Smith/Kotzen

Black Light/White Noise

January 16, 2026 · Bret Adams

This is the third album from rock veterans Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden) and Richie Kotzen (The Winery Dogs). The busy…

Name that Twang

The Guild-Duane Eddy Connection

May 2, 2024 · Peter Stuart Kohman

The fledgling Guild company scored a coup when it signed Johnny Smith to an endorsement deal in 1956. Perched atop…

EHX Cock Fight and Key9

Pedalin’ To The Past

July 5, 2018 · Pete Prown

When it comes to sweet retro tones, the wizards at Electro-Harmonix (EHX) have been busy again, turning out a fresh…

Blues guitarist Charlie Apicella’s “Booze and Blues” and “Just Like a Woman”

September 29, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

Honoring B.B., Rainey Being V.P. of the North Jersey Blues Society isn’t the only thing that separates Charlie Apicella from…

Fender’s Duel Pugilist Distortion & Dual Marine Layer Reverb

Double Trouble

December 8, 2022 · Michael Dregni

Fender launched its Pugilist Distortion and Marine Layer Reverb in 2018, after VP of Innovation Stan Cotey – who’d previously…

Jack Casady

Hot Tuna, Part II

January 8, 2012 · Dan Forte

Jazz bass great Anthony Jackson once told Bass Player magazine he was drawn to Jack Casady’s “big, rich, metallic sound…

  • Carr Skylark Special 1×12

    Carr Skylark Special 1×12

    Take Flight

    Arriving a little more than 10 years after the original Skylark, Carr Amplifiers’ new Skylark Special adds versatility and enhanced tonal depths to squeeze a lot more into this diminutive…

    Read more >>

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ARTISTS

Tom Keifer

Thick and Thin

February 10, 2014 · Ward Meeker

Tom Keifer is a tad young to be on the (very) long list of musicians inspired first and foremost by…

Have Guitar Will Travel 103 – Live In The Vineyard #2

June 21, 2024 · Doug Yellow Bird

In episode 103 of “Have Guitar Will Travel”, presented by Vintage Guitar Magazine, host James Patrick Regan is again at…

Pop ’N Hiss: The J. Geils Band’s “Live” Full House

Detroit Get-Down

January 11, 2024 · Willie G. Moseley

You heard of the Boogaloo?” singer Peter Wolf bellows as the J. Geils Band roars through “Hard Drivin’ Man.” “You…

Classics: Tommy Castro’s ’66 Fender Stratocaster

December 12, 2025 · Ward Meeker

Tommy Castro has never been much for sitting with a guitar teacher, preferring instead to rely on good ol’ time…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Christopher Thorn

Alt-Rocker/Studio Guru

June 14, 2022 · Greg Prato

Best known as half of the guitar tandem in the ’90s alternative-rock band Blind Melon (that’s his rhythm on “No…

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Willie G. Moseley

July 8, 2025 · Ram W. Tuli

Season 03 Episode 01 In Episode 3.1 of “Buy That Guitar,” host Ram Tuli is joined by longtime VG contributor…

Rosewood Dobro

Rosewood Dobro

January 18, 2016 · George Gruhn

In the 1930s, the original Dobro company went through a series of ownership changes and licensing agreements. It did not…

Ampeg R-12-R Reverberocket

July 11, 2014 · Dave Hunter

1962 Ampeg R-12-R Reverberocket Preamp tubes: two 6SL7, two 6SN7 Output tubes: two 6V6, cathode-biased Rectifier: 5Y3 Controls: Volume, Tone,…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Black Cat Vibe and TWA’s Triskelion Mk. II

Opposites Attract

March 31, 2017 · Pete Prown

In today’s world of proliferating boutique pedals, guitarists have a staggering array of divergent options. Case in point, the Black…

Devi Ever:FX Big Distortion Sound Machine

Devi Ever:FX Big Distortion Sound Machine

Enough is Never Enough

March 3, 2016 · Pete Prown

Devi Ever:FX Big Distortion Sound Machine Price: $200 (list) Contact: www.devieverfx.com Want fuzz, crunch, and overdrive? How about all at…

Carr Amplifiers’ Mercury V

Carolina Combo

April 16, 2019 · Ray Wuolo

Back in June 2003, Carr’s original eight-watt Mercury combo earned high praise in VG for its top-of-the-line components, attention to…

King Snake Three Bone

Latter-Day “Legend”

February 9, 2023 · Michael Dregni

Gibson’s ES-5 is a legend, but it’s also a bit idiosyncratic thanks to funky out-of-phase pickups and a non-intuitive control…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Andrews Spectraverb 16

No Limits

January 8, 2018 · Phil Feser

Taking inspiration from Fender’s classic AB763 Deluxe Reverb, the hand-wired Andrews Spectraverb 16 uses a pair of JJ 6V6 power…

The Höfner Model 485G

December 27, 2023 · Michael Wright

At the end of World War II, the town of Schönbach, in western Bohemia, became Luby, Czechoslovakia, and the people…

Jorge Harada

Whole Lotta Rockabilly

March 11, 2019 · Michael Dregni

Call it twang with attitude. Ruby Dee and the Snakehandlers’ new album, Little Black Heart, is a heady mix of…

Gomez Amplification “G” Reverb

Wet, Hot, or Blue

April 6, 2010 · Phil Feser

As amp builders go, Dario G. Gomez is about as fresh as they come. Though he has been repairing tube…

Marty Stuart

Current Traditions

September 8, 2015 · John Heidt

The latest record from Marty Stuart, Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions, is a tour de force of country music…

Death By Audio’s Deep Animation

The Other Side

October 14, 2019 · Tom Guerra

If you thought envelope filters died out after Jerry Garcia passed into the great beyond, think again. Submitted as proof…

B&G Little Sister Private Build

Doncha Go And Do…

April 19, 2019 · Yoel Kreisler

B&G Guitars just about do it all – from mixing their own nitro finishes to winding pickups and even casting…

Rickenbacker 481

November 24, 2020 · Michael Wright

It’s hard to imagine an instrument other than guitar that has undergone more innovation through its modern history. Perhaps we…

Höfner’s Fledermaus Gitarre

A Bat By Any Other Name

May 1, 2022 · Ward Meeker

Much like the scant records of almost every large-scale American guitar manufacturer, production logs at Höfner’s headquarters in Hagenau, Germany,…

Hallmark Swept-Wing

Brief Flight from South of Bakersfield

March 31, 2017 · Willie G. Moseley

Bob Shade exemplifies the adage “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” The guitar builder has an enviable assortment of…

The Orange Acoustic Pedal

Juice To Spare

July 22, 2022 · Michael Shirek

Since the dawn of amplification, engineers have sought a better mousetrap – a more-transparent signal chain that preserves signal and…

Custom Kraft Red Fury

August 12, 2014 · Michael Wright

Most guitar aficionados are comfortable with the notion of guitar brands being made by the company of the same name.…

Bill Frisell

Bill Frisell

January 13, 2016 · Vintage Guitar

For the December ’14 issue of Vintage Guitar magazine, Dan Forte interviewed Bill Frisell. Here’s a look at the many guitars used…

Oxford Guitar Supply

Fine Finish

May 8, 2025 · Joe Bigley

One factor keeping many people from working on their guitars is the availability of tools and materials to make those…

Harp Legend Charlie Musselwhite

May 30, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

Stringin’ on “Blue Lounge” Harp legend Charlie Musselwhite has recorded and performed with a stunning array of guitarists in his…

Joe Satriani

December 8, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

The hardest-working guitarist in show business, Joe Satriani recently wrapped up a successful Van Halen tour, a G3 Reunion tour,…

Steve Knight

Jazz For People

July 26, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Chicago resident Steve Knight’s first album, Persistence, takes listeners back to the days of warm jazz-guitar tones, popular tunes, group…

Steve Stevens

Atomic Idol

April 22, 2019 · Johnny Zapp

As Billy Idol’s longtime guitarist and songwriting partner, Steve Stevens’ unique approach – flamenco stylings and the occasional ray gun…

Ram Tuli Crunches Numbers for The Guide

Strats and Data

June 11, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Combine a knack for numbers with a love of old guitars and you get… well, you might get any of…

Jeff Plankenhorn’s “Alone At Sea”

January 9, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Tasty slide on a square-neck Oahu Singer/songwriter Jeff Plankenhorn’s music is a rootsy mix that embraces blues and pop while…

Robben Ford

Crystal Visionary

June 3, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Pure is Robben Ford’s first instrumental album since 1997’s Tiger Walk. A work of complex simplicity, it’s also a singular…

Dickerson Standard Lap Steel

December 30, 2014 · Michael Wright

Though today they are viewed as little more than curious relics of a lost era, during the Great Depression, “mother…

Rick Derringer

Explore The Possibilities

May 28, 2025 · Willie G. Moseley

Rick Derringer and his compadres in the McCoys smashed their way into the pantheon of rock and roll in the…

Check This Action: Blue Steel

February 8, 2024 · Dan Forte

Freddie Roulette was one of the most amazing musicians I ever heard, knew, or saw – the absolute monster of…

GIBSON-F2-2-HOME-MAIN-BIG

1905 Gibson F-2

February 26, 2016 · George Gruhn

In the opinion of most American mandolinists, Gibson brought mandolin design to a level of perfection in 1922, with the…

Carbe and Durand

August 30, 2016 · John Heidt

The combo of two acoustic guitars and what could be considered modern-day standards seems on first blush like a recipe…

John Mayall

1933-2024

May 30, 2025 · Pete Prown

Drummer Mick Fleetwood was only briefly a member of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, but that was enough to launch his platinum…

Wishbone Ash

Powell, Manninen, and <em>Elegant Stealth</em>

November 29, 2013 · Willie G. Moseley

Fans of Wishbone Ash will consider the group’s newest release, Elegant Stealth, the type of innovative guitar music they’ve grown…

Yasmin Williams

Fearless Imagination

January 26, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

On her latest album, Urban Driftwood, Yasmin Williams’ wanderlust expands beyond the acoustic polyphony her fans know well. The songs…