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Duke Robillard – Lowdown
Vintage Guitar is happy to offer the premier of the new music video by Grammy nominee Duke Robillard. “Lowdown” is the first single from his upcoming album, Blast Off!, set…
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Super PickupGiveaway 2025
Win Big! 11 Sets! 11 Winners! Win a set of pickups from one of these sponsors: Deadline is March 15, 2026. Complete the survey below to enter giveaway. One entry…

The MXR M234 Analog Chorus and M87 Bass Compressor
Opposite Ends
MXR M87 Bass Comp and M234 Analog Chorus Price: $318 (M87 Bass Compressor), $170 (M234 Analog Chorus). Info: jimdunlop.com For…

Willie Nelson
Soon after arriving in Nashville in 1960, Willie Nelson signed a songwriting contract with Pamper Music, co-owned by Ray Price,…

Omar & the Howlers
What’s Buggin’ You?
Omar Dykes is back! In 2017, the Austin blues-rocker was stricken with a mysterious flesh-eating rash that rendered his massive…

Gary Hoey
Reverence and Feel
On Dust & Bones, Gary Hoey continues his foray into blues using one part guitar virtuosity, one part production skill,…

SynapticGroove Snapperhead OD/Distortion
Dirty Deeds
With their first offering, Benjamin Harrison and Chrystal Gilles of SynapticGroove set out to fill the gap between heavy effects…

Hot Wires
A Brief History of the Modern Guitar String
If you’ve ever bent a guitar string and given it a shake, send a silent thank you to guitarist James…
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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…
ARTISTS

James Mastro
All Texture, No Clutter
As one of the guitarists in Ian Hunter’s Rant Band for the past 17 years, James Mastro is responsible for…

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

Hilton Valentine
1943-2021
“The first song I learned on guitar was ‘House of the Rising Sun’ by the Animals.” The statement could have…

Adrian Vandenberg
Return Of The Flying Dutchman
On Adrian Vandenberg’s latest album, Sin, the Flying Dutchman joins forces with former Yngwie Malmsteen vocalist Mats Levén for the…
CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Roy Smeck’s Gibson L-5
One For the “Wizard”
Player endorsements are part of the tradition of guitarmaking going back to its earliest use for public performance. LeRoy G.A.…

Phil Manzanera’s “Magdalena”
Roxy Music legend solo instrumental Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera used his beloved ’64 Gibson Firebird VII to create this…

Eric Clapton’s “Blackie”
This may well be the most desirable Fender Stratocaster on the face of the planet. And it happens to be…

Beat Portraits: Burns Volume 9
Late ’60s: Baldwin And Decline
In early 2009, VG columnist Peter Stuart Kohman turned his focus on Burns, the pioneering British guitar builder. We’ve compiled…
NEWSWIRE
APPROVED GEAR
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Live Wire
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Narrow(field) Win
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Take Flight

Breedlove’s Jeff Bridges
The Wood Abides
Sustainably sourced guitars – those constructed with wood harvested from managed land rather than the wilds – are often on…
3rd Power Dream Weaver
Tone Cubed
3rd Power Dream Weaver Price: $3.299 Info: www.3rdpower.com. Purchasing a new amp is much more than buying a piece of…

Fender’s 70th Anniversary Esquire
One-Pickup Wonder
In the past, Fender has paid homage to its history with precise replicas of certain classics. The company’s 70th Anniversary…

PRS Guitars’ McCarty
Ted Talkin’
In the late 1980s, Ted McCarty, the man who served as president of Gibson during the company’s “golden age,” became…
WHAT ELSE IS NEW
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And an Archtop Mystery
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Supergroup Alpha

Ro-Pat-In’s First Electric Spanish
Granddaddy to the Stars!
The story of George Beauchamp’s invention of what would become the first commercially successful electric guitar is shrouded in the…
Ricky Byrd
Cool and Greasy
“I wanted to make the type of album I would’ve liked to have heard when I was 13 – cool and…

First to Sunburst
The Origin of a Famous Finish
Faced with anemic sales of its Les Paul Model in 1958, Gibson spiffed-up its goldtop with a sunburst finish in…

Aerosmith
1971: The Road Starts Hear
This long-lost relic was recorded before the band’s 1973 debut LP, with guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford (aged 21…









































