• 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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2021 July Issue on Spotify

June 23, 2021 · Doug Yellow Bird

This This month we feature Blackberry Smoke, Mark O’Connor, Steve Cropper, Ian Crichton, Jane Getter, Jesse Aycock, Ally Venable, Al…

The Selmer Zodiac 50

The Zodiac Twin Fifty

September 27, 2013 · Dave Hunter

An amp maker at the very heart of the British guitar boom of the late ’50s and early ’60s, Selmer…

Mark Lettieri

Baritone Funk

June 30, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Snarky Puppy’s Empire Central was recorded in front of a live audience and pays homage to the city of Dallas.…

Rickenbacker 345

January 2, 2024 · George Gruhn

Rickenbacker guitars have a look, feel, and sound that is remarkably distinct from those made by any other manufacturers. In…

First ’Burst

May 30, 2017 · Walter Carter

In May of 1958, a worker at the Gibson factory pulled two Les Paul guitars – serial numbers 8 3087…

Fender Acoustic Pro and Acoustic SFX

Curved Air

March 2, 2017 · Pete Prown

Fender has been making acoustic guitar amps for decades – now they’re reinventing the genre, and their designers deserve a…

  • 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

Elliot Easton

Driving Classic Cars

July 9, 2019 · Bret Adams

The Cars transcended the new-wave movement of the late ’70s by creating a never-duplicated sound. The band’s self-titled debut album…

Stéphane Wrembel

Roll Over, Django

June 9, 2020 · Michael Dregni

Talk Gypsy jazz with most devotees and they’ll quote you chapter and verse on Django Reinhardt. Talk with acclaimed Gypsy…

Eric Gales

Reinvigorated Blues

March 28, 2019 · Greg Prato

Over the years, there have been instances when one renowned blues-rock guitarist or another found sobriety in the nick of…

Les Paul Remembered

Les Paul Remembered

June 1, 2015 · Ward Meeker

When news of the passing of Les Paul spread through the guitar community August 13, 2009, reaction was swift and…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Bird Golden Eagle 4/25

Soaring In Birdland

April 24, 2019 · Dave Hunter

Many of the oddballs, also-rans, and otherwise unusual creations we see in the amp world fall into the “B-list” category…

Fixing a faulty pickup selector lever

And a few oddball pickups from the Duncan archives

February 10, 2021 · Seymour W. Duncan

When I use the pickup  selector lever switch on my Fender Strato-caster, one of the pickups cuts out. What could…

New Lease on Life

The Sound of Rock Gets a Brush-Up

April 30, 2021 · Dave Hunter

If restoring dusty, neglected old tube amps built more than half a century ago isn’t challenging enough, restoring amps with…

The Ray Butts EchoSonic

April 29, 2021 · Dave Hunter

If you want to talk star-user ratio, the Ray Butts EchoSonic is near the top of the heap. Most accounts…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Retro and Wonderful

The EHX Mainframe Bit Crusher

December 6, 2021 · Oscar Jordan

The Mainframe Bit Crusher is a nasty little pedal that warps, mangles, distorts and produces lo-fi digital sounds and trippy…

Ernie Ball’s MVP Volume/Gain Expression Pedal

Ernie Ball MVP Volume/Gain Expression Pedal

Total Control

January 28, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Ernie Ball’s MVP Volume/Gain Expression Pedal Price: $179 (list); $129.99 (street) Info: www.ernieball.com. Just when you thought you were done…

ValveTrain 205

Five Watts, Just So

August 19, 2013 · Zac Childs

Rick Gessner is a tweed amp enthusiast who has more than made a splash since entering the fray in 2005.…

Boss AC-22LX

Acoustic Air

September 17, 2024 · Pete Prown

On the surface, Boss’ AC-22LX is a 10-watt acoustic-electric guitar amp with two channels. But, dig in, and goodies are…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Thurston Moore

Rock N Roll Consciousness

June 27, 2017 · Dennis Pernu

There’s always been a push/pull relationship between the worlds of hippie-inspired jam bands and punk-inspired indie rock. While the latter…

Death By Audio’s Deep Animation

The Other Side

October 14, 2019 · Tom Guerra

If you thought envelope filters died out after Jerry Garcia passed into the great beyond, think again. Submitted as proof…

Jimi Hendrix Experience

Live in Maui

December 9, 2021 · Pete Prown

This 1970 performance was contrived for Rainbow Bridge, a hippie movie that flopped. The gig itself was faintly ridiculous, as…

The Reverend Koch Gristle 90

Pop The Hood

July 28, 2022 · Pete Prown

What happens when you mix a classic design with the creativity of twang ace Greg Koch? You get the Reverend…

Mel Bay D’Aquisto

Teacher’s Aid

March 28, 2019 · George Gruhn

Melbourne “Mel” Bay (1913-1997) began his musical career at the age of 13 in his hometown of Bunker, Missouri. Largely…

The Providence Velvet Comp, Red Rock OD, and Phase Force

The Providence Velvet Comp, Red Rock OD, and Phase Force

Tones of Destiny

April 6, 2015 · Zac Childs

The Providence Velvet Comp, Red Rock OD, and Phase Force Price: $199 (per piece, list) Contact: www.providence.jp Providence is a…

ToneConcepts, Nels Cline Co-Op on Goo Distortion Pedal

August 3, 2016 · Ward Meeker

The ToneConcepts Goo distortion pedal was designed in cooperation with guitarist Nels Cline. It has controls for Volume, Shininess (tone),…

Traveler AG-105EQ

Traveler AG-105EQ

Savvy Traveler

February 5, 2015 · Bob Dragich

Traveler AG-105EQ Price: $499.99 (street) Info: www.travelerguitar.com When it comes to “travel guitars,” players are often forced to sacrifice size…

Have Guitar Will Travel 086 – Ruthie Foster

April 26, 2023 · James Patrick Regan

The new episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel” has host James Patrick Regan speaking with Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter/guitarist Ruthie Foster, who grew…

Billy squire Vintage guitar magazine

Billy Squier

Recollections, Guitar Collection

March 1, 2015 · Ward Meeker

Much has been written and said about Billy Squier and how his 1981 album, Don’t Say No, provided the spark…

Echopark Traditional American Acoustic

Small-Body Stunner

January 25, 2017 · Steven Stone

Echopark Guitars is the brainchild of Gabriel Currie, who opened the establishment in 2006, after many years of working as…

Peerless Retromatic

Peerless Retromatic

Modern Vintage

April 27, 2016 · Pete Prown

Peerless Retromatic Price: $1,699 Info: www.peerlessguitars.eu While many new guitars of the last decade have touted authentic (or semi-authentic) “retro”…

The Dr. Z CAZ-45

Prescription Filled

March 30, 2022 · Charlie Wilkins

When word got out in early 2020 that Mike Zaite and Alan Phillips (founder of Carol-Ann Amplifiers) were collaborating on…

Fender American Professional Jazzmaster

Return Of The Rebel

April 19, 2019 · Michael Dregni

From the get-go, Fender’s Jazzmaster was the black sheep of the family – that wild-at-heart uncle your ma warned you…

Xotic Bass BB Preamp V1.5

In Your Face

August 28, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Sometimes, bassists need boost, too, like when that bass-solo interlude from Sade’s “Smooth Operator” comes along and it’s time to…

Paul Gilbert

One-Man Electrical Jam

March 30, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Paul Gilbert’s 16th solo album, Werewolves of Portland, is an ambitious DIY project where he plays all the instruments. From…

Scott Gorham

Heavy Fire

March 14, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

It’s hard out there for a ’70s guitar hero. With the struggles of keeping older fans happy verses the challenge…

Greg Martin’s ’65 Fender Stratocaster Vintage Guitar magazine Presents Greg Martin's Head Shop

Greg Martin’s ’65 Fender Stratocaster

Vintage Guitar magazine Presents Greg Martin's Head Shop

November 12, 2017 · Doug Yellow Bird

This is a regular series of exclusive Vintage Guitar online features where The Kentucky Headhunters’ Greg Martin looks back on…

Valvetech Amplifier Company’s VAC 25

Tractable Tweed

July 5, 2018 · Oscar Jordan

Who says pragmatic utility and classic tones have to be mutually exclusive? Not Rob Pierce, whose Valvetech Amplifier Company deals…

Doug MacDonald and the Three T’s

January 24, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Jazz Veteran Brings the Swing! West-Coast jazz legend Doug MacDonald used his Benedetto Bravo to show us a bit of…

Wayne Nelson

Wayne Nelson

Little River Anchor

March 15, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

Bassist/vocalist Wayne Nelson has decades of experience with the Little River Band and was the first American to join the…

PRS Guitars’ McCarty

Ted Talkin’

March 6, 2017 · Pete Prown

In the late 1980s, Ted McCarty, the man who served as president of Gibson during the company’s “golden age,” became…

Marcin

Birth Of The Dragon

October 8, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

Marcin wields classical, flamenco, percussion, and two-handed tapping to create jaw-dropping music. Dragon In Harmony is his first full-length album,…

Prestige Heritage Premier P90 FM NAT

Liberating the P-90

November 29, 2016 · Bob Dragich

Approach longtime players with a (yet another) single-cut/single-coil solidbody, and you may find it tough to get their attention. But,…

Belén Bandera – Jazz Soundscape

November 15, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

 Spanish singer shines on “Arbre” Accompanied by Jaume Llombart’s beautiful playing on a ’92 Gibson ES-350T modded with a…

The Aristocrats

Duck

October 29, 2024 · Pete Prown

Featuring Guthrie Govan on guitar and Bryan Beller on bass plus über-drummer Marco Minnemann, this terrifying trio blows minds every…

OVERTURE-JS_HOME-MAIN-BIG

Overture JS-Session

Do-It-All Guitar?

August 5, 2013 · Sean OBryan Smith

Overture JS-Session Price: $ 1,499. Info: overtureguitars.com When designing a new guitar, builders often face a quandary. Some go to…

dunlop slash Way Vintage Guitar magazine

MXR Slash Octave Fuzz SF01/Slash Cry Baby Classic SC-95

Slash ’N Burn

December 9, 2013 · Erik Elkins

MXR SF01 Slash Octave Fuzz Price: $129 (street) Contact: www.jimdunlop.com Slash Cry Baby Classic SC95 Wah Price: $129 (street) Contact:…

Ewan Currie’s Hairy Tones

December 9, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Sheepdogs guitarist plays “So Far Gone” Ewan Currie and his band, The Sheepdogs, do retro-rock the right way. Here, Ewan…