• 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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Pop ’N Hiss: The Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet

Feast Your Ears

October 30, 2024 · Bret Adams

The Rolling Stones were back. Well, they’d never really gone anywhere, but most fans thought they’d lost their way with…

Gretchen Menn

Abandon All Hope

April 18, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Every musician aspires to create music that will resonate through the ages and Abandon All Hope, by Zepparella guitarist Gretchen…

Tom Feldmann Beginner Fingerpicking - Lesson 8 Vintage Guitar is teaming with Collings Guitars and Stefan Grossman

Tom Feldmann’s Beginner Fingerpicking – Lesson 8

September 6, 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…

Victoria Vic 105

The Victoria VIC 105

Raw And Responsive

August 21, 2013 · Zac Childs

Victoria VIC 105 Price: $1,495 Contact: Victoria Amp Co.; phone (630) 820-6400; victoriaamp.com. In the 1990s, Mark Baier put himself…

Genesis/Steve Hackett

Lamb Lies Down on Broadway 50th/Live Magic at Trading Boundaries

November 7, 2025 · Pete Prown

One of those double-LP masterpieces of the ’70s, The Lamb was Peter Gabriel’s final achievement with Genesis, quitting immediately after…

J.D. Simo

Psychedelia and Satan

December 2, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Psychedelic bluesman J.D. Simo deploys impressive wah skill, blistering fuzz tones, and hypnotic grooves that will expand your consciousness. His…

  •  Reverend Sensei H90

     Reverend Sensei H90

    Live Wire

    So you want a Gibson-style solidbody that can cover humbucker-powered rock, yet also twangier/glassier tones using a P-90 pickup. Check. You also want to grab high frets via double-cutaway and…

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ARTISTS

Warner Hodges

Warner Hodges

In And Out of Scorcherland

February 24, 2016 · Ward Meeker

If your ear was at all tuned to “alt-country” (a.k.a. cowpunk) in the late ’80s or you were lucky enough…

Frank DiBussolo

Jazz Master

January 14, 2025 · Steve Walker

Frank DiBussolo is an eight-time Grammy nominee who has been a featured soloist in the bands of Buddy Rich, Dizzy…

Donald “Duck” Dunn

Memphis Blues Legend

June 14, 2012 · Willie G. Moseley

Click Here to view Donald “Duck” Dunn Obit. In the history of popular music, the story of Memphis-based Stax Records…

Steve Morse

Steve Morse

August 1, 2015 · Pete Prown

Already busy touring and recording with Deep Purple, axe virtuoso Steve Morse has added another dish to the menu –…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

1939 Gibson Super 400 Premier

February 28, 2017 · George Gruhn

The Gibson Super 400 debuted in 1935 as the first production-model 18″ archtop guitar with f-shaped sound holes; 30 years…

The Birth of the Gretsch Duo Jet

Gretsch Gets With It!

March 4, 2022 · Edward Ball

In 1950, Leo Fender introduced the Broadcaster. The first solidbody electric Spanish guitar to bear his soon-to-be-famous name, its thin…

Dan’s Guitar RX: Adding Master Volume to a Les Paul

Plus One

November 16, 2023 · Dan Erlewine

My friend Alex Aguilar recently asked me to do something most guitarists would consider sacrilegious – add a Master Volume…

Jim Kelley FACS Reverb

January 23, 2017 · Dave Hunter

Truly a deserving name in the early era of the “boutique” amp scene, Jim Kelley is also an extremely under-recognized…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

DryBell Unit67

Balkan Boost

October 15, 2021 · Oscar Jordan

DryBell Musical Electronic Laboratory has been kicking out great pedals for a few year, with clients like Mike Landau, John…

BSM RM Majestic Treble Booster

December 6, 2021 · Oscar Jordan

Germany’s BSM is among the rare specialist among modern stompbox builders; their focus is one thing – making treble boosters…

The Pinter SB1-R

Days of Sustain

September 8, 2025 · Pete Prown

Mike Pinter conceived his new SB1-R as a do-it-all “rock star” guitar that would combine design concepts and tone choices…

Zemaitis’ CS Guitars

Super Models

March 5, 2019 · Michael Dregni

Artist. Iconoclast. Guitar builder to the stars. Tony Zemaitis was all that and more. Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards swear…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Way Huge Saffron Squeeze MkII

Way Huge Saffron Squeeze MkII

Fresh-squeezed

July 7, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Twenty years after its launch, the Way Huge Saffron Squeeze compressor has been improved upon. Doing fierce business with an…

Pop ’N Hiss: Uriah Heep’s Demons and Wizards

Under Its Spell

May 6, 2022 · Bret Adams

Hard rock/heavy metal and progressive rock were burgeoning genres in the early ’70s, and music fans by the millions eagerly…

Supro’s Thunderbolt S6420+

Supro’s Thunderbolt S6420+

35 Watts on a Gold Platter

March 15, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Supro’s Thunderbolt S6420+ Price: $1,599 (list) Contact: www.suprousa.com Upon introduction in 1964, the Valco-made Supro Thunderbolt Model S6420 was a…

Wild Rabbit Salad’s “Postcard From Houston”

July 1, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Eclectic sounds from Marietta and Bucky Roebuck Wild Rabbit Salad’s “Postcard From Houston” Bucky and Marietta Roebuck of Wild Rabbit…

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…

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Freeman Arthur

December 10, 2025 · Ram W. Tuli

Season 03 Episode 08 In Episode 3.8 of “Buy That Guitar,” host Ram Tuli is joined by Freeman Arthur, who…

Peavey Vypyr VIP2

Backline in a Box

May 7, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

Peavey Vypyr VIP2 Price: $199.99 Contact: www.peavey.com For more than 40 years Peavey’s ongoing evolution while building guitars, amps, and…

Eliza Gilkyson

Songs from the River Wind

December 8, 2022 · Rich Kienzle

In contrast to her last few, politically-focused albums, Eliza Gilkyson considers this a “love letter to the Old West.” Revisiting…

Pink Floyd

Primal Floyd

January 26, 2017 · Pete Prown

Priced at more than $500, this 27-disc set is a Floyd-freak’s dream come true. It’s a monster collection of early…

The Watkins Clubman

July 6, 2018 · Dave Hunter

The hokey, amphetamine-tempo’d folk music known as “skiffle” was all the rage with Britain’s youth in 1955, and rock and…

Pop ’N Hiss: UFO’s Lights Out

Shining Bright

December 23, 2024 · Bret Adams

Most critics and fans agree that the finest studio album by British hard-rockers UFO was 1977’s Lights Out. The group’s…

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…

1940- 2024

Phil Lesh

September 8, 2025 · Pete Prown

The rock world was saddened to learn of bassist Phil Lesh’s death on October 25, at age 84. Perhaps the…

Fretprints: Stevie Ray Vaughan

Texas Flood

June 5, 2025 · Wolf Marshall

Stevie Ray Vaughan was unknown when he premiered at the 1982 Montreux Jazz Festival. Born and bred in Dallas, he’d…

Supro Super 1606 and Reverb 1605R

Little Amps That Could

July 10, 2019 · Michael Dregni

In guitardom, players far too often believe there is nothing more sonically pleasing than a tall stack. Yet, plenty of…

Various Artists

Bill Frisell and Thomas Morgan and Dominic Miller

June 27, 2017 · Pete Prown

Bill Frisell is a living jazz icon, famed for his ethereal tone and snaking post-bop lines. Here, he partners with…

Chris Avey’s cosmic riffs!

February 18, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Sample from Avey Grouws Band’s “Tell Tale Heart” Chris Avey grabbed a very special PRS. DGT and plugged into a…

Paul Gilbert

One-Man Electrical Jam

March 30, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Paul Gilbert’s 16th solo album, Werewolves of Portland, is an ambitious DIY project where he plays all the instruments. From…

Friedman Amplification JEL-20

Firebreather

August 4, 2024 · Charlie Wilkins

For 25 years, Dave Friedman has been creating amplifiers that helped him (eh-hem) gain amp-guru status. His limited-run Jake E.…

Yamaha SA-15

May 27, 2025 · Michael Wright

Our perception of Japanese guitars has evolved slowly. At one point, they were cheap toys, at other times imperfect copies,…

Jesse Johnson

Jesse Johnson

Quad City Funk

March 24, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

In the early 1980s, Jesse Johnson traveled from Rock Island, Illinois, to Minneapolis and found fame with The Time and…

Status Quo’s Francis Rossi

On Guitars, Music, and Elusive Success

October 13, 2015 · Elliot Stephen Cohen

“I’m only as good now as I should have been when I was 25,” laughs Francis Rossi, the 64-year-old lead…

Charlie Musselwhite’s blues chops on a vintage J-45

December 28, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

See it Here: “Blues Gave Me a Ride” Charlie Musselwhite and his ’54 Gibson J-45 do it up (so) right…

Fire-Eye Red-Eye Twin DI

Double Your Pleasure

April 23, 2019 · Steven Stone

In a simple system, even a basic direct-input box with little in the way of adjustments will work fine. But…

Fender’s 60th Anniversary Jazz Bass

Golden-Era Glory

February 7, 2022 · Michael Shirek

Though it looks to be straight from a ’60s catalog, Fender’s 60th Anniversary Jazz Bass isn’t a true reissue. Rather,…

Home Feature Image

Beyond the Parlor

Part Two: Man and Machine

April 29, 2016 · Tim Brookes

Ed. Note: In part two of his series on the guitar in 19-century America, Tim Brookes addresses the common belief that the guitar…

Buzz Feiten Blues Pro

Buzz Feiten Blues Pro

Cantankerous Tones

March 8, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Buzz Feiten Blues Pro Price: $2,395 (list) Contact: www.buzzfeitenguitars.com Buzz Feiten is a Woodstock alumnus who has played with a…

Charis Acoustic SJ

Charis Acoustic SJ

Spirit in the Wood

February 1, 2016 · Chip Wilson

Charis Acoustic SJ Price: $4,800 (base); $7,100 (as reviewed) Info: www.charisacoustic.com. The spiritual aspects of music perhaps originate with the…

James Elkington

Alt-Tuned Sojourn

April 24, 2019 · Willie G. Moseley

Expatriate English guitarist James Elkington has long been based in Chicago, collaborating with other musicians including Janet Bean, Nathan Salsburg,…