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Greg Koch: Gristly “Blues”

Greg Koch fearlessly wrings the sort of vibrato that only a Tele will tolerate from his ’53 to play this exclusive version of Freddie King’s “The Stumble” flavored with a bit of delay and running into his Tone King Royalist. Inspired by fan requests, it’s just one of the tracks culled from his catalog that are mixed with two previously unreleased tunes on his new album, “Blues.” Catch our review and an interview with Greg in the May issue. Read Now!

Samantha Fish: Slide-Blues Fury!

VG readers know Samantha Fish is the real deal. Here, she uses a Martin D-18 Modern Deluxe on an unplugged arrangement of “I’m Done Runnin’,” the ripping lead track from her new album, “Paper Doll.” Catch our review in the May issue. Read Now!

Greg Koch: Gristly “Blues”

Greg Koch fearlessly wrings the sort of vibrato that only a Tele will tolerate from his ’53 to play this exclusive version of Freddie King’s “The Stumble” flavored with a bit of delay and running into his Tone King Royalist. Inspired by fan requests, it’s just one of the tracks culled from his catalog that are mixed with two previously unreleased tunes on his new album, “Blues.” Catch our review and an interview with Greg in the May issue. Read Now!

Samantha Fish: Slide-Blues Fury!

VG readers know Samantha Fish is the real deal. Here, she uses a Martin D-18 Modern Deluxe on an unplugged arrangement of “I’m Done Runnin’,” the ripping lead track from her new album, “Paper Doll.” Catch our review in the May issue. Read Now!

Classic Instruments

1986 Dumble Overdrive Special

The exalted amps of Alexander Dumble have been legendary since he began building in the late ’60s, and have become more so over the course of the past decade, with several notable “boutique” makers launching their own lines on the backs of Dumble-inspired designs. It’s a rare thing, then, in the face of all this […]

by Dave Hunter
Artists

Roine Stolt

Transatlantic Crossing

Thirty years into a stellar career, progressive-rock wizard Roine Stolt can be heard on the latest – and perhaps final – work from Transatlantic, a supergroup featuring past and present members of Marillion, Spock’s Beard, Dream Theater, Winery Dogs, the Steve Hackett Band, and his own Flower Kings. Titled The Final Flight: Live at L’Olympia, […]

VG Approved Gear

Budda’s Baby Budda Amp Head

Big-Boy Tone

Budda Amplification staked its claim in 1995 with the Twinmaster boutique amplifier. Its hand-wired construction and user-friendly tones were hits in the guitar community and led to a broader line of amplifiers that catered to modern guitarists who craved old-school touch responsive. The Baby Budda is an 18-watt lunchbox-style head that pays homage to that […]

Have Guitar Will Travel

Have Guitar Will Travel 059 – John Smith

On the new episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan speaks with singer/songwriter John Smith, whose playing is influenced by master guitarists ranging from Nick Drake and John Renbourn to Ry Cooder and Jimmy Page. They discuss John’s new album, “The Fray,” touch on the guitars in his collection, and dig into […]

VG Approved Gear

Aclam Guitar’s The Woman Tone Overdrive

Creamy Tribute

On November 26, 1968, Cream performed its last show, at Royal Albert Hall, and Eric Clapton left the band as a bonafide guitar god. Barcelona-based Aclam Guitar’s The Woman Tone is a tribute to the sounds Clapton wielded during that era, and the theme is deepened with artwork designed by artist Marijke Koger, who painted […]

VG Approved Gear

Fender’s Duel Pugilist Distortion & Dual Marine Layer Reverb

Double Trouble

Fender launched its Pugilist Distortion and Marine Layer Reverb in 2018, after VP of Innovation Stan Cotey – who’d previously helped design signature amps with Eric Clapton, Joe Bonamassa, and The Edge – developed a series of new-from-scratch pedals. Updated twists on each, the Duel Pugilist Distortion and Dual Marine Layer Reverboffer an extended array […]

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

Leslie West

Still Climbing

Upon first viewing you’ll notice that The Sound and the Story is different. The new video from guitarist Leslie West stands apart from other instructional guitar DVDs in that, while West is more than happy to show how to play some of his classic songs and discuss how he learned to play, his gregarious personality […]

Classic Instruments

Star Stomps

Famous Sounds Abound in New Book

Stompboxes inspire their own special mania. While the allure of guitars is obvious with their colorful, curvaceous looks, effects are (usually) basic boxes covered in a toad’s load of warty knobs and switches. In many ways, though, the sound of rock and roll is the sound of a stompbox. Scotty Moore may have made a […]

Artists

Mick Ralphs

Good Company

In 1972, one of Britain’s best bands, Mott The Hoople, still hadn’t made any impact on the charts. Its record company, Island Records, was getting impatient. Then, a future rock legend walked into London’s Olympic Studios. “David Bowie said, ‘I hear you guys are on the verge of splitting up, but I’ve got a song […]

Classic Instruments

The Ovation Adamas II

What do you get when you cross a helicopter with a Martin dreadnought? Easy answer – Ovation guitars, perhaps the greatest champion of alternative materials in an age when traditional woods like Brazilian rosewood and Honduran mahogany have become virtually extinct. Among Ovation’s alt-material creations, the Adamas is the ultimate expression. The father of Ovation […]

Artists

Alex Lifeson

Rush Keeps Rollin

“A lot of critics perceived us as being pretentious,” says Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson of his band’s early years. “We were not representative of where they thought rock was heading.” • Responding after being asked about a comment he made in the award-winning 2010 documentary Beyond The Lighted Stage(“We always felt it was us against […]

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Classic Instruments

Gretsch’s “Golden” Tenors

In the 1950s and early ’60s, the electric guitar was establishing itself as a key part of the new voice of popular music. Amplification provided its volume, and innovative artists were pushing the envelope of sound that could be offered by six strings. So it’s interesting that in a time referred to in retrospect as […]

Artists

First Guitar of Rock and Roll

Scotty Moore’s Gibson ES-295

Like a hound dog hit by lightning, the first notes of rock and roll blasted out of radios across the country in July of 1954, courtesy of Elvis Presley’s supercharged-hillbilly singing on “That’s All Right” and “Blue Moon Of Kentucky,” backed by Scotty Moore’s guitar. It was the twang heard ’round the world. That guitar […]

VG Approved Gear

The Prestige Classic TBK

Hidden Treasure

One of the best-kept guitar secrets, Prestige is a small Vancouver-based operation that has flown under the radar for 18 years. The company farms its own tonewoods, which are shipped to Korea, where the guitars are built then shipped back to British Columbia, for finishing and hardware installation. Its Classic TBK model is a slimmed-down […]

Artists

Aaron Eisenberg

Tonal Dedication

L.A.-based rockers The Soft White Sixties prove you don’t have to be old to be classic. Originally from San Francisco, the quintet deftly blends early R&B influences with ’70s glam rock while also managing to sound quite current. With its recent release, The Ocean Way EP, and a full-length record in the can, lead guitarist/songwriter […]

Classic Instruments

Dan’s Guitar RX: Installing an Acoustic Pickup System

Un-Unplugged

For years, one of the most common jobs I’ve been asked to do is put a pickup in an acoustic guitar. Compared to most of my work, it’s pretty basic, and anyone with a modicum of DIY ability and proper tools could tackle even a modern acoustic-pickup system, which uses a piezo element under the […]

Artists

Scott Sharrard

No Easy Feat

It’s ain’t easy to fill the shoes of guitar legends like Lowell George and Paul Barrere, but that’s Scott Sharrard’s mission with Little Feat. A member since 2019, Sharrard is a fiery slide and lead man who previously worked with the Gregg Allman Band. Today, he can be heard along with co-guitarist Fred Tackett on […]

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