• Duke Robillard – Lowdown

    Duke Robillard – Lowdown

    Vintage Guitar is happy to offer the premier of the new music video by Grammy nominee Duke Robillard. “Lowdown” is the  first single from his upcoming album, Blast Off!, set…

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  • 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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Hard Rock Cafe

Guardians of Grandeur

The Men Who Tend to the Guitars of the Hard Rock Cafe

February 11, 2016 · Ward Meeker

“A lot of people think I go in [to a sale] with an open checkbook, but that’s not the case;…

Orange TH30 Combo

Orange TH30 Combo

Small Clubs, Big Tones

January 5, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Orange TH30 Combo Price:$1,379 (list) Info: www.orangeamps.com Beyond their eye-catching color, Orange amplifiers have always rendered a distinct sound. Today,…

Check This Action: George Bowen

September 8, 2025 · Dan Forte

Luthier George Bowen passed away August 19 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He was 69. In March of 2023, a…

Home Feature Image

25 Most Valuable Guitars

May 24, 2015 · Vintage Guitar

Data compiled by Alan Greenwood and Gil Hembree Vintage Guitar is marking 25 years of publication with a year full…

Derek St. Holmes

Making Rock and Roll Cool Again

March 2, 2017 · Johnny Zapp

Derek St. Holmes has been in the rock and roll business since the early 1970s and is best known for…

Brimstone Audio Crossover Distortion XD-1

Bi-Amping in a Box

March 18, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Brimstone Audio Crossover Distortion XD-1 Price: $299.95 Info: www.Brimstoneaudio.com. Brimstone Audio is a relatively new company that hit the ground…

  • 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…

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ARTISTS

Jimmie Vaughan

Full Plate, New Strats

October 8, 2019 · Johnny Zapp

After trading football for guitar at age 13, Jimmie Vaughan forged a remarkable career as a blues-roots guitarist, first with…

Sunny War

Art & War

May 4, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Sunny War’s latest album, Simple Syrup, digs deep into the complexities of the human experience. As an acoustic fingerstylist who…

Jeff “Jabo” Bihlman

Jeff “Jabo” Bihlman

Grinder Blues

January 5, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Guitarist Jeff “Jabo” Bihlman has joined forces with King’s X bassist Dug Pinnick to release a gritty record that incorporates…

Jeff Plankenhorn

New Innovations For Lap Steel

December 26, 2017 · Willie G. Moseley

Jeff Plankenhorn has always made music his way, using stringed instruments he created. He picked up guitar at age 10,…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Standel 400S

June 12, 2023 · Willie G. Moseley

In the early days of the American electric guitar/amplifier industry, Standel was known for building high-quality amplifiers used by the…

1949 Bigsby Tenor

March 7, 2023 · George Gruhn and Walter Carter

By the advent of the solidbody electric guitar in the 1950s, tenor guitarists were a dying breed. Consequently, electric tenors…

Custom-Order Gibson B-45-12

March 14, 2016 · George Gruhn

The term “rare” is applied to guitars in far too many instances. Usually an appealing term, its overuse can be…

Sonny James's Epiphone Excellente

Epiphone Excellente

Sonny James' Epiphone Excellente

November 19, 2002 · Walter Carter

The Epiphone Excellente was the fanciest flat-top Gibson made in the 1960s, and to some ears it was Gibson’s best.…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

CopperSound Telegraph V2 Autostutter/Killswitch

All the Rage

November 13, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Need the perfect stutter effect or killswitch in a pedal? Massachusetts-based CopperSound Pedals’ latest iteration of its popular Telegraph Stutter…

Jensen Tornado Stealth Speakers

Sheer Magnetism

April 23, 2019 · Yoel Kreisler

Jensen has been in the speaker game for a very long time and its wares are some of the most…

Bass Bruiser

The HomeBrew Hematoma Bass Overdrive

June 24, 2020 · Phil Feser

Like a lot of gear-making companies whose stuff is warmly received, Joel and Andrea Weaver at HomeBrew Electronics have never…

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…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Leslie West

Leslie West

Still Climbing!

September 7, 2014 · Lisa Sharken

Leslie West is renowned for his iconic tone and revered as a forefather of classic rock. A true survivor, he’s…

Martin OM-18 and 000-28

March 13, 2014 · Bill Bush

What makes these two Martins remarkable is not necessarily their rarity or historical importance, though both would be welcome additions…

Gretsch Jet Firebird

One of the flashiest Jets in the Gretsch Company’s Air Force

December 31, 2013 · Jim Hilmar

Given the number of jet-related model monikers in Gretsch’s 1950s and ’60s catalogs, one might get the impression the company…

Saint Blues

St. Blues Bluesmaster, Blindsider, and Delta Blues Box

Straight from the Delta

August 6, 2013 · Rich Maloof

Saint Blues Bluesmaster/Blindsider Price: $2,399 (Bluesmaster); $2,550 (Blindsider) Info: saintblues.com St. Blues’ history stretches back to the days when its…

Coco Montoya

Hard Truth

May 26, 2017 · John Heidt

It’s been awhile since Coco Montoya’s last studio effort, but he comes out firing here. From the Albert King-style blast…

Jim Weider

Shinin’ On

March 31, 2023 · Tom Guerra

Few American guitarists have roots in Americana as deep as those of Jim Weider. For 15 years following The Band’s…

1940- 2024

Phil Lesh

September 8, 2025 · Pete Prown

The rock world was saddened to learn of bassist Phil Lesh’s death on October 25, at age 84. Perhaps the…

Eilon Paz

Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World’s Greatest Guitarists & Stompbox Vintage & Rarities

October 14, 2021 · Michael Dregni

Sure, we’ve all got a “thing” about guitars. And for many, amps strike a similar chord. But there’s something special…

Allan Holdsworth

1946-2017, Lion of Legato

April 15, 2019 · Pete Prown

Music fans were relaxing on Easter Sunday when word of Allan Holdsworth’s death began filtering about, bringing shock to the…

Eric Ambel

Proficient Professional

December 26, 2017 · Dennis Pernu

Ace sideman (Joan Jett, Steve Earle), producer of note (Bottle Rockets, Nils Lofgren, Marshall Crenshaw), and proprietor of Brooklyn’s 24-track…

Have Guitar Will Travel 067 – Eric Montgomery

January 13, 2022 · James Patrick Regan

Episode 67 of “Have Guitar Will Travel” features Eric Montgomery, guitarist/keyboardist for singer/songwriter Maren Morris. Host James Patrick Regan speaks…

PRS Alex Lifeson Signature

PRS Alex Lifeson Signature

Grand Designs

March 23, 2016 · Steven Stone

PRS Alex Lifeson Signature Price: $8,999 (list) Contact: www.prsguitars.com What do you call the most beautifully made production acoustic you’ve…

MXR Dyna Comp Mini

A Classic, Compressed

April 23, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

In the ’70s, the original MXR Dyna Comp found its way onto a plethora of now-classic vinyl sides and was…

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…

Steve Cropper

An MGs/Rascals Soul Summit

March 25, 2010 · Dan Forte

Before they were called Booker T. & The MGs, the first song the house band for Memphis’ Stax label cut…

Otis Taylor

March 30, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

Otis Taylor has no concern for your discomfort with racial issues. It’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times, and…

Mudhoney

Plastic Eternity

March 20, 2024 · Dennis Pernu

When it comes to writing music reviews, nothing’s more Lamesville than a critic swiping text from a label’s press release.…

Check This Action: Everybody Gone Surfing?

June 8, 2022 · Dan Forte

My favorite quote about the demise of surf music is not the oft-repeated Hendrix line in “Third Stone From The…

Blu DeTiger: Funk-Pop Pioneer

October 23, 2024 · Ward Meeker

When she was seven years old, sibling rivalry spurred Blu DeTiger to get a bass so she could play along…

Elvis Presley

Guitar Royalty

May 15, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Should you ever forget why the King is the King, this ultimate boxed set of Elvis’ 57 albums and soundtracks,…

Walrus Audio Deep Six and Mayflower; Celestial Effects’ Cancer Wah the Fuzz?

Walrus Audio Deep Six and Mayflower; Celestial Effects’ Cancer Wah the Fuzz?

Trio of Tappers

October 14, 2015 · Pete Prown

Stompboxes range from organic, transparent circuits that let a guitar’s natural tone shine through, to effects that intentionally color the…

Bill Nelson

Still Deluxe

September 9, 2015 · Pete Prown

Most people remember Bill Nelson as the front man/guitar hero in the English band Be Bop Deluxe. Since folding that…

Dan’s Guitar RX: Rock-And-Roll High School(er)

Building a From-Scratch Class Project, the Conclusion

September 18, 2023 · Dan Erlewine

In my November ’22 column, Ceil Thompson’s class-project guitar was nearing completion – the lacquer coats were applied and, after…

Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Into The Future

September 9, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s Dirt On My Diamonds Volume One finds the Strat-wielding blues-rocker blending the best elements of pop country,…

Glenn Hughes

Golden-Voiced Bassist

December 26, 2017 · Greg Prato

In the past year, Glenn Hughes has experienced highs like being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame…

Don Leady, Austin Legend

February 7, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

One of Texas’ “Big Guitars” on “Rattler Run” Co-founder of the LeRoi Brothers, leader of the Tail Gators, and one…

Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 FR E HSS

Ultimate Hod Rod

May 13, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Designed more than 30 years ago, the latest incarnation of Charvel’s Pro-Mod So-Cal keeps the “super” in superstrat. An eye-catching,…

Tele Jimmy Bryant

Sixty Years of Tele-Kinetic Guitar Heroes

Flying Saucers! Tail Fins! Robots!

April 2, 2014 · Pete Prown

Taking a cue from the burgeoning world of television, in 1951, Leo Fender married the name “Telecaster” to his new…

Fretprints: Ty Tabor

X Marks the Spot

June 14, 2024 · Wolf Marshall

The turbulent 1980s ended with a tsunami of bands seeking new sounds. Trends like classic-rock redux, blues/roots revivals, nu-metal, grunge,…