The Doltones

Sound Recycle Machine

October 29, 2024 · Dan Forte

There must be something in those icy fjords. What else can explain the great surf music that has come out…

Brown’s Guitar Factory Lap Steel

Steel Yourself

July 13, 2016 · Steven Stone

At the beginning of amplified music, one of the first instruments to get a magnetic pickup was the Rickenbacker “frying…

New Orleans Guitar Company Model 8

Sonic Mojo

March 1, 2014 · Chip Wilson

New Orleans Guitar Company Model 8 Price: $2,999 Contact: neworleansguitar.com For over a decade, the New Orleans Guitar Company has…

3Below

Live in Mérida

November 7, 2025 · Pete Prown

The members of 3Below mostly play in the bass clef. You may know names like fretless master Michael Manring (Michael…

John Osborne

Feelin’ Fearless

October 25, 2024 · Ward Meeker

 Brothers Osborne play a distinctive version of 21-century country music. Rising above trendy themes and sounds like tailgate anthems and…

DryBell Vibe Machine 3

Big Deepness

February 8, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

DryBell Musical Electronic Laboratory’s original Vibe Machine (its take on the classic Univibe) was developed 11 years ago and received…

  • Super PickupGiveaway 2025

    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…

    Read more >>

NOW AVAILABLE!

CURRENT ISSUE

Join 25,700+ subscribers & be notified when new articles & more becomes available!

ARTISTS

Molly Miller

Dr. J(azz)

June 3, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Molly Miller is on a quest to bring instrumental music back to storytelling. Her new album, St. George, fuses jazz,…

Buck Owens and The Buckaroos

“A Bunch of Twangy Guitars”

February 12, 2014 · Rich Kienzle

Buck Owens’ track to stardom had an unorthodox start and believe it or not, his singing didn’t launch that journey…

Steve Winwood

Voice of a Guitar Great

April 28, 2020 · Dan Forte

It would seem contradictory to describe someone as both underrated and a virtuoso, but such is the case with Steve…

Ally Venable

Heart of Texas

March 2, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

On her fourth album, Ally Venable serves up a heaping helping of poignant songs wrapped in Texas-style blues-rock. Ballsy wah…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Recording Acoustic Guitars

The Art of Home Recording

April 24, 2017 · Dave Hunter

Recording an acoustic guitar is very different from recording an electric, employing different microphones, placement, and technique. Here are a…

Gibson Kalamazoo Award

Designer's Dream Come True

February 1, 2016 · Gil Hembree

In 1978, Gibson craftsman Wilbur Fuller produced the company’s first hand-carved, tuned-by-ear custom guitar. The instrument, which in a blind…

Fender Mustang

Truly Transitional

April 28, 2020 · Willie G. Moseley

Despite its short scale, the Mustang has a potent sound, and as a result it was used by many notable…

Adam Levy’s Wistful Elegance

February 28, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Vintage ES-335 on “And They All Sang” Famous for supplying charismatic guitar parts while backing Nora Jones and Tracy Chapman,…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Strymon Cloudburst

Celestial Seasonings

February 8, 2024 · Pete Prown

Equipped with powerful delay, modulation, and pitch-shifting abilities, Strymon’s new Cloudburst stretches its “Ambient Reverb” label by adding space and…

Friedman Amplification JEL-20

Firebreather

August 4, 2024 · Charlie Wilkins

For 25 years, Dave Friedman has been creating amplifiers that helped him (eh-hem) gain amp-guru status. His limited-run Jake E.…

The Jext Telez Jonathan Wilson’s Canyon Climber, Jext Face

Fuzz Buzz

October 14, 2019 · Michael Dregni

There’s nothing subtle about Jext Telez stompboxes; they’re about loud colors, loud sounds, and loads of fuzz. The latest creations…

T-Rex Replicator

Daily Echo

May 30, 2019 · Michael Dregni

Among the arcana of tone, few things inspire as much devotion – even obsession – as echo. The Holy Grail…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Taylor 724ce

Bold And Bright

June 12, 2023 · Pete Prown

In the Hawaiian tongue, koa means “bold” and it’s an apt name for the wood known in guitardom for its…

'39 Gibson EH-185

’39 Gibson EH-185

March 18, 2016 · Dave Hunter

Preamp tubes: three 6J7, one 6N7 Output tubes: two 6L6 Rectifier: 5U4 Controls: Instrument Volume, Microphone Volume, Bass and Treble…

Evil robot Feature Page

Evil Robot EVR-C30

Advances in Mojo

June 11, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

Evil Robot EVR-C30 Price: $999 (list) Info: www.frettedamericana.com. In 2010, music retailer Fretted Americana joined forces with amp wizard John…

Dawner Prince Electronics Pulse

A New Spin

February 10, 2022 · Michael Dregni

There are plenty of takes on the Leslie rotating speaker and its most famous stompbox offshoot, the Shin-ei Uni-Vibe. Dawner…

Ty Tabor

Digging Deep

February 7, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

King’s X guitarist Ty Tabor’s latest solo album is a guitar-centric meditation on mindfulness and the complexities of existence. With…

Ana Popovic

Blues Jazz & Soul

January 5, 2018 · Oscar Jordan

Ana Popovic brings to her music an inspiring drive and work ethic. Super-appreciative of her fans, she recently released three…

Star Board: Rudy Jaramillo

Star Board: Rudy Jaramillo

April 28, 2016 · Ward Meeker

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

Have Guitar Will Travel 082 – Drew Holcomb, Foy Vance and Christophe Paubert

January 6, 2023 · James Patrick Regan

In the latest episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan connects with three artists – two musicans…

Fletcher Bright and Bill Evans with Norman and Nancy Blake

May 15, 2016 · Michael Dregni

  This jam session recorded in veteran fiddler Fletcher Bright’s living room in Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, exudes a warmth, passion,…

The Dead Live On

Various Artists

July 5, 2018 · Michael Dregni

The Grateful Dead just may be more popular now that the band is actually dead and gone. Their musical industrial…

Rex Brown

Still Smoking

April 24, 2019 · Greg Prato

Throughout his career, Rex Brown has delivered the low-end as the bassist for Pantera, Down, and Kill Devil Hill. But…

Vibesware Guitar Resonator GR-Junior II

Vibesware Guitar Resonator GR-Junior II

Sustain For Days

February 12, 2016 · Pete Prown

Vibesware Guitar Resonator GR-Junior II Price: $175 (list, depending on exchange rate) Contact: www.vibesware.com In the beginning, there was the…

Fender Acoustic Pro and Acoustic SFX

Curved Air

March 2, 2017 · Pete Prown

Fender has been making acoustic guitar amps for decades – now they’re reinventing the genre, and their designers deserve a…

Paul Reed Smith

Lions Roaring in Quicksand

December 6, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

The new album by guitar builder Paul Reed Smith and his band, Eightlock, offers soul-based sounds with deep grooves, three…

Dan’s Guitar RX: Adding Master Volume to a Les Paul

Plus One

November 16, 2023 · Dan Erlewine

My friend Alex Aguilar recently asked me to do something most guitarists would consider sacrilegious – add a Master Volume…

Check This Action: Back Aboard

May 1, 2023 · Dan Forte

Despite (or because of) the huge Folk Boom of the late ’50s and early ’60s, these days “folk” is almost…

Steve Kimock

May 16, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

There comes a time in a musician’s life when he confronts the inevitable question, “Who am I? Am I a…

Howard Roberts

H.R. Was a Dirty Guitar Player!

October 7, 2014 · Jim Carlton

In his prime, Howard Roberts played more than 900 studio dates annually and recorded the hippest guitar records of the…

Home Feature Image

Teye Super Coyote

Zemaitis Redux

June 10, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Teije Wijnterp has been around. Born in the Netherlands, he studied flamenco guitar in Spain before relocating to Austin and…

Ibanez Tube Screamer

March 8, 2014 · Michael Dregni

From the first notes of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Texas Flood,” you can hear it loud and clear; that snarly tone…

Deluxe Dirt

Wampler’s Tumnus Deluxe & Paisley Drive Deluxe

April 16, 2020 · Pete Prown

Already road-proven overdrive stompboxes, the Wampler Tumnus and Paisley Drive have received a makeover for 2018. But, is there is…

Carvin’s HH2 Allan Holdsworth

Off With Their Heads

April 29, 2016 · Phil Feser

Headless guitars and basses, which had their heyday back in the big-hair/thin-necktie ’80s (think Power Windows-era Geddy Lee), still have…

Chris Bishop Oscar Jordan Vintage Guitar magazine

Chris Bishop

Wizards and Technology

September 5, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Riff rockers Crobot have been promoting their first album, Something Supernatural, with a live show offering full-bombast rock, contagious funk,…

Ibanez Artcore AGS73FM and Vintage VSA500HB

Solid Semis

October 3, 2019 · Pete Prown

In the past several years, many import guitar brands have improved their build quality while continuing to offer their goods…

Pop ’N Hiss: Dio’s Holy Diver

Divine Metal

June 5, 2023 · Bret Adams

Vocalist Ronnie James Dio was on a roll as he formed the band that would record his 1983 album Holy…

Kay-Ta Matsuno’s fluid fingerstyle

June 29, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Raised on classical, inspired by movie music Lovers of fingerstyle likely know the music of Kay-Ta Matsuno. For the uninitiated,…

2022 April Issue on Spotify

April 1, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

This month we feature Slash, Myles Kennedy, Ventures’ Don Wilson, J.D. Simo, Isaiah Mitchell, Luther Dickinson, Joe Satriani, Earl Hooker,…

Dr. Z Z Wreck Combo

Dr. Z Z Wreck Combo

Tone On The Go

January 14, 2016 · Brett Jochim

Dr. Z Z Wreck Combo Price: $2,999 Info: www.drzamps.com. Originally designed as a head with a matching 2×12 cabinet, the…

Selwyn Birchwood

Living In a Burning House

February 4, 2022 · Sean McDevitt

Selwyn Birchwood’s third album for Chicago-based Alligator Records represents new creative frontiers for the 36-year-old Florida native. The robust use…