Crazy Tube Circuit White Whale V2

Twin Tones

July 10, 2025 · Bob Dragich

Introduced in 2017, Christos Ntaifotis’ original White Whale tremolo/reverb became one of his company’s best sellers. Its success, however, didn’t…

Eric Clapton

The Definitive 24 Nights

May 13, 2024 · Bret Adams

This box set heavily expands Slowhand’s 24 Nights, the live album and video of Eric Clapton’s 1990-’91 residencies at London’s…

Epiphone Coronet

Epiphone Coronet

March 26, 2016 · George Gruhn

This Epiphone Coronet from 1959 was probably a shocking sight to a guitar buyer of the late ’50s. Not only…

Kristian Borring

Time Zone

October 8, 2025 · Pete Prown

Kristian Borring is a jazz guitarist who lives in Perth, Australia, but sends his fearless playing echoing around the planet…

Paul in the Family

Chris Arena's Black '59 LP Standard

March 19, 2019 · Ward Meeker

“I wanna be a musician!” The declaration – typically from an adolescent family member – purses the lips of parents…

Dwight Twilley’s ’57 Fender Super

Cowboy Fringe

February 8, 2023 · Dave Hunter

Plenty of vintage amps have made it into these pages on their own merits. But when a hallowed creation also…

  • Rickenbacker’s Electric 12-Strings

    Rickenbacker’s Electric 12-Strings

    Double-bound for Glory

    George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacher founded Electro String in 1931 to manufacture what everyone would soon call “Rickenbacker” guitars. Success came early and their lap steels set standards of quality,…

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ARTISTS

Tommy Shaw and James Young

Styx’s Crowning Achievement

April 1, 2022 · Bret Adams

“One thing I like about how Styx does progressive stuff is we try and make it friendly progressive, not math,”…

Tracii Guns

Peaces Old and New

May 9, 2019 · Greg Prato

The hair/glam metal movement of the ’80s spawned its share of guitar shredders. One often overlooked is Tracii Guns, whose…

Replacing Rotted Tuning Keys on a ’62 ES-335

Buttons for a Buzzcock

February 8, 2022 · Dan Erlewine

Steve Garvey played bass in the seminal punk band Buzzcocks during its classic era – 1977 to ’81 – with…

Doug Doppler

Art Appreciation, Import-Style – Doug Doppler’s Ibanez Collection

September 25, 2013 · Ward Meeker

Doug Doppler recalls how, at age five, his first swimming lesson fell on the same day as his first guitar…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Beat Portraits: Burns Volume 5

1964: Solid Heyday

February 7, 2018 · Peter Stuart Kohman

In early 2009, VG columnist Peter Stuart Kohman turned his focus on Burns, the pioneering British guitar builder. We’ve compiled…

Guyatone Micro Effects

Little Boxes, Big Effects

April 29, 2020 · Phil Feser

Musical-instrument accessories importer Guyatone introduced its first series of Micro Effects three years ago to widespread praise. Knowing it was…

Gibson Barney Kessel Custom Prototype Vintage guitar magazine

Gibson’s Experimental Kessel Prototype

Gibson Barney Kessel Custom model

May 18, 2016 · George Gruhn

This is a guitar which for all practical purposes appears to be a Gibson Barney Kessel Custom model, but the…

Javier Batiz

January 14, 2026 · Willie G. Moseley

Mexican guitarist Javier Batiz, a teacher and inspiration to Carlos Santana and other musicians, passed away December 14 at his…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Ceriatone’s OTS Mini 20 Overtone Lunchbox

Meal Ticket

April 26, 2019 · Yoel Kreisler

For years, Ceriatone fans have suggested the amp maker offer its stellar Overtone Special sound in a scaled-down, affordable package.…

Carr Skylark Special 1×12

Take Flight

January 14, 2026 · Dave Hunter

Arriving a little more than 10 years after the original Skylark, Carr Amplifiers’ new Skylark Special adds versatility and enhanced…

G&L Fallout

Form Follows Function

June 12, 2014 · Phil Feser

G&L Fallout Price: $1,400 (retail) Info: www.glguitars.com. From automobiles to kitchen appliances to, of course, electric guitars, designers have gotten…

EHX Cock Fight and Key9

Pedalin’ To The Past

July 5, 2018 · Pete Prown

When it comes to sweet retro tones, the wizards at Electro-Harmonix (EHX) have been busy again, turning out a fresh…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

John Pizzarelli

McCartney Memo

November 28, 2016 · Rich Kienzle

John Pizzarelli wasn’t surprised to receive a FedEx package from Sir Paul McCartney in 2014, given that he (and his…

Blues guitarist Charlie Apicella’s “Booze and Blues” and “Just Like a Woman”

September 29, 2025 · Vintage Guitar

Honoring B.B., Rainey Being V.P. of the North Jersey Blues Society isn’t the only thing that separates Charlie Apicella from…

Carson Creation

One Very Personal Stratocaster

May 9, 2023 · Willie G. Moseley

An itinerant Western-music guitarist who befriended Leo Fender and other employees at his up-and-coming company in the early ’50s, Bill…

Fishman Loudbox Mini

Little Big Man

August 10, 2023 · Pete Prown

The Fishman Loudbox Mini is just what its name says – a small amp that delivers the company’s renowned audio…

Ritchie Blackmore

Machine Head at 45: Tone Secrets of Deep Purple’s Masterwork

April 22, 2019 · Pete Prown

In any conversation about the dawn of hard rock and metal, several bands rise up –  Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath,…

Check This Action: Jimmie’s Blues Box

August 3, 2022 · Dan Forte

Don’t think music can be life-changing? Try moving 1,700 miles. In 1987, I moved from Northern California to Austin, Texas,…

Eddie Roberts

Making It Up As You Go

March 3, 2017 · John Heidt

The New Mastersounds’ latest album, Made For Pleasure, has the usual mix of soul, jazz, funk, and even a bit…

Pop ’N Hiss: Alice Cooper’s Billion Dollar Babies

On The Money

February 4, 2024 · Bret Adams

Alice Cooper was on a steady upward trajectory when Billion Dollar Babies topped the Billboard chart for one week in…

Price’s highly modified Les Paul Jr. (shown here in ’77) has been his primary guitar for years.

Rod Price

Opens Up

February 6, 2020 · Willie G. Moseley

Part One It used to be that photos didn’t lie. But nowadays (as supermodels and tabloids have proven) that’s not…

TWA Hot Sakè and Dynamorph

Circuit City

April 23, 2019 · Pete Prown

Totally Wycked Audio (TWA) builds a line of cool stompboxes that consistently push the envelope in the right direction. Two…

Joe Louis Walker

Indisputable Cred

January 24, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

Joe Louis Walker has enjoyed a long and enviable career making artistically satisfying music while entertaining audiences all over the…

Lost Planet Airmen

Back from the Ozone

October 29, 2024 · Rich Kienzle

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen were true country-rock and Americana pioneers. Their unique, uncompromising brew of rockabilly, R&B,…

Dean Zelinsky Tagliare Z-Glide Custom

Dean Zelinsky Tagliare Z-Glide Custom

Future Tense

April 5, 2016 · Pete Prown

Every so often, a builder gives the art of guitar design a firm shove into the future. The Dean Zelinsky…

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Bohemian Boho Moonshine

In The Can

June 9, 2016 · Stephen Stone

Here at VG, we see all manner of guitars – those made out of steel, graphite, even animal shells. But…

Rick Holmstrom

See That Light

October 14, 2021 · Michael Dregni

After 13 years as soul/gospel/civil rights legend Mavis Staples’ guitarist and bandleader, Rick Holmstrom has earned the nickname from Staples’…

Cort Z44

Single-Cut Shuffle

March 1, 2014 · Pete Prown

Cort Z44 Price: $569 list/under $400 street Contact: cortguitars.com Just about everywhere you look these days, manufacturers are devising new…

Whitey Kirst

Life After Iggy

September 20, 2019 · Johnny Zapp

Whitey Kirst is known for smoldering lead-guitar tone and collaborating with punk-rock pioneer Iggy Pop. After four albums and hundreds…

VG Q&A: Parlor Mystery

Plus, a Pro’s List of Repair Glues

January 2, 2026 · Dan Erlewine

My neighbor has an old parlor guitar that he asked me to clean up after years in storage. Inside the…

Jake E. Lee

The Legend Returns

May 29, 2015 · Oscar Jordan

Jake E. Lee found fame replacing Randy Rhoads to co-write two of Ozzy Osborne’s most popular albums – Bark At…

Gretchen Menn

Abandon All Hope

April 18, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Every musician aspires to create music that will resonate through the ages and Abandon All Hope, by Zepparella guitarist Gretchen…

Tyler Morris and a 1953 Gibson Les Paul model

March 28, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Tyler Morris and a 1953 Gibson Les Paul model Tyler Morris showcases his 1953 Gibson Les Paul goldtop and GA-70…

Eric Ambel

Proficient Professional

December 26, 2017 · Dennis Pernu

Ace sideman (Joan Jett, Steve Earle), producer of note (Bottle Rockets, Nils Lofgren, Marshall Crenshaw), and proprietor of Brooklyn’s 24-track…

Dan’s Guitar RX: Restoring a Vintage Jazz Bass

Mashed Fender

June 4, 2022 · Dan Erlewine

The owner of a ’62 Jazz Bass recently sent it to my shop for repair and renovation. He’d bought it…

Strymon Iridium Amp & IR Cab

Model Citizen

March 4, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

It can be tough, living in the golden age of gear tech. Which piece of amazing equipment to get next?…

Friedman Plex

Mystique Maker

May 8, 2025 · Charlie Wilkins

Dave Friedman built his brand (and reputation) by making supercharged Marshall-inspired amps, and his latest hones in on one of…

Martin’s “12-Fret” 000-42

December 21, 2013 · George Gruhn

Martin has never been a stranger to producing certain guitars in very limited quantities. But just how rare is the…

Led Zeppelin

Zep On The Beeb

November 1, 2016 · Pete Prown

This three-CD set builds on an earlier reissue of Zep recordings for the BBC from 1969 and ’71, adding a…

Rob Wrobel Le Voyage Lace III

Boxed Up

July 10, 2019 · Chip Wilson

Cigar-box guitars are a 19th-century creation that today are enjoying a trendy surge in popularity, and attracting the design expertise…

Grant Geissman

Still Feeling Good

July 27, 2023 · Pete Prown

Admired for the iconic phase-shifter solo on Chuck Mangione’s 1978 smash “Feels So Good,” Grant Geissman can today look back…