• Super PickupGiveaway 2025

    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…

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Tech 21 Fly Rig 5

Tech 21 Fly Rig 5

Tone To Carry-On

March 21, 2016 · Rich Maloof

Tech 21 Fly Rig 5 Price: $249 (list) Contact: www.tech21nyc.com Long before the Line6 POD, the Box of Rock, or…

Have Guitar Will Travel 054 – Bonnie Hayes

July 13, 2021 · Art Department

“Have Guitar Will Travel” host James Patrick Regan speaks with Bonnie Hayes, guitarist, songwriter, and head of the songwriting department…

Freddie King’s ’73 ES-355

Thinline Crown

June 11, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Influenced by Robert Johnson, T-Bone Walker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, and others including jump-blues…

Jim Kweskin

Where Jazz Meets Folk

December 13, 2024 · Dan Forte

Jim Kweskin grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, and in 1958 entered Boston University, placing him near coffee houses at the…

B.J. Baartmans shares his “Cabin Fever”

December 13, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

The Space Age Travellers: Eclectic Instro B.J. Baartmans’ trio, The Space Age Travellers, defies genre labelling. Here, he uses his…

Richie Kotzen

Goin’ Supergroup

February 25, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Veteran guitar monster Richie Kotzen has done it all from opening for The Rolling Stones, recording with Stanley Clarke, to…

  • 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…

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ARTISTS

Mark Knoll

It's about Time

May 24, 2021 · John Heidt

Despite spending three-quarters of his life as a professional musician, singing and playing blistering lead guitar in various groups, until…

Hints of Benson and Martino – Eric Zolan plays “D.D.L.O.D.”

June 3, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

NYC Jazzer Brings Tasty Jazz/Blues/R&B Confection Guitarist Eric Zolan knows jazz guitar has been cool, and his new album, “Calder’s…

Steve Turner

The March To Fuzz

April 29, 2024 · Dennis Pernu

Thirty-five years after Steve Turner and Mudhoney became forever linked with two legendary pedals by coining their debut EP Superfuzz…

Tagore Grey

British Steel

February 3, 2022 · Pete Prown

If you’ve been starving for good old-fashioned hard rock, the Treatment has your number. The British band has been building…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Alvino Rey’s 1936 Gibson mini guitar Vintage Guitar magazine Home Main Big

Alvino Rey’s “Mini” Gibsons

April 20, 2016 · Lynn Wheelwright

Alvino Rey’s 1936 Gibson mini guitar. From its beginnings, Gibson has built custom orders and unique instruments for specific artists,…

Electrifying Sounds of Post-War Guitar

Road to Rock

The Electrifying Sounds of Post-War Guitar

March 10, 2016 · Pete Prown

Fans often mark the beginning of rock and roll as either Elvis Presley’s Sun Sessions or Bill Haley & the…

Q&A With George Gruhn: Formica Pickguard on an Early Les Paul?

And Not-So-Strange Variations on an ’87 LP Standard

May 2, 2022 · George Gruhn

I’ve just completed restoring a very early Les Paul that was horribly damaged and poorly repaired, then painted black! I’m…

Raul Malo’s Instrumental Side

November 1, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

 Mavericks frontman with a vintage Jazzmaster Though he is renowned and beloved for his vocals in the Mavericks, Raul…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Epiphone’s ES-339 PRO

Scale-Sized Kicks

July 8, 2015 · Pete Prown

Epiphone’s ES-339 PRO Price: $400 street Info: www.epiphone.com. The Gibson ES-335 quickly revealed its versatility and tone following its introduction…

UAFX Galaxy ’74 Tape Echo & Reverb

Space, Man

June 26, 2024 · Pete Prown

The original Roland Space Echo was a thing of sonic beauty, used by everyone from Brian Setzer to Bob Marley…

Fender PM-2

Sitting-Room Savoir Faire

April 16, 2019 · Dennis Pernu

Once wildly popular among everyone from drawing-room dilettantes to road-hardened bluesmen shuffling the dusty byways, parlor-sized guitars fell out of…

Xotic XW-1 LPB Limited Edition

Small Wonder

June 12, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Wah pedals come in a variety of sizes and textures, so finding one that checks all the boxes can be…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Dan’s Guitar RX: Adding Master Volume to a Les Paul

Plus One

November 16, 2023 · Dan Erlewine

My friend Alex Aguilar recently asked me to do something most guitarists would consider sacrilegious – add a Master Volume…

Joe Long’s “stack-knob” Fender Jazz Bass

June 22, 2025 · Willie G. Moseley

If you’re a fan or aficionado of vintage instruments, odds are that any early-’60s Fender Jazz Bass catches your eye.…

Supro Amulet 1×10

Old-School Soul

December 23, 2023 · Charlie Wilkins

Paying homage to low-powered tube amps from yesteryear, the Supro Amulet was designed to re-create classic Supro sounds with a…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 009 Featuring Mt. Joy

June 10, 2019 · James Patrick Regan

In this episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel”, James Regan talks with Matt (Quinn) and Sam (Cooper) from the indie band Mt Joy. The band…

1949 Bigsby Tenor

March 7, 2023 · George Gruhn and Walter Carter

By the advent of the solidbody electric guitar in the 1950s, tenor guitarists were a dying breed. Consequently, electric tenors…

Reddick Voyager CS

Boss Delay Machine DM-101 Reddick Echo Heaven

June 26, 2024 · Pete Prown

Love the simplicity and warmth of analog in your effects? Well, meet Boss’ new Delay Machine DM-101, housed in a…

Susan Santos’ Blues-Rock Riffage

July 31, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Solo take on “Have Mercy” Susan Santos grabbed her LsL T Bone, plugged into a Bugera V5 Infinium amp, and…

Jimi Hendrix

Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision

August 13, 2025 · Bret Adams

It’s astonishing – and fortunate – that so much unreleased Jimi Hendrix material exists, given his brief recording career. It…

John Page Classic Aqua Burst AJ

Classy & Sassy

January 18, 2024 · Pete Prown

The John Page Classic Aqua Burst AJ is another hip offering from the former Fender Custom Shop honcho and co-founder,…

Knaggs Chena Old Violin

Righteous Axe

October 11, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

With notable string-bending monsters like Larry Mitchell, Eric Steckel, and Steve Stevens singing the praises of Knaggs Guitars, Peter Wolf…

Home Feature Image

Gibson 1958-’60 Les Paul Standard

A ’Burst by Any Other Name…

June 9, 2016 · Ward Meeker

One Thousand, Seven Hundred and Twelve. That’s the number of Les Paul Standards Gibson produced between 1958 and 1960. Amongst guitar…

Howard Leese

Heart-less But Guitar Laden

August 3, 2022 · Wolf Marshall

Guitarist/ producer/ entrepreneur Howard Leese has come a long way since his early days with Heart in the 1970s. He…

Born in Chicago

Various artists

June 19, 2024 · Pete Prown

Tweaked and re-cut, this documentary charts the rise of America’s greatest urban blues and its gradual adaptation into rock. There…

Bassics BPA-1

Defined Tone

July 24, 2019 · Pete Prown

Low-end tone is a critical component of a live mix or studio recording – if the bass doesn’t sound good,…

Blackstar Fly 3

Best In Show… And More

November 29, 2016 · Bob Dragich

While listening to AC/DC’s Back in Black on a small, audiophile-grade table radio, Blackstar Amplification CEO Ian Robinson had an…

B&G Little Sister Private Build

Doncha Go And Do…

April 19, 2019 · Yoel Kreisler

B&G Guitars just about do it all – from mixing their own nitro finishes to winding pickups and even casting…

Dad’s Day 2021

VG’s Annual Salute to Fathers Who Inspire

March 7, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Marty Ashby’s very musical family has been playing together since he was a little kid. Here’s a shot of them…

Have Guitar Will Travel – Featuring 003 David Victor

May 13, 2019 · James Patrick Regan

David Victor wrote, recorded, and produced his first album in 1991, then later formed Velocity. A video of him doing…

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

Ugly, But An Oldy

January 11, 2024 · Dan Erlewine

Blake Burkeholder, a repair expert in my shop, has always wanted a Gretsch. So, when he found a ’56 Duo-Jet…

KRAMER_PACER_HOME-MAIN-BIG

Kramer 84 and Pacer Vintage

Tap, Shred, Dive!

January 4, 2016 · Sean OBryan Smith

Kramer 84/Pacer Vintage Price: $1,166 (84); $1,267 (Pacer Vintage) Info: kramerguitars.com It’s hard to think of ’80s guitars as vintage,…

Epiphone 1966 SG G-400 PRO

Epiphone 1966 SG G-400 PRO

For Those About to Rock

January 19, 2016 · Pete Prown

Epiphone’s 1966 SG G-400 PRO Price: $582 (list); $349 (street) Info: www.epiphone.com Gibson’s SG is a classic design with plenty…

ISAAK_HOME-MAIN-BIG

Chris Isaak

Sun Worship

May 9, 2014 · Ward Meeker

Most pop-music fans became aware of Chris Isaak through his 1991 hit “Wicked Game” and its uber-high-profile video, directed by…

Sigma by Martin

Sigma by Martin

Following the Line

July 5, 2016 · Kevin Dunham

Long overlooked and relegated to an obscure corner of the collectible market, Sigma by Martin guitars have recently gained popularity…

David Lindley

Ten Fingers, A World of Music

January 11, 2024 · Art Department

“After David Lindley passed away on March 3, newspapers and websites around the world published obituaries and appreciations, many clearly…

Daniele Gottardo plays “Spirals”

January 30, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

American rock guitar meets European classical Guitar virtuoso Daniele Gottardo used his Charvel Custom Shop guitar (with scalloped fretboard) to…

2021 Readers’ Choice Awards

May 24, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Each year, Vintage Guitar asks fans to select Readers’ Choice winners for Player of the Year in four categories, along…

Ty Tabor

On a Roll

March 2, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

King’s X guitarist Ty Tabor is on a roll. Despite the band being on hiatus due to bassist Dug Pinnick’s…

David Bromberg

Testifying for 
the Blues

April 16, 2019 · Michael Dregni

Jerry Jeff Walker said it best. Describing David Bromberg’s contribution to Walker’s trademark 1968 song, “Mr. Bojangles,” he said simply…

Julian Lage

Jazz Memoir

September 1, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

The latest from Julian Lage contains mesmerizing originals featuring Bill Frisell’s supple artistry and Lage’s potent six-string imagery. View With…