• 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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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…

Vic Johnson

At Your Service

November 28, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Music fans might remember Vic Johnson as the wickedly eclectic guitarist from the ’80s band The Busboys; it thrived in…

Snowy White

Snowy White

One Man, One Guitar

March 11, 2016 · Donald Wiedman

Snowy White, one of the finest blues and rock musicians to come out of the U.K., built a career on…

Sunny War

Art & War

May 4, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Sunny War’s latest album, Simple Syrup, digs deep into the complexities of the human experience. As an acoustic fingerstylist who…

Eric Clapton

Still Slowhand

August 2, 2016 · Michael Dregni

There’s a lot of looking back going on here. For his 23rd solo album, Eric Clapton reunites with producer Glyn…

Robben Ford

Sky Above The Note

October 17, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

 The new album from Robben Ford is packed with beautiful music and the indelible ingredients that for decades have made…

  • 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

Have Guitar Will Travel 100 – Brian Venable (Lucero)

June 21, 2024 · James Patrick Regan

In episode 100 of “Have Guitar Will Travel”, presented by Vintage Guitar Magazine, host James Patrick Regan speaks with Brian…

Steve Cropper

Homage to Lowman Pauling

May 12, 2014 · Michael Dregni

All but forgotten today, with his low-slung guitar, stylish rhythm licks, and tasty leads, Lowman Pauling was one of the…

The Steepwater Band

More Players, More Music

May 9, 2017 · Willie G. Moseley

The Steepwater Band, based in Chicago, has been a trio for most of its career, purveying guitar-based Americana. Guitarist Jeff…

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…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Ro-Pat-In’s First Electric Spanish

Granddaddy to the Stars!

January 10, 2023 · Lynn Wheelwright

The story of George Beauchamp’s invention of what would become the first commercially successful electric guitar is shrouded in the…

The Watkins Dominator

Crying V

March 18, 2019 · Dave Hunter

Is there any more stylish vintage amp than the V-front Watkins Dominator? This creation is delightfully twee yet utterly enticing…

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…

Dumble Overdrive Special OD150 WR

March 6, 2019 · Dave Hunter

Alexander Dumble’s creations were already established as legendary when we probed our first example in this space back in May…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Keeley Engineering Compressor Pro

Keeley Engineering Compressor Pro

Game Changer

March 24, 2016 · Rich Maloof

Keeley Engineering Compressor Pro Price: $299 (list) Contact: www.robertkeeley.com Studio-quality dynamic control at your feet is a luxury that guitarists…

Vox Giulietta VGA-3D

Unconventional Archtop

December 23, 2024 · Pete Prown

It may look like a conventional archtop, but Vox’s latest box offers something truly different. Within the Giulietta VGA-3D is…

Lengardo Milano JBE Series

Lengardo Milano JBE Series

Beyond Kalamazoo

February 15, 2016 · Zac Childs

Lengardo Milano JBE Series Price: $4,254 Contact: www.JBEPickups.com Though a name unfamiliar to most, Lengardo is a brand of Phaselus,…

Delisle Island Carney/Drifter Amp-in-Case Combo

Delisle Island Carney/Drifter Amp-in-Case Combo

Econo Classic Reimagined

February 26, 2016 · Ray Wuolo

Delisle Island Carney/Drifter Amp-in-Case Combo Price: $4,000 (list) Contact: www.island-instruments.com A half-century ago, before Marshalls were stacked and ’Bursts dangled…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

GIBSON F-7 1934

1934 Gibson F-7

January 12, 2015 · George Gruhn

Prior to Gibson’s innovations, mandolins were bowl-back instruments with a lute-like back usually constructed with rosewood or maple back ribs…

Rodney Crowell

March 30, 2017 · Rich Kienzle

Rodney Crowell, who gained fame during country’s New Traditional era of the 1980s, has always drawn from his personal life…

Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams: Funky Syncopation

July 29, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Fine pickin’ on “The Way You Make Me Feel” Husband-and-wife team Martin D-18, while Teresa comps on an Emmylou Harris…

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…

Brian Setzer

Brian Setzer

Rocking Back to the Future

October 27, 2015 · Michael Dregni

Brian Setzer wears several hats – rockabilly, swing, even hard-rocking Christmas music. But through it all, by and large he…

Tinsley Ellis’ new dimension

April 30, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Unplugged, and Worth the Wait! A prominent blues artist since the late ’80s, Tinsley Ellis grabbed the ’37 National Style…

Amptweaker’s TightDrive Jr

Big Surprise, Small Package

January 8, 2018 · Oscar Jordan

You may remember James Brown as the mastermind at Peavey Electronics and Kustom Amplification. In addition to being the brains…

Walter Jr.

A Taste of (and from) Louisiana

July 13, 2020 · John Heidt

Walter Jr.’s blend of soul, funk, R&B, and everything-in-between never wanders far from home. It’s not hard to tell from…

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…

Tomer Cohen

From Israel to NYC

December 14, 2023 · Pete Prown

Twenty-five-year-old Tomer Cohen plays jazz with the earthy feel heard in improvisations by Bill Frisell, Julian Lage, and early Pat…

Steve Rosen

Chasing EVH Memories

March 16, 2024 · Bret Adams

From 1977 through 2003, music journalist Steve Rosen formed and fostered a personal and professional relationship with guitar legend Edward…

Fretprints: Ted Greene

Solo Guitarist Extraordinaire

September 7, 2022 · Wolf Marshall

Few guitarists enjoy the adulation bestowed on Ted Greene. A legend who coaxed unimaginable sounds from a humble Telecaster and…

Earl Slick

Martian Connection – and More

April 1, 2022 · Willie G. Moseley

Brooklyn-born guitarist Earl Slick is best-known for his work with David Bowie, which spanned several decades. His recent participation with…

Scott Henderson

Voodoo Carnival

January 14, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

Scott Henderson continues to blow minds with his ever-evolving guitar mastery. From his early years blending bop and Holdsworth to…

The Yamaha THR10

Yamaha THR10

Practice Perfection?

August 19, 2014 · Phil Feser

Yamaha THR10 Price: $299 Contact: usa.yamaha.com. As a rule of thumb, practice amps are a compromise. Blissfully portable, they typically…

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…

Alex Skolnick

Bit of Metal, Bit of Jazz

February 27, 2018 · Greg Prato

The worlds of metal and jazz guitar couldn’t be more opposite – one specializes in volume and riffing, the other…

Seymour Duncan ’78 Model

Upscale Touch

June 26, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

In the late ’70s, rock guitarists fell down the rabbit hole trying to achieve more sustain, harmonics, and extra crunch…

Tom Petersson

Lower-End Innovator

June 10, 2020 · Willie G. Moseley

It’s been a long time comin’… Like his longtime bandmate, Rick Nielsen, Cheap Trick bassist/songwriter Tom Petersson collects classic stringed…

Kochel Resonator

Big-Sky Steel

August 4, 2024 · Bob Cianci

Self-taught guitar builder Sean Kochel has always been a compulsive tinkerer, even as a child. Years ago, he and his…

Susanna Hoffs

The Deep End

March 16, 2024 · Bret Adams

The Bangles vocalist/rhythm guitarist’s fifth solo album is a folk-enriched blend of covers by classic and contemporary artists, enlivened by…

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…

Lucinda Williams

Don’t Tell Anybody The Secrets I Told You: A Memoir & Stories From A Rock N Roll Heart

March 20, 2024 · Michael Dregni

Turning 70 is a time for reflection, and Lucinda Williams offers two takes. Her poetic autobiography recounts her troubled, peripatetic…

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,…

Blackberry Smoke

Blackberry Smoke

Beyond Southern Musical Borders

October 2, 2015 · Willie G. Moseley

Comparisons between Blackberry Smoke and earlier Southern-rock bands may be inevitable, but the Atlanta-based quintet takes such observations in stride.…

Buzz Feiten Blues Pro

Buzz Feiten Blues Pro

Cantankerous Tones

March 8, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Buzz Feiten Blues Pro Price: $2,395 (list) Contact: www.buzzfeitenguitars.com Buzz Feiten is a Woodstock alumnus who has played with a…

Ray Benson

Ray Benson

Where There’s a Wills, There’s a Wheel

March 30, 2016 · John Heidt

Asleep At the Wheel’s latest album is the band’s third tribute to Bob Wills. Long-time leader Ray Benson recently talked…

Pentangle

The Albums

July 5, 2018 · Dan Forte

Take Five When one thinks of bands with two (or more) lead guitarists, groups like the Eagles, Buffalo Springfield, Quicksilver…

John Notto double-up

November 17, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Dirty Honey guitarist shares riffs from “Can’t Find the Brakes” John Notto used his road-dog Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul…