Black Sabbath

Live Evil 40th Anniversary

April 24, 2024 · Pete Prown

Four decades on, Ronnie James Dio’s stint in Black Sabbath is revered almost as much as the Ozzy epoch. This…

LYON_HEALY-HOME-MAIN-BIG

Lyon and Healy

April 8, 2016 · R.J. Klimpert

So what is it? Its original black-finished spruce top is simply ladder-braced from within, but its back and sides feature…

Ibanez Artcore AF105NT

Class Axe

October 1, 2014 · Pete Prown

Ibanez has always had two distinct personalities – first as a purveyor of shreddy solidbodies for the hard rock/metal crowd,…

Standel 400S

June 12, 2023 · Willie G. Moseley

In the early days of the American electric guitar/amplifier industry, Standel was known for building high-quality amplifiers used by the…

5150 Iconic Series 60-Watt 2×12

Little Monster

April 24, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

When Edward Van Halen released his 5150 head with Peavey in 1992, it quickly grew famous for its massive gain,…

Jim Lauderdale

Sweet Music

April 27, 2020 · Michael Dregni

“I consciously did not want to make a knockoff of a Gram record or an Elvis record.” Jim Lauderdale is…

  • 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

Jesse Johnson

Jesse Johnson

Quad City Funk

March 24, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

In the early 1980s, Jesse Johnson traveled from Rock Island, Illinois, to Minneapolis and found fame with The Time and…

Phil Brown

A different kind of Jimi

July 13, 2020 · John Heidt

Records featuring the music of Jimi Hendrix are pretty far from a new thing. Since Jimi’s death, various forms of…

Traynor YGM-4 Studio Mate

Behind The Eight Ball

April 15, 2024 · Dave Hunter

Vintage-amp bargain hunters often compare the quality and features of smaller Traynor combos to Fenders and those of the larger…

Fretprints: Roy Lanham

Hillbilly Jazz Takes Hollywood

September 18, 2023 · Wolf Marshall

Woefully under-recognized guitarist Roy Lanham was a favorite of leading country and jazz pickers and rock innovators; Merle Travis extolled…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Vivi-Tone “Skeleton

A Master’s Magnificent Misfire

December 12, 2025 · Peter Stuart Kohman

The eternal question “Who invented the electric guitar?” has no single answer. By the late 1920s, many players, tinkerers, and…

Ray Cummins – I’ll See You In My Dreams

January 1, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Ray Cummins Plays the 1956 Gretsch Chet Atkins 6120 prototype “Dark Eyes” VG ace online tutor Ray Cummins uses the…

Vox AC100

Scream Machine

December 9, 2021 · Dave Hunter

The history of Vox amplifiers’ evolution through the early/mid-’60s directly tracks with The Beatles’ increasing needs to be heard over…

Standel 400S

June 12, 2023 · Willie G. Moseley

In the early days of the American electric guitar/amplifier industry, Standel was known for building high-quality amplifiers used by the…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Evil robot Feature Page

Evil Robot EVR-C30

Advances in Mojo

June 11, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

Evil Robot EVR-C30 Price: $999 (list) Info: www.frettedamericana.com. In 2010, music retailer Fretted Americana joined forces with amp wizard John…

DiMarzio’s Black Angel Pickup

Got a Sweet…

July 13, 2016 · Pete Prown

Back in the old days, adding a pickup to an acoustic guitar was a major operation that required a luthier’s…

Richmond Empire

Rocking the Dynasty

August 13, 2013 · Sean OBryan Smith

Canada’s Richmond Guitars offers instruments with a retro vibe and styling coupled with fine modern components. Their latest offering, the…

Ya’ Gig What Ya’ Pay For

Incase’s Tour Bag is ultra-functional, durable

May 27, 2020 · Phil Feser

It wouldn’t be a surprising reaction. “A $200 gig bag?” And one could reasonably assume the price includes a guitar.…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Last ’Burst?

Single-Cut Saga From the End of an Era

April 24, 2019 · Ward Meeker

Certain instruments are nearly as famous as the heroes who play them – we know them as Blackie, Lucille, Greeny,…

Debut Drive

Slamo Guitars’ Turquoise Cabronita

April 16, 2020 · Bob Cianci

Slamo Guitars may not have yet achieved the name recognition of certain others, but Frank Silano has been building guitars…

Tom Feldmann’s Beginner Fingerpicking – Lesson 6

Tom Feldmann’s Beginner Fingerpicking – Lesson 6

August 15, 2017 · Tom Feldmann

Vintage Guitar is teaming with Collings Guitars and Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop to present an exclusive eight-part series on beginner…

MXR Dyna Comp Mini

A Classic, Compressed

April 23, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

In the ’70s, the original MXR Dyna Comp found its way onto a plethora of now-classic vinyl sides and was…

Classics: September 2021

Fenton Robinson’s Gibson ES-225

May 6, 2022 · Ward Meeker

Kevin Ludwig first became aware of Fenton Robinson in 1975, when he heard Boz Scaggs’ version of “Somebody Loan Me…

John 5 and the Creatures

The Horror

March 30, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

Making good music requires a stimulating muse or inspiration. For some it’s love, happiness, loss, or regret. For guitarist John…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 038 Featuring Wally Stocker

November 23, 2020 · Art Department

On the new episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” Wally Stocker tells host James Patrick Regan about his time as…

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…

3Below

Live in Mérida

November 7, 2025 · Pete Prown

The members of 3Below mostly play in the bass clef. You may know names like fretless master Michael Manring (Michael…

Electro-Harmonix Operation Overlord Allied Overdrive

Sound Assault

April 26, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Like its namesake World War II invasion, Electro-Harmonix’s Operation Overlord Allied Overdrive involves an assault of sorts – though this…

Mesa Boogie California Tweed 6V6 2:20 1×10 Combo

Ankle Biter

June 29, 2023 · Charlie Wilkins

Classic Fender tweed amps are known for fat, warm clean tones, but even more for their raunch when cranked. Mesa…

The Manakooras

Tiki Twang

June 7, 2023 · Pete Prown

Call it exotica or tiki twang, but the Manakooras play tropical instro that evokes visions of dreamy Pacific islands. Led…

National’s Pioneer RP1

Steel Soul

April 23, 2019 · Michael Dregni

What do you get when you cross a National Duolian with a solidbody electric? Answer: a guitar that Elmore James…

Jerry Kennedy

A-Team Guitarist, A-List Producer

August 17, 2024 · Rich Kienzle

Jerry Glenn Kennedy, a 13-year-old who recorded for RCA Victor as “Jerry Glenn,” got the shock of his young life…

Fab Four’s Big Three

The Beatles’ “Ed Sullivan Show” Guitars, 50 Years On

November 9, 2015 · Peter Stuart Kohman

For Americans, the legend of the Beatles has a very specific starting moment: 8 p.m., February 9, 1964. That Sunday…

The Epiphone Nancy Wilson Fanatic

Heart Pounder

March 30, 2022 · Steven Stone

Sometimes, it takes awhile to dial-in a good idea. The Epiphone Nancy Wilson Fanatic improves on Gibson’s Nighthawk design from…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 049 Featuring Dave Miner

April 26, 2021 · Art Department

  In Episode 49 of “Have Guitar Will Travel” features host James Patrick Regan speaking with Dave Miner, chairman of…

Danny Kortchmar

Family Reunion

September 7, 2022 · Pete Prown

Fifty years ago, singer/songwriters like James Taylor, Carole King, and Jackson Browne were busy conquering the rock charts; behind them,…

Michael Gregory Jackson inspires on “Meditation in E

August 30, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Classic ’70s Bluesy-Jazz Flavor Jazz guitarist Michael Gregory Jackson changes it up by using a classic (and seldom-seen) ’59 SG…

Jam Pedals Harmonious Monk Mk2 & Boomster Mk2

Brothers In Tone

June 26, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Jam Pedals continually evolves its line by creating a cool menagerie of point-to-point stompboxes that adapt to a multitude of…

Prestige Heritage Premier P90 FM NAT

Liberating the P-90

November 29, 2016 · Bob Dragich

Approach longtime players with a (yet another) single-cut/single-coil solidbody, and you may find it tough to get their attention. But,…

PureSalem Honey Bunny, Pink Beard, Attack Captain

Bring The Fuzz

December 27, 2017 · Chip Wilson

Remember your first fuzz pedal? Maybe, like a certain reviewer, you literally worked up a sweat trying to strike a…

Dave Edmunds

Dave Edmunds

Full Solo Circle

July 8, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

The career of Welsh guitarist Dave Edmunds has included hits and collaborations with other notable musicians, including Rockpile, with bassist…

Check This Action: One Sax, Three Guitars

June 7, 2023 · Dan Forte

It starts with a tenor saxophone floating above spare electric guitar arpeggios. After a dipsy-doodle cadenza, the sax states a…

Yamaha Image

December 26, 2013 · Michael Wright

Some years back, an insurance company promoted itself as “the quiet company.” While they probably wouldn’t like to hear it,…

Manouche Latcho Drom Swing 42

Hot Club Hot Stuff

December 27, 2017 · Michael Dregni

In the galaxy of Gypsy jazz guitars, the Modèle Special Chorus made by Sicilian-born, Parisian-based Antoine Di Mauro was something…

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.…

Yamaha SA-15

May 27, 2025 · Michael Wright

Our perception of Japanese guitars has evolved slowly. At one point, they were cheap toys, at other times imperfect copies,…

Doobies, Brothers

A Discussion with Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons

January 3, 2014 · Ward Meeker

American music rarely is more pure than when it comes from the minds, hands, and mouths of the Doobie Brothers.…