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Egnater Tweaker 40

Small, But Mighty

August 18, 2014 · Pete Prown

Egnater Tweaker 40 Price: $1,149 (approx. $800 street). Info: egnater.com Egnater has just amplified its Tweaker line with a new…

New Orleans Suspects

November 1, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

When you combine some of the finest musicians from the Louisiana area in one band, there will be extreme funkiness.…

Brown Guitar Factory Chambered Electric

Beast Mode

April 23, 2019 · Michael Dregni

To use a slightly skewed metaphor, John Brown builds guitars to the beat of a different drummer. After all, who…

Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals

Magnificent Criminals

June 9, 2016 · Oscar Jordan

  The difference between Ben Harper and other contemporary blues-based artists is that Harper’s blues reflects the reality of his…

Scott Sharrard

Destined for the Gig

March 2, 2017 · John Heidt

Anyone who has seen the Gregg Allman Band in person or caught its new CD/DVD, Back to Macon, Ga, knows…

Pretty Things, Procol Harum, David Bowie, and Various Artists

January 27, 2017 · Pete Prown

For all the British psych bands you do know – such as the Move and Small Faces – you’ve probably…

  •  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

John Sebastian & Arlen Roth

Reimagine the Lovin’ Spoonful

February 6, 2023 · Dan Forte

In the ’60s, the Lovin’ Spoonful boasted one of the most impressive song catalogs in rock and roll. During the…

Gene Simmons

Night Vision

August 31, 2023 · Bret Adams

Between stints on its lengthy End of the Road farewell tour, Kiss has been issuing an Off the Soundboard series…

Warren Haynes

G-Mule Shout!

February 27, 2015 · Ward Meeker

Gov’t Mule’s blues-based rock has never followed a formula, opting instead for an improvisational modus operandi that gives its music…

Have Guitar Will Travel 071 – Adrian Belew & Turkuaz’s Dave Brandwein

March 10, 2022 · James Patrick Regan

In episode 71 of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” James Patrick Regan talks to guitarist/frontman Dave Brandwein of the band Turkuaz,…


CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS

1978 Dean Z

May 25, 2005 · Michael Wright

The mid 1970s were a turbulent time in guitar history. The American guitar establishment – at least Gibson and Fender…

The “Okie Dokie Stomp” Esquire

Gate’s Swing

October 9, 2019 · Ward Meeker

As a high-school student and emerging guitarist in Houston in the early ’60s, John Andrews couldn’t get a club gig…

The Micro-Frets Saga

Genius in MD

March 18, 2019 · Ward Meeker

Had fate been just a notch kinder, Ralph Jones might today be a ’60s counterculture icon alongside Bob Dylan, Muhammad…

 Joey Molland

January 16, 2026 · Pete Prown

The word “underrated” is belabored in music journalism, but Joey Molland was just that. As co-guitarist in Badfinger, he was…


NEWSWIRE

APPROVED GEAR

PRS Alex Lifeson Signature

PRS Alex Lifeson Signature

Grand Designs

March 23, 2016 · Steven Stone

PRS Alex Lifeson Signature Price: $8,999 (list) Contact: www.prsguitars.com What do you call the most beautifully made production acoustic you’ve…

LSL Instruments’ Lucid OD and OG OD

Lively Drives

December 5, 2025 · Pete Prown

LSL Instruments is best known for high-end Leo-style guitar builds, but they’ve also started delving into overdrive pedals. The Lucid…

Fender Player Jaguar

Updated Offset

October 15, 2021 · Rich Maloof

Priced at entry level and built in Mexico, Fender’s Player Series provides affordable access to Fender’s most iconic solidbodies. The…

Xotic ProVintage 5-String

July 3, 2019 · Pete Prown

Over the last few years Xotic has grown its rep thanks to top players who have endorsed its Leo-inspired guitars…

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

EPIPHONEZEPHYR-HOME-MAIN-BIG

Epiphone Zephyr De Luxe Regent and Zephyr Amplifier

June 12, 2014 · L.B. Fred

The Zephyr De Luxe Regent was Epiphone’s second-from-the-top electric guitar produced from the late 1940s through the mid ’50s. The…

PRS SE NF3

Expanded Options

May 8, 2025 · Bob Cianci

The latest result of PRS Guitars “reverse-engineering”/ reconsidering its own instruments, the SE NF3 is the first PRS to be…

Mark Bosch

New York State of Mind

December 26, 2017 · Tom Guerra

As the longtime lead guitarist for Garland Jeffreys and Ian Hunter, Mark Bosch’s resumé reads like a who’s who of…

DGN Blaster

Jerry in a Box

December 23, 2023 · Pete Prown

DGN Guitars’ Dan Neafsey is known mostly for his guitar craftsmanship, notably the Kalos and Terrapin models inspired by Jerry…

Pat Travers

Pat Travers

Full Blast

February 18, 2016 · Ward Meeker

It’s an elite class – rock guitarists who crossed the Atlantic to achieve their rock-star dreams. Somewhere between the mid-’60s…

Southern Boogie from Chickasaw Mudd Puppies

August 30, 2023 · Vintage Guitar

Band jams on acoustic “Flatcar” take “The South is a complex and nuanced place,” says Ben Reynolds of his native…

Wendy Melvoin

Beyond Controversy

September 23, 2019 · Oscar Jordan

As a guitarist backing Prince on the world-dominant Purple Rain along with Parade and Around The World In A Day,…

Ray Gomez

A Time for Honor

March 2, 2017 · Tom Guerra

One of the hottest guitarists to emerge from the mid-’70s fusion scene was Ray Gomez, who first became known through…

Tom Guerra

Tom Guerra

Rock and Roll Swagger

January 24, 2015 · Pete Prown

After 15 years and four albums with Connecticut trio Mambo Sons, Tom Guerra just released his first solo album, All…

Fishman Fluence Single-Width Pickup

Fishman Fluence Single-Width Pickup

Hum-Free, Cutting-Edge

March 1, 2016 · Zac Childs

Fishman Fluence Single-Width Pickup Price: $224 (set) Contact: www.fishman.com Larry Fishman is one of the most respected names in the…

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.…

Pandemic Peak?

The Guitar Market’s “Covid Surge”

February 9, 2022 · Ward Meeker

In the September ’20 issue, VG surveyed guitar dealers to learn how they’d been impacted by the early weeks of…

Park 45

Masked Marshall

March 28, 2019 · Dave Hunter

When is a Marshall not a Marshall? When it’s a Park, of course! Though it might not scream “classic rock…

Reilander’s Muckbucker Pickups

Fat, But Not Tubby

May 10, 2014 · Zac Childs

Reilander’s Muckbucker Pickups Price: $199 (set) Info: www.reilandercustomguitar.com In the 1970s, great guitar-pickup winders began wrapping extra wire on humbuckers,…

Have Guitar Will Travel 064 – Luis Carlos Maldonado

December 23, 2021 · Vintage Guitar

“Have Guitar Will Travel” host James Patrick Regan speaks with multi-instrumentalist Luis Carlos Maldonado. Growing up in Arizona and SoCal,…

Phil Chen

1946-2021

November 3, 2022 · Dan Forte

His business card read “Phil Chen De Bassman,” and his picks had “OD” after his name, standing for the Order…

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…

Neil LeVang

Neil LeVang

Six Strings Behind — and Beyond — Champagne Music

January 29, 2015 · Rich Kienzle

Neil LeVang was about to get a lecture. Days earlier, the A-list studio guitarist’s new boss, Lawrence Welk, had golfed…

Joanne Shaw Taylor

Passion and Soul

July 27, 2022 · Oscar Jordan

British blues-rock guitarist Joanne Shaw Taylor is leaving her mark on the classics. With The Blues Album, Taylor’s husky vocals…

Uli Jon Roth

Return to Tokyo

April 24, 2019 · Greg Prato

In the 1970s, rockers were cranking out now-classic live sets with stunning regularity – Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys in…

Steve Kimock flashes back to Zero

December 29, 2022 · Vintage Guitar

Amazing improv on “End of World Blues” We review the reissued 1992 album “Naught Again” by Zero, a band that…

Round-Up Range

Rolling on a Post-Pandemic Project

May 13, 2025 · Dan Erlewine

Five years ago, I started making a Tele-style guitar inspired by the Gretsch Roundup. When Covid hit, I was up…

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…

Mick Ralphs

Good Company

March 20, 2019 · Elliot Stephen Cohen

In 1972, one of Britain’s best bands, Mott The Hoople, still hadn’t made any impact on the charts. Its record…

Doug Fieger

A Knack For Classic Guitars

October 2, 2018 · Willie G. Moseley

The founding member of the Knack toured with the band while also battling cancer. His instruments reflect his musical influences,…

Home Feature Image

Mu-FX Octave Divider

The Mu Is Back

June 10, 2016 · Michael Dregni

This is rocket science. Or at least as close as a stompbox gets. Sure, building a pedal that tweaks a…

The Leo Krebs Tape Echo Amplifier

Twenty-Three and Thee

July 7, 2022 · Dave Hunter

If you have no recollection of the revolutionary amplifier with 19 knobs, 23 tubes, and built-in tape echo created by…

Davy Knowles

Manx Bluesman

March 8, 2023 · Dan Forte

  The Isle Of Man, which sits in the middle of the Irish Sea, measures 15 by 30 miles. The…

Dingwall Super P

Fanning the Flames

July 13, 2016 · Pete Prown

A time-honored approach to guitar and bass design is to take a classic and improve it. That’s certainly the case…