Yamaha Image

December 26, 2013 · Michael Wright

Some years back, an insurance company promoted itself as “the quiet company.” While they probably wouldn’t like to hear it,…

Peter Stroud Keeps His Feet, and Keeps Movin’

On “10,” As Always

August 1, 2017 · Ward Meeker

He has played with Dreams So Real, Pete Droge, Don Henley, and Sheryl Crow. It’s the latter gig that occupies…

Nate Bergman

Skankin’ With Lionize

November 12, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

The members of Lionize blend heavy rock with reggae to create infectious tunes… kind of like if the guys in…

Robert John & The Wreck’s Henry James

July 28, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Cali-Style Southern Rock Southern-fried rock from California? You bet it’s tasty. Check out the guitar work of Henry James Schneekluth…

The “Conversion” Les Paul

The “Conversion” Les Paul

Myth, Magic – and Mojo!

June 21, 2016 · Pete Prown

One of the more intriguing topics in guitardom is the Gibson Les Paul “conversion.” What is it? Most of the…

Roy Buchanan and Tom Principato

Masters of the Telecaster

May 2, 2017 · Dan Forte

In 1972, Roy Buchanan shook up the guitar world with his self-titled debut album. The tones he extracted from his…

  • 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

Snowy White

Snowy White

One Man, One Guitar

March 11, 2016 · Donald Wiedman

Snowy White, one of the finest blues and rock musicians to come out of the U.K., built a career on…

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,…

Pop ’N Hiss: Albert King’s Born Under a Bad Sign and Live Wire/Blues Power

Power, Indeed

October 29, 2025 · Dan Forte

In February of 1968, Albert King stepped onto the stage of San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium for the first time. With…

Mike Campbell

Still Thrilled

April 16, 2019 · Ward Meeker

Boiled down, the music of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is defined by a handful of essential elements: their leader’s…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Keith Richards’ 1977 Mesa/Boogie Mark I

Still Rollin’

November 30, 2023 · Dave Hunter

As ubiquitous as the little 1×12″ Mesa/Boogie Mark Series combo has become over the past 48 years – and as…

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…

Alive! Guitar Revived

The Tale of Frampton’s ’54 Les Paul Custom

February 1, 2021 · Ward Meeker

Gifted to Peter Frampton after a 1970 Humble Pie concert at Fillmore West in San Francisco, for years, this ’54…

BAKERSFIELD-HOME-MAIN-BIG

Basses from Bakersfield

March 4, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

The history of guitar manufacturing in the Bakersfield area of California includes names like Mosrite, Hallmark, and Standel. One of…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Warm Audio Centavo

Not Just Another Klon(E)

October 11, 2023 · Tom Guerra

Most pedal enthusiasts consider a vintage Klon Centaur the pinnacle of overdrive boxes. With originals now approaching $10,000, it makes…

Marshall’s EH-1 Echohead, RG-1 Regenerator & RF-1 Reflector

Little Marshalls, Big Tones

July 14, 2020 · Phil Feser

Continuing the tradition set forth by the stout little metallic gray/gold boxes of the GV-2 Guv’nor Plus, BB-2 Bluesbreaker II,…

The Orange Acoustic Pedal

Juice To Spare

July 22, 2022 · Michael Shirek

Since the dawn of amplification, engineers have sought a better mousetrap – a more-transparent signal chain that preserves signal and…

Lollar’s Gold-Foil Pickup

After the Gold Rush

May 10, 2014 · Ray Wuolo

Lollar’s Gold-Foil Pickup Price: $180 (list, each) Info: www.lollarguitars.com Gold-foil pickups are exotic beasts – just like many of the…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Lari Basilio

Love, Law, and Guitars

June 29, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Lari Basilio’s latest album, Your Love, is highlighted by spellbinding note density, feel, and whiplash twists and turns. Her forté…

Julian Lage

Squint

March 31, 2022 · Michael Dregni

Julian Lage walks an intriguing line between jazz and rock-and-roll. On his latest – and first release on the stellar…

Susan Tedeschi

Albums Of Future Passed

November 1, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Susan Tedeschi’s second album, Just Won’t Burn, changed her life. Released in 1998, it pushed her from a local Boston…

2023 April Issue on Spotify

April 4, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

This month we feature Marty Stuart, Steve Vai, Sunny War, Merle Travis Bio, Kansas’ Leftoverture, Gary Moore, Big Bill Broonzy,…

Outlaws

Rising Tides

December 30, 2025 · Bret Adams

By the mid ’70s, Southern rock emerged as one of the most-exciting and successful genres in pop music, thanks to…

Dweezil Zappa

Solo Sounds

March 3, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

To properly perform the music composed by his father, Frank, Dweezil Zappa had to revamp his playing style. The fruits…

The “Conversion” Les Paul

The “Conversion” Les Paul

Myth, Magic – and Mojo!

June 21, 2016 · Pete Prown

One of the more intriguing topics in guitardom is the Gibson Les Paul “conversion.” What is it? Most of the…

JONATHAN WILSON

Jonathan Wilson

Charlotte to Cali

March 12, 2014 · Kathleen Johnson

Jonathan Wilson is having a very good year. His Gentle Spirit CD (Bella Union), a hippie-soul drenched 80 minutes of…

Otis Redding

Otis Forever: The Albums & Singles (1968-1970)

May 13, 2024 · Sean McDevitt

Otis Redding’s death in a plane crash in late 1967 created a monumental task for producer and guitarist Steve Cropper…

Croy and the Boys

February 27, 2017 · Rick Allen

There’s something about the Telecaster – as well as its forerunners and inspired imitators – that attracts musicians whose music…

Tommy Emmanuel Straight Blazin’!

June 26, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Fingerpicking mastery on “Son of a Gun Whoa…. Check out Tommy Emmanuel backstage at the Grand Ole Opry with his…

Joe Satriani Home Main Big

Joe Satriani

More Than Meets the Ear

January 9, 2015 · Ward Meeker

When he emerged in the late ’80s, rock guitarist Joe Satriani stood apart from the hair-band crowd for several reasons.…

Iconix Pickups Black Mass

Michigan Metal

July 9, 2018 · Chip Wilson

Michigan may have given us the automobile production line, but Troy-based Iconix Pickups is the antithesis of an assembly line…

Sugar Hill Set Marks 25 Years

July 13, 2020 · Steven Stone

In an industry where success is measured in weeks or months rather than years, marking a 25th anniversary is no…

JHS Charlie Brown Overdrive

Beautiful Noise

October 3, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

While few guitarists get the opportunity to plug into every vintage Marshall amp and hear their distinguishing tonal characteristics, most…

Eric Krasno

Funk Soul Brother

August 30, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Smart guitar players discover early on that if they want to control their musical destiny, it doesn’t hurt to learn…

Jim Campilongo

Sounds Abound

June 23, 2020 · John Heidt

I’ve always loved sounds. Even before I became a ‘Tele guy,’ I had a Les Paul and loved making car…

Ampeg VT-22

Ampeg VT-22

October 15, 2015 · Dave Hunter

Preamp tubes: four 7025 (12AX7 types) Output tubes: two 5881 (a more-rugged 6L6 type), fixed-bias Rectifier: solidstate Controls: Bass Instrument…

Ram Tuli Crunches Numbers for The Guide

Strats and Data

June 11, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Combine a knack for numbers with a love of old guitars and you get… well, you might get any of…

Yamaha’s THR100HD Dual Amp

Double Vision

July 3, 2019 · Pete Prown

Modeling amps have evolved rapidly as software and circuits have improved and become, dare we say, more organic sounding. The…

Alex Lifeson

Fresh Sonic Horizons

March 10, 2023 · Bret Adams

What do you do when you’re the beloved guitarist in a legendary band whose career was ended by the premature…

The Dig 3’s Hundt, Duncanson play “Tell Me the Place”

December 28, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Old-school blues duet Gerry Hundt and Andrew Duncanson play straightforward Chicago-style blues in The Dig 3. Here, they play “Tell…

Marty Walsh

Marty Walsh

With a Little Help From Friends

January 27, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

Marty Walsh has plied his trade for decades, though relatively few may be familiar with his efforts. A Los Angeles…

Mark Knoll

It's about Time

May 24, 2021 · John Heidt

Despite spending three-quarters of his life as a professional musician, singing and playing blistering lead guitar in various groups, until…

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,…

Smith/Kotzen

Black Light/White Noise

January 16, 2026 · Bret Adams

This is the third album from rock veterans Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden) and Richie Kotzen (The Winery Dogs). The busy…

All That Glitters

Gibson’s Copper Iridescent Les Pauls

October 24, 2023 · Ward Meeker

Like large celestial bodies, some guitar collectors have a gravity that draws objects to them. In 2016, rare custom-color Les…

Six-String Basses from the 1950s and ’60s

The Big Twang!

February 4, 2022 · Peter Stuart Kohman

Electric bass, bass guitar, baritone guitar; four, five, or six strings – many varieties of low-tuned instruments are available today.…

Hall of Fame – Instruments

February 10, 2017 · Vintage Guitar

From 1990 to the present — read about each Readers' Choice Awards Instruments.