• 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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Betty Davis and Mahalia Barnes

Nasty Girl

October 4, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Betty Mabry was known far and wide by the sobriquet of the Nasty Girl. She earned the moniker for being…

Neil Young + Promise of the Real

August 30, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Neil Young often does whatever he pleases. And now, at age 70, that’s truer than ever. This new album proves…

Jorge Glem: Cuatro Mastery

April 6, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Brooklyn-Cumaná Jorge Glem uses his Venezualan cuatro to show us some of “Matapalo y Fuga,” from his new duet album…

Music Nomad Keep It Simple Setup

May 10, 2022 · Julian Burtell

Music Nomad’s Keep It Simple Setup kit includes three tool kits. The 26-piece premium guitar tech screwdriver-and-wrench set has a…

Guild D-50 Standard

Rosewood Renaissance

August 28, 2024 · Michael Shirek

With a tradition going back more than 70 years, Guild Guitars was there from the beginning of rock and roll,…

Check This Action: Jimmie’s Blues Box

August 3, 2022 · Dan Forte

Don’t think music can be life-changing? Try moving 1,700 miles. In 1987, I moved from Northern California to Austin, Texas,…

  • 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

Wayne Kramer

1948-2024

December 13, 2024 · Willie G. Moseley

Guitarist and activist Wayne Kramer, best known as a founder of the iconic Detroit hard-rock band MC5, died in a…

Alan Sparhawk

Lowdown

March 3, 2017 · Michael Dregni

Blame it on a guitar. For Low’s Alan Sparhawk, the inspiration behind the band’s latest album, Ones and Sixes, came…

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…

Eric Clapton in Mayall’s Blues Breakers

A God is Born

October 30, 2024 · Wolf Marshall

John Mayall Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton casts a long shadow in the annals of modern music. Released in 1966,…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Rickenbacher Model 200A

August 5, 2015 · Dave Hunter

Several vintage amplifiers that have graced these pages over the years have taken us back to the early days of…

Songbirds: Museum with a Mission

Treasures in Tennessee

April 19, 2019 · Rusty Russell

Ask anyone who geeks out on vintage guitars, from the well-heeled collector to the dreamer whose prized possession is a…

Supro Thunderbolt

Supro Thunderbolt

October 25, 2017 · Christopher Tackett

Designed “…exclusively for the electric Bass guitar,” it was simplicity itself, with no “fancy extra circuits.” But much like with…

 The Guitars of Gary Rossington 

A Legend’s Legacy

October 30, 2025 · Ward Meeker

When the time came for Gary Rossington’s family to decide what to do with his guitars and amps after his…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Eastwood’s Classic 6 TA PHo

Phish Food

August 10, 2023 · Pete Prown

If you’ve seen Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio onstage, you may have noticed an unusual archtop in his mitts – a…

Bass Bruiser

The HomeBrew Hematoma Bass Overdrive

June 24, 2020 · Phil Feser

Like a lot of gear-making companies whose stuff is warmly received, Joel and Andrea Weaver at HomeBrew Electronics have never…

Budda’s Chakra and ZenMan Pedals

Zen and the Art of Tone Maintenance

April 14, 2014 · Pete Prown

Budda’s Chakra and ZenMan Pedals Price: $149.99 Contact: www.budda.com Best known in guitar circles as an admired amp builder, Budda…

Walden Sean Harkness 12-String, CG4070E

Grand-Auditorium Cousins

April 26, 2016 · Chip Wilson

Walden Sean Harkness 12-String, CG4070E Price: $1,100 (Sean Harkness Model); $1,350 (CG4070E-CERT) Info: www.waldenguitars.com. With 16 years of producing attractive,…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Babicz Octave Blue Flame

Flaming Glory

December 29, 2010 · Chip Wilson

When a vintage-minded guitarist recollects cracking open the case of a big ol’ hollowbody and catching a glimpse of flame,…

Edgar Winter

Tribute to “Brother Johnny”

January 4, 2023 · Dan Forte

Edgar Winter describes making Brother Johnny in tribute to his late brother, blues-rock guitar icon Johnny Winter, as “one of…

Greg Martin’s ’53 Fender Telecaster!

Greg Martin’s ’53 Fender Telecaster

Vintage Guitar magazine Presents Greg Martin's Head Shop

December 28, 2017 · Doug Yellow Bird

This is a regular series of exclusive Vintage Guitar online features where The Kentucky Headhunters’ Greg Martin looks back on…

Tony Mottola

Mr. Big, Guitar Pioneer

June 12, 2025 · Jim Carlton

Some argue that Tony Mottola was more legendary than famous. In a career spanning 50 years, the guitarist logged thousands…

Chris Jack

The Routes: Psychedelic Faithful

April 14, 2020 · Johnny Zapp

The Routes embody all the best elements of the ’60s psychedelic-rock scene. Based in Japan and fronted by British-born guitarist…

Oz Noy

Oz Noy

Dishing Out More Twisted Blues

May 15, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Oz Noy is talented enough to pay the bills not only as a first-call New York session cat, but also…

Dan’s Guitar RX: A New Tool Makes Luthiery Easier

With a Little Help…

April 4, 2022 · Dan Erlewine

I recently discovered a sturdy pedestal stand that holds a guitar by its neck and makes repair, builds, and setup…

Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Laying Down the Blues

April 24, 2019 · Greg Prato

Blues-rock suffered a blow in 1990 with the death of Stevie Ray Vaughan. But later in the decade, a crop…

Jimmy Day’s 1950 Fender Super-Amp

Just Like Hank

March 11, 2024 · Dave Hunter

As fascinating as we might find any vintage amplifier, at its heart, it’s often just a dusty box of archaic…

Get Your Copy Now

January 24, 2024 · Doug Yellow Bird

Limited Quantities! Pushing hard to compete with Fender and be seen as hip, in 1958, Gibson gave its Les Paul…

Adrian Legg

Adrian Legg

The Wizard of Strings

January 22, 2016 · Pete Prown

Aside from witty asides on social issues, natural disasters, and Renaissance history, Adrian Legg’s formidable fingerstyle and deep musicality remain…

Born in Chicago

Various artists

June 19, 2024 · Pete Prown

Tweaked and re-cut, this documentary charts the rise of America’s greatest urban blues and its gradual adaptation into rock. There…

Paco de Lucía

The Montreux Years

January 24, 2024 · Pete Prown

“He didn’t read music – but I have never met a musician with such an impeccable ear,” says John McLaughlin…

Webb Wilder’s take on “Beautiful Delilah”

November 3, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

“Hillbilly Speedball” sample Since the mid ’80s, Webb Wilder has cranked out consistently fine roots-rock. His latest is “Hillbilly Speedball,”…

The Band

March 6, 2014 · Michael Dregni

The Band’s double-LP Rock of Ages was released in August 1972, their first live collection – as well as their…

Chris Bergson: Heartfelt Pandemic Picking

January 10, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Chris Bergson: Heartfelt Pandemic Picking Chris Bergson used his ’60s Teisco to play a bit of his tune, “Hector and…

Joe Long’s “stack-knob” Fender Jazz Bass

June 22, 2025 · Willie G. Moseley

If you’re a fan or aficionado of vintage instruments, odds are that any early-’60s Fender Jazz Bass catches your eye.…

Home Feature Image

Echopark Clarence

Wayback Machine

June 10, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Gabriel Currie’s Echopark Guitars have been played around the world by some of the music industry’s heaviest hitters. His is…

Tokai Talbo

March 7, 2022 · Michael Wright

For aficionados of copy guitars – replicas of mostly American classics that give U.S. manufacturers apoplectic fits – perhaps no…

Phil Chen

1946-2021

November 3, 2022 · Dan Forte

His business card read “Phil Chen De Bassman,” and his picks had “OD” after his name, standing for the Order…

Reverend Descent H90 Baritone

Deep Twang

July 13, 2016 · Pete Prown

Electric baritones have increased in popularity for the last 20 years. Filling the gap between standard-tuned electric guitar and bass,…

Zakk Wylde

Doomsayer

August 11, 2022 · Greg Prato

Best-known as Ozzy Osbourne’s longest-tenured guitarist, Zakk Wylde has also been the leader of Black Label Society since the late…

Carla Olson & Mick Taylor

Sway: The Best of Carla Olson & Mick Taylor

April 12, 2023 · Bret Adams

There’s a timelessness to the earthy, powerful rock and roll captured in this collection. The blend of Textones founder Olson’s…

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,…

Blackstar ID:30TVP

Tone in the Digital Domain

December 1, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Blackstar ID:30TVP Price: $399.99 Info: www.blackstarampsx.com. Since forming in 2007, Blackstar has been building user-friendly amplifiers and attracting high-profile artists…

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…

Universal Audio Ruby, Woodrow & Dream

Model Of Perfection

July 28, 2023 · Pete Prown

With digital recording more popular than ever, audio designers are working to capture guitar tone directly, without miking an amp.…

Aldo Nova

Fully Engaged

February 7, 2023 · Bret Adams

I did a lot of disappearing acts in my career. And when I disappear, I disappear,” Aldo Nova says with…

Susan Tedeschi

Just Won’t Burn

October 29, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Fantasy Records is celebrating Susan Tedeschi by reissuing the album that introduced her to lovers of soulful music the world…