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Harp Legend Charlie Musselwhite

Harp legend Charlie Musselwhite has recorded and performed with a stunning array of guitarists in his band – Harvey Mandel, Luther Tucker, Robben Ford, Junior Watson, Charlie Sexton, Kid Anderson, and steeler Freddie Roulette to name but a few. Here, he takes the reins (strings?) himself, using his Gibson Nighthawk plugged into a Magnatone Varsity Deluxe to play a bit. In the May issue, we review his latest album, “Lookout Highway.” Here’s our review. Read Now!

Rick Derringer 1947-2025

We’re saddened to hear of the passing of Rick Derringer, legendary rock guitarist and songwriter known for playing classic collectibles. Watch for our memorial in the August issue, and here’s our in-depth interview with Derringer from 1998.

Harp Legend Charlie Musselwhite

Harp legend Charlie Musselwhite has recorded and performed with a stunning array of guitarists in his band – Harvey Mandel, Luther Tucker, Robben Ford, Junior Watson, Charlie Sexton, Kid Anderson, and steeler Freddie Roulette to name but a few. Here, he takes the reins (strings?) himself, using his Gibson Nighthawk plugged into a Magnatone Varsity Deluxe to play a bit. In the May issue, we review his latest album, “Lookout Highway.” Here’s our review. Read Now!

Rick Derringer 1947-2025

We’re saddened to hear of the passing of Rick Derringer, legendary rock guitarist and songwriter known for playing classic collectibles. Watch for our memorial in the August issue, and here’s our in-depth interview with Derringer from 1998.

Classic Instruments

Yamaha SA-15

Our perception of Japanese guitars has evolved slowly. At one point, they were cheap toys, at other times imperfect copies, then startling innovations. Perspective encircles the truth. So, how should we perceive the Yamaha SA-15? Japan became interested in guitars in the early 1920s, as some musicians there began to perform what we’d today call […]

by Michael Wright
VG Approved Gear

The Luker Chameleon Combo

True to Its Colors

The Luker Chameleon Combo Price: $1,850 (list) Contact: www.lukeramps.com Considering the state of modern vacuum tubes, a surprising number of great tube amps are currently being built. And of those, every once in a while a truly exceptional amp that is also an astonishing value finds its way through the front door. The Luker Chameleon […]

by Bob Dragich
Music

Coco Montoya

Hard Truth

It’s been awhile since Coco Montoya’s last studio effort, but he comes out firing here. From the Albert King-style blast that kicks off the opener, “Before The Bullets Fly,” to the loud, raucous blues rock of the closer, “Truth Be Told,” He is spot on. The tunes here cover a lot of ground. “I Want […]

Spotify

2021 September Issue on Spotify

This This month we feature Ray Benson’s Asleep at the Wheel, Neal Schon, Styx’s Tommy Shaw and James Young, Paul Gilbert, John Notto, Reverend Peyton, Earl Slick, Jimmy James, and Marc Bonilla, Rusty Young, Ronnie Montrose, Bruford, Julian Lage, John Hiatt and Jerry Douglas, Styx, Peter Frampton, Paul Gilbert, Tommy Emmanuel, The Who, and many […]

Artists

Marcus King

Swamp Guide

Marcus King is a guitar slingin’ powerhouse barnstormer. Unlike most contemporary pop music – heavy on production, low on everything else – King’s new album, Young Blood, propels music fans back in time to a world of meaningful lyrics, saucy grooves, clever arrangements, and cowbell. Dan Auerbach (VG, October ’19) returns as producer with a […]

Artists

2025 March Issue on Spotify

This month, we feature Jason Isbell, Steve Vai, Mark Sampson, Midge Ure, Michael Manring, Steve Hackett, The Outlaws, Larry Carlton, Albert King, B.B. King, Allen Hinds, Thin Lizzy, Tab Benoit, and more! Spotify is free or available without ads via a paid subscription. Go to www.spotify.com and search “Vintage Guitar magazine,” or if you already […]

Classic Instruments

Vega Director Model A-60

Enticing Extras

A worthy vintage combo in all regards, there’s sad irony in the fact the Director Model A-60 is representative of the downward trajectory of Vega, the company founded in 1881 by Swedish-born brothers Julius and Carl Nelson. Established as a mandolin and guitar maker, Vega became one of the biggest names in banjos in the […]

Artists

Billy Gibbons

On The Move

Before ZZ Top, Billy Gibbons launched his career as guitarist and front man with a Texas-based group called the Moving Sidewalks. The band also included bassist Don Summers, keyboardist Tom Moore, and drummer Dan Mitchell. The group’s sound was brewed from a mix of blues and early California psychedelia, sprinkled with the influence of Jimi […]

Artists

Ally Venable

Heart of Texas

On her fourth album, Ally Venable serves up a heaping helping of poignant songs wrapped in Texas-style blues-rock. Ballsy wah work, gutsy bottleneck slide, and special guests make her new album, Heart Of Fire, her strongest to date. There’s a bit of country in her delivery, but it all comes from the heart as Venable […]

VG Approved Gear

Mayfly Goddess Chorus

Come As You Are

Chorus pedals have been around for decades and for many players are an integral part of their tone. But not all are created equally. Some tone purists swear by the sound of old analog designs developed back in the day; Trevor Mayfly, founder of Mayfly Audio, is one of them. The Mayfly Goddess is an […]

VG Approved Gear

Reddick Voyager CS

Mods Made Easy

Exploring creative designs at his shop in Georgia, luthier Ian Reddick aimed to solve a common problem – how to cover a range of tones on a gig without lugging a small army of guitars. His solution is the Voyager, a modular and highly customizable guitar that enables a player to swap out pickups in […]

Artists

Mark O’Connor

Virtuoso Comeback

Some musicians are multi-instrumentalists, but Mark O’Connor is something else – a multi-virtuoso. Regarded as a master on guitar, violin, and mandolin, he’s also a noted classical composer and educator behind The O’Connor Method. A 20-year bout with inflammatory bursitis forced O’Connor to focus on fiddle, but the condition eventually subsided and he once again […]

Artists

Alex Skolnick

Bit of Metal, Bit of Jazz

The worlds of metal and jazz guitar couldn’t be more opposite – one specializes in volume and riffing, the other on restraint and strumming. As guitarist for thrash metallists Testament and leader of a trio, Alex Skolnick has carved niches in both. What’s the story with the latest Testament album, Brotherhood of the Snake? It […]

Artists

Have Guitar Will Travel 097 – Oliver Wood (the Wood Brothers)

In episode 97 of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan speaks with Oliver Wood (of the Wood Brothers), who shares the story about how he and his brother, Chris, formed the band after moving from Atlanta to Nashville. Fans of non-traditional guitars, they used a ’50s Harmony Cremona and ’37 Gibson L-00 to […]

VG Approved Gear

EHX Ripped Speaker Pedal

Tore Up

Since the dawn of rock and roll, guitarists have (by accident or with intent) loosened tubes, sliced, or poked holes in their speakers to get low-fi natural distortion – think Link Wray’s “Rumble,” or early Kinks singles like “You Really Got Me.” Ike Turner’s “Rocket 88” was recorded with an amp that had fallen out […]

VG Approved Gear

Jam Pedals’ Delay Llama & Wahcko Wah

What’s In A Name?

Positioning its sonic M.O. squarely in the 1960s and ’70s, Jam Pedals strives to create a distinct line of effects. Beyond their fun graphics and tongue-in-cheek names, Jam’s stompboxes are set apart in the way they achieve their objective. Hand-made in Greece, Jam Pedals are wired for true-bypass functionality and use NOS chips, transistors, and […]

Artists

Greg Martin

Elder Statesman

Albums by Kentucky Headhunters have a history of making guitar players shake their collective heads at the great sounds made by Greg Martin. The band’s latest, On Safari, is another collection of rock, country, soul, and other sounds that not only offer glorious tones, but songs that emit a sense of spontaneity. “It pretty much […]

Artists

Remembering Jeff Beck

This is a regular series of exclusive Vintage Guitar online articles where The Kentucky Headhunters’ Greg Martin looks back on influential albums and other musical moments. I didn’t know Jeff Beck, but got to meet him through Jennifer Batten, who was on tour with him in March of 1999, at the Murat Theater in Indianapolis. […]

Gittler Classic Home Feature Image
VG Approved Gear

Gittler Classic

Back to the Future

The Gittler guitar was invented in the late 1970s by Allan Gittler, whose vision to reduce the guitar to its most essential elements led him to design an instrument that looked like a cross between modern art and a musical fishbone. The instrument gained a following that included Andy Summers of The Police, who famously […]

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