• Super PickupGiveaway 2025

    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…

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Harden Muddy Waters

Mojo Working

August 13, 2025 · Pete Prown

Harden Engineering is a small Chicago shop that specializes in hand-made instruments in a variety of shapes and sizes and…

The Fender “High-Powered” Twin

May 15, 2024 · Dave Hunter

1958-’59 Fender Twin Preamp tubes: one 12AY7, two 12AX7 Output tubes: four 5881 (6L6 equivalents), fixed bias Rectifier: GZ34 (5AR4)…

Andrew Hendryx - Novice Mandolin Lesson

Andrew Hendryx – Novice Mandolin Lesson

November 25, 2019 · Doug Yellow Bird

For his latest lesson, Andrew Hendryx grabbed his Gibson F-4 mando. “I’m excited about this one,” he said. “It gives…

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Knaggs Guitars’ Chesapeake Severn Tier 2 Trembuck

All-Genre Style

April 18, 2016 · Tom Guerra

Knaggs Guitars’ Chesapeake Severn Tier 2 Trembuck Price: $ 5,600 (list)/$4,300 (street) Info: www.knaggsguitars.com. Maryland-based Knaggs Guitars was founded five…

The Travis Bean TB1000S Standard

A Better Idea

April 14, 2020 · Michael Wright

Guitar history is littered with “better ideas,” some of which stayed around, went nowhere, or went somewhere before landing in…

JHS’ SuperBolt and Morning Glory Pedals

Zep in a Box

October 7, 2014 · Pete Prown

Started with a quick repair to a Boss pedal in Josh Scott’s Mississippi apartment, JHS has evolved into a well-regarded…

  • Rickenbacker’s Electric 12-Strings

    Rickenbacker’s Electric 12-Strings

    Double-bound for Glory

    George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacher founded Electro String in 1931 to manufacture what everyone would soon call “Rickenbacker” guitars. Success came early and their lap steels set standards of quality,…

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ARTISTS

Pete Anderson

Disciple of the Hook

November 13, 2014 · Ward Meeker

Detroit native Pete Anderson made a name for himself in the ’80s, playing a ton of twang while Dwight Yoakam…

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…

Edgar Winter

Tribute to “Brother Johnny”

January 4, 2023 · Dan Forte

Edgar Winter describes making Brother Johnny in tribute to his late brother, blues-rock guitar icon Johnny Winter, as “one of…

Brad Gillis

Playin’ On

July 20, 2022 · Ward Meeker

A member of the cutting-edge vanguard that made the Floyd Rose locking vibrato a huge part of ’80s rock guitar,…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Five Classic Amps

Five Classic Amps

A Tone-Spotter’s Arsenal To Cover It All

March 31, 2016 · Dave Hunter

When it comes to classic guitar tones – whether it’s blues through a Dumble, country through a Fender, rock through…

1968 Fender Vibrolux Reverb

Silver Serenade

May 21, 2019 · Dave Hunter

Amplifier collectors swarm to models with descriptors like “first year” and “golden age,” but other types can be far more…

Mark Erlewine’s 40 Years with Willie Nelson’s Trigger

Wooden Wonder

April 26, 2019 · Ward Meeker

For a decade, Willie Nelson chased fame as a performer in the Nashville mold of the ’60s – hair coifed,…

Beat Portraits: Burns Volume 4

Shadows and Light

February 7, 2018 · Peter Stuart Kohman

In Beat-era England, before The Beatles, one band reigned supreme – The Shadows. Starting as Cliff Richard’s backing group, this…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Carr Skylark Special 1×12

Take Flight

January 14, 2026 · Dave Hunter

Arriving a little more than 10 years after the original Skylark, Carr Amplifiers’ new Skylark Special adds versatility and enhanced…

Eastwood Sidejack DLX 20th LTD

Horn Section

August 4, 2024 · Pete Prown

If you love twangy guitars from the ’60s, you know about Mosrites – the immortal slabs of The Ventures and…

The Reverend Thundergun Bass

Three In One

September 18, 2013 · Sean OBryan Smith

Players who love a hotrod Lincoln, a good drive-in, or a rocking retro guitar are familiar with Reverend Guitars, a…

Area 51 The Alienist Voicing Boost

Manmade Tone Monster

April 24, 2019 · Michael Dregni

Gather ’round, children, for a scary bedtime story. Once upon a time, there was no such thing as a high-gain…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Star Board: Craig Bartock

Star Board: Craig Bartock

April 4, 2015 · Vintage Guitar

This month, we take a guided tour of the pedalboard belonging to Craig Bartock, guitarist with Heart. Craig Bartock, a…

John Jorgenson

Stringed-Instrument Ecstasy

January 24, 2017 · Willie G. Moseley

The title of John Jorgenson’s new three-CD boxed set, Divertuoso, combines two words – “diverse” and “virtuoso” – to aptly…

Mesa/Boogie Drive Pedals

Four on the Floor

December 19, 2014 · Phil Feser

Mesa/Boogie Drive Pedals Price: $179 (Tone-Burst, Grid Slammer and Flux-Drive); $199 (Throttle Box) Info: www.mesaboogie.com. Long a stalwart in the…

Billy Mure

Supersonic Guitarist Remembered

February 29, 2016 · Dan Forte

Guitar great Billy Mure (born November 4, 1915) passed away September 25, at the age of 97. He last performed…

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…

Not Done Yet

Eric Clapton

September 5, 2025 · Pete Prown

Nearly 60 years after “For Your Love” – the hit that prompted him to leave the Yardbirds – Clapton can…

Boss SDE-3 Dual Digital Delay

Double Echo

November 14, 2025 · Pete Prown

Based on the famed Roland SDE-3000 rack unit, Boss’ SDE-3 combines some classic delay sounds of the 1980s, updated with…

Scintillating Latin-jazz from Greg Diamond

June 3, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Improv master on exclusive “Song for Jerry” Greg Diamond revisits “Song for Jerry ” with his Eastman PG-2 Pagelli running…

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…

Eric Clapton

Crossroads Festival 2019

January 26, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival has become the guitar event since its inception in 1999. With a diverse cast of the…

Frank Zappa

Funky Nothingness

June 19, 2024 · Dan Forte

The stream of archival Zappa releases would be overkill if not for the fact that the quality remains excellent –…

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Buzz Feiten

Unsung Hero

May 1, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

An unsung hero, accomplished inventor, and builder possessing priceless musical knowledge, Buzz Feiten’s list of session credits could fill a…

Gretchen Menn

Abandon All Hope

April 18, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Every musician aspires to create music that will resonate through the ages and Abandon All Hope, by Zepparella guitarist Gretchen…

Charlie Musselwhite’s blues chops on a vintage J-45

December 28, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

See it Here: “Blues Gave Me a Ride” Charlie Musselwhite and his ’54 Gibson J-45 do it up (so) right…

Kalamazoo KG-1

April 21, 2010 · Michael Wright

Collectible value in guitars can be defined any number of ways, and not just by having a popular brand name…

Epiphone Crestwood

’60s Un-Gibson Solidbody

July 14, 2017 · Eric C. Shoaf

Gibson’s acquisition of Epiphone in 1957 presented a tremendous challenge to guitar designers and marketers at the company. One challenge…

The Rickenbacker B14A

Silver Service

April 4, 2022 · Dave Hunter

  For most guitarists today, glimpsing a vintage Rickenbacker combo elicits a response like, “Wait… Rickenbacker made amps?” But remember,…

Buzz Osborne

Heavy Bass

May 9, 2017 · Greg Prato

Over the years, fans have come to expect the unexpected from the Melvins. But they just may have outdone themselves…

Bob Seger and the Borneo Band

Lakeview High School, St. Clair Shores, Michigan, April ’73

November 4, 2020 · Ken Settle

If you were a Detroit kid in the 1960s, it was impossible to cruise Woodward Avenue and not hear a…

Fender PM-2

Sitting-Room Savoir Faire

April 16, 2019 · Dennis Pernu

Once wildly popular among everyone from drawing-room dilettantes to road-hardened bluesmen shuffling the dusty byways, parlor-sized guitars fell out of…

Orianthi Lights It Up

December 7, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

New Music, Signature J-200 With her still-newish signature Gibson J-200, Orianthi strums and sings a chill version of the hard-rocking…

Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet, Mike Neer

All You Can Eat Instro Buffet

December 8, 2016 · Dan Forte

When the Kids In The Hall, an irreverent sketch comedy troupe from Toronto, got their own TV show in ’89,…

Dominic Miller

Vagabond

April 19, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

When Sting’s guitar player puts out a solo album, guitarists listen. Having played on thousands of sessions, Dominic Miller’s 16th…

Soul Tramp Tweed 12

5E3 (Non) Copy

January 8, 2018 · Anders Fransson

Soul Tramp Amps are builder Don Hill’s take on classic amp circuit designs… for instance, his Tweed 12 offers a…

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…

Phil Chen

1946-2021

November 3, 2022 · Dan Forte

His business card read “Phil Chen De Bassman,” and his picks had “OD” after his name, standing for the Order…

Reverend Peyton

Return of the Adrenaline

April 1, 2022 · Sean McDevitt

“I got all the ways/I just ain’t got the means,” 40-year-old Josh “Reverend” Peyton of Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band…

Tony Holiday

Motel Mississippi

March 20, 2024 · Dan Forte

Following his two volumes of Porch Sessions collaborations with artists Lurrie Bell, Bobby Rush, Charlie Musselwhite, and the two Kids…

A Tribute To Chuck Berry

That Brown-Eyed Handsome Guitar-Playing Man

March 27, 2019 · Michael Dregni

When those first notes of Chuck Berry’s first Chess single came blasting out of the radio in July of 1955,…