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Fender Innovation. Vintage Inspiration: Introducing The New ‘American Ultra Luxe Vintage’ Guitar Range
Latest models combine modern playability with authentic vintage vibes, thanks to elements like Pure Vintage pickups, aged Heirloom™ lacquer finishes, and stainless-steel frets HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. (August 12, 2025) — Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) today announces the launch of American Ultra Luxe Vintage. Built upon the original American Ultra II models, this new collection represents […]
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This month, we feature Rick Derringer, Kid Ramos, Booker T and The M.G.’s, Steve Stevens, Phil Manzanera, Doug Aldrich, Kenny Burrell, Eric Johanson, Gary Moore, 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 have an account Listen to […]
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Instro-rock, fully greased Get ready to have your funtime socks knocked off, ‘cuz this exclusive Nick Moss run through “Scratch N Sniff” is dangerous! A track from his latest album, “Get Your Back Into It!,” he’s doing it with his Fender Custom Shop ’53 Tele plugged into a ’57 Valco Tonemaster (in black and tan, […]
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Classic Instruments
Gibson J-35
Dreadnought guitars originated as early as 1916 with instruments made by Martin and distributed by Ditson, followed in 1931 with guitars sold by Martin under its own brand. The first Martin dreadnoughts were 12-fret slot-heads with an extended slope-shouldered body; in early ’34, the company introduced a square-shouldered dread with a 14-fret neck. Gibson entered […]
Music
Elvis Presley
The Albums Collection
Guitar Royalty
Should you ever forget why the King is the King, this ultimate boxed set of Elvis’ 57 albums and soundtracks, plus three CDs of rarities and outtakes, will set you straight all over again. Yes, Col. Tom Parker may have sent him off on a wild goose chase with his film career. And yes, there […]
Artists
’Bursting with Surprises
Celeb Guitars Make a Splash at U.K. Guitar Show
Peter Hoarty and his wife, Gail, have been hosting guitar shows in England since 1998, when they rented space to sell a few of the 50-some vintage amps and more than two dozen guitars that had begun to flow out of the couples’ house and into their garage-cum-music-room. “I began collecting valve amps at a […]
Artists
Albert Cummings’ creative milestone album
Guitarist Shines on “Ten” Albert Cummings jams like a boss on a Custom Shop Strat through a ’67 Super Reverb. Hold on tight! Read our review of his new album, “Ten,” in the August issue. Read Now!
Classic Instruments
Magnatone X-5 Zephyr
Last Gasp
Ever since Lonnie Mack unleashed The Wham of That Memphis Man and Buddy Holly sang “Peggy Sue,” Magnatone amplifiers have been the stuff of legend. Magnatone guitars, on the other hand, are one of guitardom’s best-kept secrets. The Magnatone story starts at the small Dickerson Brothers factory near the heart of the Los Angeles music […]
VG Approved Gear
Roland’s JC-22 Jazz Chorus
More Than Just Chime
The original Roland Jazz Chorus doesn’t get the kind of love that American and British amps in the rock and blues world receive, but its place in history is well documented. Dig a little and you’ll hear this amp on some of music’s most iconic recordings. From Andy Summers of The Police to Al McKay […]
Classic Instruments
Martin D-28 and D-45
Definitive Flat-tops
Martin’s pre-WWII dreadnought guitars set the standard for the modern flat-top, and thus both have been inducted into the VG Hall of Fame.
Music
Brad Paisley
Hot-Picking Comfort Zone
Brad Paisley’s albums have followed a formula that began on his 2001 sophomore album Part II. Generously programmed with abundant cameos, they blend love songs with catchy numbers celebrating idealized small-town and rural lifestyles as well as the digital era. His attempts to meld old and new cultures have always been sincere, though he’s drawn […]
Artists
Robby Krieger
New Musical Directions
For all of his decades of noteworthy guitar work, Robby Krieger isn’t resting on his laurels. In 2002, Krieger and Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek formed Doors of the 21st Century (and they still perform as Manzarek-Krieger), but the guitarist’s newest album, Singularity, is an ambitious instrumental effort that expands on his desire to create music […]
Classic Instruments
George Fullerton’s Fender Jazzmaster
A Master's Pallet
This Jazzmaster is an interesting example of what went on behind the scenes at the Fender factory with the research and development of body shapes and materials, and during the pre-production phase for new models in the late 1950s and early ’60s. After having great success with the Esquire, Telecaster, and Stratocaster, in 1958, Fender […]
Artists
Michael Schenker
Golden Guitar Jubilee
Incredibly, it’s been 50 years since Michael Schenker recorded his first guitar bit on a studio album – the Scorpions’ debut, Lonesome Crow. To celebrate the anniversary, the guitar great has issued his first Michael Schenker Group album in 13 years; Immortal features an abundance of guests – singers Ronnie Romero and Joe Lynn Turner, […]
Readers' Choice
Readers’ Choice Awards Inductees 1990-Today
Vintage Guitar magazine has been honoring those who inspired and awed us as guitar players, fans, and listeners by inducting great players, instruments, and innovators into the VG Hall of Fame. We also choose Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Players of the Year. Who and what goes into the VG Readers’ Choice Awards has always been determined by the readers of VG.
VG Approved Gear
Harley Benton Double Vision
Mod Duo
In this era of combination pedals, it makes sense to house similar effects together, as in the Harley Benton Double Vision. A dual-modulation box, it offers chorus and tremolo in one chassis. Visually split via the lightning-bolt graphic, the left side is chorus, right is tremolo, and each has a dedicated footswitch. Operation couldn’t be […]
Artists
ZZ Top
The First 20 Years, Un-Remixed
Usually, the hook with boxed reissues is that they include previously unreleased songs, alternate takes, live material, and maybe some extra tchotchkes like rare photos, revisionist essays, or poster reproductions. Sometimes it’s remixed versions of familiar hits. It’s rare that the main attraction is un-remixed albums the way they came out 40-odd years ago – […]
Classic Instruments
The Slingerland May Bell
It’s hard to imagine a more poorly “documented” guitar brand than Slinglerland. The company has been around since before World War I and made a lot of guitars and banjos until the start of World War II, including the circa-1933 May Bell Amplifying Guitar. Slingerland was primarily a down-market supplier, so precious little documentation exists. […]
Artists
Mick Mars
A Piece of His Action
Since emerging from Hollywood’s Sunset Strip in the early 1980s, Mötley Crue has defined the Los Angeles metal scene. Fueled by the catchy powerhouse riffage of guitarist Mick Mars, the group dominated the rock charts throughout the ’80s, producing a stream of anthemic albums and hits that have echoed through the decades. Crüe soldiered through […]
Podcasts
A Bit Of Insight From Mark Baier, the Mind Behind Victoria Amplifier
The guys visit Victoria Amplifiers founder Mark Baier to discuss the differences between tweed and blackface Fenders, how transformers affect overall sound, and differences in preamp tubes.