• 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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Zemaitis’ CS Guitars

Super Models

March 5, 2019 · Michael Dregni

Artist. Iconoclast. Guitar builder to the stars. Tony Zemaitis was all that and more. Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards swear…

Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators

4

December 7, 2022 · Bret Adams

Slash is among the last of the old-school guitar heroes; there’s a line from ’60s and ’70s gods straight to…

Dudley Taft

Dudley Taft

Raucous, Righteous Blues

June 7, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

With the recent release of his third solo album, Screamin’ in the Wind, guitarist Dudley Taft is serving notice that…

Vic Juris

The Core of Big Apple Jazz

April 22, 2019 · Jim Carlton

Every noted jazz artist in the world is familiar with Vic Juris. His body of work commands serious respect and…

Chris Squire

1948-2015

November 28, 2016 · Pete Prown

Yes bassist Chris Squire died June 27th at age 67, after a brief battle with leukemia. Squire co-founded Yes in…

Epiphone USA Coronet

Simple Screamer

May 30, 2025 · Bob Cianci

Single-pickup guitars are flat-out cool: think Leslie West, Keith Richards, Johnny Thunders, Steve Marriott, Johnny Marr, and Jimi Hendrix. Once…

  • 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

Kirk Fletcher

The Mid-life Crisis Sessions

June 9, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Back from barnstorming the globe, blues guitarist Kirk Fletcher’s latest is music for the people. Heartache by the Pound is…

Jim Singleton

Jim Singleton

Clarksdale Collaboration

April 5, 2016 · Lisa Sharken

A connoisseur of vintage gear, VG readers may know Jim Singleton as the main man at Jim’s Guitars, in Pennsylvania.…

Peter Stroud Keeps His Feet, and Keeps Movin’

On “10,” As Always

August 1, 2017 · Ward Meeker

He has played with Dreams So Real, Pete Droge, Don Henley, and Sheryl Crow. It’s the latter gig that occupies…

Jock Bartley

The Return of Firefall

November 26, 2021 · Pete Prown

If you listened to pop radio in the late ’70s, it was hard to miss Firefall, whose soft-rock hits were…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

The Gretsch 1955-’61 White Falcon

Jimmie Webster’s Master Showpiece

March 28, 2023 · Ward Meeker

Mike Campbell: Rick Gould. When it came to fancy electric guitars in the early/mid 1950s, Gibson’s Super 400 was ensconced…

B.C. Rich Eagle

April 28, 2020 · Michael Wright

When my son was young I used to do “guitar shows” for his classes, showing off 10 or so electric…

National-Dobro Model C

December 21, 2021 · Dave Hunter

We’ve seen some pristine vintage pieces in these pages over the years, but as far as time-capsule amps go, when…

The Les Paul Becomes The SG

Double Time

April 24, 2019 · George Gruhn

It may be difficult to imagine now, but Gibson’s original Les Paul was only a modest success. Introduced in 1952,…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

EHX String9

Orchestral Stomp

September 11, 2023 · Pete Prown

The EHX String9 String Ensemble lets guitar players create electronic-string sounds, in full polyphony and without requiring a special pickup…

AnalogMan Jim Weider Big-T Bridge Pickup

AnalogMan Jim Weider Big-T Bridge Pickup

Mr. Clean

March 16, 2016 · Zac Childs

AnalogMan’s Jim Weider Big-T Bridge Pickup Price: $135 Info: www.buyanalogman.com Jim Weider is one of the few guitarists who can…

Carvin Audio’s X1 Preamp

Welcome Back

October 14, 2019 · Pete Prown

The recently re-tooled Carvin Audio has stayed active with product offerings aimed at the player/sound-reinforcement segment. Its new X1 combines…

John Page Classic Aqua Burst AJ

Classy & Sassy

January 18, 2024 · Pete Prown

The John Page Classic Aqua Burst AJ is another hip offering from the former Fender Custom Shop honcho and co-founder,…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Saga Gitane DG-250M

Saga Gitane DG-250M

One Loud Blond

April 9, 2015 · Chip Wilson

Saga Gitane DG-250M Price: $949 Info: www.sagamusic.com Features: Open-gear 14:1-ratio tuners, solid spruce top with “petite bouche” oval soundhole, birdseye…

Larry Carlton

Farewell, Mr. 335

January 30, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

As music becomes more unfamiliar and the past becomes a long reflection in the rear-view, veteran guitarists are increasingly mindful…

Beauty and the Bastards

July 6, 2016 · John Heidt

This album is a set of songs beautifully assembled by guitarist Danny Mangold. He recruits various friends, including his former…

David Grissom

March 24, 2014 · Dan Forte

One of Les Paul’s favorite aphorisms when assessing other guitarists was, “Can his mother pick him out on the radio?”…

Elvis Presley

Guitar Royalty

May 15, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Should you ever forget why the King is the King, this ultimate boxed set of Elvis’ 57 albums and soundtracks,…

Fretprints: Randy Rhoads

Transcendent Tribute

August 19, 2024 · Wolf Marshall

September 20, 1980, marked the release of Ozzy Osbourne’s debut solo album Blizzard of Ozz, a hard-rock recording that introduced…

Majik Box Paul Gilbert Fuzz Universe Custom

“Scarifying” OD

December 23, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Majik Box Paul Gilbert Fuzz Universe Custom Price: $329.99 retail Contact: www.majikboxusa.com Since Dave Simpson and Rob Nishida joined forces…

Jim Weider

Shinin’ On

March 31, 2023 · Tom Guerra

Few American guitarists have roots in Americana as deep as those of Jim Weider. For 15 years following The Band’s…

Schertler’s Magnetico AG6

Direct Results

April 24, 2019 · Pete Prown

For performers, the struggle to amplify acoustic guitars properly never goes away. But as Schertler shows, things are getting better.…

Martin D-28 Standard

January 14, 2026 · Michael Shirek

If nobody mentioned that Martin’s new Standard line had been updated, a player might be forgiven for not immediately noticing…

Jazz singer and bassist Esperanza Spalding performing at the North Sea Jazz festival 2012 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Photo: JBreeschoten/Wikimedia.

Esperanza Spalding

May 15, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Popularly known as that cute female jazz bassist with the Afro who bogarted the Best New Artist Grammy away from…

Have Guitar Will Travel 064 – Luis Carlos Maldonado

December 23, 2021 · Vintage Guitar

“Have Guitar Will Travel” host James Patrick Regan speaks with multi-instrumentalist Luis Carlos Maldonado. Growing up in Arizona and SoCal,…

PRS NF 53

Mojo, Distilled

June 26, 2024 · Pete Prown

Players who appreciate simple, elegant, well-built guitars may find themselves enamored with the new PRS NF 53, inspired by one…

The Peoples’ Guitar

Gibson’s Depression-Era Exports

July 10, 2017 · L.B. Fred

Many aren’t aware that some of the archtop guitars Gibson produced during the Depression were marketed under different brand names,…

Universal Audio’s OX Amp Top Box

The Tube Abides

October 14, 2019 · Ray Wuolo

Since the mid ’60s, electrical engineers have been trying to drive a stake into the heart of the vacuum tube,…

Al Joseph

Prog-Metal Creation

September 20, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Al Joseph is breaking new ground in prog-metal. Known for his riveting guitar playing and instruction with Jam Track Central,…

Steve Morse

Blazing Ahead with Deep Purple

April 22, 2016 · Pete Prown

While many classic British bands have hung up their spurs, Deep Purple is not only fully active after 45 years,…

Eugene Grew

Long-Lost Motown Session Master

December 28, 2017 · Brian Wright

To the surprise of many Motown fans, a man emerged in 2011 claiming to have played guitar on “Money” and…

Alex Hall

Pandemic Re-Think

June 17, 2022 · Rich Kienzle

Six Strings, the debut EP by 26-year-old Alex Hall, establishes the Georgia native as one of the new generation of…

Eliza Gilkyson plays “At the Foot of the Mountain”

April 7, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Superlative Western balladry from songwriter/activist Songwriter/activist Eliza Gilkyson and multi-instrumentalist/producer Don Richmond sat for this exclusive (and exquisite) rendition of…

Alan Gogoll

Lioness Lullabies

December 8, 2025 · Pete Prown

Venture online and watch a few videos by Tasmanian guitarist Alan Gogoll and you’ll see he’s nothing short of a…

Danelectro ’84

Love Struck

May 30, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

The Danelectro name first surfaced on amplifiers in the late 1940s, then later on guitars made with Masonite bodies and…

Croy and the Boys

February 27, 2017 · Rick Allen

There’s something about the Telecaster – as well as its forerunners and inspired imitators – that attracts musicians whose music…

Carl Verheyen

The Tools of Trading 8s

March 5, 2014 · Wolf Marshall

Carl Verheyen is a member of that elite (and shrinking) group of musicians known as “session guitarists.” Super-qualified pickers, they’re…

Gibson Custom Colors in the 1960s

Burning Embers, Chilled Whites

January 11, 2017 · Andre R. Duchossoir

Unlike its rival from the West Coast, Gibson did not readily embrace the concept of offering custom-color finishes. It wasn’t…

Have Guitar Will Travel 052 – Cesar Gueikian

June 9, 2021 · Art Department

Gibson’s newly appointed Brand President, Cesar Gueikian, returns to “Have Guitar Will Travel,” with host James Patrick Regan. Cesar is…

Adam Hawley’s Joyous Jazz

January 22, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Adam lays it down on “Escape” Jazz hitmaker Adam Hawley, who has backed Jennifer Lopez, Natalie Cole, and played in…

Guild Standard Series Acoustics

Legacy, Cont’d?

January 10, 2012 · Sean OBryan Smith

Founded by a jazz guitarist as jazz-box builder, the Guild company also built a solid reputation with its ’50s acoustic…

Maestro Rover R0-1

The UFO of Rotating Speakers

August 6, 2016 · Michael Dregni

To record “Little Wing,” Jimi Hendrix plugged his Stratocaster into his usual amplifier, then did the unthinkable; he ran guitar…