VG readers know Samantha Fish is the real deal. Here, she uses a Martin D-18 Modern Deluxe on an unplugged arrangement of “I’m Done Runnin’,” the ripping lead track from her new album, “Paper Doll.” Catch our review in the May issue. Read Now!
VG readers know Samantha Fish is the real deal. Here, she uses a Martin D-18 Modern Deluxe on an unplugged arrangement of “I’m Done Runnin’,” the ripping lead track from her new album, “Paper Doll.” Catch our review in the May issue. Read Now!
This month, we feature The Dobbie Brothers, Popa Chubby, Joey Molland, Carlos Alomar, Cream, David Bowie, Rush, Norman Harris, Greg Koch, Rik Emmett, Chris Walz, Elmore James, 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 […]
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Park 75 Preamp tubes: three ECC83 (12AX7 equivalents) Output tubes: two KT88 Rectifier: solidstate Controls: Volume II, Volume I, Treble, Middle, Bass, Brightness Output: approximately 75 watts RMS We might not expect anyone to give much of a hoot for an amplifier with “Park” on its badge – a brand that has also graced budget-grade […]
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Most everyone has seen a department-store-catalog guitar (or two!) from the ’60s or ’70s. With their funky, cool body shapes and smorgasbord of knobs and switches, their looks grabbed ya’. Trouble was, they were usually plagued with cut-rate hardware and electronics, low build quality, and crude playability. The latest creation from Eastwood, the Airline Bighorn, […]
Eastwood Guitars promises retro-themed gear at wallet-reassuring prices, as seen in their new Black Box Series of stompboxes. Among the first flight are the BB-01 Manalishi Drive, BB-03 Blue Vibe, and BB-06 Dusty Spring reverb. The Manalishi Drive is rife with Tube Screamer vibe, evoking the Japanese circuit that has powered thousands of albums and […]
Created when amps were huge and men were men – or at least had roadies to carry the gear – this 1972 Orange OR80 2×12″ combo veritably screams bell-bottomed rock style and attitude, and wails it out with eardrum-shredding power. Range amps are known for being loud and brash, with a raw, raucous tone. It’s […]
Mike Zito’s latest serves up large helpings of boogie, blues, and roadhouse-ready rock. His guitar work is stellar as usual and the band features Rob McNelly on guitar, Tommy McDonald on bass, and Tom Hambridge (who also produces) on drums. If all that talent isn’t enough, there are also guest shots from guitarist Walter Trout […]
Guitarists are often trying to get more convincing tube tones on their home and studio recordings, but finding authentic valve textures can be elusive without pricey mics and preamps. The Fryette Valvulator GP/DI aims to solve that problem by using real tubes combined with a direct-out circuit and cabinet simulator. It’s also a genuine 1-watt […]
Fingerstylist melds melodies, polyrhythms, and visceral picking on “Fabara” Walter Strauss shows his extraordinary technique with help from his Sexauer JB-16 while playing “Fabara,” a song from latest album, “For Melody, Wherever She May Find Me.” “The tune is an exploration off a melody from the balafon, a wooden xylophone played in West Africa,” he […]
NYC Jazzer Brings Tasty Jazz/Blues/R&B Confection Guitarist Eric Zolan knows jazz guitar has been cool, and his new album, “Calder’s Universe” proves it. Here, he and drummer Mike Camacho lay it down on “D.D.L.O.D” with his Gibson ES-446. Catch our interview with him in the May issue. Read Now!
Buddy Emmons, who revolutionized the pedal-steel guitar both musically and technically, died July 21 in Nashville after suffering a heart attack. He was 78. Emmons did extensive session work in Nashville and L.A. and released his breakthrough album, Steel Guitar Jazz, in 1963. A master accompanist, he toured with three seminal country singers – Little […]
Designed for guitarists drawn to effects with a simple, straightforward interface, Meris LVX Modular Delay System is an attention-getter. Perfect for the menu-phobic, it’s a powerful box that’s incredibly easy to use. Before diving in, it’s good to scroll through the LVX’s presets and experience 2,540 milliseconds of ambient, deep-space echoes, many of which are […]
There are many styles of blues guitar, from haunting Delta acoustic to volcanic blues-rock. Hailing from the mecca of Chicago, Dave Specter plays electric blues that comes from deep immersion in that city’s music and culture. Specter’s latest album, Six String Soul, is a 30-year retrospective delivering an authentic sound that can’t be faked; his […]
On most guitars, installing a traditional vibrato is a task ranging from difficult to impossible. And even done right, mechanical vibratos impact tuning stability and increase wear on nuts and saddles. The Virtual Jeff PRO digital whammy changes all that. A kit that comes complete with the whammy bar and mount, foot controller, radio transmitter, […]
Marshall Tucker Band was arguably the most unusual Southern-rock group of the ’70s. Its namesake wasn’t the leader, a member, or mascot, their virtuosic lead guitarist didn’t use a pick, and they regularly featured flute and saxophone solos. Moreover, MTB played a seemingly irreconcilable array of styles, blending country, blues, folk, gospel, and rock with […]
Episode 74 of “Have Guitar Will Travel” opens with host James Patrick Regan speaking with Molly Moore and her guitarist, Ariel Bellvalaire. Ariel grew up in the Connecticut and moved to L.A. when she was 15. Starting on guitar at 12 and influenced by Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhodes, and Steve Vai, she studied at […]
Inspired by the Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer, Drybell Musical Electronic Laboratory’s Module 4 Compressor adds several highly usable features. Running on a 9-volt adapter, the Module 4 allows users to control Output, Tone, Blend, Attack, Release, and Preamp. Plugged in between a Bassman clone and a superstrat, the controls on our tester did amazing […]
Joe Satriani’s new album, What Happens Next, is a terrific back-to-basics effort with Satch in a trio format. Enlisting Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and former Deep Purple singer/bassist Glenn Hughes, he employs soaring melodies elevated by the strong musical personalities and chemistry. He has also released a tour documentary directed by his […]
Season 02 Episode 9 The Gibson Les Paul. In Episode 2.9 of “Buy That Guitar,” host Ram Tuli is joined by Michael Slubowski, administrator of the Les Paul Forum. Michael has played and collected Les Pauls for most of his life, and together they dive into the beauty and history of Gibson’s most-revered guitar. Links: […]
Dreadnought guitars originated as early as 1916 with instruments made by Martin and distributed by Ditson, followed in 1931 with guitars sold by Martin under its own brand. The first Martin dreadnoughts were 12-fret slot-heads with an extended slope-shouldered body; in early ’34, the company introduced a square-shouldered dread with a 14-fret neck. Gibson entered […]
