Trending Now
Trending Now
Love the simplicity and warmth of analog in your effects? Well, meet Boss’ new Delay Machine DM-101, housed in a chassis that echoes their very first delay (the late-’70s DM-1) and with eight BBD chips in a 100-percent analog signal path. Yes, DM-101 has digital brain that helps organize things and saves 12 presets, but […]
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Groundhogs leader Tony “T.S.” McPhee ranked with the greatest British blues guitarists, whether solo acoustic or ensemble electric, slide or fretted. He died June 6 at 79. McPhee’s ability to tap into authentic blues and venture beyond its confines was remarkable. “Tony played with his fingers on a cherry red Gibson SG, and his ability […]
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Artists
Aldo Nova’s 2022 “Paradise”
Rock legend’s thunderous return Forty years after “Fantasy,” Canadian rock legend Aldo Nova has returned with two new projects. One is a semi-autobiographical rock opera called “The Life and Times of Eddie Gage.” Here, he and his modded Les Paul Standard tear it up on a fresh version of his renowned instrumental, “Paradise,” from “Aldo […]
Artists
Dave Stryker
Fits To a T
The latest project from jazz guitarist Dave Stryker, Messin’ With Mister T, is a tribute to late saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, with whom Stryker played for more than a decade. A project long on his mind to do, Stryker said the success of his 2014 album, Eight Track, inspired him to follow with “something special.” “I […]
Music
Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Year
After the Clash, Saint Joe Strummer (to borrow the beatification endowed by The Hold Steady) spent some years in the wilderness. His first full solo album, 1989’s Earthquake Weather, didn’t sell well despite being a fine (if undersung) work. It was 10 more years of searching before he struck it right with the Mescaleros. The […]
Artists
Shawn Starski
His Own Blues
After spending nearly a decade with harp ace Jason Ricci, guitarist Shawn Starski has stepped out with a self-titled album that establishes him as a triple threat, not simply a guitar ace. It’s a position he’s not altogether comfortable with, mostly because, prior to composing its songs, Starski had never written lyrics. “I wrote a […]
Artists
Fretprints: Paul Simon
Postmodern Troubadour: The Simon & Garfunkel Years
Troubadours – poet/musicians active in Europe in the 12th and 13th centuries, played a defining role in Western civilization. The original singer/songwriters, their trade was telling stories of popular culture and courtly romance, some intellectual and heady, others humorous and bawdy, accompanied by simple monophonic music. The dictionary further defines troubadour as “a wandering minstrel,” […]
VG Approved Gear
Jon Kammerer Guitars’ Pegasus
This Horse Has Wings
Jon Kammerer Guitars’ Pegasus Price: $2,300 (list) Contact: www.jonkammerercustoms.com Anyone who has ever plugged an acoustic guitar into an amp or PA is well-acquainted with the bone-crushing howl of hollowbody feedback. It’s not a happy sound. And in a live setting, it can be almost impossible to dial in enough volume to sit in the […]
VG Approved Gear
Fender Twin & Deluxe
Fender’s ’57 Twin Amp and ’57 Deluxe - Tweed for Two
Fender “tweed” guitar amplifiers – the Twin, Deluxe, Bassman, Champ, etc., from the 1950s – are the most sought after amps in the annals of guitardom. Whether it is Leo’s legendary circuit design, their tweed covering, top-mounted controls, or just killer tone, the “tweed” amp is a true industry standard that has been copied, reissued, […]
Artists
Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda
The Un-Twisted Tale of Stay Hungry
Step back with us, please, to 1984; Paul McCartney gets dinged for possession of cannibis in Barbados, Carl Lewis collects four Olympic gold medals, Geraldine Ferraro becomes the first woman to receive a major-party nomination for Vice President, and late that spring, glam-rockers Twisted Sister released their watershed album, Stay Hungry. The band had been […]
Classic Instruments
Danelectro’s Four-String Basses
The guitars and basses made by Danelectro in the ’60s epitomized “no frills.” And though they were considered the nadir of American-made electric instruments of their time, many a babyboomer cut their musical teeth on one. The construction of most “classic” Danelectro-made guitars and basses – whether they were branded as Danelectro or the more-popular […]
Artists
Isaiah Mitchell
Crowe’s Feat
When not playing with the Black Crowes, guitarist Isaiah Mitchell works with Earthless, a power trio that just released Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. With just three tracks – each running about 20 minutes – the band delves into every nook and cranny of molten psychedelia, leaving room for Mitchell to blaze. It’s great […]
Classic Instruments
Custom-Order Gibson B-45-12
The term “rare” is applied to guitars in far too many instances. Usually an appealing term, its overuse can be attributed in part to the fact it’s particularly catchy to the eye of anyone fond of a collectible vintage instrument. The subject here this month, however, is truly deserving of the label. A custom-order Gibson […]
Music
Hound Dog Taylor, Son Seals, and Others
Alligator Records 40th Anniversary Collection
“I’m A Woman” sings Koko Taylor in her face-smacking distaff take on Bo Diddley’s “I’m A Man” to open this collection of Alligator’s best, past and present. Telecaster god Albert Collins follows with “I Ain’t Drunk,” a joyous ode to intoxication chased by feverish, industrial-strength slide guitar on “Strange Feeling” from Michael Burks, a bluesman […]
Classic Instruments
Horses of Another Color
1) This ’57, from batch 253xx, has the added intrigue of a gold G-cutout tailpiece in place of the Bigsby vibrato. In addition to the standard Amber Red stain on the 6120, the Bigsby was requisite on the Atkins-endorsed models. Having a 6120 that lacks both the finish and the vibrato seem to constitute heresy! […]
Artists
Nancy Wilson
Sister Act
After the release of the acclaimed Red Velvet Car in 2010, sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson and their band, Heart, could have rested on their laurels. Instead, the sisters went straight to work with producer Ben Mink on a set of songs that flowed from the collaboration. Where Nancy’s guitar contributions on Red Velvet Car […]
Classic Instruments
The Norma EG 470-2 Deluxe
Everyone of a certain age – and no doubt some younger folks – remembers the sage career advice given young Benjamin Braddock in the classic film The Graduate: “Plastics.” In 1967, such wisdom was humorous because young people knew business was full of “plastic people” in suits. So, it’s especially ironic that someone of a […]
Classic Instruments
Maestro GA-45T
AMP-O-RAMA
Until just a couple years ago, Fender really was the only major name in collectible vintage American-made tube guitar amplifiers. Sure, Magnatone, Standel, Danelectro/Silvertone, Supro and the other Valco-made amps have their followers, and dealers have always been fond of selling a vintage Gibson or Gretsch guitar in a set with its corresponding amp. But […]
Artists
Joel Shapira
Solo Flight
Guitarist Joel Shapira has released a string of fine recordings, but his latest, In Essence, is his first stab at solo guitar. While the concept has been percolating in his mind for quite some time, it was spurred into existence by a meeting with Greg Schutte, who engineered, mixed, and mastered the record. “I knew […]