• 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 >>

Steve Lukather

Sun Shine

January 26, 2022 · Bret Adams

Steve Lukather has been a busy professional guitarist for 45 of his 63 years, as a founding member of Toto,…

Steve Earle

Hillbilly Highway

February 27, 2017 · Rich Kienzle

When Epic Records dropped Steve Earle in ’85 after a series of fiery but commercially unsuccessful recordings, Nashville was in…

Lonnie Mack

Strike Like Lightning

April 24, 2024 · Sean McDevitt

Lonnie Mack hadn’t released an album in eight years when this comeback effort arrived in January of 1985. His first…

KRAMER_PACER_HOME-MAIN-BIG

Kramer 84 and Pacer Vintage

Tap, Shred, Dive!

January 4, 2016 · Sean OBryan Smith

Kramer 84/Pacer Vintage Price: $1,166 (84); $1,267 (Pacer Vintage) Info: kramerguitars.com It’s hard to think of ’80s guitars as vintage,…

The Blues Will Set You Free

May 30, 2025 · Dan Forte

We’ve all heard of blues in bars, but what about blues behind bars? That’s what Paul Oscher had in mind…

Warner Hodges

Warner Hodges

In And Out of Scorcherland

February 24, 2016 · Ward Meeker

If your ear was at all tuned to “alt-country” (a.k.a. cowpunk) in the late ’80s or you were lucky enough…

  • 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

Sebastian Nagel’s Satisfying Funk

March 29, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Winston Brothers groove it up on “Drift” Sebastian Nagel and his band, The Winston Brothers, balance groove, melody, and space…

Jerron Paxton

Country-Blues Scholar

August 12, 2025 · Pete Prown

Hailing from Los Angeles, Jerron Paxton is a remarkable bluesman, able to conjure sounds of the rural, interwar South through…

Paul Quinn

Relentless Persistence

May 8, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

For Paul Quinn, music begins and ends with the blues. The soft-spoken guitarist began playing by listening to British blues…

Snarky Puppy’s Mark Lettieri

December 30, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Empire Central: Funky homage to Dallas Snarky Puppy guitarist Mark Lettieri took a minute at soundcheck to use his PRS…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Gibson GA-83S Stereo-Vib

Gibson GA-83S Stereo-Vib

March 16, 2016 · Dave Hunter

If you hung around the audio world’s collective R&D room long enough in the late 1950s and early ’60s, you’d…

National N-275

April 19, 2016 · George Gruhn

Gibson is widely known for its guitars, mandolins, and banjos, but many are unaware the company built instruments for nearly…

Gibson Humbucker

Crunchy, Clean Dirt

January 20, 2023 · Gil Hembree

Gibson and Fender may be the longstanding heavyweight rivals of the electric guitar game, but they have one very important…

Building a Studio

The Art of Home Recording

November 9, 2014 · Dave Hunter

VG will equip readers with the knowledge and skill to achieve professional-sounding home recordings. We guide you through the setup…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

WIDMAN_HOME-MAIN-BIG

Widman Set Neck

An Eye For Detail

December 30, 2013 · Zac Childs

Widman Set Neck Price: $3,900 Info: widmancustomelectrics.com. John Widman is a custom guitar builder whose artistic leanings began while he…

Roland Micro Cube

Mighty Mouse

November 4, 2013 · Pete Prown

Roland Micro Cube Price: $130 (street) Info: www.rolandus.com. Every once in a while you have to pinch yourself and thank…

Waterloo WL-14

Waterloo WL-14

Modern Johnson

February 16, 2016 · Chip Wilson

Waterloo WL-14 Price: $2,100, $1,890 (street) Contact: www.collingsguitars.com or www.waterlooguitars.com Robert Johnson slid into a photo booth, dangling a cigarette…

Home Feature Image

Ibanez PN1-NT

Parlor for Pennies

June 9, 2016 · Pete Prown

In recent years, the parlor guitar has exploded into popularity, reviving a 19th century instrument that was, as its name…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

NANCYWILSON

Nancy Wilson

Sister Act

March 13, 2015 · Will Kelly

After the release of the acclaimed Red Velvet Car in 2010, sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson and their band, Heart,…

Epiphone Zenith Fretted and Fretless Bass

New Groove Territory

March 3, 2014 · Sean OBryan Smith

For decades, guitar players have known the name Epiphone. Renowned for making great-sounding jazz boxes like the Zephyr and Emperor…

Robben Ford

Made To Last

July 5, 2018 · Oscar Jordan

When Robben Ford approaches traditional blues, he takes ownership, transporting it to new places. This latest five-song EP is no…

George Cotsirilos – Jazz Sans Cliché

December 14, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Deft work on an L-5 for “The Three Doves” George Cotsirilos grew up listening to Bloomfield, Hendrix, and Clapton, then…

Fender ’48 Dual Professional JB

Bring The Growl

March 20, 2024 · Brett Jochim

Among early Fender amps, the tweed Deluxe and Bassman garner the lion’s share of affection. But the first amp given…

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Tommie James

August 6, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Tommie James Season 01 Episode 05 In Episode 5 of “Buy That Guitar,”…

Lazy J Cruiser Deuce

Lazy J Cruiser Deuce

Revved Up

February 12, 2015 · Chip Wilson

Lazy J Cruiser Deuce Price: $420 Info: www.lazyjprojects.com. The Lazy J Cruiser Deuce is more complex than your classic stomp-and-go…

Ana Popovic

Power

February 8, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Blues-rock barnstormer Ana Popovic’s latest is about love, perseverance, strength, and survival. After rising victoriously from 14 cancer treatments in…

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Dave Hunter

December 3, 2025 · Ram W. Tuli

Season 03 Episode 07 In Episode 3.7 of Buy That Guitar, presented by Vintage Guitar magazine, host Ram Tuli is…

Jack White

December 30, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

These 26 recordings delve into the heart of the prolific song-smithing of Jack White, providing an eye-opening retrospective of B-sides…

Bex Marshall and her ’63 Hummingbird

August 26, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Family History Straight from the “Classics” feature in the August issue, here’s Bex Marshall playing the ’63 Gibson Hummingbird bought…

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…

Sarah Borges’ plays “Wasting My Time”

June 20, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Roots-rocker’s solo, essential take Sarah Borges grabbed her Stonetree Custom Roscoe Special for this take on “Wasting My Time,” from…

David Allen Bazooka Overdrive

David Allen Bazooka Overdrive

Ka-Boom!

February 10, 2016 · Chip Wilson

David Allen Bazooka Overdrive Price: $250 (list) Contact: www.dallenpickups.com An Internet search for “overdrive pedals” yields 1,610,000 hits, indicating a…

Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals

Magnificent Criminals

June 9, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

  The difference between Ben Harper and other contemporary blues-based artists is that Harper’s blues reflects the reality of his…

Happy Traum

Folk Guru: 1936-2024

June 25, 2025 · Dan Forte

On July 17, folk music lost one of its guiding lights with the death of Happy Traum at age 86.…

Christmas 1968

Vintage Guitar magazine Presents Greg Martin's Head Shop

December 24, 2016 · Greg Martin

This is a regular series of exclusive Vintage Guitar online articles where The Kentucky Headhunters’ Greg Martin looks back on…

Vivian Campbell

Back In Line

December 26, 2017 · Greg Prato

When singer Ronnie James Dio chose Belfast native Vivian Campbell to form Dio in 1982, the young guitarist was filling…

History of the Fender Bassman

High Times for Low-End

October 9, 2019 · Dave Hunter

If they could have just one amplifier, many guitarists – from bar-room grinders to arena megastars – would choose a…

Ace Frehley

July 6, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Ace is back – and he told you so! The former Kiss guitarist shares a buffet of the gems that…

Seymour Duncan Shape Shifter

Tremolo Transformed

December 27, 2017 · Rich Maloof

Tremolo is a simple effect: the amplitude, or volume, of an incoming signal is raised and lowered in pulsating waves.…

Walrus Audio Eons Five-State Fuzz

November 13, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Hot on the heels of its Ages Five-State Overdrive and Eras Five-State Distortion, Walrus Audio has unleashed the Eons Five-State…

Breedlove Pursuit Exotic S Concert Amber 12-String CE

Tonal Transcendence

October 12, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

In 1990, Steve Henderson and Larry Breedlove quit their day jobs at Taylor Guitars and moved to Oregon, where they…

Ty Tabor

On A Roll

December 26, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

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

Have Guitar Will Travel – 051 Featuring Greg V.

May 25, 2021 · James Patrick Regan

Guitarist Greg V. has backed songwriter Bonnie Hayes, Randy Jackson, Ronnie Montrose, drummer Buddy Miles, and stepped into a certain…

Robin Basses

Robin Basses

A Photo Retrospective

November 29, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

Alamo Music Products holds a unique place in the history of electric guitars and basses. The Houston-based company began its…

João Erbetta: Eclectic instrumentalist

October 30, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Five-guitar run on “Bubbles” João Erbetta’s all-instrumental album, “Los Angeles,” is eclectic and quirky. Here, the guitarist/banjoist/bassist/keyboardist/steel-guitarist plays five guitars…

Damon Fowler

Damon Fowler

Steamrolled

April 28, 2016 · John Heidt

Damon Fowler’s records have traditionally been eclectic conjugations of American music – rock, country, a little sacred steel, and lots…

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…