FEATURES
COOL LOOKS, CLASSIC SOUNDS
Retro-Inspired Basses
As with fashion, cars, music, and other elements of pop culture, today’s electric bass market is chock full of instruments designed to look, sound, and play like classics from decades past. By Willie G. Moseley
AMP-O-RAMA
Early-’70s WEM Dominator MkIII
Frumpy and dated though it may look, this is one righteous little beastie. And any vintage combo you can bag for $250 or under that has its own distinct character is a winner. By Dave Hunter
GUILD ARISTOCRAT M-75
Introduced in 1954, it gave the appearance that Guild was competing head-to-head with Gibson’s Les Paul. But with its hollow body and spruce top, it was quite a different animal altogether. By George Gruhn and Walter Carter
BRUCE LANGHORNE
Folk Music’s Super Sideman
He broke barriers between black and white, old and new, traditional and innovative, and between folk and rock, not to mention various other styles of music. That his isn’t a household name seems an injustice. By Dan Forte
THE VALCO “THUNDERSTICK”
It dates from the golden age of Valco – a time when cars had 3,000-pound steel grills and there weren’t no jaywalking problems! With the right amp, it’ll deliver enough wallop to blow the doors off your local waterin’ hole. By Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate
THE OVATION GS2-R “RIPLEY”
Through the years, we’ve solved a lot of guitar mysteries. But here’s one that has us stumped. While we certainly know plenty of the details surrounding this guitar, getting to the whole “truth” has proven to be another, much more challenging matter. By Michael Wright
BASS SPACE
The Gibson EB-0F
Gibson first offered the EB-0 in 1959 and in ’62 introduced the Maestro FZ-1 Fuzztone effect. Always looking to offer something no other instrument builder did, it combined them in this bass. By Willie G. Moseley
DEPARTMENTS
Vintage Guitar Price Guide
Builder Profile
Southbay Ampworks/Scumback Speakers
Upcoming Events
Vintage Guitar Classified Ads
Dealer Directory
Readers Gallery
FIRST FRET
Reader Mail
News and Notes
Harris Organizes Benefit, TrueTone Tru-Te-Nanny, Benoit Recognized, Yngwie’s New Strat, more!
John 5
Return of the Tele Terror
By Pete Prown
Chris Miller
Acoustic Obssession
By John Heidt
Ask Zac
By Zac Childs
John McFee
Standing in the Shadows
By John Heidt
Bobby Broom
Pure Jazz in Unlikely Places
By Dan Forte
Kenny Neal
Back In the Game
By John Heidt
Anthony Gomes
Goin’ South
By Willie G. Moseley
Dad’s Day ’08
VG’s Annual Ode to Fathers Who Inspire
COLUMNS
The (Way) Back Beat
Beat Portraits, The Lowdown Down Low, Part 2: English R&B Bass and Beyond
By Peter S. Kohman
Q&A With George Gruhn
Acousticville
DIY Record Mogul
By Steven Stone
“401K” Guitars
The Guitars of “God”
By Gil Hembree
Fretprints
Jimmy Page
By Wolf Marshall
TECH
Dan’s Guitar Rx
It Weighs 12 Pounds, But Called Les!
By Dan Erlewine
Talkin’ Amps With…
John Nelson: Why Vintage Amps Sound Better
By David Jung
REVIEWS
The VG Hit List
CD, DVD, and Book Reviews
Duke Robillard, Ronnie Hawkins, Denny Jiosa, Sloan, Historic Makeovers, more!
Check This Action
Nuevos Discos Instrumental
By Dan Forte
Vintage Guitar Gear Reviews
Fender ’65 Princeton Reverb, Martin OMCRE, MXR Pedals, Dunlop Buddy Guy wah, Amalfitano Pickups
Gearin’ Up!
The latest cool new stuff!