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Tom Guerra
Arlen Roth
12-Strings and Things
Arlen Roth is known as a professor of the instrument, with his Hot Licks instructional video series serving as the blueprint for guitar education in the days before Youtube. Ranked in VG’s “Top 100 Guitarists” list, his latest release, Playing Out the String, is a treasure trove of acoustic slide, featuring his virtuoso licks and…
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Tom Guerra
Sundragon Super Dragon
The Sound Remains
A few years back, amp builder Mitch Colby and music producer Perry Margouleff teamed with Jimmy Page to introduce the Sundragon amp (VG “Approved Gear,” July ’19), a reproduction of Page’s Supro heard on the first Led Zeppelin album. For their next act, the trio is offering the Super Dragon, a re-creation of the ’68…
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Tom Guerra
In Memoriam: Jack Sonni
Jack Sonni, best known as “the other guitarist” in Dire Straits, died August 30. He was 68 and suffered a stroke at his home in Mississippi. A Pennsylvania native, Sonni moved to New York City in the mid ’70s, becoming well-known by playing weekly jams at Kenny’s Castaways, in Greenwich Village. He also started working…
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Tom Guerra
Popa Chubby
Live and Dangerous
Like all great rock and roll, Popa Chubby’s new double album, Live at G. Bluey’s Juke Joint NYC, invokes a sense of danger and attitude, powered by the exceptional playing of the man born Theodore Horowitz. Also known as “The Beast from the East,” Popa is a hard-working musician who performs hundreds of shows each…
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Tom Guerra
Ian Hunter
Defying the Odds
Taking advantage of the time off in the early days of the pandemic, Ian Hunter hunkered down in his Connecticut home studio to craft a few dozen new tunes. Initially unable to develop the songs beyond demo status, Hunter’s friends and admirers around the globe joined the cause from their home studios, contributing to an…
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Tom Guerra
Warm Audio Centavo
Not Just Another Klon(E)
Most pedal enthusiasts consider a vintage Klon Centaur the pinnacle of overdrive boxes. With originals now approaching $10,000, it makes sense that Warm Audio has created a cost-effective reproduction with its Centavo. At first glance, the Centavo looks similar to a Klon, with its gold box, three knobs, and graphic borrowing from Greek mythology. The…
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Tom Guerra
Pop ’N Hiss: The Rolling Stones’ Black and Blue
Groove-Heavy
By the mid ’70s, rock and roll had matured into a big business, with top acts including Led Zeppelin, The Who, and Rolling Stones earning millions of dollars on record sales and tours. Following a spectacular four-album run starting with Beggars Banquet and ending with Exile on Main Street, The Stones sputtered after releasing two…
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Tom Guerra
Jay Geils
Blues and Archtops
If you grew up listening to music in the ’70s, you probably associate the name J. Geils with a five-piece band that played raucous rock and roll to hip-shaking partiers. Led by guitarist John “Jay” Geils, the group toured the world and recorded more than a dozen albums, selling millions through the early ’80s. Originally…
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Tom Guerra
Newman Guitars’ Honeycomb Chambered Jr.
Way Cool Version
Following Ted Newman Jones’ passing in 2016, protégé Jeff Smith took over Newman Guitars and is furthering the vision, using the same offset body as Jones’ original guitars but employing modern methods. Their latest is the Honeycomb Chambered Jr. Sporting a 17/8″-thick laminated mahogany body with chambers, the Jr. is light and solidly built; the…
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Tom Guerra
Jim Weider
Shinin’ On
Few American guitarists have roots in Americana as deep as those of Jim Weider. For 15 years following The Band’s reformation in 1983, he was the sole guitarist, contributing heavily to its finest latter-day album, Jericho. Weider is also part of Masters of the Telecaster, a collaboration with G.E. Smith and Tom Principato that performs…
