Check out the Digital Edition HERE!

Home

Vintage Guitar
-
0
Home

Harp Legend Charlie Musselwhite

Harp legend Charlie Musselwhite has recorded and performed with a stunning array of guitarists in his band – Harvey Mandel, Luther Tucker, Robben Ford, Junior Watson, Charlie Sexton, Kid Anderson, and steeler Freddie Roulette to name but a few. Here, he takes the reins (strings?) himself, using his Gibson Nighthawk plugged into a Magnatone Varsity Deluxe to play a bit. In the May issue, we review his latest album, “Lookout Highway.” Here’s our review. Read Now!

Harp Legend Charlie Musselwhite

Harp legend Charlie Musselwhite has recorded and performed with a stunning array of guitarists in his band – Harvey Mandel, Luther Tucker, Robben Ford, Junior Watson, Charlie Sexton, Kid Anderson, and steeler Freddie Roulette to name but a few. Here, he takes the reins (strings?) himself, using his Gibson Nighthawk plugged into a Magnatone Varsity Deluxe to play a bit. In the May issue, we review his latest album, “Lookout Highway.” Here’s our review. Read Now!

Artists

This month, we feature The Meters’ George Porter, Tommy Emmanuel, Jedd Hughes, Dudley Taft, Lari Basilio, Ally Venable, The Police, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Dave Mason, Kenny Burrell, 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 […]

by Vintage Guitar
Music

Ed Sweeney with Cathy Clasper-Torch

1A Sunday Drive

Don’t let the relaxed, back-porch vibe and unaffected vocals fool you; Ed Sweeney is an adept instrumentalist and interpreter of American and British folk music. On his ninth album, the repertoire ranges from Southern hymns to the Beatles; even the “The Mickey Mouse Club March.” For most of the cuts, Sweeney is paired with Cathy […]

by Dan Forte
VG Approved Gear

Square Amps’ Chippy

Radio King

Matt Richards builds basic cathode-bias amps housed in the carcasses of vintage radios. They’re designed to be compatible with various tubes, giving the user a range of output and tone choices. His Chippy amp has a single Volume knob on the front and a negative-feedback loop pot on the back that acts as a combination […]

Artists

Sue Foley

Femme Flamenco

In a time when pop-music performers rely heavily on post-recording fix-ups and pre-recorded tracks onstage, it’s refreshing – even admirable – when someone takes the “honest road.” Singer/guitarist Sue Foley is one of the few. While the Austin-by-way-of-Ottawa guitarist is known primarily as a blues artist, she’s also a skilled classical/flamenco player, as heard throughout […]

VG Approved Gear

EHX Walking on the Moon Flanger/Filter Matrix

Andy Flange

With its mouthful of a name – The Andy Summers Walking On the Moon Flanger/Filter Matrix – the latest Electro-Harmonix stompbox is modeled after Summers’ legendary tone, with nuance that separates it from the jet-plane swoosh of early Van Halen. While technically a flanger that offers classic swooshy/wobbly tones, the fun is in how the […]

Artists

Aldo Nova

Fully Engaged

I did a lot of disappearing acts in my career. And when I disappear, I disappear,” Aldo Nova says with a chuckle. “You don’t hear anything about me.” The Canadian vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist/songwriter, who roared onto the charts with his self-titled debut album 40 years ago thanks to its video megahit “Fantasy,” has resurfaced with several new […]

VG Approved Gear

Washburn’s Warren Haynes Signature Acoustic

New “Pre-War” Picker

Washburn’s Warren Haynes Signature Acoustic Price: $1,899 (Dream Solo 1 combo); $3,995 (Dream Solo 4 head); $699 (Switchback 112) Info: www.washburn.com Given the company’s long history, it’s surprising that Washburn hasn’t released more models based on original designs. US Music (Washburn’s corporate parent) has begun to take some steps to remedy this with the Warren […]

Artists

Billy Bauer

Jazz Guitar’s Hidden Giant

Billy Bauer’s career was so steeped in tradition that he is often thought of as one of the first jazz guitarists. And while that’s true, his pioneering, progressive attitude and contribution to the artform endured for decades. His big-band time with Woody Herman’s First Herd was a precursor to his association with jazz visionary Lennie […]

Music

Spoon

Lucifer On The Sofa

Ten studio albums in, Spoon’s latest just may be its purest rock-and-roll record. What took so long? The band’s early albums verged on ragged-edge post-punk, while power-pop masterpieces like 2007’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga made them indie darlings and heroes in their home base of Austin. Their previous disc, the futuristic Hot Thoughts, was […]

VG Approved Gear

Eastman AR905SCE Uptown Deluxe

Classy Jazz Box

Eastman AR905SCE Uptown Deluxe Price: $3,650 retail Contact: www.eastmanguitars.com Over the past few years the negative stigma attached to guitars manufactured overseas has been altered greatly. Many builders from abroad have upped their games significantly, rising from mere copycats to top contenders. One such builder that consistently proves its commitment to quality is Eastman Guitars, […]

VG Approved Gear

Universal Audio Ruby, Woodrow & Dream

Model Of Perfection

With digital recording more popular than ever, audio designers are working to capture guitar tone directly, without miking an amp. Universal Audio – renowned maker of studio gear – has introduced three pedals to get the job done, each modeled on a specific vintage amp. The Ruby ’63 Top Boost Amplifier is UA’s tribute to […]

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 […]

Artists

Pop ’N Hiss: The Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet

Feast Your Ears

The Rolling Stones were back. Well, they’d never really gone anywhere, but most fans thought they’d lost their way with 1967’s psychedelic experiment Their Satanic Majesties Request. Widely considered rivals to the Beatles, the Stones were accused by some of copying the colossal influence of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, issued earlier that year. […]

Classic Instruments

Dumble Garage Band Ripper

Orange Crushed

Through much of his career, Alexander Dumble made amps at his discretion, building one of his hallowed tone machines only if he liked the way you played. But if he really liked you – as a guitarist and as a human being – he just might present you a priceless piece of work out of […]

Ray Bonneville
Artists

Ray Bonneville

Easy Groove

Ray Bonneville’s latest album, Easy Gone, glides on a steady groove. “I really like the way it sounds with these guys,” he said of drummer Geoff Arsenault and bassist Gurf Morlix. “Their groove is in the same family as my groove.” It took Bonneville years to feel where that groove should come from, but, he […]

GIBSON-EB-2-HOME-MAIN-BIG
Classic Instruments

Gibson EB-2

Kalamazoo’s Biggest Bass Innovation?

In the mid 1950s, Gibson president Ted McCarty was paying close attention to two new instruments impacting the musical-instruments market – the solidbody electric guitar and the electric bass. Both had been developed by an upstart company called Fender, and Gibson’s original solidbodies, the Les Paul guitar and Electric Bass (VG, February ’06) were introduced […]

Breedlove FF and KO Mandolins
VG Approved Gear

Breedlove FF and KO Mandolins

New Traditionalists

Breedlove FF and KO Mandolins1 Price: FF $2,265 (list), $1,699 (street); KO $1,999 (list), $1,499 (street) Info: www.breedlovemusic.com. Unlike luthiers who re-create classic designs, Kim Breedlove prefers new ideas and cutting-edge aesthetics. Breedlove’s FF and KO mandolins combine unique visual style with superb build quality. For mandolin players looking for nontraditional instruments, the Breedlove FF […]

Artists

Steve Lukather

Sun Shine

Steve Lukather has been a busy professional guitarist for 45 of his 63 years, as a founding member of Toto, revered session musician who played on countless hits, and solo artist. Lukather’s latest project, I Found the Sun Again, is his eighth solo album. It features five originals along with Traffic, Joe Walsh, and Robin […]

Music

Paul Benjaman Band

My Bad Side Wants a Good Time

Raw, primal simplicity. A laid-back rock beat that’s rooted in country and blues. That’s what vocalist/guitarist Benjaman delivers here, a variant of the Tulsa Sound pioneered by J.J. Cale and Leon Russell. In fact, some of these songs were recorded in Tulsa’s restored The Church Studio, which housed Shelter Records, once owned by Russell. Blessed […]

- Advertisement -