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Trending Now
Win an accessory bundle with an Oxford Guitar Supply gift card, Music Nomad KEEP IT SIMPLE, SETUP (KISS)™ kit, Rocky Mountain Slides Co. Bear Claw Tri-picks, Firecracker Aluminum Slides and graphite picks, plus a Reverend back pack to put it all in valued at more than $450. Deadline is November 25, 2024. Complete the survey […]
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In the history of vintage guitars, Gretsch and Mosrite are sometimes linked, and often associated with ’50s hot-country pickers and ’60s rockers. One guitar takes that connection to a new level. This custom Mosrite hollowbody has the chassis of an early Gretsch Country Gentleman and was likely built between 1959 and ’62 for a hotshot […]
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Much of America was still recovering from the Depression in 1934 when Gibson introduced a guitar at a price that was almost $100 higher than its current top-of-the-line model, the L-5. At $400 (with case and zippered case cover, compared to $302 for the L-5 with case), the Super 400 seemed a more appropriate model […]
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VG Approved Gear
Dawner Prince Electronics Pulse
A New Spin
There are plenty of takes on the Leslie rotating speaker and its most famous stompbox offshoot, the Shin-ei Uni-Vibe. Dawner Prince Electronics’ Pulse, however, is an open-cabinet revolving speaker emulator modeled on the Maestro’s Rover RO-1 famously employed by Pink Floyd. That “open-speaker” aspect is key here; the Rover used a single 6″ speaker. For […]
Artists
Dan Wilson’s celebration of jazz legends
Homage with Superb Musicality On his latest album, “Things Eternal,” jazz wizard Dan Wilson fuses post-bop, spirituality, and the songs of Stevie Wonder into a satisfying musical journey. Here, Dan and his Benedetto Pat Martino share a take on Herbie Hancock’s “Tell Me a Bedtime Story.” Catch our interview in the September issue. Read Now!
VG Approved Gear
Golden Age Pre-73 MkIII, Ear Trumpet Edwina, and Avantone CR-14
The Front End
Strike up a conversation with anyone who records music and they’ll talk your ear off about mics and preamps. If you want to make your guitar and vocals sound good in a home studio, the right “front end” tools are critical. The Golden Age Pre-73 MkIII is an affordable preamp whose job is to make […]
VG Approved Gear
Worland Prairie
Built For Speed
Worland Prairie Price: $1,950 Info: www.worlandguitars.com. It’s been well-documented how car-crazy vets and teens in postwar America reimagined the American automobile. Some shaved, sprayed, and slammed contemporary two-door sedans, creating the custom car. Others invented the hot rod when they stripped prewar coupes and roadsters to their bare essentials, stroked and bored their Flathead mills, […]
Artists
Steve Lukather
Sun Shine
Steve Lukather has been a busy professional guitarist for 45 of his 63 years, as a founding member of Toto, revered session musician who played on countless hits, and solo artist. Lukather’s latest project, I Found the Sun Again, is his eighth solo album. It features five originals along with Traffic, Joe Walsh, and Robin […]
Music
Rick Holmstrom
See That Light
After 13 years as soul/gospel/civil rights legend Mavis Staples’ guitarist and bandleader, Rick Holmstrom has earned the nickname from Staples’ herself as “Pops Jr.” He’s also played alongside Rod Piazza, William Clarke, and Johnny Dyer over the past three decades, as well as backing Jimmy Rogers and Booker T. on projects. Yet as fans know, […]
Artists
Don Leady’s Stylish Instro!
Roots-rock doyen does “Blue Cumbia 3” LeRoi Brothers co-founder (and Tail Gators head honcho) Don Leady used his real-deal vintage Danelectro U-2 to accompany himself oh-so-stylishly for this exclusive take on “Blue Cumbia 3,” a track from his new album, “Cumbia Meets The Blues.” The disc is a live-in-studio effort where you’ll also hear Don […]
Artists
Eddie Roberts
Making It Up As You Go
The New Mastersounds’ latest album, Made For Pleasure, has the usual mix of soul, jazz, funk, and even a bit of reggae, and of course the band is tight and focused. It may, however, surprise listeners that it was written and performed in the span of one week. “That’s pretty much how we work,” said […]
Classic Instruments
1968 Fender Vibrolux Reverb
Silver Serenade
Amplifier collectors swarm to models with descriptors like “first year” and “golden age,” but other types can be far more interesting; a transitional model or amp from a short-lived evolutionary crossroads – especially in “mint” condition – is enough to send goosebumps up the flesh. Such is the case with this one. Other than a […]
Artists
Slash
Still Burning
When a poll by BBC Radio tells you you’ve written the second greatest guitar riff of all time, (Jimmy Page’s “Whole Lotta Love” placed first) it’s got to feel good. “Sweet Child O’ Mine” has some tasty licks, but Slash is not one to bask in past glories. You can find him on the road […]
VG Approved Gear
Mike Lipe Virtuoso
Back to the Future
Mike Lipe Virtuoso Price: $4,000 Contact: lipeguitars.com; phone (818) 352-6212 Mike Lipe has built guitars for top players and guitar companies (notably heading up the Ibanez Custom Shop in the ’90s). In 2000, he struck out on his own. His Virtuoso model is a solidbody that takes a familiar theme but lifts it up to […]
Classic Instruments
The “Okie Dokie Stomp” Esquire
Gate’s Swing
As a high-school student and emerging guitarist in Houston in the early ’60s, John Andrews couldn’t get a club gig without knowing “Okie Dokie Stomp.” The famed track by Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown was the most requested instrumental on the Gulf Coast club circuit at the time – more, even, than Bill Doggett’s “Honky Tonk.” Gatemouth […]
Classic Instruments
Forty Quid of Klunk
Tales of the Harmony Bass
Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh, Klunk! It’s not the most artful musical introduction, but it was effective. And by the time a screaming Hammond organ slides in over the pounding bass-and-drums, most listeners are hooked. The song is “Gimme Some Lovin” by the Spencer Davis Group, and the 1966 record is a showcase not only for the vocals and […]
Classic Instruments
Hallmark Swept-Wing
Brief Flight from South of Bakersfield
Bob Shade exemplifies the adage “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” The guitar builder has an enviable assortment of ’60s Hallmark guitars and basses, and they’ve inspired his own creations. Hallmark was founded by Joe Hall (1938-2011), a former Mosrite employee who in 1965 opened a shop in Arvin, California, just down the road […]
Artists
Fretprints: Harvey Mandel
Infinitely Eclectic
Harvey Mandel is a regular on the list of “guitarists’ guitarists,” yet is woefully unknown to the public. With an uncategorizable rock style and penchant for instrumentals, his 1968 debut, Cristo Redentor, foreshadowed fusion with its cinematic qualities that still sound modern and distinguished from typical jazz-rock. Mandel presents a striking case of parallel evolution […]
Artists
Ray Cummins
Pal of Chet, Friend of Les
Chester and Lester were enamored of his talent. Moreover, they called Ray Cummins a friend, and his journey includes turning adversity into a career as one of the country’s more-respected guitar soloists. Though a modest guy, Cummins would have every right to boast of his amazing credentials. For starters, he’s enjoyed headline status at the […]
Classic Instruments
Road to Rock
The Electrifying Sounds of Post-War Guitar
Fans often mark the beginning of rock and roll as either Elvis Presley’s Sun Sessions or Bill Haley & the Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock,” both recorded in 1954. But three years earlier, in early March of 1951, Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats were credited on a 78-rpm single called “Rocket 88.” Played in […]