We’re saddened to hear of the passing of Rick Derringer, legendary rock guitarist and songwriter known for playing classic collectibles. Watch for our memorial in the August issue, and here’s our in-depth interview with Derringer from 1998.
We’re saddened to hear of the passing of Rick Derringer, legendary rock guitarist and songwriter known for playing classic collectibles. Watch for our memorial in the August issue, and here’s our in-depth interview with Derringer from 1998.
Our perception of Japanese guitars has evolved slowly. At one point, they were cheap toys, at other times imperfect copies, then startling innovations. Perspective encircles the truth. So, how should we perceive the Yamaha SA-15? Japan became interested in guitars in the early 1920s, as some musicians there began to perform what we’d today call […]
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Ray Cummins – Guitar Tutorial #9 For his ninth exclusive lesson for VG, Ray Cummins shows how to play a melodic version of “Danny Boy” fingerstyle and with a pick, using jazzy chords along with a few tricky arpeggios. Ray plays his ’98 Gibson Chet Country Gentleman plugged into an ’80s Boss DD-2 through a […]
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Almost 100 years ago, Martin reinvented the flat-top box when it began delivering X-braced, square-shouldered, and oversized dreadnoughts. Now, the company is again reinventing the acoustic guitar to keep up with the realities of the 21st century. The new GPCE Inception Maple looks and sounds like a Martin, but there’s plenty going on under the […]
Mesa/Boogie Drive Pedals Price: $179 (Tone-Burst, Grid Slammer and Flux-Drive); $199 (Throttle Box) Info: www.mesaboogie.com. Long a stalwart in the world of guitar amplification, California-based Mesa/Boogie has stomped into the world of effects pedals with four new releases: the handmade Tone-Burst, Flux-Drive, Grid Slammer, and Throttle Box drive pedals are housed in heavy-duty die-cast 2.87″ […]
Tony Rice, the guitar master and vocalist whose skills and eclecticism took him far beyond his bluegrass roots, died unexpectedly at his North Carolina home on December 25, 2020. He was 69, and had ended his active career in 2013 due to physical issues that prevented him from playing without discomfort. Deeply influenced by […]
Contrary to what some aspiring bass players might think, the world’s most recorded electric bassist isn’t some modern-day L.A. dude purveying “NAMM chops” (to quote John Pattitucci) aplenty with the thumb and fingers of both hands flying all over his instrument. And they don’t have a custom neck-through bass (with five or six strings) and […]
Analog Man BC183 Sun Face Price: $185 Contact: www.analogman.com Mike Piera has been building his line of stomp boxes bearing the Analog Man name since the mid ’90s. Famous for a wide assortment of pedals with a vintage vibe, Piera boasts a customer list that includes guitar aficionados like Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Doyle Bramhall II, […]
The latest from soul-singing’ guitar phenom Marcus King has him partnering with producer Rick Rubin to manifest songs of sadness, struggle, and despair. King’s mental-health challenges are at the heart of Mood Swings, and opinions vary over whether wearing personal issues on one’s sleeve is bravery or narcissism. Songs that dig deep are nothing new, […]
Many aren’t aware that some of the archtop guitars Gibson produced during the Depression were marketed under different brand names, including Kalamazoo, Recording King, Cromwell, Fascinator, and Kel Kroyden, among others. These shared similar features and construction techniques with the low-line Gibson-branded instruments such as the L-30 and L-50: a spruce top, mahogany body and […]
One of the most influential outfits of the ’70s, Little Feat was a powerhouse with guitarists Lowell George and Paul Barrere. Sailin’ Shoes, from ’72, finds the band still searching for a cohesive studio sound, though “Easy to Slip” is a flat-out rocker, and “Cold, Cold, Cold” shows the funk already in place. “Willin’” remains […]
Rock God on his signature Jackson Star Rock god Gus G – Ozzy vet and Firewind shredder – rips through “Demon Stomp” in this exclusive video for VG. That’s his signature Jackson Star USA model. Read our review of his new solo album, “Quantum Leap,” in the January issue. Read Now!
Nashville singer/songwriter George Ducas emerged in the Garth Brooks era of the ’90s with two albums produced by guitar ace Richard Bennett that harkened to ’80s “new traditionalists” like John Anderson and Dwight Yoakam. After two indie albums in the past dozen years, Ducas returns with 10 songs, nine of them originals. Producer Pete Anderson, […]
Few instruments are as synonymous with a genre as pedal steel and country music. But for a seemingly conservative style as country, steel guitarists are some of the most-sophisticated, adventurous musicians on the planet – from Buddy Emmons to Buddy Charleton to Paul Franklin and beyond. The “mystery instrument,” as Bobby Black calls it, evolved […]
Why didn’t Suzi Quatro become a star in America? The ahead-of-her-time Detroit native, now 71, had a distinctive voice, catchy glam/hard-rock songs, media attention, and played bass. TV appearances on “Happy Days” and a pop duet with Chris Norman (“Stumblin’ In,” which reached #4 in 1979), should’ve sealed the deal. Instead, she only had minor […]
The basic premise of a baritone is that it allows guitar players to occasionally twang genuine bass notes – not enough to get in the way of the bassline, but still adding a deep, meaty girth to any phrase, riff, or chord. Godin’s A6 Ultra has a 27.7″ scale, yet a surprisingly medium weight, thanks […]
In December, 1968, Mike Bloomfield asked Johnny Winter to perform at the Fillmore East in New York at a Super Session jam with Al Kooper. That night, Winter played B.B. King’s “It’s My Own Fault” and blew away the audience. Reps from Columbia were in attendance, and Winter was signed to the biggest advance in […]
Comparisons between Blackberry Smoke and earlier Southern-rock bands may be inevitable, but the Atlanta-based quintet takes such observations in stride. “That’s way better than being compared to the Bay City Rollers,” wisecracked vocalist/guitarist Charlie Starr, who recently went on the record with VG along with bassist Richard Turner. “The musical freedom those bands enjoyed is […]
Each year, the NAMM Foundation gathers artists, fans, and music-industry professionals for an evening celebrating the achievements of producers, engineers, creators, and companies. This year’s NAMM Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards (TEC) ceremony will take place January 21 in Anaheim, honoring technical achievement in 25 categories and creative achievement in eight categories. Blackstar’s Artist Series amplifiers have been nominated […]
Ian Hunter is upbeat when he discusses his newest album, Man Overboard, and the upcoming reunion with old friends in England for a series of 40th anniversary reunion concerts planned for this fall by Mott the Hoople, the legendary British hard-rock band Hunter fronted from 1969 to the mid ’70s. The album hints the veteran […]
