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.
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.
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 […]
Read more
Gibson and Fender have a long history of influencing each other’s designs. When hard rock and warm, jazzier textures were on the rise in the early ’70s, Fender wanted some of that double-coil action, so they hired PAF inventor Seth Lover to come up with something new. The result was the Wide-Range humbucker that turned […]
Read more
Pigtronix Envelope Phaser II Price: $249 (street). Contact: Phone (631) 331-7447; Pigtronix.com. Pigtronix effects are known not only for their tones, but their sophistication. So it’s no surpise that the Envelope Phaser II has a potentially daunting array of control knobs and switches, some with familiar names (Sensitivity, Depth, Speed), others less common (Resonance, Staccato, […]
What is jazz? What is rock? These questions perpetually confound and divide music experts and listeners. Similar spirited debates have raged over “jazz-rock fusion.” While there is no definition, Jeff Beck fans know the answer is Blow by Blow. The groundwork for jazz-rock was laid by Miles Davis, whose In a Silent Way (1969) and […]
The ECM label is renowned for its brand of atmospheric jazz-fusion highlighted by gorgeous audio quality. Two of its guitar masters – Ralph Towner and John Abercrombie – have released new albums. An acoustic specialist, Towner’s new disc is all-solo guitar, either classical or 12-string, and delivers his brand of intoxicating fingerstyle improvisation. “Dolomitti Dance” […]
It seems that every other stompbox on the market has dual-footswitch functionality, packing two entirely different circuits into one housing. And judging by the trio here – all three of which hail from Europe – it’s a global trend. The Tsakalis Experience from Greece packs a fuzz and an octave, conjuring psychedelia via two silicon […]
Great jazz on a Strat Ron Bosse learned to play saxophone in grade school and was raised on classic rock, and in high school became a jazz guitarist. A Berklee grad, today he runs the Bosse School of Music and a recording studio. Here, he uses a Fender Custom Shop Strat to play “Rumble Strip,” […]
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 […]
Taj Mahal plays all sorts of folk, keyboard, and percussion instruments – and just about anything with strings. His deceptively easygoing approach to music – a trot rather than a frenzied gallop – has made for a long fruitful career. As a bandleader, he introduced us to some truly fine musicians, including guitar greats Ry […]
American guitars made in the 1950s and ’60s constitute an almost-holy canon, yet most players in that era took their first steps on imported instruments – often good and interesting in their own right, like the Goya Rangemaster. In the ’50s, guitars were typically obtained one of two ways – ordered from catalogs published by […]
Few bands warrant a career-retrospective box set, let alone two. Then again, most don’t keep going after 50 years. America is an exception. Their new eight-disc collection, Half Century, compiles archival material including alternate mixes, demos, rehearsals, unreleased tracks, in-studio performances, radio interviews, and home movies. The trio of vocalists/guitarists Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and […]
Few ’60s rockers have had the lasting influence of the Byrds’ Roger McGuinn, whose 12-string Rickenbacker “jangle pop” sound influenced the likes of Tom Petty and REM, and helped blaze the “country rock” trail later perfected by the Eagles, Poco, and others. McGuinn is still making a difference, as evidenced by his recent four-disc release, […]
When Zakk Wylde was asked to record a new DVD/CD package, he decided to give his Black Label Society fans something different – Unblackened, a live acoustic/electric performance featuring Wylde on guitar and piano, with BLS bandmates bassist John Deservio, guitarist Nick Catanese, drummer Chad Szeliga, keyboardist Derek Sherinian, and vocalist Greg Locascio. The package […]
This month we feature Lynyrd Skynyrd, Plasmatics, Jerry Douglas, Phil Lesh, Mark Farner, Larkin Poe, Peter Frampton, Foreigner, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Michael Schenker, Led Zeppelin’s IV, Albert King, Eric Clapton, 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 […]
Born In Plymouth, Devon, blues singer/songwriter/guitarist Bex Marshall grew up in a merry old England-style “mixed” family – her paternal great grandfather was the Squire of Cornwall while her mother’s side is descended from Irish Romany. For the latter, music has always been a part of life, and at family gatherings, her uncles would play […]
Between playing on Cacophony’s landmark 1987 shred album, Speed Metal Symphony, and Megadeth’s 1990 classic, Rust in Peace, Marty Friedman introduced the world to his solo work with the 1988 disc Dragon’s Kiss. In the nearly three decades since, he has rarely taken a break, and never rested on his laurels. Since exiting Megadeth in […]
British blues icon Peter Green passed away July 25, 2020, at the age of 73. As one of the founding members of the original Fleetwood Mac with Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, Green influenced a generation of guitarists. His exquisite phrasing and tone were his hallmark as he interpreted American blues for a switched-on generation. […]
Gene Cornish is fond of the time he spent in the ’60s pop band The Rascals, which he credits for having never been sidetracked or making a bad decision… until its very end. “We had the right manager at the right time,” he said. “And we chose the right record company that put us with […]
For guitarist Brian Tarquin, helping military veterans is part of life. The son of a World War II vet, he grew up hearing stories about the camaraderie and fellowship shared by soldiers, and as a college student, he enrolled in the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). While his career followed a musical path that has […]
