• Duke Robillard – Lowdown

    Duke Robillard – Lowdown

    Vintage Guitar is happy to offer the premier of the new music video by Grammy nominee Duke Robillard. “Lowdown” is the  first single from his upcoming album, Blast Off!, set…

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  • 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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Ellis Guitars TX3

“T” For Texas

November 8, 2022 · Chip Wilson

  Houston is the closest major U.S. port to the tropical hardwoods of South and Central America, so it makes…

Gibson’s Fabulous Florentines

Archtop Elite

January 3, 2025 · Wolf Marshall

The image of Elvis Presley on his 1968 NBC “comeback special” was, in a word, badass. Dressed in black leather…

Billy Strings

Live, Volume 1

August 13, 2025 · Rich Kienzle

Billy Strings has travelled far from his days as bluegrass flatpicking prodigy, though that style remains a linchpin of his…

The RFT 12AX7

The Righteous Flame-throwin’ Tube

July 1, 2020 · Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate

“…there is a time and place for that out-front spank, but if your mood shifts to slightly more mellow, there…

Susan Tedeschi

Just Won’t Burn

October 29, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Fantasy Records is celebrating Susan Tedeschi by reissuing the album that introduced her to lovers of soulful music the world…

Josh Smith

Swingin’ Hard

March 31, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Josh Smith has been very busy. When he’s not on tour or sharing production duties with Joe Bonamassa for artists…

  • 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…

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ARTISTS

Larry McCray

All In the Family

April 15, 2010 · John Heidt

“A lot of people…think [blues is] all the same. So I try to take that element out. I don’t want…

BB King Vintage Guitar magazine main home

Remembering B.B. King

September 18, 2015 · Willie G. Moseley

Ed. Note: Everyone associated with Vintage Guitar magazine is saddened to learn of the passing of B.B. King. In 1995, Mr. King…

Have Guitar Will Travel 079 – Tim Dugger, Ray Fulcher and Drew Castle

July 8, 2022 · James Patrick Regan

Host James Patrick Regan talks with Tim Dugger, Ray Fulcher and Drew Castle for episode 79 of “Have Guitar Will…

Fretprints: Johnny Meeks

Rock-and-Roll Guitar Pioneer

November 10, 2022 · Wolf Marshall

In the 1950s, “rock” music was a melange of blues, country, and hillbilly that also snared elements from boogie-woogie, gospel,…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

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The Gretsch Round-Up

May 11, 2016 · Jim Hilmar

In 1954, what could possibly be more “contemporary Western” than a Gretsch Round-Up? Introduced in 1954, the Round-Up (listed in…

1971 Dumble Special 16 #0001

Prehistoric Beast

December 6, 2022 · Dave Hunter

1971 Dumble Special 16 • Preamp tubes: three 12AX7 • Output tubes: eight 6L6GC (most likely) • Rectifier: solid-state •…

1939 Gibson Super 400 Premier

February 28, 2017 · George Gruhn

The Gibson Super 400 debuted in 1935 as the first production-model 18″ archtop guitar with f-shaped sound holes; 30 years…

30 Most Valuable Guitars

December 27, 2017 · Ward Meeker

To mark VG’s 30th anniversary, we dig into the 30 most-valuable production guitars.


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

The DryBell Vibe Machine V-2

Catch A Wave

March 13, 2019 · Yoel Kreisler

DryBell is renowned for one of the most authentic and pedalboard-friendly Uni-Vibe recreations on the market. Five years after launching…

Fender Player II Series Telecaster

Twang Banger

May 30, 2025 · Dave Hunter

As the world’s first mass-production solidbody electric guitar fast approaches its 75th birthday, Fender continues to offer variations on the…

The DoleSonic Vintage 108 Woody

Not Your Dad’s Boutique Amp

August 16, 2013 · Sean OBryan Smith

The guitarist’s greatest quests is most often that of the tone that resides within their heads. That quest drove guitarist…

Metal Pedals JH-3

Metal Pedals JH-3

Swiss-Army Distortion

July 31, 2015 · Chip Wilson

Metal Pedals JH-3 Price: $235 (list) Contact: www.metalpedals.com Like a Swiss Army knife, the multifunction Metal Pedals JH-3 Johnny Hiland…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Eric Ambel’s New-Guitar Magic

June 27, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Producer/player’s experience may be like yours! Guitarist/producer Eric Ambel talks about how a guitar can inspire a new lick, which…

Collings OM1 T

Faultless Flat-Top?

January 8, 2018 · Steven Stone

To the hands, hearts, and minds of many an experienced guitarist, an OM-size body with a 25.5″ scale feels the…

Steve Miller Band

J50: The Evolution of The Joker

August 12, 2024 · Bret Adams

Miller’s beloved eighth album was recorded and mixed in 17 days, culminating in a jumble of rock, pop, R&B, and…

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Beyond the Parlor

Part Two: Man and Machine

April 29, 2016 · Tim Brookes

Ed. Note: In part two of his series on the guitar in 19-century America, Tim Brookes addresses the common belief that the guitar…

George Cotsirilos – Jazz Sans Cliché

December 14, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Deft work on an L-5 for “The Three Doves” George Cotsirilos grew up listening to Bloomfield, Hendrix, and Clapton, then…

Jimmy Olander’s D-Bender Baritone

December 4, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

 Big-string licks galore! In the mood to play a bit, December cover guy Jimmy Olander grabbed a guitar he…

Santana

August 2, 2016 · Pete Prown

This lineup reunites Carlos Santana with guitarist Neal Schon and other members of the 1970–1973 Santana band, reigniting their unique…

Tommy Emmanuel

Accomplice Two

February 9, 2024 · Rich Kienzle

On this rich, diverse collection of duets, Emmanuel and Billy Strings get right to it with an exuberant medley of…

Grant Geissman

Grant Geissman

Jazz-Rock Renaissance

July 8, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

’70s culture may have provided a target-rich environment for parodied depictions of giant Afros, bell-bottom jeans, and Saturday Night Fever,…

Alex Machacek

Stripped Down

February 16, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

When you get the thumbs-up from icons like John McLaughlin and Chick Corea, it’s got to feel good. But, fusion…

Remembering Jeff Beck

The Guitar Hero, Defined

December 4, 2023 · Ward Meeker

Jeff Beck, the guitarist who pushed the ’60s British Invasion band the Yardbirds from its electric-blues roots to a contemporary…

Jonny Wickersham

Jonny Wickersham

Social D Guitarist Does ’70s Cali Rock

March 21, 2016 · Dennis Pernu

Best known as the Les Paul Junior-slinging guitarist stage left of Mike Ness in Social Distortion, Jonny “Two Bags” Wickersham…

FireBelly Amplifiers’ Tweed 1955SE, PR3512SE

FireBelly Amplifiers’ Tweed 1955SE, PR3512SE

Tale Of Two Princetons

April 1, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

FireBelly Amplifiers’ Tweed 1955SE, PR3512SE Price: $949 (Tweed 1955SE); $1,595 (PR3512SE) Contact: www.firebellyamps.com The quest for vintage tone continues, and…

Have Guitar Will Travel 096 – Chad Kinchla (Blues Traveler) and Todd Park Mohr (Big Head Todd and the Monsters)

April 1, 2024 · James Patrick Regan

In episode 96 of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan speaks with Chan Kinchla from Blues Traveler and…

Strymon’s Riverside Multistage Drive

Down By The River

April 16, 2019 · Phil Feser

At first glance, the Strymon Riverside Multistage Drive doesn’t look much different from the rest of the herd. But dig…

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…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 032 Featuring Brad Gillis

July 27, 2020 · James Patrick Regan

For Episode 32 of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan sits with Brad Gillis to discuss his storied…

Epiphone Joe Bonamassa “Treasure” Firebird I

Sweet Bird

March 15, 2019 · Pete Prown

One thing fans like most about Joe Bonamassa is that, in addition to his bluesy chops, he’s a guitar nut…

Mick Mars

Different Flavors, Different Way

November 1, 2024 · Bret Adams

Guitarist Mick Mars’ long-discussed solo album is finally done. The Other Side of Mars is crushing modern metal with gothic…

Myles Goodwyn

1948-2023

October 17, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Myles Goodwyn, co-founder, creative force, and guitarist/frontman in April Wine, died December 3. He was 75 and while no cause…

Carr Bloke

Carr Bloke

No Regular Fella

November 11, 2015 · Zac Childs

From early models such as the Carr Slant 6V and the Rambler to more recent offerings such as the Artemus…

Steve Vai

Inviolate

December 9, 2022 · Pete Prown

After decades of technical shred-dom, Vai returns to his musical mindset prior to David Lee Roth, composing soundtrack-scaled material that…

Prestige Guitars DC Coupe Custom T Hybrid

“Tele” Twist

April 19, 2024 · Bob Dragich

The first Telecasters were so good that today they’re made almost exactly as they were 70 years ago. Working just…

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…

Gomez Amplification “G” Reverb

Wet, Hot, or Blue

April 6, 2010 · Phil Feser

As amp builders go, Dario G. Gomez is about as fresh as they come. Though he has been repairing tube…

Blues Hall of Famer Joe Louis Walker

June 29, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

“Blue Mirror” jam from “The Weight of the World” Blues Hall of Famer Joe Louis Walker grabbed his pearl-front Zemaitis…

Flying High Again

The Eastwood Airline ’59 3P

April 15, 2020 · Pete Prown

Long before the brazen, pointy electrics of the 1980s, Airline created a model with all kinds of modern angles and…

Fender’s 5E7 Bandmaster

December 26, 2017 · Dave Hunter

There’s something about the 3×10 Bandmaster that drives vintage-Fender nuts gaga. Introduced in 1953, it underwent substantial design changes in…

Greg Koch: Gristly “Blues”

May 22, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

Greg Koch: Gristly “Blues” Greg Koch fearlessly wrings the sort of vibrato that only a Tele will tolerate from his…