The Travis Bean TB1000S Standard

A Better Idea

April 14, 2020 · Michael Wright

Guitar history is littered with “better ideas,” some of which stayed around, went nowhere, or went somewhere before landing in…

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…

Mark Sebastian

Mark Sebastian

Hometown Noir

December 29, 2015 · Willie G. Moseley

Mark Sebastian’s new album, The Real Story, is a paean to his musical roots in the Big Apple. “About a…

Peter Stroud Keeps His Feet, and Keeps Movin’

On “10,” As Always

August 1, 2017 · Ward Meeker

He has played with Dreams So Real, Pete Droge, Don Henley, and Sheryl Crow. It’s the latter gig that occupies…

Austin Mics DIY Summer Reverb

for Kicks and More

September 12, 2023 · Phil Feser

Rick Wilkinson’s Austin Mics company, based in San Diego, specializes in do-it-yourself ribbon-microphone kits and DIY guitar pedals. His latest…

Jack Bruce

Jack Bruce

Surging Septuagenarian

December 6, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

Bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, who turned 71 in May, recently released Silver Rails, his first solo album in a decade, with…

  • Carr Skylark Special 1×12

    Carr Skylark Special 1×12

    Take Flight

    Arriving a little more than 10 years after the original Skylark, Carr Amplifiers’ new Skylark Special adds versatility and enhanced tonal depths to squeeze a lot more into this diminutive…

    Read more >>

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ARTISTS

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…

Les Sabler

Long-Distance Jazz

February 3, 2022 · Willie G. Moseley

Like many musicians, guitarist Les Sabler’s life has been turned topsy-turvy by the worldwide pandemic. Originally from Montreal, Sabler now…

Phil Collen

Diamond Mine

March 30, 2023 · Bret Adams

Few groups radiate the sheer joy of being a famous, hard-working rock band than Def Leppard. The Rock and Roll…

Depression-era classic by Roger McNamee

February 23, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Moonalice guitarist on a ’42 000-21 Roger McNamee used his ’42 Martin 000-21 to play the Depression-era classic “Brother Can…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

John Pizzarelli Swings On A Vintage D’angelico

September 4, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Jazz Ace on an Heirloom Guitar For this exclusive rendition of “Just In Time,” swing ace John Pizzarelli grabbed the…

The Komet Constellation

January 4, 2016 · Dave Hunter

Amid the general run of vintage amps we have explored in this space, the occasional “modern classic” has proved itself…

Daion Headhunter HH-555

April 30, 2010 · Michael Wright

The trajectory of the Japanese guitar industry in many ways has mirrored that of the United States, though in a…

The (Way) Back Beat: A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody

Fretted cheesecake advertising through the years, Part Two

April 5, 2024 · Peter Stuart Kohman

Last month, we began looking at some of the more entertaining fretted instrument advertising of the 20th century, in what…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

The Epiphone ES-175 Reissue

Return of a Classic

August 26, 2013 · Pete Prown

There are plenty of affordable hollowbodies on the market, but Epiphone’s recent reissue of the Gibson ES-175 is almost a…

Black Cat Vibe and TWA’s Triskelion Mk. II

Opposites Attract

March 31, 2017 · Pete Prown

In today’s world of proliferating boutique pedals, guitarists have a staggering array of divergent options. Case in point, the Black…

Positive Grid Spark

Cloud Nine

October 15, 2021 · Pete Prown

Once upon a time, you had a guitar, amp, and pedals – a complete guitar universe. Today, there’s a fourth…

EHX Cock Fight and Key9

Pedalin’ To The Past

July 5, 2018 · Pete Prown

When it comes to sweet retro tones, the wizards at Electro-Harmonix (EHX) have been busy again, turning out a fresh…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Bryan Beller

Bass Aristocracy

December 13, 2024 · Pete Prown

If you love daredevil musicians, you’ll dig The Aristocrats. A contemporary-fusion trio, the band includes guitar monster Guthrie Govan (VG,…

Butch Walker

Butch Walker

Hummingbirds and Ghosts

February 23, 2016 · Ward Meeker

Butch Walker readily admits that when it comes to his life as a musician, performer, and producer, he has some…

Tomer Cohen

From Israel to NYC

December 14, 2023 · Pete Prown

Twenty-five-year-old Tomer Cohen plays jazz with the earthy feel heard in improvisations by Bill Frisell, Julian Lage, and early Pat…

Tonk Brothers/Washburn 5241

January 23, 2017 · George Gruhn

From the late 1920s through the early ’40s, Gibson produced instruments under a variety of brand names for retailers like…

LsL Instruments’ Soledad

T-Bone with a Side of Sustain

March 31, 2017 · Phil Feser

Based out of Santa Clarita, California, LsL Instruments was founded by Lance and Lisa Lerman in 2008 after many years…

Fender Blender

The Fender Blender

Extreme Fuzz

July 7, 2016 · Michael Dregni

When Robin Trower segued from his wah-driven blues-rock riffing into the slowed, deep-blues groove of the second half of his…

Darin and Brooke Aldridge’s Family Album

Darin and Brooke Aldridge’s Family Album

Picture Perfect

April 6, 2016 · Kathleen Johnson

The husband-and-wife duo Darin and Brooke Aldridge are one of the hottest acts on the traditional bluegrass/Americana scene. The couple’s…

The Surfrajettes

On ’Board

March 10, 2023 · Pete Prown

The Surfrajettes delight their fans with the perfect wave of jangly guitars, kooky kitsch, and ’60s fashion. After several years…

Pink Floyd & The Dark Side of the Moon

Martin Popoff

March 20, 2024 · Pete Prown

This book marks the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s masterwork – composer/bassist Roger Waters’ meditation on madness set over angsty,…

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…

The Minus 5 and the Monkees

Monkee Business

August 2, 2016 · Dennis Pernu

The 1960s – that halcyon decade which Americans today are most inclined to reconsider with dewy eyes – is in…

The Pettyjohn Crush Compressor

Big Squeeze

October 3, 2019 · Pete Prown

Compressors can be a real mystery to guitarists who don’t understand the concept. Recording engineers bandy about words like “hard-knee”…

Moeller, Moore, and Dayton serve up a Texas jam

October 28, 2025 · Doug Yellow Bird

Texas Headhunters gonna getcha! Johnny Moeller and his buds in the Texas Headhunters gathered to jam a bit on “The…

Bill Frisell

Bill Frisell

January 13, 2016 · Vintage Guitar

For the December ’14 issue of Vintage Guitar magazine, Dan Forte interviewed Bill Frisell. Here’s a look at the many guitars used…

Pop ’N Hiss: Toto

Fine Line

April 8, 2024 · Bret Adams

In 1978, disco ruled the charts and airwaves. Rock teetered on wobbly legs and there was nary a crunchy guitar…

Fender’s Tweed-to Tolex Transition

Best Face Forward

June 6, 2022 · Dave Hunter

Through its 75 years, Fender has been responsible for myriad leaps forward in the history of guitar-amplifier design and manufacture.…

Chordal Colorations

Iconic Axes of Different Hues

October 3, 2015 · Michael Dregni

Though their colors are complementary, Brian May’s Red Special and Brian Setzer’s ’59 Gretsch 6120 couldn’t be more different in…

Rick Vito – Cadillac Man

July 25, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Rick Vito – Cadillac Man Make sure to check out Rick Vito’s latest album “Cadillac Man” available now at Blue…

Small Wonder

The Orange Rocker 15 Terror

April 16, 2020 · Pete Prown

Small-footprint amp heads – tube and solidstate – are all the rage and getting better all the time. Case in…

Selmer Truvoice

Selectortone Automatic

May 24, 2021 · Dave Hunter

Selmer Truvoice Selectortone Automatic, ca. 1961 Preamp tubes: one ECC83, two EF86 Output tubes: two EL34, cathode-bias Rectifier: GZ34 Controls:…

Sonny Landreth

Live In Lafayette

April 25, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

When music fans discuss upper-echelon slide mastery, the name Sonny Landreth tops most lists. The preeminent slide-guitar stylist of his…

Jim Lauderdale’s honkey-tonk toe-dip

January 31, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Singer/Songwriter’s Stylistic Twist Jim Lauderdale paid a visit to one of his favorite Nashville hangs and grabbed a gorgeous 1940…

Doug Doppler

Art Appreciation, Import-Style – Doug Doppler’s Ibanez Collection

September 25, 2013 · Ward Meeker

Doug Doppler recalls how, at age five, his first swimming lesson fell on the same day as his first guitar…

Adrian Vandenberg

Return Of The Flying Dutchman

June 9, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

On Adrian Vandenberg’s latest album, Sin, the Flying Dutchman joins forces with former Yngwie Malmsteen vocalist Mats Levén for the…

Schertler’s JAM 150

Schertler’s JAM 150

Plays Well with Others

October 21, 2015 · Rich Maloof

Schertler’s JAM150 Price: $1,249.99 (list); $999.99 (street) Info: www.schertler.com Schertler’s JAM150 is a compact combo amp capable of pulling double-duty…

Mu-FX Boostron 3

One For All, All For One

July 9, 2018 · Michael Dregni

Leave it to Mike Beigel to create a masterpiece of a stompbox… again. The Mu-FX Boostron 3 is three pedals…

Zakk Wylde

Doomsayer

August 11, 2022 · Greg Prato

Best-known as Ozzy Osbourne’s longest-tenured guitarist, Zakk Wylde has also been the leader of Black Label Society since the late…

Prototypes and Pathfinders

Five Amps That Set the Tone – Or Hoped To

October 2, 2024 · Dave Hunter

Groundbreaking and undeniably collectible guitar amplifiers have made frequent appearances in this space over the years, but so have prototypes,…

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25 Most Valuable Guitars

May 24, 2015 · Vintage Guitar

Data compiled by Alan Greenwood and Gil Hembree Vintage Guitar is marking 25 years of publication with a year full…