Roland Micro Cube

Mighty Mouse

November 4, 2013 · Pete Prown

Roland Micro Cube Price: $130 (street) Info: www.rolandus.com. Every once in a while you have to pinch yourself and thank…

First Guitar of Rock and Roll

Scotty Moore’s Gibson ES-295

June 10, 2022 · Michael Dregni

Like a hound dog hit by lightning, the first notes of rock and roll blasted out of radios across the…

Dan’s Guitar RX: Finding An Old Friend

What Goes Around…

April 30, 2024 · Dan Erlewine

I grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where I learned to play guitar during the folk boom that, for me,…

Alex Machacek

Stripped Down

February 16, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

When you get the thumbs-up from icons like John McLaughlin and Chick Corea, it’s got to feel good. But, fusion…

Buddy Merrill

1936-2021

December 2, 2022 · Rich Kienzle

Buddy Merrill, guitarist, steel-guitarist, composer, arranger, recording artist, and occasional vocalist, died December 5. He was 85. A seasoned musician…

Guild Standard Series Acoustics

Legacy, Cont’d?

January 10, 2012 · Sean OBryan Smith

Founded by a jazz guitarist as jazz-box builder, the Guild company also built a solid reputation with its ’50s acoustic…

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ARTISTS

Have Guitar Will Travel – 032 Featuring Brad Gillis

July 27, 2020 · James Patrick Regan

For Episode 32 of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan sits with Brad Gillis to discuss his storied…

Paco de Lucia

Paco de Lucia

1947-2014

October 7, 2014 · Pete Prown

Spanish flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia died February 26 after suffering a heart attack in Cancun, Mexico. He was 66.…

Zac Schulze gets straight to it!

December 8, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

If you’re a fan of Cream, Zeppelin, and Rory Gallagher (who isn’t?), you’ll dig Zac Schulze Gang, a British power…

Jon Butcher’s psychedelia mastery

December 5, 2025 · Doug Yellow Bird

Jon Butcher tales his Olympic White ’63 Strat for a rip on “Jam,” a track from his new album, “Nuthin’…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Bruce and Butter

May 27, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

It would be an understatement to say that REO Speedwagon bassist Bruce Hall and his 1965 Fender Jazz Bass, dubbed…

The Real Story of Martin’s 14-Fret Orchestra Models

OM Irony

July 9, 2019 · George Gruhn

Martin Orchestra Model (OM) guitars made prior to World War II are some of the finest ever made for fingerpicking.…

Rickenbacker 375F

Seven Siblings

October 4, 2017 · Peter Stuart Kohman

Every guitar company has had its odd ducks, its failures, its forgotten models. While some are consigned to the scrapheap…

Rick Vito’s Tale Of Two Grails

Find of a Lifetime

December 6, 2022 · Ward Meeker

Whether it was by watching “Bandstand” on TV or learning the licks of Duane Eddy, Chuck Berry, or the Ventures,…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

GIFFIN VITKA

Giffin Vikta

Feelin’ Special

March 20, 2014 · Pete Prown

Giffin Vikta Price: $2,295 Contact: premierbuildersguild.com. Roger Giffin is a guitarmaker to the stars, having built for Eric Clapton, Pete…

Roland’s Blues Cube Artist

Roland’s Blues Cube Artist

March 25, 2016 · Phil Feser

Roland’s Blues Cube Artist Price: $1,169 (list)/$899 (street) Contact: www.rolandus.com Roland has reinvented and relaunched its Blues Cube combos with…

Taylor AD17e

Tube SaviorDream Machine

November 8, 2022 · Pete Prown

Taylor’s AD (American Dream) line aims to put affordable U.S.-made acoustics in the hands of most any player. The new…

Musicvox Space Cadet 12

Chime Machine

August 8, 2013 · Pete Prown

Musicvox Space Cadet 12 Price: $899 (direct) Contact: musicvox.com As you may have read in Michael Wright’s profile of the…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Mud Ride: A Messy Trip Through The Grunge Explosion

Steve Turner with Adem Tepedelen

April 24, 2024 · Dennis Pernu

Mudhoney never really cashed in on the early-’90s grunge sweepstakes. In fact, its members have largely eschewed the G word.…

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Gibson 1958-’60 Les Paul Standard

A ’Burst by Any Other Name…

June 9, 2016 · Ward Meeker

One Thousand, Seven Hundred and Twelve. That’s the number of Les Paul Standards Gibson produced between 1958 and 1960. Amongst guitar…

Jeff Beck

August 2, 2016 · Pete Prown

Since the late ’90s, Jeff Beck has been fusing equal parts blues, jazz-rock, and heavy-duty electronica; this time he’s added…

Classics: May 2022

“Wild” Jimmy Spruill’s ’66 Fender Jaguar

January 9, 2023 · Ward Meeker

Wilbert Harrison’s 1959 version of Leiber and Stoller’s “Kansas City” shares space at the summit of all-time blues/pop classics, its…

The Dead Live On

Various Artists

July 5, 2018 · Michael Dregni

The Grateful Dead just may be more popular now that the band is actually dead and gone. Their musical industrial…

FENDER BANDMASTER 5E7

Fender 5E7 Bandmaster

January 29, 2016 · Dave Hunter

Preamp tubes: one 12AY7, two 12AX7 Output tubes: two 6L6s, fixed biased Rectifier: 5U4G tube Controls: Volume, Volume, Treble, Bass,…

Nancy Wilson

Beautifully Unbroken

May 9, 2017 · Johnny Zapp

Responsible for guitar-laden classics such as “Crazy On You,” “Love Alive,” and “Devil Delight,” Nancy Wilson has been inspiring musicians…

ZT Amplifiers’ Lunchbox Junior

Tasty Treat

September 29, 2013 · Erik Elkins

ZT Amplifiers Lunchbox Junior Price: $149 (street) Info: www.ztamplifiers.com. ZT Amplifiers is known for producing compact amps that generate sounds…

Paul McCartney & Wings

Band on the Run 50th Anniversary

January 9, 2025 · Pete Prown

McCartney’s 1973 classic is a post-Beatles favorite for its title cut (a #1 U.S. single) and rockin’ singles “Jet” and…

Nils Lofgren

The Secret Weapon

April 24, 2024 · Pete Prown

Guitar wizard Nils Lofgren has been an in-demand sideman for more than 50 years, working with Bruce Springsteen & the…

E.W.S. Little Fuzzy Drive

E.W.S. Little Fuzzy Drive

Tiny Footprint, Huge Sound

February 2, 2015 · Tom Guerra

E.W.S. Little Fuzzy Drive Price: $160 (list); $130 (street) Info: www.ews-us.com. At 1.5″ x 3.5″, the E.W.S. Little Fuzzy Drive…

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…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 015 Featuring Spencer Henderson

September 4, 2019 · James Patrick Regan

Today guest is Spencer Henderson, the owner of “West Coast Pedalboards”… We discuss his transition from working in IT (working…

Ray Benson

Swing Ambassador: 50 Years of Asleep at the Wheel

April 6, 2022 · Rich Kienzle

“Why are you all playin’ that modern music?” Asleep at the Wheel guitarist Ray Benson fielded the question from Harry,…

D’Aquisto New Yorker Classic

March 27, 2024 · George Gruhn and Walter Carter

During his 30-plus years as an independent guitarmaker, James L. D’Aquisto was acclaimed as the premier maker of archtop guitars.…

Ceriatone’s OTS Mini 20 Overtone Lunchbox

Meal Ticket

April 26, 2019 · Yoel Kreisler

For years, Ceriatone fans have suggested the amp maker offer its stellar Overtone Special sound in a scaled-down, affordable package.…

Arlen Roth

No Stone Unturned

May 9, 2017 · Tom Guerra

To guitarists raised on his “Hot Licks” instructional video series, session and touring great Arlen Roth is something of a…

Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-M

Satisfying Source

April 4, 2023 · Michael Dregni

Can’t get no satisfaction from your fuzz pedal? Step back to the source, with Maestro’s new Fuzz-Tone. The FZ-M is…

Shredding and songcraft – Kire Najdovski

December 22, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Talas guitarist offers taste of “1985” Kire Najdovski does a great take on “Close to the Killer,” from Talas’ new…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 051 Featuring Greg V.

May 25, 2021 · James Patrick Regan

Guitarist Greg V. has backed songwriter Bonnie Hayes, Randy Jackson, Ronnie Montrose, drummer Buddy Miles, and stepped into a certain…

Area 51 Fuzzwah

Two Great Tastes

May 30, 2019 · Michael Dregni

Fuzz wahs are nothing new, of course. Released under scores of badge-engineered monikers, they’ve promised aural overload ranging from sirens…

Cry, Baby!

The Story of the Vox Wah

December 9, 2015 · Michael Dregni

Beyond being crowned “Album of the Century” by Time magazine, Marley and the Wailers’ 1977 LP Exodus is a wah-wah…

Paul Reed Smith

Roaring With Hendrix

November 1, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Believe it or not, Paul Reed Smith can play the hell out of the guitar. In a world where most…

Buddy Guy

Keeping the Blues Alive and Definitely Kicking

April 18, 2016 · Dan Forte

It was February 21, 2012. As part of the White House’s music series, “Red, White & Blues” featured a cavalcade…

Alligator Greats

Bruce Iglauer Recalls 50 Years of Blues Guitar

May 10, 2022 · Sean McDevitt

Anyone wondering why a young Bruce Iglauer was so impassioned about recording the raw, high-energy blues of Theodore Roosevelt “Hound…

Rickenbacker Guitars: Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fireglo

Martin Kelly and Paul Kelly

January 17, 2023 · Michael Dregni

At long last, Rickenbacker gets the treatment it deserves, with this glorious large, comprehensive, and colorful history of the guitars,…

Steve Rosen

Chasing EVH Memories

March 16, 2024 · Bret Adams

From 1977 through 2003, music journalist Steve Rosen formed and fostered a personal and professional relationship with guitar legend Edward…

Waterloo WL-14

Waterloo WL-14

Modern Johnson

February 16, 2016 · Chip Wilson

Waterloo WL-14 Price: $2,100, $1,890 (street) Contact: www.collingsguitars.com or www.waterlooguitars.com Robert Johnson slid into a photo booth, dangling a cigarette…

Eric Krasno

Funk Soul Brother

August 30, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Smart guitar players discover early on that if they want to control their musical destiny, it doesn’t hurt to learn…