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Season 03 Episode 01 In Episode 3.2 of “Buy That Guitar,” presented by Vintage Guitar magazine, host Ram Tuli engages with Binky Philips, a notable New York-based rock musician, guitarist, songwriter, and journalist. Known for his enduring presence in the city’s music scene since the early 1970s, Binky shares his experiences during a transformative era […]
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Second-generation bluesman Ronnie Baker Brooks’ first album in 10 years blends the soul of Chicago, hot guitar licks, and old-school Memphis R&B. Produced by Steve Jordan and recorded at Royal Studios in Memphis and Blackbird Studio in Nashville, this disc shows Brooks at his most soulful. As a self-described bridge between the past and the […]
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Classic Instruments
Universal Audio’s OX Amp Top Box
The Tube Abides
Since the mid ’60s, electrical engineers have been trying to drive a stake into the heart of the vacuum tube, first with transistors, then with zeros and ones. Yet the tube abides, because nothing can replicate the crunch and organic feel of warm power tubes clipping and overtones moaning. But tube saturation comes with a […]
Artists
Fretprints: Randy Rhoads
Transcendent Tribute
September 20, 1980, marked the release of Ozzy Osbourne’s debut solo album Blizzard of Ozz, a hard-rock recording that introduced Randy Rhoads to the world. In the 43 years since, Rhoads’ credentials have become inarguable, his sphere of influence powerful. John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne was, with his Birmingham cohorts in Black Sabbath, an early architect […]
VG Approved Gear
Guild D-50 Standard
Rosewood Renaissance
With a tradition going back more than 70 years, Guild Guitars was there from the beginning of rock and roll, at the peak of folk, and through the Summer of Love. The company’s instruments brought distinctive styling, and it boasted a distinguished roster of players. In a nod to its past, Guild’s refreshed versions of […]
VG Approved Gear
Maestro Agena, Orbit, and Mariner
Wavy Gravy
Everyone loves modulation and filter pedals – those swishy, soupy sound makers that doll up a guitar’s signal. Maestro is now offering a new trio with the Agena Envelope Filter, Orbit Phaser, and Mariner Tremolo. The Agena differs from an auto-wah, which specifically replicates a wah pedal; a more-subtle beast, an envelope filter reacts to […]
VG Approved Gear
Ibanez EKM100
Soul On Ice
Ibanez EKM100 Price: $2,799.99 (list) Contact: www.ibanez.com Fans of contemporary soul, jazz, and funk should be well aware of Soulive. Since 1999, the band has been entertaining audiences around the world with contagious grooves and jazz-inspired sounds. After the band recorded its first EP, guitarist Eric Krasno thought change was in order. A Stratocaster user, […]
VG Approved Gear
Fishman Fluence Single-Width Pickup
Hum-Free, Cutting-Edge
Fishman Fluence Single-Width Pickup Price: $224 (set) Contact: www.fishman.com Larry Fishman is one of the most respected names in the world of acoustic-guitar pickups and the tone-shaping devices necessary to render them both useful and toneful in concert settings. Recently, Fishman decided to take on electric guitar pickups. The result is the Fluence series, which […]
VG Approved Gear
Ibanez AF95
Jazzed UP
In 2021, Ibanez re-tooled its hollowbody line to devise big surprises like the Japanese-made AF95, a full-bodied archtop with a traditional vibe thanks to flatwound strings and vintage looks. Let’s grab a Gmaj7+13 chord and check one out. The AF95’s back and sides are made from linden, with a spruce top and three-piece neck of […]
Artists
Marty Friedman
En Fuego on Inferno!
As he gears up for a co-headlining tour with Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Gus G., Marty Friedman has 13 solo albums of his own material to pick through. He’s going on the road in support of his latest album, Inferno. The album includes guest appearances by Alexi Laiho, Danko Jones, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, and Jason Becker, […]
Have Guitar Will Travel
Have Guitar Will Travel 067 – Eric Montgomery
Episode 67 of “Have Guitar Will Travel” features Eric Montgomery, guitarist/keyboardist for singer/songwriter Maren Morris. Host James Patrick Regan speaks with him about getting the gig, and the adrenaline rush of playing the Grammy Awards after just four shows with her. A Virginia native, he rose through the ranks working the Nashville scene. They also […]
VG Approved Gear
Homegrown Tone 420
Legalized Tweed
Buzz Feiten Blues Pro Price: $1,799 (list) Contact: “Homegrown Tone Amps” on facebook.com Can’t get enough hemp in your life? Then you may need some Homegrown Tone. These boutique amps are built by the partnership of Kenji Numata and Dale Campbell in their Missouri workshop (which, no, is not a “legal” state, but no laws […]
Music
Bob Weir
Ace: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
When is a Grateful Dead album not a Dead album? When it’s Bob Weir’s solo debut from 1972, also featuring members of the fabled jam institution. Now remastered, the disc is a longtime fan favorite with cuts that become Dead concert staples; “One More Saturday Night” is boogie-woogie with barrelhouse piano and Allman-esque harmony guitar, […]
Have Guitar Will Travel
Have Guitar Will Travel – 016 Featuring Doug Kauer
Today, James Patrick Regan is speaking with Doug Kauer, a guitar builder and the owner of two guitar lines: Kauer guitars and Titan guitars. They talk about his start working in his dads cabinet shop all the way through having guitars he built be on the road with some of the most notable guitarists out […]
Artists
Eric Johnson
Rescued Relics
For nearly 50 years, Eric Johnson has been a revered guitarist/multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and vocalist whose music expands far beyond the ingrained blues roots of his Texas homeland. The multiple-Grammy nominee and winner (for the instrumental “Cliffs of Dover” from 1990’s Ah Via Musicom) is always pushing himself, and his combination of exquisite guitar tone, fleet […]
VG Approved Gear
Walrus Audio’s R1 High Fidelity Reverb
Reams of Reverb
Many manufacturers claim “studio quality” reverb, but not all nail it. Walrus Audio’s R1 High Fidelity Reverb is the latest to tempt discriminating players with high-tech features and promises of classic sounds. Controls and connections on the R1 are plentiful, including MIDI in/through jacks, 9-volt power jack (no battery), dual footswitches with multi-color LEDs, and […]
Classic Instruments
Classics: January 2022
Sam Ash’s Early PRSs
Sammy Ash first laid eyes on a PRS guitar in the early ’80s, after catching a glimpse of one in Guitar Player magazine. “I stopped at the newsstand to look at it because Jeff Beck was on the cover,” he said. “Paging through, I flipped past a column on ‘exciting new builders’ entering the mainstream […]
VG Approved Gear
Cordoba 15CFM
Hawai’i Not?
The ukulele phenomenon shows no signs of slowing, with models ranging from well under $100 on up to thousands. The Cordoba 15CFM is on the budget end. The 15CFM has a 15.125″ scale with flamed mahogany top and headstock veneer befitting its “Concert Flamed Mahogany” designation, along with laminated mahogany back and sides. Details include […]
Classic Instruments
Martin Elegant, a.k.a. “Lula”
It’s an extraordinarily rare event to find a high-grade, historically significant mid-1800s guitar in a pawn shop, but that is indeed where this Martin was discovered. When found in Nashville in the mid 1970s, it was recognized as an exceptional instrument with ornamentation far in excess of any typical Martin of that time, but only […]