Supercool “800,” The Thneed, and ’77 Fuzz Blender

Hip Sounds

October 28, 2024 · Pete Prown

Supercool Pedals is a Canadian company that makes stompboxes that sound hip and look seriously groovy. Among its offerings is…

Eric Johnson

Eric Johnson

Epiphanies

January 24, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Eric Johnson’s new release, Europe Liv, is an impressive offering, but you wouldn’t know it from talking to the man…

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…

Michael Johnny Walker

Michael Johnny Walker

Vintage Attitude Required

July 5, 2016 · Johnny Zapp

The term “vintage” isn’t always literal when it comes to gear, but it certainly can be used to describe attitude.…

Jake Shimabukuro

Ukulele Hero

August 29, 2022 · Dan Forte

It’s one of the most unlikely success stories in music. Armed with a four-string tenor ukulele, a young Hawaiian videos…

Kansas’ Leftoverture

Iconic American Prog

December 23, 2023 · Willie G. Moseley

Progressive rock emerged from the British psychedelic scene in the late ’60s with bands like the Nice, Procol Harum, Moody…

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ARTISTS

Jay Geils

Blues and Archtops

July 6, 2023 · Tom Guerra

If you grew up listening to music in the ’70s, you probably associate the name J. Geils with a five-piece…

Larry Coryell

1943-2017

March 27, 2019 · Vintage Guitar

Guitarist Larry Coryell died February 19 in New York City after performing the previous night at the Iridium. He was…

John Notto

L.A. Burner

July 14, 2024 · Bret Adams

Dirty Honey is one of the most-exciting bands to emerge in the past few years. The Los Angeles quartet stands…

Mike Beigel

Resurrection of the Mu-Tron III

January 11, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Mike Beigel is no guitarist. But that never held him back in crafting one of the most legendary of all…


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,…

One of Two of a Kind

Gibson’s L-3 Ganus Brothers Special

July 9, 2018 · George Gruhn

Making custom instruments has always been problematic for companies designed to manufacture in quantity. Though it had an unenforced policy…

Rickenbacker 4005

November 24, 2020 · Willie G. Moseley

California’s Rickenbacker guitar company has a tradition of things a bit differently. One of the earliest electric guitars was their…

Cry, Baby!

The Story of the Vox Wah

December 9, 2015 · Michael Dregni

Beyond being crowned “Album of the Century” by Time magazine, Marley and the Wailers’ 1977 LP Exodus is a wah-wah…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Keeley Engineering Compressor Pro

Keeley Engineering Compressor Pro

Game Changer

March 24, 2016 · Rich Maloof

Keeley Engineering Compressor Pro Price: $299 (list) Contact: www.robertkeeley.com Studio-quality dynamic control at your feet is a luxury that guitarists…

Metal Pedals JH-3

Metal Pedals JH-3

Swiss-Army Distortion

July 31, 2015 · Chip Wilson

Metal Pedals JH-3 Price: $235 (list) Contact: www.metalpedals.com Like a Swiss Army knife, the multifunction Metal Pedals JH-3 Johnny Hiland…

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Avid Technology Eleven Rack

Rack and Roll

June 10, 2016 · Pete Prown

The proliferation of digital guitar gear grows by leaps and bounds every year as more players learn to love the…

DryBell Unit67

Balkan Boost

October 15, 2021 · Oscar Jordan

DryBell Musical Electronic Laboratory has been kicking out great pedals for a few year, with clients like Mike Landau, John…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

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…

Gibson Style J Mando-bass

December 16, 2014 · George Gruhn

Decades before Audiovox or Leo Fender dreamed of making a fretted electric bass, Gibson started manufacturing fretted acoustic mando-basses that…

Eric Schenkmann

Funk, Blues, and Thunder

January 24, 2017 · Willie G. Moseley

It’s been a quarter-century since the Spin Doctors broke out with “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong,” which catapulted the New…

Reunited

Bruce Forman Honors Barney Kessel

October 12, 2022 · Rich Kienzle

From 1957 to ’60, guitarist Barney Kessel, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Shelly Manne recorded four LPs for Contemporary Records…

Rick Stockton

All Roads Lead to the ’60s

June 9, 2020 · John Heidt

Working under the nom de plume T. Malcolm Oxford, Rick Stockton is the leader, producer, and guitarist for the Strolling…

Roland Cube Lite

Roland Cube Lite

High-Calorie Tone

January 18, 2016 · Phil Feser

Roland Cube Lite Price: $169 (street) Info: www.rolandus.com. At just under four pounds, and with a 10″ x 6″ footprint,…

Philip Sayce

Proactive Perseverance

December 13, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Philip Sayce is a living, breathing, godmonster beast on the Stratocaster. But his chops, tone, feel, and great songs don’t…

Elizabeth Cotton, Doc Watson, and Various Artists

Classic Piedmont Blues From Smithsonian Folkways

June 27, 2017 · Rick Allen

It’s less improvisational than other types of blues, but East Coast (a.k.a. Piedmont) blues is no less expressive or impassioned.…

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,…

Big Knob Pedals

Big Knob Pedals

What’s in a Name?

February 18, 2016 · Bob Dragich

Big Knob Pedals Price: Tube 808, $139; Echo Flex, $149; Vibe Tone, $159; Octavius, $129 (all list) Contact: www.bigknobpedals.com Gary…

The Electro-Harmonix Superego Synth Engine

Synthful

March 19, 2014 · Phil Feser

Electro-Harmonix Superego Synth Engine Price: $283.60 (retail); $212.70 (street) Contact: www.ehx.com Building on the success of its Freeze Sound Retainer…

Dave Murphy: Acoustic Country!

May 15, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

 Classic Ballad Style Country/folk/rock singer/guitarist Dave Murphy wrangled guitarist Chris Tarrow for this take on “Josephine,’ from Dave’s new…

Fender’s Musicmaster and Duo‑Sonic

Little Brothers

August 28, 2018 · Terry Foster

Often forgotten, the diminutive student-grade duo went from concept to reality in short order to capitalize on teenagers taking up…

John Lee Hooker

Mr. Boogie

December 30, 2016 · Pete Prown

John Lee Hooker was the bridge between country blues and electric blues, something elegantly captured during a 53-year career. The…

Glen Campbell

1936-2017: A Legend Departs

April 25, 2019 · Rich Kienzle

The end of Glen Campbell’s journey was a matter of time once he and his family announced his Alzheimer’s diagnosis…

Burton, Garrett, Lee, and Wilcox Join Forces

Burton, Garrett, Lee, and Wilcox Join Forces

Telecaster Summit

February 12, 2016 · Dan Forte

For guitar lovers and roots-music fans, the place to be in July ’13 was British Columbia. The Vancouver Island MusicFest…

Grez Mendocino Short Scale Bass

Time-Machine Tone

April 3, 2023 · Michael Shirek

In the beginning, there was the Precision Bass. Following Leo Fender’s revelation, things branched out in all directions as builders…

MARK DUTTON

Mark Dutton

A.K.A. “Muddy”: Vintage Vibes, Retro Grooves

January 24, 2017 · Johnny Zapp

Mark “Muddy” Dutton is one cool cat with an impressive resumé and an affinity for the budget-friendly basses of yesterday.…

Big Al Anderson

Pawn Shop Guitars

February 26, 2021 · Tom Guerra

Since last spoke to him, songwriter and master of the Telecaster Al Anderson has been extremely productive. More than a…

Jeff Kollman

Validating Versatiltiy

June 25, 2025 · Willie G. Moseley

A perusal of guitarist Jeff Kollman’s resumé forces a double take. Alongside decades of studio work and live gigs with…

The Komet Constellation

January 4, 2016 · Dave Hunter

Amid the general run of vintage amps we have explored in this space, the occasional “modern classic” has proved itself…

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The Gretsch Round-Up

May 11, 2016 · Jim Hilmar

In 1954, what could possibly be more “contemporary Western” than a Gretsch Round-Up? Introduced in 1954, the Round-Up (listed in…

PRS_P22-HOME-MAIN-BIG

PRS P22

Split Personality

December 23, 2013 · Phil Feser

PRS P22 Price: $6,092 (as tested, retail), $3630 (street) Info: prsguitars.com. While PRS has for several years offered a piezo…

Steve Knight

Jazz For People

July 26, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Chicago resident Steve Knight’s first album, Persistence, takes listeners back to the days of warm jazz-guitar tones, popular tunes, group…

Squirrel Nut Zippers

Beasts of Burgundy

July 5, 2018 · Michael Dregni

Rare it is when a band forms, blows the doors off with their music, falls apart, regroups – and hits…

Nili Brosh: Super Busy Super Shredder

July 25, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Exclusive look at “Lavender Mountains” and her Ibanez LA Custom RG770” Nili Brosh recorded her new single, “Lavender Mountains” using…

Immix Eleven V-Series 30 Amp/Cab

Immix Eleven V-Series 30 Amp/Cab

Lights! Sound! Action!

November 6, 2015 · Chip Wilson

Immix Eleven V-Series 30 Amp/Cab Price: Amp $1,995 (list); cabinet $895 (list) Contact: www.immix11.com Remember the first time you encountered…

Spoon

Lucifer On The Sofa

November 17, 2022 · Michael Dregni

Ten studio albums in, Spoon’s latest just may be its purest rock-and-roll record. What took so long? The band’s early…

D’Angelico New Yorker

Top of the Line from a Master Builder

January 8, 2018 · George Gruhn

Having earned its place in the VG Hall of Fame as one of the finest guitars in the history of…