• Super PickupGiveaway 2025

    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…

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Alday B-Blender

Alday B-Blender

One For The Masses

September 13, 2015 · Michael Dregni

Taylor 814ce Price: $129.95 (list) Info: www.b-blender.com Why aren’t we guitarists ever happy to have our guitars sound like guitars?…

1963 Fender 6G7-A Bandmaster

Last of the Oxbloods

May 2, 2024 · Dave Hunter

Those who love vintage amplifiers are often fascinated by little anomalies that present themselves in an otherwise period-correct specimen, and…

Alter Bridge

November 1, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Since 2013’s Fortress, Alter Bridge has lost no momentum. They’ve focused their talents to create a successful formula that highlights…

K.K. Downing

Preaching Metal

July 7, 2022 · Bret Adams

Classic heavy metal will never fade as long as K.K. Downing remains one of its torchbearers. Sermons of the Sinner,…

MXR Slash Octave Fuzz SF01 and Slash Cry Baby Classic SC-95 Home Big

MXR Slash Octave Fuzz SF01 and Slash Cry Baby Classic SC-95

Slash 'N Burn

January 27, 2014 · Erik Elkins

MXR SF01 Slash Octae Fuzz Price: $129 (street) Contact: jimdunlop.com MXR’s new Slash Octave Fuzz pedal employs three fuzz “flavors”…

1988 Guild Liberator Elite

May 27, 2020 · Michael Wright

Every once in awhile you find a guitar that’s almost too beautiful to play. It’s just enough to sit there…

  •  Reverend Sensei H90

     Reverend Sensei H90

    Live Wire

    So you want a Gibson-style solidbody that can cover humbucker-powered rock, yet also twangier/glassier tones using a P-90 pickup. Check. You also want to grab high frets via double-cutaway and…

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ARTISTS

Les Claypool

Child’s Play

September 20, 2019 · Greg Prato

The words “concept album” conjure images of long-haired, cape-wearing prog musicians from the ’70s. On their ninth studio album, The…

James Elkington

Windy City Diversity

September 15, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

James Elkington tweaked the paradigm when he began working at a luthier shop before hitting his stride as a guitarist.…

Fretprints: Tony Rice

Newgrass Fusion Master

February 4, 2022 · Wolf Marshall

The world lost one of its most innovative and defining guitar voices on December 25, 2020. Bluegrass maestro Tony Rice…

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Kevin Borden

July 30, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Kevin Borden Season 01 Episode 04 In Episode 4 of “Buy That Guitar,”…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Fender’s Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic

Little Brothers

July 27, 2022 · Terry Foster

Often forgotten amongst Fender’s many classics, the Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic were conceived to capitalize on teenagers taking up the guitar…

First-Rate Second Fiddles

Jimi’s Gibsons at the Hard Rock Cafe

April 3, 2019 · Jim Carlton

No two ways about it, as his career hit stride, Jimi Hendrix was a Strat guy. Not famously loyal to…

Tommy Castro

Circling Back

December 12, 2025 · Ward Meeker

In a career spanning four decades, Tommy Castro has crafted a commendable catalog and built a devout following with his…

VG Q&A: Odd Dots

Import fretboard markers, and Kay’s Model 1961

April 8, 2024 · Michael Wright

In the mid ’60s, why did some Japanese electric-guitar manufacturers put the marker on the 10th fret rather than the…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

K775V Kay Jazz II and K5970V Jazz Special Bass

A-Ohh-Kay

February 4, 2016 · Sean OBryan Smith

K775V Kay Jazz II and K5970V Jazz Special Price: $1,495 (K775V Jazz II electric guitar); $1,150 (K5970V Jazz Special electric…

Walden Sean Harkness 12-String, CG4070E

Grand-Auditorium Cousins

April 26, 2016 · Chip Wilson

Walden Sean Harkness 12-String, CG4070E Price: $1,100 (Sean Harkness Model); $1,350 (CG4070E-CERT) Info: www.waldenguitars.com. With 16 years of producing attractive,…

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Avid Technology Eleven Rack

Rack and Roll

June 10, 2016 · Pete Prown

The proliferation of digital guitar gear grows by leaps and bounds every year as more players learn to love the…

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Bohemian Boho Moonshine

In The Can

June 9, 2016 · Stephen Stone

Here at VG, we see all manner of guitars – those made out of steel, graphite, even animal shells. But…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Naia Izumi

Intuitive Artistry

August 1, 2022 · Pete Prown

It’s difficult to pigeonhole the music of Naia Izumi, a singer/songwriter who’s also one of the most uncanny guitarists around.…

The Komet Constellation

January 4, 2016 · Dave Hunter

Amid the general run of vintage amps we have explored in this space, the occasional “modern classic” has proved itself…

Fretprints: Mick Ralphs

Delivering in Bad Company

April 29, 2024 · Wolf Marshall

Unabashedly British and irresistibly swaggering, Bad Company personified ’70s arena rock. Detractors denounced them as machismo, but fans have bought…

Fixing a faulty pickup selector lever

And a few oddball pickups from the Duncan archives

February 10, 2021 · Seymour W. Duncan

When I use the pickup  selector lever switch on my Fender Strato-caster, one of the pickups cuts out. What could…

Larry Coryell

January 26, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

The lastest from the godfather of fusion guitar harkens back to his ’71 album Barefoot Boy, revisiting the energy, philosophy,…

Shannon McNally

The Waylon Sessions

March 4, 2022 · Michael Dregni

Does the world really, truly need yet another tribute to quintessential country outlaw Waylon Jennings? Yes – especially when it’s…

JHS’ SuperBolt and Morning Glory Pedals

Zep in a Box

October 7, 2014 · Pete Prown

Started with a quick repair to a Boss pedal in Josh Scott’s Mississippi apartment, JHS has evolved into a well-regarded…

Have Guitar Will Travel 070 – JJ Wilde and J.D. Smigelski

February 23, 2022 · James Patrick Regan

The latest episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel” finds host James Patrick Regan speaking with indie rocker JJ Wilde 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.…

Gibson 1928 L-1 Blues Tribute

Blues Time Machine

October 12, 2015 · Michael Dregni

Gibson 1928 L-1 Blues Tribute Price: $4,255 retail; $3,299 street Info: www.gibson.com. The Gibson L-1 boasts the kind of intriguing…

Steve Vai

Inviolate

December 9, 2022 · Pete Prown

After decades of technical shred-dom, Vai returns to his musical mindset prior to David Lee Roth, composing soundtrack-scaled material that…

SviSound’a Overdrive OverZoid oz01

Svi Sound’s Overdrive OverZoid oz01

Full Steam

March 9, 2016 · Rich Maloof

SviSound’a Overdrive OverZoid oz01 Price: $165 (list) Contact: www.svisound.com Tonally and aesthetically, SviSound’s Overdrive OverZoid is a study in good…

The Oud

The Oud

Ancient to Modern

July 5, 2016 · Neil Haverstick

If Beatles guitarist George Harrison had used an oud instead of a sitar to give “Norwegian Wood” its distinct sound,…

Walrus Audio Eons Five-State Fuzz

November 13, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Hot on the heels of its Ages Five-State Overdrive and Eras Five-State Distortion, Walrus Audio has unleashed the Eons Five-State…

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.…

Jared James Nichols’ glorious goldtop

April 27, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Mods and pedals need not apply! Watch Jared James Nichols tear it up on “Dorothy,” his ’52 Gibson Les Paul,…

Elliot Easton

Different Directions

January 9, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

Lefty guitarist Elliot Easton has chosen a different route for his most recent musical venture, but its sonic direction should…

Laur Joamets

Metamodern Sounds In Country Picking

March 2, 2017 · Michael Dregni

The time-worn, well-trodden path to Nashville traditionally starts from a Tennessee holler, Arkansas cabin, or Texas jook. For Laur Joamets…

Epiphone Rivoli

March 17, 2010 · Willie G. Moseley

Former Gibson president Ted McCarty (1909-2001) is credited for his leadership of the company when it peaked in terms of…

1982 Gibson Victory Custom

February 6, 2023 · Willie G. Moseley

When you consider their status as a last-gasp instrument made by Gibson in its waning days as a property of…

JOEWALSH_HOME-MAIN-BIG

Joe Walsh

Life’s Still Good

February 14, 2014 · Ward Meeker

Whether coughing up the #2 talk-box lick of the ’70s, kicking the Eagles into overdrive, or wryly expressing his views…

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Mick Mars

A Piece of His Action

December 17, 2015 · Lisa Sharken

Since emerging from Hollywood’s Sunset Strip in the early 1980s, Mötley Crue has defined the Los Angeles metal scene. Fueled…

The Clark Gainster

Trick Your Tweed

June 10, 2020 · Art Department

Before he got into the effects pedal biz, Michael Clark had a reputation for building killer tweed-inspired amps. In 2001…

Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ Reissue

Dual-Mode Delivery

November 14, 2025 · Dave Hunter

The evolution of Randall Smith’s legendary high-gain Mesa/Boogie design into the revered Mark IIC+ of the mid ’80s established a…

Brad Paisley

Keep Pushing Play

February 4, 2010 · Zac Childs

Ten years into what has become a stellar career, when Brad Paisley hits your town to play a show these…

Keeley Electronics Dark Side

Floyd Fare

July 28, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

In the multi-verse of effects pedals, Robert Keeley’s compressors, dirt boxes, and workstation gizmos are a thing of beauty –…

Dave Davies

Dave Davies

Personal Songs and Power Chords

March 28, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

For more than a half-century, the world has known of guitarist Dave Davies and his raucous electric sound, thanks to…

Friedman Amplification JEL-20

Firebreather

August 4, 2024 · Charlie Wilkins

For 25 years, Dave Friedman has been creating amplifiers that helped him (eh-hem) gain amp-guru status. His limited-run Jake E.…

Fender’s 1957 Precision Bass

Fender’s 1957 Precision Bass

January 5, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

When an instrument maintains the same basic design and profile for more than a half-century, it’s safe to say that…