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In an age of rampant globalization, brand names have become virtually independent of place of manufacture. Few people care where something is built, as long as the quality and price are right. But that wasn’t always so. Time was, where a guitar was built made all the difference in the world. Like in 1963, when […]
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Guitarists usually spend years learning their scales, but Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith enjoys scales of the aquatic kind. In his new memoir, Monsters of River and Rock, Smith details his love of fishing as a way to relax between mammoth Maiden gigs. VG talked to him about both kinds of scales. Where did you get […]
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Classic Instruments
Classics: November 2021
Gibson Les Paul Personal
Billy Soutar loves the vibe of his 1969 Les Paul Personal and matching LP-12 amp. While the guitar’s mahogany body, Les Paul Custom touches, three-piece quartersawn neck, and Fretless Wonder frets make it a great player, it mostly serves as a reminder of another guitar – and a great friendship. “In 1991, I saw a […]
VG Approved Gear
The Pettyjohn Crush Compressor
Big Squeeze
Compressors can be a real mystery to guitarists who don’t understand the concept. Recording engineers bandy about words like “hard-knee” and “soft-knee” compression, “ratio,” “threshold,” and “transparency”; these are not guitarist-friendly terms. A test run on Pettyjohn’s Crush presents a good opportunity to discuss compressors in everyday guit-box talk. Let’s start with the phrase “studio-grade.” […]
VG Approved Gear
ValveTrain PowerTrain Studio 20
Tube Savior
We’ve all watched the guitar amp deconstruct before our eyes, as pedals, preamps, and power amps all shrink – and migrate to the pedalboard. The builders at ValveTrain know this, and have developed a way to deploy your favorite stompboxes and modeling gear, yet retain that essential tube tone. Enter the PowerTrain Studio 20 and […]
Classic Instruments
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.
VG Approved Gear
Xotic ProVintage 5-String
Over the last few years Xotic has grown its rep thanks to top players who have endorsed its Leo-inspired guitars and basses. Now Xotic’s new import ProVintage series endeavors to bring the company’s noted build quality to a mid-price segment. Built in Indonesia, the ProVintage 5-String has its pickups installed, its neck Plek’d, and the […]
Artists
Paul Benjaman: Tulsa twanger
Funky solo from “Undercover of Night” On his new album, “My Bad Side Wants a Good Time,” Paul Benjaman serves up funky stew with bayou bite. Here, he plays the solo from “Undercover of Night” using his ’59 Fender Strat running into a Bogner Helios Eclipse and Greenback-loaded Marshall cab. He then serves up a tone […]
Artists
Dan Auerbach
Black Keys’ Road Map Back to Blues, British Rock
Forget about the classic quartet. Forget the power trio. Forget any preconceived shortcomings you may have concerning a rock-and-roll duo. There’s no denying it – the Black Keys crank out impressive noise. As one half of the band – drummer Patrick Carney – once joked, “We’re normally a 12-piece jazz big-band, but the other 10 […]
VG Approved Gear
Sitori Sonics pedals
New Highs with Sitori Sonics’ Doob Dreamer, Tidal Phase, and Reel Repeat
Sitori Sonics pedals Price: $188 list (Doob Dreamer, Reel Repeat); $168 (Tidal Phase) Info: sitorisonics.com. Despite the vast possibilities of electronic guitar effects, boutique pedal builders perhaps sometimes focus their effort in the cheeky names to evoke a vibe. Sitori Sonics is no exception, with offerings such as the Doob Dreamer, Tidal Phase, and Reel […]
Classic Instruments
The Koch Studiotone
No-Sweat Double-Duty
Koch Amplifier’s 20-watt Studiotone uses an all-tube circuit powered by a matched pair of Ruby EL84 tubes producing 20 watts and three 12AX7A preamp tubes. The Studiotone’s lightweight, compact (19 pounds/18″ x 9″ x 9″) cabinet is made of 11-ply birch plywood covered in black tolex with chrome hardware. It may be small, but it’s […]
Classic Instruments
Peavey Forum Basses
Durable, Dependable
In his 2003 book, American Basses, author Jim Roberts noted that for all of Peavey’s innovative offerings in the 1990s, “…the company hadn’t forgotten their regular customers,” specifically citing the company’s mid-’90s Forum as a “good old meat-and-potatoes bass.” The Forum series did indeed exemplify the builder’s efforts to adhere to founder Hartley Peavey’s mantra […]
Music
Smith/Kotzen
This is one of those projects that gets guitar fanatics drooling. Iron Maiden cornerstone Adrian Smith and prolific American veteran Richie Kotzen join forces for a hard-rock album with a modern sound steeped in their ’70s classic-rock and blues-rock influences. The duo trades lead vocals and bass duties, and Kotzen plays drums on five of […]
VG Approved Gear
Boss MT-2 3A Metal Zone
Captain Crunch
Over the years, the Boss Metal Zone has often been lampooned for its ferocious personality. But if you plug one in, you’ll be hard-pressed to understand why – it’s a badass box with high-gain distortion and an EQ section of terrifying power. This new version also celebrates the box’s 30th anniversary. The majority of this […]
Artists
Fretprints: Yngwie Malmsteen
Alcatrazz and the Birth of Bach and Roll
Los Angeles, 1983. The rock community was a land devastated by the bombast of L.A. metal – Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Mötley Crue, Ratt, and their minions. Nothing, however, could prepare its jaded cognoscenti for the appearance of an unlikely Swedish emigre, 19-year-old Yngwie Malmsteen. Born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck in Stockholm on June […]
Artists
Classics: November 2023
Al Caiola’s Gretsch Prototype
Robby Zolezzi has been a touring pro guitarist since he was 18 years old, having taken up the instrument at 11, spurred by TV and movie themes played by Al Caiola emanating from the family turntable. “I remember my older brother playing his records – songs like ‘Magnificent Seven,’ ‘Spanish Harlem,’ ‘Taste of Honey,’ ‘Bonanza,’ ‘Gunsmoke,’ and so […]
Artists
John 5
In the Hands
On his latest album, John 5 stays true to himself as he dips into his famous bag of Tele tricks with mastery and humor. Mr 5 does it all, from shred metal to rockabilly, but what especially shines through is his love and unyielding devotion to the electric guitar. He invited excellent guests, but at […]
VG Approved Gear
Waterloo WL-14
Modern Johnson
Waterloo WL-14 Price: $2,100, $1,890 (street) Contact: www.collingsguitars.com or www.waterlooguitars.com Robert Johnson slid into a photo booth, dangling a cigarette from his lips and holding a flat-top guitar. What brand was he smoking? Who knows? But scholars think he was holding a Gibson-made Kalamazoo KG-14. And acoustic blues guitarists want to know what Mr. Johnson […]
VG Approved Gear
Martin’s DJr-10E StreetMaster
Dread, Not
The big, booming dreadnought has been a Martin hallmark since its debut in the 1930s. From that tradition comes Martin’s Dreadnought Junior, a smaller, more playable version of the signature shape. The DJr-10E StreetMaster is the one of the latest entries in Martin’s Junior lineup, with solid construction and gig-ready electronics. It’s not a full-sized […]