Fender’s Player Plus Meteora HH

Familiar Face

March 30, 2023 · Pete Prown

Billed as “futuristic and familiar,” Fender’s Meteora design first arrived as part of the Parallel Universe line – mashups of…

Charlie Musselwhite

Charlie plays The Blues… On Guitar

May 14, 2014 · Dan Forte

In a career spanning 45 years, Charlie Musselwhite has taken the blues to places it’s never been – literally (playing…

Breedlove Pursuit Exotic S Concert Amber 12-String CE

Tonal Transcendence

October 12, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

In 1990, Steve Henderson and Larry Breedlove quit their day jobs at Taylor Guitars and moved to Oregon, where they…

Martin Elegant, a.k.a. “Lula”

December 29, 2014 · George Gruhn

It’s an extraordinarily rare event to find a high-grade, historically significant mid-1800s guitar in a pawn shop, but that is…

Pop ’N Hiss: Robben Ford and Yellowjackets

Inside Story

March 11, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

In 1975, 24-year-old Robben Ford was making a name for himself on the Los Angeles music scene, where competition was…

Mark Tremonti

Three-Band Man

August 10, 2022 · Greg Prato

The odds of any guitarist being in a highly successful rock band are long. Chances of being in two are…

  • Carr Skylark Special 1×12

    Carr Skylark Special 1×12

    Take Flight

    Arriving a little more than 10 years after the original Skylark, Carr Amplifiers’ new Skylark Special adds versatility and enhanced tonal depths to squeeze a lot more into this diminutive…

    Read more >>

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ARTISTS

John Pizzarelli

McCartney Memo

November 28, 2016 · Rich Kienzle

John Pizzarelli wasn’t surprised to receive a FedEx package from Sir Paul McCartney in 2014, given that he (and his…

Jerry Kennedy

A-Team Guitarist, A-List Producer

August 17, 2024 · Rich Kienzle

Jerry Glenn Kennedy, a 13-year-old who recorded for RCA Victor as “Jerry Glenn,” got the shock of his young life…

Noshir Mody’s Elegant Flow

December 1, 2023 · Doug Yellow Bird

 Contemporary-jazzer sets the mood with “The Yards” Noshir Mody’s new album, “A Love Song,” is highlighted by his elegant…

Chris Walz

Debut, Long Time Coming

January 14, 2026 · Dan Forte

Chris Walz has done his share of performing. He played young Woody in the stage production of Woody Guthrie’s American…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Dean DeLeo and Tom Bukovac unite on the trip the witch

Cosmic Convergence

September 9, 2022 · Ward Meeker

At a glance, there’s little reason to connect a guitarist like Dean DeLeo to one like Tom Bukovac. One is…

Delta Labs Concept 1

Delta Labs Concept 1

January 19, 2016 · Dave Hunter

Preamp tubes: Two 6U8A, two 12FQ7, in addition to more-common types Output tubes: eight 33JV6 horizontal-output tubes Rectifier: solidstate Controls:…

Steve Dawson and his Tricone, “Singin’ the Blues”

September 6, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Roots Artists Expands the Genren The wildly talented Steve Dawson uses a modern National Tricone for this take on “Singin’…

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,…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Fret-King Esprit III

Déjà Vu, Again

December 6, 2021 · Bob Cianci

What do you get when you cross a Gibson Explorer with a Fender offset and Firebird vibe? The answer is…

Harden Muddy Waters

Mojo Working

August 13, 2025 · Pete Prown

Harden Engineering is a small Chicago shop that specializes in hand-made instruments in a variety of shapes and sizes and…

Waterloo WL-14

Waterloo WL-14

Modern Johnson

February 16, 2016 · Chip Wilson

Waterloo WL-14 Price: $2,100, $1,890 (street) Contact: www.collingsguitars.com or www.waterlooguitars.com Robert Johnson slid into a photo booth, dangling a cigarette…

GizmoAudio’s Ripsaw and Sawmill Jr.

GizmoAudio’s Ripsaw and Sawmill Jr.

Just Like the First Time

January 7, 2016 · Ray Wuolo

Durham Electronics’ ReddVerb Price: $180 each (list) Info: www.gizmoaudio.com Most guitar players’ first pedal was a distortion/OD, often acquired after…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Greg Martin

Facts of Life

October 4, 2022 · Bret Adams

The pandemic knocked the Kentucky Headhunters’ 2020 plans out of whack, just like every other artist. It’s the primary reason…

Gretsch’s ’55 Falcon G6136-55

Gretsch’s ’55 Falcon G6136-55

Look at that “Cadillac”

July 19, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Gretsch’s 1955 White Falcon was the pink Cadillac of guitars – quite possibly the most outlandish guitar ever produced. The…

Rich robinson Main

Rich Robinson

Back on the Wing

November 3, 2015 · Ward Meeker

Rich Robinson. All photos by Neil Zlozower. Emerging as grunge began casting a metaphorical pall over the pop music landscape…

Pete Anderson

Disciple of the Hook

November 13, 2014 · Ward Meeker

Detroit native Pete Anderson made a name for himself in the ’80s, playing a ton of twang while Dwight Yoakam…

Have Guitar Will Travel 079 – Tim Dugger, Ray Fulcher and Drew Castle

July 8, 2022 · James Patrick Regan

Host James Patrick Regan talks with Tim Dugger, Ray Fulcher and Drew Castle for episode 79 of “Have Guitar Will…

Jon Kammerer Customs Tone Pod Scorpius Deluxe

Comfort and Joy

September 11, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

For 25 years, Jon Kammerer has been on an evolving pursuit to design a comfortable guitar with superior tone and…

Gibson Wall-Board Guitar

Out of the Woods, Off the Wall

September 28, 2024 · Deke Dickerson

In the world of “guitarcheology,” it’s well-documented that the truly interesting stuff – prototypes, one-offs, custom instruments – usually surface…

Gibson Style J Mando-bass

December 16, 2014 · George Gruhn

Decades before Audiovox or Leo Fender dreamed of making a fretted electric bass, Gibson started manufacturing fretted acoustic mando-basses that…

Pop ’N Hiss: Thin Lizzy’s Jailbreak

Fight Or Fall

July 12, 2023 · Pete Prown

At the dawn of 1976, Thin Lizzy was in trouble. Neither of the quartet’s previous two studio albums, Nightlife and…

The Micro-Frets Saga

Genius in MD

March 18, 2019 · Ward Meeker

Had fate been just a notch kinder, Ralph Jones might today be a ’60s counterculture icon alongside Bob Dylan, Muhammad…

Burns Steer Cutaway

The Burns Steer Cutaway

June 3, 2011 · Sean OBryan Smith

The story of the Burns Steer Cutaway begins in 1925 with the birth of the “British Leo Fender,” James Ormston…

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Rick Hogue

September 3, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Rick Hogue Season 01 Episode 09 In Episode 9 of VG’s “Buy That…

2021 September Issue on Spotify

August 24, 2021 · Doug Yellow Bird

This This month we feature Ray Benson’s Asleep at the Wheel, Neal Schon, Styx’s Tommy Shaw and James Young, Paul…

Fender’s Musicmaster and Duo‑Sonic

Little Brothers

August 28, 2018 · Terry Foster

Often forgotten, the diminutive student-grade duo went from concept to reality in short order to capitalize on teenagers taking up…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 030 Featuring Lzzy Hale

July 7, 2020 · James Patrick Regan

Episode 30 of James Patrick Regan’s “Have Guitar Will Travel” podcast features Halestorm co-founder Lzzy Hale. They delve into the…

Sunny War

Anarchist Gospel

December 25, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Sunny War’s latest record blurs stylistic boundaries, rejecting fatuous labeling. Instead, it’s a document of the human experience – a…

Dan Wilson’s celebration of jazz legends

September 28, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Homage with Superb Musicality On his latest album, “Things Eternal,” jazz wizard Dan Wilson fuses post-bop, spirituality, and the songs…

John Scofield

January 27, 2017 · Rich Kienzle

The history of jazz guitarists playing country tunes is long and distinguished, starting with Slim Bryant, Les Paul, and George…

John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers

July 6, 2016 · Rich Kienzle

The first volume of this set featured never-before-heard London performances, captured by Dutch fan Tom Huissen, who toted a monaural…

Jim Kweskin

Never Too Late: Duets with my Friends

December 6, 2024 · Rich Kienzle

The Jim Kweskin Jug Band was among the most-influential acts of the ’60s folk revival. Its free-spirited mix of retro…

Marcin

Birth Of The Dragon

October 8, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

Marcin wields classical, flamenco, percussion, and two-handed tapping to create jaw-dropping music. Dragon In Harmony is his first full-length album,…

MIM Hosts Stephen Stills and Ushers in Dragons and Vines Exhibition

December 7, 2016 · Johnny Zapp

On November 5th, Phoenix, Arizona’s Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) celebrated the opening of their newest exhibition, “Dragons and Vines: Inlaid…

Taylor T5z-12 Classic DLX

12-String Tech

October 28, 2024 · Pete Prown

Taylor’s acclaimed merging of acoustic and electric guitars continues to evolve with the T5z-12, a thinline 12-string with five-way pickup…

Phantom Reissue 1964 PH12

Ghost of Vintage Past

September 25, 2014 · Chip Wilson

From the Hollies to the Mahavishnu Orchestra, from Robert Junior Lockwood to the Stones, the electric 12-string has a prominent…

 Greg Koch

Way Of The Gristle

January 14, 2026 · Oscar Jordan

On Blues, Greg Koch reaches the outskirts of infinity with an album that showcases his wicked guitar skills and love…

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Bohemian Boho Moonshine

In The Can

June 9, 2016 · Stephen Stone

Here at VG, we see all manner of guitars – those made out of steel, graphite, even animal shells. But…

Eric Clapton

Still Slowhand

August 2, 2016 · Michael Dregni

There’s a lot of looking back going on here. For his 23rd solo album, Eric Clapton reunites with producer Glyn…

Joel Hoekstra

Joel Hoekstra

Busy Smilin’

January 28, 2016 · Bret Adams

When does Joel Hoekstra sleep? To say the always-smiling guitarist has a full plate is an understatement. For several years,…

Guild Bluesbird

Flyin’ High Again

April 24, 2019 · Bob Cianci

The Guild Bluesbird has a long history that began in the 1950s with Guild’s answer to the Gibson Les Paul…