FEATURES
RICKY PHILLIPS
Alll About Sound
He has shared time with the Babys, Bad English, and Coverdale/Page. Now a member of Styx, his instrument collection includes vintage Fender Precision basses and five late-’60s Telecaster basses. By Willie G. Moseley
THE GIBSON GA-50T
Get your classic ’50s electric jazz guitar tone right here – warm, smooth, woody, and round. Though it looks like a cheap suitcase, this amp was surprisingly sophisticated for its day, and its features hold up to scrutiny 50-plus years later. By Dave Hunter
MARTIN CUSTOM 00-42
The typical Martin of the 1800s had no fingerboard inlay, and even when fret markers were implemented in the 1890s, they were understated. But, Martin was capable of taking ornamentation “over the top,” as illustrated by this guitar from 1905. By George Gruhn and Walter Carter
VOXMOBILE
Too Fast to Live, Too Cool to Die
Man, those were the days! Free love, slick guitars, hot cars. And few pieces of late-’60s pop culture were anywhere near as hip and groovy as this marketing stroke of genius. By Dave Hunter
JOHN FRUSCIANTE
Red Hot on The Empyrean
The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ guitarist enjoys every aspect of making music, and has assembled an impressive arsenal of instruments, favoring pre-CBS Strats for use onstage and in the studio. By Lisa Sharken
THE YAMAHA RGZ
What is it about sparkle, anyway? The way it glitters under stage lights? The suggestion of bling? Whatever the reason, it’s hard to resist a guitar in a sparkle finish. As with many Yamahas, this guitar is more than just a pretty face. By Michael Wright
BASS SPACE
Ricky Phillips’ Fender Custom Shop five-string
Many professional musicians are known for adding custom touches to their instruments, or – as with this cool bass – having an instrument built to their own specs. By Willie G. Moseley
DEPARTMENTS
Vintage Guitar Price Guide
Builder Profile
ARACOM Amplifiers
Upcoming Events
Vintage Guitar Classified Ads
Dealer Directory
Readers Gallery
FIRST FRET
Reader Mail
News and Notes
Atkins Axes Hit the Block, Keeley suffers fire, VHT changes name, new VG column, In Memoriam, more!
Jason Becker
Keeping His Music Alive
By Pete Prown
Raul Malo
Learning By Doing
By John Heidt
Chris Schreiner
Musical Dreaming
By John Heidt
Ask Zac
By Zac Childs
Richard Bennett
Everywhere Man
By Rick Allen
Janne Haavisto
Cosmonaut Launches Label
By Dan Forte
Brian Haner
Meet the “Guitar Guy”
By Pete Prown
David Harvey
Gibson Master Luthier
By Steven Stone
COLUMNS
The (Way) Back Beat
Beat Portraits: The Burns Story, 1962-’64
By Peter S. Kohman
Q&A With George Gruhn
Acousticville
Repairs: D.I.Y. vs. Pro
By Steven Stone
“401K” Guitars
What Creates Value?
By Gil Hembree
Fretprints
Jimmy Rogers
By Wolf Marshall
Guitars With Guts
1864 Antonio de Torres
By R.E. Bruné
TECH
Dan’s Guitar Rx
With a Little Help From Friends
By Dan Erlewine
Talkin’ Amps With…
Peter Mather: Amp Restoration Tricks of the Trade
By David Jung
Shop of Hard Knocks
Amp Repair on the Fly, on the Cheap
By Will Kelly
REVIEWS
The VG Hit List
CD, DVD, and Book Reviews
Let Freedom Ring box, Jason Isbell, Jim Suhler and Monkey Beat, Martin Taylor, The Story of Paul Bigsby, more!
Check This Action
Still the King
By Dan Forte
Vintage Guitar Gear Reviews
Gabriel Voxer 33, ValveTrain Concord, Hagstrom Swede, Ibanez Artcore AG95, Planet Waves PW-CR-08 Metronome Tuner, Tech 21 Character Series pedals, Zuni Custom Shangrila, Soloway Swan
Gearin’ Up!
The latest cool new stuff!