Gary Hoey

Reverence and Feel

March 11, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

On Dust & Bones, Gary Hoey continues his foray into blues using one part guitar virtuosity, one part production skill,…

PRS 25th Anniversary Swamp Ash Special NF

From Jimi to Eric to Angus

September 29, 2011 · Pete Prown

PRS 25th Anniversary Swamp Ash Special NF Price: $3,908 (retail)/$2,329 (street) Contact: PRSguitars.com. The PRS 25th Anniversary Swamp Ash Special…

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…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 011 Featuring Shannon and the Clams

July 8, 2019 · James Patrick Regan

In episode 11 James speaks with Cody Blanchard (guitar and vocals), Nate Mahan (drummer and aspiring luthier) of Shannon and…

Big Knob Pedals

Big Knob Pedals

What’s in a Name?

February 18, 2016 · Bob Dragich

Big Knob Pedals Price: Tube 808, $139; Echo Flex, $149; Vibe Tone, $159; Octavius, $129 (all list) Contact: www.bigknobpedals.com Gary…

The Rolling Stones

Rolling In The Blues

December 30, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Mick Jagger’s famous 1968 statement – “What’s the point in listening to us doing ‘I’m A King Bee’ when you…

  •  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

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest David Davidson

July 16, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest David Davidson Season 01 Episode 02 In Episode 2 of “Buy That Guitar,”…

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…

Classics: Jeremy Graf’s 1961 Fender Stratocaster

January 28, 2026 · Ward Meeker

A lifelong vintage-guitar nut who has had “a million guitars,” Jeremy Graf’s all-time favorite is this 1961 Stratocaster. A native…

Jimmy Leslie

From the Bay to the Swamp and Back

November 4, 2020 · John Heidt

“My intention was to do more of a singer/songwriter thing,” Jimmy Leslie says of his new CD, Surfin’ the Swamp.…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Classics: August 2021

Guild F-20 Troubadour and Dan Armstong Lucite

April 4, 2022 · Ward Meeker

John Wiley couldn’t have known it then, but when his parents rewarded two years of applying himself to guitar lessons…

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…

'62 Les Paul Rarity

’62 Les Paul Rarity

December 21, 2015 · George Gruhn

In its early years, the Gibson Les Paul Custom evolved through several body-style and spec changes and was the earliest…

Fender Mustang

Truly Transitional

April 28, 2020 · Willie G. Moseley

Despite its short scale, the Mustang has a potent sound, and as a result it was used by many notable…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Wampler Pedals’ Bravado

Tone Tweaker’s Delight

April 24, 2019 · Chip Wilson

What’s a pedal platform? Nope, it’s not a carbon-fiber Pinarello mountain bike with Shimano shifters and derailleurs. It’s another term…

Positive Grid’s Bias Head

Tone-Tweaker’s Dream

May 21, 2019 · Pete Prown

Designed to be a dream machine for players who just love to “experiment” with tone, the Positive Grid Bias Head…

Knaggs Guitars’ Steve Stevens Signature Model

Rebel Yell

February 3, 2014 · Pete Prown

Knaggs Guitars’ Steve Stevens Signature Model Price: $6,000 Contact: www.knaggsguitars.com Everyone wants to build a better mousetrap, and those who…

Reverend’s Reeves Gabrels Dirtbike

Wheelie Machine

October 3, 2019 · Zac Childs

Signature guitars tend to be either fan-boy models, the owners of which hang them alongside a collection of signed 8×10…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Harp Legend Charlie Musselwhite

May 30, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

Stringin’ on “Blue Lounge” Harp legend Charlie Musselwhite has recorded and performed with a stunning array of guitarists in his…

Doug Fieger

A Knack For Classic Guitars

October 2, 2018 · Willie G. Moseley

The founding member of the Knack toured with the band while also battling cancer. His instruments reflect his musical influences,…

Maestro Electronics Titan Boost and Arcas Compressor Sustain

Louder, Tighter

October 11, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Maestro Electronics has been around for 60 years and is best known for creating the FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone used by Keith…

Hall of Fame – Players

February 11, 2017 · Vintage Guitar

From 1994 to the present — read about each Readers' Choice Awards Players.

Price’s highly modified Les Paul Jr. (shown here in ’77) has been his primary guitar for years.

Rod Price

Opens Up

February 6, 2020 · Willie G. Moseley

Part One It used to be that photos didn’t lie. But nowadays (as supermodels and tabloids have proven) that’s not…

Ivan Pongracic and Jeremy DeHart

Atlantis Rising

September 9, 2024 · Pete Prown

Lords of Atlantis is something a surf supergroup, comprised of members from The Madeira, Aqualads, Insect Surfers, and The Manakooras…

Hilary Gardner’s jazz/country connection

September 30, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Classic sounds on “Silver on the Sage” Hilary Gardner and her band are devout fans of classic cowboy (and other…

Peavey Forum

Peavey Forum Basses

Durable, Dependable

January 2, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

In his 2003 book, American Basses, author Jim Roberts noted that for all of Peavey’s innovative offerings in the 1990s,…

Review: “Gimme All Your Lovin’: The Blues, Boogie, and Beard of ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons”

May 1, 2025 · Bret Adams

In his prologue, author Christopher McKittrick acknowledges the difficulty of condensing Gibbons’ six-decade career into one book, partially due to…

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Evolution

June 17, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram’s latest album shows the 22-year-old blues prodigy flourishing with maturity and tone for days. Titled 662, the…

Glen Campbell

1936-2017: A Legend Departs

April 25, 2019 · Rich Kienzle

The end of Glen Campbell’s journey was a matter of time once he and his family announced his Alzheimer’s diagnosis…

Good Times In Bad

The Origin of Fender’s Vintage Series

December 4, 2023 · Ward Meeker

The years leading up to CBS Musical Instruments’ 1985 sale of the Fender brand were fluid times at the instrument…

Henretta Engineering Pedals

Henretta Engineering Pedals

Good Things, Small Packages

September 7, 2014 · Michael Dregni

Henretta Engineering Pedals Prices: Green Zapper, Bluebird, and Purple Octopus, $125 each; Chord Blaster, $140 Info: www.henrettaengineering.com. Bigger is not…

Vintage Tones, ’07 Style

HAO Musical’s Rust Driver and Sole Pressure

June 24, 2020 · Art Department

For nearly 20 years, Japanese electronics distributor J.E.S. International has been providing gearheads in its country with guitars, amps, and…

Tech 21 Steve Harris SH1 Signature SansAmp

Tone of the Beast

March 6, 2023 · Pete Prown

Tech 21’s Steve Harris SH1 Signature Sans Amp celebrates the tone of metal icon Harris, Iron Maiden’s bassist, songwriter, and…

Boss AC-22LX

Acoustic Air

September 17, 2024 · Pete Prown

On the surface, Boss’ AC-22LX is a 10-watt acoustic-electric guitar amp with two channels. But, dig in, and goodies are…

Fretprints: The Beatles’ Revolver

Sonic Floodgates

January 14, 2025 · Wolf Marshall

If any rock album can be labeled “groundbreaking,” it’s the Beatles’ Revolver. A sweepingly innovative masterpiece, it divides the ’60s…

Chris Spedding

Chris Spedding

Convergence of Legends and Friends

March 23, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

The career of guitarist Chris Spedding has spanned more than four decades and included a commendable solo career, a stint…

The Peoples’ Guitar

Gibson’s Depression-Era Exports

July 10, 2017 · L.B. Fred

Many aren’t aware that some of the archtop guitars Gibson produced during the Depression were marketed under different brand names,…

Janne Haavisto

Finnish Instro Auteur

April 25, 2019 · Pete Prown

There’s a long history of instro and surf-rock from Scandinavia, perhaps none deeper than that of Janne Haavisto, formerly with…

Traynor’s Darkhorse DH15H

Canadian Bakin’

August 5, 2015 · Phil Feser

Hugely popular in its native Canada, Traynor amps are a formidable force from north of the 49th parallel and its…

Kay Jazz Special

Kay Jazz Special and Value Leader

January 14, 2015 · Willie G. Moseley

Kay entered the electric bass market in the mid 1950s with the K162, which later morphed into the similar K5965…

Julian Lage

Julian Lage

A Guitar Wizard Comes of Age

March 14, 2016 · Pete Prown

People having been raving about Julian Lage since he was a young guitar prodigy almost 20 years ago – he…

Nick Moss

Backbone Shiver

July 11, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

On Get Your Back Into It!, guitarist Nick Moss and harmonica savant Dennis Gruenling combine blues, swing, and rock and…

SynapticGroove Snapperhead OD/Distortion

SynapticGroove Snapperhead OD/Distortion

Dirty Deeds

May 10, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

With their first offering, Benjamin Harrison and Chrystal Gilles of SynapticGroove set out to fill the gap between heavy effects…

Johnny Nicholas

December 8, 2016 · Dan Forte

Central Texas folks might think of Johnny Nicholas as restaurateur; others know him as one of the most experienced, authentic,…

The Universal Audio Astra Modulation Machine

Stately Shimmer

May 10, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Famous for well-regarded interfaces, plug-ins, and vintage-gear emulations, Universal Audio has entered the pedal business with the Astra Modulation Machine,…

Prestige Heritage Premier P90 FM NAT

Liberating the P-90

November 29, 2016 · Bob Dragich

Approach longtime players with a (yet another) single-cut/single-coil solidbody, and you may find it tough to get their attention. But,…

Fender “Wide-Panel” Twin

The Fender “Wide-Panel” Twin

June 29, 2016 · Dave Hunter

While Fender’s high-powered 5F8-A Twin of 1958-’60 (VG, March ’09) has been much raved about in recent years, there’s a…