Mike Minasi

Better Building Through Mental Shedding

  • 3Below

    3Below

    Live in Mérida

    The members of 3Below mostly play in the bass clef. You may know names like fretless master Michael Manring (Michael Hedges) and “touch guitarist” Trey Gunn (King Crimson), but Mexican…

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NEWSWIRE

ARTISTS

Ricky Byrd

Cool and Greasy

April 3, 2014 · Elliot Stephen Cohen

“I wanted to make the type of album I would’ve liked to have heard when I was 13 – cool and…

Hughie Thomasson

The Outlaws Ride Again

March 23, 2010 · Willie G. Moseley

The Outlaws. Photo: John Gellman. (Ed. Note: This article originally appeared in VG‘s October ’06 issue. Hughie Thomasson passed away…

Vic Flick

007 Guitar Man

April 12, 2021 · Pete Prown

You may not know the name Vic Flick, but you know his signature motif–that reverby lick from the James Bond…

Fretprints: Dave Grohl

Beyond Grunge

February 8, 2023 · Wolf Marshall

“Alternative rock” – more descriptor than genre – was a reaction to hair bands, technical excess, and pop-metal formulae. It…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Gibson Blond j-35 Photo: Kelsey Vaughn, courtesy George Gruhn. Vintage Guitar magazine Home Feature

Gibson’s “blond” J-35

January 17, 2016 · George Gruhn

In the world of vintage guitars, people tend to use the words “blond” and “natural” interchangeably to describe a finish…

William Peale, Jr. Gibson Super 400

Sharp-Shooter Special

April 9, 2019 · George Gruhn

The iconic “singing cowboy” was created by Hollywood actors like Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Tex Ritter, and others. Many used…

The First Days of Fender Acoustics

June 6, 2001 · Philip Kubicki

One day in early June, 1963, I was sitting in the outer office of a deserted (maybe deserted isn’t the…

Westone Genesis

March 12, 2010 · Willie G. Moseley

1987 Westone XA6520TBU Genesis. Photo: Bill Ingalls Jr. Instrument courtesy of Rudy Abbott. The relationship between Japanese instrument builders and…


APPROVED GEAR

The EHX Super Pulsar

Superstar Trem

March 20, 2019 · Michael Dregni

The new Electro-Harmonix Super Pulsar may not be the most tremolo for your buck, but then again, it’s tough to…

Mojo Hand Swim Team Chorus Flanger

Double Duty

April 4, 2023 · Phil Feser

Michigan-based Mojo Hand Effects has been building a variety of hand-assembled pedals since 2010. Their latest, the Swim Team, pulls…

Taylor 814ce

Taylor 814ce

New Life at 40

October 28, 2015 · Stephen Stone

Taylor 814ce Price: $4,378 (list); $3,399 (street) Info: www.taylorguitars.com Of all the guitars in Taylor’s product line, the 814ce is…

Evil robot Feature Page

Evil Robot EVR-C30

Advances in Mojo

June 11, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

Evil Robot EVR-C30 Price: $999 (list) Info: www.frettedamericana.com. In 2010, music retailer Fretted Americana joined forces with amp wizard John…

  • Reflecting on Steve Cropper: A Playlist

    Reflecting on Steve Cropper: A Playlist

    Steve Cropper was just 20 years old when his band, the Mar-Keys, began backing singers in the studios of Stax Records. They also scored a million-selling #1 hit with the instrumental, “Last Night” the scored a hit in ’62 as Booker T. & the MG’s with “Green Onions,” propelled by Cropper’s razor-sharp Esquire/Harvard licks. He…

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  • “Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Dave Hunter

    “Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Dave Hunter

    Season 03 Episode 07 In Episode 3.7 of Buy That Guitar, presented by Vintage Guitar magazine, host Ram Tuli is joined by renowned guitar historian and author, Dave Hunter. Dave is without a doubt the most prolific writer in the field of guitar and amplifier tone. He’s also a musician, and has graced the pages…

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  • The Electra Endorser

    The Electra Endorser

    Flame-top guitars were fairly common during the 1970s “copy era,” but few reached the levels of figure we often see on modern high-end guitars. Then came the Electra Endorser X935CS, which set new standards for psychedelic woodgrain. “But it’s not a ’70s guitar,” you object. No, but arguably, the Endorser CS – which was only…

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  • New! Fractal Audio AM4 Amp Modeler

    New! Fractal Audio AM4 Amp Modeler

    Industry-leading Amp Modeling, FX—and more—now for your Pedalboard! Plaistow, NH – November 24, 2025 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Fractal Audio Systems, the premier innovator in guitar amp modeling and effects processor technology, announces the release of the AM4 Amp Modeler. The AM4 brings the sound and capabilities of Fractal Audio’s top-tier processors to the most…

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  • “Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest J Mascis

    “Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest J Mascis

    Season 03 Episode 06 In Episode 3.6 of Buy That Guitar, presented by Vintage Guitar magazine, host Ram Tuli is joined by J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr.  Known for his “monolithic” riffs, extensive use of fuzz, feedback, and distortion, Mascis ranks #74 on Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists”. His guitar of choice has always been…

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Home Feature Image

25 Most Valuable Effects

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…

Dennis Dunaway

Earwigs, Alice, and Beyond

March 20, 2019 · Ward Meeker

Lungs burning, sweat soaking their shaggy hair in the Arizona sun as miles passed beneath their feet, Dennis Dunaway and…

Fretprints: Michael Schenker

The UFO Years

June 5, 2023 · Wolf Marshall

Underrated pioneers of melodic metal in the 1970s and ’80s, UFO’s music compared with contemporaries Thin Lizzy, Rainbow, AC/DC, and…

Fishman Fluence Single-Width Pickup

Fishman Fluence Single-Width Pickup

Hum-Free, Cutting-Edge

March 1, 2016 · Zac Childs

Fishman Fluence Single-Width Pickup Price: $224 (set) Contact: www.fishman.com Larry Fishman is one of the most respected names in the…

Robert Lockwood, Jr.

1915-2006

June 23, 2020 · Dan Forte

With the death of Robert Lockwood, Jr., the blues world lost one of the few direct links to Robert Johnson…