• Duke Robillard – Lowdown

    Duke Robillard – Lowdown

    Vintage Guitar is happy to offer the premier of the new music video by Grammy nominee Duke Robillard. “Lowdown” is the  first single from his upcoming album, Blast Off!, set…

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  • 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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Tony MacAlpine

Post-Modern Neo-Classical

May 7, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

If you’re going to play neo-classical guitar, nothing beats having a conservatory education. Guitarist Tony MacAlpine has that and is…

Gretsch Roots Collection: Jim Dandy Flat-top, Dixie 6 Guitar-Banjo

Back to the Country

December 15, 2014 · Dennis Pernu

Gretsch Roots Collection: Jim Dandy Flat-top, Dixie 6 Guitar-Banjo Price: $239 retail (Jim Dandy Flat Top) and $499 retail (Dixie…

Beck, Bogert & Appice

Live In Japan 1973, Live In London 1974

June 18, 2024 · Pete Prown

After one underwhelming studio album, Beck, Bogert & Appice – a power trio with bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine…

Andy Wood

Sonic Identity

June 25, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

Andy Wood is the living embodiment of the modern working guitarist. Straddling the galaxies of country music and shred, he…

Michael Staertow

Michael Staertow

Gramm Backer

April 11, 2016 · Chuck Riley

You may not recognize the name, but Michael Staertow has been playing some of classic rock’s most memorable riffs for…

Boss IR-2 Amp & Cabinet

Sim Plus

December 23, 2024 · Pete Prown

With the rise of home recording, videos, and gigging without amps, Boss has introduced its IR-2 Amp & Cabinet, a…

  • 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…

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ARTISTS

Jerry and Gordon Kennedy

"It's a Two-Man Collection"

January 12, 2010 · Willie G. Moseley

Guitarist/producer Jerry Kennedy, recipient of four Grammy awards, is proud of his three sons, all of whom are accomplished musicians…

Grant Geissman

Still Feeling Good

July 27, 2023 · Pete Prown

Admired for the iconic phase-shifter solo on Chuck Mangione’s 1978 smash “Feels So Good,” Grant Geissman can today look back…

Popa Chubby

Head, Heart, and Hands

October 12, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Popa Chubby is back on the road again, preaching the gospel to blues fans around the world. His new album,…

Fretprints: Hiram Bullock

Dangerously Funky Fusioneer

February 4, 2024 · Wolf Marshall

In the sonic constellation orbiting jazz-rock, Hiram Bullock traveled a separate trajectory. His work on “Angela,” the theme for “Taxi,”…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Soul-jazz legend Calvin Keys

January 27, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Exclusive spin on “Six to Seven” Calvin Keys has worked with Jimmy Smith, Ahmad Jamal, and Ray Charles. Here, he…

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…

Selmer Modele Jazz and Stimer M.10 Amp

Electricfying Early Jazz

March 6, 2015 · Michael Dregni

In the 1930s, the quest for volume was the Holy Grail of guitar construction, as guitarists sought instruments to slice…

National-Dobro 6107A

National-Dobro 6107A

May 2, 2016 · Dave Hunter

Preamp tubes: 56, 57 Output tubes: two 2A3 Rectifier: 5Z3 Controls: Volume Output: 6 watts RMS +/- Speaker: one 10″…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Giffin Vikta

Feelin’ Special

May 10, 2014 · Pete Prown

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

Acoustik Attak Picks

May 10, 2022 · Julian Burtell

Each of Acoustik Attak’s three guitar picks has a different raised formation that alters the way it interacts with strings;…

Reverend’s Reeves Gabrels Dirtbike

Wheelie Machine

October 3, 2019 · Zac Childs

Signature guitars tend to be either fan-boy models, the owners of which hang them alongside a collection of signed 8×10…

Positive Grid Spark Go

Ready, Set…

August 4, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Following the success of its highly portable Spark and Spark Mini practice amps, Positive Grid went really small with the…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Martin OM-18 and 000-28

March 13, 2014 · Bill Bush

What makes these two Martins remarkable is not necessarily their rarity or historical importance, though both would be welcome additions…

Walter Jr.

A Taste of (and from) Louisiana

July 13, 2020 · John Heidt

Walter Jr.’s blend of soul, funk, R&B, and everything-in-between never wanders far from home. It’s not hard to tell from…

Seth Walker

February 27, 2017 · John Heidt

Seth Walker has issued a string of fine records that come together in his latest. Walker and Dave Gross man…

Classics: November 2022

Vern Juran’s Harmony stratotone

July 13, 2023 · Ward Meeker

Like many baby-boomer kids, 11-year-old Vern Juran was into slot-car racing and bikes with ape-hanger handlebars, banana seats, and sissy…

Eric Clapton

Six-String Stories

January 17, 2023 · Pete Prown

Mr. Clapton has a vast guitar collection – okay, shocker. But within this book, you can drool over Eric’s greatest…

Fretprints: Paul Simon

Postmodern Troubadour: The Simon & Garfunkel Years

October 26, 2022 · Wolf Marshall

Troubadours – poet/musicians active in Europe in the 12th and 13th centuries, played a defining role in Western civilization. The…

100 Years of Boston’s MFA

Playable Exhibits

May 9, 2019 · Michael Wright

Musical instruments – guitars – present an interesting philosophical dichotomy. On one hand, they’re utilitarian objects whose very purpose –…

Budda Verbmaster 112 Home

Budda Verbmaster 112

Versatile 18-Watter

September 30, 2013 · Tom Guerra

Budda Verbmaster 112 Price: $1,800 (street) Contact: budda.com As part of its Hand-Wired series, Budda has reissued the tube-rectified Verbmaster…

Roine Stolt

Progressive Double-Duty

February 3, 2022 · Pete Prown

If you want to see a hard-working guitar ace, look no further than Roine Stolt, who has been going non-stop…

1965 Gibson Thunderbird

Cardinal Red Rarity

January 8, 2018 · Willie G. Moseley

Looking to finally make a real dent in Fender’s solidbody bass market, in the mid ’60s Gibson launched a line…

Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ Reissue

Dual-Mode Delivery

November 14, 2025 · Dave Hunter

The evolution of Randall Smith’s legendary high-gain Mesa/Boogie design into the revered Mark IIC+ of the mid ’80s established a…

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,…

Woody Harris: Fingerstyle a la Fahey, Basho

April 25, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Reemergence With a Rare Guitar Woody Harris used his ’76 John Mello guitar (“It has dimensions of a classical guitar,…

Marcin

Dragon In Harmony

October 9, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

Acoustic/electric sensation Marcin effortlessly traverses the fretboard with a guitar style that embraces the companionable influences of classical, flamenco, and…

Jeff Plankenhorn

Alone At Sea

October 8, 2024 · Dean L. Farley

Singer/songwriter Plankenhorn recently moved from Austin to Vancouver Island, and besides penning two numbers himself, he co-wrote seven with Austinites…

Mike Rutherford

Mike Rutherford

Re-Living The Years

January 4, 2016 · Bret Adams

Mike Rutherford prefers focusing on the future, even if recent projects have required the guitarist/bassist to think about life. Late…

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…

Graham Clise

Bay Area Blaster

March 11, 2019 · Kathleen Johnson

Graham Clise is one of the most-heralded underground rock guitarists of the past 15 years. A mashup of Chuck Berry,…

Heritage Guitars’ H-157W

Turnkey Head-Turner

April 16, 2019 · Zac Childs

In 1985, Heritage Guitars took over a certain factory space at 225 Parsons Street in Kalamazoo, Michigan, after the former…

The Travis Bean TB1000S Standard

A Better Idea

April 14, 2020 · Michael Wright

Guitar history is littered with “better ideas,” some of which stayed around, went nowhere, or went somewhere before landing in…

PRS 25th Anniversary Swamp Ash Special NF

From Jimi to Eric to Angus

September 29, 2011 · Pete Prown

PRS 25th Anniversary Swamp Ash Special NF Price: $3,908 (retail)/$2,329 (street) Contact: PRSguitars.com. The PRS 25th Anniversary Swamp Ash Special…

Manny Charlton

Dog Days

June 10, 2022 · Bret Adams

“I always say it’s the song, the performance, and then the production.” Nazareth guitarist/producer Manny Charlton believes those three things,…

Don Wilson

1933-2022

December 6, 2022 · Willie G. Moseley

Don Wilson, co-founder and last remaining member of the Ventures’ “classic” lineup, died in his hometown of Tacoma, Washington, on…

The Reverend Thundergun Bass

Three In One

September 18, 2013 · Sean OBryan Smith

Players who love a hotrod Lincoln, a good drive-in, or a rocking retro guitar are familiar with Reverend Guitars, a…

Fretprints: Earl Hooker

Unsung Blues-Guitar Legend

December 6, 2022 · Wolf Marshall

Chicago, 1959. Ask any blues musician where to go, and the answer was likely, “Wherever Earl Hooker is playing.” Earl…

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Heart & Soul Blues

October 4, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Born and raised in Clarksdale, Mississippi – homeland of the Delta blues – Christone Ingram learned gospel music in the…

Spirit

It Shall Be, 1968-’72

July 5, 2018 · Pete Prown

Rock history is littered with truly gifted bands that inexplicably never broke big, from The Move to The Replacements. Spirit…

Albert Cummings’ creative milestone album

August 25, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Guitarist Shines on “Ten” Albert Cummings jams like a boss on a Custom Shop Strat through a ’67 Super Reverb.…

Gibson’s 1966-’70 Flying V

In Detail

July 1, 2020 · Ward Meeker

Body is two-piece mahogany. Pickguard mounts to body with 13 screws. Pickups are patent-number humbuckers with chrome-plated covers. Tune-O-Matic bridge…