The City of Guitars

Git-Shopping in Paris

July 9, 2019 · Michael Dregni

On your way to Paris for a romantic getaway? Wanting to see the sights in the City of Light? Then…

Victoria Vic 105

The Victoria VIC 105

Raw And Responsive

August 21, 2013 · Zac Childs

Victoria VIC 105 Price: $1,495 Contact: Victoria Amp Co.; phone (630) 820-6400; victoriaamp.com. In the 1990s, Mark Baier put himself…

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…

Classics: November 2023

Al Caiola’s Gretsch Prototype

July 31, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Robby Zolezzi has been a touring pro guitarist since he was 18 years old, having taken up the instrument at 11, spurred by…

Joanne Shaw Taylor

Passion and Soul

July 27, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

British blues-rock guitarist Joanne Shaw Taylor is leaving her mark on the classics. With The Blues Album, Taylor’s husky vocals…

The Gretsch 6120 Tenor

December 2, 2014 · George Gruhn

This 1958 Gretsch Chet Atkins 6120 four-string tenor guitar is a very rare variation of the model. Gretsch built other…

  • 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

Don’t Call it Fusion: Julien Kasper’s “Upon a Green Hill”

February 29, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Beck (et al) Connection! The music made by Julien Kasper is connected to Miles, Beck, Hendrix, Mahavishnu, and Scofield, but…

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…

John Mayall

1933-2024

May 30, 2025 · Pete Prown

Drummer Mick Fleetwood was only briefly a member of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, but that was enough to launch his platinum…

Robbie Robertson

The Many Sides of

October 26, 2015 · Dan Forte

It’s difficult to say which is more ironic: the fact that Robbie Robertson, one of rock guitar’s true stylists, is…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Gibson J-185

The Gibson J-185

November 20, 2015 · George Gruhn

The J-185 is regarded by many players and collectors as the finest-sounding Gibson flat-top made after World War II. The…

VG Q&A: A Gilded ’63 Jazz Bass

Plus, Swappable Pickups, Bartell Guitars, and a Mystery Lap Steel

December 23, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

I am the third owner of a 1963 Jazz Bass with a neck stamp “7Jan63A,” pots dated that May, and…

The Birth of Newman Guitars

September 29, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

  Newman Guitars was established in Austin, TX in 1977 by Ted Newman Jones. Ted was a pioneer of design…

Instro-Meister Eric Penna

September 7, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Blues Switch-Up in Trabants Eric Penna’s main gig is playing bass for the garage/surf band Insect Surfers, but he side-hustles…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Sebago Sound DT50

Texas Tone – And More

March 1, 2014 · Max Prown

Sebago Sound DT50 Price: $1,999 Contact: sebagosound.com The DT50 is the 50-watt version of Sebago Sound’s acclaime d Double Trouble…

Coppersound Kingpin Clipper and Iris Optical Compressor

Royal Restraint

August 4, 2024 · Charlie Wilkins

With the growing popularity of small-footprint effects, Coppersound’s Kingpin Germanium Clipper and Iris Optical Compressor nicely fit the bill –…

The Vox AC30C2X and AC15C1

Brit-Rock Mojo in a Box

August 20, 2013 · Pete Prown

Fully appointed in classic Vox dress, the famed British amp maker’s new AC30C2X and AC15C1 both sport enough of that…

Guild A-20 Marley

Get Up, Stand Up

October 12, 2022 · Pete Prown

When it comes to famous Bobs in rock, Dylan is first to mind. But just behind him is another songwriting…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Robin Trower

Bridge of Skies

November 1, 2024 · Greg Prato

At age 78, Robin Trower remains at the top of his game, musically – still offering smoldering solos from his…

Fretprints: Ty Tabor

X Marks the Spot

June 14, 2024 · Wolf Marshall

The turbulent 1980s ended with a tsunami of bands seeking new sounds. Trends like classic-rock redux, blues/roots revivals, nu-metal, grunge,…

The Taylor 712e

Naturally Bold

March 13, 2019 · Phil Feser

Taylor Guitars recently redesigned their 700 Series, to add performance bracing, two-piece maple/spruce bridge plate, protein (hide) glue on bridge…

D’Angelico Excel EXL-1

Laudable Likeness

July 24, 2019 · Michael Dregni

Few vintage guitars are as vaunted as John D’Angelico’s original handcrafted Excel archtops. Building a new – and affordable –…

VG Q&A: ’71 Mahogany Precision?

Plus, a ’60s Conrad 12-String and Converting a ’65 ES-345TD-SV to Mono

June 5, 2025 · George Gruhn

I have a Fender Precision Bass with a 1971 neck date and serial number 296XXX, and I’ve always suspected the…

Pigtail Music

May 10, 2022 · Julian Burtell

Pigtail music makes ABR-style and wraparound bridges (in the U.S.) with vintage-style appearance and materials, but to tighter tolerances. Their…

Vintage Guitar magazine Top 100 guitarists B.B. King: Heinrich Klaffs/Wikimedia Commons.

Top 100 Guitarists

30 Years, 30 Favorites

November 2, 2016 · Vintage Guitar

To help mark its 30th year of publication, VG asked readers to submit a list of their five favorite guitarists…

MXR Dyna Comp Mini

A Classic, Compressed

April 23, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

In the ’70s, the original MXR Dyna Comp found its way onto a plethora of now-classic vinyl sides and was…

Jim Campilongo & Steve Cardenas

Mutual Musical Idiosyncrasies

October 25, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Steve Cardenas and Jim Campilongo have been playing guitar together for a long time, though the constellations only recently aligned…

Bergen Guitars ST and TL

Messing with Perfection

March 4, 2014 · Chip Wilson

Bergen Guitars ST and TL Price: $2,195 (ST, base)/$2,595 (as tested); $1,895 (TL, base)/$2,295 (as tested) Info: www.bergenguitars.com. If your…

Steve Khan

Backlog

May 26, 2017 · John Heidt

Steve Khan has spent the last few albums mixing Latin music and jazz. The project has worked beautifully, culminating in…

DLS TR1 Tremolo and RotoSim

Swirls and Twirls

April 21, 2014 · Phil Feser

If you’ve ever played guitar through a Leslie rotating-speaker cabinet, you’re aware of its lush 3D sound. Many guitarists would…

Last In Line

May 15, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

This album reunites Mark 1 of the late Ronnie James Dio’s solo band, including Vinny Appice, the late Jimmy Bain,…

Album of the Year

February 8, 2017 · Vintage Guitar

From 2012 to the present — read about each Readers' Choice Awards Albums.

DoleSonic Half Back Stack

Tone Meets Crafts-manship

December 12, 2013 · Sean OBryan Smith

Shaw Audio Bass 130 Price: $1,350 Contact: www.tremcaster.com, phone: (330) 608-2043 In a day where gear companies often focus on…

Jane Getter

Jazz-Rock Premonitions

March 2, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Jane Getter’s Anomalia is a mostly instrumental album that traverses the hypnotic seas of jazz-rock, with lyrics. A fusion of…

Justin Hayward

Prolificity and Perceptions

December 2, 2013 · Willie G. Moseley

In addition to touring and recording with the legendary English band, Moody Blues lead guitarist/vocalist Hayward released his most recent…

Vivi-Tone “Skeleton

A Master’s Magnificent Misfire

December 12, 2025 · Peter Stuart Kohman

The eternal question “Who invented the electric guitar?” has no single answer. By the late 1920s, many players, tinkerers, and…

John Wetton

Back In Asia

July 13, 2020 · Willie G. Moseley

Bassist/vocalist John Wetton has exhibited his solid chops and plaintive baritone voice through the decades in King Crimson, Asia, and…

Gibson EH-150

An Odd Gibson EH-150

10 Strings, Lap-Style

January 20, 2016 · George Gruhn

Lap-steel guitars were the first commercially available electrics – ancestors of the guitars we plug in today, regardless of their…

Ruby Dee and the Snakehandlers

Full-Throttle Rockabilly

October 30, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Ruby Dee, guitarman Jorge Harada, and crew serve up 200-proof rockabilly. Their brand of music is not Stray Cats glitz…

Soul Tramp Tweed 12

5E3 (Non) Copy

January 8, 2018 · Anders Fransson

Soul Tramp Amps are builder Don Hill’s take on classic amp circuit designs… for instance, his Tweed 12 offers a…

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…

Nancy Wilson

One Heart

April 28, 2022 · Bret Adams

The Covid-19 pandemic halted much of our lives, but there was a silver lining. Many musicians who couldn’t tour or…

Def Leppard

Diamond Star Halos

April 12, 2023 · Bret Adams

Def Leppard has always emphasized loving ’70s glam rock and protested being labeled a heavy metal band. Okay – but…

Roland’s JC-22 Jazz Chorus

More Than Just Chime

March 13, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

The original Roland Jazz Chorus doesn’t get the kind of love that American and British amps in the rock and…

Matchless JJ-30

Stage Staunch

May 9, 2019 · Dave Hunter

Rare and sought-after, in part because only about 40 were built, the Matchless JJ-30 John Jorgenson is the only Signature…

Mark Lettieri

Can I Tell You Something?

August 13, 2025 · Pete Prown

The Snarky Puppy virtuoso delivers a set of crisp funk-fusion, touching on everything from Steely Dan jazzisms to an ’80s…

Thom Douvan

Thom Douvan

Motown and More

July 5, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

Released in April, guitarist Thom Douvan’s third album, All Over Again, is a mix of self-penned instrumentals (with one notable…