• Joe Satriani

    Joe Satriani

    The hardest-working guitarist in show business, Joe Satriani recently wrapped up a successful Van Halen tour, a G3 Reunion tour, a live album, a residency in Las Vegas with Sammy…

    Read more >>

NOW AVAILABLE!

CURRENT ISSUE

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

NEWSWIRE

ARTISTS

Belén Bandera – Jazz Soundscape

November 15, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

 Spanish singer shines on “Arbre” Accompanied by Jaume Llombart’s beautiful playing on a ’92 Gibson ES-350T modded with a…

The Soul of John Black

Living In The Sunshine

July 16, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

I want to bring The Soul Of John Black a little bit closer to the root – me singing and…

Freddie King’s ’73 ES-355

Thinline Crown

June 11, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Influenced by Robert Johnson, T-Bone Walker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, and others including jump-blues…

Brad Gillis

Weekends and Warriors

February 26, 2004 · Willie G. Moseley

Night Ranger came to prominence with the advent of MTV; guitarist Brad Gillis has played with Ozzy Osbourne and accumulated…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Gibson J-35

Gibson J-35

July 5, 2016 · George Gruhn

Dreadnought guitars originated as early as 1916 with instruments made by Martin and distributed by Ditson, followed in 1931 with…

Kendrick 2210

Big things come in small packages

August 21, 2001 · R.K. Watkins

The shipping box reads “Delicate Instrument,” but don’t let that fool you. The Kendrick 2210 is delicate in same way…

Gibson L-00

1933 Gibson L-00

March 3, 2016 · Dave Hunter

While most of the instruments featured in this space are high-end, often elaborately ornamented models that were expensive when new…

Ibanez Model 2020

May 3, 2006 · Michael Wright

Like most things, the closer you look at certain phenomena, the more you find often subtle, unexpected surprises. A good…


APPROVED GEAR

Voodoo Amplification V-Plex

Plexi Tone, Nailed

January 29, 2010 · Vintage Guitar

Voodoo Amplification V-Plex Marshall’s famed 1960s “plexi” and early-’70s 50-/100-watt amps gained notoriety for their fantastic tones. Of course, the…

Burns Steer Cutaway

The Burns Steer Cutaway

June 3, 2011 · Sean OBryan Smith

The story of the Burns Steer Cutaway begins in 1925 with the birth of the “British Leo Fender,” James Ormston…

SynapticGroove Snapperhead OD/Distortion

SynapticGroove Snapperhead OD/Distortion

Dirty Deeds

May 10, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

With their first offering, Benjamin Harrison and Chrystal Gilles of SynapticGroove set out to fill the gap between heavy effects…

Worland Prairie

Built For Speed

June 22, 2015 · Dennis Pernu

Worland Prairie Price: $1,950 Info: www.worlandguitars.com. It’s been well-documented how car-crazy vets and teens in postwar America reimagined the American…

  • Classics: Tommy Castro’s ’66 Fender Stratocaster

    Classics: Tommy Castro’s ’66 Fender Stratocaster

    Tommy Castro has never been much for sitting with a guitar teacher, preferring instead to rely on good ol’ time in the saddle to hone his craft. But this 1966 Stratocaster has taught him a couple lessons. The guitar entered Castro’s universe in the hands of San Francisco music legend John Newton – known on…

    Read more >>

  • Classics: Arena-Rock Alternative Amps

    Classics: Arena-Rock Alternative Amps

    Mad Maxed

    As rock started hitting the big time in the mid ’60s, it became clear to guitar-amplifier manufacturers that 100 watts or more was the way to go. The best approach to big power, however, would follow several paths. The stories of the high-powered amps introduced by Fender, Marshall, and Vox through the ’60s have been…

    Read more >>

  • Vivi-Tone “Skeleton

    Vivi-Tone “Skeleton

    A Master’s Magnificent Misfire

    The eternal question “Who invented the electric guitar?” has no single answer. By the late 1920s, many players, tinkerers, and inventors were exploring ways to get more volume from fretted instruments. Steel-string flat-tops from Martin, f-hole archtops from Gibson, and metal-bodied resonators from National were louder than their predecessors, but ran up against physical limits.…

    Read more >>

  • 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 per customer, any double entries will be automatically disqualified. See previous winners!! *ELIGIBILITY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.One entry per…

    Read more >>

  • Paul Johnson

    Paul Johnson

    The Hepcats Live at the Ajax Novelty Company

    This isn’t live, there may not be an Ajax Novelty Company, and the three felines known as the Hepcats are actually the brainchild of Paul Johnson, whose Belairs were early-’60s pioneers of surf music. Suspend reality and dig how the “trio” expertly articulates layers of acoustic guitar. Across decades, Johnson has embraced folk-rock, psychedelia, and…

    Read more >>

Scotty Moore

Can't Keep a Good Man Down

May 27, 2005 · Kevin Woods

As the world marks the 50th Anniversary of the recording of “That’s Alright Mama,” one can’t help but wonder what…

Fender’s 1961 Showman

The Show Must Go On

September 23, 2019 · Dave Hunter

When Fender stepped up from the tweed-covered amps of the 1950s to the radically redesigned Tolex amps of the ’60s,…

Have Guitar Will Travel 057 – Phredley Brown

August 24, 2021 · Art Department

“Have Guitar Will Travel” host James Patrick Regan speaks with multi-instrumentalist Phredley Brown, who’s not “just” the guitarist and music…

J.R. Cobb

Classic Bands, Classic Songs

March 4, 2019 · Willie G. Moseley

When he joined Atlanta Rhythm Section in early 1972, J.R. Cobb and Barry Bailey had more in common than simply…

Peter Stroud and Audley Freed

Two Guys, Many Guitars, One Big Hat

January 3, 2014 · Ward Meeker

Many a noteworthy rock and roll band from the Cotton Belt has been propelled by guitar-playin’ good ol’ boys with…