• 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…

    Read more >>

Nancy Wilson

Fire in the Heart

December 8, 2014 · Will Kelly

In the early ’70s, women didn’t play rock guitar. Nor did they front bands. Nancy Wilson was an exception. Few…

Fender Princeton feature

The Fender Princeton

January 27, 2011 · Dave Hunter

1962 6G2 Fender Princeton Preamp tubes: One 7025, one 12AX7 Output tubes: two 6V6GT in fixed bias Rectifier: 5Y3 Controls:…

Tony Valentino

75, Still Rockin’

March 29, 2017 · Elliot Stephen Cohen

Most fans of classic-rock radio know The Standells garage-punk classic “Dirty Water,” which was listed in Rolling Stone’s “Top 500…

Cedric Burnside

Be Trying

August 11, 2022 · Dean L. Farley

One of 35 grandchildren of the late R.L. Burnside, Cedric grew up in the rundown Holly Springs, Mississippi, home that…

Warren Haynes

Better Music Through Chemistry

August 12, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

Warren Haynes’ first solo record in nearly a decade brings themes of optimism, uplift, and hope with Haynes at the…

Popa Chubby

Head, Heart, and Hands

October 12, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Popa Chubby is back on the road again, preaching the gospel to blues fans around the world. His new album,…

  • Rickenbacker’s Electric 12-Strings

    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,…

    Read more >>

NOW AVAILABLE!

CURRENT ISSUE

Join 25,700+ subscribers & be notified when new articles & more becomes available!

ARTISTS

Jack Petruzzelli

Jack Petruzzelli

Fab Sideman For Osborne, Wainwright, Smith

October 9, 2015 · Dan Forte

“The first time the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan, I was in my mother’s womb,” says Jack Petruzzelli. “That was…

Jedd Hughes

More Personal

February 2, 2026 · Ward Meeker

After landing on American shores in 2002 to study bluegrass, then shifting into a career as a country singer/songwriter/picker, Jedd…

Vic Johnson

At Your Service

November 28, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Music fans might remember Vic Johnson as the wickedly eclectic guitarist from the ’80s band The Busboys; it thrived in…

Howard Roberts

H.R. Was a Dirty Guitar Player!

October 7, 2014 · Jim Carlton

In his prime, Howard Roberts played more than 900 studio dates annually and recorded the hippest guitar records of the…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Classics – June 2021

February 7, 2022 · Ward Meeker

Rob Harrelson’s first guitar – a Kay 1160 – entered his life as a 14th-birthday gift from his grandmother. At…

Rickenbacher Model 200A

August 5, 2015 · Dave Hunter

Several vintage amplifiers that have graced these pages over the years have taken us back to the early days of…

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…

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Rick Hogue

September 3, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Rick Hogue Season 01 Episode 09 In Episode 9 of VG’s “Buy That…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Analog Man Bi-Comprossor

Analog Man Bi-Comprossor

Fresh-Squeezed Sounds

October 24, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

Analog Man Bi-Comprossor Price: $275 Info: www.analogman.com Mike Piera, a.k.a. Analog Man, is known for creating pedals with a vintage…

Harden Rodeo Boost

Yippee-Ki-Yay

May 30, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

Known for building some of the coolest guitars to roll out of Indiana, Harden Engineering recently expanded its line with…

Home Feature Image

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…

Fender Mike McCready Strat

Evener Flow

August 27, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Mike McCready’s beat up sunburst ’60s Strat looms large in the history of grunge; heard on Pearl Jam’s illustrious body…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Grant Geissman

Still Feeling Good

July 27, 2023 · Pete Prown

Admired for the iconic phase-shifter solo on Chuck Mangione’s 1978 smash “Feels So Good,” Grant Geissman can today look back…

Tedeschi Trucks Band feat. Trey Anastasio

Layla Revisited

May 4, 2022 · Pete Prown

A live recording of Derek & the Dominos’ masterpiece? Featuring Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi – plus Doyle Bramhall, II…

Rose Sinclair Swings on a Stringmaster D-8!

July 18, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Steel Guitar Beyond Country on “Secret Love” Rose Sinclair used her ’61 Fender Stringmaster D-8 to play this exclusive piece…

JOHNNYSMITH-HOME-MAIN-BIG

The Guild and Gibson Johnny Smith Models

December 3, 2013 · Jim Hilmar

The name “Johnny Smith” is synonymous with class, elegance, and style. Most guitar players are familiar, if not with the…

The Vox Saturn IV

June 30, 2015 · Willie G. Moseley

In the mid 1960s, England’s Vox company was in the right place at the right time. Buoyed by frontline British…

The Routes

In This Perfect Hell

June 27, 2017 · Michael Dregni

Think old-school Zombies crossed with new-thing Arctic Monkeys: the result may just be the Routes. The guitar-bass-drum trio is part…

1978 Gibson RD Artist

May 5, 2016 · Michael Wright

Throughout most of the 1970s, Les Pauls ruled the guitar roost. But toward the end of the decade, some players became…

The Who

The Who with Orchestra, Live at Wembley

February 8, 2024 · Bret Adams

The raw power The Who displayed from their humble beginnings, nearly six decades ago, showed they didn’t need enhancements. But…

Anders Osborne

Making Tracks

January 5, 2018 · John Heidt

When Anders Osborne, his band, and various friends went into the studio to work on what became Spacedust & Ocean…

Louis Electric 6L6-183 Cobra

Humble, Capital D

May 8, 2025 · Dave Hunter

One glance at the control panel and cabinet styling of the Louis Electric 6L6-183 Cobra is all most will need…

PRS Swamp Ash Special SE

Bolt-On Beauty

September 17, 2024 · Pete Prown

Known historically for its set-neck guitars, PRS has produced a number of killer bolt-ons, like the CE and Silver Sky.…

Mick Taylor

Shedding Light on the Genius of Mick Taylor

November 30, 2020 · P.J. Cotroneo

The mid/late 1960s were a fertile and progressive time for rock guitar, with “Swinging London” serving as the birthplace and…

Tom Petersson’s Gretsch 12-string Basses

Tricked-Out Trio

December 26, 2017 · Willie G. Moseley

Cheap Trick fans are aware of his contribution to the band’s songs, but few know he actually invented the 12-string…

Bryan Sutton

Bryan Sutton

Into His Own

May 3, 2015 · Steven Stone

Bryan Sutton ranks as one of the most accomplished and in-demand acoustic players in Nashville. In 1991, fresh from high…

Pop ’N Hiss: UFO’s Lights Out

Shining Bright

December 23, 2024 · Bret Adams

Most critics and fans agree that the finest studio album by British hard-rockers UFO was 1977’s Lights Out. The group’s…

Sam Kiszka

Ethereal Energy

April 3, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Guitar rock in 2023 doesn’t get bigger or ballsier than Greta Van Fleet. A veritable steamroller since “Highway Tune” launched…

Heavy Trash

May 15, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Heavy Trash is an on-again-off-again band headed by Jon Spencer and Matt Verta-Ray. They’ve released three superlative albums of their…

Loar LH-309 VS Archtop

One Cool Cat

June 10, 2014 · Pete Prown

Loar LH-309 VS Archtop Price: $569.99 (street) Contact: theloar.com As the retro craze delves deeper into six-string history, a spate…

Full Dozen, Semi-Hollow

12 Variations on a Classic Design

December 2, 2016 · Vintage Guitar

To complement our February 2016 issue survey of the semi-hollow electric guitar, we tested 12 examples of the form as…

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…

Allen Hinds

The Good Fight

November 7, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

The latest from the Lord of Legato features compositions that blur the line between prog, fusion, and Americana. From the…

Otis Redding

Otis Forever: The Albums & Singles (1968-1970)

May 13, 2024 · Sean McDevitt

Otis Redding’s death in a plane crash in late 1967 created a monumental task for producer and guitarist Steve Cropper…

Freddie King

Getting Ready/Texas Cannonball/Woman Across the River

May 31, 2025 · Pete Prown

A three-in-one reissue, this Freddie King package encompasses the LPs he recorded for Leon Russell’s Shelter label from 1971 to…

Duke Robillard – Lowdown

January 15, 2026 · Vintage Guitar

Vintage Guitar is happy to offer the premier of the new music video by Grammy nominee Duke Robillard. “Lowdown” is…

Prestige Guitars DC Coupe Custom T Hybrid

“Tele” Twist

April 19, 2024 · Bob Dragich

The first Telecasters were so good that today they’re made almost exactly as they were 70 years ago. Working just…

Kay Jazz Special

Kay Jazz Special and Value Leader

January 14, 2015 · Willie G. Moseley

Kay entered the electric bass market in the mid 1950s with the K162, which later morphed into the similar K5965…

Dutch Kazoo Analog Fuzz Pedal

OD Treat

October 28, 2014 · Ray Wuolo

Dutch Kazoo Analog Fuzz Pedal Price: $225 retail Info: www.dutchkazoo.com It’s not easy for a new boutique overdrive or distortion…

Marchione Guitars’ 16″ Archtop

The Golden Mean

May 21, 2019 · Chip Wilson

In 1922, Gibson introduced Lloyd Loar’s L-5, lauded as the first modern archtop. Luthiers have been “advancing” the design ever…

2023 February Issue on Spotify

February 2, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

This month we feature Jim McCarty, Joe Robinson, Vinnie Moore, Tom Rotella, Anthony Gomes, Humble Pie, Jimi Hendrix, The Cult,…