The Xaviere XV-JT90 and XV-585

Planks for Pennies

September 19, 2013 · Pete Prown

Xaviere is a company that imports its guitars from China, sets them up in its Massachusetts shop, then sells direct.…

Blackberry Smoke Unplugs

Ds and LGs

March 3, 2017 · Ward Meeker

By sound and association, Blackberry Smoke walks a fine stylistic line. A good ol’ rock band when it started rollin’…

Buddy Guy

Keeping the Blues Alive and Definitely Kicking

April 18, 2016 · Dan Forte

It was February 21, 2012. As part of the White House’s music series, “Red, White & Blues” featured a cavalcade…

Fender 
Telecaster Thinline

Weight-Loss Trial

July 22, 2019 · George Gruhn

Born in turbulent times on the downslope of the “guitar boom,” Fender’s Telecaster Thinline has always existed in the shadow…

Scotty Moore

Can't Keep a Good Man Down

May 27, 2005 · Kevin Woods

As the world marks the 50th Anniversary of the recording of “That’s Alright Mama,” one can’t help but wonder what…

Epiphone Crestwood

’60s Un-Gibson Solidbody

July 14, 2017 · Eric C. Shoaf

Gibson’s acquisition of Epiphone in 1957 presented a tremendous challenge to guitar designers and marketers at the company. One challenge…

  • 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

David Hamburger: masterful playing, 00-18 deep dive

July 26, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

David Hamburger and his ’56 00-18 Singer/songwriter David Hamburger is also an impressive fingerstyle player who knows a great guitar…

Adam Levy’s Wistful Elegance

February 28, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Vintage ES-335 on “And They All Sang” Famous for supplying charismatic guitar parts while backing Nora Jones and Tracy Chapman,…

Ted Newman Jones’ West-Texas Guitars

Melodious Coterie

June 10, 2022 · Ward Meeker

Boxcars Among the vast papers, drawings, photographs, and tapes at Texas Tech’s Crossroads of Music Archive is a guitar beloved…

Joe Louis Walker

Indisputable Cred

January 24, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

Joe Louis Walker has enjoyed a long and enviable career making artistically satisfying music while entertaining audiences all over the…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

The Birth of the Gretsch Duo Jet

Gretsch Gets With It!

March 4, 2022 · Edward Ball

In 1950, Leo Fender introduced the Broadcaster. The first solidbody electric Spanish guitar to bear his soon-to-be-famous name, its thin…

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Traynor YBA-2 Bass Mate

May 10, 2016 · Dave Hunter

Canadian amp maker Traynor gets a lot of respect in some circles for turning out solid, good-sounding tube amps that…

John Pizzarelli Swings On A Vintage D’angelico

September 4, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Jazz Ace on an Heirloom Guitar For this exclusive rendition of “Just In Time,” swing ace John Pizzarelli grabbed the…

Metropolitan Tanglewood

A Rare Modern Map

January 25, 2006 · Willie G. Moseley

Many guitar aficionados are aware of the instruments proffered by Houston’s Alamo Music. The Texas manufacturer has created unique low-end…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Reddick Voyager CS

Mods Made Easy

May 13, 2024 · Rich Maloof

Exploring creative designs at his shop in Georgia, luthier Ian Reddick aimed to solve a common problem – how to…

Danelectro Baby Sitar Home Feature Image

Danelectro Baby Sitar

Paint It Sunburst

June 10, 2016 · Ray Wuolo

Legend has it that during a break in the filming of Help!, George Harrison picked up a sitar left behind…

The Electro-Harmonix Superego Synth Engine

Synthful

March 19, 2014 · Phil Feser

Electro-Harmonix Superego Synth Engine Price: $283.60 (retail); $212.70 (street) Contact: www.ehx.com Building on the success of its Freeze Sound Retainer…

Lollar Pickups’ dB Humbucker

July 22, 2019 · Julian Burtell

Jason Lollar has been in business winding pickups for more than 20 years. While he’s most famous for his take…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Derek St. Holmes

Making Rock and Roll Cool Again

March 2, 2017 · Johnny Zapp

Derek St. Holmes has been in the rock and roll business since the early 1970s and is best known for…

Cry, Baby!

The Story of the Vox Wah

December 9, 2015 · Michael Dregni

Beyond being crowned “Album of the Century” by Time magazine, Marley and the Wailers’ 1977 LP Exodus is a wah-wah…

1924 Martin 00-45

1924 Martin 00-45

October 11, 2015 · George Gruhn

When trying to determine originality, guitar dealers and collectors have a tendency to study instruments with the care of a…

Orianthi Lights It Up

December 7, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

New Music, Signature J-200 With her still-newish signature Gibson J-200, Orianthi strums and sings a chill version of the hard-rocking…

Fretprints: Fenton Robinson

Unsung Blues Icon

June 4, 2022 · Wolf Marshall

In the encyclopedia of American music, there oughta be a picture of Fenton Robinson next to “unsung blues hero.” Drop…

Grant Geissman

Still Feeling Good

July 27, 2023 · Pete Prown

Admired for the iconic phase-shifter solo on Chuck Mangione’s 1978 smash “Feels So Good,” Grant Geissman can today look back…

Pop ’N Hiss: The J. Geils Band’s “Live” Full House

Detroit Get-Down

January 11, 2024 · Willie G. Moseley

You heard of the Boogaloo?” singer Peter Wolf bellows as the J. Geils Band roars through “Hard Drivin’ Man.” “You…

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Buddy Holly’s ’58 Magnatone 280

1958 Magnatone Custom 280

May 13, 2016 · Dave Hunter

When guitarists talk tremolo or vibrato, you can bet the magnificent Magnatone amps will find their way into the conversation.…

Fender Bassbreaker 45 Combo

Hybrid Love Child

March 31, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

Fender’s new nine-product Bassbreaker series combines popular traditional amplifiers with modern technology. Classic tones and flexibility are the name of…

Gene Simmons

Night Vision

August 31, 2023 · Bret Adams

Between stints on its lengthy End of the Road farewell tour, Kiss has been issuing an Off the Soundboard series…

Fishman AFX Pedals

Tiny Tools

June 26, 2024 · Pete Prown

The shrinkologists at Fishman recently introduced a line of mini AFX pedals that do many jobs in an acoustic/electric guitar…

Vic Flick

007 Guitar Man

April 12, 2021 · Pete Prown

You may not know the name Vic Flick, but you know his signature motif–that reverby lick from the James Bond…

Arlen Roth & Jerry Jemmott

Super Soul Session

February 9, 2024 · Dan Forte

Roth is well-known for his “Hot Licks” instructional videos and method books. But his career is far from academic, having…

Colin Linden

Bringing it Back Around

April 21, 2016 · John Heidt

Colin Linden’s Still Live is a step back to his first recording – a live album made three decades ago.…

Leo Lydon

Beefy Tones

November 12, 2023 · Pete Prown

The wildly named Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol doesn’t play the typical “doom metal” or “stoner metal” that has been hip…

Tom Teaches the Blues!

Win a $2,100 Waterloo WL-14L!

July 7, 2017 · Tom Feldmann

 Vintage Guitar is teaming with Collings Guitars and Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop to present an exclusive eight-part series on…

Julian Lage

Squint

March 31, 2022 · Michael Dregni

Julian Lage walks an intriguing line between jazz and rock-and-roll. On his latest – and first release on the stellar…

2023 February Issue on Spotify

February 2, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

This month we feature Jim McCarty, Joe Robinson, Vinnie Moore, Tom Rotella, Anthony Gomes, Humble Pie, Jimi Hendrix, The Cult,…

Devi Ever:FX Big Distortion Sound Machine

Devi Ever:FX Big Distortion Sound Machine

Enough is Never Enough

March 3, 2016 · Pete Prown

Devi Ever:FX Big Distortion Sound Machine Price: $200 (list) Contact: www.devieverfx.com Want fuzz, crunch, and overdrive? How about all at…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 031 Featuring John Notto

July 21, 2020 · James Patrick Regan

The latest episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel” has host James Patrick Regan speaking with guitarist John Notto from Dirty…

Martin 0-42

The Martin 0-42

December 4, 2015 · George Gruhn

Through the years, Martin’s dreadnought, OM, and 000 guitars may have gained the most notoriety. But for the sweetest and…

Eric Bibb

Beyond the Blues

June 30, 2022 · Pete Prown

It’s almost a curse to categorize a musician a “blues artist,” as it implies someone who simply plays standard I-IV-V…

The Fender AA165 Pro Reverb

March 11, 2019 · Dave Hunter

Fender’s “blackface” amplifiers made from late 1963 through ’67 have earned enduring “classic amp” status. Simultaneously collectible, they’re desired for…

Kinga Glyk’s four-string tightrope

May 24, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Star bassist shines on “That Right There” Superstar bassist Kinga Glyk brings everything from funk-fusion virtuosity to booty-moving grooves. With…

Classics: August 2022

Billy Soutar’s custom-order 1936 Gibson L-7

April 11, 2023 · Ward Meeker

While scanning an Elderly Instruments ad in Vintage Guitar one day in early 2009, Billy Soutar spotted the description of…

Acoustik Attak Picks

May 10, 2022 · Julian Burtell

Each of Acoustik Attak’s three guitar picks has a different raised formation that alters the way it interacts with strings;…

Parsons/White StringBender

August 17, 2017 · Edward B. Driscoll Jr.

From the origins of country-rock to Jimmy Page, Metallica, and a slew of modern country-pickin’ wizards, the string bender lends…

Steve Miller

Some People Call Him Rock Icon

January 7, 2011 · Ward Meeker

Not until after he turned 40 did it occur to Steve Miller that he never really needed to fear whether…

Ace Frehley

Shock Waves

December 13, 2024 · Bret Adams

As an original member of rock titans Kiss, “Space Ace” Frehley inspired countless budding musicians. His new album, 10,000 Volts,…