Washburn Paul Stanley PS2012 Time Traveler

Dressed to Kill

September 16, 2015 · Tom Guerra

Washburn Paul Stanley PS2012 Time Traveler Price: $8,665.33 (retail) Info: www.washburn.com . Inspired by Kiss co-founder Paul Stanley’s appreciation for…

Jimmy Bryant

Country-Jazz Virtuoso

September 23, 2019 · Wolf Marshall

When Leo Fender strode into a cowboy bar on the outskirts of Hollywood one day in 1950, he had no…

Fargen Pete Anderson Tumbleweed

Fargen Pete Anderson Tumbleweed

Box Full Of Country

January 15, 2016 · Zac Childs

Fargen Pete Anderson Tumbleweed Price: $299 (list) Info: www.fargenamps.com. Pete Anderson is a touring roots and country guitarist probably best…

Martin OM-28 Authentic 1931

Martin OM-28 Authentic 1931

Vintage Revolution

July 7, 2016 · Pete Prown

If you’ve ever played a fine vintage guitar, you know how two things jump out at you immediately: 1) they’re…

Peavey Forum

Peavey Forum Basses

Durable, Dependable

January 2, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

In his 2003 book, American Basses, author Jim Roberts noted that for all of Peavey’s innovative offerings in the 1990s,…

Joel Hoekstra

Joel Hoekstra

Busy Smilin’

January 28, 2016 · Bret Adams

When does Joel Hoekstra sleep? To say the always-smiling guitarist has a full plate is an understatement. For several years,…

  • 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

Graham Clise

Bay Area Blaster

March 11, 2019 · Kathleen Johnson

Graham Clise is one of the most-heralded underground rock guitarists of the past 15 years. A mashup of Chuck Berry,…

Samantha Fish

Blues Belle Stretches Out

July 9, 2019 · Dan Forte

In 2012, Samantha Fish’s Runaway was named Best Artist Debut at the Blues Music Awards. Known for her energetic blues-rock…

Ally Venable

Fire and Honey

March 7, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Ally Venable’s latest album, Real Gone, features excellent production, accessible songwriting, intense guitar playing, and guest spots by Joe Bonamassa…

BB King Vintage Guitar magazine main home

Remembering B.B. King

September 18, 2015 · Willie G. Moseley

Ed. Note: Everyone associated with Vintage Guitar magazine is saddened to learn of the passing of B.B. King. In 1995, Mr. King…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Epiphone 1968 Les Paul Prototype

Fraternal Twin

May 9, 2023 · Willie G. Moseley

Ted McCarty’s leadership at Gibson was highlighted by the introduction of top-shelf instruments created by knowledgable, intuitive designers and builders.…

Prodigal Sunburst

Joe Walsh Reunites with a ’59 Les Paul Standard

March 9, 2023 · Ward Meeker

A master of delivering crystal-clear musical messages with an off-kilter wit, whether talking, singing, picking, or sliding on guitar, everything…

McKinley James’ Blues

October 25, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

 Family Barn Jam! With his ’82 Gibson 335 running into a Headstrong Corduroy (20-watt/6V6) amp, McKinley James shares a…

Ghalia Volt’s Stompin’ slide!

December 27, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Belgium Born, Delta Fostered Brussels native Ghalia Volt moved to the U.S. in 2013 to busk in music-rich cities like…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Gibson ES-Les Paul

ES-Les Paul

F-hole with soul

May 3, 2016 · Pete Prown

ES-Les Paul Price: $2,799 to $3,199 (list) Contact: www.gibson.com Gibson’s latest version of the Les Paul isn’t the first with…

Fender Mustang II Amp

Practiced Past

December 27, 2017 · Pete Prown

When you check out an amp like the Fender Mustang II, you may wonder if the term “practice amp” still…

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…

Newman Guitars Lake Placid Blue

Portrait in Blue

July 5, 2018 · Rich Maloof

Excitement at the arrival of this offset beauty was dampened by the sad news that its creator had passed away…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Henriksen’s The Bud

This One’s For You

March 15, 2019 · Pete Prown

In theory, a big guitar amp should sound larger than a smaller one. Then there’s Henriksen’s The Bud. Based on…

Andy Timmons

Back to the Bread ’N Butter

March 15, 2019 · Willie G. Moseley

After a decade pushing his craft to new creative realms, Dallas-based guitarist Andy Timmons is once again purveying original instrumental…

Epiphone’s Masterbilt Century Deluxe Classic

The New Vintage

April 19, 2019 · Michael Dregni

Most vintage aficionados admire the grand old acoustic archtops of the 1920s and ’30s, but admire them from afar. They’re…

The Budda Twinmaster

Return of a Boutique Legend

September 26, 2013 · Zac Childs

In the early days of boutique-amp building, there were but a few contenders on the scene. One of the strongest…

Tomas Janzon

From Stockholm With Love

January 4, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

On Tomas Janzon’s Nomadic, the Stockholm transplant based in New York channels his inner Wes Montgomery to unveil fresh compositions…

Yamaha’s THR100HD Dual Amp

Double Vision

July 3, 2019 · Pete Prown

Modeling amps have evolved rapidly as software and circuits have improved and become, dare we say, more organic sounding. The…

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…

Jerry Douglas

Slide Ruler – Jerry Douglas’ Love Affair with the Dobro

October 8, 2015 · Michael Dregni

You know, it’s the coolest-looking instrument that ever was made!” It should come as no surprise that Jerry Douglas is…

Ana Patan’s funky “General Conspiracy”

October 26, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

“Live” from a Swedish forest From her home deep in a forest in Sweden, Ana Patan and her Framus Renegade…

Fender PM-2

Sitting-Room Savoir Faire

April 16, 2019 · Dennis Pernu

Once wildly popular among everyone from drawing-room dilettantes to road-hardened bluesmen shuffling the dusty byways, parlor-sized guitars fell out of…

Ray Gomez

A Time for Honor

March 2, 2017 · Tom Guerra

One of the hottest guitarists to emerge from the mid-’70s fusion scene was Ray Gomez, who first became known through…

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…

Steve Turner

The March To Fuzz

April 29, 2024 · Dennis Pernu

Thirty-five years after Steve Turner and Mudhoney became forever linked with two legendary pedals by coining their debut EP Superfuzz…

Dan Auerbach

Black Keys’ Road Map Back to Blues, British Rock

March 6, 2014 · Michael Dregni

Forget about the classic quartet. Forget the power trio. Forget any preconceived shortcomings you may have concerning a rock-and-roll duo.…

Eric Clapton

December 30, 2016 · Dan Forte

With Eric Clapton’s 2014 announcement that he would no longer tour, his tribute album to J.J. Cale the same year,…

Elite Acoustics EAE D6-8 Pro

Power-Packed

September 12, 2023 · Pete Prown

A knee-jerk first impression of the Elite Acoustics D6-8 Pro might be, “Dang, that is small.” But its one-foot cube…

Guild’s Starfire I DC GVT

Big Green Monster

March 30, 2022 · Bob Cianci

Guild’s Newark Street guitars are a line of lower-priced instruments anchored by a reissue of the classic Starfire; the most…

Axe-Calibur Guitar Stand

May 10, 2022 · Julian Burtell

While guitar stands are a dime a dozen, few bring a sense of style nice enough for the living room.…

Guild D-50 Standard

Rosewood Renaissance

August 28, 2024 · Michael Shirek

With a tradition going back more than 70 years, Guild Guitars was there from the beginning of rock and roll,…

McKinley James’ Blues

October 25, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

 Family Barn Jam! With his ’82 Gibson 335 running into a Headstrong Corduroy (20-watt/6V6) amp, McKinley James shares a…

Vince Gill & Paul Franklin

Sweet Memories: The Music of Ray Price and the Cherokee Cowboys

June 19, 2024 · Rich Kienzle

Ray Price (1926-2013) created a distinctive hard-country sound in the ’50s, combining his powerful vocals with the iconic Cherokee Cowboys,…

Universal Audio’s OX Amp Top Box

The Tube Abides

October 14, 2019 · Ray Wuolo

Since the mid ’60s, electrical engineers have been trying to drive a stake into the heart of the vacuum tube,…

John Sykes 1959-2024

Remembering a Heavy Hero

January 28, 2026 · Pete Prown

The guitar universe was rocked by John Sykes’ death from cancer, December 21 at age 65. Forty years ago, the…

Eric Clapton in Mayall’s Blues Breakers

A God is Born

October 30, 2024 · Wolf Marshall

John Mayall Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton casts a long shadow in the annals of modern music. Released in 1966,…

D’Angelico’s EX-DC and EX-SD

D’Elegance and Power

June 19, 2015 · Chip Wilson

D’Angelico’s EX-DC and EX-SD Price: $1,769 list/$1,259 street (EX-DC); $1,659 list/$1,185 street (EX-SD) Info: www.dangelicoguitars.com John D’Angelico produced just 1,164…

Nils Lofgren

Great American Journeyman

March 29, 2017 · Johnny Zapp

Nils Lofgren’s resumé stretches 47 years and counting. He joined Neil Young’s band at age 19 and was a member…

Kinga Glyk

Real-Life Bass

January 14, 2025 · Pete Prown

Like a tightrope walker, bassist Kinga Glyk finds a delicate balance between funk-fusion virtuosity and wicked, booty-moving grooves. Deploying her…

Bare Knuckle Pickups’ PAT Pend, Flat ’52, and Mule

Bruising Tones

March 24, 2014 · Tom Guerra

Bare Knuckle Pickups’ PAT Pend, Flat ’52, and Mule Price: $125-$340 Info: www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk. From the ever-expanding world of boutique pickups…

Seymour Duncan ’78 Model

Upscale Touch

June 26, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

In the late ’70s, rock guitarists fell down the rabbit hole trying to achieve more sustain, harmonics, and extra crunch…