Season 02 Episode 6 In Episode 6 of “Buy That Guitar,” Ram Tuli is joined by Jeff Smith of Newman Guitars. They discuss the legacy of Ted Newman Jones and how a guitar brand started 50 years ago is now soaring into the future. Links: https://newmanguitars.co.uk Sponsored By: The VG 2025 Price Guide https://store.vintageguitar.com/price-guide.html Subscribe […]
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“Why are you all playin’ that modern music?” Asleep at the Wheel guitarist Ray Benson fielded the question from Harry, a regular at the Sportsmen’s Club in rural Paw Paw, West Virginia, after singer Chris O’Connell fronted their jazzy rendition of the Bob Wills favorite “Right or Wrong” as part of the band’s earthy retro-country […]
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Classic Instruments
Peavey’s Razer, Mystic, and Foundation
Contrasting Chronologies
Just a handful of years after Peavey turned the world of electric guitar upside-down with its T-60 guitar and T-40 bass, the company was feeling its oats. While the T series caught attention because their bodies were carved by computer numerical control (CNC) machinery that produced very consistent, durable, instruments, they also weren’t overly appealing, […]
Artists
Remembering Jeff Beck
The Guitar Hero, Defined
Jeff Beck, the guitarist who pushed the ’60s British Invasion band the Yardbirds from its electric-blues roots to a contemporary rock-and-roll sound before becoming one of the most-influential musicians of his generation, died January 10 after being stricken with bacterial meningitis. He was 78. Born Geoffrey Arnold to Arnold and Ethel Beck on June 24, […]
Artists
Eric Gales
Stand Up
In a recording career that spans 30 years and includes 18 albums of his own and 28 more tributes and compilations, Eric Gales has earned a reputation for blindingly fast solos in which passion outshines speed. Gales was born into a home filled with music and started playing guitar at the age of four. Though […]
Artists
Warren Haynes
Lights-Out Blues
Blues is the beating heart of Gov’t Mule, and guitarist/bandleader Warren Haynes can play them lights-out. Standing as evidence is his work on their latest album, Heavy Load Blues, a rugged mix of songs that pays tribute without sacrificing the band’s sonic mission; Haynes’ playing is indeed heavy, and so is the music. What compelled […]
Classic Instruments
Lyon and Healy
So what is it? Its original black-finished spruce top is simply ladder-braced from within, but its back and sides feature Brazilian rosewood with dramatic bookmatched figure. Its unbound 18-fret fingerboard –also of rosewood – sports only a few small, round dots for position makers, yet intricate multicolored wood purfling graces much of the rest of […]
Artists
Pop ’N Hiss: Marshall Crenshaw’s Field Day
Jangle All the Way
Marshall Crenshaw’s brief chart run remains a bright spot of 1980s rock – effectively, the final blast of New Wave before the genre was buried by Thriller, Purple Rain, and other Big ’80s production jobs. During that span, Marshall wrote and recorded a number of cassette classics, notably “Someday, Someway” and the extra-jangly “Whenever You’re […]
Artists
VG Q&A: A Gilded ’63 Jazz Bass
Plus, Swappable Pickups, Bartell Guitars, and a Mystery Lap Steel
I am the third owner of a 1963 Jazz Bass with a neck stamp “7Jan63A,” pots dated that May, and serial number from that spring. It also has original gold hardware – even the screws and springs. I know gold hardware was a custom option in the era, but can find no other information regarding […]
Classic Instruments
Gibson Custom Colors in the 1960s
Burning Embers, Chilled Whites
Unlike its rival from the West Coast, Gibson did not readily embrace the concept of offering custom-color finishes. It wasn’t averse to custom work or colorful finishes, but saw them more as a consequence of its wider range of stringed instruments – acoustics, electrics, and associated clientele. While competitors like Fender, Gretsch, Harmony, and Rickenbacker […]
Classic Instruments
Beat Portraits: Burns Volume 6
1964: Nu-Sonics and Transistor Trials
In early 2009, VG columnist Peter Stuart Kohman turned his focus on Burns, the pioneering British guitar builder. We’ve compiled installments 4, 5, and 6 for this special edition of VG Overdrive. Watch for the complete history in the upcoming weeks. Recent installments of “The (Way) Back Beat” have followed the London-based Ormston Burns Ltd. […]
Artists
Alex Aguilar’s Master-Volume Les Paul Some might think it sacrilege, but in his March “Guitar Rx” column, Dan Erlewine adds a Master Volume control to a Gibson Les Paul. Why? Because that’s what his friend Alex Aguilar wanted! “Gasp!” right? Relax – it’s a 2021 model, and as you see here, Alex does cool […]
Classic Instruments
Sovtek MIG-50
Curtain Call
Given their development in the twilight years of the U.S.S.R. and arrival at the fall of the Iron Curtain, it was a gutsy move to name an amp after a notorious Soviet fighter jet. Then again, Mike Matthews has always been a gutsy guy, and if his no-nonsense Sovtek tube heads evoked a certain Red […]
Music
Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet, Mike Neer
Savvy Show Stoppers
Dim The Lights, Chill The Ham
Sport Fishin’: The Lure Of The Bait, The Luck Of The Hook
Steelonious
All You Can Eat Instro Buffet
When the Kids In The Hall, an irreverent sketch comedy troupe from Toronto, got their own TV show in ’89, they chose “Having An Average Weekend,” an instrumental by a local trio, Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet, as its theme song. This provided massive exposure on a level that other “surf revival” bands didn’t […]
Classic Instruments
Doublenecks, Triplenecks…
And the California Weird Factor
If you mention doubleneck or multi-neck guitars to your average guitar player, the first thing they’ll likely think of is Jimmy Page playing his Gibson EDS-1275 with Led Zeppelin, or Rick Nielsen and his floor-length five-neck Hamer with Cheap Trick. But few people, even amongst guitar players, realize that the multi-neck guitar has a storied […]
Music
Chris Stapleton
Higher
Chris Stapleton’s distinctive style – blending elements of Outlaw country with high-caliber original songs, powerful vocals, and a minimalist, edgy sound – proves Nashville artists can prosper without mindless “bro-country” formulas. Stapleton has earned every bit of critical acclaim and commercial success he’s enjoyed. There are just two guitarists on these 14 numbers – Stapleton […]
Artists
Bex Marshall and her ’63 Hummingbird
Family History Straight from the “Classics” feature in the August issue, here’s Bex Marshall playing the ’63 Gibson Hummingbird bought new by her uncle, David, in his days with the U.K. pop band The Marauders. More than just a favorite guitar, it’s a great piece of family history. Read Now!
Music
Eric Lindell
Matters of the Heart
Eric Lindell’s past efforts have showcased his multiple skills, and this latest is no different. His songwriting is strong as ever, his interpretive skills are impeccable, he handles various instruments with ease, and there’s no questioning his vocals. The emphasis for him has always been roots music – mostly R&B and sweet soul, with some […]
Artists
Pop ’N Hiss: Robben Ford and Yellowjackets
Inside Story
In 1975, 24-year-old Robben Ford was making a name for himself on the Los Angeles music scene, where competition was fierce. As a blues-guitar prodigy, Ford had played behind Charlie Musselwhite and toured with Jimmy Witherspoon, but his life changed when he met Tom Scott of the L.A. Express, then replaced Larry Carlton in the […]