FEATURES

BOB WOOTTON
“Boom-Chika” and the Man in Black
They’d never met, but minutes after Bob Wootton rolled up backstage in a pickup truck, Johnny Cash handed over his Martin saying, “Tune my guitar” before the two walked out to play “Wreck of the Old 97.” By Rich Kienzle

AMP-O-RAMA
The Park Lead 50
British guitarists of a certain age – and their clued-in Yank counterparts – swoon over visions of Park amps, whose name means “vintage Marshall,” but with a twist. By Dave Hunter

GIBSON L-10
Among Gibson’s high-end archtops, it has been overshadowed by the more revered L-5 and less expensive L-7. Still, it is noteworthy because it was the first step toward Gibson developing a full line of archtops in the ’30s. By George Gruhn and Walter Carter

GRANDDADDY TO THE STARS!
Ro-Pat-In’s First Electric Spanish
The story of George Beauchamp’s first successful electric guitar is shrouded in the mists of murky memory. But one critical element of the story recently became more clear. By Lynn Wheelwright and Walter Carter

ELECTRIFYING EARLY JAZZ
The Selmer Modèle Jazz and Stimer M.10 Amp
In the ’30s, the quest for volume was the Holy Grail of guitar construction. When Django Reinhardt began playing his revolutionary jazz, he played it on a revolutionary new jazz guitar. By Michael Dregni

BRAD GILLIS
Hard Rock, High Profile
From Rubicon to Ozzy to Night Ranger, he has made a living playing guitar since he was 19. Today, he’s busy as ever with Night Ranger, his own sound production studio, and hunting down collectible axes and amps! By Ward Meeker

CORT DRAGON ST0STAT
As spectacular as they may be, the PRS Dragon was not the first guitar to carry the name of a mythological beast. First were some Japanese models, then the Cort StoStat. And there is a fascinating story behind this beauty. By Michael Wright

BASS SPACE
Paul Reed Smith #11
Rick Kennell, bassist for ’70s prog-rockers Happy the Man, was one of the very first players to jump aboard the PRS bandwagon. He bought the seventh instrument by Smith, then acquired this one. By Willie G. Moseley

DEPARTMENTS

Vintage Guitar Price Guide

Builder Profile
Swell Pedal Company

Upcoming Events

Vintage Guitar Classified Ads

Dealer Directory

Readers Gallery

FIRST FRET

Reader Mail

News and Notes
Sean Costello 1979-2008, Vince Gill plays benefit, Metheny and Santana live DVDs, In Memoriam, more!

Guitar Dude
The Subdudes Tommy Malone
By Rick Allen

Jimmy Bruno
Sharing the Knowledge
By John Heidt

Matt Rae
Keepin’ Busy
By John Heidt

Ask Zac
By Zac Childs

Les Paul
The Legend and New Book
By Eric C. Shoaf

Joe Renzetti Scores!
By Rick Allen

Vinny Roth
Classified Recording
By John Heidt

Alex Skolnick
From Miles to Metal
By Pete Prown

COLUMNS

The (Way) Back Beat
Beat Portraits: The Lowdown Down Low, Part I
By Peter S. Kohman

Q&A With George Gruhn

Acousticville
What Pick Do You Use?
By Steven Stone

“401K” Guitars
The ’70s Dean Standard
By Gil Hembree

Fretprints
Guitars of the Texas Playboys
By Wolf Marshall

TECH

Dan’s Guitar Rx
Flotsam Fever, Part 3
By Dan Erlewine

Talkin’ Amps With…
John Nelson: State of the Market – Vintage Amps
By David Jung

REVIEWS

The VG Hit List
CD, DVD, and Book Reviews
Steve Miller Band, The Mother Truckers, Jim Lauderdale, Robben Ford, Pat Metheny, The Early Years of the Les Paul Legacy, more!

Check This Action
Al Kooper Keeps Rolling
By Dan Forte

Vintage Guitar Gear Reviews
Sadowski Semi-Hollow, Taylor SolidBody series, Morgan Monroe and The Loar L-style guitars.

Gearin’ Up!
The latest cool new stuff!