Remembering Tom Petty

May 21, 2019 · Ward Meeker

In the colossal wake of the Beatles, Tom Petty – more than most – was that kid the Byrds spoke…

Robin Basses

Robin Basses

A Photo Retrospective

November 29, 2016 · Willie G. Moseley

Alamo Music Products holds a unique place in the history of electric guitars and basses. The Houston-based company began its…

Strymon’s DIG Dual Digital Delay

Diggin’ In

March 2, 2017 · Phil Feser

Offering the heart and soul of those crystal-clear first-generation 1980s digital delays, California-based Strymon’s DIG Dual Digital Delay provides not only…

Steve Vai

Vai/Gash

December 25, 2023 · Oscar Jordan

Recorded during two weeks in 1991, Vai/Gash is a collaboration between Steve Vai and late singer Johnny “Gash” Sombrotto, expressing…

BC Audio Amplifier No. 10 Mk. II

BC Audio Amplifier No. 10 Mk. II

Big-Tone City

March 11, 2016 · Pete Prown

BC Audio Amplifier No. 10 Mk. II Price: $2,495 (list) Contact: www.bcaudio.com Bruce Clement is known for his quality amp…

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…

  •  VG Q&A: Harmony History

     VG Q&A: Harmony History

    And an Archtop Mystery

    I recently received two guitars as gifts and am trying to learn more about them. The first is a Harmony I believe is from the early ’70s. Its serial number…

    Read more >>

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ARTISTS

Joe Stump

… And the Holy Trinity of Euro-Metal Guitar

March 29, 2017 · Oscar Jordan

Metal virtuoso Joe Stump believes Ritchie Blackmore, Uli Jon Roth, and Michael Schenker form the holy trinity of European metal…

McKinley James

Payin’ Dues in Rhythm & Blues

May 30, 2025 · Pete Prown

If you listen to early electric blues and R&B records, you’ll often notice the original sessions were cut without a…

Multi-Generational Blues

Ronnie Baker Brooks

September 8, 2025 · Oscar Jordan

On Blues In My DNA, second-generation blues man Ronnie Baker Brooks continues the legacy of his father, Lonnie Brooks, by…

Micki Free

Feel and Tone

November 3, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

  He was the real-life team member on the infamous Charlie Murphy/Prince basketball game parodied on “Chappelle’s Show,” but Grammy…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

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…

Gibson GA-200 Rhythm King Vintage Guitar magazine

Gibson GA-200 Rhythm King

July 9, 2015 · Dave Hunter

Preamp tubes: two 12AX7, one 12AY7, two 6BJ8, two 6SK7, one 6V6 (used as a voltage divider) Output tubes: two…

A Guide to Vintage Dobros

March 14, 2018 · Tom Gray

John Dopyera left National in 1929 to begin work on a secret project – a single-cone resonator guitar he believed…

Q&A With George Gruhn: A Strong Case

And When to Get an Appraisal

March 3, 2022 · George Gruhn

Some of my vintage guitar cases are very worn. One Martin case from the ’40s is missing a latch and…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

Walrus The Melee

Super Soaker

December 23, 2023 · Pete Prown

Just when you think you’ve seen everything, along comes Walrus’ The Melee: Wall of Noise, a pedal with a built-in…

Roland’s JC-22 Jazz Chorus

More Than Just Chime

March 13, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

The original Roland Jazz Chorus doesn’t get the kind of love that American and British amps in the rock and…

The Selmer Zodiac 50

The Zodiac Twin Fifty

September 27, 2013 · Dave Hunter

An amp maker at the very heart of the British guitar boom of the late ’50s and early ’60s, Selmer…

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…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Have Guitar Will Travel 081 – G. Love

September 2, 2022 · James Patrick Regan

Host James Patrick Regan welcomes singer, rapper, and musician G. Love to episode 82 of “Have Guitar Will Travel.” They…

Jazz singer and bassist Esperanza Spalding performing at the North Sea Jazz festival 2012 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Photo: JBreeschoten/Wikimedia.

Esperanza Spalding

May 15, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

Popularly known as that cute female jazz bassist with the Afro who bogarted the Best New Artist Grammy away from…

Denny Laine 1944-2023

December 6, 2023 · Willie G. Moseley

Denny Laine, best known for his affiliations with the Moody Blues and Paul McCartney and Wings, died  December 5 after…

Echoplex EP-2 Feature Home Page Vintage Guitar magazine

Echoplex EP-2

February 17, 2015 · Michael Dregni

Sam Phillips didn’t invent tape echo with his mid-’50s recordings of Elvis, but he just as well may have. So…

Cash Box Kings

Oscar’s Motel

February 9, 2024 · Rich Kienzle

For two decades, the Cash Box Kings have stood apart from the multitudes of “blues bands” that focus on bar-band…

Force of Nature

Mark Farner

September 8, 2025 · Bret Adams

Mark Farner etched his name in rock history as the primary lead vocalist/songwriter and guitarist for Grand Funk Railroad, which…

EHX Good Vibes, Tone Corset

Rawk Boxes

July 3, 2019 · Michael Dregni

The musical spirit of the ’60s and ’70s lives again in two of EHX’s latest stompboxes: the Good Vibes analog…

Willie Nelson

December 8, 2016 · Rich Kienzle

Soon after arriving in Nashville in 1960, Willie Nelson signed a songwriting contract with Pamper Music, co-owned by Ray Price,…

Henry Gross

Open

December 11, 2017 · John Heidt

Henry Gross’ latest album is an amazing mix of pop, rock, country, and ballads. Those who remember him for nothing…

Philip Sayce

Scorched-Earth Tones

May 9, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

Philip Sayce’s album Scorched Earth Volume 1 was a live recording from 2016 that displayed the kind of blistering blues-rock…

The Story of Jay Gower

Startup in Music City

April 18, 2019 · George Gruhn

In Nashville today, there are enough professional luthiers to meet the need for guitar repairs, modifications, and custom builds. In…

National N-275

April 19, 2016 · George Gruhn

Gibson is widely known for its guitars, mandolins, and banjos, but many are unaware the company built instruments for nearly…

Colby Dual Tone Booster 50

Double Versatile

August 12, 2014 · Tom Guerra

Colby DTB50 Price: $3,800 (head); $750 (cabinet) Contact: www.colbyamps.com From 1978 through 2010, Mitch Colby helped Marshall become a preeminent…

Louis Electric 6L6-183 Cobra

Humble, Capital D

May 8, 2025 · Dave Hunter

One glance at the control panel and cabinet styling of the Louis Electric 6L6-183 Cobra is all most will need…

Have Guitar Will Travel – 035 Featuring Joe Robinson

September 15, 2020 · James Patrick Regan

In Episode 35 of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan speaks with guitarist Joe Robinson. Mentored by Tommy…

DryBell Unit67

Balkan Boost

October 15, 2021 · Oscar Jordan

DryBell Musical Electronic Laboratory has been kicking out great pedals for a few year, with clients like Mike Landau, John…

BASSMAN-HOME-MAIN-THUMB

1964 Fender Bassman

February 17, 2016 · Dave Hunter

1964 Fender 6G6-B Bassman Preamp tubes: four 7025 (12AX7 types) Output tubes: two 5881 (a more-rugged 6L6 type), fixed-bias Rectifier:…

Croy and the Boys

February 27, 2017 · Rick Allen

There’s something about the Telecaster – as well as its forerunners and inspired imitators – that attracts musicians whose music…

Rex Brown

Still Smoking

April 24, 2019 · Greg Prato

Throughout his career, Rex Brown has delivered the low-end as the bassist for Pantera, Down, and Kill Devil Hill. But…

Adam Levy’s Wistful Elegance

February 28, 2024 · Vintage Guitar

Vintage ES-335 on “And They All Sang” Famous for supplying charismatic guitar parts while backing Nora Jones and Tracy Chapman,…

Fender’s Player Plus Meteora HH

Familiar Face

March 30, 2023 · Pete Prown

Billed as “futuristic and familiar,” Fender’s Meteora design first arrived as part of the Parallel Universe line – mashups of…

Classics: January 2024

Bill Woodward's 1953 Gibson Les Paul

October 4, 2024 · Ward Meeker

Gravitational heavyweights in our culture, beyond baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie, few things say “American” more than music and…

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:…

The Vox Bruno TB35C2

Yankee Doodle Tony

November 1, 2013 · Phil Feser

When it comes iconic guitar tone – especially “British” tone – Vox and its flagship AC30 are at the top…

Rupert Neve Designs’ Portico 5017/ SE Electronics’ Voodoo VR1

Studio on the Go

March 13, 2019 · Pete Prown

Despite what some folks may tell you about the merits of “going direct” for guitar, nothing sounds better than a…

Moeller, Moore, and Dayton serve up a Texas jam

October 28, 2025 · Doug Yellow Bird

Texas Headhunters gonna getcha! Johnny Moeller and his buds in the Texas Headhunters gathered to jam a bit on “The…

Andy Powell

Setting the Record Straight

March 2, 2017 · Willie G. Moseley

Wishbone Ash founder/guitarist Andy Powell has a new term for his resumé – “author.” Abetted by Colin Harper, he recently…

Greg Martin plays “Shotgun Effie”

February 7, 2022 · Doug Yellow Bird

Fresh Headhunters riff Greg Martin co-founder and lead guitarist in Kentucky Headhunters, shows us the opening riff to “Shotgun Effie” from…

50 Years Ago Today

The Beatles Conquer America

July 4, 2014 · Andy Babiuk

Sunday, February 9, 1964, was the day that forever changed music and pop culture. “The Ed Sullivan Show” was one…