• Super PickupGiveaway 2025

    Super PickupGiveaway 2025

    Win Big! 11 Sets! 11 Winners! Win a set of pickups from one of these sponsors: Deadline is March 15, 2026. Complete the survey below to enter giveaway. One entry…

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Jane Getter

Jazz-Rock Premonitions

March 2, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Jane Getter’s Anomalia is a mostly instrumental album that traverses the hypnotic seas of jazz-rock, with lyrics. A fusion of…

ESP GL-56

Is it Really Vintage?

March 15, 2012 · Pete Prown

Like the “aged” guitars crafted by Fender and Gibson, this ESP solidbody looks like an ancient road warrior, one that’s…

Vox/Thomas Organ V-14 Super Beatle

Solid Sound

September 20, 2023 · Dave Hunter

After producing some of the most-iconic guitar amplifiers of the early 1960s, Vox leaned unwittingly into a failing technology –…

The Voxmobile

Too Fast to Live, Too Cool to Die

March 22, 2018 · Dave Hunter

Free love, slick guitars, hot cars! Few pieces of late-’60s pop culture were anywhere near as hip and groovy as…

The Pedulla Buzz Bass

Fast and Fretless

September 23, 2019 · Willie G. Moseley

Introduced in 1980, the M.V. Pedulla Buzz Bass is one of the most-enduring examples of an upscale model offered fretless.…

Last ’Burst?

Single-Cut Saga From the End of an Era

April 24, 2019 · Ward Meeker

Certain instruments are nearly as famous as the heroes who play them – we know them as Blackie, Lucille, Greeny,…

  • Carr Skylark Special 1×12

    Carr Skylark Special 1×12

    Take Flight

    Arriving a little more than 10 years after the original Skylark, Carr Amplifiers’ new Skylark Special adds versatility and enhanced tonal depths to squeeze a lot more into this diminutive…

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ARTISTS

Tom Keifer

Thick and Thin

February 10, 2014 · Ward Meeker

Tom Keifer is a tad young to be on the (very) long list of musicians inspired first and foremost by…

Billy Mure

Supersonic Guitarist Remembered

February 29, 2016 · Dan Forte

Guitar great Billy Mure (born November 4, 1915) passed away September 25, at the age of 97. He last performed…

Pop ’N Hiss: Vanilla Fudge’s Near The Beginning

Proto-Prog Tour De Force

February 4, 2022 · Willie G. Moseley

Rock fans recall the New York quartet Vanilla Fudge for its dramatic reworkings of pop hits; the band melded classical…

The Manakooras

Tiki Twang

June 7, 2023 · Pete Prown

Call it exotica or tiki twang, but the Manakooras play tropical instro that evokes visions of dreamy Pacific islands. Led…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Burke Guitar

Axe That Time Forgot

June 15, 2023 · Ward Meeker

For more than 70 years, aluminum has been a component in guitar construction. Exactly whose idea it was originally has…

Classics: June 2022

David Hood’s Alembic Bass

February 8, 2023 · Ward Meeker

Like the engineers and musicians who, in the ’60s and ’70s, helped create legendary songs at FAME Studios and its…

The ’66 Vox UL 730

Beatle Juice

April 14, 2020 · Dave Hunter

Despite the massive lust for early “copper-panel” Vox AC30 and AC15 amplifiers, one JMI-made line is far rarer – the…

Recording Acoustic Guitars

The Art of Home Recording

April 24, 2017 · Dave Hunter

Recording an acoustic guitar is very different from recording an electric, employing different microphones, placement, and technique. Here are a…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Meris LVX Delay

Next-Gen Echo

September 17, 2024 · Pete Prown

Designed for guitarists drawn to effects with a simple, straightforward interface, Meris LVX Modular Delay System is an attention-getter. Perfect…

Frenzel FM-DP1 Tube Preamp

Old-School Bang Without Breaking the Bank

September 20, 2013 · Sean OBryan Smith

For five decades after he built his first guitar amp in 1952, Jim Frenzel designed tube and solidstate equipment for…

EarthQuaker Devices Ledges

’Verb Voyage

September 17, 2024 · Pete Prown

Billed as a Tri-Dimensional Reverberation Machine, the Earthquaker Ledges boasts a user-friendly interface with no menus or deep MIDI commands…

Echopark Ghetto Bird

Sweet Emotion

February 3, 2014 · Pete Prown

Echopark Ghetto Bird Price: $6,800 (as reviewed) Contact: www.echoparkguitars.com You know you’re holding something special when the guy who previously…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Matchless DC-30

Matchless DC-30

February 22, 2016 · Dave Hunter

Preamp Tubes: One EF86, three 12AX7s (one for PI) Output Tubes: Four EL84s in class A, cathode-bias. Rectifier: GZ34 Controls:…

Joanna Connor

Joanna Connor

Going Viral

February 5, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Her overnight success was decades in the making, but a video gone viral of a jaw-dropping slide guitar performance at…

Fishman’s Fluence Greg Koch Gristle-Tone P90

A Quiet Place

June 15, 2022 · Pete Prown

With the miracle of micro-electronics, you can pack a massive amount of tone into a tight space. Case in point:…

Coppock Guitars

Vintage Rarities from the Pacific Northwest

June 3, 2023 · Peter Blecha

The obscure Coppock brand of electric guitars first surfaced in 1994, with the publication of Electric Guitars & Basses: A…

Cory Wong

Emperor Of The North

October 11, 2021 · Oscar Jordan

Cory Wong’s latest solo album, Striped, is a jubilant record and his eighth this year. Defying the temperature of the…

Earthquaker Devices Sea Machine

Earthquaker Devices Sea Machine

Chorus of Praise

April 6, 2016 · Max Prown

Earthquaker Devices Sea Machine Price: $215 Contact: www.earthquakerdevices.com Known primarily for its monstrous distortion and fuzz units, the folks at…

 Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai

Bass Convergence

November 7, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

Recorded at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on their 2024 U.S. tour, G3 Reunion Live reunites the virtuosos who…

Eastwood’s SD-40 Hound Dog and Classic AC

April 23, 2019 · Pete Prown

Subjective as it is, the term “mojo” usually refers to gear that’s been played-in over the years. Eastwood tries to…

Martin 00-28 Modern Deluxe

Contemporary Vintage

June 29, 2023 · Pete Prown

Not every acoustic needs to blow the walls out with volume and projection; there are critical styles of guitar that…

Eric Clapton

Still Slowhand

August 2, 2016 · Michael Dregni

There’s a lot of looking back going on here. For his 23rd solo album, Eric Clapton reunites with producer Glyn…

GIBSON-F2-2-HOME-MAIN-BIG

1905 Gibson F-2

February 26, 2016 · George Gruhn

In the opinion of most American mandolinists, Gibson brought mandolin design to a level of perfection in 1922, with the…

Dusty Hill

1949-2021

June 1, 2022 · Dan Forte

It didn’t take long for testimonials to pour in to VG following the death of ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill.…

Burton, Garrett, Lee, and Wilcox Join Forces

Burton, Garrett, Lee, and Wilcox Join Forces

Telecaster Summit

February 12, 2016 · Dan Forte

For guitar lovers and roots-music fans, the place to be in July ’13 was British Columbia. The Vancouver Island MusicFest…

Martin 000-30

December 23, 2009 · George Gruhn

When a guitar maker introduces an innovative new feature at the same time an appealing, existing feature is being discontinued,…

Golden Age Pre-73 MkIII, Ear Trumpet Edwina, and Avantone CR-14

The Front End

July 5, 2018 · Pete Prown

Strike up a conversation with anyone who records music and they’ll talk your ear off about mics and preamps. If…

The City of Guitars

Git-Shopping in Paris

July 9, 2019 · Michael Dregni

On your way to Paris for a romantic getaway? Wanting to see the sights in the City of Light? Then…

Joni Mitchell

Archives – Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971)

July 13, 2022 · Pete Prown

A year ago, Mitchell unearthed a batch of rare ’60s recordings called Archives – Vol. 1 and, boxed separately, remasters…

Lipe Guitars Maestro

Lipe Guitars Maestro

Whole Lotta Mahogany

February 2, 2015 · Zac Childs

Lipe Maestro Price: $4,900 Contact: lipeguitars.com; phone (818) 352-6212 Mike Lipe has a wall of gold records. Why? Not because…

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…

Bill Nelson

Brit-Guitar Deluxe

April 14, 2020 · Pete Prown

Bill Nelson is one of the unsung heroes of British rock guitar. From his ’70s work with Be Bop Deluxe…

Steve Turner

The March To Fuzz

April 29, 2024 · Dennis Pernu

Thirty-five years after Steve Turner and Mudhoney became forever linked with two legendary pedals by coining their debut EP Superfuzz…

EarthQuaker Devices’ Space Spiral Modulated Delay

Will You Repeat That?

March 13, 2019 · Chip Wilson

One particularly well-worn joke about playing a bad note advises you to play it twice so folks will think you…

King, Landon Visit the Delta

Bucket (List) Full ’O Blues

April 25, 2019 · Willie G. Moseley

Five decades after their bands first charted with hit singles, two guitar legends recently reunited for a sojourn to the…

Kevin Keaton’s 1958 Esquire

Swamp Thing

June 17, 2022 · Ward Meeker

June 10, 2020, was a summer night like most in the life of Kevin Keaton, a postal mail carrier and…

Gilby Clarke - Grit & Glory

Grit & Glory

Gilby Clarke and His Guitars

May 9, 2016 · Ward Meeker

The drive to succeed – along with certain workaholic tendencies – revealed themselves early in rock guitarist Gilby Clarke. On…

Xotic XW-1 LPB Limited Edition

Small Wonder

June 12, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Wah pedals come in a variety of sizes and textures, so finding one that checks all the boxes can be…

Alvino Rey’s 1936 Gibson mini guitar Vintage Guitar magazine Home Main Big

Alvino Rey’s “Mini” Gibsons

April 20, 2016 · Lynn Wheelwright

Alvino Rey’s 1936 Gibson mini guitar. From its beginnings, Gibson has built custom orders and unique instruments for specific artists,…

1971 Dumble Special 16 #0001

Prehistoric Beast

December 6, 2022 · Dave Hunter

1971 Dumble Special 16 • Preamp tubes: three 12AX7 • Output tubes: eight 6L6GC (most likely) • Rectifier: solid-state •…

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…