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Super PickupGiveaway 2025
Win Big! 11 Sets! 11 Winners! Win a set of pickups from one of these sponsors: Deadline is March 15, 2026. Complete the survey below to enter giveaway. One entry…
Dave Stryker
Strings Meet Strings
When you say “jazz with strings,” many people imagine smooth, sugary instrumentals. But in the hands of guitarist Dave Stryker,…
Burns Steer Cutaway
The Burns Steer Cutaway
The story of the Burns Steer Cutaway begins in 1925 with the birth of the “British Leo Fender,” James Ormston…
Gospel Guitars
Semie Moseley’s Venerated Brand
When he wasn’t crafting Mosrites, Semie Moseley could often be found on the road, providing music for evangelists. It makes…
Joey Molland
The word “underrated” is belabored in music journalism, but Joey Molland was just that. As co-guitarist in Badfinger, he was…
Alex Skolnick
Bit of Metal, Bit of Jazz
The worlds of metal and jazz guitar couldn’t be more opposite – one specializes in volume and riffing, the other…
A Little More Better
CopperSound’s Foxcatcher Boost/Overdrive and Polaris Chorus/Vibrato
Offering hand-built pedals from their shop in Easton, Massachusetts, CopperSound seems to be finding a niche among small-batch builders, namely…
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Rickenbacker’s Electric 12-Strings
Double-bound for Glory
George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacher founded Electro String in 1931 to manufacture what everyone would soon call “Rickenbacker” guitars. Success came early and their lap steels set standards of quality,…
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ARTISTS
Ceil Thompson and her self-made guitar
“Dan’s Guitar Rx”: VG’s Rock-and-Roll High School(er)! In 2022, Dan Erlewine’s “Guitar Rx” column walked readers through a class-project guitar…
Colin Linden
Bringing it Back Around
Colin Linden’s Still Live is a step back to his first recording – a live album made three decades ago.…
Duke Robillard
Doing Things His Way
Mix one part blues, one part jazz, one part swing, stir in some rock and soul, bring to a simmer,…
Steve West
Life Since “Louie, Louie”
What constitutes a Guitar Hero? Is it Hendrix or Van Halen, or is it your seminal six-string inspiration? Or what…
CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS
Ted Newman Jones’ West-Texas Guitars
Melodious Coterie
Boxcars Among the vast papers, drawings, photographs, and tapes at Texas Tech’s Crossroads of Music Archive is a guitar beloved…
EKO 995
The Beatles’ appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in February of 1964 is often referred to as the most important…
Ca. 1960 Custom Mosrite/Gretsch
A Bakersfield/Brooklyn Cowboy
In the history of vintage guitars, Gretsch and Mosrite are sometimes linked, and often associated with ’50s hot-country pickers and…
Q&A With George Gruhn: A Strong Case
And When to Get an Appraisal
Some of my vintage guitar cases are very worn. One Martin case from the ’40s is missing a latch and…
NEWSWIRE
APPROVED GEAR
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Live Wire
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Narrow(field) Win
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Take Flight
Newman Guitars Lake Placid Blue
Portrait in Blue
Excitement at the arrival of this offset beauty was dampened by the sad news that its creator had passed away…
So-Cal Steel
Asher Guitars & Lap Steels Ben Harper Signature Model
If Nashville is the pedal-steel capital, surely Southern California is a lap steel hotspot. David Lindley and Ben Harper, along…
Tone King Royalist MKIII
Firebreather U.K. Three-Speed
British tube amps from the mid ’60s and early ’70s have inspired countless designs emulating their beloved tones. In 2014,…
Ibanez Artcore AGS73FM and Vintage VSA500HB
Solid Semis
In the past several years, many import guitar brands have improved their build quality while continuing to offer their goods…
WHAT ELSE IS NEW
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More Personal
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Rare Pioneer
EKO 995
The Beatles’ appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in February of 1964 is often referred to as the most important…
Cole Eclipse Pro Special
Straight-from-the-catalog instruments are fun – and reassuring – because you know exactly what you’ve got. But there’s another kind of…
Singular Sound BeatBuddy
Drums Even You Can Play
Everyone knows a good drummer joke. Or two. Drummers are indeed a special breed. Singular Sound’s BeatBuddy drum-machine pedal, however,…
