Paul Benjaman: Tulsa twanger

August 27, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Funky solo from “Undercover of Night” On his new album, “My Bad Side Wants a Good Time,” Paul Benjaman serves…

Check This Action: Feeling Jazzy

July 2, 2025 · Dan Forte

Jazz guitar is one of my main loves, whether it’s Eddie Lang’s work with Bing Crosby in the early ’30s…

Fender Custom Shop Marks 30 Years

Dream Makers

May 9, 2019 · Vaughn Skow

In “official” terms, the Fender Custom Shop opened in 1987. But its story actually began February 1, 1985 – the…

Michael Nesmith

Infinite Tuesday: Autobiographical Riffs

May 26, 2017 · Pete Prown

Aside from being in the Monkees, Mike Nesmith was a talented songwriter and key contributor to the birth of country-rock.…

2023 April Issue on Spotify

April 4, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

This month we feature Marty Stuart, Steve Vai, Sunny War, Merle Travis Bio, Kansas’ Leftoverture, Gary Moore, Big Bill Broonzy,…

Alex Lifeson

Fresh Sonic Horizons

March 10, 2023 · Bret Adams

What do you do when you’re the beloved guitarist in a legendary band whose career was ended by the premature…

  • Carr Skylark Special 1×12

    Carr Skylark Special 1×12

    Take Flight

    Arriving a little more than 10 years after the original Skylark, Carr Amplifiers’ new Skylark Special adds versatility and enhanced tonal depths to squeeze a lot more into this diminutive…

    Read more >>

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ARTISTS

Robert Randolph

Soul Power

March 12, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

“I wasn’t really a Coltrane fan, but when I heard Kind Of Blue I was like, ‘Hell, as long as…

Dewa Budjana

Dewa Budjana

Fusion/Progressive/World Music from Indonesia

January 24, 2015 · Willie G. Moseley

Back home in Bali, Indonesia, guitarist Dewa Budjana is noted for his work with the pop band Gigi, but recently,…

Allen Hinds

Flowing

November 7, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

On The Good Fight, guitarist Allen Hinds finds the sweet spot between melodic fusion and good, earthy music for the…

John Abercrombie

1944-2017

May 9, 2019 · Pete Prown

After a lengthy illness, jazz guitarist John Abercrombie died August 22 at a hospital outside Peekskill, New York. He was…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Saga of Ted Newman Jones

A Guitar for Mr. Richards

The Saga of Ted Newman Jones

July 7, 2016 · Ward Meeker

For anyone who visited the tiny workshop inhabited by guitar builder Ted Newman Jones in the 1970s and ’80s, two…

The Clark Gainster

Trick Your Tweed

June 10, 2020 · Art Department

Before he got into the effects pedal biz, Michael Clark had a reputation for building killer tweed-inspired amps. In 2001…

Gibson’s “Non-Reverse” Firebirds

When Down Was Up

February 4, 2024 · Peter Stuart Kohman

Some guitars get no respect, at least historically. At the dawn of the ’70s, Gibson’s original (1963-’65) Firebirds were already…

Ted Newman Jones’ West-Texas Guitars

Melodious Coterie

June 10, 2022 · Ward Meeker

Boxcars Among the vast papers, drawings, photographs, and tapes at Texas Tech’s Crossroads of Music Archive is a guitar beloved…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

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…

MOD Kits DIY 102+ Amp Kit

Do It Yerself

July 13, 2016 · Ray Wuolo

A good friend jokingly remarked that building tube amps is the legal equivalent of taking opiates – instantly gratifying yet…

Peavey VYPYR X2

Small Wonder

July 6, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Continuing its decades-long innovative streak, Peavey’s VYPYR X2 Guitar Modeling Amp brings modern styling, a new open-back cabinet, and re-tooled…

PRS Silver Sky

Stratospheric

October 14, 2019 · Pete Prown

Paul Reed Smith has for years experimented with Leo-inspired concepts, and his newest guitar, conceived in collaboration with rocker John…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Gretsch’s G6128T-CLFG Cliff Gallup Signature Duo Jet

Tip Of The (Blue) Cap

March 15, 2019 · Michael Dregni

Hot dog! Gretsch has long dreamed of issuing a Cliff Gallup signature guitar, but the stars never quite aligned –…

The Legendary Tones Lynch Mod

No-mod Hot Rod

April 5, 2022 · Tom Guerra

Designed for guitarist George Lynch, the Lynch Mod introduces an additional, non-permanent gain stage to the classic Marshall circuit. The…

Home Feature Image

Cast Engineering Texas Flood OD

Bring On The SRV

June 9, 2016 · Rich Maloof

Tube Screamers, those famed overdrives from Ibanez, have been screaming off the shelves ever since guitarists first learned the little…

Check This Action: Monumental Treasures

January 9, 2025 · Dan Forte

One of my favorite gospel albums has the mouthful title An Evening With Rev. Louis Overstreet, His Guitar, His Four…

Fishman’s Fluence Greg Koch Gristle-Tone P90

A Quiet Place

June 15, 2022 · Pete Prown

With the miracle of micro-electronics, you can pack a massive amount of tone into a tight space. Case in point:…

Tom Teaches the Blues!

Win a $2,100 Waterloo WL-14L!

July 7, 2017 · Tom Feldmann

 Vintage Guitar is teaming with Collings Guitars and Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop to present an exclusive eight-part series on…

Emma Electronic DiscumBOBulator V.2 & Big Joe Powerbox Lithium

Envelope Pushed

July 23, 2019 · Pete Prown

Scandinavia may not be the first corner of the globe that comes to mind when one ponders classic funk tones.…

John Sebastian & Arlen Roth

Reimagine the Lovin’ Spoonful

February 6, 2023 · Dan Forte

In the ’60s, the Lovin’ Spoonful boasted one of the most impressive song catalogs in rock and roll. During the…

The Bass That Waited

Rickenbacker’s Early 4000 and 4001

April 29, 2021 · Peter Stuart Kohman

In the January and February installments, we looked at Gibson’s Thunderbird, an instrument condemned by its maker to a quick…

Deke Dickerson

Making Merle’s Memoir

December 14, 2023 · Ward Meeker

From the day he first picked up a guitar at 13, Deke Dickerson honed in on guitarists like Chuck Berry,…

deLisle Nickel Box

deLisle Nickel Box

A Nickel For Your Chops

April 12, 2016 · Bob Dragich

deLisle Nickel Box Price: $609 (list); $729 (as tested) Info: www.delisleguitar.com Low-watt amplifiers have enjoyed a run of popularity. Offering…

Allen Amplification Hot Blond 1×15 Combo

Some Like It Hot

December 27, 2017 · Ray Wuolo

In the story of the Fender amp – after the tweedy pre-Army Elvis and before the black-face Deluxe British blues…

Radial Tonebone Shotgun and Mix-Blender

Swiss-Army Stompboxes

July 9, 2018 · Tom Guerra

Whether it’s due to shrinking pedalboard real estate, shrinking discretionary budgets, or both, stompboxes that serve more than one function…

Martin 00-28 Modern Deluxe

Contemporary Vintage

June 29, 2023 · Pete Prown

Not every acoustic needs to blow the walls out with volume and projection; there are critical styles of guitar that…

Sovtek MIG-50

Curtain Call

February 4, 2022 · Dave Hunter

Given their development in the twilight years of the U.S.S.R. and arrival at the fall of the Iron Curtain, it…

A Master’s Pallet

George Fullerton’s Fender Jazzmaster

A Master's Pallet

March 20, 2015 · George Gruhn

This Jazzmaster is an interesting example of what went on behind the scenes at the Fender factory with the research…

Matchless Superchief 120

May 30, 2017 · Dave Hunter

A maker at the forefront of the “boutique amp” movement, Matchless is known for its Class-A designs – that is,…

Paul Nelson

Sideman Steps Out

February 27, 2018 · Willie G. Moseley

Manhattan native Paul Nelson has been influenced by many great guitarists – some of whom gave him lessons, gigs, and/or…

Roine Stolt

Progressive Double-Duty

February 3, 2022 · Pete Prown

If you want to see a hard-working guitar ace, look no further than Roine Stolt, who has been going non-stop…

The Marcus King Band

December 30, 2016 · John Heidt

It’s easy to see why Warren Haynes has so much respect for young Marcus King. The 20-year-old guitarist, vocalist, and…

Volt Electrics #004 Reverse

Mirror Image

April 16, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

From Johnny Winter and Stephen Stills to Scott Holiday, the Firebird has been turning heads since the early ’60s. Builders…

Derek St. Holmes

Nuge Redux

January 7, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

Singer/guitarist Derek St. Holmes’ relationship with guitarist Ted Nugent has had its ups and downs. The two have been associated…

Visual Sound’s H20 V3 Liquid Chorus & Echo and VS-XO Premium Dual Overdrive

Visual Sound’s H20 V3 Liquid Chorus & Echo and VS-XO Premium Dual Overdrive

A Step Further

July 29, 2015 · Sean OBryan Smith

Visual Sound’s H20 V3 Liquid Chorus & Echo and VS-XO Premium Dual Overdrive Price: H20 V3 $199 (list); VS-XO $199…

Supro’s Dual-Tone 1624T, Coronado 1690T

Supro’s Dual-Tone 1624T, Coronado 1690T

1964 All Over Again

January 24, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Supro’s Dual-Tone 1624T, Coronado 1690T Price: $1,595 (Dual-Tone[LEFT]); $1,795 (Coronado) Contact: www.suprousa.com If there was a time machine handy to…

Carl Martin’s Roadie Bandmate 15

Tone-Rich Traits

May 21, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Denmark’s Carl Martin has built a following with its PlexiTone series of overdrives and effects pedals used by stars the…

Eric Lindberg

December 8, 2025 · Rich Kienzle

“I’m always trying to do things I haven’t done before,” says guitarist/banjoist Eric Lindberg, who has toured and recorded for…

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…

Brennen Leigh’s Heart-Tugging Honky-Tonk

September 5, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Shades of Norman Blake and Dolly Parton A student of the “Carter Scratch” guitar technique – melody on the low…

Buddy Whittington

Guitar-Lover’s Smorgasbord

May 20, 2021 · Willie G. Moseley

Though his status as a member of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers has changed since VG last talked to him, guitarist Buddy…