Melissa Carper and Sad Daddy

May 2, 2017 · Rick Allen

With her bass making a dependable, rhythmic anchor, Melissa Carper sings like a bird soaring “where the wind blows high…

Rush

Rush 50

January 14, 2026 · Pete Prown

The goal of any anthology is to capture the broad scope of an artist’s career. Rush 50 is a strong…

Harvey Mandel and Dennis Coffey

Two Instrumental Masters

January 27, 2017 · Dan Forte

If it’s possible to be both unsung and an icon, then guitarists Dennis Coffey and Harvey Mandel would fit the…

Orange OR80 Combo

Sunshine State

August 8, 2023 · Dave Hunter

Created when amps were huge and men were men – or at least had roadies to carry the gear –…

Pete Anderson

Disciple of the Hook

November 13, 2014 · Ward Meeker

Detroit native Pete Anderson made a name for himself in the ’80s, playing a ton of twang while Dwight Yoakam…

Billy Bauer

Jazz Guitar’s Hidden Giant

July 7, 2014 · Jim Carlton

Billy Bauer’s career was so steeped in tradition that he is often thought of as one of the first jazz…

  • Carr Skylark Special 1×12

    Carr Skylark Special 1×12

    Take Flight

    Arriving a little more than 10 years after the original Skylark, Carr Amplifiers’ new Skylark Special adds versatility and enhanced tonal depths to squeeze a lot more into this diminutive…

    Read more >>

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ARTISTS

Neal Schon

Neal Schon

“The Guitar Is My Voice”

July 5, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Long before Neal Schon helped Journey sell more than 80 million albums, he was a rock-fusion gunslinger who turned down…

Leo Lydon

Beefy Tones

November 12, 2023 · Pete Prown

The wildly named Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol doesn’t play the typical “doom metal” or “stoner metal” that has been hip…

Wally Stocker

A Baby Grows Up

September 11, 2014 · Ken Sharp

After decades away from the music scene, guitarist Wally Stocker is back on his feet again and back where he…

Pop ’N Hiss: Humble Pie’s Smokin’

Free Wailin’

October 11, 2023 · Bret Adams

British rockers Humble Pie were steeped in blues and R&B influences that coursed through vocalist/rhythm guitarist Steve Marriott. When they…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

The Valley Arts Custom Pro Bass

Keeping the Arts Alive

April 29, 2020 · Art Department

In 1969, when a North Hollywood guitar teacher named Duke Miller teamed up to start a music store with students…

Kramer Aluminum-Neck Basses

March 29, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

When it entered the music-instrument market in 1976, Kramer Guitars made a big splash with an aggressive marketing campaign, big-name…

Gibson’s 17″ Pre-War Electrics

ES-300 of 1940-’43

December 1, 2014 · Andre R. Duchossoir

Among musicians and collectors, Gibson’s pre-World-War-II ES-300 may be less popular today than the ES-250, but in terms of sheer…

The Watkins Dominator

Crying V

March 18, 2019 · Dave Hunter

Is there any more stylish vintage amp than the V-front Watkins Dominator? This creation is delightfully twee yet utterly enticing…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Fender Player Jaguar

Updated Offset

October 15, 2021 · Rich Maloof

Priced at entry level and built in Mexico, Fender’s Player Series provides affordable access to Fender’s most iconic solidbodies. The…

Guild Surfliner

Hang Ten

June 5, 2023 · Bob Cianci

The Surfliner is Guild’s first new solidbody to come along in decades. A thoroughly modern design with classic features, there’s…

Guitar Tone Company’s Bloody Finger

Rugged Facelift

December 27, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

While honing his ears at Greene Street Recording Studio in New York, David Harrington was inspired to build studio-quality stompboxes.…

Harden Muddy Waters

Mojo Working

August 13, 2025 · Pete Prown

Harden Engineering is a small Chicago shop that specializes in hand-made instruments in a variety of shapes and sizes and…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Fretprints: Fenton Robinson

Unsung Blues Icon

June 4, 2022 · Wolf Marshall

In the encyclopedia of American music, there oughta be a picture of Fenton Robinson next to “unsung blues hero.” Drop…

Home Feature Image

25 Most Valuable Amplifiers

May 24, 2015 · Dave Hunter

Text by Dave Hunter Data compiled by Alan Greenwood and Gil Hembree Vintage Guitar is marking 25 years of publication…

Nuno Bettencourt

Extreme Versatility

March 16, 2024 · Greg Prato

When Extreme reunited for its fifth album, 2008’s Saudades de Rock, it seemed a foregone conclusion the band was back…

Jimi Hendrix

January 27, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

James Marshall Hendrix is undoubtedly the greatest rock guitarist who ever lived, and Experience Hendrix LLC is now releasing a…

Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ Reissue

Dual-Mode Delivery

November 14, 2025 · Dave Hunter

The evolution of Randall Smith’s legendary high-gain Mesa/Boogie design into the revered Mark IIC+ of the mid ’80s established a…

Vox Giulietta VGA-3D

Unconventional Archtop

December 23, 2024 · Pete Prown

It may look like a conventional archtop, but Vox’s latest box offers something truly different. Within the Giulietta VGA-3D is…

Killer Guitar Components Killer Trem Bridge

Bridging the Gap

March 1, 2017 · Phil Feser

In the mid 1950s, Leo Fender and his crew spent countless hours on the design and manufacture of their revolutionary…

Dan’s Guitar RX: Reviving a ’56 Duo-Jet, Part Two

Ugly, But An Oldy

March 16, 2024 · Dan Erlewine

In the March issue, I introduced you to my apprentice, Blake Burkholder, and the restoration he was doing to a…

Kurdt Vanderhoof

These Go to XI

March 29, 2017 · Greg Prato

When it comes to thrash metal, the “Big 4” – Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax – get credit for popularizing…

Jim Lauderdale

Sweet Music

April 27, 2020 · Michael Dregni

“I consciously did not want to make a knockoff of a Gram record or an Elvis record.” Jim Lauderdale is…

GA-20 – “Double Gettin”

March 17, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

VINTAGE GUITAR EXCLUSIVE! GA-20 – “Double Gettin” GA-20’s Matt Stubbs tells it like this: “‘Double Gettin’’ originally appeared on our…

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…

VG Q&A: Fret Differential

And Examining Two Budget Archtops

August 29, 2025 · Ward Meeker

Can someone please explain the differences between playing an instrument with jumbo frets versus one with smaller/shorter frets? – John Mackey…

The Epiphone ES-175 Reissue

Return of a Classic

August 26, 2013 · Pete Prown

There are plenty of affordable hollowbodies on the market, but Epiphone’s recent reissue of the Gibson ES-175 is almost a…

Bonnie Raitt

Struttin' Her Stuff

July 6, 2016 · John Heidt

The adjective “smooth” can sometimes get a bad rep, but as the new album by Bonnie Raitt readily shows, it…

Knaggs Chena A

All-Purpose Axe

July 10, 2025 · Bob Dragich

Many guitars are a blend of common styles, but few have gone as far as the Knaggs Chena A, a…

Prince

Rhapsody In Purple

April 20, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

A year after his death, VG remembers Prince, a musical revolutionary, whose emergence was jarring, even for the most youthful…

Pop ’N Hiss: Grand Funk’s We’re An American Band

Rockin’ Patriots

October 30, 2025 · Bret Adams

Thundering out of Michigan in 1969, Grand Funk Railroad quickly became one of the most popular bands in the world.…

Fender ’48 Dual Professional JB

Bring The Growl

March 20, 2024 · Brett Jochim

Among early Fender amps, the tweed Deluxe and Bassman garner the lion’s share of affection. But the first amp given…

Gibson GA-80T Vari-Tone

May 6, 2015 · Dave Hunter

In the late ’50s and early ’60s, Gibson was apparently convinced the Vari-Tone switch was the way of the future,…

BILLY F GIBBONS-HOME-MAIN-BIG

Billy F Gibbons

Return of the Revvvv

April 22, 2020 · Willie G. Moseley

Every time Vintage Guitar sets up an interview with the redoubtable Billy F Gibbons, lead guitarist/vocalist of the legendary Texas…

Life in the Fast Lane

Mick Wall

June 19, 2024 · Bret Adams

Despite personality conflicts and substances galore, The Eagles created impeccably crafted music. Mick Wall’s book explains how Glenn Frey, Don…

Buzz Osborne

Heavy Bass

May 9, 2017 · Greg Prato

Over the years, fans have come to expect the unexpected from the Melvins. But they just may have outdone themselves…

Etched in Time

“Signature” Gibsons from the Early Days of Cable

January 7, 2014 · Ward Meeker

In 1984, Christian Roebling went from being just another guy watching TV to creating what was likely the first television…

Jake Andrews – “ Apricot Brandy”

September 4, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Austin Stalwart Goes Full Steam for “Apricot Brandy” Jake Andrews was just eight years old when he sat in at…

Kramer Aluminum-Neck Basses

March 29, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

When it entered the music-instrument market in 1976, Kramer Guitars made a big splash with an aggressive marketing campaign, big-name…

Gibson GA-80T Vari-Tone

May 6, 2015 · Dave Hunter

In the late ’50s and early ’60s, Gibson was apparently convinced the Vari-Tone switch was the way of the future,…

Cornford Hurricane

Exemplary "extension of your playing" amplifier

December 29, 2004 · Phil Feser

Since its introduction, English amp builder Paul Cornford’s 6-watt Harlequin recording amp has had a reputation for great sound. Many…

BC Audio JTX45 Octal Plex

Plexi Class

March 1, 2017 · Ray Wuolo

In an amp world full of boutique clones, Bruce Clement has developed a unique twist on the venerable ’60s British…