FEATURES
JOHN SHANKS
Six-String, Sound Maker
He grew up in a house where music was a constant and “show business” paid the bills. His career a producer/songwriter has him working with big names – and he knows about vintage axes and tones. By Ward Meeker
THE VG HALL OF FAME
Class of 2007
Whether it’s Les Paul being inducted for the second time (this time as Player), or Dick Denney and his AC15, the VG Hall’s latest group of inductees stands as one of its strongest.
AMP-O-RAMA
Traynor YBA-1 Bass Master
Robust and solid of tone, it just ain’t a “classic.”But almost any solder junky with two beers’ worth of parts can turn this underdog into an alpha-dog rock machine that abides way high up the tone ladder. By Dave Hunter
GIBSON J-45
Seldom listed among Gibson’s classics and devoid of the notoriety of the J-200 and AJ, it has been the company’s “workhorse” flat-top since its introduction during World War II. And it’s a deserving inductee to the VG Hall of Fame. By George Gruhn and Walter Carter
KEITH NELSON
Axes, Amps, Bikes, and Tats
Half of the creative force in one of the best rock bands on the scene today, he employs a truckload of vintage guitars and amplifiers while pursing kick-ass tones and keeping up with rock-and-roll stardom. By Ward Meeker
SCHECTER YNGWIE MALMSTEEN
By 1988, the Swedish neo-classical heavy metal pioneer was popular enough to warrant his own signature model Fender Strat. But it wasn’t his original namesake guitar; custom-builder Schecter Guitar Research was the first to help him create a musical form. By Michael Wright
BASS SPACE
Zemaitis Acoustic
Cabinet maker-cum-luthier Tony Zemaitis built four acoustic basses, the first for Mike Oldfield, of Tubular Bells fame. This one, from 1972, may have been the second. By Willie G. Moseley
DEPARTMENTS
Vintage Guitar Price Guide
Builder Profile
Port City Amplification
Upcoming Events
Vintage Guitar Classified Ads
Dealer Directory
Readers Gallery
FIRST FRET
Reader Mail
News and Notes
Rock HOF Inducts Ventures, VG’s new website, From Malibu With Love benefit, Deke’s Git Geeks, Babicz moves, In Memoriam, more!
Michael Lee Firkins
To Sing Or Not To Sing?
By John Heidt
Fifty Years of the Spotnicks
By Pete Prown
Bernie Pearl
Better Late Than Never
By John Heidt
Ask Zac
By Zac Childs
Ana Egge
“Lazy” Covers By a True Original
By Dan Forte
Van Hunt
Pinning Down the Puzzle
By John Heidt
Bob Spalding
The 5th Venture
By Dan Forte
COLUMNS
The (Way) Back Beat
More Fab Gear, Invasion-Style: Mid-’60s American Guitar Marketing in the U.K.
By Peter S. Kohman
Q&A With George Gruhn
Acousticville
A Mandolin Story: Or Why I Bought Another One
By Steven Stone
“401K” Guitars
Market Composition
By Gil Hembree
Fretprints
Herb Ellis
By Wolf Marshall
TECH
Dan’s Guitar Rx
What’s Up With That?: “F-Stamp” Tuners on a ’62 Femder Tele, Pt. 2
By Dan Erlewine
Talkin’ Amps With…
Andrei Federov: Amplifier Cabinets
By David Jung
REVIEWS
The VG Hit List
Clapton Crossroads and Opry Classics on DVD, Ronnie Earl, Plant/Krauss Tom Petty book, more!
Check This Action
Putting the Rhythm in Rhythm & Blues
By Dan Forte
Vintage Guitar Gear Reviews
PRS DGT, Fender G.E. Smith Telecaster, 65amps SoHo, Carr Vincent
Gearin’ Up!
The latest cool new stuff!