Effector 13 Improbability Drive

“Beam Me Up, Jimi” – The Effector 13 Improbability Drive – spacey, fuzzy, and funky

August 15, 2013 · Phil Feser

We understand how you might react. “Another drive pedal?” There are so many… a lot of them similar, or nearly…

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)…

Jimi Hendrix Experience

Live in Maui

December 9, 2021 · Pete Prown

This 1970 performance was contrived for Rainbow Bridge, a hippie movie that flopped. The gig itself was faintly ridiculous, as…

Jim Lauderdale

Hope

July 22, 2022 · Rich Kienzle

Inspired by the pandemic, veteran singer/songwriter Lauderdale stresses resiliency and renewal on these 13 originals, enhanced along the way by…

Feature Guitar

Cardinal’s Magpie

Bird in Hand

March 4, 2014 · Pete Prown

Cardinal Magpie Price: $4,300 Contact: www.cardinalinstruments.com While most folks are happy to buy guitars off the rack, the Cardinal Magpie…

Pop ’N Hiss: Grand Funk Railroad’s Live Album

Pulverizing Performance

March 8, 2023 · Willie G. Moseley

Brutish power chords and shrieking guitar lines abetted by pounding percussion, overdriven bass riffs, and wailing vocals – at the…

  •  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

Jim Marshall

Father of the Mighty Marshall Stack

April 6, 2012 · Lisa Sharken

When it comes to guitar amplifiers, two names stand tall beyond the others: Leo Fender and Jim Marshall. Even “civilians”…

Julian Lage

Jazz Memoir

September 1, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

The latest from Julian Lage contains mesmerizing originals featuring Bill Frisell’s supple artistry and Lage’s potent six-string imagery. View With…

Dave Edmunds

Dave Edmunds

Full Solo Circle

July 8, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

The career of Welsh guitarist Dave Edmunds has included hits and collaborations with other notable musicians, including Rockpile, with bassist…

Greg Howe

Greg Howe

Best Of Both Worlds

April 15, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Greg Howe enjoyed a somewhat overwhelming reception when he appeared in the Carvin booth at the January NAMM show. One…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Sovtek MIG-50

Curtain Call

February 4, 2022 · Dave Hunter

Given their development in the twilight years of the U.S.S.R. and arrival at the fall of the Iron Curtain, it…

Classics – April 2021 Edition

October 13, 2021 · Ward Meeker

Like so many Vintage Guitar readers, Steve Evans was propped in front of a TV that February night in 1964…

Fixing a faulty pickup selector lever

And a few oddball pickups from the Duncan archives

February 10, 2021 · Seymour W. Duncan

When I use the pickup  selector lever switch on my Fender Strato-caster, one of the pickups cuts out. What could…

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…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Seymour Duncan’s Whole Lotta Humbucker, 59/Custom Hybrid Pickups

Dream Babies

June 17, 2014 · Zac Childs

Seymour Duncan’s Whole Lotta Humbucker Price: $94 59/Custom Hybrid Pickups Price: $89 Info: www.seymourduncan.com. In lean times, who can afford…

Carvin’s HH2 Allan Holdsworth

Off With Their Heads

April 29, 2016 · Phil Feser

Headless guitars and basses, which had their heyday back in the big-hair/thin-necktie ’80s (think Power Windows-era Geddy Lee), still have…

Reddick Voyager CS

Mods Made Easy

May 13, 2024 · Rich Maloof

Exploring creative designs at his shop in Georgia, luthier Ian Reddick aimed to solve a common problem – how to…

Lollygagger FX Canaglia Overdrive

Rude ’Tude

July 9, 2018 · Oscar Jordan

Sean Wright’s love for guitars and electronics has resulted in a family business that realizes his vision of stompbox perfection.…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Cliff Goodwin

335 Reunion

April 18, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

Cliff Goodwin was catapulted into the big time on a decade-long stint with Joe Cocker that began in the late…

Martin D-18 Satin

Spruce Stalwart

March 12, 2024 · Michael Shirek

Death, taxes, and spruce on mahogany. There are only so many certainties in life, and these are three. Another is…

Donner Arena 2000

Earthy Vibes

November 13, 2023 · Pete Prown

Donner has been making a name delivering import gear at absurdly low prices while maintaining solid quality. The Arena 2000…

Dave Jenkins

Cruisin’ Again

May 20, 2021 · John Heidt

Anyone who listened to Top 40 radio in the late ’70s and early ’80s is familiar with Pablo Cruise. The…

Henriksen Amplifiers’ The Blu

Sound Cube

October 14, 2019 · Steven Stone

One old cliché among gigging musicians is, “They pay me for the aggravation, the music is free.” A good deal…

Woodstock 1969

Ten Years After

September 8, 2025 · Dan Forte

Though he was a multifaceted guitarist, Ten Years After’s Alvin Lee had a reputation as a speed demon – not…

Tom Feldmann’s Beginner Fingerpicking – Lesson 6

Tom Feldmann’s Beginner Fingerpicking – Lesson 6

August 15, 2017 · Tom Feldmann

Vintage Guitar is teaming with Collings Guitars and Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop to present an exclusive eight-part series on beginner…

The Mavericks

March 30, 2017 · Rich Kienzle

Since reforming five years ago, the Mavericks have released two studio albums and 2016’s All Night Live, Vol. 1. And…

Remembering Vic Flick

From Bond to the Beatles

October 8, 2025 · Pete Prown

The music world lost session legend Vic Flick on November 17, at age 87. While not a household name, Flick’s…

John Wetton

1949-2017

March 12, 2019 · Pete Prown

Born June 12, 1949, British bassist and front man John Wetton died of colon cancer on January 31 at the…

Pasquale Grasso

One-Man Duo

July 22, 2022 · Pete Prown

In the 1940s, jazz pianist Art Tatum wowed audiences with a virtuoso technique that sounded like two players. Today, Pasquale…

Fender 6G6-C Bassman

Brown Sound

July 31, 2024 · Dave Hunter

There are several revered classics amid the ever-evolving circuits in the amplifier known as the Bassman, but one of the…

Ernie Isley

Burning Desire

July 2, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Contrary to what longtime fans may have heard, Ernie Isley didn’t take guitar lessons from Jimi Hendrix. Though Ernie hung…

Garage Guru

The Epiphone Crestwood

December 6, 2021 · Pete Prown

The original Epiphone Crestwood was built at Gibson’s Kalamazoo factory, alongside Les Pauls and other ’50s classics. A double-cut solid-body,…

Johnny Smith

An American Treasure

October 29, 2015 · Jim Carlton

Jazz guitarist Johnny Smith died at his home June 11, 2013, two weeks shy of his 91st birthday. Arguably the…

Jack Casady

Hot Tuna, Part II

January 8, 2012 · Dan Forte

Jazz bass great Anthony Jackson once told Bass Player magazine he was drawn to Jack Casady’s “big, rich, metallic sound…

Washburn Paul Stanley PS2012 Time Traveler

Dressed to Kill

September 16, 2015 · Tom Guerra

Washburn Paul Stanley PS2012 Time Traveler Price: $8,665.33 (retail) Info: www.washburn.com . Inspired by Kiss co-founder Paul Stanley’s appreciation for…

Carvin 8-15-B

Mail-Order Prize

January 11, 2024 · Dave Hunter

In the days when the printed catalog was king, Carvin guitars and amplifiers often boasted a stature that outweighed their…

Rush

Moving Pictures 40th Anniversary

March 9, 2023 · Pete Prown

If “The Spirit of Radio” helped Rush kick open the door to FM radio, its 1981 follow-up elevated them to…

Blackberry Smoke Unplugs

Ds and LGs

March 3, 2017 · Ward Meeker

By sound and association, Blackberry Smoke walks a fine stylistic line. A good ol’ rock band when it started rollin’…

Walrus Audio’s R1 High Fidelity Reverb

Reams of Reverb

February 10, 2022 · Phil Feser

Many manufacturers claim “studio quality” reverb, but not all nail it. Walrus Audio’s R1 High Fidelity Reverb is the latest…

EVH Wolfgang WG Standard

EVH Wolfgang WG Standard

Atomic Punk

April 8, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

EVH Wolfgang WG Standard Price: $799.99 (list); $599.99 (street) Contact: www.evhgear.com Decades after the release of the first Van Halen…

Warren Haynes

Million Voices Whisper

August 13, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

Warren Haynes’ first solo album since 2011 is an uplifting set that reflects am optimistic spirit of change and hope.…

New Lease on Life

The Sound of Rock Gets a Brush-Up

April 30, 2021 · Dave Hunter

If restoring dusty, neglected old tube amps built more than half a century ago isn’t challenging enough, restoring amps with…

1938 Supertone Gene Autry Roundup

December 13, 2021 · Michael Wright

In the depths of the Great Depression, people turned to entertainment for distraction. Not that there was much to be…

Homestead Amps HS50

Tone On The Range

January 25, 2017 · Chip Wilson

So, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown and Waylon Jennings walk into a bar… No, wait, they walk into a NAMM Show. And,…

100 Years of Boston’s MFA

Playable Exhibits

May 9, 2019 · Michael Wright

Musical instruments – guitars – present an interesting philosophical dichotomy. On one hand, they’re utilitarian objects whose very purpose –…

DAN ROSE AND HIS TASTY TAKE ON A CLASSIC

January 15, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

DAN ROSE AND HIS TASTY TAKE ON A CLASSIC! Dan Rose used his ’58 ES-175 (with a PAF at the…

Larry McCray

All In the Family

April 15, 2010 · John Heidt

“A lot of people…think [blues is] all the same. So I try to take that element out. I don’t want…