• 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…

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Pete Anderson

November 7, 2006 · Dan Forte

Despite prevailing trends and “industry wisdom” – an oxymoron Pete Anderson has disproved several times over – the 20-year association…

Henriksen’s JazzAmp 112-ER

All That Jazz

January 10, 2014 · Chip Wilson

Henriksen’s JazzAmp 112-ER Price: $999 (retail) Info: www.henriksenamps.com. Traditionally, jazz guitarists have sought a mellow tone in which single notes…

Cicognani Pompeii PP603

Dimensional Echoes

December 6, 2021 · Oscar Jordan

Cicognani Engineering has been making noise with a terrific lineup of amps and effects, earning raves from notable artists like…

Thin Lizzy

Vagabonds of the Western World 50th Anniversary

October 29, 2024 · Pete Prown

Long before “The Boys Are Back in Town,” Thin Lizzy was a pugnacious Dublin trio with bassist Phil Lynott and…

Peavey Forum

Peavey Forum Basses

Durable, Dependable

January 2, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

In his 2003 book, American Basses, author Jim Roberts noted that for all of Peavey’s innovative offerings in the 1990s,…

VG Q&A: Parlor Mystery

Plus, a Pro’s List of Repair Glues

January 2, 2026 · Dan Erlewine

My neighbor has an old parlor guitar that he asked me to clean up after years in storage. Inside the…

  • Greg Koch

    Greg Koch

    Blues

    The Gristle Master returns with scintillating blues and the influences that made him the six-string slayer he is today. On this live recording, Koch uses an array of guitars including…

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ARTISTS

Rik Emmett

Canadian Custom

January 14, 2026 · Bret Adams

Rik Emmett is a master of many guitar styles and other artistic endeavors. As co-lead vocalist/guitarist in the hard-rock trio…

Have Guitar Will Travel 071 – Adrian Belew & Turkuaz’s Dave Brandwein

March 10, 2022 · James Patrick Regan

In episode 71 of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” James Patrick Regan talks to guitarist/frontman Dave Brandwein of the band Turkuaz,…

Ian Hunter

New Music and a Mott Reunion

October 27, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

Ian Hunter is upbeat when he discusses his newest album, Man Overboard, and the upcoming reunion with old friends in…

J.D. Simo

Playing for Elvis

July 13, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Psych-blues guitar maestro J.D. Simo was the wizard behind the guitar work heard on Elvis, the new Baz Luhrmann film…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Arbiter Fuzz Face

January 14, 2016 · Michael Dregni

When Jimi Hendrix released his first album, 1967’s Are You Experienced, he launched a new level of guitar heroics as…

The Gibson Les Paul Special

February 25, 2010 · George Gruhn and Walter Carter

Gibson’s Les Paul Special was the last of the original Les Paul “family” of guitars introduced, and it was the…

The Voxmobile

Too Fast to Live, Too Cool to Die

March 22, 2018 · Dave Hunter

Free love, slick guitars, hot cars! Few pieces of late-’60s pop culture were anywhere near as hip and groovy as…

Fender’s Mid-’50s Precision Bass

The "In-Between" Version

January 12, 2010 · Willie G. Moseley

In the world of electric basses, the 1952 Fender Precision is the one that started it all. While it’s true…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Warm Audio Centavo

Not Just Another Klon(E)

October 11, 2023 · Tom Guerra

Most pedal enthusiasts consider a vintage Klon Centaur the pinnacle of overdrive boxes. With originals now approaching $10,000, it makes…

King Snake Three Bone

Latter-Day “Legend”

February 9, 2023 · Michael Dregni

Gibson’s ES-5 is a legend, but it’s also a bit idiosyncratic thanks to funky out-of-phase pickups and a non-intuitive control…

Epiphone’s ES-339 PRO

Scale-Sized Kicks

July 8, 2015 · Pete Prown

Epiphone’s ES-339 PRO Price: $400 street Info: www.epiphone.com. The Gibson ES-335 quickly revealed its versatility and tone following its introduction…

Tech 21 Fly Rig 5

Tech 21 Fly Rig 5

Tone To Carry-On

March 21, 2016 · Rich Maloof

Tech 21 Fly Rig 5 Price: $249 (list) Contact: www.tech21nyc.com Long before the Line6 POD, the Box of Rock, or…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Wayne Nelson

Wayne Nelson

Little River Anchor

March 15, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

Bassist/vocalist Wayne Nelson has decades of experience with the Little River Band and was the first American to join the…

The Time Jumpers

Time Machine

November 1, 2016 · Rich Kienzle

The Time Jumpers formed in ’98 as a lark for a group of A-list Nashville sidemen who loved Western swing.…

Have Guitar Will Travel 139 – Buck Dharma from Blue Oyster Cult

December 12, 2024 · James Patrick Regan

In episode 139 of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” presented by Vintage Guitar Magazine, host James Patrick Regan speaks with guitarist…

Home Feature Image

Top 50 Guitar Songs of the ’60s

May 25, 2015 · Vintage Guitar

Data and info compiled by Alan Greenwood and Ward Meeker Vintage Guitar marked 25 years of publication with a year…

The Blues Will Set You Free

May 30, 2025 · Dan Forte

We’ve all heard of blues in bars, but what about blues behind bars? That’s what Paul Oscher had in mind…

Ibanez EKM100

Ibanez EKM100

Soul On Ice

March 4, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Ibanez EKM100 Price: $2,799.99 (list) Contact: www.ibanez.com Fans of contemporary soul, jazz, and funk should be well aware of Soulive.…

John 5 - Telewiedler

John 5

Telewielder

March 1, 2016 · Ward Meeker

Since ditching his spot backing alternative-metal singer Marilyn Manson 10 years ago, superhuman guitarist John 5 has used his skills…

Tom Feldmann

No Need to Sell Your Soul

November 25, 2015 · Michael Dregni

“And the Oscar goes to…” If they gave out Academy Awards for the best guitar instructional film, Tom Feldmann’s latest…

Fretprints: The Beatles’ Revolver

Sonic Floodgates

January 14, 2025 · Wolf Marshall

If any rock album can be labeled “groundbreaking,” it’s the Beatles’ Revolver. A sweepingly innovative masterpiece, it divides the ’60s…

All That Glitters

Gibson’s Copper Iridescent Les Pauls

October 24, 2023 · Ward Meeker

Like large celestial bodies, some guitar collectors have a gravity that draws objects to them. In 2016, rare custom-color Les…

Q&A With George Gruhn: Formica Pickguard on an Early Les Paul?

And Not-So-Strange Variations on an ’87 LP Standard

May 2, 2022 · George Gruhn

I’ve just completed restoring a very early Les Paul that was horribly damaged and poorly repaired, then painted black! I’m…

Warwick Thumb Bass

Generational Innovation

April 15, 2019 · Willie G. Moseley

Founded in the early 1980s by Hans-Peter Wilfer, Warwick has a familial connection to another well-known German brand from a…

Fender Blu DeTiger x Player Plus Jazz Bass

Ladies’ First

August 13, 2025 · Ward Meeker

With a quick glance and a dash of judginess, Fender’s Blu DeTiger x Player Plus Jazz Bass looks like what…

Have Guitar Will Travel 085 – Michelle Malone

March 31, 2023 · James Patrick Regan

Host James Patrick Regan talks with singer/songwriter Michelle Malone about the inspiration behind her new album, “1977,” and life on…

Wylde Audio Odin Grail Genesis Bullseye

Berserker Broadax

July 10, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Zakk Wylde emerged from New Jersey in the late ’80s to give Ozzy Osbourne’s music a style and attitude unlike…

The Marshall Major

Force Commander

March 3, 2022 · Dave Hunter

Any player who shows up these days with a 200-watt guitar amp will elicit a hearty, “Are you out of…

Fretprints: Walter Becker

Steely Dan’s Unsung Guitar Great

May 6, 2022 · Wolf Marshall

Steely Dan to this day occupies a unique place in music history. Laying claim to an unexplored intersection of jazz,…

Jimmy Vivino

Gonna Be 2 of Those Days

December 8, 2025 · Bret Adams

A veteran vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist and purveyor of blues, R&B, and rock’, Jimmy Vivino has an incredible résumé. A longtime fixture in…

Classics: January 2024

Bill Woodward's 1953 Gibson Les Paul

October 4, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Gravitational heavyweights in our culture, beyond baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie, few things say “American” more than music and…

Genzler Acoustic Array Pro

Pro on the Go

July 23, 2019 · Pete Prown

As gigs at coffeehouses, street festivals, and farmers’ markets become more common, a growing legion of performers is being supported…

Korg Nuvibe

Korg Nuvibe

Big Box

February 12, 2015 · Rich Maloof

Korg Nuvibe Price: $499.99 (street) Contact: www.korg.com Korg is not known as a guitar company, but to their great credit…

Eugene Edwards

Outlaw Twang, Rockabilly Swagger

July 2, 2019 · Johnny Zapp

Country music icon Dwight Yoakam employs one of the hardest-working bands on the road today. A quintet including Yoakam, they’re…

The Iris Guitar Dan Erlewine DE-11

Renaissance Reimagined

July 28, 2022 · Michael Shirek

Among the famous names in American guitar lore is Dan Erlewine – guitarist, builder, VG columnist and editorial consultant, and…

Ask Zac: Deep Dive on the Wide Range

Plus, Joey Molland’s Stratotone

December 1, 2021 · Zac Childs

I have collected several Fender Wide Range humbucking pickups from the early ’70s, and I’m curious about how to check…

The Uncanny Approach of Walter Strauss

December 27, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Fingerstylist melds melodies, polyrhythms, and visceral picking on “Fabara” Walter Strauss shows his extraordinary technique with help from his Sexauer…

Alex Lifeson

Rush Keeps Rollin

November 16, 2015 · Elliot Stephen Cohen

“A lot of critics perceived us as being pretentious,” says Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson of his band’s early years. “We…

Keith Urban

Down-Under Uber-Picker

March 30, 2010 · Zac Childs

For a guy born in New Zealand and reared in Australia, Keith Urban certainly knows how to grab the attention…

Dweezil Zappa

Solo Sounds

March 3, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

To properly perform the music composed by his father, Frank, Dweezil Zappa had to revamp his playing style. The fruits…

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest John Majdalani

July 23, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest John Majdalani Season 01 Episode 03 In Episode 3 of “Buy That Guitar,”…