediscovery of a missing link is cause for celebration in any field – historic, scientific, or musical. In modern…

John Notto

Dirty Deeds

March 30, 2022 · Greg Prato

The “Is rock dead?” debate rears its head every few years. But with the emergence of new bands like Dirty…

Keith Urban

Down-Under Uber-Picker

March 30, 2010 · Zac Childs

For a guy born in New Zealand and reared in Australia, Keith Urban certainly knows how to grab the attention…

Name that Twang

The Guild-Duane Eddy Connection

May 2, 2024 · Peter Stuart Kohman

The fledgling Guild company scored a coup when it signed Johnny Smith to an endorsement deal in 1956. Perched atop…

Grant Geissman

Grant Geissman

Jazz-Rock Renaissance

July 8, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

’70s culture may have provided a target-rich environment for parodied depictions of giant Afros, bell-bottom jeans, and Saturday Night Fever,…

Danelectro ’59 Resonator

Book This Dano

July 5, 2018 · Chip Wilson

While guitar enthusiasts expend a lot of brain power waxing poetic about tonewoods, for many VG readers of a certain…

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…

Echopark Ghetto Bird

Sweet Emotion

February 3, 2014 · Pete Prown

Echopark Ghetto Bird Price: $6,800 (as reviewed) Contact: www.echoparkguitars.com You know you’re holding something special when the guy who previously…

The Dantzig Tulsa Korina

The New Vintage

March 13, 2019 · Tom Guerra

Legendary luthier Jol Dantzig’s “Team Built” lineup comprises guitars handcrafted by a small group of artisans under his direction. One…

Teisco Del Rey Basses

’60s Egalitarianism from Japan

July 13, 2015 · Willie G. Moseley

Teisco Del Rey basses from the 1960s are exemplary of the Japanese-made instruments that swept into the American market like…

Have Guitar Will Travel – Featuring 001 Billy Rowe

May 13, 2019 · James Patrick Regan

Billy Rowe is the guitarist/co-founder of Jetboy, which rose to prominence in the mid ’80s while touring with some of…

Paul Gilbert

The Joy of Destruction

November 4, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

We’ve all been there; cruising along in the car, minding our business, soaking in cool guitar tunes when another driver…

Dan Hawkins

Toast of the Town

December 8, 2025 · Bret Adams

When The Darkness roared out of England with its 2003 debut Permission to Land and the hit “I Believe in…

Looking for the Magic: American Power Pop in the Seventies

Various artists

October 8, 2024 · Pete Prown

Power pop is a concoction of teen-themed vocals, a relentless beat, and wild, joyous guitars. With 74 tracks, this box…

Classics: Steve Kimock 1968 Goldstop

January 3, 2025 · Ward Meeker

It was a moment when the angels did sing. Wanting to chat with his de facto big brother, one fateful…

Ian Hunter

Defying the Odds

January 31, 2024 · Tom Guerra

Taking advantage of the time off in the early days of the pandemic, Ian Hunter hunkered down in his Connecticut…