Axe-Calibur Guitar Stand

May 10, 2022 · Julian Burtell

While guitar stands are a dime a dozen, few bring a sense of style nice enough for the living room.…

Remembering Jeff Beck

The Guitar Hero, Defined

December 4, 2023 · Ward Meeker

Jeff Beck, the guitarist who pushed the ’60s British Invasion band the Yardbirds from its electric-blues roots to a contemporary…

Cort’s Sunset I and II Feature

Cort’s Sunset I and II

Jonesin’ For Tone

December 28, 2015 · Phil Feser

When Cort isn’t busy making guitars and basses for major musical instrument companies, they’re hard at work building some pretty…

Oddfellow Caveman Drive

Oddfellow Caveman Drive

Tone Evolution

February 2, 2016 · Pete Prown

Oddfellow Caveman Drive Price: $174.99 (list) Info: www.oddfellowfx.com. Handmade in California, the Oddfellow Caveman Drive is a boutique pedal whose…

Great Eastern FX Small Speaker Overdrive

Little Big Tones

March 13, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Recording engineers and DIYers have long known what a small amp can do in a big room – that is,…

Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols

Ruffian Riffs

November 2, 2018 · Greg Prato

Grown men wearing capes. Stadium concerts with self-indulgent instrumental solos. Lyrics that had nothing to do with reality. Rock stars…

  • Rising Rockers

    Rising Rockers

    Five Alternative Club Classic Amps of the ’50s

    In an era when the sub-20-watt combo is arguably the most popular guitar-amp format, it’s worth remembering that several classics of the category emanate from the ’50s. And just as…

    Read more >>

NOW AVAILABLE!

CURRENT ISSUE

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

ARTISTS

Eli Cook

All Over the Map

July 18, 2019 · Willie G. Moseley

Eli Cook’s seventh album, High-Dollar Gospel, is an Americana-style showcase of sounds, instrumentation, and varied tunings played on an interesting…

Samantha Fish

Blues Belle Stretches Out

July 9, 2019 · Dan Forte

In 2012, Samantha Fish’s Runaway was named Best Artist Debut at the Blues Music Awards. Known for her energetic blues-rock…

Earl Slick

Zig Zag Back to the Top

January 30, 2020 · Lisa Sharken

Earl Slick landed his dream gig back in 1974, when a friend referred him for a gig with David Bowie,…

Stéphane Wrembel

Roll Over, Django

June 9, 2020 · Michael Dregni

Talk Gypsy jazz with most devotees and they’ll quote you chapter and verse on Django Reinhardt. Talk with acclaimed Gypsy…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Fender’s First Reissues

The CBS Era Concludes in Style

March 2, 2016 · Edward B. Driscoll Jr.

By the late 1970s, cumulative changes in the details of the various classic guitar models on the market – Fender’s…

Q&A With George Gruhn: Formica Pickguard on an Early Les Paul?

And Not-So-Strange Variations on an ’87 LP Standard

May 2, 2022 · George Gruhn

I’ve just completed restoring a very early Les Paul that was horribly damaged and poorly repaired, then painted black! I’m…

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…

Yamaha Image

December 26, 2013 · Michael Wright

Some years back, an insurance company promoted itself as “the quiet company.” While they probably wouldn’t like to hear it,…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Jon Kammerer Guitars’ Pegasus

Jon Kammerer Guitars’ Pegasus

This Horse Has Wings

April 6, 2015 · Ray Wuolo

Jon Kammerer Guitars’ Pegasus Price: $2,300 (list) Contact: www.jonkammerercustoms.com Anyone who has ever plugged an acoustic guitar into an amp…

Collings Julian Lage OM1 JL

Great Expectations

July 3, 2019 · Pete Prown

The late Bill Collings and his craftsmen are renowned for their beautiful-sounding guitars. It’s apt they’ve connected with a beautiful-sounding…

Mayfly Goddess Chorus

Come As You Are

February 8, 2024 · Charlie Wilkins

Chorus pedals have been around for decades and for many players are an integral part of their tone. But not…

GIFFIN VITKA

Giffin Vikta

Feelin’ Special

March 20, 2014 · Pete Prown

Giffin Vikta Price: $2,295 Contact: premierbuildersguild.com. Roger Giffin is a guitarmaker to the stars, having built for Eric Clapton, Pete…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Positive Grid Spark

Cloud Nine

October 15, 2021 · Pete Prown

Once upon a time, you had a guitar, amp, and pedals – a complete guitar universe. Today, there’s a fourth…

Beat Portraits: Burns Volume 1

Beginnings – The Early 1960s

January 31, 2018 · Peter Stuart Kohman

In early 2009, VG columnist Peter Stuart Kohman turned his focus on Burns, the pioneering British guitar builder. We’ve compiled…

Thinkin’ Thin

Heroes of the Semi-Hollow

November 30, 2016 · Pete Prown

The semi-hollowbody electric guitar is one of the most revered axes in the plugged-in universe, offering the playability of a…

Will Ackerman

Acoustic Artisan

April 4, 2023 · Pete Prown

A defining idiom of ’80s guitar, the Windham Hill label captured a certain audio sound and style of understated acoustic…

My Years With UFO

Michael Schenker

September 8, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

One of the most-underrated rock guitarists in history, it’s about time homage was paid to the master of the Flying…

DryBell Module 4

Compress Yourself

August 28, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

  Inspired by the Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer, Drybell Musical Electronic Laboratory’s Module 4 Compressor adds several highly usable features.…

Nils Lofgren

Great American Journeyman

March 29, 2017 · Johnny Zapp

Nils Lofgren’s resumé stretches 47 years and counting. He joined Neil Young’s band at age 19 and was a member…

Gibson Super 400

August 13, 2024 · George Gruhn and Walter Carter

Much of America was still recovering from the Depression in 1934 when Gibson introduced a guitar at a price that…

Uli Jon Roth

Return to Tokyo

April 24, 2019 · Greg Prato

In the 1970s, rockers were cranking out now-classic live sets with stunning regularity – Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys in…

Lost Planet Airmen

Back from the Ozone

October 29, 2024 · Rich Kienzle

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen were true country-rock and Americana pioneers. Their unique, uncompromising brew of rockabilly, R&B,…

Jimi Hendrix

Power Soul

December 9, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Jimi Hendrix learned the hard way that signing contracts for fast money can come back to haunt you. Hendrix’ naiveté…

Gretchen Menn

Magnum Opus

May 2, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

Gretchen Menn stands alone. One might argue that she’s the female counterpart to Steve Morse. Both are aviators, both play…

George Ducas: Modern Honky-Tonkin’

September 3, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Taste of “Long Way From Home” Singer/songwriter George Ducas is a Nashville traditionalist influenced by Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and…

Johnny Winter

Returning To His Roots

July 18, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

In December, 1968, Mike Bloomfield asked Johnny Winter to perform at the Fillmore East in New York at a Super…

Van Morrison

Wild Nights

August 2, 2016 · Michael Dregni

In the history of live recordings, there are a handful widely considered to be all-time classics: B.B. King’s Live at…

Brad Paisley

Keep Pushing Play

February 4, 2010 · Zac Childs

Ten years into what has become a stellar career, when Brad Paisley hits your town to play a show these…

LOUIS_BUSTER_HOME-MAIN-BIG

Louis Electric Buster

Beyond Deluxe

December 18, 2015 · Zac Childs

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

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…

One Unforgettable ’60s-Oddity Magnatone

Monster Mash

July 2, 2019 · Dave Hunter

Drew Moniot and his band, The Sequins, were on top of the world, playing Gibson SGs through endorsement-deal amp stacks…

Relic Guitars The Hague T-Style

Relic Guitars The Hague T-Style

Aged to Perfection

November 29, 2016 · Pete Prown

Relic Guitars The Hague is a Dutch builder that produces, obviously, relic’d guitars. Mostly using the archetypal Strat and Tele…

The story of the Martin F-50

December 24, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

Our friend Nate Westgor from Willie’s American Guitars shares the story of Martin’s first step into the booming 1960s electric…

Fretprints: Robben Ford

The Early Years: Emergence of a Blues/Jazz Virtuoso

January 24, 2022 · Wolf Marshall

“Who is this kid?” gasped incredulous attendees of the Guitar Explosion festival at the Hollywood Bowl in June, 1973. It…

Greg Martin honors Dickey Betts

August 29, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Tribute licks Kentucky Headhunters co-founder Greg Martin was a senior in high school when he first heard the Allman Brothers…

Dave Specter

Chicago Deep Dish

October 4, 2022 · Pete Prown

There are many styles of blues guitar, from haunting Delta acoustic to volcanic blues-rock. Hailing from the mecca of Chicago,…

James Burton

James Burton

May 10, 2016 · Ward Meeker

In rural Louisiana in the early 1950s, it was no small feat when a family scraping by to survive bought…

Buzz Feiten Blues Pro

Buzz Feiten Blues Pro

Cantankerous Tones

March 8, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Buzz Feiten Blues Pro Price: $2,395 (list) Contact: www.buzzfeitenguitars.com Buzz Feiten is a Woodstock alumnus who has played with a…

Skunk Baxter

Speed of Heat

May 2, 2023 · Pete Prown

In no apparent hurry, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter just released his first solo album – at age 73. The guitar flash…

The RFT 12AX7

The Righteous Flame-throwin’ Tube

July 1, 2020 · Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate

“…there is a time and place for that out-front spank, but if your mood shifts to slightly more mellow, there…

Joanna Connor

4801 South Indiana Avenue

February 9, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Blues-rock queen Joanna Connor’s latest release finds her receiving branding advice from none other than Joe Bonamassa. Impressed by her…