Mark Elf
The latest album from guitarist Mark Elf shot to the top of the jazz charts, but the route to success for Mark Elf Returns 2014 wasn’t so easy. “I was supposed to record in December of 2012, but Superstorm Sandy hit; my house and many others were flooded. I lost everything on the first floor […]
Pat Metheny
His success is obvious – 20 Grammy awards, crossover popularity, loyal fans dating back 40 years. Still, his career path is something of a “Do not try at home” primer for fledgling guitarists. And, we offer an exclusive look at the MVPs from his guitar collection.
Ibanez GB10SE
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, […]
Fender’s V-Front 5B4 Super-Amp
Though all tweed Fender amps of the late ’40s and ’50s are lauded and lusted after, the V-front Super might be the most iconic – and elusive. So, when a golden-era combo like this was also the compatriot of a player known for his tone, it’s got to be special. Aside from their undeniably cool […]
2017 Readers’ Choice Awards
Each year, Vintage Guitar asks fans to select Readers’ Choice winners for Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Player of the Year in four categories based on artists and recordings featured in the magazine. Included are selections for the VG Hall of Fame, which annually inducts two players, an innovator, and an instrument. Thousands of votes are tallied via the magazine’s traditional written ballot and online at VintageGuitar.com.
Robben Ford
When Robben Ford approaches traditional blues, he takes ownership, transporting it to new places. This latest five-song EP is no different, as he wields Willie Dixon’s “Crazy For My Baby” and injects his unique sense of swing, phrasing, and harmonic color. He’s backed here by Wes Little and Nick D’Virgilio on drums, Brian Allen and […]
Michael Sweet
The yellow-and-black attack of the Christian-metal band Stryper has returned. The band’s new album, Second Coming, helps mark 30 years of preaching their metal gospel and selling more than 10 million albums worldwide. The band returns to the spotlight with a renewed sense of vigor and passion. Second Coming is 16 tracks including re-recordings of […]
Coral Electric Sitar
For centuries, Indian musicians have utilized the resonant sympathetic strings of the sitar to create the unique sounds of classical Indian music. Traditional sitar design combines a body fashioned from a large gourd with a long, hollow neck made of teak or tun wood and two bridges made of bone, horn, or ebony at the base of […]
Zakk Wylde
Storming the stage like King Conan The Biker, former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde was one of the highlights of the Tony MacAlpine Benefit Concert at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles last December, laying waste to screaming guitar maniacs with a ferocious onslaught that included Black Sabbath and Allman Brothers classics. Wylde has been […]
Rod Price
Part One It used to be that photos didn’t lie. But nowadays (as supermodels and tabloids have proven) that’s not always true. But it is true that when Rod Price’s slide hand is in action, it isn’t easy to capture on film – as fans of guitarist and the legendary English band, Foghat, can attest. […]
Bobby Eli
With this year marking the 50th anniversary of Philadelphia International Records, the spotlight is on the songwriting team of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff. Founded in 1971, PIR was the epicenter for the Philly sound. An integral part was the guitar playing of Bobby Eli, who can be heard on hundreds of recordings during the […]
Fretprints: Kim Simmonds
Leader and guiding spirit of Savoy Brown, Kim Simmonds was an architect of the ’60s British Blues movement. A powerful influence on countless guitarists, he epitomized the form and set its evolution to blues-rock, progressive, hard rock, and heavy metal. Born December 5, 1947, in Wales, Kim Maiden Simmonds (see our remembrance in the March […]
The Dean Ween Group
The Dean Ween Group’s debut showcases all the genre-hopping shenanigans that became the stock in trade of Ween’s first band – the prolific and eponymously named indie weirdos Ween. While it’s busy serving up Dean Ween’s eclectic songwriting, The Deaner Album is also pushing his guitar chops to the fore. After all, there’s a pair […]
Tony Gilkyson
Whether nature or nurture, it seems inevitable that Tony Gilkyson would become a musician. His father, Terry, was a folk singer who wrote hits for Dean Martin, Frankie Laine, and Disney (“The Bare Necessities”), and sister Eliza is an acclaimed singer/songwriter. An alumnus of country-rock’s Lone Justice and punk-rockers X, the 71-year-old has recorded with […]
Eric Krasno
Groovemeister Eric Krasno continues to push his funky, soul-jazz narrative with guitar front and center. His new record, Always, features his vocals embedded within cutting-edge technology and contemporary-retro beats. The founder of Soulive and Lettuce, he has also amassed a slew of producer credits, but Always stands as a milestone for documenting a highly successful […]
Gemma Ray
Gemma Ray might rock the neo-’50s look, but she’s no Wanda Jackson wannabe; her songs and guitar work are not held in check by any known musical category. Instead, the tunes are like escapees from the expectations and trappings of mainstream pop. And she’s been prolific, cutting six previous albums as well as several EPs. […]
D’Angelico New Yorker
Having earned its place in the VG Hall of Fame as one of the finest guitars in the history of the instrument, the New Yorker is significant primarily due to its superb quality and aesthetic artistic appeal, rather than being an innovative instrument.