Dom Martin

More Than a Feeling

August 6, 2024 · Sean McDevitt

From the first fingerpicked notes of “Hello in There,” a gentle, inviting 98-second acoustic instrumental that opens Dom Martin’s Buried…

Andrew Synowiec’s Ebullient Tonefest

January 5, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Uplifting Instrumental Rock! Check out Andrew Synowiec and his Heritage Custom Core H-150 P90 ripping through a chunk of “Lead…

Traynor YGM-4 Studio Mate

Behind The Eight Ball

April 15, 2024 · Dave Hunter

Vintage-amp bargain hunters often compare the quality and features of smaller Traynor combos to Fenders and those of the larger…

Noah Zacharin

Simple Pleasures

October 17, 2024 · Pete Prown

While some regard folk guitar as a relatively simple style, Noah Zacharin is a seriously agile fingerpicker. Also a fine…

The Fender Master Series

April 16, 2018 · Gary Koehler

Dan Smith had an idea – a solidbody guitar with routed chambers that would provide unique resonant tonal characteristics. And…

2023 May Issue on Spotify

May 2, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

This month we feature Chris Duarte, Nickel Creek, Pink Floyd, J. Geils Band, Harvey Mandel, L.A. Guns, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jackson…

  • 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

Andy Bassford

The Harder They Strum

July 18, 2019 · Tom Guerra

Legendary fish-out-of-water reggae guitarist Andy Bassford has been a first-call sideman for decades. Now, he’s stepping out front with his…

Ty Tabor’s Six-String Meditation!

June 29, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

King’s X Guitarists’s solo work is mindful, complex Ty Tabor used his Player Strat (with a JB Jr. pickup at…

Fretprints: Fenton Robinson

Unsung Blues Icon

June 4, 2022 · Wolf Marshall

In the encyclopedia of American music, there oughta be a picture of Fenton Robinson next to “unsung blues hero.” Drop…

Pop ’N Hiss: Wishbone Ash’s Argus

Twin-Lead Loadstone

July 6, 2022 · Willie G. Moseley

Founded in 1969, Wishbone Ash attained fast fame in the U.K. with its meshing of intricate twin-lead-guitar passages and harmony…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Classics: February 2022

Chuck Panozzo’s Gibson ES-125

October 6, 2022 · Ward Meeker

For nearly five decades, Chuck Panozzo has been the bassist in Styx, enjoying the ride as it went from playing…

Dallas Rangemaster and Scala Combos

Texas Two Step

May 9, 2023 · Dave Hunter

Fascinating also-rans, C-list classics, or both, the amps manufactured by London-based Dallas Music Ltd beginning in 1959 tie directly to…

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…

Last ’Burst?

Single-Cut Saga From the End of an Era

April 24, 2019 · Ward Meeker

Certain instruments are nearly as famous as the heroes who play them – we know them as Blackie, Lucille, Greeny,…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Guild Jetstar

High Flyer

October 14, 2019 · Bob Cianci

In 1964, Guild launched its original Jetstar as the company’s budget-friendly solidbody. With a more-conventional shape than the S-200 Thunderbird…

Eastwood’s SD-40 Hound Dog and Classic AC

April 23, 2019 · Pete Prown

Subjective as it is, the term “mojo” usually refers to gear that’s been played-in over the years. Eastwood tries to…

Fret-King Esprit III

Déjà Vu, Again

December 6, 2021 · Bob Cianci

What do you get when you cross a Gibson Explorer with a Fender offset and Firebird vibe? The answer is…

Swart Atomic Jr.

Splitting The Atom

April 23, 2019 · Phil Feser

When Swart decided to split their Atomic Jr. five-watt combo into a piggyback, they not only went from an 8″…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Crucial Audio’ Die Götterdämmerung Germanium Fuzz/Ring Modulator

Ring Tones

April 26, 2019 · Pete Prown

Named by Flaming Lips guitarist Steven Drozd after composer Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle opera, Crucial Audio’s lavishly named Die Götterdämmerung…

Elliot Easton

Different Directions

January 9, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

Lefty guitarist Elliot Easton has chosen a different route for his most recent musical venture, but its sonic direction should…

'62 Les Paul Rarity

’62 Les Paul Rarity

December 21, 2015 · George Gruhn

In its early years, the Gibson Les Paul Custom evolved through several body-style and spec changes and was the earliest…

Kelly Mulhollan

Divine Inspiration

May 15, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Arkansas farmer Ed Stilley was plowing his fields in 1979 when he was struck down by a heart attack; lying…

“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,”…

Shawn Purcell’s Jazz from the East (Coast)

October 31, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

Influences Aplenty! A child of the ’80s, Shawn Purcell grew up listening to Stern, Scofield, and Metheny alongside Zeppelin, Van…

Gibson Goldtops

Molten Mojo, Head-To-Head Vintage Versus Reissue

May 28, 2022 · Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate

In the good ol’ days of 1952, jazzmeister Les Paul strutted to the center of the world’s stage and proudly…

Rex Brown

Still Smoking

April 24, 2019 · Greg Prato

Throughout his career, Rex Brown has delivered the low-end as the bassist for Pantera, Down, and Kill Devil Hill. But…

2022 July Issue on Spotify

June 30, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

This month we feature Andy, Summers, Joe Walsh, Jack Day Trio, Grand Funk Railroad, Bill Haley’s Comets, Robin Trower, Popa…

Guitar Tone Company’s Bloody Finger

Rugged Facelift

December 27, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

While honing his ears at Greene Street Recording Studio in New York, David Harrington was inspired to build studio-quality stompboxes.…

Sue Foley’s Acoustic Blues

February 24, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Sue’s Classic(al) jam in E Sue Foley improvises some blues with her flamenco guitar made by Francisco Navarro Garcia, in…

Home Feature Image

Gibson 1958-’60 Les Paul Standard

A ’Burst by Any Other Name…

June 9, 2016 · Ward Meeker

One Thousand, Seven Hundred and Twelve. That’s the number of Les Paul Standards Gibson produced between 1958 and 1960. Amongst guitar…

The Zelinsky Dellatera Custom

Easy on the senses

March 5, 2019 · Zac Childs

Dean Zelinsky’s history as a guitar builder includes unique designs that are toneful and eyecatching. To many, he might be…

ToneTron Billy-Rocker 10

Small Is Beautiful

January 25, 2022 · Michael Dregni

Small amps are big. As venues become increasingly intimate and amplifiers are miked through sound systems rather than muscling-up to…

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…

Dudley Taft

Dudley Taft

Raucous, Righteous Blues

June 7, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

With the recent release of his third solo album, Screamin’ in the Wind, guitarist Dudley Taft is serving notice that…

Dan’s Guitar RX: A New Tool Makes Luthiery Easier

With a Little Help…

April 4, 2022 · Dan Erlewine

I recently discovered a sturdy pedestal stand that holds a guitar by its neck and makes repair, builds, and setup…

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…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 027 Featuring Suzi Quatro

May 15, 2020 · James Patrick Regan

Episode 27 of James Patrick Regan’s “Have Guitar Will Travel” podcast features bassist/singer Suzi Quatro – Leather Tuscadero from TV’s…

Jack Bruce 1943-2014

Jack Bruce 1943-2014

December 4, 2015 · Willie G. Moseley

Jack Bruce, an icon of electric bass, died October 25 in Suffolk, England. Best known for his work with Cream…

Dwight Twilley’s ’57 Fender Super

Cowboy Fringe

February 8, 2023 · Dave Hunter

Plenty of vintage amps have made it into these pages on their own merits. But when a hallowed creation also…

The Providence Velvet Comp, Red Rock OD, and Phase Force

The Providence Velvet Comp, Red Rock OD, and Phase Force

Tones of Destiny

April 6, 2015 · Zac Childs

The Providence Velvet Comp, Red Rock OD, and Phase Force Price: $199 (per piece, list) Contact: www.providence.jp Providence is a…

Jeff “Skunk” Baxter

License To Thrill

April 11, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

To a generation of music fans, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter was one of the most recognizable guitarists of the early ’70s.…

Gurus Amps’ SexydriveMkII

Bellissimo!

April 24, 2019 · Yoel Kreisler

Chalk up another score for Italian innovation. Chicco Bellini and his company, Gurus Amps, are among the top dogs in…

Jenny Boyd

Jenny Boyd

Searching For The Source

February 26, 2016 · Dan Forte

Dr. Jenny Boyd is founder and director of Spring Workshops, “organizing psychotherapeutic groups for people in need of personal development.”…

Sebastian Nagel

Meditations in Funk

November 12, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Germany’s Sebastian Nagel is a producer, composer, session guitarist, performer, and fan of the funk. His latest project finds him…

Fretprints: Kim Thayil

The Grungy Flowering of Soundgarden

December 6, 2021 · Wolf Marshall

In 1991, a movement emerged from Seattle that shook the musical world to its core. Seemingly overnight, a cadre of…

 Yasmin Williams

Art of Collaboration

October 8, 2025 · Pete Prown

Yasmin Williams turned heads a few years ago with her brilliant solo acoustic music, often playing the guitar flat on…

Duke Robillard

Swingin’ with Singers

January 30, 2023 · Pete Prown

Robillard needs no introduction here, as he’s been one of the leading old-school players of the past 40 years –…