• Super PickupGiveaway 2025

    Super PickupGiveaway 2025

    Win Big! 11 Sets! 11 Winners! Win a set of pickups from one of these sponsors: Deadline is March 15, 2026. Complete the survey below to enter giveaway. One entry…

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Kay’s K161 Thin Twin

Post-war Blues Box

July 5, 2018 · Pete Prown

In his day, Jimmy Reed was a huge influence on everyone from Eric Clapton and Mike Bloomfield to the Rolling…

LA LOM

The Los Angeles League of Musicians

July 3, 2025 · Pete Prown

It’s Latin, it’s surfy, it’s twangy – okay, what the heck is it? LA LOM is an instrumental trio that…

Robert Cray

Sweet Soul Music

March 30, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

Robert Cray’s new album with producer-drummer Steve Jordan and the Hi Rhythm section is a no-brainer slam-dunk – and a…

Johnny Winter

Returning To His Roots

July 18, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

In December, 1968, Mike Bloomfield asked Johnny Winter to perform at the Fillmore East in New York at a Super…

Dan’s Guitar RX: Mending Chuck Panozzo’s 1960 ES-125

Thinline Revival

January 11, 2023 · Dan Erlewine

Like you, I got a kick out of the February “Classics” feature on Chuck Panozzo being reunited with his Gibson…

Electro-Harmonix Epitome, Tone Tattoo

Tone to the Third Squared

December 16, 2014 · Pete Prown

The Electro-Harmonix Epitome, Tone Tattoo Price: $491.84 list (Epitome) and $292.35 list (Tone Tattoo) Info: www.ehx.com The concept is smart…

  • Rickenbacker’s Electric 12-Strings

    Rickenbacker’s Electric 12-Strings

    Double-bound for Glory

    George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacher founded Electro String in 1931 to manufacture what everyone would soon call “Rickenbacker” guitars. Success came early and their lap steels set standards of quality,…

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ARTISTS

Lance Lopez

Supersonic Blues Machine

February 27, 2018 · Oscar Jordan

Lance Lopez is a guitar-slinging blues machine that burns like Texas hot sauce in August. He has scorched the festival…

1937 Martin 0-21

February 8, 2024 · George Gruhn and Walter Carter

Martin is known for its orderly model-naming system, under which all guitars of a certain style from any particular year…

JOEWALSH_HOME-MAIN-BIG

Joe Walsh

Life’s Still Good

February 14, 2014 · Ward Meeker

Whether coughing up the #2 talk-box lick of the ’70s, kicking the Eagles into overdrive, or wryly expressing his views…

In Memoriam: Lasse Wellander

February 9, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Lasse Wellander, longtime guitarist in ABBA and a renowned studio and solo musician, died April 7. He was 70 and…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Guild Basses in the Early 1980s

Traditional, Temporary

Guild Basses in the Early 1980s

June 21, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

The early ’80s were a unique time in the history of American electric guitars. Fender and Gibson were both owned…

Martin 5-18

Martin 5-18

October 11, 2014 · George Gruhn

The Martin style 5-18 is the smallest guitar in Martin catalogs; at the lower bout, it measures 11.25″, while at…

Ted Newman Jones’ West-Texas Guitars

Melodious Coterie

June 10, 2022 · Ward Meeker

Boxcars Among the vast papers, drawings, photographs, and tapes at Texas Tech’s Crossroads of Music Archive is a guitar beloved…

Recording Electric Guitars

The Art of Home Recording

July 8, 2016 · Dave Hunter

The process might seem simple – stick mic in front of amp, press "Record." Truth is, though, that even just…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Collings CJ-45 T

Golden Child

October 12, 2022 · Michael Dregni

Every now and then, you pick up a guitar and realize you’re holding magic in your hands. Welcome to the…

Fender’s Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster

Country Composite

May 21, 2019 · Yoel Kreisler

One of the newest models from Fender’s Artist series is designed to appeal to vintage Telecaster fanatics, country twangers, and…

Vox’s AC30CH and V212C Cabinet

Get Back

July 9, 2018 · Michael Dregni

The Beatles helped popularize Vox amps, and Sir Paul tours with them today because they still have that sound –…

Eastwood’s Classic 6 TA PHo

Phish Food

August 10, 2023 · Pete Prown

If you’ve seen Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio onstage, you may have noticed an unusual archtop in his mitts – a…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Carr Amplifiers’ Super Bee

’60s Muscle

October 15, 2021 · Rich Maloof

Inside its chicken hatchery turned amp shop in Pittsboro, North Carolina, Carr Amplifiers has hatched another beauty in the low-watt/single-channel…

John Leventhal

Tele-Singing Architect of Americana

March 27, 2019 · Zac Childs

When Shawn Colvin’s Steady On won a Grammy in 1989, John Leventhal was instantly transformed from NYC sideman to in-demand…

’72 Marshall “NARB” Tremolo 100

Mirror Image

October 25, 2024 · Dave Hunter

When is a Marshall not a Marshall? When it’s a Narb, of course. Long a fascinating footnote to the company’s…

The Pedulla Buzz Bass

Fast and Fretless

September 23, 2019 · Willie G. Moseley

Introduced in 1980, the M.V. Pedulla Buzz Bass is one of the most-enduring examples of an upscale model offered fretless.…

Mike Stern

Echoes and Other Songs

July 2, 2025 · Pete Prown

Mike Stern’s smokin’ new album is the last with longtime keyboardist and producer Jim Beard (Steely Dan), who died in…

D’Angelico Excel SS

Classic Versatility

December 23, 2024 · Bob Cianci

The modern D’Angelico company specializes in hip semi-hollow guitars with a nod toward their namesake, legendary luthier John D’Angelico. Case…

Walter Jr.

A Taste of (and from) Louisiana

July 13, 2020 · John Heidt

Walter Jr.’s blend of soul, funk, R&B, and everything-in-between never wanders far from home. It’s not hard to tell from…

Adam Levy’s Wistful Elegance

February 28, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Vintage ES-335 on “And They All Sang” Famous for supplying charismatic guitar parts while backing Nora Jones and Tracy Chapman,…

Tech 21’s Boost Series Pedals

The Way Up

December 6, 2013 · Max Prown

Tech 21 Boost Pedals Price: $149 each, street Contact: www.tech21nyc.com Tech 21’s new Boost Series of fuzz, overdrive, and distortion…

Xotic Effects’ Wah XW-1

Xotic Effects’ Wah XW-1

State-Of-The-Art MousEtrap

April 13, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Xotic Effects’ Wah XW-1 Price: $295 (list); $249 (street) Contact: xotic.us/ The chase for tone sometimes seems like never-ending “Tom…

Fender’s Mid-’50s Precision Bass

The "In-Between" Version

January 12, 2010 · Willie G. Moseley

In the world of electric basses, the 1952 Fender Precision is the one that started it all. While it’s true…

Steve Howell Fingerpicks “Stocking Feet Blues”

January 12, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Solo acoustic homage to rural-blues great Steve Howell is a veteran of blues, rock, and jazz. Here, he fingerpicks a…

The Hagstrom EDP46 DeLuxe

June 20, 2025 · Michael Wright

World War II was responsible for an unbelievable amount of what we today know as the modern world, from computers…

Nick Moss – clean and tasty on “Scratch N Sniff”

October 27, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Instro-rock, fully greased Get ready to have your funtime socks knocked off, ‘cuz this exclusive Nick Moss run through “Scratch…

Lari Basilio

The Artist’s Way

February 2, 2026 · Oscar Jordan

On Lari Basilio’s latest record, Redemption, art and life collide to make beautiful music. Effortless instrumental guitar techniques merge with…

Mick Mars

Different Flavors, Different Way

November 1, 2024 · Bret Adams

Guitarist Mick Mars’ long-discussed solo album is finally done. The Other Side of Mars is crushing modern metal with gothic…

Mud Ride: A Messy Trip Through The Grunge Explosion

Steve Turner with Adem Tepedelen

April 24, 2024 · Dennis Pernu

Mudhoney never really cashed in on the early-’90s grunge sweepstakes. In fact, its members have largely eschewed the G word.…

EHX Canyon Delay & Looper, Blurst Modulated Filter

Ambient Possibilities

April 19, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Today’s guitarists looking to create those sounds they imagine in their heads have it easier than ever before. Electro-Harmonix can…

Allman Brothers Band

Final Concert 10-28-14

October 9, 2025 · Pete Prown

It’s been a decade since the final ABB show at The Beacon Theatre and it’s now available via CD or…

George Cummings

Remembering Mississippi and Dr. Hook

February 27, 2018 · Willie G. Moseley

George Cummings is best known as the original guitarist for Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show. Born in Meridian, Mississippi,…

Rev Rock

Billy Gibbons Goes Solo

November 29, 2016 · Ward Meeker

“BFG ain’t anybody ’cept BFG,” proclaims ZZ Top co-founder/front man/face Billy Gibbons, discussing his first solo album, Perfectamundo. “What is…

Dan’s Guitar RX: Restoring a Vintage Jazz Bass

Mashed Fender

June 4, 2022 · Dan Erlewine

The owner of a ’62 Jazz Bass recently sent it to my shop for repair and renovation. He’d bought it…

Brian Setzer

Brian Setzer

Rocking Back to the Future

October 27, 2015 · Michael Dregni

Brian Setzer wears several hats – rockabilly, swing, even hard-rocking Christmas music. But through it all, by and large he…

Fretprints: The Beatles’ Revolver

Sonic Floodgates

January 14, 2025 · Wolf Marshall

If any rock album can be labeled “groundbreaking,” it’s the Beatles’ Revolver. A sweepingly innovative masterpiece, it divides the ’60s…

Best In Tone

The Marshall DSL40CR

November 10, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

In the minds of guitarists, the Marshall name verges on mythic – from Bluesbreakers to plexis, they hold a special…

Star Stomps

Famous Sounds Abound in New Book

December 9, 2021 · Michael Dregni

Stompboxes inspire their own special mania. While the allure of guitars is obvious with their colorful, curvaceous looks, effects are…

Steve Vai

Vai/Gash

December 25, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Recorded during two weeks in 1991, Vai/Gash is a collaboration between Steve Vai and late singer Johnny “Gash” Sombrotto, expressing…

Fishman’s Fluence Greg Koch Gristle-Tone Pickups

Voices Not In Your Head

July 5, 2018 · Tom Guerra

In 2014, Fishman introduced their Fluence line with the goal of combining vintage tone with freedom from the inductance problems…

ASIA Symposium

The ASIA Symposium

Kinship and Connections

June 21, 2016 · Dan Erlewine

As much a celebration of kinship as it is an educational forum, the biannual Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans (ASIA)…