Kelly Mulhollan

Divine Inspiration

May 15, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Arkansas farmer Ed Stilley was plowing his fields in 1979 when he was struck down by a heart attack; lying…

Cimarron Guitars’ Model P

From the Parlor to the Stage

September 24, 2013 · Sean OBryan Smith

Cimarron Guitars has being making custom instruments since 1978 in the dry, mild climate of southwest Colorado. The company’s Model…

Tom Keifer

Thick and Thin

February 10, 2014 · Ward Meeker

Tom Keifer is a tad young to be on the (very) long list of musicians inspired first and foremost by…

Chris Cain

Tales to Tell

June 10, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Armed with a new deal with Alligator Records and producer Kid Andersen (of Rick Estrin & The Night Cats), Chris…

Jazz singer and bassist Esperanza Spalding performing at the North Sea Jazz festival 2012 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Photo: JBreeschoten/Wikimedia.

Esperanza Spalding

May 15, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Popularly known as that cute female jazz bassist with the Afro who bogarted the Best New Artist Grammy away from…

Eric Gales

Journey to Love

October 4, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

The latest from Eric Gales features the production talents of Joe Bonamassa, Josh Smith, and a face-melting guitar duel, but…

  • 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

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…

Steve Vai

Taming The Hydra

November 7, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

After finishing a sold-out tour with Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson for the G3 Reunion concerts, Steve Vai joined Adrian…

Britt Daniel

Spoonful of Sounds

April 14, 2020 · Michael Dregni

If the Beatles were still around, chances are they’d be checking out Spoon. Like the Fab Four, the group revels…

Tracii Guns

Black Diamond Shine

January 11, 2024 · Artemis Records

There’s no denying that with Tracii Guns manning L.A. Guns’ lead-guitar slot, the sleaze veterans become a different animal. Since…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

1980 Renaissance T-200G Home thumb

Renaissance T-200G

January 8, 2014 · Michael Wright

What is it about Plexiglas? It’s so cool. You can see through it onstage. It’s dense, yet resonant. You’d think…

Martin 00-42 Special

June 30, 2020 · George Gruhn

It has all the appoint-ments of a Martin 00-45, particularly the abalone pearl trim around all the borders of the…

Fender‘s 50th Anniversary Strat

Height of the Reissue

June 11, 2015 · Ward Meeker

In celebration of the 50th “birthday” of its famous Stratocaster model, Fender has taken the reissue concept to new heights.…

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.…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

E.W.S. Little Fuzzy Drive

E.W.S. Little Fuzzy Drive

Tiny Footprint, Huge Sound

February 2, 2015 · Tom Guerra

E.W.S. Little Fuzzy Drive Price: $160 (list); $130 (street) Info: www.ews-us.com. At 1.5″ x 3.5″, the E.W.S. Little Fuzzy Drive…

Quilter Labs’ Aviator Cub

High Flyer

April 7, 2022 · Rich Maloof

Quilter Labs has gained a rep for busting popular perceptions. They’ve attempted to step up their game with this single-channel…

ASIA Symposium

The ASIA Symposium

Kinship and Connections

June 21, 2016 · Dan Erlewine

As much a celebration of kinship as it is an educational forum, the biannual Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans (ASIA)…

GizmoAudio’s Ripsaw and Sawmill Jr.

GizmoAudio’s Ripsaw and Sawmill Jr.

Just Like the First Time

January 7, 2016 · Ray Wuolo

Durham Electronics’ ReddVerb Price: $180 each (list) Info: www.gizmoaudio.com Most guitar players’ first pedal was a distortion/OD, often acquired after…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Nils Lofgren

Great American Journeyman

March 29, 2017 · Johnny Zapp

Nils Lofgren’s resumé stretches 47 years and counting. He joined Neil Young’s band at age 19 and was a member…

Fretprints: Yngwie Malmsteen

Alcatrazz and the Birth of Bach and Roll

July 22, 2022 · Wolf Marshall

Los Angeles, 1983. The rock community was a land devastated by the bombast of L.A. metal – Eddie Van Halen,…

Steve Dawson

Deeper Roots

April 3, 2024 · Pete Prown

Calling Steve Dawson a “roots” artist seems a disservice to a musician so eclectic and wildly talented. On Eyes Closed,…

Terry Burrows

May 15, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Two boards, three pickups, some hardware, and various electric bits and pieces: Stratocasters are simple creations at heart. But setting…

Lonnie Brooks

1933-2017

April 15, 2019 · Ward Meeker

Blues guitarist/singer Lonnie Brooks died April 1 in Chicago. He was 83. Born Lee Baker, Jr., he was one of…

Jerry Douglas

Helping Hiatt

May 1, 2022 · Rich Kienzle

In April of 2020, Jerry Douglas and his band were set to back singer/songwriter John Hiatt on his new album,…

Bergen Guitars ST and TL

Messing with Perfection

March 4, 2014 · Chip Wilson

Bergen Guitars ST and TL Price: $2,195 (ST, base)/$2,595 (as tested); $1,895 (TL, base)/$2,295 (as tested) Info: www.bergenguitars.com. If your…

EHX Tortion JFET Overdrive

EHX Tortion JFET Overdrive

January 25, 2016 · Ray Wuolo

EHX Tortion JFET Overdrive Price: $198.67 (list)/$179 (street) Contact: www.ehx.com Having teenage metal-shredders at home makes one appreciate that a…

Fender’s Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster

Country Composite

May 21, 2019 · Yoel Kreisler

One of the newest models from Fender’s Artist series is designed to appeal to vintage Telecaster fanatics, country twangers, and…

Joe Negri

Royal Handyman, Jazz Legend

January 4, 2018 · Rich Kienzle

Long before becoming Handyman Negri on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” he had already been a teen guitar prodigy, first-generation bopper, and…

In Memoriam: Tony “T.S. McPhee

April 3, 2024 · Dan Forte

Groundhogs leader Tony “T.S.” McPhee ranked with the greatest British blues guitarists, whether solo acoustic or ensemble electric, slide or…

Vintage guitar magazine Silvertone’s 1449 and 1423

Silvertone’s 1449 and 1423

Classic Comeback

October 23, 2014 · Vintage Guitar

Silvertone’s 1449 and 1423 Price: $739 list/$479 street (1423); $629 list/$399 street (1449) Info: www.silvertoneclassic.com With an up-swell of interest…

Retro and Wonderful

The EHX Mainframe Bit Crusher

December 6, 2021 · Oscar Jordan

The Mainframe Bit Crusher is a nasty little pedal that warps, mangles, distorts and produces lo-fi digital sounds and trippy…

Coral Electric Sitar

Coral Electric Sitar

April 6, 2016 · George Gruhn

For centuries, Indian musicians have utilized the resonant sympathetic strings of the sitar to create the unique sounds of classical Indian…

Top 50 Guitar Songs of the ’80s

May 24, 2015 · Vintage Guitar

By the Readers and Staff of Vintage Guitar Based on input from Vintage Guitar magazine staff and readers, this feature…

Johnny A.

Beck-Ola: Johnny Plays Jeff

January 14, 2025 · Bob Dragich

The passing of Jeff Beck affected few people as much as it did Johnny Antonopoulos. “It had the same impact…

Collection of Jonathan Kellerman

May 11, 2014 · George Gruhn

Talent for mysteries, passion for guitars, best-selling Novelist Jonathan Kellerman is a lifelong lover of the guitar. A player for…

1944 Martin 00-28

March 16, 2015 · George Gruhn

This Martin 00-28 is a highly unusual instrument. Made as part of a group of six created with shop-order number…

EHX Slammi Plus, Hot Wax

Grease Fire

October 14, 2019 · Pete Prown

EHX’s Slammi Plus and Hot Wax pedals are not for the faint of heart. Housed in heavy-duty plastic, the Whammy-shaped…

Wishbone Ash

Powell, Manninen, and <em>Elegant Stealth</em>

November 29, 2013 · Willie G. Moseley

Fans of Wishbone Ash will consider the group’s newest release, Elegant Stealth, the type of innovative guitar music they’ve grown…

Henry James Schneekluth

Psychedelic

April 3, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Henry James Schneekluth handles the groovy guitar parts in Robert Jon & The Wreck. While impassioned Southern rock might be an…

Saga Gitane DG-250M

Saga Gitane DG-250M

One Loud Blond

April 9, 2015 · Chip Wilson

Saga Gitane DG-250M Price: $949 Info: www.sagamusic.com Features: Open-gear 14:1-ratio tuners, solid spruce top with “petite bouche” oval soundhole, birdseye…

Bruce and Butter

May 27, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

It would be an understatement to say that REO Speedwagon bassist Bruce Hall and his 1965 Fender Jazz Bass, dubbed…

Dan’s Guitar RX: Building a From-Scratch Class Project, Part Two

Rock-And-Roll High School(er)

July 13, 2023 · Dan Erlewine

In the August issue, we introduced you to Ceil Thompson, a high-school intern in my shop who’s building a guitar…

Pieces of a Prototype

Secrets of a Socal "Parts" Guitar

November 24, 2020 · Willie G. Moseley

  If you were a guitar – particularly one with a natural or translucent finish – your “fingerprint” would be…

Burton, Garrett, Lee, and Wilcox Join Forces

Burton, Garrett, Lee, and Wilcox Join Forces

Telecaster Summit

February 12, 2016 · Dan Forte

For guitar lovers and roots-music fans, the place to be in July ’13 was British Columbia. The Vancouver Island MusicFest…

EMG T-52 Set

July 22, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

EMG pickups have been around since 1976, offering a diverse line of active pickups used in just about every genre…

Jimmy “Duck” Holmes

Mississippi Blues Holdout

August 30, 2016 · Michael Dregni

The unique and insular Bentonia style may be the deepest and darkest of all blues. Skip James personified the music:…

Shane Theriot

Out of the House

April 25, 2019 · John Heidt

Shane Theriot’s new album, Still Motion, is more stripped-down funky “jazz trio” than the lush soul he helps create as…