IK Multimedia iRig HD

Pocket Rocket

March 2, 2017 · Pete Prown

Ain’t technology grand? With a device like the iRig HD, you can plug your guitar into an iPhone, iPad, or…

Mu-FX Phasor 2X

Next Phase

July 10, 2019 · Michael Dregni

Mastermind effects mad scientist Mike Beigel is back with another re-creation of a classic Musitronics effect. The Mu-FX Phasor 2X…

Tony MacAlpine

Post-Modern Neo-Classical

May 7, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

If you’re going to play neo-classical guitar, nothing beats having a conservatory education. Guitarist Tony MacAlpine has that and is…

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…

Vega Model 120

April 4, 2017 · Dave Hunter

Viewed from our contemporary perspective, it’s difficult to fully appreciate how different the music scene in general – and the…

 Jason Isbell

New Vistas, Old Gear

January 2, 2026 · Rich Kienzle

Jason Isbell’s powerful songs, compelling vocals, and formidable guitar skills have made him one of America’s most-respected singer/songwriters. A charismatic…

  •  VG Q&A: Harmony History

     VG Q&A: Harmony History

    And an Archtop Mystery

    I recently received two guitars as gifts and am trying to learn more about them. The first is a Harmony I believe is from the early ’70s. Its serial number…

    Read more >>

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ARTISTS

Keith Nelson

Keith Nelson

Buckcherry Gear Jammer

June 21, 2016 · Ward Meeker

Over the last few years, Buckcherry has offered a lot of music to fans – online via its monthly Singles…

Marty Friedman

Marty Friedman

En Fuego on Inferno!

November 12, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

As he gears up for a co-headlining tour with Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Gus G., Marty Friedman has 13 solo albums…

Steve Hill

One-Man Band

December 14, 2023 · Pete Prown

Canadian guitarist Steve Hill is a flat-out rocker, smashing blues into rock and roll with terrifying force, as heard on…

Ray Cummins

Pal of Chet, Friend of Les

March 29, 2017 · Jim Carlton

Chester and Lester were enamored of his talent. Moreover, they called Ray Cummins a friend, and his journey includes turning…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Mark Lettieri’s funky finesse

January 2, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

Virtuoso take on “Greenspace” Stepping out from his band, Snarky Puppy, Mark Lettieri exhibits the finesse, funk, and fury that…

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The Gretsch Round-Up

May 11, 2016 · Jim Hilmar

In 1954, what could possibly be more “contemporary Western” than a Gretsch Round-Up? Introduced in 1954, the Round-Up (listed in…

Bell 30 RV Stereo-Reverb Combo

Accordion to Plan

August 5, 2022 · Dave Hunter

1961 Bell 30 RV Stereo-Reverb • Preamp tubes: three 6EU7, one 7199, one 12AU7, one 12AX7 • Output tubes: four…

The Collins Kids

Mostly-Moseley Memories

January 8, 2024 · Willie G. Moseley

Siblings Lorrie and Larry Collins sprang into the public eye in the mid 1950s – dawn of the television era…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Fralin’s Wide-Range Humbucker

July 22, 2019 · Pete Prown

Gibson and Fender have a long history of influencing each other’s designs. When hard rock and warm, jazzier textures were…

Gibson’s “Non-Reverse” ’Birds

September 25, 2013 · Willie G. Moseley

In the ’60s, Gibson strived mightily to meet the demands of players of all levels while also working to maintain…

Korg Nuvibe

Korg Nuvibe

Big Box

February 12, 2015 · Rich Maloof

Korg Nuvibe Price: $499.99 (street) Contact: www.korg.com Korg is not known as a guitar company, but to their great credit…

3rd Power Amplification’s Solo Dream 1, Solo Dream 4, and Switchback 112

Dream Babies

December 26, 2013 · Zac Childs

Recording/touring guitarist, studio engineer, and industry veteran Jamie Scott made the metamorphosis into amp designer by learning to repair and…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Bobby Black

Steel Before and After Commander Cody

October 19, 2015 · Rich Kienzle

When he got the invitation, Bobby Black wasn’t sure. The pedal-steel virtuoso, a 20-plus-year veteran of San Francisco’s music scene,…

Midge Ure

Midge Ure

Many Facets and Musical Stylings

February 28, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

Humanitarian, activist, guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Midge Ure has been a vital performer since the ’70s. Former guitarist/vocalist for Ultravox,…

Jack Casady

Hot Tuna, Part II

January 8, 2012 · Dan Forte

Jazz bass great Anthony Jackson once told Bass Player magazine he was drawn to Jack Casady’s “big, rich, metallic sound…

Danelectro Doubleneck

Twice the Tone

May 30, 2025 · Pete Prown

  Jimmy Page. Don Felder. Even Elvis Presley. In fact, who amongst us hasn’t drooled over a 6/12 doubleneck at…

Tony Gilkyson: Country-Rocker, Punk

January 24, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Tasty licks On A Vintage Kay An alumnus of country-rock’s Lone Justice and punk-rockers X, Tony Gilkyson plugged his vintage…

Billy Strings

Live, Volume 1

August 13, 2025 · Rich Kienzle

Billy Strings has travelled far from his days as bluegrass flatpicking prodigy, though that style remains a linchpin of his…

Dano Redux

A Look at Everyone's First Electric Guitar

May 25, 2021 · Eric C. Shoaf

In his book, Neptune Bound: The Ultimate Danelectro Guide, author Doug Tulloch charts the adventures of Nat Daniel as he…

Vahdah Olcott-Bickford and the Martin Style 00-44G

Special Signature

March 10, 2023 · Walter Carter

Of the nearly 200 artists who have been granted a “signature” Martin guitar, only one was given their own style…

Gretsch 7680 Super Axe

December 6, 2021 · Michael Wright

Most of us are – or should be – aware of the enormous contributions of the late Chet Atkins, the…

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Singular Sound BeatBuddy

Drums Even You Can Play

May 6, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Everyone knows a good drummer joke. Or two. Drummers are indeed a special breed. Singular Sound’s BeatBuddy drum-machine pedal, however,…

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,…

Fretprints: Tony Rice

Newgrass Fusion Master

February 4, 2022 · Wolf Marshall

The world lost one of its most innovative and defining guitar voices on December 25, 2020. Bluegrass maestro Tony Rice…

Spacey T

Spacey T

Eclectic Journeyman

June 21, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Tracey Singleton, better known as Spacey T, is a post-Hendrix guitar wizard with an eclectic soul and chops to match.…

Scott Metzger

Scott Metzger

Spontaneous Composition

July 7, 2016 · John Heidt

“We started as three side men scheduled to back a singer who was a no-show at this bar in Brooklyn,”…

Jeremy Popoff

Gettin’ Lit Again

March 6, 2023 · Pete Prown

After the gloom of grunge, the late ’90s saw a surge of energetic sounds, mixing hard rock, pop, and punk…

Joe Osborn photo: Ed Hirsch.

Joe Osborn

A Few (Hundred) Hits

July 8, 2004 · Vintage Guitar

Ed. Note: Joe passed away December 14th, 2018, he was 81. Joe Osborn. His face has never been on a…

Peekamoose Model 3

Modern Retro

August 9, 2016 · Pete Prown

There’s no shortage of cool, retro-looking solidbodies on the market today, from the big guys as well as the increasing…

Check This Action: Back Aboard

May 1, 2023 · Dan Forte

Despite (or because of) the huge Folk Boom of the late ’50s and early ’60s, these days “folk” is almost…

Gibson L-5S Ron Wood Signature

Serious Lumber

January 25, 2017 · Bob Dragich

In 1972, Gibson introduced the L-5S as a smaller, thinner solidbody version of its L-5 hollowbody. Most mistook it for…

Airline Bojotar

Airline Bojotar

Hybrid G-String Machine

July 6, 2016 · Chip Wilson

There’s something about the Airline Bojotar that makes one ask, “What if Keef had added a high-G banjo string to…

Duke Levine

Bonnie’s New Guitar Man

April 27, 2023 · Bob Dragich

After 29 years on the road, Bonnie Raitt guitarist George Marinelli decided to take a break. Stepping into the role…

Gibson Custom Colors in the 1960s

Burning Embers, Chilled Whites

January 11, 2017 · Andre R. Duchossoir

Unlike its rival from the West Coast, Gibson did not readily embrace the concept of offering custom-color finishes. It wasn’t…

The Gibson ES-5

Instrument Profile

June 10, 2020 · George Gruhn

Gibson, like all American guitarmakers, had to shut down electric guitar production for three years during World War II. But…

Aaron Eisenberg

Tonal Dedication

March 4, 2019 · Johnny Zapp

L.A.-based rockers The Soft White Sixties prove you don’t have to be old to be classic. Originally from San Francisco,…

Movie Star, Rancher

Mid-’50s Muse of Wire and Wood

January 5, 2015 · Ward Meeker

In the years immediately after World War II, Americans were settling into a new way of life, and plunging headlong…

The DryBell Vibe Machine V-2

Catch A Wave

March 13, 2019 · Yoel Kreisler

DryBell is renowned for one of the most authentic and pedalboard-friendly Uni-Vibe recreations on the market. Five years after launching…

Gibson Super 400 PN

January 27, 2014 · George Gruhn

The Gibson Super 400 Premiere cutaway acoustic first appeared in Gibson literature in the 1940 catalog, on a page showing…

Alternative ’60s Club Classics

Amps Beyond the Everyday

August 26, 2025 · Dave Hunter

The “club amp” has been a perpetual best-seller since the dawn of guitar amplification, and several big-name ’60s models are…

Fretprints: The Beatles’ Revolver

Sonic Floodgates

January 14, 2025 · Wolf Marshall

If any rock album can be labeled “groundbreaking,” it’s the Beatles’ Revolver. A sweepingly innovative masterpiece, it divides the ’60s…