• 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

Rose Lee Maphis

August 29, 2022 · Willie G. Moseley

Rose Lee Maphis, country-music legend and musical partner/widow of guitarist Joe Maphis, died October 26. She was 98. Maryland-born Rose…

Johnny Hiland

Nashville Schoolin'

August 26, 2005 · Ann Wickstrom

In the wee hours of a July morning in 1996, Johnny Hiland made a crucial decision. He deleted the 52-page…

Andy Summers

Creating Light From Dark

April 23, 2019 · Greg Prato

For Andy Summers, it would be easy to compose Police-like music – reggae rhythms, clean/chorus guitar tones, etc. But fans…

Beat Portraits: Burns Volume 1

Beginnings – The Early 1960s

January 31, 2018 · Peter Stuart Kohman

In early 2009, VG columnist Peter Stuart Kohman turned his focus on Burns, the pioneering British guitar builder. We’ve compiled…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

The Charvel Model 4

January 25, 2016 · Michael Wright

Certain guitar brands develop a mystique among aficionados – sometimes it’s even deserved! Somewhere on this continuum lie Charvel USA…

Hornby Skewes Zonk Machines

Hornby Skewes Zonk Machines

Fuzz Bonk

February 12, 2016 · Michael Dregni

In 1965, fuzz was the “it” sound. Guitarists had recorded with fuzz before, of course, but after Keith Richards plugged…

Surf Bass

Out of the Doghouse

October 8, 2002 · Peter Stuart Kohman

The big twang of surf guitar is still an instantly recognizable rock and roll idiom today, more than 35 years…

Freddie King’s Gibson ES-345 Keeps on Playin’

Family Ties

May 29, 2019 · Ward Meeker

Watching her baby boy become rapt whenever his grandma played country blues on her guitar, Ella May King had a…


APPROVED GEAR

Juke 1210

Tonal Treat

October 4, 2004 · Vintage Guitar

Warbler/Juke’s 1210 is unique both for its 2×10/1×12 speaker layout and lack of a distortion/overdrive. And though the amp shares…

Luker Chameleon Combo

The Luker Chameleon Combo

True to Its Colors

September 2, 2015 · Bob Dragich

The Luker Chameleon Combo Price: $1,850 (list) Contact: www.lukeramps.com Considering the state of modern vacuum tubes, a surprising number of…

Fender’s Duel Pugilist Distortion & Dual Marine Layer Reverb

Double Trouble

December 8, 2022 · Michael Dregni

Fender launched its Pugilist Distortion and Marine Layer Reverb in 2018, after VP of Innovation Stan Cotey – who’d previously…

JangleBox Acousticomp

Sweet Woodiness

November 26, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Compression and sustain are the icing on most guitarist’s tonal palette. While many use such effects in service of electric…

  • 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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GIBSONTALFARLOW-HOME-MAIN-BIG

Gibson Tal Farlow

April 18, 2016 · Kevin Vey

The Tal Farlow is one guitar in a quartet of full-depth Gibson Artists models first cataloged in the early 1960s. Introduced…

Ibanez Artcore Expressionist AM93QM

Semi-Hollow Magic

May 13, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

There comes a time in a guitarist’s life when one becomes hollowbody curious, and semi-hollow guitars are often the gateway…

Nils Lofgren

The Secret Weapon

April 24, 2024 · Pete Prown

Guitar wizard Nils Lofgren has been an in-demand sideman for more than 50 years, working with Bruce Springsteen & the…

2Frontiers

New Old West

May 13, 2024 · Dan Forte

Categories can be bandied about – catchalls like Americana or alt this or that – but this is basically old-timey…

Eric Krasno

Front Man

January 5, 2018 · Oscar Jordan

Because Eric Krasno isn’t quite busy enough performing 188 dates a year with Soulive, moonlighting with the band Lettuce, or…