Orianthi

The Power Of O

February 3, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

On Orianthi’s latest album, O, the fierce guitar slinger injects mass quantities of blues-rock fury into a contemporary pop-music setting.…

EHX’s Bad Stone Phase Shifter, C9 Organ Machine, and Pitch Fork Polyphonic Pitch Shifter

Pedal Heaven

January 25, 2017 · Pete Prown

When it comes to stompboxes, there are the standard go-to effects that every guitarist, whether a gigging musician or a…

Webster-Chicago RMA 375 Model 166-1

Grammy Winner

July 18, 2019 · Dave Hunter

Modified or repurposed amps generally don’t fit into our monthly discussion here, but some are representative enough of a certain…

McGregor Pedals’ Crunch and Crunch Plus

Transparent Pair

May 5, 2022 · Phil Feser

McGregor Pedals founder and self-proclaimed “Chief Mad Scientist” Garth McGregor Heslop hand-wires pedals in his Vancouver shop. Two of them…

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…

EHX Slap-Back Echo

Alright, Mama

January 18, 2024 · Pete Prown

Unlike the vast echoes of modern delays, the original “slap back” tone of the 1950s was a short delay that…

  • Rik Emmett

    Rik Emmett

    Ten Telecaster Tales

    At the risk of starting a brawl, Rik Emmett’s guitar work was arguably too good for Triumph. As evidence, his latest project centers on a custom-built Loucin that inspired both…

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ARTISTS

Pop ’N Hiss: Humble Pie’s Smokin’

Free Wailin’

October 11, 2023 · Bret Adams

British rockers Humble Pie were steeped in blues and R&B influences that coursed through vocalist/rhythm guitarist Steve Marriott. When they…

Les Paul

Birth of a Guitar Icon

February 27, 2004 · Gil Hembree

Fifty years ago, Gibson’s new Les Paul Model was quickly becoming one of the company’s most popular guitars, and (though…

Nili Brosh

Bright Horizons

March 16, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

The saying goes, “If you want to get something done, ask a busy person to do it.” But don’t ask…

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…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Albert King’s THC Flying V

Coterie Complete

January 2, 2026 · Willie G. Moseley

Robert Johnson has been a fixture in the vintage-guitar community for more than a half-century. As a player and music…

Dan’s Guitar RX: Doubleneck Redux

A Return to Glory for “Jerry”

July 31, 2025 · Dan Erlewine

In 1977, I was doing guitar repair in Big Rapids, Michigan, and my services included picking up and delivering repair…

Dan’s Guitar RX: Finding An Old Friend

What Goes Around…

April 30, 2024 · Dan Erlewine

I grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where I learned to play guitar during the folk boom that, for me,…

Recording Electric Guitars

The Art of Home Recording

July 8, 2016 · Dave Hunter

The process might seem simple – stick mic in front of amp, press "Record." Truth is, though, that even just…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Eastman MD515

The Mando-lorian

December 6, 2021 · Pete Prown

Guitarists can expand their instrumental range in several ways, from bass to banjo and even the diminutive mandolin, where guitar-like…

Gibson L-5S Ron Wood Signature

Serious Lumber

January 25, 2017 · Bob Dragich

In 1972, Gibson introduced the L-5S as a smaller, thinner solidbody version of its L-5 hollowbody. Most mistook it for…

Mu-FX TruTron 3X

ToneVille Amplifiers Broadway

Red-Carpet Ready

January 2, 2015 · Ray Wuolo

ToneVille Amplifiers Broadway Price: $2,295 Contact: www.tonevilleamps.com What is it that drives boutique amp builders to expend gallons of skull…

EHX J Mascis Ram’s Head Big Muff Pi

Always On

July 28, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

When Electro-Harmonix heard that guitarist J Mascis’ prized Deluxe Big Muff Pi was stolen years ago, they decided to make…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Martin 00-42 Special

June 30, 2020 · George Gruhn

It has all the appoint-ments of a Martin 00-45, particularly the abalone pearl trim around all the borders of the…

Ed Sanner

Fuzz Redux

January 24, 2017 · Willie G. Moseley

While not well-known in California guitar lore, Ed Sanner’s electronics designs have been heard by millions of guitar fans, and…

Martin 0-42

The Martin 0-42

December 4, 2015 · George Gruhn

Through the years, Martin’s dreadnought, OM, and 000 guitars may have gained the most notoriety. But for the sweetest and…

Jared James Nichols’ glorious goldtop

April 27, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Mods and pedals need not apply! Watch Jared James Nichols tear it up on “Dorothy,” his ’52 Gibson Les Paul,…

The Norma EG 470-2 Deluxe

June 25, 2020 · Michael Wright

Everyone of a certain age – and no doubt some younger folks – remembers the sage career advice given young…

'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…

DryBell Vibe Machine 3

Big Deepness

February 8, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

DryBell Musical Electronic Laboratory’s original Vibe Machine (its take on the classic Univibe) was developed 11 years ago and received…

Boss Katana 100

Impressive Amenities

May 21, 2019 · Pete Prown

More and more, guitarists’ passion for tube amps is being balanced by the rise of quality digital, solidstate, and modeling…

The Return of Slash and The Conspirators

4 From the Floor

December 6, 2022 · Ward Meeker

In the weeks before they gathered to record a new album in the spring of 2021, guitar legend Slash, frontman/songwriter…

Walrus Audio’s Mako Series MKII

December 5, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

Walrus Audio’s Mako Series MKII bolster the sounds of their first-gen predecessors, using altered algorithms, new controls, and better tonal…

Kinga Glyk

Real-Life Bass

January 14, 2025 · Pete Prown

Like a tightrope walker, bassist Kinga Glyk finds a delicate balance between funk-fusion virtuosity and wicked, booty-moving grooves. Deploying her…

Riversong Guitars Tradition One Performer

Riversong Guitars Tradition One Performer

New Tradition

March 28, 2016 · Chip Wilson

Riversong Guitars Tradition One Performer Price: $3,299 (list) Contact: www.riversongguitars.com Occasionally, a luthier’s innovation defines a new acoustic guitar sound.…

Fryette Power Station PS-10

Get It On

October 15, 2021 · Charlie Wilkins

There’s nothing like cranking up a tube amp and getting all the punch, feel, dynamics, and juicy goodness of warm…

Jimmy Olander’s D-Bender Baritone

December 4, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

 Big-string licks galore! In the mood to play a bit, December cover guy Jimmy Olander grabbed a guitar he…

Freddie Green

Artistry in Rhythm

December 5, 2024 · Jim Carlton

Fellow musicians called him “Pep” or “Pepperhead.” He was also known as “Mr. Rhythm,” and he could drive a band…

Oxford Guitar Supply

Fine Finish

May 8, 2025 · Joe Bigley

One factor keeping many people from working on their guitars is the availability of tools and materials to make those…

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Kevin Borden

July 30, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Kevin Borden Season 01 Episode 04 In Episode 4 of “Buy That Guitar,”…

Pop ’N Hiss: Lou Reed

Definitive Riffs- Lou Reed’s Rock ’N Roll Animal and Live

December 2, 2021 · Willie G. Moseley

Eccentric and enigmatic, composer/singer Lou Reed gained notoriety in the mid-’60s while fronting the NYC band Velvet Underground. Not particularly…

George Fullerton

Guitar Icon

May 14, 2023 · Willie G. Moseley

George Fullerton, whose decades-long association with Leo Fender earned the two early electric-guitar innovators a place in history, He died…

Classics: December 2022

Reid Farrell’s Fender Tele

August 8, 2023 · Ward Meeker

In 1964, high-school freshman Reid Farrell bought a Fiesta Red ’59 Telecaster with help from his guitar teacher, John Andrews.…

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Traynor YBA-2 Bass Mate

May 10, 2016 · Dave Hunter

Canadian amp maker Traynor gets a lot of respect in some circles for turning out solid, good-sounding tube amps that…

Gretsch Roots Collection: Jim Dandy Flat-top, Dixie 6 Guitar-Banjo

Back to the Country

December 15, 2014 · Dennis Pernu

Gretsch Roots Collection: Jim Dandy Flat-top, Dixie 6 Guitar-Banjo Price: $239 retail (Jim Dandy Flat Top) and $499 retail (Dixie…

Joanna Connor

Best Of Me

May 13, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

With a decades-long career and a boatload of albums to her credit, slide queen Joanna Connor is no stranger to…

Andy Stack

Andy Stack

Group Therapy

March 2, 2016 · John Heidt

Andy Stack spent the past few years doing gigs in New York City, staying busy as a session player, doing…

Zac Schulze gets straight to it!

December 8, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

If you’re a fan of Cream, Zeppelin, and Rory Gallagher (who isn’t?), you’ll dig Zac Schulze Gang, a British power…

Louis Electric Buster

Beyond Deluxe

March 6, 2015 · Zac Childs

Louis Electric Buster Price: $1,595 (street) Contact: louisamps.com. Lou Rosano has been building amps in the Fender vein for more…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 039 Featuring Lyle Workman

December 1, 2020 · Art Department

In Episode 39 of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan speaks with guitarist/composer Lyle Workman, whose new solo…

Taylor T3

Tone Poet

January 6, 2014 · Pete Prown

The Taylor T3 Price: $2,998 Info: www.taylorguitars.com. Some guitar players never touch a tone knob, while others view it as…

Carr Impala

Big-Block Tone

October 16, 2015 · Phil Feser

Carr Impala Price: $2,490 (retail, in black); $2,640 (two-tone) Info: www.carramps.com. While the new Carr Impala amplifier gets its name…