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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…

Michael Schenker
Acoustic Album, Electric Gear
One of the most influential guitarists in hard rock history, Michael Schenker has imbued the music of UFO, Scorpions, and…

Steve Dawson
Steve Dawson shines as a session player and producer supporting other artists’ work. But when he hides away in his…

Fender Coronado XII Wildwood
Instrument Profile
Sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Yea, baby! Okay, to be honest, there’s no real evidence that this 1967 Fender…

Star Board: Rudy Jaramillo
Rudy Jaramillo is quick to mention that his effects setup is very simple. “I go into my 1) Boss tuner,…

TC Electronic Spark
Booster Shot
Everyone’s guitar tone sometimes needs a little assistance, especially playing with a band. To the rescue comes the TC Electronic…

Watkins Rapier 33
If you were an American teenager in the late 1950s or early ’60s, and you wanted to play the new…
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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…
ARTISTS

Pat Rush
Johnny, James, Et Al
If the name “Pat Rush” doesn’t immediately ring a bell, the names of people he’s played with – Muddy Waters,…
Joe Satriani
Creativity and Chaos
Calling any player “the hardest working guitarist in the business” is rather like referring to one as the “best guitarist”…

Jerry Douglas
Helping Hiatt
In April of 2020, Jerry Douglas and his band were set to back singer/songwriter John Hiatt on his new album,…

Lazer Lloyd
Blues in Israel – A Common Bond
If you ask guitarist Lazer Lloyd, the state of Israel is an appropriate place for blues music. Originally known as…
CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

The (Way) Back Beat: A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody
Fretted cheesecake advertising through the years, Part Two
Last month, we began looking at some of the more entertaining fretted instrument advertising of the 20th century, in what…

Recording Acoustic Guitars
The Art of Home Recording
Recording an acoustic guitar is very different from recording an electric, employing different microphones, placement, and technique. Here are a…

Gibson’s GA-8 Discoverer
Sonic Satellite
By the end of the 1950s, “space” was the name of the game, and any forward-thrusting gear that hoped to…
The Rickenbacker 4000
The model 4000 was not only Rickenbacker’s first foray into the electric-bass market, it was decidedly different from Fender’s Precision…
NEWSWIRE
APPROVED GEAR
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Live Wire
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Narrow(field) Win
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Take Flight

Sturdy and “Purdy”
Dashboards Pedalboards
Founded in 2010 by guitarist Ashley Dasher and based on his vision of the ideal touring pedalboard, Dashboards offers well-crafted,…

DSM Humboldt ClearComp 1078 Dynamic Threshold Compressor
Smooth and Sweet
When it comes to compressor pedals, the modern standard is to pursue studio-quality results in a pedalboard-friendly box. DSM Humboldt…

Boss MT-2 3A Metal Zone
Captain Crunch
Over the years, the Boss Metal Zone has often been lampooned for its ferocious personality. But if you plug one…

Luna Art Vintage Parlor Acoustic/Electric
Rustic Charm
Luna’s newest entry in its Vintage Series, the Art Vintage Parlor takes modern playability and puts it in a rustic…
WHAT ELSE IS NEW
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And an Archtop Mystery
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Supergroup Alpha

Gibson’s Budget Redux
The SB Series Guitars and Basses
As the 1960s rolled into the ’70s, Gibson had established itself in the electric-bass market with front-line instruments such as…

Sun Rises Again
January, 1950: 27-year-old Sam Phillips opens Memphis Recording Service, soon to become famous as Sun Studio and launching rock and…

Tyler Morris Features a Martin Style 2 1/2-17
Tyler Morris Playing a Martin Style 2 1/2-17 Tyler Morris grabbed his 19th-century Martin Style 2 1/2-17 to play a…

Paul Gabriel
Rollin’ With Robillard
For Paul Gabriel, the opportunity to work with fellow guitarist Duke Robillard happened decades after they’d met and first played…









































