Full Dozen, Semi-Hollow

12 Variations on a Classic Design

December 2, 2016 · Vintage Guitar

To complement our February 2016 issue survey of the semi-hollow electric guitar, we tested 12 examples of the form as…

Analog Man Bi-Comprossor

Analog Man Bi-Comprossor

Fresh-Squeezed Sounds

October 24, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

Analog Man Bi-Comprossor Price: $275 Info: www.analogman.com Mike Piera, a.k.a. Analog Man, is known for creating pedals with a vintage…

Not Done Yet

Eric Clapton

September 5, 2025 · Pete Prown

Nearly 60 years after “For Your Love” – the hit that prompted him to leave the Yardbirds – Clapton can…

One Unforgettable ’60s-Oddity Magnatone

Monster Mash

July 2, 2019 · Dave Hunter

Drew Moniot and his band, The Sequins, were on top of the world, playing Gibson SGs through endorsement-deal amp stacks…

Charlie Parr

A Muse From Olden Times

November 28, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Charlie Parr makes new music from olden times. And he makes it the old way – not only using just…

The Winfield Dust Devil

Devil’s In The Details

March 15, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Unlike most amp builders who take up the challenge to create amplifiers that replicate the sounds of the 1960s, Winfield…

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ARTISTS

Tracy G

Dio Disciple

July 9, 2019 · Greg Prato

Ronnie James Dio had a knack for collaborating with talented guitarists – Ritchie Blackmore in Rainbow, Tony Iommi in Black…

Have Guitar Will Travel 087 – Rhys Lewis and Chase Mitchell

May 10, 2023 · James Patrick Regan

HGWT episode 87 has host James Patrick Regan speaking with singer/songwriters Rhys Lewis and Chase Mitchell. Rhys grew up in…

Ryan McKay

Swingin’ Jazz Cat

March 11, 2019 · Johnny Zapp

After five records with his glam-rock-inspired band Crash Street Kids, guitarist Ryan McKay has settled in with Louis Prima, Jr.…

Ron Wood

Stone Solo

April 7, 2015 · Elliot Stephen Cohen

“I’ve always wanted to rock,” gushes 63-year-old Ron Wood, whose journey from the shy 10-year-old washboard player in older brother…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Boggs' Quad

Boggs’ Quad

Four-neck Fender From a Friend

May 3, 2016 · Ward Meeker

Noted in musical history as one of the players who pushed the steel guitar beyond Hawaiian music to more-complex chording…

Metropolitan Tanglewood

A Rare Modern Map

January 25, 2006 · Willie G. Moseley

Many guitar aficionados are aware of the instruments proffered by Houston’s Alamo Music. The Texas manufacturer has created unique low-end…

The (Way) Back Beat: Top O’ The Line, For Only $150!

The Immortal Danelectro Guitarlin

December 10, 2024 · Peter Stuart Kohman

Having looked at the most expensive electric guitars offered in 1960s – over 50 years ago. Traditional makers – Gibson,…

David Hamburger: masterful playing, 00-18 deep dive

July 26, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

David Hamburger and his ’56 00-18 Singer/songwriter David Hamburger is also an impressive fingerstyle player who knows a great guitar…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Michael Kelly 1957

Michael Kelly 1957

Bargain Boutique

August 26, 2015 · Chip Wilson

Michael Kelly 1957 Price: $875 (list) Contact: www.michaelkellyguitars.com Michael Kelly Guitars has steadily gained a reputation for offering big bang…

Harmony H650

Beautiful Ambiance

November 10, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Since 1892, the Harmony moniker has graced a lot of instruments, from archtops to violins. Today, it’s enjoying a renaissance,…

Novax Sweet Annie

Silver Anniversary

November 29, 2016 · Chip Wilson

Remember chuckling at the Rick 481 slant-fret guitar? Or wondering about those fret intervals on Joni Mitchell’s dulcimer, or the…

The Iris Guitar Dan Erlewine DE-11

Renaissance Reimagined

July 28, 2022 · Michael Shirek

Among the famous names in American guitar lore is Dan Erlewine – guitarist, builder, VG columnist and editorial consultant, and…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Victoria Silver Sonic

Victoria Silver Sonic

Sonic Intoxication

March 1, 2014 · Phil Feser

For nearly 20 years, Victoria Amplifier Company has been making head-turning retro-styled amps. Mark Baier and his crew recently introduced…

Colby Amplification Park 45

Colby Amplification Park 45

Put It Here

January 26, 2016 · Chip Wilson

Colby Amplification Park 45 Price: $2,500 (list) Contact: www.colbyamps.com There are legends that gear fanatics all know, and then there…

Analog Man BC183 Sun Face

Here Comes the (Black Hole) Sun

April 15, 2014 · Oscar Jordan

Analog Man BC183 Sun Face Price: $185 Contact: www.analogman.com Mike Piera has been building his line of stomp boxes bearing…

Tom Guerra

Tom Guerra

Rock and Roll Swagger

January 24, 2015 · Pete Prown

After 15 years and four albums with Connecticut trio Mambo Sons, Tom Guerra just released his first solo album, All…

Hilary Gardner returns with a fresh take on a holiday classic!

December 24, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Hilary Gardner returns! Ready to set the tone for your holidays, Hilary Gardner and her band return for a fantastic…

Fretprints: Jeff Beck

The JBG: Birth of Heavy Metal?

November 16, 2023 · Wolf Marshall

The proverbial chicken-or-egg conundrum has an equivalent in the spirited debate over the Jeff Beck Group versus Led Zeppelin as…

Yamaha SA-15

May 27, 2025 · Michael Wright

Our perception of Japanese guitars has evolved slowly. At one point, they were cheap toys, at other times imperfect copies,…

Pop ’N Hiss: Prince’s 1999

Music, Sex, and The New World Order

January 31, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

1981, the world was enveloped in the Cold War, with its nuclear weapons, Reaganomics, and uncertainty. Prince Rogers Nelson had…

EHX Slap-Back Echo

Alright, Mama

January 18, 2024 · Pete Prown

Unlike the vast echoes of modern delays, the original “slap back” tone of the 1950s was a short delay that…

Metallica

72 Seasons

March 16, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

Metallica’s 11th album is a blast from the band’s hard-charging past, and does not disappoint. As the follow-up to 2016’s…

Pop ’N Hiss: The Black Crowes’ Shake Your Money Maker

Hard To Handle

August 21, 2024 · Pete Prown

At the dawn of the ’90s, rock and roll was not in a good place. MTV had spurred a craze…

Goodtone Roadrage PD, Mad Professor Golden Cello

Secret Weapons

October 21, 2014 · Tom Guerra

Goodtone Roadrage PD, Mad Professor Golden Cello Price: $155 Info: www.goodtone.com. Goodtone Amps builder Norm Matthews has a rep for…

Paul Hartmann Custom Manhattan

The Paul Hartmann Custom Manhattan

Not Your Granddaddy’s Semi-Hollow

September 1, 2015 · Pete Prown

The Paul Hartmann Custom Manhattan Price: $3,895 as tested Contact: www.phguitars.com Luthier Paul Hartmann’s Custom Manhattan is a classic semi-hollowbody,…

Megan Lovell’s New Lap Steel

Slide Sub

September 25, 2023 · Ward Meeker

In the summer of 2021, Megan Lovell decided enough was enough of her vintage Rickenbacker Model B. While she loved…

Weller Guitars’ Stageliner

Jetson Moderne

November 29, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

More and more, guitar designers are digging deep, thinking out of the box, and using their imaginations to conjure hip,…

Jimi Hendrix Experience

Hollywood Bowl: August 18, 1967

October 8, 2024 · Pete Prown

 Imagine a Jimi Hendrix Experience concert where the audience actually disliked the band. That’s the scenario here, a secretly recorded…

Durham Electronics’ ReddVerb

Durham Electronics’ ReddVerb

’Verb, Extra Saucy

March 22, 2016 · Michael Dregni

Durham Electronics’ ReddVerb Price: $219 (list) Info: www.durhamelectronics.com Take it from Redd Volkaert; good reverb is hard to find. And…

GIFFIN VITKA

Giffin Vikta

Feelin’ Special

March 20, 2014 · Pete Prown

Giffin Vikta Price: $2,295 Contact: premierbuildersguild.com. Roger Giffin is a guitarmaker to the stars, having built for Eric Clapton, Pete…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 030 Featuring Lzzy Hale

July 7, 2020 · James Patrick Regan

Episode 30 of James Patrick Regan’s “Have Guitar Will Travel” podcast features Halestorm co-founder Lzzy Hale. They delve into the…

Mike Rutherford

Mike Rutherford

Re-Living The Years

January 4, 2016 · Bret Adams

Mike Rutherford prefers focusing on the future, even if recent projects have required the guitarist/bassist to think about life. Late…

Marshall JMP50 “Plexi”

April 28, 2020 · Dave Hunter

Kids wanna rock? Plug into your plexi and bow to the mighty crunch. Marshall amps of the company’s first 10…

Guild’s Orpheum Slope Shoulder 14-Fret Rosewood Dreadnought

Guild’s Orpheum Slope Shoulder 14-Fret Rosewood Dreadnought

Reviving the ’30s

October 24, 2014 · Steven Stone

Guild’s Orpheum Slope Shoulder 14-Fret Rosewood Dreadnought Price: $4,999 (list); $3,799 (street) Info: www.guildguitars.com. Compared to Martin’s longstanding factory location…

Robben Ford

Made To Last

July 5, 2018 · Oscar Jordan

When Robben Ford approaches traditional blues, he takes ownership, transporting it to new places. This latest five-song EP is no…

Hull Amplifiers’ Model H5

Hull Amplifiers’ Model H5

Pretty, Stunning

January 20, 2016 · Ray Wuolo

Hull Amplifiers’ Model H5 Price: $3,199 (list) Contact: www.hullamps.blogspot.com A beat-up ol’ blackface amp can be a thing of beauty,…

Ty Tabor’s Six-String Meditation!

June 29, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

King’s X Guitarists’s solo work is mindful, complex Ty Tabor used his Player Strat (with a JB Jr. pickup at…

Derek St. Holmes

Nuge Redux

January 7, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

Singer/guitarist Derek St. Holmes’ relationship with guitarist Ted Nugent has had its ups and downs. The two have been associated…

Headway EDB-2 Equalizer Direct Blend Preamp Home Main

Headway EDB-2 Equalizer Direct Blend Preamp

Make Way

July 18, 2014 · Steven Stone

Headway EDB-2 Equalizer Direct Blend Preamp Price: $475 (retail)/$320 (street) Info: www.headwaymusicaudio.com. Designed in England and manufactured in Korea, the…

Rory Gallagher’s Photo-Finish

Legend’s Best

October 13, 2021 · Tom Guerra

The year 1977 saw upheaval in rock and roll, from the death of Elvis Presley and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s plane crash…

The KW Cabs ST-220T SSB

Who Woodn’t?

March 7, 2022 · Tom Guerra

Like you, Kurt Wyberanec knows that good extension cabinets, like acoustic guitars, serve their player as resonant sound chambers. Those…