Vega Director Model A-60

Enticing Extras

April 15, 2019 · Dave Hunter

A worthy vintage combo in all regards, there’s sad irony in the fact the Director Model A-60 is representative of…

Leslie West

Still Climbing

May 7, 2014 · John Heidt

Upon first viewing you’ll notice that The Sound and the Story is different. The new video from guitarist Leslie West…

The Peavey HP2

Best Of Both Worlds

February 9, 2022 · Pete Prown

Introduced in 1996, the EVH Wolfgang was an evolution of Eddie Van Halen’s previous models from Music Man, Kramer, and…

Keeley Electronics Loomer

Tone Weaver

October 12, 2022 · Tom Guerra

As effects pedals proliferate, so do multifunction boxes. Case in point: Keeley Electronics’ Loomer, combining three reverbs with a raging…

Thinkin’ Thin

Heroes of the Semi-Hollow

November 30, 2016 · Pete Prown

The semi-hollowbody electric guitar is one of the most revered axes in the plugged-in universe, offering the playability of a…

John Pizzarelli

From Stage to Seven-String

April 28, 2024 · John Heidt

The John Pizzarelli Trio is back on the road supporting its latest album, Stage and Screen. Joined by Isaiah J.…

  •  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

Mary Kaye

Beyond the Stratocaster Connection

January 6, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

Most informed guitar enthusiasts associate veteran “lounge” guitarist Mary Kaye with the unique ’50s Fender Stratocaster model (blond finish, gold…

Christopher Thorn

Alt-Rocker/Studio Guru

June 14, 2022 · Greg Prato

Best known as half of the guitar tandem in the ’90s alternative-rock band Blind Melon (that’s his rhythm on “No…

Buck Owens and The Buckaroos

“A Bunch of Twangy Guitars”

February 12, 2014 · Rich Kienzle

Buck Owens’ track to stardom had an unorthodox start and believe it or not, his singing didn’t launch that journey…

John 5

In the Hands

November 2, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

On his latest album, John 5 stays true to himself as he dips into his famous bag of Tele tricks…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Heil Talk Box

January 7, 2016 · Michael Dregni

When Peter Frampton began using the Heil Talk Box in 1974, he remembers it being viewed with skepticism as an…

Gizmotron

Most Bizarre Guitar Effect of All Time?

March 18, 2015 · Michael Dregni

Led Zeppelin’s final studio album, 1979’s In Through The Out Door, opens with an eerie, otherworldly drone that weaves and…

Duane Eddy

Of DeArmonds and Details

May 2, 2024 · Willie G. Moseley

(Ed. Note: Duane Eddy was featured in the June ’95 issue of VG, following the release of his Twang Thang…

Hofner 185

April 14, 2016 · Peter Stuart Kohman

Have you heard the line, “If Hendrix had a Magnatone, Strats would be worth $200 now?” A highly debatable proposition,…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Electro-Harmonix Epitome, Tone Tattoo

Tone to the Third Squared

December 16, 2014 · Pete Prown

The Electro-Harmonix Epitome, Tone Tattoo Price: $491.84 list (Epitome) and $292.35 list (Tone Tattoo) Info: www.ehx.com The concept is smart…

Setting Up Effects

Certain Guidelines Apply to a Signal Chain, But Your Ears Are the Ultimate Judge

June 2, 2015 · Lisa Sharken

One question frequently asked by guitar players is how to set up effects and arrange them in a 
proper signal…

Dogu Custom Electric Guitars’ MOS-01

Dogu Custom Electric Guitars’ MOS-01

This Old Strat

October 2, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Dogu Custom Electric Guitars’ MOS-01 Price: $2,200 (list) Contact: www.actionfigurestudios.com Improving upon classic designs is a consistent theme in the…

Reverend’s Rick Vito Signature Soul Shaker

Built For Speed

October 15, 2021 · Pete Prown

Blues-/roots-rocker Rick Vito knows what he wants from a guitar, and the Reverend Soul Shaker is proof. An art deco-inspired…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Ray Cummins – Guitar Tutorial 5

Ray Cummins – Guitar Tutorial #5

June 27, 2018 · Ray Cummins

In his fifth exclusive lesson for www.VintageGuitar.com, Ray Cummins demonstrates and explains his use of harmonics on Gibson Country Gentleman plugged into…

Supro’s 600R DeLuxe

Supro’s 600R DeLuxe

“The Magic of Concert Hall Sound”

January 23, 2017 · Michael Dregni

In the early days of reverb, no one was thinking about surf music; they were striving instead to replicate the…

Keeley Electronics Compressor Mini

The Tighten-Up

November 9, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

One entry in Keeley’s next-gen pedals, the Compressor Mini is an automatic “Manhattan-style” compression. The tiny tool’s secret is an…

Marshall 2100 Lead & Bass

Rock Breaker

February 1, 2024 · Dave Hunter

Adescendant of the legendary “Bluesbreaker” combo that helped launch the cranked-Marshall sound into the annals of rock, the 2100 combo…

Ibanez Artcore Expressionist AM93QM

Semi-Hollow Magic

May 13, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

There comes a time in a guitarist’s life when one becomes hollowbody curious, and semi-hollow guitars are often the gateway…

Vox Symphonic Bass

Fender Bender

July 12, 2023 · Peter Stuart Kohman

Despite the way collectors and dealers freely apply the term “lawsuit guitars,” documented examples are few. One time it did…

Vic Flick

007 Guitar Man

April 12, 2021 · Pete Prown

You may not know the name Vic Flick, but you know his signature motif–that reverby lick from the James Bond…

Ibanez AF95

Jazzed UP

October 13, 2022 · Pete Prown

In 2021, Ibanez re-tooled its hollowbody line to devise big surprises like the Japanese-made AF95, a full-bodied archtop with a…

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Rickenbacker Electric 12-Strings

Double-Bound for Glory

May 21, 2016 · Richard R. Smith

George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacher founded Electro String in 1931 to manufacture what everyone would soon call “Rickenbacker” guitars. Success…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 015 Featuring Spencer Henderson

September 4, 2019 · James Patrick Regan

Today guest is Spencer Henderson, the owner of “West Coast Pedalboards”… We discuss his transition from working in IT (working…

Strymon Cloudburst

Celestial Seasonings

February 8, 2024 · Pete Prown

Equipped with powerful delay, modulation, and pitch-shifting abilities, Strymon’s new Cloudburst stretches its “Ambient Reverb” label by adding space and…

The Hagstrom EDP46 DeLuxe

June 20, 2025 · Michael Wright

World War II was responsible for an unbelievable amount of what we today know as the modern world, from computers…

Tone Electronix Animalizzer

Fuzz Feast

January 27, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

At first glance, Tone Electonix’s Animalizzer might appear to be a Big-Muff-style fuzz with too many knobs. A closer look…

Joel Shapira

Solo Flight

July 18, 2019 · John Heidt

Guitarist Joel Shapira has released a string of fine recordings, but his latest, In Essence, is his first stab at…

Roy Orbison & Friends

Black & White Night 30

May 26, 2017 · Rich Kienzle

The year 1987 saw Roy Orbison in the midst of a triumphant resurgence. His ’60s recording “In Dreams” was featured…

Setting Up Effects

Certain Guidelines Apply to a Signal Chain, But Your Ears Are the Ultimate Judge

June 2, 2015 · Lisa Sharken

One question frequently asked by guitar players is how to set up effects and arrange them in a 
proper signal…

Grace Bowers

Truth of Youth

May 28, 2025 · Pete Prown

The word “prodigy” is overused in the music biz, but Grace Bowers is a real-deal young funkster. Just 18 years…

GIBSONTALFARLOW-HOME-MAIN-BIG

Gibson Tal Farlow

April 18, 2016 · Kevin Vey

The Tal Farlow is one guitar in a quartet of full-depth Gibson Artists models first cataloged in the early 1960s. Introduced…

Peavey Vypyr VIP2

Backline in a Box

May 7, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

Peavey Vypyr VIP2 Price: $199.99 Contact: www.peavey.com For more than 40 years Peavey’s ongoing evolution while building guitars, amps, and…

Roy Buchanan

When a Guitar Plays the Blues

June 19, 2024 · Pete Prown

After a recording hiatus, the blues-rock pioneer enjoyed a 1985 comeback with this Telecaster manifesto, now reissued on vinyl. The…

George Kilby, Jr.

The Succinct Approach

May 5, 2015 · Willie G. Moseley

George Kilby, Jr.’s Six Pack is, he says, a “collection of singles” rather than an EP or album. Kilby graduated…

Fender’s V-Front 5B4 Super-Amp

Wonder Wedge

July 12, 2023 · Dave Hunter

Though all tweed Fender amps of the late ’40s and ’50s are lauded and lusted after, the V-front Super might…

Tommy Shaw and James “J.Y.” Young on “The Mission”

Mars, Pluto… And Styx

April 26, 2019 · Willie G. Moseley

Styx’s 2017 album, The Mission, revived the band’s concept album in its chronicling of a flight to Mars, and represents…

Sunny War

Art & War

May 4, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Sunny War’s latest album, Simple Syrup, digs deep into the complexities of the human experience. As an acoustic fingerstylist who…

Have Guitar Will Travel 075 – Sam Weber

May 12, 2022 · James Patrick Regan

On Ep 75 of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan interviews singer/songwriter Sam Weber who grew up in…

Lotus Pedal Designs’ Snowjob Underdrive

Lotus Pedal Designs’ Snowjob Underdrive

Love That Yellow Snow

May 10, 2016 · Michael Dregni

You may be wondering, “What in the world is an ‘underdrive’ pedal?” Good question. Well, you know the traffic-jam of…

Santana

August 2, 2016 · Pete Prown

This lineup reunites Carlos Santana with guitarist Neal Schon and other members of the 1970–1973 Santana band, reigniting their unique…

(No title)

March 16, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

 Alex Aguilar’s Master-Volume Les Paul Some might think it sacrilege, but in his March “Guitar Rx” column, Dan Erlewine…

Steve Stevens

Moxy at the Roxy

July 11, 2024 · Bret Adams

Steve Stevens earned stardom as Billy Idol’s songwriting partner and guitarist in the ’80s. The Grammy-winning New York City native…