• 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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Steve Dawson

July 6, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Steve Dawson shines as a session player and producer supporting other artists’ work. But when he hides away in his…

Otis Taylor

March 30, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

Otis Taylor has no concern for your discomfort with racial issues. It’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times, and…

The Gibson SJ-200

Long Live The King

February 8, 2022 · Michael Dregni

Introduced in 1937, Gibson’s Super Jumbos radiated star power and quickly became the guitar of choice for those who wanted…

Martin D-28 and D-45

Definitive Flat-tops

April 4, 2018 · George Gruhn

Martin’s pre-WWII dreadnought guitars set the standard for the modern flat-top, and thus both have been inducted into the VG…

Blackstar Fly 3

Best In Show… And More

November 29, 2016 · Bob Dragich

While listening to AC/DC’s Back in Black on a small, audiophile-grade table radio, Blackstar Amplification CEO Ian Robinson had an…

Star Board: Craig Bartock

Star Board: Craig Bartock

April 4, 2015 · Vintage Guitar

This month, we take a guided tour of the pedalboard belonging to Craig Bartock, guitarist with Heart. Craig Bartock, a…

  • Rickenbacker’s Electric 12-Strings

    Rickenbacker’s Electric 12-Strings

    Double-bound for Glory

    George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacher founded Electro String in 1931 to manufacture what everyone would soon call “Rickenbacker” guitars. Success came early and their lap steels set standards of quality,…

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ARTISTS

Gregg Wright

King of the Rockin’ Blues

November 18, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

Gregg Wright is a force to be reckoned with. He took the top spot in the Southern California Blues Society’s…

Ron Jackson: Standards and Originals

May 23, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Warm, Inviting Jazz a la Montgomery and Benson Jazz guitarist Ron Jackson is a specialist on the seven-string. Here, he…

Earl Slick

Martian Connection – and More

April 1, 2022 · Willie G. Moseley

Brooklyn-born guitarist Earl Slick is best-known for his work with David Bowie, which spanned several decades. His recent participation with…

Dick Taylor

From R&B Psychedelia With the Pretty Things

March 2, 2017 · Dan Forte

When the Pretty Things’ 50th anniversary was marked with Bouquets From A Cloudy Sky – a huge boxed set containing…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

’72 Marshall “NARB” Tremolo 100

Mirror Image

October 25, 2024 · Dave Hunter

When is a Marshall not a Marshall? When it’s a Narb, of course. Long a fascinating footnote to the company’s…

1976 Hagstrom Jimmy

May 6, 2022 · Michael Wright

In the world of archtop guitarmaking, the legendary luthier James L. D’Aquisto (1935-’95) is considered one of the greats. A…

Mick Taylor’s ’58 Les Paul Standard

The Ya Ya’s Out!

July 3, 2019 · Ward Meeker

Hard-edged face of the British Invasion, the Rolling Stones introduced the world to the implements, trappings, and accessories of rock-and-roll…

Dave Gant’s Amp Collection

Key Collection: Nashville pro Dave Gant fosters an impressive gathering of amps

May 7, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Dave Gant grew up in Ada, Oklahoma, and while the city of 17,000 will never be confused with Memphis or…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Killer Guitar Components Killer Trem Bridge

Bridging the Gap

March 1, 2017 · Phil Feser

In the mid 1950s, Leo Fender and his crew spent countless hours on the design and manufacture of their revolutionary…

Alembic Essence Zebrawood 4

July 3, 2019 · Pete Prown

Alembic basses are the stuff of low-end legend, famed for magical tones in the hands of Stanley Clarke, Jack Casady,…

Ellis Guitars TX3

“T” For Texas

November 8, 2022 · Chip Wilson

  Houston is the closest major U.S. port to the tropical hardwoods of South and Central America, so it makes…

Jazz Trio

Fender’s Geddy Lee Jazz Bass and Ibanez’s Black Eagle Reissue Take On an Icon

March 2, 2017 · Ward Meeker

Though it got most of the looks in the family, Fender’s Jazz Bass is nonetheless the tag-along younger brother to…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Tim Fitzgerald comps on a Wes solo

January 26, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Jazz star interprets the work of a legend Tim Fitzgerald and his ’81 Gibson ES-175 go old-school with this display…

Ask Zac: Deep Dive on the Wide Range

Plus, Joey Molland’s Stratotone

December 1, 2021 · Zac Childs

I have collected several Fender Wide Range humbucking pickups from the early ’70s, and I’m curious about how to check…

Michael Kelly Custom Collection 55 Ebony

Kelly Tele

December 27, 2017 · Chip Wilson

Is there a better platform for guitar customization than the Tele? Easily sourced lumber combine with straightforward electronics and hardware…

DOD Meatbox Subsynth

Bass Balls

April 24, 2024 · Pete Prown

A reissue of the cult ’90s pedal from the grunge and alt-rock era, the Meatbox Subsynth is a combination booster,…

Tommy Emmanuel

One-Man Orchestra

February 2, 2026 · Oscar Jordan

Tommy Emmanuel is a real guitarist in its truest sense. On Live At The Sydney Opera House, he stands onstage…

The Gretsch 6169 Electromatic Twin Western

June 10, 2020 · Dave Hunter

What good was selling a newfangled electric guitar back at the dawn of the revolution if you didn’t have an…

Fender’s Mid-’50s Precision Bass

The "In-Between" Version

January 12, 2010 · Willie G. Moseley

In the world of electric basses, the 1952 Fender Precision is the one that started it all. While it’s true…

Dave Mason

Now We All Know

June 24, 2025 · Bret Adams

In his new autobiography, Only You Know & I Know, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Dave Mason looks back on his incredible life, including…

Full Dozen, Semi-Hollow

12 Variations on a Classic Design

December 2, 2016 · Vintage Guitar

To complement our February 2016 issue survey of the semi-hollow electric guitar, we tested 12 examples of the form as…

Singleton Guitars Capella

Shining Bright

March 2, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

Mark Singleton holds the distinction of being a smokin’ guitarist as well as, for the past 24 years, a builder…

Home Feature Image

Music Man HD-130 Reverb

November 13, 2018 · Dave Hunter

Intended to be the masterpiece of a titan in guitar-amp design, Music Man amps of the mid/late ’70s are all…

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…

Oddfellow Napoleon Boost

Oddfellow Napoleon Boost

Little Dictator

March 10, 2016 · Pete Prown

Oddfellow Napoleon Boost Price: $119.99 (list) Contact: www.oddfellowfx.com Overdrive is one of the guitarist’s great joys. Unlike flat-out distortion, overdrive…

Joe Ely

Digging Through The Vaults

February 26, 2021 · John Heidt

Joe Ely’s new record, Happy Songs From Rattlesnake Gulch, is full of just what you’ve come to expect from the…

Rory Gallagher’s Photo-Finish

Legend’s Best

October 13, 2021 · Tom Guerra

The year 1977 saw upheaval in rock and roll, from the death of Elvis Presley and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s plane crash…

Mike Stern

Echoes and Other Songs

July 2, 2025 · Pete Prown

Mike Stern’s smokin’ new album is the last with longtime keyboardist and producer Jim Beard (Steely Dan), who died in…

Paco de Lucía

The Montreux Years

January 24, 2024 · Pete Prown

“He didn’t read music – but I have never met a musician with such an impeccable ear,” says John McLaughlin…

The Blues Will Set You Free

May 30, 2025 · Dan Forte

We’ve all heard of blues in bars, but what about blues behind bars? That’s what Paul Oscher had in mind…

Thom Douvan

Thom Douvan

Motown and More

July 5, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

Released in April, guitarist Thom Douvan’s third album, All Over Again, is a mix of self-penned instrumentals (with one notable…

Sonny Burgess

1929-2017

May 9, 2019 · Michael Dregni

Sonny Burgess, one of the last of the great Sun Records stars, died August 18. He was 88 and had…

Interstellar Audio Machines Octonaut Hyperdrive

Next-Level Drive

May 13, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Interstellar Audio Machines advertised its original Octonaut Hyperdrive as, “The only overdrive you’ll ever need.” Well… The new version offers…

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…

Sheryl Bailey’s “Homage”

December 31, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Jazz star’s tribute to Pat Martino – “The Velvet Hammer” A leading proponent of modern jazz guitar, Sheryl Bailey has…

Remembering Scotty Moore

Strings for a King

December 26, 2017 · Ward Meeker

Credited with creating the trio format and incorporating country and Atkins-style hybrid picking into the burgeoning rock-and-roll style, he was…

Fender American Vintage II ’57 Stratocaster

Period Piece

October 11, 2023 · Pete Prown

Sure, we all drool over Fender Custom Shop axes, but those instruments are sometimes out of wallet’s reach. Coming to…

Epiphone Tony Iommi SG Special

Monkey Time

March 16, 2024 · Pete Prown

Digging into the primordial ooze of heavy metal, players often start with Black Sabbath and their resident guitar necromancer, Tony…

Epiphone 1963 Firebird V

Legacy-Worthy

July 10, 2025 · Bob Dragich

Looking to up the ante in the market battle with Fender, in October of 1962, Gibson CEO Ted McCarty asked…

Rodney Crowell

Same Roots, New Branches

April 22, 2019 · Rich Kienzle

Rodney Crowell arrived in Nashville in 1972, bent on finding a niche for himself in the country music he’d loved…

Newman Guitars 5 String

Less Is More

August 13, 2025 · Rich Maloof

Getting one’s hands on a five-string electric like the one Ted Newman Jones built for Keith Richards in the ’70s…