• 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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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…

Zemaitis GZ-3200DF

One For the Rest of Us

February 24, 2010 · Bob Tekippe

Looking to score one of those legendary guitars made by the late British luthier Tony Zemaitis? Yeah, so are we.…

Dan’s Guitar RX: Creating the Iris DE-11

Something New From Something Old

September 8, 2022 · Dan Erlewine

In last month’s “Approved Gear,” VG reviewed the Iris Guitar Company DE-11. If you missed it, I’d suggest you grab…

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Live In London

October 8, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

In a world where Red Bull-injected athletes have hijacked blues guitar, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram is a welcome return to feel,…

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…

BluGuitar Amp1

Tiny Tube Terror

July 10, 2019 · Pete Prown

The trend toward the miniaturization of guitar gear shows no signs of slowing. Thanks to modern technology, guitarists are fitting…

  • 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

Eddie Clarke 1950-2018

November 25, 2013 · Oscar Jordan

We’re saddened to hear of the passing of “Fast Eddie” Clarke, guitarist in the classic lineup of Motörhead with Lemmy…

Tyler Morris

Tyler Morris – Eleanor Rigby

February 12, 2019 · Doug Yellow Bird

In this series, Tyler Morris will perform music that inspires him, in a laid-back context using just a guitar and…

Jimmy Vivino

Showtime!

December 6, 2013 · Ward Meeker

Growing up in New Jersey, Jimmy Vivino was in many ways a typical Italian-American kid. His life centered around family…

Marty Stuart

A Country-Music Odyssey

December 16, 2023 · Dan Forte

Marty Stuart’s life is the stuff of movies. Just nine years old when he started singing and playing guitar in…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

The Ray Butts EchoSonic

April 29, 2021 · Dave Hunter

If you want to talk star-user ratio, the Ray Butts EchoSonic is near the top of the heap. Most accounts…

Martin 000-18HS

The Martin 000-18HS

September 3, 2015 · George Gruhn

According to Martin company records and research by late Martin Historian Mike Longworth, Cable Piano Company, in Atlanta, special-ordered at…

Martin 00-18

August 8, 2014 · John Pearse

They were days, before Kent State, when everywhere you looked, kids sat under trees, singin’ songs and swappin’ licks. Fresh-faced…

Mel Bay D’Aquisto

Teacher’s Aid

March 28, 2019 · George Gruhn

Melbourne “Mel” Bay (1913-1997) began his musical career at the age of 13 in his hometown of Bunker, Missouri. Largely…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Fender Twin & Deluxe

Fender’s ’57 Twin Amp and ’57 Deluxe – Tweed for Two

September 16, 2013 · Phil Feser

Fender “tweed” guitar amplifiers – the Twin, Deluxe, Bassman, Champ, etc., from the 1950s – are the most sought after…

Fender’s 60th Anniversary Jazz Bass

Golden-Era Glory

February 7, 2022 · Michael Shirek

Though it looks to be straight from a ’60s catalog, Fender’s 60th Anniversary Jazz Bass isn’t a true reissue. Rather,…

Roland V-Studio 20

The Roland V-Studio 20

January 13, 2014 · Pete Prown

Roland V-Studio 20 Price: $300 (street) Info: www.rolandus.com. Home digital recording has come a long way in the last 20…

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…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

GA-20 blends R&B, Blues, Hendrix, and much more

December 21, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

VG Exclusive “Dry Run” GA-20 blends influences from Hendrix to the guitar Kings to East Coast Family cassettes. Here, Matt…

Steve Carr

Twenty-Five Years of Tonemaking

August 7, 2024 · Ward Meeker

In the mid ’90s, Steve Carr was a guitarist playing weekends and working weeknights as a waiter in a swank…

King Snake Three Bone

Latter-Day “Legend”

February 9, 2023 · Michael Dregni

Gibson’s ES-5 is a legend, but it’s also a bit idiosyncratic thanks to funky out-of-phase pickups and a non-intuitive control…

Home Feature Image

Top 50 Guitar Songs of the ’60s

May 25, 2015 · Vintage Guitar

Data and info compiled by Alan Greenwood and Ward Meeker Vintage Guitar marked 25 years of publication with a year…

Blood, Sweat & Tears

What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?

April 24, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

In 1970, Blood, Sweat & Tears was one of the most popular bands on Earth. The Woodstock headliner’s second album…

The Peoples’ Guitar

Gibson’s Depression-Era Exports

July 10, 2017 · L.B. Fred

Many aren’t aware that some of the archtop guitars Gibson produced during the Depression were marketed under different brand names,…

Gibson’s Experimental Archtop

April 6, 2023 · George Gruhn and Walter Carter

Orville Gibson invented the carved-top guitar in the 1890s. The Gibson company refined the design with the addition of f-holes…

Mick Abrahams

This Was (And Still Is…)

November 30, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

British guitarist Mick Abrahams is best remembered for his work on Jethro Tull’s first album, This Was, followed by a…

Jeff Plankenhorn

New Innovations For Lap Steel

December 26, 2017 · Willie G. Moseley

Jeff Plankenhorn has always made music his way, using stringed instruments he created. He picked up guitar at age 10,…

John Pizzarelli

Better Days

June 10, 2022 · Pete Prown

In just over a one-week period in April of 2020, John Pizzarelli turned 60, lost his father (famed jazz guitarist…

Martin Style 000-28K

February 13, 2023 · George Gruhn

During the 1920s and ’30s, Martin made a considerable number of guitars with bodies constructed of Hawaiian Koa wood. The…

Larry Coryell

1943-2017

March 27, 2019 · Vintage Guitar

Guitarist Larry Coryell died February 19 in New York City after performing the previous night at the Iridium. He was…

Al Di Meola

Still Elegant

October 8, 2019 · Pete Prown

For close to 45 years, Al Di Meola’s career has brimmed with guitar virtuosity, taking him from red-hot fusion to…

Magnatone X-5 Zephyr

Last Gasp

June 14, 2023 · Michael Wright

Ever since Lonnie Mack unleashed The Wham of That Memphis Man and Buddy Holly sang “Peggy Sue,” Magnatone amplifiers have…

The Band

March 6, 2014 · Michael Dregni

The Band’s double-LP Rock of Ages was released in August 1972, their first live collection – as well as their…

Line 6 Catalyst 100

Natural Vibe

April 4, 2023 · Pete Prown

The latest array of amp modelers from Line 6 – pioneers in the field – is the Catalyst, in 60-,…

Epiphone Zenith Fretted and Fretless Bass

New Groove Territory

March 3, 2014 · Sean OBryan Smith

For decades, guitar players have known the name Epiphone. Renowned for making great-sounding jazz boxes like the Zephyr and Emperor…

AXL USA Hand-Aged Bulldog

Bark and Bite

April 16, 2014 · Chip Wilson

AXL USA Hand-Aged Bulldog Price: $699.99 (street) Contact: www.axlguitars.com Unabashedly inspired by the classic Les Paul Junior, AXL Guitars’ limited-edition…

The Martin OM-28

January 7, 2025 · George Gruhn and Walter Carter

Although popular music of the 1920s featured the tenor banjo as the preferred rhythm instrument, the guitar’s popularity rose steadily…

dunlop slash Way Vintage Guitar magazine

MXR Slash Octave Fuzz SF01/Slash Cry Baby Classic SC-95

Slash ’N Burn

December 9, 2013 · Erik Elkins

MXR SF01 Slash Octave Fuzz Price: $129 (street) Contact: www.jimdunlop.com Slash Cry Baby Classic SC95 Wah Price: $129 (street) Contact:…

Martin’s Gibson

April 28, 2021 · Ward Meeker

Greg Martin’s infatuation with the sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard started in 1966, when, “I saw the picture of John…

Nancy Wright

December 9, 2016 · Dan Forte

The ubiquitous saxophonist of the San Francisco blues scene for 30 years, Nancy Wright finally stepped to the fore and…

Good Times In Bad

The Origin of Fender’s Vintage Series

December 4, 2023 · Ward Meeker

The years leading up to CBS Musical Instruments’ 1985 sale of the Fender brand were fluid times at the instrument…

Worland Prairie

Built For Speed

June 22, 2015 · Dennis Pernu

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…

Dean DeLeo and Tom Bukovac unite on the trip the witch

Cosmic Convergence

September 9, 2022 · Ward Meeker

At a glance, there’s little reason to connect a guitarist like Dean DeLeo to one like Tom Bukovac. One is…

Tech 21’s Boost Series Pedals

The Way Up

December 6, 2013 · Max Prown

Tech 21 Boost Pedals Price: $149 each, street Contact: www.tech21nyc.com Tech 21’s new Boost Series of fuzz, overdrive, and distortion…

John Entwistle

John Entwistle 1944-2002

September 7, 2015 · Vintage Guitar

John Entwistle Ode to the Ox 1944-2002 By Ward Meeker Pop music lovers – especially those with an ear tuned…

Various Artists

Bill Frisell and Thomas Morgan and Dominic Miller

June 27, 2017 · Pete Prown

Bill Frisell is a living jazz icon, famed for his ethereal tone and snaking post-bop lines. Here, he partners with…

Vibesware Guitar Resonator GR-Junior II

Vibesware Guitar Resonator GR-Junior II

Sustain For Days

February 12, 2016 · Pete Prown

Vibesware Guitar Resonator GR-Junior II Price: $175 (list, depending on exchange rate) Contact: www.vibesware.com In the beginning, there was the…