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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…
Epiphone by Gibson Firebird 500
Race on
Gibson will forever be celebrated for its heritage of innovation, including guitars that didn’t look like the common perception of…

TC Electronic Spark
Booster Shot
Everyone’s guitar tone sometimes needs a little assistance, especially playing with a band. To the rescue comes the TC Electronic…

Headway EDB-2 Equalizer Direct Blend Preamp
Make Way
Headway EDB-2 Equalizer Direct Blend Preamp Price: $475 (retail)/$320 (street) Info: www.headwaymusicaudio.com. Designed in England and manufactured in Korea, the…

Connie Smith
Love, Prison, Wisdom and Heartaches
Connie Smith’s career began with her ebullient 1964 hit “Once a Day,” now part of the Library of Congress’ prestigious…

Star Board: Rudy Jaramillo
Rudy Jaramillo is quick to mention that his effects setup is very simple. “I go into my 1) Boss tuner,…
Burns Steer Cutaway
The Burns Steer Cutaway
The story of the Burns Steer Cutaway begins in 1925 with the birth of the “British Leo Fender,” James Ormston…
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Reverend Sensei H90
Live Wire
So you want a Gibson-style solidbody that can cover humbucker-powered rock, yet also twangier/glassier tones using a P-90 pickup. Check. You also want to grab high frets via double-cutaway and…
ARTISTS

Burlison & Sugg
Demon Eye, At Your Service
Demon Eye mixes the best elements of ’70s hard rock and ’80s metal, and delivers the goods in tight, dark…

Phil Chen
1946-2021
His business card read “Phil Chen De Bassman,” and his picks had “OD” after his name, standing for the Order…

Fabrizio Grossi leads band through exclusive take on “Right Down Below.”
Ready for the Soul Garage Experience? Fabrizio Grossi gathered the Soul Garage Experience for this VG-exclusive take on “Right Down…
Fretprints: Ted Greene
Solo Guitarist Extraordinaire
Few guitarists enjoy the adulation bestowed on Ted Greene. A legend who coaxed unimaginable sounds from a humble Telecaster and…
CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

A Guide to Vintage Dobros
John Dopyera left National in 1929 to begin work on a secret project – a single-cone resonator guitar he believed…

The story of the Martin F-50
Our friend Nate Westgor from Willie’s American Guitars shares the story of Martin’s first step into the booming 1960s electric…

The Strat in Transition
Leap Forward, Step Back
Believing the long-term survival of his company hinged on creating the world’s best electric guitar, in 1953, Leo Fender set…

Tyler Morris – 1963 Fender Stratocaster
Tyler Morris – 1963 Fender Stratocaster Tyler Morris guides us through his 1963 Fender Stratocaster in Fiesta Red. Follow Tyler…
NEWSWIRE
APPROVED GEAR
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Live Wire
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Narrow(field) Win
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Take Flight

DNA Analogic Effects
Chemical Reaction
If you‘re a “first impressions mean a lot” kind of gearhead, DNA Analogic’s line of effects pedals may just win…

Singleton Guitars Capella
Shining Bright
Mark Singleton holds the distinction of being a smokin’ guitarist as well as, for the past 24 years, a builder…

Breedlove Organic Performer Pro Concert Aged Toner CE
Natural Beauty
With climate change on the minds of so many, guitar builders have started to offer more instruments that are good…

Best In Tone
The Marshall DSL40CR
In the minds of guitarists, the Marshall name verges on mythic – from Bluesbreakers to plexis, they hold a special…
WHAT ELSE IS NEW
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Consentrik Quartet
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Lookout Highway

Charlie Musselwhite’s blues chops on a vintage J-45
See it Here: “Blues Gave Me a Ride” Charlie Musselwhite and his ’54 Gibson J-45 do it up (so) right…

Yasmin Williams
Acadia
Yasmin Williams has been making a buzz for several years now, but is really hitting her stride with a new…

Lazer Lloyd
Blues in Israel – A Common Bond
If you ask guitarist Lazer Lloyd, the state of Israel is an appropriate place for blues music. Originally known as…

Lake Street Dive
It doesn’t get much more wonderfully pop than Lake Street Dive. And with the band’s latest, they’ve produced their best…










































