Greg Lake

Greg Lake

Welcome Back, My Friends Part 1 and 2

December 8, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

Bassist/vocalist Greg Lake, a force in the advent of progressive rock in the early 1970s with Emerson, Lake and Palmer…

Various Artists

Homegrown Heroes

May 25, 2017 · Rick Allen

Subtitled “1950s & 1960s Oddball Labels,” these three boxed sets collect nuggets from dozens of independent record labels that popped…

The Watkins Dominator

Crying V

March 18, 2019 · Dave Hunter

Is there any more stylish vintage amp than the V-front Watkins Dominator? This creation is delightfully twee yet utterly enticing…

EHX Lizard Queen

Filthy Fuzz

March 20, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

In 2021, JHS Pedals founder Josh Scott teamed with graphic designer Daniel Danger to design a ’70s-style/E-H-inspired fuzz pedal. The…

Jake Andrews – “ Apricot Brandy”

September 4, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Austin Stalwart Goes Full Steam for “Apricot Brandy” Jake Andrews was just eight years old when he sat in at…

First Guitar of Rock and Roll

Scotty Moore’s Gibson ES-295

June 10, 2022 · Michael Dregni

Like a hound dog hit by lightning, the first notes of rock and roll blasted out of radios across the…

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ARTISTS

Charles Moothart

Fuzz: Sons of Sabbath

November 24, 2021 · Oscar Jordan

While ’80s metal is past its heyday, the proto-metal of the late 1960s and early ’70s is making a huge…

John McLaughlin

50 Years in Fusion

May 21, 2019 · Pete Prown

The name John McLaughlin is synonymous with jazz-rock fusion, the genre he helped invent and sustain for the past 50…

Steve Stevens

Return of the Ray-Gun Ace

April 27, 2020 · Pete Prown

Best known as Billy Idol’s guitar ace for the past 25 years, Steve Stevens won early fame for Idol’s 1983…

Alex Machacek

Stripped Down

February 16, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

When you get the thumbs-up from icons like John McLaughlin and Chick Corea, it’s got to feel good. But, fusion…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Michael Bloomfield’s ’63 Telecaster

Michael Bloomfield’s ’63 Telecaster

This Guitar Killed Folk!

January 22, 2025 · Ward Meeker

A silver-spoon teen who loved sneaking into Chicago’s southside blues clubs, Michael Bloomfield reveled in absorbing all he could from…

Q&A With George Gruhn: A Strong Case

And When to Get an Appraisal

March 3, 2022 · George Gruhn

Some of my vintage guitar cases are very worn. One Martin case from the ’40s is missing a latch and…

First ’Burst

May 30, 2017 · Walter Carter

In May of 1958, a worker at the Gibson factory pulled two Les Paul guitars – serial numbers 8 3087…

Dan’s Guitar RX: Adding Master Volume to a Les Paul

Plus One

November 16, 2023 · Dan Erlewine

My friend Alex Aguilar recently asked me to do something most guitarists would consider sacrilegious – add a Master Volume…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Traveler AG-105EQ

Traveler AG-105EQ

Savvy Traveler

February 5, 2015 · Bob Dragich

Traveler AG-105EQ Price: $499.99 (street) Info: www.travelerguitar.com When it comes to “travel guitars,” players are often forced to sacrifice size…

Peavey VYPYR X2

Small Wonder

July 6, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Continuing its decades-long innovative streak, Peavey’s VYPYR X2 Guitar Modeling Amp brings modern styling, a new open-back cabinet, and re-tooled…

Fenders American Vintage Series

Devilish in Detail

December 11, 2013 · Phil Feser

Fender American Vintage Series Price: $2,400 retail/$1,999.99 street (’52 Telecaster); $2,874 retail/$2,299.99 street (’59 Stratocaster); $2,874 retail/$2,299 street (’65 Jazzmaster…

B&G Little Sister Private Build

Doncha Go And Do…

April 19, 2019 · Yoel Kreisler

B&G Guitars just about do it all – from mixing their own nitro finishes to winding pickups and even casting…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Gibson’s 1941 SJ-100

Second Coming

March 19, 2014 · Steven Stone

Gibson 1941 SJ-100 Price: $3,868 (list)/$2,999 (street) Info: www.gibson.com Sporting a unique “stair step” headstock, the first Gibson SJ-100s began…

The Les Paul Becomes The SG

Double Time

April 24, 2019 · George Gruhn

It may be difficult to imagine now, but Gibson’s original Les Paul was only a modest success. Introduced in 1952,…

Railhammer Hyper Vintage Humbucker

Poles Apart

October 3, 2014 · Lisa Sharken

Railhammer Hyper Vintage Humbucker Price: $139 list / $89 direct Contact: railhammer.com Developed by Joe Naylor of Reverend Guitars, Railhammers…

Neil Giraldo Home Main

Neil Giraldo

Road Routine

February 4, 2016 · Ward Meeker

The hard-driving husband-and-wife rock act that hits the stage as Pat Benatar and Neil “Spyder” Giraldo is responsible for more…

Marty Walsh

Marty Walsh

With a Little Help From Friends

January 27, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

Marty Walsh has plied his trade for decades, though relatively few may be familiar with his efforts. A Los Angeles…

Breedlove’s Jeff Bridges

The Wood Abides

January 27, 2022 · Pete Prown

Sustainably sourced guitars – those constructed with wood harvested from managed land rather than the wilds – are often on…

Gibson’s J-45 50s Faded

Lore Holder

January 18, 2024 · Michael Shirek

In the decade leading up to World War II, guitar builders started scaling up their acoustic offerings to meet the…

Tonechaser – Understanding Edward: My 26-Year Journey with Edward Van Halen

Steve Rosen

February 9, 2024 · Bret Adams

Imagine having Edward Van Halen at your house, playing new Van Halen songs or listening to no-vocals cassettes of in-progress…

Mooer’s Slow Engine Volume Swell

Bring It Up

March 15, 2019 · Pete Prown

Long out of production, the Boss Slow Gear was one of the coolest pedals of the ’80s, duplicating the sound…

1949 Bigsby Tenor

March 7, 2023 · George Gruhn and Walter Carter

By the advent of the solidbody electric guitar in the 1950s, tenor guitarists were a dying breed. Consequently, electric tenors…

Mu-FX Tru-Tron 3X

Get Tha Funk Out

September 4, 2015 · Michael Dregni

The Mu-FX Tru-Tron 3X Price: $369.63 Contact: www.mu-fx.com. Think funk. Think Bootsy Collins’ wacked-out Parliament Funkadelic Space Bass lines. Think…

Fabrizio Grossi leads band through exclusive take on “Right Down Below.”

January 14, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Ready for the Soul Garage Experience? Fabrizio Grossi gathered the Soul Garage Experience for this VG-exclusive take on “Right Down…

Beyond the Parlor

Beyond the Parlor

Part One: The Guitar in Non-Anglo America

November 5, 2015 · Tim Brookes

Ed. Note: In this series, Tim Brookes attacks the common argument that the guitar in 19th-century America was small, quiet,…

Gibson’s Budget Redux

The SB Series Guitars and Basses

March 2, 2017 · Willie G. Moseley

As the 1960s rolled into the ’70s, Gibson had established itself in the electric-bass market with front-line instruments such as…

Canned Heat

Finyl Vinyl

July 3, 2025 · Dan Forte

In the mid/late ’60s, the top American groups of the Blues Revival were Chicago’s Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Los…

The Hi-Tone HT30/JP 15

Living Loving Gain

March 15, 2019 · Art Department

While many have tried via transistor trickery to replicate the tone of Jimmy Page’s Hiwatt at Led Zeppelin’s legendary January…

Benjamin Kushner

Soul Patrol

September 1, 2023 · Pete Prown

Drawing from a vast well of American R&B and soul, Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal deliver powerhouse sounds from their…

GA-20 Knows Bo

July 12, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Duo does it right on “Crackin’ Up” GA-20’s Matt Stubbs and Pat Faherty paused for a moment while touring Europe…

Weller El Dorrado

Rock-and-Roll Screamer

July 10, 2025 · Pete Prown

Tucked away in southwest Illinois near St. Louis, luthier Steve Weller is making interesting instruments. His El Dorrado model is…

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…

Ken Fischer

1945-2006

June 10, 2020 · Dave Hunter

Although by most estimates he produced fewer than 100 Trainwreck amps, Ken Fischer – tech, designer, and amp-maker – will…

Effectrode’s Fire Bottle Magnetic Pickup Booster

Effectrode Fire Bottle Magnetic Pickup Booster

The Box That Went to Harvard

January 21, 2016 · Pete Prown

The Effectrode Fire Bottle is a pedal that deviates from the norm and offers something fresh. Unlike a chorus, distortion,…

Chris Hillman 

Time Between; My Life as a Byrd, Burrito Brother, and Beyond

October 14, 2021 · Rich Kienzle

Though he began as a California bluegrass mandolin picker, Chris Hillman cemented his place in rock history as the Byrds’…

David Hamburger: masterful playing, 00-18 deep dive

July 26, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

David Hamburger and his ’56 00-18 Singer/songwriter David Hamburger is also an impressive fingerstyle player who knows a great guitar…

Hanburt Electric Guitars

Rarities From the Pacific Northwest

April 28, 2020 · Peter Blecha

As a brand of American electric instruments, the name “Hanburt” is about the furthest thing from being a household term.…

The Original ES-150

How Gisbson Won The ES War

December 14, 2020 · Andre R. Duchossoir

The story of the ES-150, Gibson’s first commercially successful electric guitar, has been told many times, and its association with…

Marty Stuart

A Country-Music Odyssey

December 16, 2023 · Dan Forte

Marty Stuart’s life is the stuff of movies. Just nine years old when he started singing and playing guitar in…

Electra MPC

Standard X340

November 1, 2013 · Michael Wright

One of the more successful Japanese-made guitar brands of the 1970s was Electra, the brand name used for electric guitars…

Custom Kraft Red Fury

August 12, 2014 · Michael Wright

Most guitar aficionados are comfortable with the notion of guitar brands being made by the company of the same name.…