• 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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Fender’s Player Plus Meteora HH

Familiar Face

March 30, 2023 · Pete Prown

Billed as “futuristic and familiar,” Fender’s Meteora design first arrived as part of the Parallel Universe line – mashups of…

Universal Audio Ruby, Woodrow & Dream

Model Of Perfection

August 10, 2023 · Pete Prown

With digital recording more popular than ever, audio designers are working to capture guitar tone directly, without miking an amp.…

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…

Zemaitis GZ-3200DF

One For the Rest of Us

February 24, 2010 · Bob Tekippe

Looking to score one of those legendary guitars made by the late British luthier Tony Zemaitis? Yeah, so are we.…

Johnny Moeller and Mike Keller

Two for T(-Birds)

August 8, 2016 · Ward Meeker

Every fan of blues music is familiar with the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Founded in 1974 by two guys who would go…

Have Guitar Will Travel 093 – Martin Simpson

March 1, 2024 · James Patrick Regan

Features In this episode, host James Patrick Regan speaks with Martin Simpson, discussing his new duet record with Thomm Jutz,…

  •  Reverend Sensei H90

     Reverend Sensei H90

    Live Wire

    So you want a Gibson-style solidbody that can cover humbucker-powered rock, yet also twangier/glassier tones using a P-90 pickup. Check. You also want to grab high frets via double-cutaway and…

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ARTISTS

Sheryl Bailey’s “Homage”

December 31, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Jazz star’s tribute to Pat Martino – “The Velvet Hammer” A leading proponent of modern jazz guitar, Sheryl Bailey has…

Frank DiBussolo

Jazz Master

January 14, 2025 · Steve Walker

Frank DiBussolo is an eight-time Grammy nominee who has been a featured soloist in the bands of Buddy Rich, Dizzy…

Jane Getter

Jazz-Rock Premonitions

March 2, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Jane Getter’s Anomalia is a mostly instrumental album that traverses the hypnotic seas of jazz-rock, with lyrics. A fusion of…

Nick Moss – clean and tasty on “Scratch N Sniff”

October 27, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Instro-rock, fully greased Get ready to have your funtime socks knocked off, ‘cuz this exclusive Nick Moss run through “Scratch…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

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…

Geddy Lee

Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book of Bass: A Compendium of the Rare, Iconic, and Weird

August 7, 2023 · Ward Meeker

Nearly two years in the making, Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book of Bass: A Compendium of the Rare, Iconic, and…

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…

The National Silvo Electric Hawaiian

September 4, 2014 · George Gruhn

One of the most innovative companies of the pre-World-War-II era, National found out quickly that innovation was a double-edged sword.…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

The DryBell Vibe Machine V-2

Catch A Wave

March 13, 2019 · Yoel Kreisler

DryBell is renowned for one of the most authentic and pedalboard-friendly Uni-Vibe recreations on the market. Five years after launching…

Dr. Z 35th Anniversary Carmen Ghia 1×10

Start Me Up

May 13, 2024 · Charlie Wilkins

At the forefront of high-end boutique design, the Carmen Ghia was Dr. Z’s first commercially available amplifier when launched in…

Carr Bloke

Carr Bloke

No Regular Fella

November 11, 2015 · Zac Childs

From early models such as the Carr Slant 6V and the Rambler to more recent offerings such as the Artemus…

The Universal Audio Astra Modulation Machine

Stately Shimmer

May 10, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Famous for well-regarded interfaces, plug-ins, and vintage-gear emulations, Universal Audio has entered the pedal business with the Astra Modulation Machine,…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

30 Most Valuable Guitars

December 27, 2017 · Ward Meeker

To mark VG’s 30th anniversary, we dig into the 30 most-valuable production guitars.

The Grez Mendocino Junior

New Old-Soul

July 22, 2022 · Michael Dregni

Luthier Barry Grzebik was a Jersey boy who moved to NorCal in his teens. When he began building guitars, he…

Earl Slick

Zig Zag Back to the Top

January 30, 2020 · Lisa Sharken

Earl Slick landed his dream gig back in 1974, when a friend referred him for a gig with David Bowie,…

The Quaker City Night Hawks

April 24, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Advertised as “The spirit of ZZ Top meets Texas boogie rock,” the Night Hawks play up the image of unpretentious…

Songbirds: Museum with a Mission

Treasures in Tennessee

April 19, 2019 · Rusty Russell

Ask anyone who geeks out on vintage guitars, from the well-heeled collector to the dreamer whose prized possession is a…

Martin OM-28 Authentic 1931

Martin OM-28 Authentic 1931

Vintage Revolution

July 7, 2016 · Pete Prown

If you’ve ever played a fine vintage guitar, you know how two things jump out at you immediately: 1) they’re…

Dallas Perkins dazzles on “Mexican Puppets”

March 14, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Dallas Perkins: Elemental Experiments Progressive-rock shredder Dallas Perkins brings it with “Mexican Puppets,” a track from his new instrumental album,…

GIBSON-F2-2-HOME-MAIN-BIG

1905 Gibson F-2

February 26, 2016 · George Gruhn

In the opinion of most American mandolinists, Gibson brought mandolin design to a level of perfection in 1922, with the…

Written In Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos

Various artists

June 19, 2024 · Michael Dregni

You may think you know Stax, but this seven-CD set of 146 tracks (140 never before released) proves again how…

Charlie Ballantine

Midwest Expressive

May 21, 2019 · Pete Prown

Befitting a guitarist from America’s heartland, Charlie Ballantine’s mixes jazz, folk-rock, surf/instro, blues, pop, and country into a simmering pot…

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…

Pink Floyd

Primal Floyd

January 26, 2017 · Pete Prown

Priced at more than $500, this 27-disc set is a Floyd-freak’s dream come true. It’s a monster collection of early…

Univox Uni–Fuzz & Super–Fuzz

Univox Uni–Fuzz & Super–Fuzz

Full, Fat Fuzzzy

March 15, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Pete Townshend sent many a guitar and amp to an early grave. But there’s no known evidence of him doing…

The Gibson SJ-200

Long Live The King

February 8, 2022 · Michael Dregni

Introduced in 1937, Gibson’s Super Jumbos radiated star power and quickly became the guitar of choice for those who wanted…

Naia Izumi

Intuitive Artistry

August 1, 2022 · Pete Prown

It’s difficult to pigeonhole the music of Naia Izumi, a singer/songwriter who’s also one of the most uncanny guitarists around.…

Larry Coryell

January 26, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

The lastest from the godfather of fusion guitar harkens back to his ’71 album Barefoot Boy, revisiting the energy, philosophy,…

Eastwood La Baye 2x4 Devo Signature Model

Eastwood La Baye 2×4 Devo Signature Model

Whip It Good

July 7, 2016 · Pete Prown

For decades, guitarists have lovingly referred to their solidbody guitars as “planks.” In the mid ’60s, a small builder called…

Walrus The Melee

Super Soaker

December 23, 2023 · Pete Prown

Just when you think you’ve seen everything, along comes Walrus’ The Melee: Wall of Noise, a pedal with a built-in…

Grace Bowers

Truth of Youth

May 28, 2025 · Pete Prown

The word “prodigy” is overused in the music biz, but Grace Bowers is a real-deal young funkster. Just 18 years…

Giffin Vikta

Feelin’ Special

May 10, 2014 · Pete Prown

Giffin Vikta Price: $2,295 Contact: www.premierbuildersguild.com Roger Giffin is a guitarmaker to the stars, having built for Eric Clapton, Pete…

Shaw Audio Bass 130

Classic Tone for the Modern World

August 10, 2016 · Sean OBryan Smith

Tennessee amp builder Kevin Shaw loves restoring old cars – and creating fine-sounding amplifiers. His ToneRod SE and Fulltilt 18…

The Fender Master Series

April 16, 2018 · Gary Koehler

Dan Smith had an idea – a solidbody guitar with routed chambers that would provide unique resonant tonal characteristics. And…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 018 Featuring Luke Mossman

November 11, 2019 · James Patrick Regan

In the new episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan speaks to guitarist Luke Mossman about his…

The Band

March 6, 2014 · Michael Dregni

The Band’s double-LP Rock of Ages was released in August 1972, their first live collection – as well as their…

Dave Wyndorf

Tab of God

July 2, 2019 · Greg Prato

In the early ’90s, a handful of bands were trailblazers in the realm of “stoner rock”; Kyuss, Sleep, Fu Manchu,…

GluBoost MasterGlu, Fill N’ Finish, MasterTint, and Gludry Accelerator

Stick-To-It-Iveness

May 21, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

There exists a subculture of guitarists who build, customize, or resurrect their own instruments, or help friends with theirs. GluBoost’s…

Jackie Venson

Emotional Intelligence

July 2, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Soul-pop stylist Jackie Venson has been conquering the road-warrior touring circuit, and gained an enviable spot on Gary Clark, Jr.’s…

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…

Lovepedal Purple Plexi

Glory & Overtones

February 9, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Fans of guitarists with superb tones routinely spot Lovepedal boxes on pedalboards in almost every music genre. From their early…