Martin Style 000-28K

February 13, 2023 · George Gruhn

During the 1920s and ’30s, Martin made a considerable number of guitars with bodies constructed of Hawaiian Koa wood. The…

Doyle Bramhall II

December 9, 2016 · Rich Kienzle

In the 15 years since his debut album, Welcome, Doyle Bramhall, II has been in great demand. Along with a…

Gibson Marauder M-1

June 8, 2023 · Michael Wright

Every once in awhile, someone in Gibson R&D gets a brainstorm like, “I know! Why don’t we make a bolt-neck…

Dan’s Guitar RX: A ’57 Strat Goes Under the Knife

Battle-Scarred

January 14, 2025 · Dan Erlewine

B.K. Vaught recently walked into my shop with a vintage Strat that had been modified and refinished. While its changes…

The DryBell Vibe Machine V-2

Catch A Wave

March 13, 2019 · Yoel Kreisler

DryBell is renowned for one of the most authentic and pedalboard-friendly Uni-Vibe recreations on the market. Five years after launching…

The 1912 Martin 000-28

The 1912 Martin

January 12, 2015 · George Gruhn

      By 1912, players of fretted instruments were familiar with steel strings. Mandolins, which were enjoying their period…

  • Carr Skylark Special 1×12

    Carr Skylark Special 1×12

    Take Flight

    Arriving a little more than 10 years after the original Skylark, Carr Amplifiers’ new Skylark Special adds versatility and enhanced tonal depths to squeeze a lot more into this diminutive…

    Read more >>

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ARTISTS

Gypsy jazz master Christophe Astolfi plays “La Valsajo”

June 24, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Traditionalist offers standout new album Christophe Astolfi offers an exclusive rendition of Jo Privat’s “La Valsajo” using a guitar made…

Christopher Thorn

Alt-Rocker/Studio Guru

June 14, 2022 · Greg Prato

Best known as half of the guitar tandem in the ’90s alternative-rock band Blind Melon (that’s his rhythm on “No…

BB King Vintage Guitar magazine main home

Remembering B.B. King

September 18, 2015 · Willie G. Moseley

Ed. Note: Everyone associated with Vintage Guitar magazine is saddened to learn of the passing of B.B. King. In 1995, Mr. King…

Steve Hill

One-Man Band

December 14, 2023 · Pete Prown

Canadian guitarist Steve Hill is a flat-out rocker, smashing blues into rock and roll with terrifying force, as heard on…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

The Fender Stratocaster

Aiming High

July 5, 2017 · Richard R. Smith

In 1953, Leo Fender started planning a new standard guitar – the Stratocaster. His partner, Don Randall, who headed Fender…

Bex Marshall and her ’63 Hummingbird

August 26, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Family History Straight from the “Classics” feature in the August issue, here’s Bex Marshall playing the ’63 Gibson Hummingbird bought…

1933 Gibson L-5 “Special”

November 7, 2014 · George Gruhn

Though many collectors focus on instruments in fine original condition, every so often one emerges that, regardless of condition, is…

Roy Smeck’s Gibson L-5

One For the “Wizard”

March 1, 2023 · George Gruhn

Player endorsements are part of the tradition of guitarmaking going back to its earliest use for public performance. LeRoy G.A.…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Genzler Acoustic Array Pro

Pro on the Go

July 23, 2019 · Pete Prown

As gigs at coffeehouses, street festivals, and farmers’ markets become more common, a growing legion of performers is being supported…

Carl Martin’s Red Repeat Delay Echo, Greg Howe’s Lick Box

Boxes of Rock

May 30, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

After hearing – and taking to heart – feedback from players, Carl Martin recently upgraded its Red Repeat Delay Echo…

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…

JHS Pink Panther

Diamond Delay

July 3, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

To mark the 10th anniversary of its original Pink Panther delay, JHS has created an updated edition that packs a…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

The Norma EG 470-2 Deluxe

June 25, 2020 · Michael Wright

Everyone of a certain age – and no doubt some younger folks – remembers the sage career advice given young…

Fretprints: Metallica’s Master of Puppets

Genre Giant

July 31, 2025 · Wolf Marshall

In 1984, Kerrang magazine coined the buzzword “thrash,” signaling the arrival of an unprecedented heaviness in rock music – not…

Dogu Custom Electric Guitars’ MOS-01

Dogu Custom Electric Guitars’ MOS-01

This Old Strat

October 2, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Dogu Custom Electric Guitars’ MOS-01 Price: $2,200 (list) Contact: www.actionfigurestudios.com Improving upon classic designs is a consistent theme in the…

Blues Guitars On A Budget

A New Breed of L-Style

February 3, 2015 · Chip Wilson

Picture the archetypal 1930s blues man, photographed with a studio backdrop, jaunty hat, knowing leer…. What else do you see?…

Jock Bartley

The Return of Firefall

November 26, 2021 · Pete Prown

If you listened to pop radio in the late ’70s, it was hard to miss Firefall, whose soft-rock hits were…

Steve Dawson

February 9, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

 Channeling Sol Hoopii in “Singin’ the Blues” Steve Dawson used his unplugged Celtic Cross Weissenborn model lap steel and…

Phil Collen

Diamond Mine

March 30, 2023 · Bret Adams

Few groups radiate the sheer joy of being a famous, hard-working rock band than Def Leppard. The Rock and Roll…

Webster-Chicago RMA 375 Model 166-1

Grammy Winner

July 18, 2019 · Dave Hunter

Modified or repurposed amps generally don’t fit into our monthly discussion here, but some are representative enough of a certain…

CopperSound Strategy

Strat-Jack Boost

October 13, 2022 · Bob Dragich

CopperSound pedals started in the winter of 2014 as a group of friends in Massachusetts who wanted to build pedals…

Robin Trower

Conquering Hero

January 30, 2023 · Bret Adams

As frustrating as the Covid pandemic has been for keeping artists off the road the past two-plus years, for many,…

Jim Kweskin

Where Jazz Meets Folk

December 13, 2024 · Dan Forte

Jim Kweskin grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, and in 1958 entered Boston University, placing him near coffee houses at the…

John Notto double-up

November 17, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Dirty Honey guitarist shares riffs from “Can’t Find the Brakes” John Notto used his road-dog Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul…

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…

Guild S-200 Thunderbird

July 14, 2020 · Michael Wright

Back in 1958, when Gibson introduced its revolutionary Explorer, Flying V, and mysterious Moderne, the public – rather like Queen…

Jim Campilongo

Jim Campilongo

“I’m a Guitar Player”

August 14, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

It’s been two years since Jim Campilongo put out a solo record, but on the new Dream Dictionary, his patented…

Eric Lindell

July 6, 2016 · John Heidt

Eric Lindell’s past efforts have showcased his multiple skills, and this latest is no different. His songwriting is strong as…

Axe-Calibur Guitar Stand

May 10, 2022 · Julian Burtell

While guitar stands are a dime a dozen, few bring a sense of style nice enough for the living room.…

Have Guitar Will Travel 100 – Brian Venable (Lucero)

June 21, 2024 · James Patrick Regan

In episode 100 of “Have Guitar Will Travel”, presented by Vintage Guitar Magazine, host James Patrick Regan speaks with Brian…

Grace Bowers

Truth of Youth

May 28, 2025 · Pete Prown

The word “prodigy” is overused in the music biz, but Grace Bowers is a real-deal young funkster. Just 18 years…

FireBelly Amplifiers’ Tweed 1955SE, PR3512SE

FireBelly Amplifiers’ Tweed 1955SE, PR3512SE

Tale Of Two Princetons

April 1, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

FireBelly Amplifiers’ Tweed 1955SE, PR3512SE Price: $949 (Tweed 1955SE); $1,595 (PR3512SE) Contact: www.firebellyamps.com The quest for vintage tone continues, and…

Southern Boogie from Chickasaw Mudd Puppies

August 30, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Band jams on acoustic “Flatcar” take “The South is a complex and nuanced place,” says Ben Reynolds of his native…

The Norma EG 470-2 Deluxe

June 25, 2020 · Michael Wright

Everyone of a certain age – and no doubt some younger folks – remembers the sage career advice given young…

Gibson Custom Colors in the 1960s

Burning Embers, Chilled Whites

January 11, 2017 · Andre R. Duchossoir

Unlike its rival from the West Coast, Gibson did not readily embrace the concept of offering custom-color finishes. It wasn’t…

Rick Holmstrom

See That Light

October 14, 2021 · Michael Dregni

After 13 years as soul/gospel/civil rights legend Mavis Staples’ guitarist and bandleader, Rick Holmstrom has earned the nickname from Staples’…

The Grateful Dead & The Doors

A Tale of Two Cities

March 30, 2017 · Pete Prown

The Grateful Dead profoundly shaped the trippy San Francisco sound of 1967, while to the south, the Doors crafted a…

Shooter Jennings, Ryan Bingham, and Various Artists

Outlaw: Celebrating The Music Of Waylon Jennings

June 27, 2017 · Rich Kienzle

Waylon Jennings, who died in 2002, would have turned 80 in 2017. He and compadre Willie Nelson still personify country’s…

Electra MPC

Standard X340

November 1, 2013 · Michael Wright

One of the more successful Japanese-made guitar brands of the 1970s was Electra, the brand name used for electric guitars…

EMG T-52 Set

July 22, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

EMG pickups have been around since 1976, offering a diverse line of active pickups used in just about every genre…

One Unforgettable ’60s-Oddity Magnatone

Monster Mash

July 2, 2019 · Dave Hunter

Drew Moniot and his band, The Sequins, were on top of the world, playing Gibson SGs through endorsement-deal amp stacks…