The Modulus Graphite Flight 6 Monocoque

High-/Low-Tech

May 3, 2022 · Michael Wright

In guitar history, irony is almost always the result of circumstances. The market changes overnight or someone makes a mistake…

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ToneConcepts’ The Distillery

100-Proof Tone

February 5, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

While many pedal makers tinker away on effects that exhibit their personal tonal philosophies, the fact is that most don’t…

The “Okie Dokie Stomp” Esquire

Gate’s Swing

October 9, 2019 · Ward Meeker

As a high-school student and emerging guitarist in Houston in the early ’60s, John Andrews couldn’t get a club gig…

Electro-Harmonix Synth9

Downright Synth-Ful

May 21, 2019 · Pete Prown

For 40 years, guitar synthesizers have come and gone, but the Electro-Harmonix Synth9 looks to be a game-changer for several…

1971 Dumble Special 16 #0001

Prehistoric Beast

December 6, 2022 · Dave Hunter

1971 Dumble Special 16 • Preamp tubes: three 12AX7 • Output tubes: eight 6L6GC (most likely) • Rectifier: solid-state •…

Zemaitis’ CS Guitars

Super Models

March 5, 2019 · Michael Dregni

Artist. Iconoclast. Guitar builder to the stars. Tony Zemaitis was all that and more. Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards swear…

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ARTISTS

Andy Summers

The Next Phase

January 10, 2020 · Willie G. Moseley

Best known for his innovative guitar playing in the Police, veteran English guitarist Andy Summers was into other genres of…

Eddie Cochran’s Gretsch 6120

Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got that Twang

August 10, 2022 · Michael Dregni

One night in the late 1950s, Eddie Cochran set the world alight onstage in the City of Angels. Though the…

Marty Friedman’s Melodic Grandeur

June 26, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Vintage Strat, new style on “Illumination” A devout Jackson user with a longstanding signature model, Fender Strat that’s also heard…

Andrew Synowiec’s Ebullient Tonefest

January 5, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Uplifting Instrumental Rock! Check out Andrew Synowiec and his Heritage Custom Core H-150 P90 ripping through a chunk of “Lead…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Rickenbacker 325

A Pop Icon and His Beloved Axe

August 24, 2022 · R.J. Klimpert

Details In 1962, the Ac’cent Vibrato replaced the original Rick’s standard Kauffman unit, which was derived from a nearly 30-year-old…

Molly Miller – top-flight instrumental rock, jazz, and twang

August 30, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Trio rips on “2 West” Instrumental guitar music is having a moment. Offering a stellar example, Molly Miller and her…

Gospel Guitars

Semie Moseley’s Venerated Brand

February 28, 2019 · Willie G. Moseley

When he wasn’t crafting Mosrites, Semie Moseley could often be found on the road, providing music for evangelists. It makes…

Fall Philly 2014

November 13, 2014 · Lisa Sharken

[caption id="attachment_19277" align="alignleft" width="300"] We are here at the Philly show checking out all the killer guitars! Here's a '54…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Z.Vex Fuzz Probe

Z.Vex Fuzz Probe

There-Mayhem

May 6, 2016 · Michael Dregni

The Z.Vex Fuzz Factory pedal unleashed sonic possibilities ranging from a horde of wasps to the (presumed) sound of the…

Electro-Harmonix Mel9 Tape Replay Effect

In a Mello Tone

March 5, 2019 · Rich Maloof

Producer George Martin was so fond of John Lennon’s tape-relay keyboard that he described it “as if a Neanderthal piano…

Fret-King Esprit III

Déjà Vu, Again

December 6, 2021 · Bob Cianci

What do you get when you cross a Gibson Explorer with a Fender offset and Firebird vibe? The answer is…

Sundragon Super Dragon

The Sound Remains

November 26, 2024 · Tom Guerra

A few years back, amp builder Mitch Colby and music producer Perry Margouleff teamed with Jimmy Page to introduce the…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Albert Cummings

Genre-Free

April 27, 2023 · Sean McDevitt

Albert Cummings’ new album, Ten, carries a simple title while serving as an easy way to count discography entries, but…

Strymon Iridium Amp & IR Cab

Model Citizen

March 4, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

It can be tough, living in the golden age of gear tech. Which piece of amazing equipment to get next?…

Paul Gilbert

The Joy of Destruction

November 4, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

We’ve all been there; cruising along in the car, minding our business, soaking in cool guitar tunes when another driver…

Pat Martino

Redefined Jazzman

March 2, 2022 · Wolf Marshall

Pat Martino is a legend. He has been delighting the globe’s collective ear for more than 50 years, making an…

SurfyBear Compact Reverb

Bringin’ Springs

April 18, 2024 · Bob Dragich

Reverb got a big push into the world of guitar when Leo Fender installed Hammond’s Accutronics Type 4 Spring Reverb…

Classics: Harold “Sonny” Wright’s 1965 Gibson J-45

June 12, 2025 · Ward Meeker

Growing up 10 miles from Earl Scruggs’ birthplace in North Carolina with a music-loving father and two older sisters who…

The Supro Hampton

Island Unto Itself

March 13, 2019 · Michael Dregni

Supro’s vintage Ozark guitar is famed as Jimi Hendrix’s first axe. According to legend, his father bought him an off-white…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 030 Featuring Lzzy Hale

July 7, 2020 · James Patrick Regan

Episode 30 of James Patrick Regan’s “Have Guitar Will Travel” podcast features Halestorm co-founder Lzzy Hale. They delve into the…

Custom VG Backgrounds

May 27, 2015 · Vintage Guitar

Time to give your computer, tablet, or phone a new look? VG offers different classic images, each downloadable in a…

J.D. Simo

Playing for Elvis

July 13, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Psych-blues guitar maestro J.D. Simo was the wizard behind the guitar work heard on Elvis, the new Baz Luhrmann film…

Adam Levy

Staying Spry

October 17, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

As an accomplished sideman, Adam Levy is famous for supplying charismatic guitar sounds for Nora Jones and Tracy Chapman. On…

Dave Stryker

Strings Meet Strings

January 4, 2023 · Pete Prown

When you say “jazz with strings,” many people imagine smooth, sugary instrumentals. But in the hands of guitarist Dave Stryker,…

Dan Wilson

Akron’s Finest

April 28, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

On Things Eternal, jazz-guitar wizard Dan Wilson fuses post-bop, spirituality, and the songs of Stevie Wonder into a satisfying musical…

Derek St. Holmes

Nuge Redux

January 7, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

Singer/guitarist Derek St. Holmes’ relationship with guitarist Ted Nugent has had its ups and downs. The two have been associated…

Phil Manzanera’s “Magdalena”

August 25, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

Roxy Music legend solo instrumental Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera used his beloved ’64 Gibson Firebird VII to create this…

Category 5 Samantha

Hook, Line, and Tone

May 3, 2023 · Charlie Wilkins

Blues-rocker Samantha Fish (VG, December ’21) electrifies audiences with her high-energy shows. A decade ago, she began favoring Category 5’s…

Pat Metheny

The Jazz Guitar Prodigy at 60

December 1, 2016 · Dan Forte

His success is obvious – 20 Grammy awards, crossover popularity, loyal fans dating back 40 years. Still, his career path…

Micki Free

Feel and Tone

November 3, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

  He was the real-life team member on the infamous Charlie Murphy/Prince basketball game parodied on “Chappelle’s Show,” but Grammy…

Yates McKendree

Blues Emotion

October 4, 2023 · Sean McDevitt

Yates McKendree hasn’t yet turned 22, but he has already digested a lifetime’s worth of American roots music. The proof…

FireBelly Amplifiers’ Tweed 1955SE, PR3512SE

FireBelly Amplifiers’ Tweed 1955SE, PR3512SE

Tale Of Two Princetons

April 1, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

FireBelly Amplifiers’ Tweed 1955SE, PR3512SE Price: $949 (Tweed 1955SE); $1,595 (PR3512SE) Contact: www.firebellyamps.com The quest for vintage tone continues, and…

New Orleans Guitar Company Model 8

Sonic Mojo

March 1, 2014 · Chip Wilson

New Orleans Guitar Company Model 8 Price: $2,999 Contact: neworleansguitar.com For over a decade, the New Orleans Guitar Company has…

Joe Osborn photo: Ed Hirsch.

Joe Osborn

A Few (Hundred) Hits

July 8, 2004 · Vintage Guitar

Ed. Note: Joe passed away December 14th, 2018, he was 81. Joe Osborn. His face has never been on a…

Steve Vai

Relentless Explorer

January 9, 2023 · Pete Prown

More than 40 years into his career, Steve Vai is still pushing himself as a musician and exploring the boundaries…

Darin and Brooke Aldridge’s Family Album

Darin and Brooke Aldridge’s Family Album

Picture Perfect

April 6, 2016 · Kathleen Johnson

The husband-and-wife duo Darin and Brooke Aldridge are one of the hottest acts on the traditional bluegrass/Americana scene. The couple’s…

Cordoba Stage

Classical Gas

October 11, 2023 · Bob Cianci

With a 1.5″/fully chambered mahogany body, the Stage – Cordoba’s first foray into the world of nylon-string electric guitars –…

Traynor’s Darkhorse DH15H

Canadian Bakin’

August 5, 2015 · Phil Feser

Hugely popular in its native Canada, Traynor amps are a formidable force from north of the 49th parallel and its…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 026 Featuring Ron Thorn

May 12, 2020 · James Patrick Regan

“Have Guitar Will Travel” host James Patrick Regan speaks with Ron Thorn, Principal Masterbuilder at the Fender Custom Shop. Before…

Spacey T

Spacey T

Eclectic Journeyman

June 21, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Tracey Singleton, better known as Spacey T, is a post-Hendrix guitar wizard with an eclectic soul and chops to match.…

Keeley Electronics Dark Side

Floyd Explorer

May 3, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

In the multi-verse of effects, Robert Keeley’s gizmos are a thing of beauty – particularly those that provide multiple sounds.…