• 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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Feature Guitar

Cardinal’s Magpie

Bird in Hand

March 4, 2014 · Pete Prown

Cardinal Magpie Price: $4,300 Contact: www.cardinalinstruments.com While most folks are happy to buy guitars off the rack, the Cardinal Magpie…

Tony Mottola

Mr. Big, Guitar Pioneer

June 12, 2025 · Jim Carlton

Some argue that Tony Mottola was more legendary than famous. In a career spanning 50 years, the guitarist logged thousands…

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…

Martin’s Gibson

April 28, 2021 · Ward Meeker

Greg Martin’s infatuation with the sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard started in 1966, when, “I saw the picture of John…

Eric Ambel

Proficient Professional

December 26, 2017 · Dennis Pernu

Ace sideman (Joan Jett, Steve Earle), producer of note (Bottle Rockets, Nils Lofgren, Marshall Crenshaw), and proprietor of Brooklyn’s 24-track…

Seymour Duncan ’78 Model

Upscale Touch

June 26, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

In the late ’70s, rock guitarists fell down the rabbit hole trying to achieve more sustain, harmonics, and extra crunch…

  • 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

Philip Sayce’s Guitar Meditation

April 25, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Exploring, Expanding Absorbing and exuding great vibes from his living room, Philip Sayce and his PRS Silver Sky (plugged into…

Greg Howe

A New Wheelhouse

July 2, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Greg Howe is a globe-trotting, guitar-clinic-teaching, concert-performing fusion monster. He’s known for taking risks and pushing his playing into fresh…

George Ducas: Modern Honky-Tonkin’

September 3, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Taste of “Long Way From Home” Singer/songwriter George Ducas is a Nashville traditionalist influenced by Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and…

Dan Hawkins

Toast of the Town

December 8, 2025 · Bret Adams

When The Darkness roared out of England with its 2003 debut Permission to Land and the hit “I Believe in…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Greg Martin John Sebastian’s ’59 Gibson Les Paul Standard Vintage Guitar magazine Feature Image

John Sebastian’s ’59 Gibson Les Paul Standard

Vintage Guitar magazine Presents Greg Martin's Head Shop

April 30, 2018 · Doug Yellow Bird

This is a regular series of exclusive Vintage Guitar online features where The Kentucky Headhunters’ Greg Martin looks back on…

Epiphone Coronet

Epiphone Coronet

March 26, 2016 · George Gruhn

This Epiphone Coronet from 1959 was probably a shocking sight to a guitar buyer of the late ’50s. Not only…

Jimmy Day’s 1950 Fender Super-Amp

Just Like Hank

March 11, 2024 · Dave Hunter

As fascinating as we might find any vintage amplifier, at its heart, it’s often just a dusty box of archaic…

Vivi-Tone “Skeleton

A Master’s Magnificent Misfire

December 12, 2025 · Peter Stuart Kohman

The eternal question “Who invented the electric guitar?” has no single answer. By the late 1920s, many players, tinkerers, and…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Railhammer Hyper Vintage Humbucker

Poles Apart

August 6, 2015 · Lisa Sharken

Railhammer Hyper Vintage Humbucker Price: $139 list/ $89 direct Info: www.railhammer.com Developed by Joe Naylor of Reverend Guitars, Railhammers are…

Fender’s ’68 Custom Deluxe Reverb

Fender’s ’68 Custom Deluxe Reverb

Improving on a Good Thing

April 19, 2016 · Phil Feser

Fender’s ’68 Custom Deluxe Reverb Price: $999.99 list Contact: www.fender.com In 1968, Fender gave its amp line what collectors today…

Black Cat’s D&S and N-Fuzz

Two Faces of Fuzz

November 29, 2016 · Pete Prown

Located in south-central Connecticut, Black Cat blends an ear for vintage tones with an eye toward modern function and bulletproof…

Heritage Guitars’ H-155M

Best-Kept Secret

July 24, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Heritage Guitars still builds instruments by hand… in Kalamazoo. Like its veteran brethren in the industry, it focuses on craftsmanship,…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Fishman’s Fluence Greg Koch Gristle-Tone Pickups

Voices Not In Your Head

July 5, 2018 · Tom Guerra

In 2014, Fishman introduced their Fluence line with the goal of combining vintage tone with freedom from the inductance problems…

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…

From Badass to Bonamassa

New Pedals from MRX, Cry Baby, and Way Huge

May 20, 2021 · Max Prown

The latest from Dunlop includes a pair of overdrives and a fresh addition to the venerable Cry Baby wah family.…

Classics: November 2023

Al Caiola’s Gretsch Prototype

July 31, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Robby Zolezzi has been a touring pro guitarist since he was 18 years old, having taken up the instrument at 11, spurred by…

Fretprints: Led Zeppelin

October 29, 2025 · Wolf Marshall

One of the truly classic rock albums, Led Zeppelin’s IV brought together the band’s towering advances achieved with its first…

The Ibanez Black Eagle

Time Keeps On Slippin’

January 24, 2018 · Michael Wright

Sure, it oozes coolness. But ornate instruments are sometimes about more than aesthetics, and this one represents a turning point…

Paul Nelson

Main Man to the Blues Man

May 27, 2014 · Tom Guerra

Paul Nelson is not only Johnny Winter’s second guitarist, but the blues icon’s musical director, producer, songwriter, and – many…

Sebastià Gris’ flavorful Two-for One

June 10, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

 Fresh from Barcelona Sebastià Gris used his Gibson SG as eye-candy to play a sample of “Clickbait,” from his…

Home Feature Image

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…

Hanburt Electric Guitars

Rarities From the Pacific Northwest

April 28, 2020 · Peter Blecha

As a brand of American electric instruments, the name “Hanburt” is about the furthest thing from being a household term.…

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,…

2021 November Issue on Spotify

November 2, 2021 · Vintage Guitar

This month we feature Night Ranger’s Brad Gillis, Eric Bibb, Rick Vito, K.K. Downing, Bobby Eli, Guy King, Pasquale Grasso,…

The Gretsch G5655T-CB Electromatic Center-Block

The Gretsch G5655T-CB Electromatic Center-Block

Gettin’ Gainy

May 13, 2016 · Bob Dragich

The Gretsch G5655T-CB Electromatic Center-Block Price: $1,275.00 (list); $899.00 (street) Contact: www.gretschguitars.com It’s no secret that hollowbodies don’t excel in…

Jim Weider

Shinin’ On

March 31, 2023 · Tom Guerra

Few American guitarists have roots in Americana as deep as those of Jim Weider. For 15 years following The Band’s…

Have Guitar Will Travel 100 – Brian Venable (Lucero)

June 21, 2024 · James Patrick Regan

In episode 100 of “Have Guitar Will Travel”, presented by Vintage Guitar Magazine, host James Patrick Regan speaks with Brian…

Popa Chubby

I Love Freddie King

January 14, 2026 · Oscar Jordan

The latest from blues dynamo Popa Chubby is a star-studded tribute to the late great Freddie King. Produced by Mr.…

Radial Headload Guitar Amp Load Box

Taming a Shrew

March 1, 2017 · Julian Burtell

As low-power amps gain in popularity, one wonders what will happen to all the 50- and 100-watt amps starting to…

Kentucky Colonels

1966

May 13, 2024 · Pete Prown

Clarence White is best known as the B-bendin’ Telecaster pioneer with the Byrds – and his tragic 1973 death. But…

Fender Twin & Deluxe

Fender’s ’57 Twin Amp and ’57 Deluxe – Tweed for Two

September 16, 2013 · Phil Feser

Fender “tweed” guitar amplifiers – the Twin, Deluxe, Bassman, Champ, etc., from the 1950s – are the most sought after…

Bonnie Raitt

Struttin' Her Stuff

July 6, 2016 · John Heidt

The adjective “smooth” can sometimes get a bad rep, but as the new album by Bonnie Raitt readily shows, it…

Majik Box Paul Gilbert Fuzz Universe Custom

“Scarifying” OD

December 23, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Majik Box Paul Gilbert Fuzz Universe Custom Price: $329.99 retail Contact: www.majikboxusa.com Since Dave Simpson and Rob Nishida joined forces…

Ray Cummins Vintage Guitar magazine Video Lessons

Ray Cummins – Guitar Tutorial #3

December 1, 2016 · Ray Cummins

Ray Cummins – Guitar Tutorial #3 For his latest tutorial, Ray Cummins plays his Gibson Country Gentleman plugged into a late-’80s Boss…

Guthrie Govan

Aristocratic Guitar

May 2, 2022 · Pete Prown

Guthrie Govan is at times more stunt pilot than conventional guitarist – his superhero skills mean he can play almost…

MXR Dyna Comp Mini

A Classic, Compressed

April 23, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

In the ’70s, the original MXR Dyna Comp found its way onto a plethora of now-classic vinyl sides and was…

Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka

Heavy Steps : Road Ready

February 9, 2022 · Ward Meeker

“Rock and roll is a young man’s game.” Once upon a time, it was the genre’s calling card. A half-century…

Black Cat’s D&S and N-Fuzz

Two Faces of Fuzz

November 29, 2016 · Pete Prown

Located in south-central Connecticut, Black Cat blends an ear for vintage tones with an eye toward modern function and bulletproof…

Gretsch 7680 Super Axe

December 6, 2021 · Michael Wright

Most of us are – or should be – aware of the enormous contributions of the late Chet Atkins, the…

R. C. Allen

R.C. Allen

1934-2014

October 3, 2014 · Ward Meeker

R.C. Allen, a noted luthier who built archtops for local and regional players of note and was a fixture at…

Carlos Santana

Musical Outreach

September 7, 2022 · Bret Adams

Carlos Santana’s creative drive is obsessive, restless – and relentless. For his latest album, Blessings and Miracles, he pooled the…