Every once in awhile, a guitar comes out of left field. In the case of this solidbody electric labeled “Lee Stiles,” the throw came from West Virginia by way of Miami! It was in many ways primitive, but at the same time it was also clearly “manufactured.” As it turns out, this was one of [...]
Monthly Archives: April 2007
Koch Twintone
Bantam Tough-Guy
The Twintone is the Netherlands-based Koch Guitar Electronics company’s mid-sized guitar amp, a 1×12″ combo that, like the entire Koch line, uses top-quality components including cold-lacquered transformers, fiberglas-reinforced PC boards, and heavy duty potentiometers. The Twintone’s all-tube circuit features a matched pair of Ruby EL34s housed in a punched-steel cage (to protect against breakage from [...]
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Tim Bogert
Then and Now with Vanilla Fudge
Innovative bassist Tim Bogert first graced the pages of Vintage Guitar in June, 1993. At the time, the veteran of Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, and Beck, Bogert & Appice (amongst other aggregations) had settled in as an instructor at a Los Angeles music school and was gigging with a power trio to keep his chops honed. [...]
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La Guitara – Gender Bending Strings Anthology of Women Guitaris
When I was young and someone said “You play like a chick guitar player,” they’d be either smiling or ducking. After hearing this anthology, it could only be construed as a compliment. Produced by Patty Larkin and Bette Warner, La Guitara brings together the work of 14 exceptional guitar players, all women. Musical styles include [...]
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Darol Anger/Mike Marshall – The Duo
Darol Anger and Mike Marshall’s 1983 The Duo marks another acoustic-music first – a violin-mandolin duet. Joined by Rob Wasserman on acoustic bass for one cut, The Duo is just that – two guys playing for the pure joy of it. Their version of “Golden Slippers” happily bounces along while they veer into complex contrapuntal [...]
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The Steepwater Band – Revelation Sunday
The Steepwater Band’s 2004 release, Dharmakaya, was a very strong effort, and this is an equally strong followup. The band is a modern version of the classic rock trio many grew up loving. The boys also grew up on those bands, and their own music conveys lots of hard blues and country. They put it [...]
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Jim Hall – Magic Meeting
This CD finds the legendary Hall in a live trio setting recorded at the Village Vanguard in ’04. The trio is Hall, Scott Colley on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums, and there are two things you notice right away: one is how good all the players are, the other thing is how well they [...]
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Jefferson Airplane – The Essential Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane released eight studio albums between 1966 and ’72, then culled a live curtain call from its final tour before morphing into Jefferson Starship. Since then, there have been at least twice that many anthologies and compilations of the original band’s work. While not perfect, RCA/Legacy’s The Essential Jefferson Airplane provides a decent introduction [...]
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Supro Resophonic FolkStar
Fiberglass. In 1961, it was a space-age material; lightweight, easy to mold, and super strong, it could be used for just about anything. Back then, neighborhood kids who liked guitars would hang out and listen to The Ventures’ Another Smash!!! while someone’s dad built a boat made of fiberglass. He’d lay the sheets of glass [...]
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Danelectro 56 Pro
More Solid Vibe
Just a couple of years ago, music stores were having a hard time selling a new Danelectro guitar – the Dano reissue craze had run its course and dealers were selling them at cost. Then, Danelectro quit making guitars, opting to run with its line of effects pedals. Perhaps as a result, the once lowly-regarded [...]
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