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Trending Now
In an age of rampant globalization, brand names have become virtually independent of place of manufacture. Few people care where something is built, as long as the quality and price are right. But that wasn’t always so. Time was, where a guitar was built made all the difference in the world. Like in 1963, when […]
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The essential tragedy of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young is that they never recorded a sequel to Déjà Vu. Instead, the quartet resorted to fractious live reunions and disappointing studio albums cut decades later. This expanded version of their 1970 masterpiece, however, offers remastered tracks, plus 38 fascinating outtakes and demos. Together, they help us […]
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Artists
James Mastro
All Texture, No Clutter
As one of the guitarists in Ian Hunter’s Rant Band for the past 17 years, James Mastro is responsible for providing some of the texture that gives the legendary singer’s songs depth and definition. • “James is a thinking guitarist,” says Hunter. “By that I mean he colors beautifully. Boschie (Mark Bosch, Vintage Guitar, October ’16) […]
Classic Instruments
Scotty Moore’s Gibson ES-295
First Guitar of Rock and Roll
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 […]
Artists
Jimmy Bryant
Country-Jazz Virtuoso
When Leo Fender strode into a cowboy bar on the outskirts of Hollywood one day in 1950, he had no idea the contraption he was toting would become a central force in a new age of music. The Riverside Rancho offered an inviting atmosphere enjoyed by locals but was hardly the venue for myth making. […]
VG Approved Gear
Svi Sound’s Overdrive OverZoid oz01
Full Steam
SviSound’a Overdrive OverZoid oz01 Price: $165 (list) Contact: www.svisound.com Tonally and aesthetically, SviSound’s Overdrive OverZoid is a study in good taste. Handcrafted in Bulgaria, the OverZoid matches a very natural-sounding gain with a distinctive steampunk design to earn its spot as the best-looking box on your pedalboard. A true-bypass pedal with point-to-point wiring and an […]
Artists
Belén Bandera – Jazz Soundscape
Spanish singer shines on “Arbre” Accompanied by Jaume Llombart’s beautiful playing on a ’92 Gibson ES-350T modded with a ’57 PAF, Spain’s Belén Bandera does an exclusive take on “Arbre,” from her latest album, “Bamboo: Nature’s Calligraphy.” Catch our review in the November issue. Read Now!
Artists
Roger McGuinn
Head Byrd Looks Back
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, […]
Music
Tom Feldmann
The Guitar of Robert Johnson
“And the Oscar goes to…” If they gave out Academy Awards for the best guitar instructional film, Tom Feldmann’s latest on Robert Johnson would be a shoe-in. We rarely review instructional videos, but this one is something special. And it’s more than just a how-to guide: it’s an in-depth, note-for-note documentary look at the playing […]
Music
Shooter Jennings & the Werewolves of Los Angeles
Do Zevon
He may not have found a home in a certain institution in Cleveland, despite overwhelming “fan votes,” but the late Warren Zevon was highly respected among fellow artists. Linda Ronstadt, Dwight Yoakam, the Bangles, Drive-By Truckers, and many others covered his songs, Jackson Browne produced him, and his albums featured guitar greats such as David […]
VG Approved Gear
Ibanez GB10SE
Jazzed Up
In the late ’70s, Ibanez debuted the GB10, a signature jazzbox for crossover icon George Benson. It turned heads with its novel approach – a smaller design, but still fully hollow. It remains in production with models at a variety of price points; the latest is the GB10SE. As construction quality has improved in Asia, […]
VG Approved Gear
The Taylor 712e
Naturally Bold
Taylor Guitars recently redesigned their 700 Series, to add performance bracing, two-piece maple/spruce bridge plate, protein (hide) glue on bridge and bracing, and several new aesthetic features, including a re-shaded gloss western sunburst finish, Koa binding, maple and Douglas fir herringbone-style rosette, and a new weathered-look proprietary pickguard material. Taylor’s elegant yet earthy 712e certainly […]
Artists
Seth Lee Jones
Pedal Pusher
Thanks to giants like Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, and Sonny Landreth, we’re living in a golden age of bottleneck guitar, with exceptional young sliders arriving regularly. Tulsa guitarist and builder Seth Lee Jones is among this rising group, offering Billy Gibbons-sized tones and wild pedal-steel tricks for bottleneck. On his new album, Flathead, Jones drops […]
Artists
Rik Emmett
Triumphant Return
Triumph was one of the leading arena-rock acts of the late ’70s and early ’80s. Striking gold and platinum with albums including Allied Forces, Never Surrender, and Thunder Seven and the radio hits “Fight the Good Fight,” “Lay It On the Line,” and “Hold On,” the trio offered a sound both anthemic and challenging – […]
Artists
Check out Micki Free’s bad-boy swagger!
Rockin’ with conviction on “Heavy Mercy” Take in allll the vibes as Micki Free uses his Fender Monterey Strat to play “Heavy Mercy” using just one of his Marshall 1974x Handwired amps. “I didn’t want to blow up the camera mic!” he laughed. The track is from his latest album, “Turquoise Blue,” which we review […]
Music
Golden State-Lone Star Blues Revue
Golden State-Lone Star Blues Revue
Welcome to a cross-country meeting of blues minds. The first release from this group of veteran California and Texas bluesmen features guitarists Little Charlie Baty, an Alabama-to-California transplant grounded originally in Chicago blues and erstwhile leader of Little Charlie and the Nightcats, and Anson Funderburgh, acolyte of fellow Texans like Lightnin’ Hopkins and Freddie King. […]
Artists
R.C. Allen
1934-2014
R.C. Allen, a noted luthier who built archtops for local and regional players of note and was a fixture at vintage-guitar shows in Southern California, died March 2. Allen was renowned for sharing his secrets of guitar building and was the last of the original electric-guitar builders in Southern California. Known for his archtops, he […]
Music
Tonechaser – Understanding Edward: My 26-Year Journey with Edward Van Halen
Steve Rosen
Imagine having Edward Van Halen at your house, playing new Van Halen songs or listening to no-vocals cassettes of in-progress albums in EVH’s cigarette-smoke-filled car. How about jamming with the guitar icon? It all happened to veteran music journalist Steve Rosen. This intensely personal book isn’t an EVH biography, though it started that way. Rosen […]
Artists
Keith Urban
Down-Under Uber-Picker
For a guy born in New Zealand and reared in Australia, Keith Urban certainly knows how to grab the attention of Yankee music fans. The supertalented artist not only writes hit songs, gather accolades, and recently married a movie star (that’d be Nicole Kidman!), he is also a straight-up hellacious guitar picker and gear lover […]