FEATURES
Holy Cripes!
The Story of Jerry Garcia’s Last Guitars
Steve Cripe was not a guitar player, not a songwriter. But the cabinet maker became part of the fabric that makes up the story of the Grateful Dead when he built guitars for the legendary Jerry Garcia. By Steve Armato and James D. McCallister
The Flot-A-Tone
Flot-a-what? The word doesn’t exactly inspire sonic simulacrums of unearthly tone. But when an amp looks this groovy, one can forgive the marketing schism. By Dave Hunter
Paramount Style C
Interesting not only because it is beautifully ornamented and fine-sounding, this early-’20s instrument was also one of the first banjos with truly modern playability, and a sound for bluegrass. By George Gruhn and Walter Carter
Roger Giffin Builder To The Stars
The renowned British luthier began dabbling in guitar repair as a teen, after seeing an acoustic built from a kit. How could he have known it would lead to working with the likes of Clapton, Page, Beck, Van Halen, et al? By Ward Meeker
The Alvarez Dana Scoop
When it comes to guitar design, history is replete with stories of bad accidents. But sometimes, there are good, or “happy,” accidents. This unusual ’80s classic is a good example. By Michael Wright
The Robn Wedge
Regular VG readers are familiar with Robin, the Texas brand of guitars and basses that have been staged by the Vaughan brothers, Billy F Gibbons, and others. This model is the company’s entry in the “funky-bizarre guitar“ category. By Willie G. Moseley
DEPARTMENTS
Vintage Guitar Price Guide
Builder Profile
Widman Custom Electrics
Upcoming Events
Vintage Guitar Classified Ads
Dealer Directory
Readers Gallery
FIRST FRET
Reader Mail
News and Notes
Steve Wariner inducted, Verheyen tours, L.A. Amp Show, Mark Doyle, In Memoriam, more!
Stanley Clarke
Jazz in the Garden
By Lisa Sharken
Whit Smith
Long Road to Swingtown
By John Heidt
Ask Zac
By Zac Childs
Dan Toler
New, But Still Dangerous
By John Heidt
Jim Davies
Electronica Meets the Riff
By Pete Prown
Greg Koch
Soundscapes, Soul, and Greeting Cards
By Willie G. Moseley
Gettin’ Heavy
…With Heavy Trash
By Michael Dregni
Mike Stern
Big Neighborhood, Small World
By John Heidt
Jim Weider
It’s All in the Groove
By John Heidt
COLUMNS
The (Way) Back Beat
The Plastic Fantastic Electro Spanish
By Peter S. Kohman
Q&A With George Gruhn
Fretprints
Mike Stern
By Wolf Marshall
“401K” Guitars
Determining Market Size
By Gil Hembree
Acousticville
His, Hers, and Ours
By Steven Stone
TECH
Talkin’ Amps With…
Blackie Pagano: Secrets to Vintage Tone
By David Jung
Dan’s Guitar Rx
Something Old, Something New, Part III
By Dan Erlewine
Shop of Hard Knocks
A Les Paul Mystery
By Will Kelly
REVIEWS
The VG Hit List
CD, DVD, and Book Reviews: Rory Gallagher, Steve Vai, Happy Traum, Robert Cray, Ricky Skaggs, Robin Trower, The Grateful Dead Scrapbook, more!
Check This Action
Bromberg is Back!
By Dan Forte
Vintage Guitar Gear Reviews
Teye Electric Gypsy La Mora S Plus, Mack Amps’ Heatseeker/Skyraider, Regal RC-58TT, Pigtronix Mothership/Philosopher’s Tone, Carvin BX500/SB4000, Blackstone Effectors Whetstone, Campbell American UK-1, Normandy ATB-CH
Gearin’ Up!
The latest cool new stuff!