Elvin Bishop

May 2, 2017 · John Heidt

Fun is the key word here. It’s amazing how Elvin Bishop has managed to keep things interesting in a career…

Alex Haddad and Kyle Lewis

Two Times the Vibes

March 14, 2019 · Johnny Zapp

Nashville’s Them Vibes hearken to the two-guitar teams of yesterday. Established by the songwriting duo of front man Brother Love…

Various Artists

Pure Country

June 27, 2017 · Michael Dregni

Amidst the torrent of modern-country anthems praising pickup trucks, beer, bros, and sweet things in tight jeans gushing out of…

Fender’s ’68 Custom Deluxe Reverb

Fender’s ’68 Custom Deluxe Reverb

Improving on a Good Thing

April 19, 2016 · Phil Feser

Fender’s ’68 Custom Deluxe Reverb Price: $999.99 list Contact: www.fender.com In 1968, Fender gave its amp line what collectors today…

Gibson’s “Non-Reverse” Firebirds

When Down Was Up

February 4, 2024 · Peter Stuart Kohman

Some guitars get no respect, at least historically. At the dawn of the ’70s, Gibson’s original (1963-’65) Firebirds were already…

Brad Paisley

Keep Pushing Play

February 4, 2010 · Zac Childs

Ten years into what has become a stellar career, when Brad Paisley hits your town to play a show these…

  • 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…

    Read more >>

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ARTISTS

Sebastià Gris’ flavorful Two-for One

June 10, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

 Fresh from Barcelona Sebastià Gris used his Gibson SG as eye-candy to play a sample of “Clickbait,” from his…

Peter Stroud Keeps His Feet, and Keeps Movin’

On “10,” As Always

August 1, 2017 · Ward Meeker

He has played with Dreams So Real, Pete Droge, Don Henley, and Sheryl Crow. It’s the latter gig that occupies…

Martin’s Gibson

April 28, 2021 · Ward Meeker

Greg Martin’s infatuation with the sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard started in 1966, when, “I saw the picture of John…

Remembering Jeff Beck

The Guitar Hero, Defined

December 4, 2023 · Ward Meeker

Jeff Beck, the guitarist who pushed the ’60s British Invasion band the Yardbirds from its electric-blues roots to a contemporary…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

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…

Paul Bigsby’s Myrtlewood Guitars

April 30, 2024 · Deke Dickerson

= Few things are as satisfying as a guitar with a good story to tell. Some vintage guitars might be…

The BBE Soul Vibe

Taking Soul to New Levels

July 1, 2020 · Eric C. Shoaf

The original Shin-Ei Uni-vibe became hugely famous after Jimi Hendrix used it with Band of Gypsys (and at Woodstock). Later…

National Style 3 Hawaiian

February 9, 2023 · George Gruhn

Metal-bodied guitars built by the National String Instrument Company before World War II represent a giant leap in guitar design…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

The Pickaso Guitar Bow

Fiddle Stick 

October 15, 2021 · Pete Prown

Ever since Jimmy Page grabbed a bow for “Dazed and Confused,” players have tried to bridge the gap between guitars…

AnalogMan Jim Weider Big-T Bridge Pickup

AnalogMan Jim Weider Big-T Bridge Pickup

Mr. Clean

March 16, 2016 · Zac Childs

AnalogMan’s Jim Weider Big-T Bridge Pickup Price: $135 Info: www.buyanalogman.com Jim Weider is one of the few guitarists who can…

Dean Zelinsky Tagliare Z-Glide Custom

Dean Zelinsky Tagliare Z-Glide Custom

Future Tense

April 5, 2016 · Pete Prown

Every so often, a builder gives the art of guitar design a firm shove into the future. The Dean Zelinsky…

Fender Twin & Deluxe

Fender’s ’57 Twin Amp and ’57 Deluxe – Tweed for Two

September 16, 2013 · Phil Feser

Fender “tweed” guitar amplifiers – the Twin, Deluxe, Bassman, Champ, etc., from the 1950s – are the most sought after…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Calexico

El Mirador

February 7, 2023 · Michael Dregni

Calexico has long crisscrossed the border between American (blues, country, rock and roll) and Latin-American sounds, but the band’s latest…

The Voxmobile

Too Fast to Live, Too Cool to Die

March 22, 2018 · Dave Hunter

Free love, slick guitars, hot cars! Few pieces of late-’60s pop culture were anywhere near as hip and groovy as…

Jimmy James

Unadulterated Guitar

April 5, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Not even a pandemic can stop the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio. After a successful European tour, they were lean, mean,…

SITORI-HOME-MAIN-BIG

Sitori Sonics pedals

New Highs with Sitori Sonics’ Doob Dreamer, Tidal Phase, and Reel Repeat

September 14, 2015 · Tom Guerra

Sitori Sonics pedals Price: $188 list (Doob Dreamer, Reel Repeat); $168 (Tidal Phase) Info: sitorisonics.com. Despite the vast possibilities of…

Wampler’s Ego Mini Compressor and Faux Tape Echo v2

Both Ends

March 15, 2019 · Chip Wilson

With an extensive line of nearly 30 devices, it’s no surprise Wampler Pedals has entries in both the traditional-size and…

Philip Sayce – Strat monster!

March 12, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Post-SRV blues-rock wizard Godmonster beast on his (two) ’63 Fender Strats, Philip Sayce plays the one he calls Mother running…

2022 December Issue on Spotify

December 2, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

This month we feature Smith/Kotzen, Jeff Berlin, Mike Morgan, Marty Robins, The Sheepdogs, GA-20, Rolling Stones, Marshall Tucker Band, Creedence…

Mesa/Boogie Mark Five: 25

Mesa/Boogie Mark Five: 25

Stage, Studio, Etc.

March 30, 2016 · Julian Burtell

Mesa/Boogie Mark Five: 25 Price: $1,299 (list) Contact: www.mesaboogie.com Housed in teensy cabinets, so-called “lunchbox” amps are all the rage,…

Retro Guitar MelodyBurner

Retro Guitar MelodyBurner

Bite and Bark

October 20, 2015 · Michael Dregni

Retro Guitar MelodyBurner Price: $999 (options available) Info: www.melodyburner.com In the realm of hot-rodded cars, there’s a cool genre known…

Pat Martino

Redefined Jazzman

March 2, 2022 · Wolf Marshall

Pat Martino is a legend. He has been delighting the globe’s collective ear for more than 50 years, making an…

The Marcus King Band

December 30, 2016 · John Heidt

It’s easy to see why Warren Haynes has so much respect for young Marcus King. The 20-year-old guitarist, vocalist, and…

The Slingerland May Bell

February 1, 2022 · Michael Wright

It’s hard to imagine a more poorly “documented” guitar brand than Slinglerland. The company has been around since before World…

Chaos Audio Stratus Multi FX Pedal

Smart, Swift Stomp

December 23, 2023 · Charlie Wilkins

Imagine a world where all of your pedals work together so seamlessly that you can quickly and easily experiment with…

Philip Sayce

Proactive Perseverance

December 13, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Philip Sayce is a living, breathing, godmonster beast on the Stratocaster. But his chops, tone, feel, and great songs don’t…

Scott Gorham

Heavy Fire

March 14, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

It’s hard out there for a ’70s guitar hero. With the struggles of keeping older fans happy verses the challenge…

'39 Gibson EH-185

’39 Gibson EH-185

March 18, 2016 · Dave Hunter

Preamp tubes: three 6J7, one 6N7 Output tubes: two 6L6 Rectifier: 5U4 Controls: Instrument Volume, Microphone Volume, Bass and Treble…

Andy Summers

Creating Light From Dark

April 23, 2019 · Greg Prato

For Andy Summers, it would be easy to compose Police-like music – reggae rhythms, clean/chorus guitar tones, etc. But fans…

Walden Sean Harkness 12-String, CG4070E

Grand-Auditorium Cousins

April 26, 2016 · Chip Wilson

Walden Sean Harkness 12-String, CG4070E Price: $1,100 (Sean Harkness Model); $1,350 (CG4070E-CERT) Info: www.waldenguitars.com. With 16 years of producing attractive,…

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Mick Mars

A Piece of His Action

December 17, 2015 · Lisa Sharken

Since emerging from Hollywood’s Sunset Strip in the early 1980s, Mötley Crue has defined the Los Angeles metal scene. Fueled…

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…

Classics: Mike Semrad’s ’57 Gibson Les Paul Custom

October 29, 2025 · Ward Meeker

Mike Semrad’s musical roots run deep in his hometown of Fremont, Nebraska – at least as far back as his…

Heritage Guitars’ H-155M

Best-Kept Secret

July 24, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Heritage Guitars still builds instruments by hand… in Kalamazoo. Like its veteran brethren in the industry, it focuses on craftsmanship,…

Oddfellow Napoleon Boost

Oddfellow Napoleon Boost

Little Dictator

March 10, 2016 · Pete Prown

Oddfellow Napoleon Boost Price: $119.99 (list) Contact: www.oddfellowfx.com Overdrive is one of the guitarist’s great joys. Unlike flat-out distortion, overdrive…

The Routes

In This Perfect Hell

June 27, 2017 · Michael Dregni

Think old-school Zombies crossed with new-thing Arctic Monkeys: the result may just be the Routes. The guitar-bass-drum trio is part…

Martin OM-18P Plectrum Guitar

Martin OM-18P Plectrum Guitar

February 24, 2016 · George Gruhn

While the most commonly played and collected Martin guitars have a six-string neck, the company has also made a number…

Paul Quinn

Ramming It

November 30, 2016 · Greg Prato

As one of the leading bands of the early-’80s New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement, Saxon is responsible for…

Gibson’s Earliest Dreadnought

Gibson’s Earliest Dreadnought?

February 18, 2016 · George Gruhn and Walter Carter

Gibson was a late entry into the flat-top guitar market, offering its first model in 1926, but Gibson was a…

Alex Machacek

Stripped Down

February 16, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

When you get the thumbs-up from icons like John McLaughlin and Chick Corea, it’s got to feel good. But, fusion…

Joe Gore Pedals Cult Germanium Overdrive and Filth Fuzz

Dirt Simple

March 5, 2019 · Tom Guerra

Composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Joe Gore’s career path has been multilayered and includes “guitar effects builder.” Two of his pedals…