• Seymour Duncan Announces the Slash 3.0 Pickup Set

    Seymour Duncan Announces the Slash 3.0 Pickup Set

    SANTA BARBARA, January 13th, 2026 – Seymour Duncan, a leading manufacturer of guitar and bass pickups, effects pedals, and pedal amps, is proud to announce that the Slash 3.0 Pickup…

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  • Thomas Custom Guitars

    Thomas Custom Guitars

    Rarities from the Pacific Northwest

    Certain makes and models of electric guitars are rightfully prized for their elegant physical designs and superior craftsmanship. Even better are those also revered for their playability and particularly rich…

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  • Super PickupGiveaway 2025

    Super PickupGiveaway 2025

    Win Big! 11 Sets! 11 Winners! Win a set of pickups from one of these sponsors: Deadline is March 15, 2026. Complete the survey below to enter giveaway. One entry…

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Gibson’s Depression-Era Exports

February 2, 2016 · L.B. Fred

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

Danny Kortchmar

Family Reunion

September 7, 2022 · Pete Prown

Fifty years ago, singer/songwriters like James Taylor, Carole King, and Jackson Browne were busy conquering the rock charts; behind them,…

Popa Chubby

Head, Heart, and Hands

October 12, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Popa Chubby is back on the road again, preaching the gospel to blues fans around the world. His new album,…

Fretprints: Hiram Bullock

Dangerously Funky Fusioneer

February 4, 2024 · Wolf Marshall

In the sonic constellation orbiting jazz-rock, Hiram Bullock traveled a separate trajectory. His work on “Angela,” the theme for “Taxi,”…

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Ibanez PN1-NT

Parlor for Pennies

June 9, 2016 · Pete Prown

In recent years, the parlor guitar has exploded into popularity, reviving a 19th century instrument that was, as its name…

Vox Giulietta VGA-3D

Unconventional Archtop

December 23, 2024 · Pete Prown

It may look like a conventional archtop, but Vox’s latest box offers something truly different. Within the Giulietta VGA-3D is…

  • Albert King’s THC Flying V

    Albert King’s THC Flying V

    Coterie Complete

    Robert Johnson has been a fixture in the vintage-guitar community for more than a half-century. As a player and music producer, he has collected an assortment of instruments and music…

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ARTISTS

Dan Wilson

In Mighty Footsteps

June 17, 2022 · Pete Prown

A riveting soloist, Dan Wilson honed his chops as a sideman to jazz greats like organist Joey DeFrancesco and bassist…

The Surfrajettes

On ’Board

March 10, 2023 · Pete Prown

The Surfrajettes delight their fans with the perfect wave of jangly guitars, kooky kitsch, and ’60s fashion. After several years…

The (Way) Back Beat: A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody

Fretted cheesecake advertising through the years, Part One

April 5, 2024 · Peter Stuart Kohman

There are many ways for an advertiser to attract attention, and in the history of 19th- and 20th-century print hucksterisim…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 029 Featuring Greg Koch

June 23, 2020 · James Patrick Regan

Episode 29 of James Patrick Regan’s “Have Guitar Will Travel” podcast features “The Gristlemaster,” Greg Koch, who talks about his…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Earliest Gretsch 6120

…Revealed!

February 3, 2014 · Edward Ball

The Gretsch company rose to the upper echelon of guitar manufacturers in the 1950s with the introduction of a diverse…

The España 6/12 Doubleneck

April 27, 2023 · Michael Wright

More is always better, right? Eleven is better than 10 on an amplifier, three pickups are better than two, and…

Hot Wires - A Brief History of the Modern Guitar String

Hot Wires

A Brief History of the Modern Guitar String

June 9, 2016 · Pete Prown

If you’ve ever bent a guitar string and given it a shake, send a silent thank you to guitarist James…

Fender’s “First-Gen” Strat

August 9, 2016 · George Gruhn

The Fender Stratocaster is arguably the most popular electric guitar model in the world. From the time of its introduction…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Carvin PB4

Carvin PB4

Classic Looks, Modern Function

June 4, 2015 · Sean OBryan Smith

Carvin PB4 Price: $1,899 (list/base); $869 (street/base) Info: www.carvinguitars.com. Trends come and trends go, but tradition stands the test of…

Golden Age Pre-73 MkIII, Ear Trumpet Edwina, and Avantone CR-14

The Front End

July 5, 2018 · Pete Prown

Strike up a conversation with anyone who records music and they’ll talk your ear off about mics and preamps. If…

EarthQuaker Devices Ledges

’Verb Voyage

September 17, 2024 · Pete Prown

Billed as a Tri-Dimensional Reverberation Machine, the Earthquaker Ledges boasts a user-friendly interface with no menus or deep MIDI commands…

Epiphone’s Inspired by 1955 Les Paul Custom

Dressed to Kill

October 3, 2019 · Pete Prown

Produced from 1954 to 1956, the Black Beauty Custom is one of the most revered Les Pauls. Marketed as the…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Fretprints: Harvey Mandel

Infinitely Eclectic

January 25, 2024 · Wolf Marshall

Harvey Mandel is a regular on the list of “guitarists’ guitarists,” yet is woefully unknown to the public. With an…

Classics: Arena-Rock Alternative Amps

Mad Maxed

December 12, 2025 · Dave Hunter

As rock started hitting the big time in the mid ’60s, it became clear to guitar-amplifier manufacturers that 100 watts…

Marshall’s EH-1 Echohead, RG-1 Regenerator & RF-1 Reflector

Little Marshalls, Big Tones

July 14, 2020 · Phil Feser

Continuing the tradition set forth by the stout little metallic gray/gold boxes of the GV-2 Guv’nor Plus, BB-2 Bluesbreaker II,…

Wolf Marshall

Jazz-Lore Generator

January 3, 2025 · Ward Meeker

Wolf Marshall was absorbing music before he could walk or talk. Born to a mother who was a concert pianist,…

LSL Instruments’ Lucid OD and OG OD

Lively Drives

December 5, 2025 · Pete Prown

LSL Instruments is best known for high-end Leo-style guitar builds, but they’ve also started delving into overdrive pedals. The Lucid…

Dallas Rangemaster

The Dallas Rangemaster

January 26, 2015 · Michael Dregni

Eric Clapton christened it “woman tone.” On the famed 1966 “Beano” album, John Mayall’s Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton, the…

Steve Turner

The March To Fuzz

April 29, 2024 · Dennis Pernu

Thirty-five years after Steve Turner and Mudhoney became forever linked with two legendary pedals by coining their debut EP Superfuzz…

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…

Spoon

Lucifer On The Sofa

November 17, 2022 · Michael Dregni

Ten studio albums in, Spoon’s latest just may be its purest rock-and-roll record. What took so long? The band’s early…

Fender Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster

Flipped Axis

March 1, 2017 · Michael Dregni

Pity the poor right-handed masses. Emulating the vibe of Jimi’s various Strats has always been tough on them. Some players…

Flamin’ Groovies

Live 1971 San Francisco

June 27, 2017 · Pete Prown

Flamin’ Groovies are best known for the ’76 power-pop gem “Shake Some Action,” but this show – recorded five years…

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Steve Howe

Yes: In The Present

August 27, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Progressive-rock icons Yes are still going strong after more than 40 years of recording and performing. Throughout their reign as…

Blackberry Smoke

Blackberry Smoke

Beyond Southern Musical Borders

October 2, 2015 · Willie G. Moseley

Comparisons between Blackberry Smoke and earlier Southern-rock bands may be inevitable, but the Atlanta-based quintet takes such observations in stride.…

Lovepedal Purple Plexi

Glory & Overtones

February 9, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Fans of guitarists with superb tones routinely spot Lovepedal boxes on pedalboards in almost every music genre. From their early…

Miko Marks and the Resurrectorsd

Feel Like Going Home

October 28, 2023 · Michael Dregni

Miko Marks can sing the hell out of country, blues, and soul. And with guitarist/songwriter/producer Steve Wyreman again at her…

Danelectro Doubleneck

Twice the Tone

May 30, 2025 · Pete Prown

  Jimmy Page. Don Felder. Even Elvis Presley. In fact, who amongst us hasn’t drooled over a 6/12 doubleneck at…

Jeff “Skunk” Baxter

License To Thrill

April 11, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

To a generation of music fans, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter was one of the most recognizable guitarists of the early ’70s.…

Extreme

Six

March 20, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Extreme’s sixth studio album – their first since 2008’s Saudades de Rock – was a long time coming. With only…

Zakk Wylde

Stripped Down BLS for Unblackened

July 18, 2014 · Lisa Sharken

When Zakk Wylde was asked to record a new DVD/CD package, he decided to give his Black Label Society fans…

Classics: Arena-Rock Alternative Amps

Mad Maxed

December 12, 2025 · Dave Hunter

As rock started hitting the big time in the mid ’60s, it became clear to guitar-amplifier manufacturers that 100 watts…

Border Crossing

C.F. Martin and the Influence of German and Spanish Guitar Designs

May 30, 2017 · George Gruhn

It has often been said that today’s Martin guitars are direct descendants of the instruments made in Vienna by Johan…

K775V Kay Jazz II and K5970V Jazz Special Bass

A-Ohh-Kay

February 4, 2016 · Sean OBryan Smith

K775V Kay Jazz II and K5970V Jazz Special Price: $1,495 (K775V Jazz II electric guitar); $1,150 (K5970V Jazz Special electric…

Fender’s Jason Isbell Custom Telecaster

Songs Not Included

July 1, 2022 · Rich Maloof

Fender can’t guarantee its Jason Isbell Custom Tele will instill every player with Isbell’s talent for songcraft, but it sure…

Sunny War

Art & War

May 4, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Sunny War’s latest album, Simple Syrup, digs deep into the complexities of the human experience. As an acoustic fingerstylist who…

Chris Hillman 

Time Between; My Life as a Byrd, Burrito Brother, and Beyond

October 14, 2021 · Rich Kienzle

Though he began as a California bluegrass mandolin picker, Chris Hillman cemented his place in rock history as the Byrds’…

Spoon

Lucifer On The Sofa

November 17, 2022 · Michael Dregni

Ten studio albums in, Spoon’s latest just may be its purest rock-and-roll record. What took so long? The band’s early…

Adrian Smith

Different Scales

November 25, 2021 · Pete Prown

Guitarists usually spend years learning their scales, but Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith enjoys scales of the aquatic kind. In his…

Have Guitar Will Travel 082 – Drew Holcomb, Foy Vance and Christophe Paubert

January 6, 2023 · James Patrick Regan

In the latest episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan connects with three artists – two musicans…

Vintage Guitar magazine Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix

Into the New Rising Sun – Speculating on Jimi's Later Career Move's

November 26, 2015 · Pete Prown

It has been 40 years since the passing of Jimi Hendrix. In his honor, this month we will look at…