• 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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Rik Emmett

Canadian Custom

January 14, 2026 · Bret Adams

Rik Emmett is a master of many guitar styles and other artistic endeavors. As co-lead vocalist/guitarist in the hard-rock trio…

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…

The Les Paul Becomes The SG

Double Time

April 24, 2019 · George Gruhn

It may be difficult to imagine now, but Gibson’s original Les Paul was only a modest success. Introduced in 1952,…

Movie Star, Rancher

Mid-’50s Muse of Wire and Wood

January 5, 2015 · Ward Meeker

In the years immediately after World War II, Americans were settling into a new way of life, and plunging headlong…

Rickenbacker 481

November 24, 2020 · Michael Wright

It’s hard to imagine an instrument other than guitar that has undergone more innovation through its modern history. Perhaps we…

Duke Robillard

Doing Things His Way

December 22, 2015 · Eric C. Shoaf

Mix one part blues, one part jazz, one part swing, stir in some rock and soul, bring to a simmer,…

  • 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

Fearless Guitar Heroes

Metallica’s Hammett and Hetfield Stage Legendary Solidbodies

July 10, 2019 · Ward Meeker

Metallica emerged as the antithesis to corporate rock and the “hair metal” that dominated L.A.’s Sunset Strip in the ’80s.…

Seth Lee Jones

Pedal Pusher

July 27, 2022 · Pete Prown

Thanks to giants like Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, and Sonny Landreth, we’re living in a golden age of bottleneck guitar,…

Remembering Jeff Beck

January 24, 2023 · Greg Martin

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

Fretprints: Ty Tabor

X Marks the Spot

June 14, 2024 · Wolf Marshall

The turbulent 1980s ended with a tsunami of bands seeking new sounds. Trends like classic-rock redux, blues/roots revivals, nu-metal, grunge,…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Q&A With George Gruhn: A Strong Case

And When to Get an Appraisal

March 3, 2022 · George Gruhn

Some of my vintage guitar cases are very worn. One Martin case from the ’40s is missing a latch and…

Familiar Names Create Music as J&B Brothers

Austin-Powered

May 29, 2019 · Pete Prown

The J&B Brothers make a sound equal parts Texas country, blues, folkie, rock, jazz, and soul – the spices that…

Revisiting The Jazzmaster

May 2, 2017 · Michael Wright

While volumes have been written about its more-famous sibling, the Stratocaster, surprisingly little attention is paid to the Jazzmaster –…

Dan’s Guitar RX: A 1955 Gibson Touch-up

Team Effort.

October 30, 2024 · Dan Erlewine

 To keep work flowing in my shop, repairs often become a group effort. Recently, Gene Imbody, T.K. Kelly, Paul Schmittauer,…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Providence Silky Drive and Stampede DT

Japanese Silk (and Stomp)

July 24, 2015 · Pete Prown

Providence Silky Drive and Stampede DT Price: $394 (Silky Drive); $249 (Stampede DT) Info: www.providence-ltd.com. From the Land of the…

Rupert Neve Designs’ Portico 5017/ SE Electronics’ Voodoo VR1

Studio on the Go

March 13, 2019 · Pete Prown

Despite what some folks may tell you about the merits of “going direct” for guitar, nothing sounds better than a…

EHX’s Bad Stone Phase Shifter, C9 Organ Machine, and Pitch Fork Polyphonic Pitch Shifter

Pedal Heaven

January 25, 2017 · Pete Prown

When it comes to stompboxes, there are the standard go-to effects that every guitarist, whether a gigging musician or a…

Way Huge Saffron Squeeze MkII

Way Huge Saffron Squeeze MkII

Fresh-squeezed

July 7, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Twenty years after its launch, the Way Huge Saffron Squeeze compressor has been improved upon. Doing fierce business with an…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Neil Young

Chrome Dreams

October 8, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

After being shelved for more than 45 years, Neil Young’s long-lost 1977 album finally sees daylight. Nestled between an impressive…

Gibson Super 400

August 13, 2024 · George Gruhn and Walter Carter

Much of America was still recovering from the Depression in 1934 when Gibson introduced a guitar at a price that…

Jimmy Day’s 1950 Fender Super-Amp

Just Like Hank

March 11, 2024 · Dave Hunter

As fascinating as we might find any vintage amplifier, at its heart, it’s often just a dusty box of archaic…

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Live In London

October 8, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

In a world where Red Bull-injected athletes have hijacked blues guitar, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram is a welcome return to feel,…

Albert Castiglia

Righteous and Raucous

January 5, 2018 · Willie G. Moseley

Guitarist Albert Castiglia’s blues-based music has gone through a lot of changes since VG first interviewed him in 2008. In…

Greg Howe

Return to Rock with Maragold

December 10, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

Greg Howe continues to evolve, pushing his artistry into fresh territory. One of the most successful artists on Shrapnel Records,…

Trevor Rabin

Return with Rio

August 7, 2024 · Greg Prato

It’s hard to believe that 34 years have passed since Trevor Rabin issued a solo album featuring his vocals. But…

Ace Frehley

10,000 Volts

January 9, 2025 · Bret Adams

Kiss’ original guitarist didn’t appear at the band’s final concert, crushing the rock-and-roll dreams of diehard fans. But, his latest…

The Real Story of Martin’s 14-Fret Orchestra Models

OM Irony

July 9, 2019 · George Gruhn

Martin Orchestra Model (OM) guitars made prior to World War II are some of the finest ever made for fingerpicking.…

The Vox Saturn IV

June 30, 2015 · Willie G. Moseley

In the mid 1960s, England’s Vox company was in the right place at the right time. Buoyed by frontline British…

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…

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…

Dave Specter, Swimming in ’verb!

February 15, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Twangy Texas blues via Chicago Dave Specter (no relation to Phil!) uses his reissue Jazzmaster plugged into a ’65 Vibrolux…

The Guild Starfire Bass

February 16, 2015 · Willie G. Moseley

In the mid ’60s, Guild took its knocks for making guitars that looked “inspired by” Gibson models. Fans of the…

Tom Feldman Vintage Guitar magazine Video Lessons

Tom Feldmann: Son House – “Death Letter Blues” Riff

December 1, 2016 · Tom Feldmann

Using his concert-sized 1930s Stella Decalcomania with mother-of-toilet-seat (MOTS) fretboard, Tom Feldmann shows you how to play the main riff…

Steven Wilson

Guitar Harmony

October 17, 2024 · Greg Prato

Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson isn’t a guitar hero, but his playing fits his compositions perfectly – as exemplified by his…

Pop ’N Hiss: Led Zeppelin’s IV

Heaven Sent

August 1, 2022 · Bret Adams

It’s impossible to overstate the influence Led Zeppelin’s “untitled” fourth album – call it IV, ZoSo, Runes, Four Symbols, whatever…

Schertler’s Magnetico AG6

Direct Results

April 24, 2019 · Pete Prown

For performers, the struggle to amplify acoustic guitars properly never goes away. But as Schertler shows, things are getting better.…

Johnny Hiland

Mr. Versatility

March 8, 2010 · Ann Wickstrom

“…when you’re onstage, in the heat of the moment in the middle of a solo, you want to have bandmates…

2021 November Issue on Spotify

November 2, 2021 · Vintage Guitar

This month we feature Night Ranger’s Brad Gillis, Eric Bibb, Rick Vito, K.K. Downing, Bobby Eli, Guy King, Pasquale Grasso,…

Collings CJ-45 T

Golden Child

October 12, 2022 · Michael Dregni

Every now and then, you pick up a guitar and realize you’re holding magic in your hands. Welcome to the…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 044 Featuring Ricky Byrd

February 12, 2021 · Art Department

The new episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel” features Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Ricky Byrd. The New York…

Budda’s Baby Budda Amp Head

Big-Boy Tone

September 21, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Budda Amplification staked its claim in 1995 with the Twinmaster boutique amplifier. Its hand-wired construction and user-friendly tones were hits…

Rich Robinson

Back To The Future

June 5, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

The Black Crowes’ new six-song EP, 1972, shows the band exploring rock classics from that year – the seeds of…

2022 August Issue on Spotify

August 3, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

This month we feature Black Crowes, Graham Nash, Lightnin’ Hopkins, John Scofield, ZZ Top, Albert Cummings, Eric Johnson, Def Leppard,…

CopperSound Telegraph V2 Autostutter/Killswitch

All the Rage

November 13, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Need the perfect stutter effect or killswitch in a pedal? Massachusetts-based CopperSound Pedals’ latest iteration of its popular Telegraph Stutter…

Gibson’s 1958-’62 ES-335TD

May 26, 2021 · Ward Meeker

The Redoubtable “Dot-Neck” Early every guitar conceived or designed by Ted McCarty during his tenure as president of Gibson (1948-’66)…

Mike Morgan’s New Twist on Blues

December 12, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Texas Native Does “Aiight”’ Texas blues singer/songwriter Mike Morgan does a solo take on “Aiight,” from his new album, “The…

Pop ’N Hiss: Wishbone Ash’s Argus

Twin-Lead Loadstone

July 6, 2022 · Willie G. Moseley

Founded in 1969, Wishbone Ash attained fast fame in the U.K. with its meshing of intricate twin-lead-guitar passages and harmony…