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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 or early ’70s Alnicos, and the damn thing is so warm.” Joe Peña, primary songwriter for the Arizona-based rock band Greyhound Soul, says their latest […]

The Murph 12-String

Tugging At Your Heartstrings

Here’s a story that has “Hollywood blockbuster” written all over it. It’s got so many cinematic staples, you can almost hear “Oscar” murmured in hushed tones. There’s the Holy Grail factor. There’s the underdog, “Rocky” element. And we’ve all heard those true stories of a family reluctantly moving across the country, even though their dog […]

Fender Twin & Deluxe

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

Fender “tweed” guitar amplifiers – the Twin, Deluxe, Bassman, Champ, etc., from the 1950s – are the most sought after amps in the annals of guitardom. Whether it is Leo’s legendary circuit design, their tweed covering, top-mounted controls, or just killer tone, the “tweed” amp is a true industry standard that has been copied, reissued, […]

Kay’s K161 Thin Twin

Post-war Blues Box

In his day, Jimmy Reed was a huge influence on everyone from Eric Clapton and Mike Bloomfield to the Rolling Stones and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Among its reissues, Kay Guitar has included the K161 Thin Twin, the guitar irrevocably associated with the legendary Chicago bluesman. Strapped on, the Thin Twin is a hefty axe for […]

Diamond Rio’s Jimmy Olander

Sworn Gunslinger

Grand Ole Opry member, CMA, ACM, and Grammy winner Jimmy Olander is one of the most-admired players in country music. As co-founder of Diamond Rio, his dedication has always been to the band rather than making a name for himself in Nashville studios, though he is also in-demand as a producer and collaborator who penned […]

Adrian Vandenberg

Return Of The Flying Dutchman

On Adrian Vandenberg’s latest album, Sin, the Flying Dutchman joins forces with former Yngwie Malmsteen vocalist Mats Levén for the heaviest album of his career. Gothic riffs, Led Zep breakdowns, and classically influenced Euro metal intensity rule. But as always, Vandenberg leans into strong songs and the good notes. What are your thoughts on the […]

Have Guitar Will Travel 053 – Shane Theriot

For the new episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan sits with Shane Theriot, musical director and guitarist for Hall and Oates and the internet program “Live from Daryl’s House.” Theriot grew up just outside New Orleans and spent eight years as guitarist for the Neville Brothers. After moving to Nashville he […]

Fender’s 5E7 Bandmaster

There’s something about the 3×10 Bandmaster that drives vintage-Fender nuts gaga. Introduced in 1953, it underwent substantial design changes in its first few years, earning status as a true classic every step along the way.

Bobby Eli

Philly-Soul Pioneer

With this year marking the 50th anniversary of Philadelphia International Records, the spotlight is on the songwriting team of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff. Founded in 1971, PIR was the epicenter for the Philly sound. An integral part was the guitar playing of Bobby Eli, who can be heard on hundreds of recordings during the […]

D’Angelico Excel SS

Classic Versatility

The modern D’Angelico company specializes in hip semi-hollow guitars with a nod toward their namesake, legendary luthier John D’Angelico. Case in point is the updated version of its Excel SS, which now is dressed with an ebony fretboard and gloss finish options. The Excel SS, touted as the company’s flagship semi-hollow, has maple back, sides, […]

2025 April Issue on Spotify

TThis month, we feature John Sykes, Mike Campbell, Joe Satriani, Dan Hawkins, Reverend Peyton, Popa Chubby, Savoy Brown, B.B. King,  Jimmy Vivino, Alan Gogoll, Paul Johnson, Pink Floyd, Yes, The Wildhearts, 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 […]

Paul Gilbert

Farewell, Mr. Big

Formed in 1988, Mr. Big was an all-star effort made up of bassist Billy Sheehan, drummer Pat Torpey, vocalist Eric Martin, and guitarist Paul Gilbert. With more chops than a butcher shop, the band used its superpowers to write crowd-pleasing rock anthems and #1 hits. With help from drummer/friend Nick D’Virgilio stepping in for Torpey […]

Billy Mure

Supersonic Guitarist Remembered

Guitar great Billy Mure (born November 4, 1915) passed away September 25, at the age of 97. He last performed on August 2, playing Dixieland banjo at Squid Lips, where he lived in Sebastian, Florida. Mure played on innumerable sessions from the ’50s to the ’70s, but is best remembered for his Supersonic Guitars albums, […]

Roy Smeck’s Gibson L-5

One For the “Wizard”

Player endorsements are part of the tradition of guitarmaking going back to its earliest use for public performance. LeRoy G.A. Schmeck, a.k.a. Roy Smeck, may be history’s most-prolific endorser of fretted instruments. The list includes Washburn (Lyon & Healy) in 1924, the Harmony Vita-Uke and Vita-Guitar in ’27, the Bacon & Day Roy Smeck Silver […]

One of Two of a Kind

Gibson’s L-3 Ganus Brothers Special

Making custom instruments has always been problematic for companies designed to manufacture in quantity. Though it had an unenforced policy against one-off projects, this guitar illustrates how the company did just that and demonstrates the struggle between accounting and public relations.

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Pete Huttlinger

A Narrative (and album) From the Heart

To call Pete Huttlinger a survivor is an understatement. The notable Nashville fingerpicker has fought back from a major stroke and end-stage heart failure to record the most important album of his career, McGuire’s Landing. The effort began years ago, and Huttlinger had recorded some of its tracks before being sidelined by his health. A […]

Michael Kelly 1957

Michael Kelly 1957

Bargain Boutique

Michael Kelly 1957 Price: $875 (list) Contact: www.michaelkellyguitars.com Michael Kelly Guitars has steadily gained a reputation for offering big bang for the buck. The Michael Kelly 1957 model solidbody extends this continuum, representing that meeting point between thoughtful design and quality execution, where modern guitar-manufacturing techniques deliver on their promise. The 1957 abounds with design […]

EVH Stripe Series Star

Romeo Delight

There was time when guitarists waited for new Van Halen records like ferrets on crack. After all, in the early ’80s, Edward Van Halen was a huge deal – a revolutionary upstart who inspired young guitarists to think outside the blues box and diverge from the blues-rock sounds of Nugent, Clapton, and Page. Every new […]

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