Al Di Meola

Elegant Warrior

December 27, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

An evolved, technical player and soulful composer, his work has been staggering – from spellbinding compositions employing diverse jazz, rock,…

Dave Davies

Reflections From A Kink

April 3, 2024 · Dan Forte

Twenty-seven years after their last performance, the Kinks still command a loyal following. The 60th anniversary of this fascinating British…

Billy Mure

Supersonic Guitarist Remembered

February 29, 2016 · Dan Forte

Guitar great Billy Mure (born November 4, 1915) passed away September 25, at the age of 97. He last performed…

Jon Kammerer Guitars’ Pegasus

Jon Kammerer Guitars’ Pegasus

This Horse Has Wings

April 6, 2015 · Ray Wuolo

Jon Kammerer Guitars’ Pegasus Price: $2,300 (list) Contact: www.jonkammerercustoms.com Anyone who has ever plugged an acoustic guitar into an amp…

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…

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.…

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Michael Schenker

Temple Of Rock

January 22, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Michael Schenker has had the kind of stormy past that could give Keith Richards a run for his money. He…

Robert Lockwood, Jr.

1915-2006

June 23, 2020 · Dan Forte

With the death of Robert Lockwood, Jr., the blues world lost one of the few direct links to Robert Johnson…

Freddie Krc gets “Dandy” on a ’64 SJ

December 10, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

FTop-Flight Tune by Texas Stalwart You can’t blame Freddie Krc for loving his ’64 Southern Jumbo, which he’s using here…

Alan Sparhawk

Lowdown

March 3, 2017 · Michael Dregni

Blame it on a guitar. For Low’s Alan Sparhawk, the inspiration behind the band’s latest album, Ones and Sixes, came…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

A Guide to Vintage Dobros

March 14, 2018 · Tom Gray

John Dopyera left National in 1929 to begin work on a secret project – a single-cone resonator guitar he believed…

Jimmy Day’s 1950 Fender Super-Amp

Just Like Hank

March 11, 2024 · Dave Hunter

As fascinating as we might find any vintage amplifier, at its heart, it’s often just a dusty box of archaic…

Fender 6G6-C Bassman

Brown Sound

July 31, 2024 · Dave Hunter

There are several revered classics amid the ever-evolving circuits in the amplifier known as the Bassman, but one of the…

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Steve “Frog” Forgey

August 5, 2025 · Ram W. Tuli

Season 03 Episode 04 In Episode 3.4 of “Buy That Guitar,” host Ram Tuli is joined by Steve “Frog” Forgey…


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APPROVED GEAR

Swart Atomic Jr.

Splitting The Atom

April 23, 2019 · Phil Feser

When Swart decided to split their Atomic Jr. five-watt combo into a piggyback, they not only went from an 8″…

Mu-FX Phasor 2X

Next Phase

July 10, 2019 · Michael Dregni

Mastermind effects mad scientist Mike Beigel is back with another re-creation of a classic Musitronics effect. The Mu-FX Phasor 2X…

Andy Green Pedals’ Seaverb

Endless Reverb

July 3, 2019 · Phil Feser

Andy Green offers “basic building blocks” of tone – a concise lineup of effects including distortion, overdrive, fuzz, and reverb.…

Crazy Tube Circuits SPT

Greece Is The Word

January 8, 2018 · Chip Wilson

The modal mellowness of Apollo’s lyre or the perky chirp of the bouzouki might come to mind when one thinks…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Epiphone Tony Iommi SG Special

Monkey Time

March 16, 2024 · Pete Prown

Digging into the primordial ooze of heavy metal, players often start with Black Sabbath and their resident guitar necromancer, Tony…

Trainwreck Express “Nancy”

April 3, 2020 · Dave Hunter

World’s most desirable amplifier? Aside from any “standard” vintage amps that have been elevated through their associations with major artists,…

 The Guitars of Gary Rossington 

A Legend’s Legacy

October 30, 2025 · Ward Meeker

When the time came for Gary Rossington’s family to decide what to do with his guitars and amps after his…

Visual Sound Route 66 V3 American Overdrive

Visual Sound Route 66 V3 American Overdrive

Get Yer’ Kick

April 15, 2016 · Anders Fransson

Visual Sound Route 66 V3 American Overdrive Price: $179 (street) Contact: www.truetone.com/ Over the years, the Route 66 pedal by…

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Sweetheart Of The Rodeo – Live!

Roger McGuinn & Chris Hillman with Marty Stuart

September 8, 2025 · Dan Forte

A premier folk-rock band morphing into psychedelia in the mid ’60s, the Byrds pioneered country-rock with 1968’s Sweetheart of the…

The Story of Silver Street Guitars

Building a 
Better…. Gibson?

July 9, 2019 · Michael Wright

In the late 1970s, trends combined to spawn several new guitar companies in the Chicago area motivated by a desire…

Metropolitan Tanglewood

A Rare Modern Map

January 25, 2006 · Willie G. Moseley

Many guitar aficionados are aware of the instruments proffered by Houston’s Alamo Music. The Texas manufacturer has created unique low-end…

Stephen Ulrich

Stephen Ulrich

Film Noir Guitar

March 29, 2016 · Pete Prown

The instrumental music of Big Lazy echoes of Hollywood soundtracks – scores from gritty detective flicks, suspenseful prison breakouts, and…

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…

Al Di Meola

Elegant Warrior

December 27, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

An evolved, technical player and soulful composer, his work has been staggering – from spellbinding compositions employing diverse jazz, rock,…

George Cotsirilos – Jazz Sans Cliché

December 14, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Deft work on an L-5 for “The Three Doves” George Cotsirilos grew up listening to Bloomfield, Hendrix, and Clapton, then…

Scott T. Jones’ battle, axes

April 1, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Rippin’ Midwestern Jazz-Rock St. Louis’ own jazz-fusion mainstay Scott T. Jones runs through a few tunes – on a few…

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Ibanez RGA8

In the Deep End

May 12, 2016 · Pete Prown

Ibanez RGA-8 Price: $1,102.21 (approx. $800 street). Info: ibanez.com In the annals of cool, weird, and unusual guitars, they’re nothing…

Volt Electrics #004 Reverse

Mirror Image

April 16, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

From Johnny Winter and Stephen Stills to Scott Holiday, the Firebird has been turning heads since the early ’60s. Builders…

Skunk Baxter

Speed of Heat

May 2, 2023 · Pete Prown

In no apparent hurry, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter just released his first solo album – at age 73. The guitar flash…

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Buddy Holly’s ’58 Magnatone 280

1958 Magnatone Custom 280

May 13, 2016 · Dave Hunter

When guitarists talk tremolo or vibrato, you can bet the magnificent Magnatone amps will find their way into the conversation.…

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…

Les Paul Remembered

Les Paul Remembered

June 1, 2015 · Ward Meeker

When news of the passing of Les Paul spread through the guitar community August 13, 2009, reaction was swift and…

Barney Kessel’s ES-350 Rides Again

Return Of An Icon

October 13, 2022 · Rusty Russell

Bruce Forman acquired Barney Kessel’s beloved Gibson ES-350 in mid 2021. In prep for recording Reunion!, he made the guitar…

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Steve Howe

Yes: In The Present

August 27, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Progressive-rock icons Yes are still going strong after more than 40 years of recording and performing. Throughout their reign as…

Ally Venable

Fire and Honey

March 7, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Ally Venable’s latest album, Real Gone, features excellent production, accessible songwriting, intense guitar playing, and guest spots by Joe Bonamassa…

George Barnes

Country Jazz

May 25, 2017 · Rich Kienzle

When Chet Atkins arrived in Chicago for his first RCA recording session in August 1947, he was astounded to meet…

Gibson Style R Harp Guitar Feature Image

Gibson Style R Harp Guitar

February 3, 2015 · George Gruhn

Harp guitars with a standard six-string guitar neck and varying numbers of sub-bass harp-style strings have been made by a…

Martin’s Gibson

April 28, 2021 · Ward Meeker

Greg Martin’s infatuation with the sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard started in 1966, when, “I saw the picture of John…

Carvin PB4

Carvin PB4

Classic Looks, Modern Function

June 4, 2015 · Sean OBryan Smith

Carvin PB4 Price: $1,899 (list/base); $869 (street/base) Info: www.carvinguitars.com. Trends come and trends go, but tradition stands the test of…

Delisle Island Carney/Drifter Amp-in-Case Combo

Delisle Island Carney/Drifter Amp-in-Case Combo

Econo Classic Reimagined

February 26, 2016 · Ray Wuolo

Delisle Island Carney/Drifter Amp-in-Case Combo Price: $4,000 (list) Contact: www.island-instruments.com A half-century ago, before Marshalls were stacked and ’Bursts dangled…

Flamin’ Groovies

Live 1971 San Francisco

June 27, 2017 · Pete Prown

Flamin’ Groovies are best known for the ’76 power-pop gem “Shake Some Action,” but this show – recorded five years…

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Ten Years After

Woodstock Music & Arts Festival, August, 1969

January 3, 2013 · Glen Anderson

Click Here to read the Alvin Lee obituary. In the summer of 1968, America was starting to hear about a…

Gretchen Menn

Abandon All Hope

April 18, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Every musician aspires to create music that will resonate through the ages and Abandon All Hope, by Zepparella guitarist Gretchen…