• Javier Batiz

    Classic Instruments

    Javier Batiz

    Mexican guitarist Javier Batiz, a teacher and inspiration to Carlos Santana and other musicians, passed away December 14 at his home in Tijuana, Baja California. He was 80. Known as the “Godfather of Mexican Rock,” “La Layenda” (The Legend) and other sobriquets, Batiz came to appreciate American blues guitarists such as B.B. King and John

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  • “Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Alan Greenwood

    “Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Alan Greenwood

    Season 02 Episode 1 VG’s “Buy That Guitar” podcast opens its second season with host Ram Tuli joined by Alan Greenwood, founder and publisher of Vintage Guitar. They discuss the magazine’s history, the Price Guide, and the current state of the vintage market. Links:Vintage Guitar magazine Subscribe to our “Overdrive” newsletter for the latest happenings…

  • Dan’s Guitar RX: A ’57 Strat Goes Under the Knife

    Dan’s Guitar RX: A ’57 Strat Goes Under the Knife

    Battle-Scarred

    B.K. Vaught recently walked into my shop with a vintage Strat that had been modified and refinished. While its changes represented a bit of American history, the guitar deserved to be restored. B.K. got it in the spring of 2022, while helping sort the estate of an uncle who had passed away. Among his belongings…

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,…

1978 Steinberger Prototype Bass

1978 Steinberger Prototype Bass

July 7, 2016 · George Gruhn

When introduced commercially in 1979, the Steinberger bass was a truly revolutionary instrument employing graphite construction and a minimalist artistic…

Sound City L/B 120 Mark IV

Sound City L/B 120 Mark IV

January 6, 2016 · Dave Hunter

Preamp tubes: three ECC83 (12AX7), one ECC81 (12AT7, in the phase inverter) Output tubes: six EL34 Rectifier: solidstate Controls: Normal…

Gibson Humbucker

Crunchy, Clean Dirt

January 20, 2023 · Gil Hembree

Gibson and Fender may be the longstanding heavyweight rivals of the electric guitar game, but they have one very important…


The Valley Arts Custom Pro Bass

Keeping the Arts Alive

In 1969, when a North Hollywood guitar teacher named Duke Miller teamed up to start a music store with students Mike McGuire and Al Carness, the three likely didn’t envision…

United Guitar Corporation

United They Stood…. A Jersey City Tale

The history of the United Guitar Corporation, which unfolded in Jersey City, just over the river from the glitter of New York, is one of the great obscure stories in…

National N-275

Gibson is widely known for its guitars, mandolins, and banjos, but many are unaware the company built instruments for nearly 30 brands for several distributors and music store chains, primarily…

L-5 to Super 400

L-5 to Super 400

The Story of Gibson’s Big Archtops

The archtop guitar is a uniquely American instrument which can be traced directly to the creative genius of one person – Orville Gibson. In the mid 1890s, the man who…

Jerry Kennedy

A-Team Guitarist, A-List Producer

Jerry Glenn Kennedy, a 13-year-old who recorded for RCA Victor as “Jerry Glenn,” got the shock of his young life when he walked into a Nashville recording studio in September…

  • Jim Campilongo & Steve Cardenas

    Jim Campilongo & Steve Cardenas

    Mutual Musical Idiosyncrasies

    Steve Cardenas and Jim Campilongo have been playing guitar together for a long time, though the constellations only recently aligned so they could record. Captured on three nights in September of 2022, New Year showcases harmonic personalities merging through atmosphere, reverb, and ancient acoustic guitars. It’s also a meditation on the beauty and strength of…

  • Classics: February 2024

    Classics: February 2024

    Sean Slade’s 1964 SG Junior

    They might not seem to have a ton in common aside from first names. J Mascis, Dinosaur Jr.’s co-founder and guitarist developed a style equal parts guitar heroics and left-side-of-the-dial insouciance. In Uncle Tupelo, Jay Farrar helped popularize the alt-country movement by merging influences from Doug Sahm to The Stooges. But that might be where…

Guyatone Micro Effects

Little Boxes, Big Effects

April 29, 2020 · Phil Feser

Musical-instrument accessories importer Guyatone introduced its first series of Micro Effects three years ago to widespread praise. Knowing it was…

Stromberg G-5

May 7, 2023 · George Gruhn and Walter Carter

In the world of archtop guitars, the Stromberg name represents the ultimate instrument – in size, at least – in…

The Story of Albanus Guitars

Windy-City Wonders

March 7, 2019 · James W. Leckinger

“Art for art’s sake.” The expression is common. But how often is it practiced? In a basement studio on Chicago’s…

The Collins Kids

Mostly-Moseley Memories

January 8, 2024 · Willie G. Moseley

Siblings Lorrie and Larry Collins sprang into the public eye in the mid 1950s – dawn of the television era…


Veillette-Citron Shark

It’s not often a guitar can be said to have been inspired by a TV show, but that is the case with this 1982 Veillette-Citron Shark, which came about as…

Rosalie Allen’s SJ-200

Trophy Flat-Top

On the pages featuring the Super Jumbo 200, Gibson’s 1940 catalog trumpeted, “This king of the flat-top guitars was especially created for professional entertainers who want an instrument adaptable to…

Jabo, Vince, and Broadcaster 0048

Special Addition

It’s routine for Vince Gill, as one of Nashville’s true connoisseurs of electric and acoustic gear, to receive tips about rare guitars for sale. In 2012, one such call shined…

Gibson Style J Mando-bass

Decades before Audiovox or Leo Fender dreamed of making a fretted electric bass, Gibson started manufacturing fretted acoustic mando-basses that were tuned the same as an upright bass. Joe Spann,…

Gibson L-00

1933 Gibson L-00

While most of the instruments featured in this space are high-end, often elaborately ornamented models that were expensive when new and command high prices today as collectible, the L-00 was…

Jabo, Vince, and Broadcaster 0048

Special Addition

It’s routine for Vince Gill, as one of Nashville’s true connoisseurs of electric and acoustic gear, to receive tips about rare guitars for sale. In 2012, one such call shined…

  • Gibson’s “SG” Les Paul

    Gibson’s “SG” Les Paul

    Classic Shape That Filled Big Shoes

    In 1961, Gibson replaced the single-cutaway Les Paul with a new line of lighter, thinner, mahogany double-cut solidbodies. Developed under the aegis of Ted McCarty and introduced as the “new Les Paul,” it exemplified a new marketing emphasis for Gibson. According to Les Paul himself, it was designed and introduced without his consultation or knowledge.…

  • “Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Howie Statland

    “Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Howie Statland

    “Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Howie Statland Season 01 Episode 10 In Episode 10 of VG’s “Buy That Guitar” podcast, host Ram Tuli is joined by Howie Statland of Rivington Guitars, New York City. They discuss famous players and the effect they have on the value of collectible instruments. Guitarists are often influenced…

Prodigal Sunburst

Joe Walsh Reunites with a ’59 Les Paul Standard

March 9, 2023 · Ward Meeker

A master of delivering crystal-clear musical messages with an off-kilter wit, whether talking, singing, picking, or sliding on guitar, everything…

Mark Lettieri’s funky finesse

January 2, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

Virtuoso take on “Greenspace” Stepping out from his band, Snarky Puppy, Mark Lettieri exhibits the finesse, funk, and fury that…

Stromberg Master 400

August 9, 2017 · George Gruhn

Considered by many to be the ultimate orchestral rhythm guitar, these very rare instruments are among the most sought-after, and…

GRETSCHRANCHER-HOME-MAIN-BIG

Gretsch Rancher

October 24, 2013 · Russ Sutherland

“A spectacular model in real he-man outdoor Western finish with powerful appeal for Hill-billy and Cowboy bands.” This is how…