• 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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Fretprints: Yngwie Malmsteen

Alcatrazz and the Birth of Bach and Roll

July 22, 2022 · Wolf Marshall

Los Angeles, 1983. The rock community was a land devastated by the bombast of L.A. metal – Eddie Van Halen,…

Fender Player Jazz Bass Fretless

No Frets, No Sweat

January 24, 2022 · Pete Prown

The fretless has long been mysterious territory for bassists dazzled by the sonic achievements of Jaco Pastorius, Pino Palladino, and…

Check This Action: Box of Cacti

October 30, 2023 · Dan Forte

The 1970 debut album by Cactus blasted off with a gnarly guitar riff for the ages, as the band’s rendition…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 009 Featuring Mt. Joy

June 10, 2019 · James Patrick Regan

In this episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel”, James Regan talks with Matt (Quinn) and Sam (Cooper) from the indie band Mt Joy. The band…

The Epiphone Excellente

February 10, 2015 · George Gruhn

When Gibson acquired Epiphone in 1957, the plan was to introduce a new line of Epis that would be made…

George Gruhn

How a Zoologist Became a Guitar animal

May 15, 2024 · Louis R. Carlozo

If you bumped into a bearded, corduroy-jacketed George Gruhn in a Nashville coffee shop, you might think you’d stumbled upon…

  • 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

Zac Sokolow

LA LA Land

June 25, 2025 · Pete Prown

LA LOM rekindles of the sound of “psychedelic chicha” – a south-of-the-border reaction to the electrified 1960s. Picture the Ventures…

Status Quo’s Francis Rossi

On Guitars, Music, and Elusive Success

October 13, 2015 · Elliot Stephen Cohen

“I’m only as good now as I should have been when I was 25,” laughs Francis Rossi, the 64-year-old lead…

Ellen Harper

Music is the Family Business

February 19, 2016 · Dan Forte

“Ben likes to joke that this album had a lifetime of pre-production,” Ellen Harper says of Childhood Home, her collaboration…

Heavy Hitters Rock Crown Guitar Fest

April 29, 2014 · Debra Devi

Want a surreal experience? Try looking up from your oatmeal to see Robben Ford and Pat Metheny strolling past your…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Ghalia Volt’s Stompin’ slide!

December 27, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Belgium Born, Delta Fostered Brussels native Ghalia Volt moved to the U.S. in 2013 to busk in music-rich cities like…

Classics: December 2023

Cliff Antone’s 1952 Fender Precision

August 15, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Texas is known for music, especially Austin, which in the mid ’70s became a hotbed thanks to clubs like Armadillo…

Beat Portraits: Burns Volume 7

1965: Summer Of The Hollowbodies

February 14, 2018 · Peter Stuart Kohman

The Way Back Beat survey of instruments designed by James Ormston Burns continues with the final products developed by his…

Bruce Kulick

Star Board: Bruce Kulick

March 7, 2016 · Ward Meeker

Bruce Kulick played lead guitar in Kiss for more than a decade, and today stays busy as a solo performer…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

BluGuitar Amp1

Tiny Tube Terror

July 10, 2019 · Pete Prown

The trend toward the miniaturization of guitar gear shows no signs of slowing. Thanks to modern technology, guitarists are fitting…

The Clark Gainster

Trick Your Tweed

June 10, 2020 · Art Department

Before he got into the effects pedal biz, Michael Clark had a reputation for building killer tweed-inspired amps. In 2001…

Donner DST-400

Seeing Green

February 7, 2023 · Dennis Pernu

If the pandemic had a silver lining beyond more time at home with our toys, it was the growth of…

ToneTron Feature Home

ToneTron’s Billy-Rocker

Best Amp You've Never Heard of

April 11, 2016 · Michael Dregni

ToneTron’s Billy-Rocker Price: $1,200 Info: www.tonetroamps.com. On a quiet residential street in Minneapolis lives a mad scientist. Erstwhile rockabilly guitarist…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

 Reverend Sensei H90

Live Wire

January 14, 2026 · Pete Prown

So you want a Gibson-style solidbody that can cover humbucker-powered rock, yet also twangier/glassier tones using a P-90 pickup. Check.…

Tony Iommi

When Sabbath Rocked with Ronnie

February 3, 2022 · Greg Prato

Black Sabbath sounded reinvigorated and refocused on its first two albums of the ’80s – Heaven and Hell and Mob…

Furry Lewis' 1968 Gibson B-25N

Furry Lewis’ 1968 Gibson B-25N

Heart In Hand

January 19, 2015 · Ward Meeker

Born in the heart of Mississippi’s fabled Delta region – from where Robert Johnson emerged and a blues-music form was…

Vibesware Guitar Resonator GR-Junior II

Vibesware Guitar Resonator GR-Junior II

Sustain For Days

February 12, 2016 · Pete Prown

Vibesware Guitar Resonator GR-Junior II Price: $175 (list, depending on exchange rate) Contact: www.vibesware.com In the beginning, there was the…

BC Audio JTX45 Octal Plex

Plexi Class

March 1, 2017 · Ray Wuolo

In an amp world full of boutique clones, Bruce Clement has developed a unique twist on the venerable ’60s British…

The MXR Custom Badass ’78 Distortion

Company Hot Rod

January 24, 2014 · Zac Childs

Dunlop Custom Badass ’78 Distortion Price: $79 Info: jimdunlop.com Custom Badass is a new division of MXR that offers 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…

Fender’s First Reissues

The CBS Era Concludes in Style

March 2, 2016 · Edward B. Driscoll Jr.

By the late 1970s, cumulative changes in the details of the various classic guitar models on the market – Fender’s…

Headline: In Memoriam: Ian Bairnson

February 9, 2024 · Bret Adams

Guitarist Ian Bairnson, a member of the Alan Parsons Project who played on the band’s 10 studio albums from 1976…

Home Feature Image

Mu-FX Octave Divider

The Mu Is Back

June 10, 2016 · Michael Dregni

This is rocket science. Or at least as close as a stompbox gets. Sure, building a pedal that tweaks a…

Marshall JMP50 “Plexi”

April 28, 2020 · Dave Hunter

Kids wanna rock? Plug into your plexi and bow to the mighty crunch. Marshall amps of the company’s first 10…

EarthQuaker Devices’ Erupter

Bring The Fuzz

April 24, 2019 · Zac Childs

EarthQuaker Devices is one of the most admired pedal builders today, thanks to their original designs that feature tweakable controls…

Steve Cropper

Homage to Lowman Pauling

August 5, 2015 · Michael Dregni

All but forgotten today, with his low-slung guitar, stylish rhythm licks, and tasty leads, Lowman Pauling was one of the…

Ibanez EKM100

Ibanez EKM100

Soul On Ice

March 4, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Ibanez EKM100 Price: $2,799.99 (list) Contact: www.ibanez.com Fans of contemporary soul, jazz, and funk should be well aware of Soulive.…

M&V Guitars and Pickups Atlas Large-Pole Precision Bass Pickups

Big Bottom

November 4, 2014 · Ray Wuolo

M&V Guitars and Pickups Atlas P Bass-Style Pickups Price: $75 Info: www.mvguitars.com. Let’s face it –  when it comes to…

Fender Acoustasonic Player Telecaster

Well-Bred Hybrid

November 9, 2022 · Rich Maloof

The truth? Hybrid guitars are a tall order. But with the Acoustasonic line – now five models strong – Fender’s…

Jackson Jeff Loomis Soloist SL7

Seven Up

April 4, 2023 · Pete Prown

If you’ve at all followed crunchy guitar playing for the past 25 years, you know players often delve into ranges…

Pentangle

The Albums

July 5, 2018 · Dan Forte

Take Five When one thinks of bands with two (or more) lead guitarists, groups like the Eagles, Buffalo Springfield, Quicksilver…

John 5 and the Creatures

The Horror

March 30, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

Making good music requires a stimulating muse or inspiration. For some it’s love, happiness, loss, or regret. For guitarist John…

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…

Christmas 1968

Vintage Guitar magazine Presents Greg Martin's Head Shop

December 24, 2016 · Greg Martin

This is a regular series of exclusive Vintage Guitar online articles where The Kentucky Headhunters’ Greg Martin looks back on…

Molly Martin

Molly Martin

D-35 Savior

January 6, 2016 · Kathleen Johnson

Sometimes, it’s better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. Such was the case with singer/songwriter Molly Martin. As the summer…

NGM Visits Texas

Nearing Permanent Home, Museum Honors Raitt

April 14, 2020 · Dan Forte

“It was born at the junction of form and function,” country guitar ace Bill Kirchen sings in “Hammer Of The…

Scott T. Jones’ battle, axes

April 1, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Rippin’ Midwestern Jazz-Rock St. Louis’ own jazz-fusion mainstay Scott T. Jones runs through a few tunes – on a few…

Korg Nuvibe

Korg Nuvibe

Big Box

February 12, 2015 · Rich Maloof

Korg Nuvibe Price: $499.99 (street) Contact: www.korg.com Korg is not known as a guitar company, but to their great credit…

GIBSON FIREBIRDS

Gibson Firebirds

May 4, 2015 · R.K. Watkins

Say the words “custom color” to a collector or enthusiast and most will think of “Fender.” But Gibson had its…

Bob Devos

Update on the Organ Trio

June 9, 2020 · John Heidt

Bob Devos says the idea for his new record, Shifting Sands, was pretty basic. “I wanted to record something that…

DryBell Unit67

Balkan Boost

October 15, 2021 · Oscar Jordan

DryBell Musical Electronic Laboratory has been kicking out great pedals for a few year, with clients like Mike Landau, John…

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…