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This month, we feature The Dobbie Brothers, Popa Chubby, Joey Molland, Carlos Alomar, Cream, David Bowie, Rush, Norman Harris, Greg Koch, Rik Emmett, Chris Walz, Elmore James, and more! Spotify is free or available without ads via a paid subscription. Go to www.spotify.com and search “Vintage Guitar magazine,” or if you already have an account […]
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Since the mid ’90s, Radial Engineering has been making audio products with a rep for superb performance and top-tier construction. Its Tonebone pedal line has gained exceptional street cred, finding long-term arrangements on the pedalboards of some of the baddest cats in the six-string arena. The company’s Hot British V9 is an updated solidstate version […]
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Artists
Jerry Miller
Back to Basics
Jerry Miller is back. For many he never left – especially admirers of his innovative playing with the legendary Moby Grape. Clapton, Page, and Stills are on that list, as well as dozens of guitar heroes. Miller reached out to VG to share a preview of his newest recording venture, which finds him moving in […]
Classic Instruments
Gibson Tal Farlow
The Tal Farlow is one guitar in a quartet of full-depth Gibson Artists models first cataloged in the early 1960s. Introduced in ’62, it was based on the ES-350 – the guitar Farlow used with Red Norvo and his own trio in the mid ’50s. A truly professional instrument, built in the tradition of ’50s Gibson […]
Artists
Myles Goodwyn
1948-2023
Myles Goodwyn, co-founder, creative force, and guitarist/frontman in April Wine, died December 3. He was 75 and while no cause of death has been reported, for years he lived with Type 2 diabetes. Goodwyn grew up in Waverly, Nova Scotia, and was influenced by an uncle who was a gigging musician; at age six, his […]
Artists
Doug MacDonald and the Three T’s
Jazz Veteran Brings the Swing! West-Coast jazz legend Doug MacDonald used his Benedetto Bravo to show us a bit of “Lester Leaps In,” from his new album, Live In Hawaii. To read our review, read the January issue. Read Now!
Music
Andy Brown Quartet and Brian Bromberg
Direct Call and Full Circle
Two of the Best in Jazz
Not every jazz guitarist who plays solo can also blow in a group context, and vice versa. Some adept at both include Tuck Andress, Joe Pass, Johnny Smith, George Van Eps, and Earl Klugh. Martin Taylor is arguably at the top of the solo heap, although he’s shown equally impressive facility backing Stéphane Grappelli and […]
Artists
Eugene Grew
Long-Lost Motown Session Master
To the surprise of many Motown fans, a man emerged in 2011 claiming to have played guitar on “Money” and several other early songs produced by the legendary Detroit label.
VG Approved Gear
The Gibson SJ-200
Long Live The King
Introduced in 1937, Gibson’s Super Jumbos radiated star power and quickly became the guitar of choice for those who wanted to be seen; adopters ranged from Gene Autry to Little Jimmy Dickens, Nashville Skyline-era Dylan to every-era Emmylou. And, of course, the King himself played the “King of Flat-Tops.” But, SJs have not been consistently […]
Special Features
Top 50 Guitar Songs of the ’70s
By the Readers and Staff of Vintage Guitar Vintage Guitar marked 25 years of publication with a year full of cool features that relied on feedback from readers who visit VintageGuitar.com. This month, we offer the results of a poll to determine what readers believe to be the 50 coolest guitar-driven songs of the 1970s. […]
VG Approved Gear
Category 5 TBR-35 2×10
Backline Star
Don Ritter started Category 5 Amplification designing amps for blues players before expanding to other genres while holding to the philosophy that touring pros – not builders – should determine the sound and functionality of an amp. With early admirers like Tab Benoit, Jimmy Thackery, and Joe Bonamassa, word spread to artists such as Billy […]
VG Approved Gear
Small Wonder
The Orange Rocker 15 Terror
Small-footprint amp heads – tube and solidstate – are all the rage and getting better all the time. Case in point, the Orange Rocker 15 Terror. At just 15 pounds, it’s a full-bore tube amp with two channels and plenty of kick, not to mention an attenuator that takes it down to 7, 1, and […]
VG Approved Gear
PRS Fiore
Tone Poet
If you’ve seen guitar wizard Mark Lettieri (VG, November ’22) at work, you know how expressive he is. Whether laying down deep funk rhythms with Snarky Puppy or whipping out a fluid fusion solo, he’s a virtuoso who requires a versatile axe. To achieve his personal nirvana, Lettieri collaborated with PRS to create the Fiore […]
Artists
Freddie Salem
Outlaw On The Trail
The Outlaws weren’t just a great Southern band, but also one of the most intense guitar experiences in all of rock. In 1977, they ratcheted things up by adding lead man Freddie Salem, creating a triple frontline alongside guitarists Hughie Thomasson (1952-2007) and Billy Jones (1949-1995). Captured on the just-released Live at Rockpalast 1981, this […]
Classic Instruments
Coppock Guitars
Vintage Rarities from the Pacific Northwest
The obscure Coppock brand of electric guitars first surfaced in 1994, with the publication of Electric Guitars & Basses: A Photographic History, by guitar historians George Gruhn and Walter Carter. And though it was loaded with lovingly detailed information about many rare guitars, one photograph the authors highlighted – on the book’s table of contents […]
Classic Instruments
1978 Steinberger Prototype Bass
When introduced commercially in 1979, the Steinberger bass was a truly revolutionary instrument employing graphite construction and a minimalist artistic concept in its design. Much like Leo Fender and John D’Angelico, builder Ned Steinberger wasn’t a musician. His interest in instruments began in the mid ’70s, when he joined a woodworking co-op in Brooklyn. There, […]
Music
Stéphane Wrembel
The Django Experiment I and II
Djamming!
There’s plenty of Gypsy jazz guitarists who can play more notes at faster tempos than Django Reinhardt, but few can truly match the master in inventiveness, melody, and sheer swing. Stéphane Wrembel is one of the rarities. Coming from a background of rock and roll, he first learned to play in Django’s style from Romany […]
Artists
Albert Castiglia
Righteous and Raucous
Guitarist Albert Castiglia’s blues-based music has gone through a lot of changes since VG first interviewed him in 2008. In that span, he has released five more albums, including this year’s Big Dog, which was produced by guitarist Mike Zito (June ’16). Castiglia admits that his singing and playing have taken a very noticeable turn, […]
VG Approved Gear
Gibson’s “Non-Reverse” ’Birds
In the ’60s, Gibson strived mightily to meet the demands of players of all levels while also working to maintain its image as industry leader. One of its primary attempts at the latter involved the Firebird guitars and Thunderbird basses introduced in ’63. Marked by innovative neck-through construction, unique features and looks, the Thunderbird’s full-size scale […]