Fender American Vintage II ’57 Stratocaster

Period Piece

October 11, 2023 · Pete Prown

Sure, we all drool over Fender Custom Shop axes, but those instruments are sometimes out of wallet’s reach. Coming to…

Strymon’s Deco Tape Saturation and Doubletracker

Strymon’s Deco Tape Saturation and Doubletracker

Smart Box

February 11, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Strymon’s Deco Tape Saturation and Doubletracker Price: $299 (list) Contact: www.strymon.net It’s scary, wielding a stompbox that’s smarter than you.…

Scott Henderson

Scott Henderson

Vibe Station

July 8, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

On his new album, Vibe Station, Scott Henderson once again redefines fusion within a groove-heavy power trio format. As always,…

Carl Verheyen’s Passionate, Ebullient virtuosity!

December 28, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

It’s about the song! Enjoy as Carl Verheyen and his ’58 Fender Strat glide through pieces of “Dragonfly,” “Electric Chair,”…

Paul Nelson

Main Man to the Blues Man

May 27, 2014 · Tom Guerra

Paul Nelson is not only Johnny Winter’s second guitarist, but the blues icon’s musical director, producer, songwriter, and – many…

Joanna Connor

Joanna Connor

Going Viral

February 5, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Her overnight success was decades in the making, but a video gone viral of a jaw-dropping slide guitar performance at…

  •  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 >>

NOW AVAILABLE!

CURRENT ISSUE

Join 25,700+ subscribers & be notified when new articles & more becomes available!

ARTISTS

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…

Phil Keaggy & Mike Pachelli

Guitar Adventures

September 1, 2023 · Pete Prown

Listening to Adventure-us, one may think they’re hearing one guitarist, but it’s really two masters – Phil Keaggy and Mike…

Chris Poland

Metal Fusion Equinox

September 8, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

Chris Poland’s signature legato was born from tragedy. As a teen, his left hand accidentally punched through a plate-glass window…

Ellen Harper

Music is the Family Business

February 19, 2016 · Dan Forte

“Ben likes to joke that this album had a lifetime of pre-production,” Ellen Harper says of Childhood Home, her collaboration…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

The Beatles’ Casinos

January 17, 2018 · Andy Babiuk

Of all the guitars made famous by the Beatles, the only one that John, Paul, and George had in common…

Home Feature Image

Gretsch’s “Golden” Tenors

January 30, 2014 · Edward Ball

In the 1950s and early ’60s, the electric guitar was establishing itself as a key part of the new voice…

Gibson EB-4L

Right Ideas, Wrong Era

April 15, 2010 · Willie G. Moseley

The antennae of many guitar collectors/enthusiasts pop up when they encounter a Gibson-made instrument bearing a six-digit serial number with…

Guyatone LG-160T

The Secret's Out!

May 24, 2006 · Michael Wright

Like plants, Japanese guitars have an almost secret life of which few people outside are aware. While many Americans in…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

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:…

EHX Lizard Queen

Filthy Fuzz

March 20, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

In 2021, JHS Pedals founder Josh Scott teamed with graphic designer Daniel Danger to design a ’70s-style/E-H-inspired fuzz pedal. The…

Providence Silky Drive and Stampede DT

Japanese Silk (and Stomp)

July 24, 2015 · Pete Prown

Providence Silky Drive and Stampede DT Price: $394 (Silky Drive); $249 (Stampede DT) Info: www.providence-ltd.com. From the Land of the…

Tone King Royalist MKIII

Firebreather U.K. Three-Speed

August 28, 2024 · Charlie Wilkins

British tube amps from the mid ’60s and early ’70s have inspired countless designs emulating their beloved tones. In 2014,…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

The Gibson SJ-200

Long Live The King

February 8, 2022 · Michael Dregni

Introduced in 1937, Gibson’s Super Jumbos radiated star power and quickly became the guitar of choice for those who wanted…

Have Guitar Will Travel 092 – Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters)

February 26, 2024 · James Patrick Regan

In this episode, host James Patrick Regan catches up with Chris Shiflett to discuss his latest solo album, working with…

Charlie Gracie

Rock’s Unsung Pioneer

June 24, 2020 · Dan Forte

“…as I went from London to Liverpool to Manchester to Birmingham to Scotland, in the audience were all these young…

Friedman Motor City Drive & Fuzz Fiend

Sonic Rapture

April 26, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

An innovative designer, builder, and repairman, Dave Friedman has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry,…

The Vox/Thomas Organ V-8 Berkeley Super Reverb

Organ Transplant

March 7, 2023 · Dave Hunter

Most fans of classic British guitar amplifiers have heard the tale of how the great all-tube Vox models of the…

Fishman Fluence Single-Width Pickup

Fishman Fluence Single-Width Pickup

Hum-Free, Cutting-Edge

March 1, 2016 · Zac Childs

Fishman Fluence Single-Width Pickup Price: $224 (set) Contact: www.fishman.com Larry Fishman is one of the most respected names in the…

Molly Martin

Molly Martin

D-35 Savior

January 6, 2016 · Kathleen Johnson

Sometimes, it’s better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. Such was the case with singer/songwriter Molly Martin. As the summer…

Al Di Meola

Still Elegant

October 8, 2019 · Pete Prown

For close to 45 years, Al Di Meola’s career has brimmed with guitar virtuosity, taking him from red-hot fusion to…

Guild Aristocrat M-75

April 7, 2010 · George Gruhn and Walter Carter

Guild didn’t intro-duce a true solidbody electric guitar until 1963, but the Aristocrat of 1954 gave the appearance that Guild…

Ibanez BWM1 Bob Weir Cowboy Fancy

Return of Cowboy Fancy

January 8, 2018 · Pete Prown

The mid ’70s were a time for bold experimentation in guitar design, particularly with electronics. Guitarists were discovering replacement pickups,…

CopperSound Telegraph V2 Autostutter/Killswitch

All the Rage

November 13, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Need the perfect stutter effect or killswitch in a pedal? Massachusetts-based CopperSound Pedals’ latest iteration of its popular Telegraph Stutter…

Have Guitar Will Travel 054 – Bonnie Hayes

July 13, 2021 · Art Department

“Have Guitar Will Travel” host James Patrick Regan speaks with Bonnie Hayes, guitarist, songwriter, and head of the songwriting department…

Ray Benson

Swing Ambassador: 50 Years of Asleep at the Wheel

April 6, 2022 · Rich Kienzle

“Why are you all playin’ that modern music?” Asleep at the Wheel guitarist Ray Benson fielded the question from Harry,…

Melodic, accessible – and shredtastic – it’s Lari Basilio!

December 16, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Just for VG followers, a solo take on “Novo” Lari Basilio grabbed her signature Ibanez LB1 (dig the purple finish…

Mike Morgan’s New Twist on Blues

December 12, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Texas Native Does “Aiight”’ Texas blues singer/songwriter Mike Morgan does a solo take on “Aiight,” from his new album, “The…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 035 Featuring Joe Robinson

September 15, 2020 · James Patrick Regan

In Episode 35 of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan speaks with guitarist Joe Robinson. Mentored by Tommy…

Washburn’s Warren Haynes Signature Acoustic

New “Pre-War” Picker

August 20, 2014 · Steven Stone

Washburn’s Warren Haynes Signature Acoustic Price: $1,899 (Dream Solo 1 combo); $3,995 (Dream Solo 4 head); $699 (Switchback 112) Info:…

Dean DeLeo and Tom Bukovac unite on the trip the witch

Cosmic Convergence

September 9, 2022 · Ward Meeker

At a glance, there’s little reason to connect a guitarist like Dean DeLeo to one like Tom Bukovac. One is…

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,…

Jeff Senn and Crazy Aces

Dealing Out Twang

June 6, 2014 · Michael Dregni

When you build guitars for a living, you might unwind with another hobby – say, beer-can collecting or crochet. Not…

Railhammer Hyper Vintage Humbucker

Poles Apart

August 6, 2015 · Lisa Sharken

Railhammer Hyper Vintage Humbucker Price: $139 list/ $89 direct Info: www.railhammer.com Developed by Joe Naylor of Reverend Guitars, Railhammers are…

Jazz Trio

Fender’s Geddy Lee Jazz Bass and Ibanez’s Black Eagle Reissue Take On an Icon

March 2, 2017 · Ward Meeker

Though it got most of the looks in the family, Fender’s Jazz Bass is nonetheless the tag-along younger brother to…

Have Guitar Will Travel 101 – Keola Beamer

June 21, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

In episode 101 of “Have Guitar Will Travel”, presented by Vintage Guitar Magazine! Host James Patrick Regan speaks with slack…

Los Lobos

Native Sons

July 11, 2022 · Rich Kienzle

The venerable Los Angeles band (guitarists Cesar Rosas, David Hidalgo and Louie Pérez, Jr., bassist Conrad Lozano and sax man…

Brennen Leigh

Honky Tonk Woman

April 3, 2024 · Pete Prown

Country singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Brennen Leigh has no shortage of gifts, ably documented on her latest album, Ain’t Through…

Lipe Guitars Maestro

Lipe Guitars Maestro

Whole Lotta Mahogany

February 2, 2015 · Zac Childs

Lipe Maestro Price: $4,900 Contact: lipeguitars.com; phone (818) 352-6212 Mike Lipe has a wall of gold records. Why? Not because…

Melodic, accessible – and shredtastic – it’s Lari Basilio!

December 16, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Just for VG followers, a solo take on “Novo” Lari Basilio grabbed her signature Ibanez LB1 (dig the purple finish…

Crucial Audio Echo-Nugget

Crucial Audio Echo-Nugget

Things Just Got Serious

May 2, 2015 · Pete Prown

Crucial Audio Echo-Nugget Price:$799 (list) Contact: www.crucialaudio.com It’s hard not to be impressed by the physical presence of the Crucial…

Home Feature Image

PureSalem Bette

Unfiltered Garage Rock

June 10, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

If you’ve ever worked in the music retail field, you know that not everybody shares your excellent taste in guitars.…