The ‘‘Blackburst’’

The ‘‘Blackburst’’

Les Paul Standard of a Different Shade

Toy Caldwell Jim Summaria, http://www.jimsummariaphoto.com

Toy Caldwell

Marine and Marshall Tucker Guitarist Toy Caldwell

  • LSL Instruments’ Lucid OD and OG OD

    LSL Instruments’ Lucid OD and OG OD

    Lively Drives

    LSL Instruments is best known for high-end Leo-style guitar builds, but they’ve also started delving into overdrive pedals. The Lucid OD is their version of a Klon Centaur – one…

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ARTISTS

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Binky Philips

July 15, 2025 · Ram W. Tuli

Season 03 Episode 01 In Episode 3.2 of “Buy That Guitar,” presented by Vintage Guitar magazine, host Ram Tuli engages…

Darryl Jones photo: P. Baumbach

Darryl Jones

Stones’ Side Man, Ron Wood Fan

March 10, 2014 · Elliot Stephen Cohen

“Unofficial” Rolling Stones bassist Darryl Jones, who replaced Bill Wyman in 1994, readily admits that playing with the carousing rockers…

Mike Campbell

Got Lucky

December 8, 2025 · Bret Adams

Mike Campbell is one of the most-heard guitarists on earth thanks to his work in the legendary Tom Petty and…

Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams: Funky Syncopation

July 29, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Fine pickin’ on “The Way You Make Me Feel” Husband-and-wife team Martin D-18, while Teresa comps on an Emmylou Harris…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Fender’s V-Front 5B4 Super-Amp

Wonder Wedge

July 12, 2023 · Dave Hunter

Though all tweed Fender amps of the late ’40s and ’50s are lauded and lusted after, the V-front Super might…

PRS Basses

Subjective Funk & Cool

June 6, 2001 · John J. Slog

The Paul Reed Smith bass was introduced at the January ’96 NAMM show. Set-neck and bolt-on (CE model) models were…

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…

G&L’s Climax & LB-100

March 26, 2010 · Willie G. Moseley

G&L Climax (serial number B025855) in Emerald Blue finish. Carve on the back of the Climax.Photos: Bill Ingalls Jr. Instruments…


APPROVED GEAR

Ibanez M522S

Ibanez M522S

F-Style For Less

July 7, 2016 · Pete Prown

Thanks to acts such as the Avett Brothers, Mumford & Sons, and the Punch Brothers, the mandolin is suddenly hip…

Way Cool Version: Newman Guitars’ Honeycomb Chambered Jr.

December 21, 2022 · Tom Guerra

Following Ted Newman Jones’ passing in 2016, protégé Jeff Smith took over Newman Guitars and is furthering the vision, using…

Tsakalis Experience, Emma ON-1 Okto-Nøjs, and Mad Professor Twimble

World Sounds

July 3, 2019 · Pete Prown

It seems that every other stompbox on the market has dual-footswitch functionality, packing two entirely different circuits into one housing.…

Orange TH30 Combo

Orange TH30 Combo

Small Clubs, Big Tones

January 5, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Orange TH30 Combo Price:$1,379 (list) Info: www.orangeamps.com Beyond their eye-catching color, Orange amplifiers have always rendered a distinct sound. Today,…

  • Alan Gogoll

    Alan Gogoll

    Harmonic Convergence

    Hailing from the Australian island of Tasmania, Alan Gogoll is reshaping acoustic guitar before our eyes. Sure, you’ve heard artificial harmonics, but Gogoll has refined it into a fluid technique that is, quite simply, breathtaking. Heard on his latest, Lioness Lullabies, bell-like notes cascade like a waterfall over each song – truly, it’s something you…

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  • Eric Lindberg

    Eric Lindberg

    “I’m always trying to do things I haven’t done before,” says guitarist/banjoist Eric Lindberg, who has toured and recorded for a decade with wife Doni Zasloff as the bluegrass duo Nefesh Mountain. “A lot of folks know us as a bluegrass/mostly acoustic band, but I really have been getting back into my personal roots –…

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  • Dan Hawkins

    Dan Hawkins

    Toast of the Town

    When The Darkness roared out of England with its 2003 debut Permission to Land and the hit “I Believe in a Thing Called Love,” the music world was slapped across the face. The band reminded people that melodic hard rock steeped in ’70s influences was supposed to be catchy, fun, and sometimes outrageous. Guitarist Dan…

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  • Joe Satriani

    Joe Satriani

    The hardest-working guitarist in show business, Joe Satriani recently wrapped up a successful Van Halen tour, a G3 Reunion tour, a live album, a residency in Las Vegas with Sammy Hagar, and is now supporting an album co-written with Steve Vai. Does Satch ever rest? The G3 Reunion Tour sent everyone back to the guitar…

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  • Mike Campbell

    Mike Campbell

    Got Lucky

    Mike Campbell is one of the most-heard guitarists on earth thanks to his work in the legendary Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and their catalog of hit singles (“American Girl,” “I Need to Know,” “Refugee,” “The Waiting”) and certifiably classic albums (Damn the Torpedoes, Hard Promises). He has also written for and played with many…

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Henriksen’s JazzAmp 112-ER

All That Jazz

January 10, 2014 · Chip Wilson

Henriksen’s JazzAmp 112-ER Price: $999 (retail) Info: www.henriksenamps.com. Traditionally, jazz guitarists have sought a mellow tone in which single notes…

George Benson

Breezin’ With The Boss of Jazz Guitar

August 26, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

Grammy winner and music legend George Benson has lived a guitarist’s dream. Bridging the gap between pop and jazz helped…

Kinga Glyk’s four-string tightrope

May 24, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Star bassist shines on “That Right There” Superstar bassist Kinga Glyk brings everything from funk-fusion virtuosity to booty-moving grooves. With…

Chordal Colorations

Iconic Axes of Different Hues

October 3, 2015 · Michael Dregni

Though their colors are complementary, Brian May’s Red Special and Brian Setzer’s ’59 Gretsch 6120 couldn’t be more different in…

Larry Coryell

January 26, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

The lastest from the godfather of fusion guitar harkens back to his ’71 album Barefoot Boy, revisiting the energy, philosophy,…