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Curated by Vintage Guitar’s Willie G. Moseley, this playlist showcases the evolution of Mick Ralphs’ sound through various songs he wrote or co-wrote. Included are tracks from Mott the Hoople, which Ralphs sang, along with selections from Bad Company featuring all three lead vocalists: Rodgers, Howe, and Hart. Mott the Hoople “You Really Got Me” […]
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Playing Detroit in 2013, Joe Bonamassa had a special treat in store for the crowd. “The best, most badass guitar legend that ever came out of this town,” he declared. “He’s the pride of Detroit. I give you the legend that is Jim McCarty.” Although he has largely flown under the guitar-hero radar, the lanky […]
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Artists
Selwyn Birchwood
Blistering Blues
If you think the days of ferocious blues guitar are behind us, cue up Selwyn Birchwood’s latest, Exorcist. Within its grooves are blistering licks galore and the Florida guitarist’s powerful voice – perhaps one of the best blues singers around today. The capper is Birchwood’s “FLorida Man,” which uses real, hard-to-believe news headlines to tell […]
Classic Instruments
Two Tickets to the Top
Keeley Electronics’ Katana and Flexi 4x2
Any gearhead who’s been paying attention the last seven years knows the name Robert Keeley. Since 2001, he and his staff at Keeley Electronics have produced a variety of boutique effects pedals and pedal mods that are held in high regard. Keeley is a degree-holding electronics engineer who was teaching college electronics courses when one […]
Artists
Buddy Emmons
1937-2015
Buddy Emmons, who revolutionized the pedal-steel guitar both musically and technically, died July 21 in Nashville after suffering a heart attack. He was 78. Emmons did extensive session work in Nashville and L.A. and released his breakthrough album, Steel Guitar Jazz, in 1963. A master accompanist, he toured with three seminal country singers – Little […]
Artists
George Cummings
Remembering Mississippi and Dr. Hook
George Cummings is best known as the original guitarist for Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show. Born in Meridian, Mississippi, his father’s amateur picking set a course. As a teenager in the late ’50s, he was playing clubs along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and into Mobile, Alabama. In the early ’60s, he began attending college […]
Music
Yes
Live at Knoxville Civic Auditorium, November 15, 1972
This concert tape captures Yes on its triumphant autumn ’72 tour. Even 51 years later, it’s scintillating prog featuring hallowed names like Howe, Squire, Anderson, and Wakeman. Unlike the muddy audio of their 1973 Yessongs live LP, this 2023 set has been meticulously remixed. One revelation is the restored stage volume of Rick Wakeman’s once-buried […]
Classic Instruments
Ditson’s Style 11 and the Birth of the Dreadnought
Martin’s Big Step
In the early 20th century, any shopper who walked into the Charles H. Ditson & Company music stores in New York, Philadelphia, or Boston could have bought a guitar, bowl-back mandolin, or ukulele made by Martin. Ditson initially approached the venerable builder simply to fill a niche in its product line, then a bit later […]
Artists
Jared James Nichols
P-90 Proponent
Ladies and gentlemen, Jared James Nichols is bringing savagery back to rock and roll. His weapon of choice – vintage Les Pauls. His latest self-titled album bristles with ferocity where bluesy grunge meets trippy psychedelia. His playing is intense, yet virtuosic, and Nichols has a secret weapon that manifests his pentatonic fury. Here, he tells […]
Artists
50 Years Ago Today
The Beatles Conquer America
Sunday, February 9, 1964, was the day that forever changed music and pop culture. “The Ed Sullivan Show” was one of the most popular television programs in the United States and at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, The Beatles made their live debut on American national television before an estimated 73 million people. This single […]
Music
Terry Burrows
The Stratocaster Manual, The Les Paul Manual
Two boards, three pickups, some hardware, and various electric bits and pieces: Stratocasters are simple creations at heart. But setting one up perfectly, repairing it – especially stageside in the heat of a gig – and modding it are all art forms. These two manuals offer hard-won wisdom. These are not books about how to […]
Artists
Les Paul Remembered
When news of the passing of Les Paul spread through the guitar community August 13, 2009, reaction was swift and heartfelt. Claimed by complications of severe pneumonia at a hospital in White Plain, New York, Paul was 94. His name is synonymous with Gibson’s early solidbody electric guitars, and for a time he was one […]
Music
Thin Lizzy
Vagabonds of the Western World 50th Anniversary
Long before “The Boys Are Back in Town,” Thin Lizzy was a pugnacious Dublin trio with bassist Phil Lynott and guitarist Eric Bell. Vagabonds was their third album and there’s nothing else like it, mixing psychedelia, blues, pop ballads, hard rock, glam, and Irish folk. This deluxe package includes rarities, radio sessions, and a 1973 […]
VG Approved Gear
Lazy J 20
Deluxe inspiration
The Lazy J 20 Price: $2,700 (reviewed) Contact: www.lazyjprojects.com After moving to England and leaving behind the vintage Fender Deluxe he modified as a gigging amp, Jesse Hoff decided to build a new amplifier from scratch, using the modded Deluxe as his inspiration. After many requests from other players for one for his tweed-inspired creations, […]
Music
Blackberry Smoke
Be Right Here
True sons of Georgia, Blackberry Smoke is back with its eighth album, a collection of three-chord stompers that’s hard to deny. Frontman Charlie Starr has a real knack for penning economical material – you only need to hear a track once or twice to know its hook, chorus, and guitar riff. No wonder Blackberry Smoke […]
Classic Instruments
Fender’s 6G9 Tremolux
Preamp tubes: two 7025, two 12AX7 Output tubes: two 6BQ5/EL84 Rectifier: GZ34 Controls: Bright channel: Volume, Treble, Bass; Normal channel: Volume, Treble, Bass; tremolo Speed and Intensity for both channels Speakers: two 10″ Oxford 10K-5 ceramic speakers in a closed-back cabinet Output: approximately 35 watts RMS We tend to think the EL84 didn’t become a […]
Artists
Mick Jones
Foreigner at 40
Somewhere in the world right now, a Foreigner song is playing on the radio. Literally. Thanks to nearly 20 mega-hit singles, 75 million units sold, and legions of fans, the band has earned a solid place in pop-music history. Founder, guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer Mick Jones guided the group to dizzying heights from […]
Classic Instruments
Heil Talk Box
When Peter Frampton began using the Heil Talk Box in 1974, he remembers it being viewed with skepticism as an “alien effect.” Similar contraptions had been around since 1939, but few people recognized them or their otherworldly capabilities. Frampton had yet to record with it, so when he used it onstage, it caused a furor. […]
VG Approved Gear
Killer Guitar Components Killer Trem Bridge
Bridging the Gap
In the mid 1950s, Leo Fender and his crew spent countless hours on the design and manufacture of their revolutionary new Stratocaster tremolo bridge. And in the 60-plus years since its introduction it has, in many cases, been taken for granted when it comes to a guitar’s tone and playability. With their new high-quality replacement […]