The Return of Slash and The Conspirators

4 From the Floor

December 6, 2022 · Ward Meeker

In the weeks before they gathered to record a new album in the spring of 2021, guitar legend Slash, frontman/songwriter…

Siegmund Midnight Special

Siegmund Midnight Special

Tried ’N True, Twisted

April 22, 2016 · Tom Guerra

Siegmund Midnight Special Price: $1,895 (list, as tested) Contact: www.siegmundguitars.com Driven by a quest for preserving the original tonal qualities…

EHX J Mascis Ram’s Head Big Muff Pi

Always On

July 28, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

When Electro-Harmonix heard that guitarist J Mascis’ prized Deluxe Big Muff Pi was stolen years ago, they decided to make…

Phantom Guitarworks’ Teardrop

Droppin’ In On The ’60s

January 25, 2017 · Rich Maloof

Phantom Guitarworks is dedicated to producing odd-shaped guitars based on designs introduced in the early 1960s like the Vox Mark…

Naia Izumi

Intuitive Artistry

August 1, 2022 · Pete Prown

It’s difficult to pigeonhole the music of Naia Izumi, a singer/songwriter who’s also one of the most uncanny guitarists around.…

Tsakalis Experience, Emma ON-1 Okto-Nøjs, and Mad Professor Twimble

World Sounds

July 3, 2019 · Pete Prown

It seems that every other stompbox on the market has dual-footswitch functionality, packing two entirely different circuits into one housing.…

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ARTISTS

Andrew Synowiec’s Ebullient Tonefest

January 5, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Uplifting Instrumental Rock! Check out Andrew Synowiec and his Heritage Custom Core H-150 P90 ripping through a chunk of “Lead…

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…

Alan Sparhawk

Lowdown

March 3, 2017 · Michael Dregni

Blame it on a guitar. For Low’s Alan Sparhawk, the inspiration behind the band’s latest album, Ones and Sixes, came…

Joe Stump

Professor Shred

September 8, 2022 · Pete Prown

Some musicians use grandiose nicknames like “the doctor” (Dr. John) or “the professor” (Rush’s Neil Peart) – but Boston shredder…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

Diamond Rio’s Jimmy Olander

Sworn Gunslinger

July 31, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Grand Ole Opry member, CMA, ACM, and Grammy winner Jimmy Olander is one of the most-admired players in country music.…

Guild S-200 Thunderbird

July 14, 2020 · Michael Wright

Back in 1958, when Gibson introduced its revolutionary Explorer, Flying V, and mysterious Moderne, the public – rather like Queen…

GIBSONTALFARLOW-HOME-MAIN-BIG

Gibson Tal Farlow

April 18, 2016 · Kevin Vey

The Tal Farlow is one guitar in a quartet of full-depth Gibson Artists models first cataloged in the early 1960s. Introduced…

Tony Mottola

Mr. Big, Guitar Pioneer

June 12, 2025 · Jim Carlton

Some argue that Tony Mottola was more legendary than famous. In a career spanning 50 years, the guitarist logged thousands…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Heritage Guitars’ H-157W

Turnkey Head-Turner

April 16, 2019 · Zac Childs

In 1985, Heritage Guitars took over a certain factory space at 225 Parsons Street in Kalamazoo, Michigan, after the former…

Rockn’ Stompn RS-4

Order!

May 8, 2025 · Joe Bigley

Powering up your favorite rig in the wrong order can lead to, at minimum, a loud pop through your valued…

DryBell Module 4

Compress Yourself

August 28, 2024 · Oscar Jordan

  Inspired by the Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer, Drybell Musical Electronic Laboratory’s Module 4 Compressor adds several highly usable features.…

Guild A-20 Marley

Get Up, Stand Up

October 12, 2022 · Pete Prown

When it comes to famous Bobs in rock, Dylan is first to mind. But just behind him is another songwriting…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Fretprints: Fenton Robinson

Unsung Blues Icon

June 4, 2022 · Wolf Marshall

In the encyclopedia of American music, there oughta be a picture of Fenton Robinson next to “unsung blues hero.” Drop…

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…

Crucial Audio Echo-Nugget

Crucial Audio Echo-Nugget

Things Just Got Serious

May 2, 2015 · Pete Prown

Crucial Audio Echo-Nugget Price:$799 (list) Contact: www.crucialaudio.com It’s hard not to be impressed by the physical presence of the Crucial…

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…

Beat Portraits: Burns Volume 1

Beginnings – The Early 1960s

January 31, 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…

Steve Kimock

May 16, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

There comes a time in a musician’s life when he confronts the inevitable question, “Who am I? Am I a…

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Evolution

June 17, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram’s latest album shows the 22-year-old blues prodigy flourishing with maturity and tone for days. Titled 662, the…

Electro-Harmonix Pico Canyon, Rerun

Spacious Sounds, Less Space

November 26, 2024 · Bob Dragich

Electro-Harmonix’s Pico pedals are designed for players running out of space on their pedalboards. Each occupies just 71/3 square inches…

Hot Wires - A Brief History of the Modern Guitar String

Hot Wires

A Brief History of the Modern Guitar String

June 9, 2016 · Pete Prown

If you’ve ever bent a guitar string and given it a shake, send a silent thank you to guitarist James…

Wayne Kramer

1948-2024

December 13, 2024 · Willie G. Moseley

Guitarist and activist Wayne Kramer, best known as a founder of the iconic Detroit hard-rock band MC5, died in a…

Jimmy James’ Psychedelic R&B

September 4, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

“Parlor Strut” on a vintage Harmony! Proving that ’60s import guitars can make cool sounds, Parlor Greens guitarist Jimmy James…

John Leventhal

Rumble Strip

January 9, 2025 · Rich Kienzle

After 45 years as a roots music sideman and record producer, winning six Grammys, Leventhal’s first solo effort is an…

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25 Most Valuable Guitars

May 24, 2015 · Vintage Guitar

Data compiled by Alan Greenwood and Gil Hembree Vintage Guitar is marking 25 years of publication with a year full…

Corey Harris goes back to his roots

May 14, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Great take on Skip James’ “Special Rider Blues” Corey Harris used his Germandt koa-body parlor guitar to do this exclusive…

Looking for the Magic: American Power Pop in the Seventies

Various artists

October 8, 2024 · Pete Prown

Power pop is a concoction of teen-themed vocals, a relentless beat, and wild, joyous guitars. With 74 tracks, this box…

Peter Frampton

Part One: The Humble Pie Years

October 13, 2021 · Wolf Marshall

Formed with two formidable front men in Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton, Humble Pie was one of the earliest “supergroups”…

Farewell to a Venture

Nokie Edwards 1935-2018

April 14, 2020 · Deke Dickerson

Nole Floyd “Nokie” Edwards, former lead guitarist and bassist with The Ventures, passed away March 12 from complications related to…

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Larry Parypa

Sonics Thunder

May 7, 2016 · Elliot Stephen Cohen

“I never thought this would happen to us all these years later,” marvels Sonics guitarist Larry Parypa on the reception…

2023 August Issue on Spotify

August 2, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

This month we feature Steve Lukather, Dominic Miller, Steve Khan, Sam Kiszka, Selwyn Birchwood, Dave Davies, Brennen Leigh, and much…

The Dr. Z CAZ-45

Prescription Filled

March 30, 2022 · Charlie Wilkins

When word got out in early 2020 that Mike Zaite and Alan Phillips (founder of Carol-Ann Amplifiers) were collaborating on…

Bassics BPA-1

Defined Tone

July 24, 2019 · Pete Prown

Low-end tone is a critical component of a live mix or studio recording – if the bass doesn’t sound good,…

Ampeg VT-22

Ampeg VT-22

October 15, 2015 · Dave Hunter

Preamp tubes: four 7025 (12AX7 types) Output tubes: two 5881 (a more-rugged 6L6 type), fixed-bias Rectifier: solidstate Controls: Bass Instrument…

22 Classic Modulation Effects

Mod Squad

March 27, 2017 · Michael Dregni

We celebrate devices that have altered the pitch, intensity, frequency, phase, and other characteristics in the sound, feel, and influence…

Duane Eddy

Of DeArmonds and Details

May 2, 2024 · Willie G. Moseley

(Ed. Note: Duane Eddy was featured in the June ’95 issue of VG, following the release of his Twang Thang…

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…

The Guitars of Ernst Heinrich Roth

International Influence

December 21, 2023 · Cliff Hall

Now just a sleepy town in Germany, over the last 200 years, Markneukirchen has been home to countless luthiers ranging…

Have Guitar Will Travel – Featuring 001 Billy Rowe

May 13, 2019 · James Patrick Regan

Billy Rowe is the guitarist/co-founder of Jetboy, which rose to prominence in the mid ’80s while touring with some of…

Fender The Edge Strat, Edge Deluxe Amp

What You’re Looking For

January 8, 2018 · Michael Dregni

Leo Fender once famously said, “A guitar is just a hammer.” If you haven’t yet found a hammer that fits…

Jon Butcher’s psychedelia mastery

December 5, 2025 · Doug Yellow Bird

Jon Butcher tales his Olympic White ’63 Strat for a rip on “Jam,” a track from his new album, “Nuthin’…