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Season 03 Episode 01 In Episode 3.1 of “Buy That Guitar,” host Ram Tuli is joined by longtime VG contributor Willie G. Moseley, who describes himself as a “stereotypical Babyboomer guitar lover.” They discuss lesser-known instruments made by Robin, Mosrite, and Peavey, then address the challenges in downsizing their guitar collections. Links: Vintage Guitar magazine […]
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Back in June 2003, Carr’s original eight-watt Mercury combo earned high praise in VG for its top-of-the-line components, attention to detail, and wide-ranging “Tone of the Gods” voicing. Recently, Steve Carr introduced a beefier 16-watt version of the Mercury in both 1×12 combo (as tested) and standalone head versions. These reincarnated and revved-up Mercury V […]
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Artists
John Wetton
Back In Asia
Bassist/vocalist John Wetton has exhibited his solid chops and plaintive baritone voice through the decades in King Crimson, Asia, and several other successful British bands, including Uriah Heep, Wishbone Ash, and Roxy Music. Then there’s his successful solo career. These days, though, Wetton is looking forward to a reunion tour with the original Asia, which […]
Artists
Have Guitar Will Travel 082 – Drew Holcomb, Foy Vance and Christophe Paubert
In the latest episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan connects with three artists – two musicans and a winemaker! Drew Holcomb talks about growing up in Memphis and his first guitar, an Ovation he played throughout his youth. A country-music performer, Drew has written songs heard on movie and TV soundtracks. […]
Music
Robert Randolph and the Family Band
Got Soul
For those who like their sacred steel music a little less sacred, Robert Randolph and the Family Band’s latest is a revelation. Fusing the energy of a black church revival meeting with the Joe six-pack accessibility of blues-rock, the album is a joyous commercial slam-dunk. Randolph’s debut on Sony Music Masterworks and his fifth album […]
Artists
S’Alright (Or Left)
Southpaw Guitars Marks 35 Years
Even before they started jamming together on old Gibson acoustics in the mid ’70s, Jimmy Duncan and Bill Townsend, co-founders of the lefty-dedicated Southpaw Guitars, were avid fans of music. Longtime friends who spent their days working as carpenters in Houston, they caught dozens of live acts at venues ranging from the Astrodome and Summit […]
Classic Instruments
Ampeg’s Jet Reverb Prototype
Ampeg is frequently credited for being not only one of the first makers to put reverb in its amplifiers, but also for producing what was one of the consistently best-sounding reverbs of the 1960s. If we accept that the Ampeg reverb circuit is a noteworthy stop on any tour of tube-amp history, this is one […]
Artists
John Pizzarelli
From Stage to Seven-String
The John Pizzarelli Trio is back on the road supporting its latest album, Stage and Screen. Joined by Isaiah J. Thompson on piano and Michael Karn on double bass, Pizzarelli is flying through tunes mostly associated with Broadway and the movies. We had the chance to dig in a bit with the jazz master. What […]
Classic Instruments
Brian Setzer
What a Dude Does
You can’t keep an iconic rocker down. Brian Setzer’s The Devil Always Collects is his first album in more than two years. Featuring the Grammy winner’s trademark rockabilly fire, it’s a smokin’ set of tunes with a few surprises. Guitar in-hand, the considerate, contemplative singer/songwriter/Gretsch aficionado spoke with Vintage Guitar about the album and his […]
Artists
Mick Mars
A Piece of His Action
Since emerging from Hollywood’s Sunset Strip in the early 1980s, Mötley Crue has defined the Los Angeles metal scene. Fueled by the catchy powerhouse riffage of guitarist Mick Mars, the group dominated the rock charts throughout the ’80s, producing a stream of anthemic albums and hits that have echoed through the decades. Crüe soldiered through […]
Artists
Ty Tabor’s Six-String Meditation!
King’s X Guitarists’s solo work is mindful, complex Ty Tabor used his Player Strat (with a JB Jr. pickup at the bridge) to play this cool rendition of “Insane,” from his new solo album, “Shades,” on which he paints with an array of guitar tones, emotions, and melodies. “I’m running straight through an Orange Super […]
Have Guitar Will Travel
Have Guitar Will Travel – 024 Featuring Barry Grezbik
In Ep. 24 of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan visits with luthier Barry Grezbik, of Grez Guitars. They discuss talk Barry’s influences and how he is applying his experience as a designer of audio products and sound systems to create non-traditional guitars with an emphasis on function. They also touch on his […]
Spotify
2022 April Issue on Spotify
This month we feature Slash, Myles Kennedy, Ventures’ Don Wilson, J.D. Simo, Isaiah Mitchell, Luther Dickinson, Joe Satriani, Earl Hooker, Tinsley Ellis, Steve Vai and more! Spotify is free, or available without ads via paid subscription. Go to www.spotify.com and search “Vintage Guitar magazine,”or if you already have an account Listen to the complete list […]
Classic Instruments
The Martin 0-42
Through the years, Martin’s dreadnought, OM, and 000 guitars may have gained the most notoriety. But for the sweetest and best-quality sound, Martin itself recommends the size 0, exemplified by this 0-42. There’s obviously a catch to that statement, since only two of Martin’s current offering of over 200 models are size-0 guitars. The recommendation […]
Classic Instruments
The City of Guitars
Git-Shopping in Paris
On your way to Paris for a romantic getaway? Wanting to see the sights in the City of Light? Then take this advice; forget Rick Steves, think Stevie Ray. Skip the Eiffel Tower (don’t they have one of those in Las Vegas, anyway?). Make a detour around the Arc de Triomphe (ditto). Catch a quick […]
Artists
R.C. Allen
1934-2014
R.C. Allen, a noted luthier who built archtops for local and regional players of note and was a fixture at vintage-guitar shows in Southern California, died March 2. Allen was renowned for sharing his secrets of guitar building and was the last of the original electric-guitar builders in Southern California. Known for his archtops, he […]
VG Approved Gear
ToneConcepts’ The Distillery
100-Proof Tone
While many pedal makers tinker away on effects that exhibit their personal tonal philosophies, the fact is that most don’t play gigs or compose music. Seraphim Marcopoulous of ToneConcepts was keen enough to take advantage of his professional relationships with some of the finest guitarists in the industry, asking, “What’s missing?”
Artists
George Gruhn
How a Zoologist Became a Guitar animal
If you bumped into a bearded, corduroy-jacketed George Gruhn in a Nashville coffee shop, you might think you’d stumbled upon an avuncular college professor – which is fitting, considering that many regard Gruhn as the world’s foremost expert on vintage acoustic and electric stringed instruments. Gruhn has penned some of the most highly regarded books […]
Artists
Thom Douvan
Motown and More
Released in April, guitarist Thom Douvan’s third album, All Over Again, is a mix of self-penned instrumentals (with one notable exception) that utilizes a plethora of classic guitars to embellish the compositions. Douvan came of age in the ’60s and counted many area influences as part of his formative years in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “There […]