Calexico

El Mirador

February 7, 2023 · Michael Dregni

Calexico has long crisscrossed the border between American (blues, country, rock and roll) and Latin-American sounds, but the band’s latest…

Memphissippi Sounds’ Yella P asks “Who’s Gonna Ride”

April 29, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

’59 Stratotone at the Memphis Slim House While Memphissippi Sounds’ Yella P and his ’59 Harmony Stratotone were visiting the…

Fishman’s Fluence Greg Koch Gristle-Tone P90

A Quiet Place

June 15, 2022 · Pete Prown

With the miracle of micro-electronics, you can pack a massive amount of tone into a tight space. Case in point:…

1937 Martin 0-21

February 8, 2024 · George Gruhn and Walter Carter

Martin is known for its orderly model-naming system, under which all guitars of a certain style from any particular year…

A Tribute To Chuck Berry

That Brown-Eyed Handsome Guitar-Playing Man

March 27, 2019 · Michael Dregni

When those first notes of Chuck Berry’s first Chess single came blasting out of the radio in July of 1955,…

Gibson’s “SG” Les Paul

Classic Shape That Filled Big Shoes

January 2, 2026 · Baker Rorick

In 1961, Gibson replaced the single-cutaway Les Paul with a new line of lighter, thinner, mahogany double-cut solidbodies. Developed under…

  • 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

Jack Bruce 1943-2014

Jack Bruce 1943-2014

December 4, 2015 · Willie G. Moseley

Jack Bruce, an icon of electric bass, died October 25 in Suffolk, England. Best known for his work with Cream…

Robbie Robertson

The Many Sides of

October 26, 2015 · Dan Forte

It’s difficult to say which is more ironic: the fact that Robbie Robertson, one of rock guitar’s true stylists, is…

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Mark Tremonti

Rock Star, Amp Snob!

May 14, 2015 · Ward Meeker

Many of the people we today consider “guitar heroes” – Eddie Van Halen and Stevie Ray Vaughan, to name a…

Warren Haynes

Lights-Out Blues

October 4, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Blues is the beating heart of Gov’t Mule, and guitarist/bandleader Warren Haynes can play them lights-out. Standing as evidence is…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

1978 Steinberger Prototype Bass

1978 Steinberger Prototype Bass

July 7, 2016 · George Gruhn

When introduced commercially in 1979, the Steinberger bass was a truly revolutionary instrument employing graphite construction and a minimalist artistic…

Realistic Entertainer-34

January 26, 2016 · Dave Hunter

As prolific as the Radio Shack chain was in the ’60s, it’s surprising we don’t see more vintage Realistic guitar…

Duane Eddy

Of DeArmonds and Details

May 2, 2024 · Willie G. Moseley

(Ed. Note: Duane Eddy was featured in the June ’95 issue of VG, following the release of his Twang Thang…

1942 Martin D-45

October 23, 2013 · George Gruhn

The Martin D-45, offered from 1933 through 1942, is well-known as the Holy Grail of acoustic guitars. While players and…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Magnatone Panoramic Stereo

Tales of True Vibrato

January 8, 2018 · Ray Wuolo

Magnatone amplifiers date back to the 1940s and ’50s – the era of Hawaiian-steel guitar – and boasted pearloid-covered casework…

Fender Micro Mustang

May 10, 2022 · Dennis Pernu

Fender’s Micro Mustang is a pocket-sized contraption offering 12 amplifier models including classic Fender, “British,” and “American,” along with 12…

Goodtone Roadrage PD, Mad Professor Golden Cello

Secret Weapons

October 21, 2014 · Tom Guerra

Goodtone Roadrage PD, Mad Professor Golden Cello Price: $155 Info: www.goodtone.com. Goodtone Amps builder Norm Matthews has a rep for…

Fuchs Audio Technology Full House-50 Combo

The Art of the Deal

December 27, 2017 · Pete Prown

The Fuchs Full House-50 1×12 is a compact amp that strives to deliver a range of tones in a small…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Have Guitar Will Travel 097 – Oliver Wood (the Wood Brothers)

April 5, 2024 · James Patrick Regan

In episode 97 of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan speaks with Oliver Wood (of the Wood Brothers),…

Larry Coryell

January 26, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

The lastest from the godfather of fusion guitar harkens back to his ’71 album Barefoot Boy, revisiting the energy, philosophy,…

Joe Gore Pedals Cult Germanium Overdrive and Filth Fuzz

Dirt Simple

March 5, 2019 · Tom Guerra

Composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Joe Gore’s career path has been multilayered and includes “guitar effects builder.” Two of his pedals…

Chordal Colorations

Iconic Axes of Different Hues

October 3, 2015 · Michael Dregni

Though their colors are complementary, Brian May’s Red Special and Brian Setzer’s ’59 Gretsch 6120 couldn’t be more different in…

Fender The Edge Strat, Edge Deluxe Amp

What You’re Looking For

January 8, 2018 · Michael Dregni

Leo Fender once famously said, “A guitar is just a hammer.” If you haven’t yet found a hammer that fits…

Mark Elf

Mark Elf

After the Storm

October 30, 2015 · John Heidt

The latest album from guitarist Mark Elf shot to the top of the jazz charts, but the route to success…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 044 Featuring Ricky Byrd

February 12, 2021 · Art Department

The new episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel” features Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Ricky Byrd. The New York…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 016 Featuring Doug Kauer

September 17, 2019 · James Patrick Regan

Today, James Patrick Regan is speaking with Doug Kauer, a guitar builder and the owner of two guitar lines: Kauer…

Gibson GA-20

The Gibson GA-20

November 16, 2015 · Dave Hunter

Behold, this specimen that checks off all the right boxes for fans of vintage amps; beautifully clean, it has a…

Xotic Effects RC Booster Reissue

Return of A Legend

October 11, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Twenty years ago, Xotic Effects unleashed its iconic RC Booster. With variable Gain, EQ, and Volume controls, it was a…

Tom Feldmann, R.L. Burnside, Poor Black Mattie, acoustic Lesson

R.L. Burnside – Poor Black Mattie

May 8, 2016 · Tom Feldmann

Tom Feldmann demonstrates how to play the signature lick from R.L. Burnside’s classic “Poor Black Mattie.” Tom is playing a…

Reverend Billy Corgan

Smashing Sounds

January 9, 2023 · Pete Prown

Reverend’s new twist on its Billy Corgan Signature guitar updates several features but remains a stylish retro-meets-modern solidbody. The most…

2025 June Issue on Spotify

June 3, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

This month, we feature The Meters’ George Porter, Tommy Emmanuel, Jedd Hughes, Dudley Taft, Lari Basilio, Ally Venable, The Police,…

Daniele Gottardo

Bittersweetness

September 1, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Italian guitar virtuoso Daniele Gottardo’s latest album, Inkblot, combines the whimsy and wonder of the great early-20th-century classical composers with…

David Bromberg

Testifying for 
the Blues

April 16, 2019 · Michael Dregni

Jerry Jeff Walker said it best. Describing David Bromberg’s contribution to Walker’s trademark 1968 song, “Mr. Bojangles,” he said simply…

Pandemic Peak?

The Guitar Market’s “Covid Surge”

February 9, 2022 · Ward Meeker

In the September ’20 issue, VG surveyed guitar dealers to learn how they’d been impacted by the early weeks of…

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Widman Set Neck

An Eye For Detail

December 30, 2013 · Zac Childs

Widman Set Neck Price: $3,900 Info: widmancustomelectrics.com. John Widman is a custom guitar builder whose artistic leanings began while he…

Rockin’ Independence Day

July 3, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

Vintage Guitar has put together a Rockin’ 4th of July playlist. Listen and enjoy! Spotify is free or available without…

Tonk Brothers/Washburn 5241

January 23, 2017 · George Gruhn

From the late 1920s through the early ’40s, Gibson produced instruments under a variety of brand names for retailers like…

The Gretsch G5655T-CB Electromatic Center-Block

The Gretsch G5655T-CB Electromatic Center-Block

Gettin’ Gainy

May 13, 2016 · Bob Dragich

The Gretsch G5655T-CB Electromatic Center-Block Price: $1,275.00 (list); $899.00 (street) Contact: www.gretschguitars.com It’s no secret that hollowbodies don’t excel in…

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…

Eastman AR905SCE Uptown Deluxe

Classy Jazz Box

April 11, 2014 · Sean OBryan Smith

Eastman AR905SCE Uptown Deluxe Price: $3,650 retail Contact: www.eastmanguitars.com Over the past few years the negative stigma attached to guitars…

Phil “Big Dez” Fernandez

Blues Is Everywhere

April 30, 2021 · Rick Allen

6’2″/300-pound Phil “Big Dez” Fernandez is an international emissary of the blues. The French-born son of a Bosnian mother and…

B.B. King - Ode to the King of the Blues

Ode to the King of the Blues

Guitarists Reflect on the Passing of B.B. King

January 24, 2016 · Vintage Guitar

B.B. King was truly peerless. Beyond his ability to pull an audience up via a single long, vibratoed note, he…

Sun Rises Again

Sun Rises Again

February 10, 2016 · Michael Dregni

January, 1950: 27-year-old Sam Phillips opens Memphis Recording Service, soon to become famous as Sun Studio and launching rock and…

ToneTron Feature Home

ToneTron’s Billy-Rocker

Best Amp You've Never Heard of

April 11, 2016 · Michael Dregni

ToneTron’s Billy-Rocker Price: $1,200 Info: www.tonetroamps.com. On a quiet residential street in Minneapolis lives a mad scientist. Erstwhile rockabilly guitarist…

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.…

Walrus Audio Eras Five-State Distortion

Serious Saturation

January 30, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

After its Ages Five-State Overdrive proved popular, Walrus Audio dipped back into the concept with a box offering five distortion…

John Pizzarelli

McCartney Memo

November 28, 2016 · Rich Kienzle

John Pizzarelli wasn’t surprised to receive a FedEx package from Sir Paul McCartney in 2014, given that he (and his…