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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…
Walrus The Melee
Super Soaker
Just when you think you’ve seen everything, along comes Walrus’ The Melee: Wall of Noise, a pedal with a built-in…
Rahul Mukerji
Indian Fusion Fanatic
Traditional music from India makes ready use of stringed instruments such as sitars, veenas, and tanpuras. But Rahul Mukerji is…
Peter Tuffrey
British Guitarists 1952-1972: Electric Pioneers
Peter Tuffrey is an author of general-interest books (several about English trains) who is adroit at compiling information. This one…
Have Guitar Will Travel – Featuring 005 BottleRock Music Festival Pt. 2
James hits BottleRock again and speaks to blues-rock guitarist Hamish Anderson, singer/songwriter Matt Maeson, and Bay Area picker Milo Horstman.…
John 5 and the Creatures
The Horror
Making good music requires a stimulating muse or inspiration. For some it’s love, happiness, loss, or regret. For guitarist John…
Orange County Guitar Show 2017
[caption id="attachment_26910" align="alignright" width="1112"] Joe Bonamassa's Special Fender Strat Exhibit at the Orange County Guitar Show[/caption] [caption id="attachment_26919" align="alignright" width="300"]…
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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
John Notto
Dirty Deeds
The “Is rock dead?” debate rears its head every few years. But with the emergence of new bands like Dirty…
Pop ’N Hiss: Robin Trower’s Twice Removed from Yesterday
Think Again
The solo career of guitar icon Robin Trower took off like a rocket in the early ’70s after he left…
Eli “Paperboy” Reed
“Always” Music
Guitarist/producer Eli “Paperboy” Reed understands the emotional thread between blues, gospel, R&B, and country music. He has created his own…
Alligator Greats
Bruce Iglauer Recalls 50 Years of Blues Guitar
Anyone wondering why a young Bruce Iglauer was so impassioned about recording the raw, high-energy blues of Theodore Roosevelt “Hound…
CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS
Fender’s Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic
Little Brothers
Often forgotten amongst Fender’s many classics, the Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic were conceived to capitalize on teenagers taking up the guitar…
Gibson’s Mastertone Banjos
This Gibson RB-3 five-string from 1925 is a rare piece, as is any five-string banjo from the era dominated by…
The “Last” Trainwreck?
Ken Fischer’s prolonged illness and subsequent death at the age of 61 remains one of the great tragedies of the…
Clapton’s Fool
History’s Greatest Guitar?
Eric Clapton’s The Fool. A name immediately recognizable to guitarists, yet baffling to others. What is Clapton’s Fool? Very simply,…
NEWSWIRE
APPROVED GEAR
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Live Wire
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Narrow(field) Win
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Take Flight
MOD Kits DIY 102+ Amp Kit
Do It Yerself
MOD Kits DIY 102+ Amp Kit Price: $265 (list) Contact: www.modkitsdiy.com A good friend jokingly remarked that building tube amps…
DiPinto Mach IV
Garage Days
There are times when a traditional Strat or Tele won’t scratch a particular itch, and you need a retro plank…
Breedlove’s Jeff Bridges
The Wood Abides
Sustainably sourced guitars – those constructed with wood harvested from managed land rather than the wilds – are often on…
Fender Acoustasonic Player Telecaster
Well-Bred Hybrid
The truth? Hybrid guitars are a tall order. But with the Acoustasonic line – now five models strong – Fender’s…
WHAT ELSE IS NEW
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More Personal
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Rare Pioneer
Ceil Thompson and her self-made guitar
“Dan’s Guitar Rx”: VG’s Rock-and-Roll High School(er)! In 2022, Dan Erlewine’s “Guitar Rx” column walked readers through a class-project guitar…
Epiphone Rivoli
Former Gibson president Ted McCarty (1909-2001) is credited for his leadership of the company when it peaked in terms of…
Steve Rothery
Prog with a Purpose
Marillion has been playing thought-provoking neo-prog since its 1983 debut album, Script for a Jester’s Tear. Along the way, the…
Live at the Fillmore East 1969
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
A veritable holy grail, this recording from CSNY’s first tour captures their harmonies in amber. Better, the integrity of the…
