• The Supro Thunderbolt S6420

    Artists

    The Supro Thunderbolt S6420

    Lightning Strikes

    Despite their catalog-grade status, Supro amps have been used by several noteworthy guitarists. For many, the sturdy Thunderbolt is the preferred workhorse. It’s been a long time since Supro amps were any kind of secret find or hidden gem; players have long recognized the eccentric splendors of certain mid-sized examples, with their thumping tremolo and

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Robin Trower

20 Albums In

On his 20th album, Something’s About to Change, Strat stalwart Robin Trower once again dives into the blues for a set of songs redolent of Albert and B.B. King. As…

Banjo Master Tony Trischka Plays “Chinese Breakdown”

Prime “Earl Jam” sample! One of the most influential figures in roots music, Tony Trischka, master of the five-string, shows us how he does it on “Chinese Breakdown,” from his…

Joe Peña

Bad Breakups, Free Guitars

“[My ’59 Les Pal Junior] sounds so good that whoever’s going to play the main part in a song plays it. I insist! I think the pickups are late ’60s…

Will Lee

Letter Winner

Musicians being artists and artists needing to express themselves, it says something that Will Lee’s new album, Love, Gratitude & Other Distractions, is only his second in 20 years (his…

Bob’s Playboy Pickers

Bob Wills was, first and foremost, a fiddler. But he began his career in childhood, strumming guitar and mandolin chords at rural Texas parties and dances behind his father, ace…

Tim Lerch

Tim Lerch

Tele Jazz Master

If you watch any of Tim Lerch’s videos online, his virtuosity is immediately apparent. What may throw you is his use of a Telecaster, an axe more closely associated with…

The Gringo Pistoleros’ Larry Wilson

Classic P-90 tones! The Gringo Pistoleros’ Larry Wilson shows us a bit of “I Can Still Remember When,” from the group’s album, “Echoes and Other Songs: The Rise And… Subsequent…

Keith Urban

Down-Under Uber-Picker

For a guy born in New Zealand and reared in Australia, Keith Urban certainly knows how to grab the attention of Yankee music fans. The supertalented artist not only writes…

Dave Specter, Swimming in ’verb!

Twangy Texas blues via Chicago Dave Specter (no relation to Phil!) uses his reissue Jazzmaster plugged into a ’65 Vibrolux Reverb to show us the rippin’ lick from “Texas Top,”…

Steve Cropper

Homage to Lowman Pauling

All but forgotten today, with his low-slung guitar, stylish rhythm licks, and tasty leads, Lowman Pauling was one of the great guitar heroes of the ’50s. Guitarist for the R&B…

Phil Kubicki 1948-2013

Philip Kubicki, a renowned guitar designer and builder who was active in the musical-instrument industry for more than 50 years, died March 18, 2013, at his home in Laconia, New…

Arlen Roth

No Stone Unturned

To guitarists raised on his “Hot Licks” instructional video series, session and touring great Arlen Roth is something of a legendary figure. His latest release, Paint It Black, is the…

Richie Kotzen

Richie Kotzen

Fight For Familiarity

So he’s not burning up the Top 40, but Richie Kotzen has been a soul-crooning monster guitarist for a very long time. With almost 20 solo albums and group projects…

Steve Vai

Taming The Hydra

After finishing a sold-out tour with Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson for the G3 Reunion concerts, Steve Vai joined Adrian Belew and Tony Levin to perform interpretations of the ’80s…

Bill Nelson

Brit-Guitar Deluxe

Bill Nelson is one of the unsung heroes of British rock guitar. From his ’70s work with Be Bop Deluxe through a lengthy solo career, Nelson has delivered powerful, artistic…

Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Labor of Love

Kenny Wayne Shepherd called his latest record, Goin’ Home because, he says, “It was another opportunity for me to share with music fans my love and appreciation for the genre…

Ewan Currie

Hairy Tones in The Sheepdogs

There are a lot of retro bands, but few get the sonics correct. Hailing from central Canada, The Sheepdogs conjure an authentic vintage sound right down to guitar tones once…

Ray Benson

Swing Ambassador: 50 Years of Asleep at the Wheel

“Why are you all playin’ that modern music?” Asleep at the Wheel guitarist Ray Benson fielded the question from Harry, a regular at the Sportsmen’s Club in rural Paw Paw,…

Jeff Plankenhorn

New Innovations For Lap Steel

Jeff Plankenhorn has always made music his way, using stringed instruments he created. He picked up guitar at age 10, influencd by his older brother who played bass and listened…

John Jorgenson

John Jorgenson’s Gypsy Jazz Orchestra

Call it a “Gypsy jazz wall of sound.” John Jorgenson’s new album, Istiqbal Gathering, features the master guitarist backed by the full Orchestra Nashville – strings, woodwinds, brass, even percussion.…

Jeff Berlin

Bass Master Homage to Jack Bruce In the December issue, bass master Jeff Berlin recalls the first time he heard Cream (“Spoonful” and Crossroads”), and why it was so impactful.…

Sam Kiszka

Ethereal Energy

Guitar rock in 2023 doesn’t get bigger or ballsier than Greta Van Fleet. A veritable steamroller since “Highway Tune” launched in 2017, the band’s second EP, From The Fires, won…

Joe Robinson

Eyes on the Prize

Bouncing on a trampoline in the yard of the home his father built outside Temagog, Australia, nine-year-old Joe Robinson gleefully started playing air guitar while Eric Clapton’s “Layla” was blasting…

Greg Lake

Recalling the Music

Bassist/vocalist/songwriter Greg Lake came to notice in 1969 as member of King Crimson and his membership in Emerson, Lake and Palmer cemented his place in the pantheon of progressive-rock icons.…

Paul Gilbert

The Joy of Destruction

We’ve all been there; cruising along in the car, minding our business, soaking in cool guitar tunes when another driver does something… “impolite.” Even if you’re the laid-back type like…

Lyle Workman

Orchestral Maneuvers

You might not recognize his name, but in the last 30 years, Lyle Workman and his guitars have backed Sting, Todd Rundgren, and Frank Black. He was also a member…

Martin Taylor M.B.E.

Jazz Guitar Royalty

Photos courtesy Martin Taylor. If Martin Taylor ever decides to quit playing guitar, he can always launch a career as a stand-up comic. Asked where he grew up, the guitarist…

Warner Hodges

Warner Hodges

In And Out of Scorcherland

If your ear was at all tuned to “alt-country” (a.k.a. cowpunk) in the late ’80s or you were lucky enough to be informed of it in the years since, you’re…

Tommy Shaw and James Young

Styx’s Crowning Achievement

“One thing I like about how Styx does progressive stuff is we try and make it friendly progressive, not math,” said Styx vocalist/guitarist Tommy Shaw, referring to the band’s 17th…

Dave Gonzalez

Western Soul Brother

For a guitarist with fans and admirers around the world, Dave Gonzalez is one humble man. “I’m still trying to figure it out,” he says of his playing. It’s a…