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Several years before he became a luthier who deserves much greater recognition, Ralph Jones sold new Fender guitars and amps out of his home studio in Rockville, Maryland. One early customer was Bill Fudge, a high-school kid who in 1959 was ready to move beyond his Silvertone and into his first real rig – a […]
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Artists
Dave Gant’s Amp Collection
Key Collection: Nashville pro Dave Gant fosters an impressive gathering of amps
Dave Gant grew up in Ada, Oklahoma, and while the city of 17,000 will never be confused with Memphis or Nashville in terms of musical impact, it is the birthplace of a handful of noteworthy personalities including country singer Blake Shelton, NFL tight end Jeremy Shockey, and Gant, who when he’s not serving as musical […]
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This month we feature Gary Clark, Jr., The Beatles, Deep Purple, Johnny A, Scott Hebderson, Kinga Glyk, D.K. Harrell, Frank BiBussolo, and more! Spotify is free or available without ads via a paid subscription. Go to www.spotify.com and search “Vintage Guitar magazine,” or if you already have an account Listen to the complete list HERE. […]
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In May of 1958, a worker at the Gibson factory pulled two Les Paul guitars – serial numbers 8 3087 and 8 3096 – off the line and sprayed their bodies yellow in the center, bordered in red. The result of months of experimentation, Chicago Musical Instrument Company (Gibson’s parent) hoped the look would imply […]
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Artists
Between Gibbons and Holdsworth
John Ziegler Of Volto!
John Ziegler’s band, Volto!, emerged from L.A.’s fusion scene with bassist Lance Morrison and drummer Danny Carey, who’s primary gig is with Tool. After cutting its teeth playing ZZ Top and Allman Brothers covers, Ziegler began to write songs, motivated by Carey’s playing. “He’s such a stylized drummer,” said Ziegler. “The originals kind of squirted […]
Artists
Rose Sinclair Swings on a Stringmaster D-8!
Steel Guitar Beyond Country on “Secret Love” Rose Sinclair used her ’61 Fender Stringmaster D-8 to play this exclusive piece of “Secret Love,” from her new album, “Wave.” She calls the EP, “…a mix of ‘cocktail steel’ with my small combo playing big-band swing and bossanovas.” Fans of those styles (and jazz) will dig its […]
Artists
Todd Rundgren
Rock’s True Renaissance Man
For 50 years, Todd Rundgren has been compiling one the most eclectic and impressive resumés in music. From forming the Nazz in 1967 to stints with Utopia, Runt, The New Cars, and a successful solo career, his accomplishments as a multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer, engineer, and record producer are rarely equaled by even his most-distinguished contemporaries. After also establishing […]
VG Approved Gear
Demeter FZO-1 Fuzzy Octavulator
Fuzz Flavors
James Demeter has a long history in the amp and effects biz. His project-boxed/Dymo-labeled Tremulator pedal pre-dates the ’90s boutique pedal explosion by more than a decade. During his 30 years of 100-percent analog designs, Demeter has produced everything from studio-quality rack effects and multichannel tube amps to a wide variety of first-class vintage-flavored stompboxes […]
Music
Lari Basilio
Your Love
Lari Basilio’s latest recording is a melodic and shred-tastic, yet compassionate, antidote to the effects of lockdown. The Brazilian phenom plays with spellbinding authority, feel, and subtextual themes, reminding listeners that God loves them. “Fearless” is an upbeat lick fest with a positive groove, hip use of double-stops, and major-key Nashville-style vocal. Basilio’s strengths are […]
Artists
Steve Dawson and his Tricone, “Singin’ the Blues”
Roots Artists Expands the Genren The wildly talented Steve Dawson uses a modern National Tricone for this take on “Singin’ the Blues,” then offers a look at his Celtic Cross Weissenborn and Strat used on the new album, “Eyes Closed, Dreaming.” He’s playing through the ’53 Fender Deluxe behind him. Fans of slide guitar will […]
Music
Coco Montoya
Hard Truth
It’s been awhile since Coco Montoya’s last studio effort, but he comes out firing here. From the Albert King-style blast that kicks off the opener, “Before The Bullets Fly,” to the loud, raucous blues rock of the closer, “Truth Be Told,” He is spot on. The tunes here cover a lot of ground. “I Want […]
Classic Instruments
Gibson’s Crest Models
Gibson has produced two guitars bearing the “Crest” name. While both designs date to the 1960s, they’re very different instruments. The first incarnation was a single-cutaway with design ties to the L-5CT, while the second looked more like a fancy ES-335 with a shortened neck. In almost every way – size, construction materials, appointments, and […]
VG Approved Gear
Jam Pedals’ Delay Llama & Wahcko Wah
What’s In A Name?
Positioning its sonic M.O. squarely in the 1960s and ’70s, Jam Pedals strives to create a distinct line of effects. Beyond their fun graphics and tongue-in-cheek names, Jam’s stompboxes are set apart in the way they achieve their objective. Hand-made in Greece, Jam Pedals are wired for true-bypass functionality and use NOS chips, transistors, and […]
Artists
Steve Cropper
An MGs/Rascals Soul Summit
Before they were called Booker T. & The MGs, the first song the house band for Memphis’ Stax label cut on their own was the instrumental “Green Onions” – which went to number one on the R&B chart and number three on Pop in 1963. Since then, Tele man Steve Cropper has become perhaps the […]
Artists
Mike Keneally
Uncommon Knowledge
For 35 years, Mike Keneally has been a go-to sideman for icons like Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, and Joe Satriani, as well as a noted solo artist deploying monster chops on guitar, keyboards, and vocals. Keneally has just released The Thing That Knowledge Can’t Eat, featuring guitar guests like Vai and Devin Townsend. This feels […]
Music
Andy Brown Quartet and Brian Bromberg
Direct Call and Full Circle
Two of the Best in Jazz
Not every jazz guitarist who plays solo can also blow in a group context, and vice versa. Some adept at both include Tuck Andress, Joe Pass, Johnny Smith, George Van Eps, and Earl Klugh. Martin Taylor is arguably at the top of the solo heap, although he’s shown equally impressive facility backing Stéphane Grappelli and […]
Have Guitar Will Travel
Have Guitar Will Travel – 012 Featuring Ken Emerson
In this episode of Have Guitar Will Travel Podcast James speaks with Ken Emerson. Ken is one of the world’s most highly regarded traditional Hawaiian slack key & steel guitarists living today. He is an excellent player of both and he switches easily between them during his performances. We speak about his connection and playing […]
Artists
Rodney Crowell
Same Roots, New Branches
Rodney Crowell arrived in Nashville in 1972, bent on finding a niche for himself in the country music he’d loved since his childhood in Houston. He wrote songs for Jerry Reed’s publishing company and, in 1975, Emmylou Harris added him to her Hot Band as rhythm guitarist. He wrote hits including “’Til I Gain Control […]
Artists
Carl Verheyen’s Passionate, Ebullient virtuosity!
It’s about the song! Enjoy as Carl Verheyen and his ’58 Fender Strat glide through pieces of “Dragonfly,” “Electric Chair,” and the title track from his new album, “Riverboat Sky.” He’s plugged into an MXR Carbon Copy delay going to the Princeton Reverb you see powered up. Catch our review of the album and interview […]
Classic Instruments
Martin’s “12-Fret” 000-42
Martin has never been a stranger to producing certain guitars in very limited quantities. But just how rare is the 12-frets-to-the-body 000-42? It has long been held that Martin has done a yeoman’s job of tracking its production through the years (few manufacturers have been so meticulous, especially going back so far), but it has […]
VG Approved Gear
Harmonic Design’s VP-90
Tone with Intent
Harmonic Design’s VP-90 Price: $100 Contact: www.harmonicdesign.net Harmonic Design must be doing something right. Specializing in replacement pickups, they boast a roster of satisfied customers that includes folks like Redd Volkaert, Otis Rush, Bill Frisell, Robben Ford, and Neal Schon. One of their latest offerings, the Harmonic Design VP-90 (for Vintage Plus) is intended as […]