Bettie Serveert

Go Dutch!

April 22, 2019 · Kathleen Johnson

Bettie Serveert is still going strong, 25 years after bursting on the scene in Amsterdam at the height of alternative…

Chris Jack

The Routes: Psychedelic Faithful

April 14, 2020 · Johnny Zapp

The Routes embody all the best elements of the ’60s psychedelic-rock scene. Based in Japan and fronted by British-born guitarist…

Selmer Truvoice

Selectortone Automatic

May 24, 2021 · Dave Hunter

Selmer Truvoice Selectortone Automatic, ca. 1961 Preamp tubes: one ECC83, two EF86 Output tubes: two EL34, cathode-bias Rectifier: GZ34 Controls:…

Carson Creation

One Very Personal Stratocaster

May 9, 2023 · Willie G. Moseley

An itinerant Western-music guitarist who befriended Leo Fender and other employees at his up-and-coming company in the early ’50s, Bill…

Sean Watkins

The Fire Returns

January 3, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Nickel Creek’s new album, Celebrants, is the trio’s first in nine years. Mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile, violinist Sara Watkins, and…

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…

  •  VG Q&A: Harmony History

     VG Q&A: Harmony History

    And an Archtop Mystery

    I recently received two guitars as gifts and am trying to learn more about them. The first is a Harmony I believe is from the early ’70s. Its serial number…

    Read more >>

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ARTISTS

Phil Manzanera’s “Magdalena”

August 25, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

Roxy Music legend solo instrumental Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera used his beloved ’64 Gibson Firebird VII to create this…

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…

Roy Treviño

Joining the Conversation

May 20, 2021 · John Heidt

With his new self-titled album, South-Texas-based guitarist Roy Treviño accomplished his goals by simply being himself and letting the music…

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Hosts “Storied Strings” Exhibit

Guitars In Art

August 10, 2023 · Ward Meeker

Dr. Leo Mazow’s vision for the new “Storied Strings: The Guitar in American Art” exhibition at the Virginia Museum of…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Binky Philips

July 15, 2025 · Ram W. Tuli

Season 03 Episode 01 In Episode 3.2 of “Buy That Guitar,” presented by Vintage Guitar magazine, host Ram Tuli engages…

Ronnie Wood’s ’69 Hiwatt 100 DR103

January 3, 2014 · Dave Hunter

1969 Hiwatt 100 (Model DR103 Preamp tubes: four ECC83 Output tubes: four EL34 Rectifier: solidstate Controls: Normal Vol, Brill Vol,…

ORVILLEGIBSONA-HOME-MAIN-BIG

Orville Gibson A model

March 20, 2015 · George Gruhn

All carved-top guitars and mandolins trace their ancestry back to Orville Gibson of Kalamazoo, Michigan. However, as this A model…

Gibson’s Fabulous Florentines

Archtop Elite

January 3, 2025 · Wolf Marshall

The image of Elvis Presley on his 1968 NBC “comeback special” was, in a word, badass. Dressed in black leather…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Harmony Comet

Michigan Meteor

June 21, 2022 · Bob Cianci

Whoever coined the phrase “Everything old is new again” knew what they were talking about. The resurrected Harmony brand, associated…

Newman Guitars Lake Placid Blue

Portrait in Blue

July 5, 2018 · Rich Maloof

Excitement at the arrival of this offset beauty was dampened by the sad news that its creator had passed away…

Korg Nuvibe

Korg Nuvibe

Big Box

February 12, 2015 · Rich Maloof

Korg Nuvibe Price: $499.99 (street) Contact: www.korg.com Korg is not known as a guitar company, but to their great credit…

Gibson Everly Brothers SJ-200

Full Dress

March 20, 2024 · Michael Shirek

Gibson has always had a knack for producing distinctive guitars. The EDS-1275 in Cherry finish will forever be tied to…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

David Hamburger

Top-Tier Tutorial

November 7, 2025 · Dan Forte

Whoever said, “Those who can’t do, teach” has never heard David Hamburger. Among his two dozen instructional books and videos,…

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Nate Westgor

July 10, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Nate Westgor Season 01 Episode 01 In Episode 1 of “Buy That Guitar,”…

Fishman’s Aura Spectrum DI, ToneDEQ

Potent Preamps

March 13, 2019 · Pete Prown

Unlike most electric guitarists, acoustic-electric pickers tend to worry about preamps. A lot. This front stage is critical because acoustic…

Country Player of the Year

February 6, 2017 · Vintage Guitar

Albert Lee Awarded in 2018 Known primarily as a virtuoso sideman, over the past half-century, Albert Lee journeyed from British…

Status Quo’s Francis Rossi

On Guitars, Music, and Elusive Success

October 13, 2015 · Elliot Stephen Cohen

“I’m only as good now as I should have been when I was 25,” laughs Francis Rossi, the 64-year-old lead…

Bassics BPA-1

Defined Tone

July 24, 2019 · Pete Prown

Low-end tone is a critical component of a live mix or studio recording – if the bass doesn’t sound good,…

John Pizzarelli

Better Days

June 10, 2022 · Pete Prown

In just over a one-week period in April of 2020, John Pizzarelli turned 60, lost his father (famed jazz guitarist…

Canned Heat

Finyl Vinyl

July 3, 2025 · Dan Forte

In the mid/late ’60s, the top American groups of the Blues Revival were Chicago’s Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Los…

Wes Beech

Life in The Plasmatics

October 29, 2025 · Ward Meeker

From the moment he met Rod Swenson and Wendy O. Williams, things for Wes Beech were never really “normal.” Walking…

Musicvox Space Cadet USB 30″ Custom

Short-Scale Slugger

March 2, 2017 · Pete Prown

Don’t be confused by the USB in this four-string’s name – there’s no computer-cable hookup. Instead, USB stands for “ultimate…

DaShawn Hickman

Glorious Gospel

April 27, 2023 · Pete Prown

Sacred steel is that unique vein of gospel music highlighting pedal-steel guitar and delivering a powerful sound that can shake…

Newman Guitars Lake Placid Blue

Portrait in Blue

July 5, 2018 · Rich Maloof

Excitement at the arrival of this offset beauty was dampened by the sad news that its creator had passed away…

Pop ’N Hiss: Marshall Crenshaw’s Field Day

Jangle All the Way

April 29, 2024 · Pete Prown

Marshall Crenshaw’s brief chart run remains a bright spot of 1980s rock – effectively, the final blast of New Wave…

Peerless Retromatic

Peerless Retromatic

Modern Vintage

April 27, 2016 · Pete Prown

Peerless Retromatic Price: $1,699 Info: www.peerlessguitars.eu While many new guitars of the last decade have touted authentic (or semi-authentic) “retro”…

Rebel Boards’ Rockstar Pedalboard

Songs from the Wood

March 3, 2015 · Rich Maloof

Rebel Board’s Rockstar Pedalboard Price: $159 (Rockstar); $199 (Rockstar Pro) Info: www.rebel-boards.com. Puzzle-piecing a pedalboard together is equal parts fun…

Sheryl Bailey

New Ground in The SBQ

August 6, 2024 · Wolf Marshall

Sheryl Bailey has enjoyed a steady upward trajectory since her career launched 20 years ago. One of the leading proponents…

Myles Goodwyn

1948-2023

October 17, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Myles Goodwyn, co-founder, creative force, and guitarist/frontman in April Wine, died December 3. He was 75 and while no cause…

Eric Krasno

Funk Soul Brother

August 30, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Smart guitar players discover early on that if they want to control their musical destiny, it doesn’t hurt to learn…

TC Electronic Spark

Booster Shot

June 12, 2023 · Pete Prown

Everyone’s guitar tone sometimes needs a little assistance, especially playing with a band. To the rescue comes the TC Electronic…

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…

Eko’s “Celluloid” ’60s Basses

Cool or Gaudy?

July 2, 2019 · Willie G. Moseley

By the early 1960s, Europe’s industrial bases had mostly recovered from World War II. Many musical-instrument manufacturers stuck to products…

PRS NF 53

Mojo, Distilled

June 26, 2024 · Pete Prown

Players who appreciate simple, elegant, well-built guitars may find themselves enamored with the new PRS NF 53, inspired by one…

Rodrigo Y Gabriela

In Between Thoughts, A New World

February 8, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

The Grammy-winning acoustic duo is back with a collection of consciousness-raising musical concepts, textures, and philosophies augmented by electronica and…

Nicolas Meier

Jeff Beck Sideman Steps Out

March 2, 2017 · Pete Prown

If you’ve been to a Jeff Beck concert in the past few years, you may have said to yourself, “Who’s…

Fretprints: Foghat

Slow Ride to Boogie Wonderland

April 4, 2023 · Wolf Marshall

If the ’70s were the era of good times and excess following the tumultuous ’60s, the boogie band would be…

Guild Bluesbird

Flyin’ High Again

April 24, 2019 · Bob Cianci

The Guild Bluesbird has a long history that began in the 1950s with Guild’s answer to the Gibson Les Paul…

The SeaGlass Route6jr

Boutique Nobility

April 25, 2016 · Anders Fransson

Roger Mello of SeaGlass Guitars officially opened shop in 2011. Today, he offers four electric models; his Route6jr maintains the…

AmpRX BrownBox Voltage-Reduction Unit

AmpRX BrownBox Voltage-Reduction Unit

Vintage-Safe Voltage

January 22, 2016 · Zac Childs

AmpRX BrownBox Voltage-Reduction Unit Price: $269.00 (list) Contact: www.amprx.net Amplifier repairman and builder Patrick Geraghty was frustrated with the sound…

The MXR Custom Badass ’78 Distortion

Company Hot Rod

January 24, 2014 · Zac Childs

Dunlop Custom Badass ’78 Distortion Price: $79 Info: jimdunlop.com Custom Badass is a new division of MXR that offers the…