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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…
Pieces of a Prototype
Secrets of a Socal "Parts" Guitar
If you were a guitar – particularly one with a natural or translucent finish – your “fingerprint” would be…
Fretprints: Roy Lanham
Hillbilly Jazz Takes Hollywood
Woefully under-recognized guitarist Roy Lanham was a favorite of leading country and jazz pickers and rock innovators; Merle Travis extolled…
Greg Lake
Welcome Back, My Friends Part 1 and 2
Bassist/vocalist Greg Lake, a force in the advent of progressive rock in the early 1970s with Emerson, Lake and Palmer…
First-Rate Second Fiddles
Jimi’s Gibsons at the Hard Rock Cafe
No two ways about it, as his career hit stride, Jimi Hendrix was a Strat guy. Not famously loyal to…
Pop ’N Hiss: Humble Pie’s Smokin’
Free Wailin’
British rockers Humble Pie were steeped in blues and R&B influences that coursed through vocalist/rhythm guitarist Steve Marriott. When they…
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,…
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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
“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Alan Greenwood
Season 02 Episode 1 VG’s “Buy That Guitar” podcast opens its second season with host Ram Tuli joined by Alan…
Ed Sanner
Fuzz Redux
While not well-known in California guitar lore, Ed Sanner’s electronics designs have been heard by millions of guitar fans, and…
Jeremy Popoff
Gettin’ Lit Again
After the gloom of grunge, the late ’90s saw a surge of energetic sounds, mixing hard rock, pop, and punk…
Anders Osborne
Making Tracks
When Anders Osborne, his band, and various friends went into the studio to work on what became Spacedust & Ocean…
CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS
The Epiphone Devon Tremolo EA-35T Combo
Tonally TransAtlantic
After giving the upstart Fender a run for its money in the amplifier department throughout the 1950s, Gibson segued into…
1963 Fender Twin Reverb Prototype
The Twin has long been the flagship of Fender’s high-wattage amp lineup, and it achieved/retained that status through several iterations…
Vega Director Model A-60
Enticing Extras
A worthy vintage combo in all regards, there’s sad irony in the fact the Director Model A-60 is representative of…
Hallmark Swept-Wing
Brief Flight from South of Bakersfield
Bob Shade exemplifies the adage “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” The guitar builder has an enviable assortment of…
NEWSWIRE
APPROVED GEAR
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Live Wire
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Narrow(field) Win
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Take Flight
JangleBox Acousticomp
Sweet Woodiness
Compression and sustain are the icing on most guitarist’s tonal palette. While many use such effects in service of electric…
Guild’s S-200 T-Bird
Cult-Fave Phoenix
Sometimes admired, often maligned, the cult classic Guild S-200 T-Bird has enjoyed a rebirth in the hands of Black Keys…
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…
Fuchs Audio Technology Full House-50 Combo
The Art of the Deal
The Fuchs Full House-50 1×12 is a compact amp that strives to deliver a range of tones in a small…
WHAT ELSE IS NEW
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More Personal
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Rare Pioneer
The Guitars of Gary Rossington
A Legend’s Legacy
When the time came for Gary Rossington’s family to decide what to do with his guitars and amps after his…
Instro-Meister Eric Penna
Blues Switch-Up in Trabants Eric Penna’s main gig is playing bass for the garage/surf band Insect Surfers, but he side-hustles…
Susan Tedeschi
Just Won’t Burn
Fantasy Records is celebrating Susan Tedeschi by reissuing the album that introduced her to lovers of soulful music the world…
Los Lobos
Native Sons
The venerable Los Angeles band (guitarists Cesar Rosas, David Hidalgo and Louie Pérez, Jr., bassist Conrad Lozano and sax man…
