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Trending Now
Every pro guitarist who has laid eyes on the Pirate Guitar Effects Plank has initially thought they recognized the logo and taken a second look. The Plank is something other than a clone, though: it’s a take on a classic overdrive circuit – with added bonus points. Germanium this, true-bypass that – all of the […]
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Classic Instruments
Guyatone LG-160T
The Secret's Out!
Like plants, Japanese guitars have an almost secret life of which few people outside are aware. While many Americans in the ’60s were seeing fairly low-end commodity guitars at the neighborhood Western Auto, there was actually a thriving and fairly innovative domestic guitar scene that produced some cool and relatively decent guitars, including this Guyatone […]
Artists
Jackie’s Hidden Gem
Seventy years ago, Leo Fender introduced the Stratocaster as an evolutionary step forward from his first solidbody electric guitar. Sleeker and smoother, he wanted it to create sounds more useful to any style of music and musician. Essentially unchanged today, the Strat remains one of the most-popular guitars in the world (see sidebar), and early […]
Artists
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 blues, country, and rock. But in Lerch’s hand, it becomes a killer jazz-blues machine, perfect for his tasty single-note runs and jaw-dropping chord improvisations. Lerch’s […]
Artists
Earl Slick
Zig Zag Back to the Top
Earl Slick landed his dream gig back in 1974, when a friend referred him for a gig with David Bowie, replacing Mick Ronson. During this period, Slick recorded three monumental albums – David Live At The Tower Philadelphia (1974), Young Americans (1975), and Station To Station (1976). He went on to collaborate with other major […]
VG Approved Gear
Kiesel JB5 Classic
The look and feel of Kiesel’s JB5 Classic align well with what a bassist expects when they gaze upon it – modern take on a Fender Jazz, with similar cuts and contours. Unless you’re that last bassist on earth to have picked up a Jazz (or one of the million clones), you know it. Sitting or […]
Artists
Remembering Jeff Beck
The Guitar Hero, Defined
Jeff Beck, the guitarist who pushed the ’60s British Invasion band the Yardbirds from its electric-blues roots to a contemporary rock-and-roll sound before becoming one of the most-influential musicians of his generation, died January 10 after being stricken with bacterial meningitis. He was 78. Born Geoffrey Arnold to Arnold and Ethel Beck on June 24, […]
VG Approved Gear
Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-M
Satisfying Source
Can’t get no satisfaction from your fuzz pedal? Step back to the source, with Maestro’s new Fuzz-Tone. The FZ-M is modeled on the world’s first production fuzz pedal – the Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-1, launched in 1962 and made justly famous by Keith Richards. Suddenly, fuzz became a must-have flavor for the complete rock-and-roll guitarist. Now, […]
Artists
Jonny Lang
Signs of the Blues
Since bursting on the scene in the ’90s while still a teenager, Jonny Lang has stayed true to his vision, merging blues and rock, often leaning to the bluesy part of the equation. The title track of Lang’s 1997 album, Lie to Me, is one of his most renowned songs and led to his being […]
Artists
The Surfrajettes
On ’Board
The Surfrajettes delight their fans with the perfect wave of jangly guitars, kooky kitsch, and ’60s fashion. After several years touring and releasing singles, their first full album, Roller Fink – a mix of originals and carefully picked covers – has finally rolled ashore. VG caught up with guitarists Shermy and Nicole to talk about […]
Artists
Heaven and Hell
Neon Knights Reunite
In 1979, Black Sabbath was at a crossroads after the departure of original frontman Ozzy Osbourne. Returning with former Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio as its frontman, Sabbath took on a groundbreaking new sound and direction. This lineup recorded five albums. […]
Artists
Have Guitar Will Travel 071 – Adrian Belew & Turkuaz’s Dave Brandwein
In episode 71 of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” James Patrick Regan talks to guitarist/frontman Dave Brandwein of the band Turkuaz, and guest guitarist Adrian Belew, discussing its beginnings at Berklee School of Music, and the dynamics of being a group with nine members! The conversation turns to gear, including what Adrian has used going all […]
Artists
Jim Campilongo
Taking Chances With Kindness
Fans of forward-thinking Telecaster spank and cluck will get a kick out of Jim Campilongo’s new album, Live At Rockwood. What he does with two hands and a guitar plugged straight into a Fender Princeton will give pedal freaks a complex. The Jim Campilongo Trio, with Chris Morrissey on bass and Josh Dion on drums, […]
Classic Instruments
’39 Gibson EH-185
Preamp tubes: three 6J7, one 6N7 Output tubes: two 6L6 Rectifier: 5U4 Controls: Instrument Volume, Microphone Volume, Bass and Treble Speakers: one 12″ field-coil speaker Output: approximately 20 watts RMS Guitarists playing anything other than big-band jazz or Western swing tend to approach pre-rock-and-roll tube amps with reservation. We’re often fascinated, and might enjoy a […]
Classic Instruments
Gibson Super 400 PN
The Gibson Super 400 Premiere cutaway acoustic first appeared in Gibson literature in the 1940 catalog, on a page showing it and the L-5 Premiere in clear “natural” finish. The photo shows the Super 400 PN held by George Smith (described as “Paramount staff guitarist”) and the L-5PN held by Eddie Skrivanek (“radio and studio […]
VG Approved Gear
McGregor Pedals’ Crunch and Crunch Plus
Transparent Pair
McGregor Pedals founder and self-proclaimed “Chief Mad Scientist” Garth McGregor Heslop hand-wires pedals in his Vancouver shop. Two of them – the Crunch and Crunch Plus – are overdrives that offer transparent, low-gain effect with minimal tone coloration. Both feature traditional control layouts with Volume, Tone, and Gain knobs alongside true-bypass footswitches, 1/4″ jacks, and […]
Classic Instruments
Gibson’s GA-8 Discoverer
Sonic Satellite
By the end of the 1950s, “space” was the name of the game, and any forward-thrusting gear that hoped to grab a share of the rock-and-roll market was named accordingly. Fender and Gretsch had gotten into the game early in the decade with the Stratocaster and Duo Jet, and Gibson displayed hipness with the Flying […]
Music
New Orleans Suspects
Kaleidoscoped
When you combine some of the finest musicians from the Louisiana area in one band, there will be extreme funkiness. So it’s no surprise that the New Orleans Suspects’ third full-length album is saturated with New Orleans grooves, southern accents, good time music, and superior musicianship. The band consists of bassist Reggie Scanlan (Professor Longhair, […]