• 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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Santa Cruz HT/13 Happy Traum

Fingerstyle Dream

August 11, 2022 · Michael Shirek

In a career spanning more than 60 years, Happy Traum has been a fixture of the American folk scene, from…

Vintage Instrument Research

An Ever-Changing Landscape

May 9, 2019 · George Gruhn

Fretted instruments can be examined in much the same way as zoological taxonomist or forensic pathologist would approach them. They…

Homegrown Tone 420

Homegrown Tone 420

Legalized Tweed

February 17, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Buzz Feiten Blues Pro Price: $1,799 (list) Contact: “Homegrown Tone Amps” on facebook.com Can’t get enough hemp in your life?…

A.J.’s 1950 Fender Broadcaster

$10 at a time

July 25, 2017 · Dave Yeats

In 1950, A.J. Custer traded his triple-neck steel for a white-guard Broadcaster. Total cost was around $300, which he paid…

Phantom Reissue 1964 PH12

Ghost of Vintage Past

September 25, 2014 · Chip Wilson

From the Hollies to the Mahavishnu Orchestra, from Robert Junior Lockwood to the Stones, the electric 12-string has a prominent…

5150 Iconic Series 60-Watt 2×12

Little Monster

April 24, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

When Edward Van Halen released his 5150 head with Peavey in 1992, it quickly grew famous for its massive gain,…

  • 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

Have Guitar Will Travel 093 – Martin Simpson

March 1, 2024 · James Patrick Regan

Features In this episode, host James Patrick Regan speaks with Martin Simpson, discussing his new duet record with Thomm Jutz,…

In Memoriam: Tom Verlaine

February 9, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Tom Verlaine, co-founder of the influential garage/new-wave band Television, died January 28. He was 73 and passed after a battle…

Ewan Currie’s Hairy Tones

December 9, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Sheepdogs guitarist plays “So Far Gone” Ewan Currie and his band, The Sheepdogs, do retro-rock the right way. Here, Ewan…

Robben Ford

The Space Between the Notes

August 7, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

When it comes to blues, Robben Ford has always been inspired by the most profound practitioners of the form and…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Tele of Two Legends

The Amazing Story of One Unique Fender

December 6, 2017 · Ward Meeker

One day in the mid 1950s, up-and-coming thoroughbred jockey Bill Shoemaker was playing host to his friend, bandleader Hank Penny,…

Gibson’s Budget Redux

The SB Series Guitars and Basses

March 2, 2017 · Willie G. Moseley

As the 1960s rolled into the ’70s, Gibson had established itself in the electric-bass market with front-line instruments such as…

Dallas Rangemaster

The Dallas Rangemaster

January 26, 2015 · Michael Dregni

Eric Clapton christened it “woman tone.” On the famed 1966 “Beano” album, John Mayall’s Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton, the…

MIM Hosts Stephen Stills and Ushers in Dragons and Vines Exhibition

December 7, 2016 · Johnny Zapp

On November 5th, Phoenix, Arizona’s Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) celebrated the opening of their newest exhibition, “Dragons and Vines: Inlaid…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Taylor AD11e-SB

Small Gem

January 18, 2024 · Pete Prown

This latest addition to Taylor’s American Dream line builds on its Grand Theater (GT) series of small-body guitars, the goal…

Santa Cruz HT/13 Happy Traum

Fingerstyle Dream

August 11, 2022 · Michael Shirek

In a career spanning more than 60 years, Happy Traum has been a fixture of the American folk scene, from…

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…

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…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Greg Douglass and the Accomplices

November 1, 2016 · Dan Forte

For years, Greg Douglass was San Francisco’s best-kept guitar secret. At the dawn of psychedelia, his band, Country Weather, made…

Bryan Beller: Aristocratic Riffs

April 23, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Time-Signature Shifts on “Aristoclub Bryan Beller and his Lull Custom BBMF5 demonstrate what it takes to keep up with Guthrie…

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest  Timm Kummer

December 23, 2025 · Ram W. Tuli

Season 03 Episode 09 In Episode 3.9 of “Buy That Guitar,” host Ram Tuli is joined by Timm Kummer, a…

Ally Venable

Connection

February 2, 2026 · Oscar Jordan

On Money & Power, Ally Venable wields the power of wisdom and emotional connection. It’s an album about empowerment and…

Mosrite Joe Maphis

July 14, 2020 · Willie G. Moseley

The 1960s were arguably the most memorable decade in the history of American guitar manufacturing. True, some legendary electric guitar…

Last In Line

May 15, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

This album reunites Mark 1 of the late Ronnie James Dio’s solo band, including Vinny Appice, the late Jimmy Bain,…

Gator Cases MiniVault

Rolling Rack

August 4, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Every gigging guitarist who lugs their own gear (so, 95 percent of us) knows firsthand how instrument cases take a…

The Steepwater Band

June 23, 2020 · Ward Meeker

Taking a spin with Chicago sons The Steepwater Band and their latest CD, Revelation Sunday, is an experience akin to…

Sonny James's Epiphone Excellente

Epiphone Excellente

Sonny James' Epiphone Excellente

November 19, 2002 · Walter Carter

The Epiphone Excellente was the fanciest flat-top Gibson made in the 1960s, and to some ears it was Gibson’s best.…

Duke Robillard

Doing Things His Way

December 22, 2015 · Eric C. Shoaf

Mix one part blues, one part jazz, one part swing, stir in some rock and soul, bring to a simmer,…

Jam Pedals’ Delay Llama & Wahcko Wah

What’s In A Name?

July 23, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Positioning its sonic M.O. squarely in the 1960s and ’70s, Jam Pedals strives to create a distinct line of effects.…

Freddie King

Getting Ready/Texas Cannonball/Woman Across the River

May 31, 2025 · Pete Prown

A three-in-one reissue, this Freddie King package encompasses the LPs he recorded for Leon Russell’s Shelter label from 1971 to…

Lake Street Dive

July 6, 2016 · Michael Dregni

It doesn’t get much more wonderfully pop than Lake Street Dive. And with the band’s latest, they’ve produced their best…

Dave Mason

Now We All Know

June 24, 2025 · Bret Adams

In his new autobiography, Only You Know & I Know, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Dave Mason looks back on his incredible life, including…

Leon Rhodes

Country-Jazz Genius, Terrific Texas Troubadour

August 15, 2002 · Jim Hilmar

Leon Rhodes 1932-2017 We are saddened to hear of the passing of guitar legend Leon Rhodes, one of the most-beloved…

Music Man’s Hybrid Boogie Amp: The RD-50

December 26, 2017 · Paul Bechtoldt

Say hey, fellow guitarists! If you live in the Northeast, it’s great to have a hobby that doesn’t require going…

Fender Custom Shop Marks 30 Years

Dream Makers

May 9, 2019 · Vaughn Skow

In “official” terms, the Fender Custom Shop opened in 1987. But its story actually began February 1, 1985 – the…

Electro-Harmonix 45000 Multi-Track Recorder

Gettin’ Loopy!

September 17, 2015 · Pete Prown

Electro-Harmonix 45000 Multi-Track Recorder Price: $476.21 (street); $119.25 (foot controller) Info: www.ehx.com. Looping has a rich history, with roots tracing…

Jimi Hendrix Experience

Live in Maui

December 9, 2021 · Pete Prown

This 1970 performance was contrived for Rainbow Bridge, a hippie movie that flopped. The gig itself was faintly ridiculous, as…

Geddy Lee

Bass Conservator

August 7, 2023 · Ward Meeker

In its 40-plus years, Rush evolved on its own terms. Mixing rock and jazz influences, the band’s 19 studio albums…

Ya’ Gig What Ya’ Pay For

Incase’s Tour Bag is ultra-functional, durable

May 27, 2020 · Phil Feser

It wouldn’t be a surprising reaction. “A $200 gig bag?” And one could reasonably assume the price includes a guitar.…

Robben Ford

Crystal Visionary

June 3, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Pure is Robben Ford’s first instrumental album since 1997’s Tiger Walk. A work of complex simplicity, it’s also a singular…

Classics: November 2022

Vern Juran’s Harmony stratotone

July 13, 2023 · Ward Meeker

Like many baby-boomer kids, 11-year-old Vern Juran was into slot-car racing and bikes with ape-hanger handlebars, banana seats, and sissy…

Arlen Roth

No Stone Unturned

May 9, 2017 · Tom Guerra

To guitarists raised on his “Hot Licks” instructional video series, session and touring great Arlen Roth is something of a…

Rush

Rush 50

January 14, 2026 · Pete Prown

The goal of any anthology is to capture the broad scope of an artist’s career. Rush 50 is a strong…

1938 Supertone Gene Autry Roundup

December 13, 2021 · Michael Wright

In the depths of the Great Depression, people turned to entertainment for distraction. Not that there was much to be…

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…

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…

Cordoba Stage

Classical Gas

October 11, 2023 · Bob Cianci

With a 1.5″/fully chambered mahogany body, the Stage – Cordoba’s first foray into the world of nylon-string electric guitars –…