Ernie Isley

Burning Desire

July 2, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Contrary to what longtime fans may have heard, Ernie Isley didn’t take guitar lessons from Jimi Hendrix. Though Ernie hung…

EVH Stripe Series Star

Romeo Delight

March 1, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

There was time when guitarists waited for new Van Halen records like ferrets on crack. After all, in the early…

Mr. Smith goes to Rudy’s

“Upstairs” at a famed NYC guitar boutique

June 10, 2020 · Art Department

Nashville has Music Row and London has Soho, but if your heart starts palpitating at the mere mention of carved…

1962 Premier E-727

April 24, 2024 · Michael Wright

One of the least un-derstood aspects of American guitar history is the role of musical instrument distributors. It’s one thing…

Dr. Z 35th Anniversary Carmen Ghia 1×10

Start Me Up

May 13, 2024 · Charlie Wilkins

At the forefront of high-end boutique design, the Carmen Ghia was Dr. Z’s first commercially available amplifier when launched in…

Peter Rowan

Carter Stanley’s Eyes

July 5, 2018 · Rich Kienzle

Peter Rowan spent 1963 through ’67 as lead singer/guitarist with Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys before his own…

  • Rik Emmett

    Rik Emmett

    Ten Telecaster Tales

    At the risk of starting a brawl, Rik Emmett’s guitar work was arguably too good for Triumph. As evidence, his latest project centers on a custom-built Loucin that inspired both…

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ARTISTS

Joel Hoekstra

Road Warrior

January 31, 2024 · Pete Prown

The busiest man in hard rock, Joel Hoekstra spends his life touring, recording, and jamming with Whitesnake, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Iconic,…

Sunny War

Art & War

May 4, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Sunny War’s latest album, Simple Syrup, digs deep into the complexities of the human experience. As an acoustic fingerstylist who…

Joe Long’s “stack-knob” Fender Jazz Bass

June 22, 2025 · Willie G. Moseley

If you’re a fan or aficionado of vintage instruments, odds are that any early-’60s Fender Jazz Bass catches your eye.…

Warren Haynes

Peace, Love, and Rock & Roll

May 3, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Warren Haynes and his Gov’t Mule crew aren’t the kind of guys to let something like a pandemic slow them…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Bell 30 RV Stereo-Reverb Combo

Accordion to Plan

August 5, 2022 · Dave Hunter

1961 Bell 30 RV Stereo-Reverb • Preamp tubes: three 6EU7, one 7199, one 12AU7, one 12AX7 • Output tubes: four…

JOHNNYSMITH-HOME-MAIN-BIG

The Guild and Gibson Johnny Smith Models

December 3, 2013 · Jim Hilmar

The name “Johnny Smith” is synonymous with class, elegance, and style. Most guitar players are familiar, if not with the…

Tommy Castro

Circling Back

December 12, 2025 · Ward Meeker

In a career spanning four decades, Tommy Castro has crafted a commendable catalog and built a devout following with his…

The Guitars of Ernst Heinrich Roth

International Influence

December 21, 2023 · Cliff Hall

Now just a sleepy town in Germany, over the last 200 years, Markneukirchen has been home to countless luthiers ranging…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

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.…

Milbert Amplifiers GAGA D-60

Shape Shifter

December 28, 2015 · Rich Maloof

The Milbert Amplifiers GAGA D-60 Price: $2,950 list Info: www.milbert.com/gaga Gear reviews, whether describing guitars or amps, often speak to…

Ibanez EKM100

Ibanez EKM100

Soul On Ice

March 4, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Ibanez EKM100 Price: $2,799.99 (list) Contact: www.ibanez.com Fans of contemporary soul, jazz, and funk should be well aware of Soulive.…

Fire Custom Shop Sweet Chilli and Carpe Diem Overdrives

Brazilian Heat

April 19, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

There are some nifty analog effects pedals coming out of São Paulo, Brazil, nowadays, and among them, Fire Custom Shop…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Tom Feldmann Lesson 05 Feature

Tom Feldmann’s Beginner Fingerpicking – Lesson 5

August 8, 2017 · Tom Feldmann

Vintage Guitar is teaming with Collings Guitars and Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop to present an exclusive eight-part series on beginner…

Hull Amplifiers’ Model H5

Hull Amplifiers’ Model H5

Pretty, Stunning

January 20, 2016 · Ray Wuolo

Hull Amplifiers’ Model H5 Price: $3,199 (list) Contact: www.hullamps.blogspot.com A beat-up ol’ blackface amp can be a thing of beauty,…

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,…

Way Huge Saffron Squeeze MkII

Way Huge Saffron Squeeze MkII

Fresh-squeezed

July 7, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Twenty years after its launch, the Way Huge Saffron Squeeze compressor has been improved upon. Doing fierce business with an…

Bryan Sutton

Bryan Sutton

Into His Own

May 3, 2015 · Steven Stone

Bryan Sutton ranks as one of the most accomplished and in-demand acoustic players in Nashville. In 1991, fresh from high…

Guild’s Starfire I DC GVT

Big Green Monster

March 30, 2022 · Bob Cianci

Guild’s Newark Street guitars are a line of lower-priced instruments anchored by a reissue of the classic Starfire; the most…

FOMOfx Virtual Jeff Pro

Whammy For All

December 8, 2022 · Bob Dragich

On most guitars, installing a traditional vibrato is a task ranging from difficult to impossible. And even done right, mechanical…

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Robin Trower

20 Albums In

June 7, 2016 · Steve Rosen

On his 20th album, Something’s About to Change, Strat stalwart Robin Trower once again dives into the blues for a…

Home Feature Image

Knaggs Guitars’ Chesapeake Severn Tier 2 Trembuck

All-Genre Style

April 18, 2016 · Tom Guerra

Knaggs Guitars’ Chesapeake Severn Tier 2 Trembuck Price: $ 5,600 (list)/$4,300 (street) Info: www.knaggsguitars.com. Maryland-based Knaggs Guitars was founded five…

Extreme

Six

March 20, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Extreme’s sixth studio album – their first since 2008’s Saudades de Rock – was a long time coming. With only…

Reb Beach

June 26, 2020 · Oscar Jordan

There’s no two waysabout it – thanks to MTV dunces Beavis and Butthead, Winger gets no respect. But the band…

Rev Rock

Billy Gibbons Goes Solo

November 29, 2016 · Ward Meeker

“BFG ain’t anybody ’cept BFG,” proclaims ZZ Top co-founder/front man/face Billy Gibbons, discussing his first solo album, Perfectamundo. “What is…

Ally Venable

Heart of Texas

March 2, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

On her fourth album, Ally Venable serves up a heaping helping of poignant songs wrapped in Texas-style blues-rock. Ballsy wah…

The Fender Master Series

April 16, 2018 · Gary Koehler

Dan Smith had an idea – a solidbody guitar with routed chambers that would provide unique resonant tonal characteristics. And…

Carl Filipiak

Knack for Jimi

November 14, 2020 · John Heidt

After 20 years of play-ing and recording his blistering fusion of jazz and rock, Carl Filipiak’s latest record, I Got…

James Trussart SteelCaster

Rust Never Sleeps

October 3, 2019 · Michael Dregni

James Trussart’s guitars exist on a plane of their own. With their peerless styling, the builder’s guitars-as-art are nonetheless fully…

Butch Walker

Butch Walker

Hummingbirds and Ghosts

February 23, 2016 · Ward Meeker

Butch Walker readily admits that when it comes to his life as a musician, performer, and producer, he has some…

Mark St. John

The Lost Kiss Interview

March 13, 2024 · Pete Prown

With the release of Kiss’ recent live album, Off The Soundboard: Poughkeepsie, New York, 1984, fans hear one of precious…

BC Audio Amplifier No. 10 Mk. II

BC Audio Amplifier No. 10 Mk. II

Big-Tone City

March 11, 2016 · Pete Prown

BC Audio Amplifier No. 10 Mk. II Price: $2,495 (list) Contact: www.bcaudio.com Bruce Clement is known for his quality amp…

Fender’s Jason Isbell Custom Telecaster

Songs Not Included

July 1, 2022 · Rich Maloof

Fender can’t guarantee its Jason Isbell Custom Tele will instill every player with Isbell’s talent for songcraft, but it sure…

Check This Action: My Kind of Blues

June 19, 2024 · Dan Forte

The great Junior Parker sang, “You will feel like dying when you get these kind of blues.” But he sang…

Fretprints: John Abercrombie

Modern-Jazz Innovator

January 11, 2023 · Wolf Marshall

John Abercrombie operated in four dimensions. A guitarist of unbounded breadth and depth, he redefined space in long, improvised flights…

Gretsch G5191BK Tim Armstrong Electromatic

Cool Player, Punk Heart

November 5, 2013 · Sean OBryan Smith

Few punk-rock guitarists have made their mark like Tim Armstrong. Through his work with renowned punkers Rancid, Armstrong has torn…

Pop ’N Hiss: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble’s Texas Flood

The Blues, Reborn

January 11, 2023 · Bret Adams

Music in the early ’80s was dominated by the shiny blips and bloops of keyboard-driven new wave and the first…

ESPVIPER-HOME-MAIN-BIG

ESP LTD Viper 256P

Metal Cruncher

January 26, 2013 · Pete Prown

ESP LTD Viper 256P Price: $399 (street) Info: espguitars.com. In the protoplasmic days of heavy metal, Tony Iommi slashed away…

Neal Schon

Spacesaver Sale

April 6, 2022 · Ward Meeker

Eyebrows raise with news that a superstar guitar collector is preparing to sell iconic instruments. Alarms might trigger, even. But…

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,…

Monster Mike Welch

From Phenom To Blues Veteran

April 28, 2024 · Dan Forte

Twenty-seven years after his debut album at age 17, Monster Mike Welch delivers perhaps his best disc yet with Nothing…

Robbie Robertson, 1943-2023

Lasting Legacy

June 11, 2024 · Dan Forte

It’s ironic that Robbie Robertson was famous mostly for his songwriting, because beneath the minimal, compositional style that marked his…