Keeley Halo Dual Echo

Dot Matrix

July 6, 2023 · Pete Prown

In this latest Keeley offering, the goal is capturing Andy Timmons’ “Halo” sound, which mines the world of dotted-8th delay…

Brian F. Wright

The Bastard Instrument: A Cultural History of the Electric Bass

May 2, 2025 · Pete Prown

There isn’t enough serious literature about the electric bass, but this book is a worthy contribution. The author takes us…

Ampeg Gemini II G-15

Ampeg Gemini II G-15

April 5, 2016 · Dave Hunter

Preamp tubes: three 12AX7, one 6CG7, one 7199. Output tubes: two 7868. Rectifier: solidstate Controls: volume, treble and bass on…

J.D. Simo

Mind Control

December 8, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

The topic is psychedelic blues, and J.D. Simo is the man with the brown acid. Hypnotic wah, talking hollowbody guitars,…

Boulou & Elios Ferré

Fathers & Sons

December 6, 2024 · Michael Dregni

 Alongside Django Reinhardt, the music of the Ferré family is at the heart of Gypsy jazz. And it’s still beating…

Jesse Aycock

Oklahoma’s Finest

March 1, 2022 · Pete Prown

Super-sideman Jesse Aycock (Hard Working Americans, Elizabeth Cook) has a new self-titled album highlighting his understated (but mindblowing) guitar, slide,…

  • Rickenbacker’s Electric 12-Strings

    Rickenbacker’s Electric 12-Strings

    Double-bound for Glory

    George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacher founded Electro String in 1931 to manufacture what everyone would soon call “Rickenbacker” guitars. Success came early and their lap steels set standards of quality,…

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ARTISTS

Gary Rossington

1951-2023

January 11, 2024 · Ward Meeker

As a boy, Gary Rossington would grab a broom and mime in front of a mirror whenever an Elvis Presley…

Steve Stevens plays “77”

August 28, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

Steve Stevens plays “77” Live from the dressing room at Wembley Arena just before a sold-out performance with Billy Idol,…

Philip Sayce

Proactive Perseverance

December 13, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Philip Sayce is a living, breathing, godmonster beast on the Stratocaster. But his chops, tone, feel, and great songs don’t…

Mick Ralphs Home Thumb

Mick Ralphs

Back To Bad Co., And Beyond

February 7, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

Guitarist Mick Ralphs, whose pulverizing riffs were first heard in the late ’60s in the original Mott the Hoople, has…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Gibson EDS-1275 and EMS-1235

March 6, 2025 · Michael Wright

It’s hard not to associate doubleneck electric guitars with images of Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page or fusion guru Mahavishnu John…

Andy Peake – Roots Without Boundaries

December 30, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Andy Peake – Roots Without Boundaries Andy Peake is a drummer/percussionist with a long list of accomplished-guitarist friends. For proof,…

Fender 6G13-A Vibrasonic

April 21, 2017 · Dave Hunter

Amid the classics in Fender’s “golden-era” amp line, some remained in production only a short time because of timing, misjudgment…

Gretsch Country Gentleman

August 28, 2014 · Jim Hilmar

Consider American guitar manufacturers that have been in business during the last 100 years and the different instruments they’ve produced.…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

The Winfield Dust Devil

Devil’s In The Details

March 15, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Unlike most amp builders who take up the challenge to create amplifiers that replicate the sounds of the 1960s, Winfield…

Xaviere XV-950

Jazzy Looks, Multi-Purpose

March 31, 2017 · Julian Burtell

Gibsonguildgretsch! Cumbersome as it may be in word form, Xaviere’s XV-950 gracefully combines attributes from the “big trio.” The XV-950…

Tone King Royalist MKIII

Firebreather U.K. Three-Speed

August 28, 2024 · Charlie Wilkins

British tube amps from the mid ’60s and early ’70s have inspired countless designs emulating their beloved tones. In 2014,…

Billionaire by Danelectro Big Spender

Rotary Club

July 10, 2019 · Michael Dregni

In this day and age, there’s a lot of spin going down, but perhaps not enough of the right type.…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Prestige Guitars DC Coupe Custom T Hybrid

“Tele” Twist

April 19, 2024 · Bob Dragich

The first Telecasters were so good that today they’re made almost exactly as they were 70 years ago. Working just…

Woody Harris: Fingerstyle a la Fahey, Basho

April 25, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Reemergence With a Rare Guitar Woody Harris used his ’76 John Mello guitar (“It has dimensions of a classical guitar,…

Have Guitar Will Travel 104 – Pete Sears and Roger McNamee (Moonalice)

June 21, 2024 · James Patrick Regan

In episode 104 of “Have Guitar Will Travel”, presented by Vintage Guitar Magazine, host, James Patrick Regan. is at BottleRock…

The Manakooras

Tiki Twang

June 7, 2023 · Pete Prown

Call it exotica or tiki twang, but the Manakooras play tropical instro that evokes visions of dreamy Pacific islands. Led…

Hall & Collins Signature Echo

Echo Rock

March 5, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

For guitarists whose lives are dedicated to replicating the echo effects heard on songs like Hank Marvin’s “Apache,” Hall &…

Robben Ford

The Space Between the Notes

August 7, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

When it comes to blues, Robben Ford has always been inspired by the most profound practitioners of the form and…

Sue Foley

Femme Flamenco

December 10, 2024 · Greg Prato

In a time when pop-music performers rely heavily on post-recording fix-ups and pre-recorded tracks onstage, it’s refreshing – even admirable…

EarthQuaker Devices Ledges

’Verb Voyage

September 17, 2024 · Pete Prown

Billed as a Tri-Dimensional Reverberation Machine, the Earthquaker Ledges boasts a user-friendly interface with no menus or deep MIDI commands…

How Ron Wood’s New Barbarians Saved the Stones

Ear-to-Ear Violence

January 5, 2018 · Michael Dregni

Today, the Rolling Stones continue to perform live, more than 50 years since their first gig. But few realize how…

Donner Rising-G Pro

Weather-Ready

July 6, 2023 · Pete Prown

Composite and graphite guitars have been around for more than 50 years, from famous Ovation acoustics to the Parker Fly,…

Doug Doppler

Art Appreciation, Import-Style – Doug Doppler’s Ibanez Collection

September 25, 2013 · Ward Meeker

Doug Doppler recalls how, at age five, his first swimming lesson fell on the same day as his first guitar…

Have Guitar Will Travel 089 – Liily’s Sam De La Torre and Wild Rivers

September 23, 2023 · James Patrick Regan

In Ep 88 of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan speaks with Liily’s guitarist Sam De La Torre,…

Mr. Sun

Plays Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite

January 9, 2025 · Dan Forte

In 1960, Duke Ellington’s orchestra recorded his reimagining of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite.” He and arranger Billy Strayhorn took ample liberties…

Rush

February 27, 2017 · Pete Prown

Grab your hankies, Rush fans – this DVD doc captures moments from the trio’s R40 farewell tour, along with reminiscences…

Yes

Live at Knoxville Civic Auditorium, November 15, 1972

April 24, 2024 · Pete Prown

This concert tape captures Yes on its triumphant autumn ’72 tour. Even 51 years later, it’s scintillating prog featuring hallowed…

Greg Lake’s 
Zemaitis Doubleneck

Twice as Heavy

March 20, 2019 · Willie G. Moseley

With progressive-rock juggernaut Emerson, Lake & Palmer, bassist/vocalist Greg Lake (1947-2016) played more than one instrument made by the renowned…

Mick Taylor’s ’58 Les Paul Standard

The Ya Ya’s Out!

July 3, 2019 · Ward Meeker

Hard-edged face of the British Invasion, the Rolling Stones introduced the world to the implements, trappings, and accessories of rock-and-roll…

Lazy J 20

Deluxe inspiration

July 30, 2015 · Phil Feser

The Lazy J 20 Price: $2,700 (reviewed) Contact: www.lazyjprojects.com After moving to England and leaving behind the vintage Fender Deluxe…

Phil “Big Dez” Fernandez

Blues Is Everywhere

April 30, 2021 · Rick Allen

6’2″/300-pound Phil “Big Dez” Fernandez is an international emissary of the blues. The French-born son of a Bosnian mother and…

D’Angelico’s EX-DC and EX-SD

D’Elegance and Power

June 19, 2015 · Chip Wilson

D’Angelico’s EX-DC and EX-SD Price: $1,769 list/$1,259 street (EX-DC); $1,659 list/$1,185 street (EX-SD) Info: www.dangelicoguitars.com John D’Angelico produced just 1,164…

The House of Stathopoulo Harp Guitar

Surreal Missing Link

April 3, 2020 · Paul Fox

One of the rarest Epiphone instruments in the world, the House of Stathopoulo harp guitar lends a glimpse into a…

Gibson ES-300 Prototype

Les Paul and the First Gibson ES-300

April 20, 2010 · Lynn Wheelwright

When a guitar junkie hears the words “soapbar” and “P-90,” the mental image is usually that of a cream-colored rectangle…

Revisiting The Jazzmaster

May 2, 2017 · Michael Wright

While volumes have been written about its more-famous sibling, the Stratocaster, surprisingly little attention is paid to the Jazzmaster –…

Fender Mustang II Amp

Practiced Past

December 27, 2017 · Pete Prown

When you check out an amp like the Fender Mustang II, you may wonder if the term “practice amp” still…

Gallagher Bluegrass Bell

Ready, Set, Ring

April 18, 2024 · Michael Shirek

Pickers sure love to talk about their guitars, and more than a few will enthusiastically tell you about their favorite…

Gemma Ray

May 6, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Gemma Ray might rock the neo-’50s look, but she’s no Wanda Jackson wannabe; her songs and guitar work are not…

Kim Simmonds

1947-2022

November 12, 2023 · Willie G. Moseley

The British blues movement of the late ’60s lost one of its original proponents and practitioners when Savoy Brown lead…

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…

Peavey’s Razer, Mystic, and Foundation

Peavey’s Razer, Mystic, and Foundation

Contrasting Chronologies

March 11, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

Just a handful of years after Peavey turned the world of electric guitar upside-down with its T-60 guitar and T-40…