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Trending Now
World War II was responsible for an unbelievable amount of what we today know as the modern world, from computers to plastics. Even though there was a previous similarly named conflagration, WWII was our only truly “world” war, where virtually no part of the globe went untouched. It was the aftermath of WWII that gave […]
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Stepping into the spotlight to play the blues with the classic bands that backed Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, most guitarists would sweat bullets. Not so Kenny Wayne Shepherd. He had itchy fingers. The opportunity came to hand as part of Shepherd’s latest CD/DVD project, 10 Days Out: Blues From the Backroads (Warner Brothers/Reprise Records). […]
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VG Approved Gear
Dr. Z 35th Anniversary Carmen Ghia 1×10
Start Me Up
At the forefront of high-end boutique design, the Carmen Ghia was Dr. Z’s first commercially available amplifier when launched in 1988, and has never been absent from the company’s lineup. So it’s fitting that the good Dr. (a.k.a. Mike Zaite) is celebrating it with a 35th Anniversary version. A hand-wired, single-channel 1×10 combo with a […]
VG Approved Gear
Fender American Vintage II ’57 Stratocaster
Period Piece
Sure, we all drool over Fender Custom Shop axes, but those instruments are sometimes out of wallet’s reach. Coming to the rescue is Fender’s new American Vintage II series, which attempts several things at once: on the surface, it offers period-accurate re-creations of classic planks, down to tiny details, but more importantly, delivers them in […]
Artists
Andy Powell
The Wishbone Forges on
Wishbone Ash guitarist Andy Powell isn’t caught in a time warp. True, he’s the sole remaining member of the English foursome that proffered a twin-lead guitar sound that took the band to acclaim in the early 1970s, but under the aegis of Powell (VG June/July ’92, April ’98), Wishbone Ash has toured incessantly and released […]
Classic Instruments
Recording King Ray Whitley
As a maker of high-quality instruments, Gibson was hit hard by the onset of the Depression in the 1930s. Company president Guy Hart, a former accountant, recognized that Gibson could not survive by simply waiting for better times, and he took action, diverting some guitar production to wooden toys, creating the Kalamazoo line of budget-priced […]
Classic Instruments
Fender’s 1961 Showman
The Show Must Go On
When Fender stepped up from the tweed-covered amps of the 1950s to the radically redesigned Tolex amps of the ’60s, one of the biggest leaps was in the “piggyback” head-and-cabinet sets. None better exemplified the need for a powerful, professional rig than the Showman. The development and early evolution of the model have long been […]
Music
Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet, Mike Neer
Savvy Show Stoppers
Dim The Lights, Chill The Ham
Sport Fishin’: The Lure Of The Bait, The Luck Of The Hook
Steelonious
All You Can Eat Instro Buffet
When the Kids In The Hall, an irreverent sketch comedy troupe from Toronto, got their own TV show in ’89, they chose “Having An Average Weekend,” an instrumental by a local trio, Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet, as its theme song. This provided massive exposure on a level that other “surf revival” bands didn’t […]
Music
Joe Goldmark
Blue Steel
Along with his work with Jim Campilongo and others, San Francisco-based pedal steel guitarist Joe Goldmark has produced eight solo CDs (and three earlier vinyl albums) covering broad swaths of popular music, among them collections of ’60s rock and Beatles tunes. This latest follows a similar path, as Goldmark navigates a blend of original instrumentals […]
VG Approved Gear
Vox MV50 AC
The Little Amp That Could
Ready to step onstage but your amp won’t sing? Traveling, but don’t want to lug a lot of gear? Need a backup for a gig or session? Got a tiny apartment and no room for an amp stack? Call in the little amp that could. Vox’s new line of MV50 amp heads might be termed […]
VG Approved Gear
Roland Micro Cube
Mighty Mouse
Roland Micro Cube Price: $130 (street) Info: www.rolandus.com. Every once in a while you have to pinch yourself and thank your lucky stars to be a guitarist in the 21st century. The Roland Micro Cube is a good illustration of this phenomenon; a dinky, portable amp that runs on AA batteries, it weighs just over […]
VG Approved Gear
ESP GL-56
Is it Really Vintage?
Like the “aged” guitars crafted by Fender and Gibson, this ESP solidbody looks like an ancient road warrior, one that’s gigged from Texas to Tijuana and back again, 200 nights a year. The GL-56 is actually a fresh entry in ESP’s line of George Lynch guitars, this one sporting the appearance of a modded old […]
Artists
Les Sabler
Long-Distance Jazz
Like many musicians, guitarist Les Sabler’s life has been turned topsy-turvy by the worldwide pandemic. Originally from Montreal, Sabler now resides in Nashville, but work on his newest album, a smooth-jazz effort called Tranquility, began in February of 2020 at producer Paul Brown’s studio in Los Angeles. The project ultimately became remote, but not before […]
Artists
John Wetton
Back In Asia
Bassist/vocalist John Wetton has exhibited his solid chops and plaintive baritone voice through the decades in King Crimson, Asia, and several other successful British bands, including Uriah Heep, Wishbone Ash, and Roxy Music. Then there’s his successful solo career. These days, though, Wetton is looking forward to a reunion tour with the original Asia, which […]
Artists
Tom Petersson
Lower-End Innovator
It’s been a long time comin’… Like his longtime bandmate, Rick Nielsen, Cheap Trick bassist/songwriter Tom Petersson collects classic stringed instruments. Now a resident of Nashville, Petersson still plays the 12-string electric bass he is credited for envisioning and developing in the late 1970s in conjunction with the original Hamer company. Originally from Rockford, Illinois, […]
Artists
Eric Ambel
Proficient Professional
Ace sideman (Joan Jett, Steve Earle), producer of note (Bottle Rockets, Nils Lofgren, Marshall Crenshaw), and proprietor of Brooklyn’s 24-track Cowboy Technical Services (which has hosted the likes of Ryan Adams, Los Lobos, and Robert Randolph)… little wonder it’s taken Eric “Roscoe” Ambel 12 years to get around to a new solo LP. The result, […]
Artists
Instro-Meister Eric Penna
Blues Switch-Up in Trabants Eric Penna’s main gig is playing bass for the garage/surf band Insect Surfers, but he side-hustles playing guitar in the blues-instrumental band Trabants. After corralling bassist Dave Berkham (who uses a ’60s El Dégas P-Bass copy) and drummer Luke Strahota, he grabbed his ’68 Gibson ES-335 and plugged it into a […]
VG Approved Gear
Martin SC-13E Special Burst
Blueprint Blow-up
For nearly two centuries, Martin has been building acoustic instruments befitting the company’s august reputation. The slew of budget-friendly models in its Performing Artist series offer modern takes on traditional models. The new SC goes a step further, blowing up the blueprint. Made in Mexico as part of the Road Series, the SC-13E Special Burst […]
Have Guitar Will Travel
Have Guitar Will Travel – 015 Featuring Spencer Henderson
Today guest is Spencer Henderson, the owner of “West Coast Pedalboards”… We discuss his transition from working in IT (working temperature monitor in agriculture and training others) to building modern vintage pedalboards. Spencer has done a wonderful job of providing useful videos on social media for “do it yourselfers”. Everything from pedalboard construction to wiring […]