The Burke Guitar

The Axe that Time Forgot

April 13, 2021 · Ward Meeker

For more than 60 years, aluminum has been used as a component in guitar construction. Exactly whose idea it was…

Mel Bay D’Aquisto

Teacher’s Aid

March 28, 2019 · George Gruhn

Melbourne “Mel” Bay (1913-1997) began his musical career at the age of 13 in his hometown of Bunker, Missouri. Largely…

Boss IR-2 Amp & Cabinet

Sim Plus

December 23, 2024 · Pete Prown

With the rise of home recording, videos, and gigging without amps, Boss has introduced its IR-2 Amp & Cabinet, a…

Pentangle

The Albums

July 5, 2018 · Dan Forte

Take Five When one thinks of bands with two (or more) lead guitarists, groups like the Eagles, Buffalo Springfield, Quicksilver…

UFO

Lights Out 2024 Remaster

December 6, 2024 · Pete Prown

UFO was a ferocious live band, but had trouble translating that hard-rock excitement to the studio. They got close on…

Laur Joamets

Metamodern Sounds In Country Picking

March 2, 2017 · Michael Dregni

The time-worn, well-trodden path to Nashville traditionally starts from a Tennessee holler, Arkansas cabin, or Texas jook. For Laur Joamets…

  •  VG Q&A: Harmony History

     VG Q&A: Harmony History

    And an Archtop Mystery

    I recently received two guitars as gifts and am trying to learn more about them. The first is a Harmony I believe is from the early ’70s. Its serial number…

    Read more >>

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ARTISTS

Ana Popovic

Memphis via Belgrade

April 9, 2014 · Ward Meeker

Ana Popovic was but a toddler when she started to absorb major musical mojo through her father’s love of the…

Christmas 1968

Vintage Guitar magazine Presents Greg Martin's Head Shop

December 24, 2016 · Greg Martin

This is a regular series of exclusive Vintage Guitar online articles where The Kentucky Headhunters’ Greg Martin looks back on…

In Memoriam: Anthony Klassen

November 13, 2023 · Ward Meeker

Anthony R. Klassen, a guitar builder and founder of New Era Guitars, passed away December 13 at his home in…

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Nick Moss

Musical Horizons Beyond Chicago

October 8, 2014 · Willie G. Moseley

Since 2007, guitarist/vocalist Nick Moss has released five albums on his Blue Bella label, including two live discs. And while…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

'62 Les Paul Rarity

’62 Les Paul Rarity

December 21, 2015 · George Gruhn

In its early years, the Gibson Les Paul Custom evolved through several body-style and spec changes and was the earliest…

Martin OM-18 and 000-28

March 13, 2014 · Bill Bush

What makes these two Martins remarkable is not necessarily their rarity or historical importance, though both would be welcome additions…

Q&A With George Gruhn: A Strong Case

And When to Get an Appraisal

March 3, 2022 · George Gruhn

Some of my vintage guitar cases are very worn. One Martin case from the ’40s is missing a latch and…

The Thompson Tremor Bender

Big Bend

April 29, 2020 · Zac Childs

Longtime musician and professional tool-and-die maker Don Thompson recently introduced the Tremor Bender, a retrofit stringbending device for most Fender-…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Way Huge Saffron Squeeze MkII

Way Huge Saffron Squeeze MkII

Fresh-squeezed

July 7, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Twenty years after its launch, the Way Huge Saffron Squeeze compressor has been improved upon. Doing fierce business with an…

Ibanez M522S

Ibanez M522S

F-Style For Less

July 7, 2016 · Pete Prown

Thanks to acts such as the Avett Brothers, Mumford & Sons, and the Punch Brothers, the mandolin is suddenly hip…

Martin GPCE Inception Maple

Bold Beginning

December 23, 2024 · Michael Shirek

Almost 100 years ago, Martin reinvented the flat-top box when it began delivering X-braced, square-shouldered, and oversized dreadnoughts. Now, the…

The Clark Gainster

Trick Your Tweed

June 10, 2020 · Art Department

Before he got into the effects pedal biz, Michael Clark had a reputation for building killer tweed-inspired amps. In 2001…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

The Rogue VB-100 Violin Bass

Fab As It Looks?

April 29, 2020 · Pete Prown

The Rogue VB-100 Series II is an homage to the venerable Höfner 500/1 semi-hollowbody. Popularly known as the “Beatle bass,”…

Andy Timmons

Electric Truth

February 8, 2023 · Bret Adams

Is there life after success in a glam-metal band? Many guitarists were asking themselves that question after the scene fizzled…

Ray Cummins Vintage Guitar magazine Video Lessons

Ray Cummins – Guitar Tutorial #3

December 1, 2016 · Ray Cummins

Ray Cummins – Guitar Tutorial #3 For his latest tutorial, Ray Cummins plays his Gibson Country Gentleman plugged into a late-’80s Boss…

Vintage Instrument Research

An Ever-Changing Landscape

May 9, 2019 · George Gruhn

Fretted instruments can be examined in much the same way as zoological taxonomist or forensic pathologist would approach them. They…

Reverend Mike Watt Wattplower

July 3, 2019 · Phil Feser

During four years of back and forth, Reverend Guitars and legendary punk-rock bassist Mike Watt (Minutemen, Firehose, Stooges), developed a…

Blu DeTiger: Funk-Pop Pioneer

October 23, 2024 · Ward Meeker

When she was seven years old, sibling rivalry spurred Blu DeTiger to get a bass so she could play along…

Gospel Guitars

Semie Moseley’s Venerated Brand

February 28, 2019 · Willie G. Moseley

When he wasn’t crafting Mosrites, Semie Moseley could often be found on the road, providing music for evangelists. It makes…

Bobby Black

Steel Before and After Commander Cody

October 19, 2015 · Rich Kienzle

When he got the invitation, Bobby Black wasn’t sure. The pedal-steel virtuoso, a 20-plus-year veteran of San Francisco’s music scene,…

Cole Eclipse Pro Special

July 14, 2015 · Michael Wright

Straight-from-the-catalog instruments are fun – and reassuring – because you know exactly what you’ve got. But there’s another kind of…

Marty Friedman

Wall of Shred

July 2, 2019 · Greg Prato

Between playing on Cacophony’s landmark 1987 shred album, Speed Metal Symphony, and Megadeth’s 1990 classic, Rust in Peace, Marty Friedman…

The “Okie Dokie Stomp” Esquire

Gate’s Swing

October 9, 2019 · Ward Meeker

As a high-school student and emerging guitarist in Houston in the early ’60s, John Andrews couldn’t get a club gig…

Yamaha Weddington Custom

A Better “Classic”

December 9, 2024 · Michael Wright

In 1987, classic American guitars like the Les Paul and Stratocaster were still going strong, with few changes since their…

Alan Lancaster

August 29, 2022 · Ward Meeker

Alan Lancaster, co-founder and longtime bassist in Status Quo, died September 26. He was 72 and had been living with…

Gibson 1928 L-1 Blues Tribute

Blues Time Machine

October 12, 2015 · Michael Dregni

Gibson 1928 L-1 Blues Tribute Price: $4,255 retail; $3,299 street Info: www.gibson.com. The Gibson L-1 boasts the kind of intriguing…

Arteffect Bonnie Wah

Cry No More!

May 12, 2010 · Phil Feser

Israel-based Arteffect’s new Bonnie wah pedal is an accurate re-creation of the highly soughtafter vintage Vox Clyde McCoy wah. The…

Lords of Atlantis: Cliché-Free Surf

January 16, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Ivan Pongracic Lords of Atlantis includes members from a handful of high-profile surf bands, and its debut album is a…

Rickenbacher Model 200A

August 5, 2015 · Dave Hunter

Several vintage amplifiers that have graced these pages over the years have taken us back to the early days of…

Cedric Burnside

Be Trying

August 11, 2022 · Dean L. Farley

One of 35 grandchildren of the late R.L. Burnside, Cedric grew up in the rundown Holly Springs, Mississippi, home that…

Pop ’N Hiss: Robben Ford and Yellowjackets

Inside Story

March 11, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

In 1975, 24-year-old Robben Ford was making a name for himself on the Los Angeles music scene, where competition was…

Ron Wood Keith Richards Rolling stone Blues and Lonesome Vintage Guitar Magazine

The Rolling Stones

December 2, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Mick Jagger’s famous 1968 statement – “What’s the point in listening to us doing ‘I’m A King Bee’ when you…

Arlington Guitar Show 2014

October 24, 2014 · Lisa Sharken

[caption id="attachment_19064" align="alignleft" width="300"] '50s Fender Deluxe amp at Wildwood Music of Texas[/caption] [caption id="attachment_19065" align="alignleft" width="225"] '53 Harmony Stratotone…

J.R. Cobb

Classic Bands, Classic Songs

March 4, 2019 · Willie G. Moseley

When he joined Atlanta Rhythm Section in early 1972, J.R. Cobb and Barry Bailey had more in common than simply…

Greg Howe

Return to Rock with Maragold

December 10, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

Greg Howe continues to evolve, pushing his artistry into fresh territory. One of the most successful artists on Shrapnel Records,…

2022 December Issue on Spotify

December 2, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

This month we feature Smith/Kotzen, Jeff Berlin, Mike Morgan, Marty Robins, The Sheepdogs, GA-20, Rolling Stones, Marshall Tucker Band, Creedence…

Tom Petty and Mike Campbell

Guitars at Heart for 30 Years

July 14, 2020 · Ward Meeker

Remember the first time you strummed a D chord or fumbled your way oh-so-slowly through “Walk Don’t Run”? Chances are…

AXL USA Hand-Aged Bulldog

Bark and Bite

April 16, 2014 · Chip Wilson

AXL USA Hand-Aged Bulldog Price: $699.99 (street) Contact: www.axlguitars.com Unabashedly inspired by the classic Les Paul Junior, AXL Guitars’ limited-edition…

Have Guitar Will Travel 140 – Iain Matthews

December 13, 2024 · James Patrick Regan

In episode 140 of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” presented by Vintage Guitar Magazine, host James Patrick Regan speaks with singer-songwriter…

Tim Bogert’s Modified Fender

One Fudged Bass

August 22, 2013 · Willie G. Moseley

When Vanilla Fudge helped pioneer the progressive-rock movement in the latter half of the ’60s, bassist Tim Bogert played more…

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band

Rare, Bluesy, and Beyond

August 30, 2016 · Dan Forte

A surprisingly large contingent of people in high school or college in 1965 will tell you that less than two…