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One of the few family-owned guitar/amplifier manufacturing enterprises remaining in the industry, Carvin was founded by Lowell Kiesel in 1946 and started by making pickups, then transitioned to building lap steels and other stringed instruments. Some of the company’s early guitars and basses used parts from other guitar makers, but as its direct-to-consumer concept caught […]
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In an age of rampant globalization, brand names have become virtually independent of place of manufacture. Few people care where something is built, as long as the quality and price are right. But that wasn’t always so. Time was, where a guitar was built made all the difference in the world. Like in 1963, when […]
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“Rock and roll is a young man’s game.” Once upon a time, it was the genre’s calling card. A half-century later, though, young bands playing bombastic guitar rock often trod to gain acceptance from the very crowd that so stridently preached. Witness: Greta Van Fleet. The foursome from Frankenmuth (Michigan) emerged in 2017, offering art […]
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Have Guitar Will Travel
Have Guitar Will Travel – 026 Featuring Ron Thorn
“Have Guitar Will Travel” host James Patrick Regan speaks with Ron Thorn, Principal Masterbuilder at the Fender Custom Shop. Before joining Fender, Ron established his own brand (Thorn Guitars) and supplied Fender with custom inlay work. An avid car guy, he shares the details behind the Saleen-inspired Strat he built for the NAMM show. They […]
Classic Instruments
The Modulus Graphite Flight 6 Monocoque
High-/Low-Tech
In guitar history, irony is almost always the result of circumstances. The market changes overnight or someone makes a mistake that proves successful, etc. Rarely is the irony planned by a guitar designer, but that’s what happened with the Modulus Graphite Flight 6 Monocoque. While the origins of Modulus Graphite don’t qualify as “ironic,” they […]
Artists
Joe Stump
... And the Holy Trinity of Euro-Metal Guitar
Metal virtuoso Joe Stump believes Ritchie Blackmore, Uli Jon Roth, and Michael Schenker form the holy trinity of European metal guitar. And he should know. Not only has he built a long career creating incendiary music, he’s a Professor at The Berklee College of Music. His latest album, The Dark Lord Rises, is a heartfelt […]
Artists
John Osborne
Feelin’ Fearless
Brothers Osborne play a distinctive version of 21-century country music. Rising above trendy themes and sounds like tailgate anthems and hip-hop beats, their path mixes traditional and new sounds with modern rock and pop leanings carried by T.J.’s superb baritone voice and John’s guitar sharing center stage. The brothers forged an audience thanks in part […]
Artists
Jesse Aycock
Oklahoma’s Finest
Super-sideman Jesse Aycock (Hard Working Americans, Elizabeth Cook) has a new self-titled album highlighting his understated (but mindblowing) guitar, slide, and lap steel. Jesse’s singing voice is also surprising – a vulnerable cry that brings to life his earthy FM rock, country, and pop-edged material. Around the vocals, he wraps layers of shimmering Strats and […]
Artists
Pete Huttlinger
A Narrative (and album) From the Heart
To call Pete Huttlinger a survivor is an understatement. The notable Nashville fingerpicker has fought back from a major stroke and end-stage heart failure to record the most important album of his career, McGuire’s Landing. The effort began years ago, and Huttlinger had recorded some of its tracks before being sidelined by his health. A […]
Classic Instruments
Greg Lake’s Zemaitis Doubleneck
Twice as Heavy
With progressive-rock juggernaut Emerson, Lake & Palmer, bassist/vocalist Greg Lake (1947-2016) played more than one instrument made by the renowned British luthier Tony Zemaitis. Known for their fancy tops of pearl or exquisitely engraved metal, Zemaitis instruments were truly handcrafted works of art, and the list of players who ordered them reads like the ultimate […]
Music
Paul Gilbert
The Dio Album
It’s been almost 13 years since the passing of vocalist and metal visionary Ronnie James Dio, yet his essence looms large in the minds of fans and bands around the world, many of whom continue to pay homage to his genius. One such fan is guitarist Paul Gilbert, best known for his work with Mr. […]
Lessons
Bukka White – Jitterbug Swing
Tom Feldmann teaches the riff from Bukka White’s classic Jitterbug Swing.
www.tomfeldmann.com
Guitar info:
Flammang Guitars Model P30-S, Red spruce top w/toner, Mahogany back/sides, and a 24.56” scale.
www.flammanguitars.com
VG Approved Gear
TC Electronic Spark
Booster Shot
Everyone’s guitar tone sometimes needs a little assistance, especially playing with a band. To the rescue comes the TC Electronic Spark, ready to give you a range – actually, a huge range – of tonal choices from clean to dirty, plus a whopping volume boost. What makes the Spark a competitive choice? First, it sounds […]
Artists
Dave Murray
Maiden Voyager
After 46 years, Iron Maiden is still reinforcing its stature as a legendary heavy metal band. Senjutsu, the British juggernaut’s 17th studio album, has earned critical praise. It’s also the band’s highest-charting album ever in the U.S., debuting at #3 on Billboard. Clocking in at more than 80 minutes, Senjutsu is the follow-up to 2015’s […]
VG Approved Gear
Strymon Zuma
Power Station
Are you tripping over a spiderweb of effects power cords? Have a pedalboard that requires an advanced degree in electrical engineering to operate? Or are you just confounded by your home setup of a few pedals patched together with a mish-mash of cords that mysteriously become a rat’s nest when you’re not looking? Strymon’s Zuma […]
Artists
Walter Trout
Battling Back
In his decades of playing, Walter Trout has served as lead guitarist for John Mayall and Canned Heat, and forged a respectable solo career. But to say he’s been “living the blues” in recent times is putting it mildly. VG recently interviewed Trout, who just three months prior had undergone a liver transplant. He was […]
Artists
Hilton Valentine
1943-2021
“The first song I learned on guitar was ‘House of the Rising Sun’ by the Animals.” The statement could have come from literally thousands of fledgling guitarists in ’64, when the record shot to #1, or in the decades since. It was the perfect vehicle – five chords, each arpeggiated so you heard every note […]
Classic Instruments
Gibson EB-4L
Right Ideas, Wrong Era
The antennae of many guitar collectors/enthusiasts pop up when they encounter a Gibson-made instrument bearing a six-digit serial number with “Made In The USA” embossed on the back of its headstock. Gibson used the six-digit/Made In The USA serial number system from 1970 through a portion of 1975 – the half-decade considered one of the […]
Artists
Paul Gabriel
Rollin’ With Robillard
For Paul Gabriel, the opportunity to work with fellow guitarist Duke Robillard happened decades after they’d met and first played together, but Gabriel finally garnered Robillard’s production and playing services for his latest album, What’s the Chance. Gabriel has recorded with Harry Chapin and Rory Block, and toured with Michael Bolton, but it was get-togethers […]
VG Approved Gear
Vox’s AC30CH and V212C Cabinet
Get Back
The Beatles helped popularize Vox amps, and Sir Paul tours with them today because they still have that sound – classic chime and overdriven grind. Introduced in ’59, Vox’s AC30 delivers 30 watts of brilliant, jangly top-end with help from a quartet of EL84 tubes. Listen to the Beatles, early Stones, Queen, or U2 and […]