• 2025 December Issue on Spotify

    2025 December Issue on Spotify

    This month, we feature Rick Derringer, Kid Ramos, Booker T and The M.G.’s, Steve Stevens, Phil Manzanera, Doug Aldrich, Kenny Burrell, Eric Johanson, Gary Moore, and more! Spotify is free…

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  • 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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Jeff Beck

Blow By Blow

October 30, 2024 · Wolf Marshall

 What is jazz? What is rock? These questions perpetually confound and divide music experts and listeners. Similar spirited debates have…

Fender Mustang

Truly Transitional

April 28, 2020 · Willie G. Moseley

Despite its short scale, the Mustang has a potent sound, and as a result it was used by many notable…

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…

Vintage Guitar magazine Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix

Into the New Rising Sun – Speculating on Jimi's Later Career Move's

November 26, 2015 · Pete Prown

It has been 40 years since the passing of Jimi Hendrix. In his honor, this month we will look at…

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Hosts “Storied Strings” Exhibit

Guitars In Art

August 10, 2023 · Ward Meeker

Dr. Leo Mazow’s vision for the new “Storied Strings: The Guitar in American Art” exhibition at the Virginia Museum of…

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Steve Howe

Yes: In The Present

August 27, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Progressive-rock icons Yes are still going strong after more than 40 years of recording and performing. Throughout their reign as…

  • Paul Johnson

    Paul Johnson

    The Hepcats Live at the Ajax Novelty Company

    This isn’t live, there may not be an Ajax Novelty Company, and the three felines known as the Hepcats are actually the brainchild of Paul Johnson, whose Belairs were early-’60s…

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ARTISTS

Pop ’N Hiss: Dio’s Holy Diver

Divine Metal

June 5, 2023 · Bret Adams

Vocalist Ronnie James Dio was on a roll as he formed the band that would record his 1983 album Holy…

Marty Friedman

Wall of Shred

July 2, 2019 · Greg Prato

Between playing on Cacophony’s landmark 1987 shred album, Speed Metal Symphony, and Megadeth’s 1990 classic, Rust in Peace, Marty Friedman…

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…

Derek St. Holmes

Nuge Redux

January 7, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

Singer/guitarist Derek St. Holmes’ relationship with guitarist Ted Nugent has had its ups and downs. The two have been associated…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Redd Volkaert

July 29, 2025 · Ram W. Tuli

Season 03 Episode 03 In Episode 3.3 of “Buy That Guitar,” host Ram Tuli is joined by Redd Volkaert, one of…

Guild Aristocrat M-75

April 7, 2010 · George Gruhn and Walter Carter

Guild didn’t intro-duce a true solidbody electric guitar until 1963, but the Aristocrat of 1954 gave the appearance that Guild…

Carvin DN640K

January 27, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

Doubleneck instruments have always been a unique niche in the guitar market, for good reason. They’ve also carried an air…

Tyler Morris Features a Martin Style 2 1/2-17

October 16, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Tyler Morris Playing a Martin Style 2 1/2-17 Tyler Morris grabbed his 19th-century Martin Style 2 1/2-17 to play a…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Andrew White Guitars’ Freja 1013W

Shape Shifter

May 30, 2019 · Chip Wilson

Though electric guitars have undergone radical change since the world first laid eyes on Rickenbacker’s “frying pan,” acoustics have rarely…

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…

Brown’s Guitar Factory Lap Steel

Steel Yourself

July 13, 2016 · Steven Stone

At the beginning of amplified music, one of the first instruments to get a magnetic pickup was the Rickenbacker “frying…

Effectrode Tube-Vibe and Goran Fat Boy

Premium Pedalin’

December 13, 2013 · Max Prown

Effectrode Tube-Vibe Price: $429 (Tube-Vibe) Contact: www.effectrode.com Goran Fat Boy Price: $429 Contact: www.goranguitars.com In the annals of guitar stompboxes,…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Paul in the Family

Chris Arena's Black '59 LP Standard

March 19, 2019 · Ward Meeker

“I wanna be a musician!” The declaration – typically from an adolescent family member – purses the lips of parents…

Gomez Amplification “G” Reverb

Wet, Hot, or Blue

April 6, 2010 · Phil Feser

As amp builders go, Dario G. Gomez is about as fresh as they come. Though he has been repairing tube…

Fishman’s Fluence Greg Koch Gristle-Tone Pickups

Voices Not In Your Head

July 5, 2018 · Tom Guerra

In 2014, Fishman introduced their Fluence line with the goal of combining vintage tone with freedom from the inductance problems…

Alembic Essence Zebrawood 4

July 3, 2019 · Pete Prown

Alembic basses are the stuff of low-end legend, famed for magical tones in the hands of Stanley Clarke, Jack Casady,…

Richie Kotzen

Goin’ Supergroup

February 25, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Veteran guitar monster Richie Kotzen has done it all from opening for The Rolling Stones, recording with Stanley Clarke, to…

Andrew Hendryx

Andrew Hendryx – Lesson: G Blues Scale

April 4, 2020 · Doug Yellow Bird

Explore the G blues scale with acclaimed mandolinist Andrew Hendryx. Originally appeared on a Facebook Live Lesson on Sunday, April 5th,…

Foghat

Road Fever: The Complete Bearsville Recordings 1972-1975

January 25, 2024 · Pete Prown

By the time British blues-and-boogie quartet Foghat struck gold in 1975, it already had a solid catalog under its belt.…

Black River Delta

March 15, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Swedish disciples of pre-World War II blues Erik Jacobs, Erik Nilsson, and Pontus Ohlsson, hauled a bunch of gear up…

Joe Satriani

The Artist’s Way

January 4, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Whether orchestrating guitar instrumentals, writing comic books, or bringing his imagination to the canvas with acrylic paint, Joe Satriani has…

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…

Cliff Goodwin

335 Reunion

April 18, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

Cliff Goodwin was catapulted into the big time on a decade-long stint with Joe Cocker that began in the late…

Rickenbacker 345

January 2, 2024 · George Gruhn

Rickenbacker guitars have a look, feel, and sound that is remarkably distinct from those made by any other manufacturers. In…

Peter Green

Peter Green

A Guitar For Greeny

April 22, 2016 · Werner Althaus

Establishing the provenance of a vintage guitar can be a daunting task, even for a seasoned pro. In the case…

Lonnie Mack

Strike Like Lightning

April 24, 2024 · Sean McDevitt

Lonnie Mack hadn’t released an album in eight years when this comeback effort arrived in January of 1985. His first…

Alan Lancaster

August 29, 2022 · Ward Meeker

Alan Lancaster, co-founder and longtime bassist in Status Quo, died September 26. He was 72 and had been living with…

John 5

In the Hands

November 2, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

On his latest album, John 5 stays true to himself as he dips into his famous bag of Tele tricks…

Long Train Runnin’: Our Story of the Doobie Brothers

Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons, Chris Epting

July 7, 2023 · Bret Adams

For 50 years, the Doobie Brothers’ feel-good hits have been radio staples. In these pages, vocalists/guitarists Tom Johnston and Pat…

Neil Young + Promise of the Real

August 30, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Neil Young often does whatever he pleases. And now, at age 70, that’s truer than ever. This new album proves…

Brad Paisley

Hot-Picking Comfort Zone

June 27, 2017 · Rich Kienzle

Brad Paisley’s albums have followed a formula that began on his 2001 sophomore album Part II. Generously programmed with abundant…

GA-20 Knows Bo

July 12, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Duo does it right on “Crackin’ Up” GA-20’s Matt Stubbs and Pat Faherty paused for a moment while touring Europe…

Ruppert Acouswitch and Basswitch IQ DIs

Switching Up

March 27, 2016 · Phil Feser

Ruppert Acouswitch and Basswitch IQ DIs Price: $600 each with gigbag Info: www.rmi.lu. Part DI, part preamp, and part A/B…

Daniel de Visé

King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B.B. King

June 8, 2022 · Michael Dregni

Sixty years, 90 countries, 15,000 concerts – and that tally doesn’t include B.B. King’s early years of juke joints, radio…

Positive Grid’s Experience Hendrix For Spark & BIAS FX 2

Get Experienced

December 8, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

In the pantheon of guitar gods, few are studied to the degree of Hendrix. And, given the warp speed at…

Dan’s Guitar RX: Finding An Old Friend, Part 2

What Goes Around…

July 26, 2024 · Dan Erlewine

In the September, issue I told the story of the ’58 ES-335 I sold to my friend, Al, for $225…

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…

Phil Manzanera’s “Magdalena”

August 25, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

Roxy Music legend solo instrumental Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera used his beloved ’64 Gibson Firebird VII to create this…

The Dig 3’s Hundt, Duncanson play “Tell Me the Place”

December 28, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Old-school blues duet Gerry Hundt and Andrew Duncanson play straightforward Chicago-style blues in The Dig 3. Here, they play “Tell…

Letritia Kandle

and the Magnificent Grand Letar

February 11, 2014 · Deke Dickerson

Run down the list of early electric-guitar innovators and an all-male group typically comes to mind – Les Paul, Alvino…

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PureSalem Bette

Unfiltered Garage Rock

June 10, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

If you’ve ever worked in the music retail field, you know that not everybody shares your excellent taste in guitars.…