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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…

Dio
Holy Diver Super Deluxe Edition
After Rainbow and Black Sabbath, vocalist Ronnie James Dio assembled his own band with previous accomplices Jimmy Bain (bass) and…
Fender’s First Reissues
The CBS Era Concludes in Style
By the late 1970s, cumulative changes in the details of the various classic guitar models on the market – Fender’s…

A.J.’s 1950 Fender Broadcaster
$10 at a time
In 1950, A.J. Custer traded his triple-neck steel for a white-guard Broadcaster. Total cost was around $300, which he paid…

Sue Foley
Still Playing Pinky
Sue Foley’s Paisley-finished Telecaster is the one guitar to which she has remained true since her debut album, Young Girl…

Lollar Pickups’ dB Humbucker
Jason Lollar has been in business winding pickups for more than 20 years. While he’s most famous for his take…
Duke Robillard
Doing Things His Way
Mix one part blues, one part jazz, one part swing, stir in some rock and soul, bring to a simmer,…
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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,…
ARTISTS

Scott T. Jones’ battle, axes
Rippin’ Midwestern Jazz-Rock St. Louis’ own jazz-fusion mainstay Scott T. Jones runs through a few tunes – on a few…

Phil Campbell
Motöring Ahead
From 1984 through 2015, Phil Campbell was the guitarist in Motörhead, and for the last 20 years of the band’s…

Pop ’N Hiss: King Crimson’s Red
Commendable Coda
In the late ’60s, a new style of rock emerged in Britain, influenced by classical music and fronted by bands…

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

Ask Zac: Deep Dive on the Wide Range
Plus, Joey Molland’s Stratotone
I have collected several Fender Wide Range humbucking pickups from the early ’70s, and I’m curious about how to check…

Watkins Rapier 33
If you were an American teenager in the late 1950s or early ’60s, and you wanted to play the new…

The Story of Jay Gower
Startup in Music City
In Nashville today, there are enough professional luthiers to meet the need for guitar repairs, modifications, and custom builds. In…

Gibson Wall-Board Guitar
Out of the Woods, Off the Wall
In the world of “guitarcheology,” it’s well-documented that the truly interesting stuff – prototypes, one-offs, custom instruments – usually surface…
NEWSWIRE
APPROVED GEAR
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Live Wire
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Narrow(field) Win
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Take Flight

Taylor’s 326ce Urban Ash
Tonewood Tales
When hunting for a new acoustic, it’s useful to learn about tonewoods and construction, as both play a huge role…

Fender Player Jaguar
Updated Offset
Priced at entry level and built in Mexico, Fender’s Player Series provides affordable access to Fender’s most iconic solidbodies. The…

ValveTrain PowerTrain Studio 20
Tube Savior
We’ve all watched the guitar amp deconstruct before our eyes, as pedals, preamps, and power amps all shrink – and…

Orangewood Guitars’ Echo 12 Live
Fresh-Squeezed Jangle
Twelve-string sales ebb and flow in part with the popularity of a song featuring one. Orangewood Guitars aims to change…
WHAT ELSE IS NEW
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More Personal
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Rare Pioneer

Def Leppard
Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard
When Def Leppard released its 1980 debut, On Through the Night, most members were barely out of their teens. Now…

Lynyrd Skynyrd
30 Years Strong
Gary Rossington leads the charge against the challenge that has always come with being a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd. The…

Fender Mustang II Amp
Practiced Past
When you check out an amp like the Fender Mustang II, you may wonder if the term “practice amp” still…

Robert John & The Wreck’s Henry James
Cali-Style Southern Rock Southern-fried rock from California? You bet it’s tasty. Check out the guitar work of Henry James Schneekluth…











































