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Trending Now
Win an accessory bundle with an Oxford Guitar Supply gift card, Music Nomad KEEP IT SIMPLE, SETUP (KISS)™ kit, Rocky Mountain Slides Co. Bear Claw Tri-picks, Firecracker Aluminum Slides and graphite picks, plus a Reverend back pack to put it all in valued at more than $450. Deadline is November 25, 2024. Complete the survey […]
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In 1961, Gibson replaced its Les Paul series with a new line of lightweight, ultrathin, all mahogany, double-cutaway solidbodies the SG (for solid guitar). Developed under the aegis of Ted McCarty and introduced as the “new Les Paul,” the SG heralded new directions and a new marketing emphasis for Gibson; trends exemplified only two years […]
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Gibson has produced two guitars bearing the “Crest” name. While both designs date to the 1960s, they’re very different instruments. The first incarnation was a single-cutaway with design ties to the L-5CT, while the second looked more like a fancy ES-335 with a shortened neck. In almost every way – size, construction materials, appointments, and […]
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When Steve Vai needed a portable preamp to take on the road to emulate his signature amp tones, Carvin Audio obliged. Their VLD1 Legacy Drive is Vai’s Legacy amplifier in a box – and it travels a whole lot easier than a half stack. Using 12AX7 tubes and circuitry found in Vai’s signature amps, the […]
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Classic Instruments
The Oud
Ancient to Modern
If Beatles guitarist George Harrison had used an oud instead of a sitar to give “Norwegian Wood” its distinct sound, the name Munir Bashir may be more recognized today than that of Ravi Shankar. That didn’t happen, of course, and Harrison’s spiritual pursuits led to the sitar becoming part of rock culture in the ’60s, […]
VG Approved Gear
ZT Extortion Expressive Distortion
Mutant Distortion
ZT Amplifiers put their name on the map four years ago with the compact Lunchbox solid-state amp. Now they continue along the road less traveled with the Extortion Expressive Distortion. For a departure from tonal convention the pedal features an analog overdrive that can be used on its own or enhanced with a digital signal […]
Artists
Elliot Easton
Shifting Gears Again
Not long after he released an instrumental album with an aggregation known as the Tiki Gods, veteran southpaw guitarist Elliot Easton abruptly put the project into stasis when an opportunity arose to make music with fellow veteran musicians. The new band is known as the Empty Hearts, and includes Wally Palmar (Romantics) on guitar and […]
Artists
Have Guitar Will Travel 073 – Crimson Apple’s Shelby Benson and OTTTO
Episode 73 of “Have Guitar Will Travel” is a two-fer starting with guitarist Shelby Benson from the dark-pop band Crimson Apple, who dishes on how she learned to play, her gear, and how they monetize social media. Then, host James Patrick Regan talks with all three members of the L.A. thrash band OTTTO – guitarist/vocalist […]
Artists
Eric Johnson
Rescued Relics
For nearly 50 years, Eric Johnson has been a revered guitarist/multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and vocalist whose music expands far beyond the ingrained blues roots of his Texas homeland. The multiple-Grammy nominee and winner (for the instrumental “Cliffs of Dover” from 1990’s Ah Via Musicom) is always pushing himself, and his combination of exquisite guitar tone, fleet […]
Artists
Dave Davies
Personal Songs and Power Chords
For more than a half-century, the world has known of guitarist Dave Davies and his raucous electric sound, thanks to the earliest hits of the Kinks. The band’s third single, “You Really Got Me” (released in August, 1964) and “All Day and All of the Night” (debuting that October) were sonic primers for budding guitarists. […]
Artists
The Life and Times of Roy Buchanan
Roy Buchanan and his battered 1953 Telecaster guitar got inside your head and grabbed you in the gut. He had eclectic musical tastes, an arsenal of techniques, a devotion to craft, and something to say. And he said it with soul. Those are mere generalizations, of course, and Buchanan commanded such diverse skills it […]
VG Approved Gear
Colby Amplification Park 45
Put It Here
Colby Amplification Park 45 Price: $2,500 (list) Contact: www.colbyamps.com There are legends that gear fanatics all know, and then there are hidden treasures known to only a few. Park amps were designed by Jim Marshall and produced in limited quantities. More consistent in construction and design than the ever-evolving Marshalls, the Park line had the […]
Artists
Joel Hoekstra
Road Warrior
The busiest man in hard rock, Joel Hoekstra spends his life touring, recording, and jamming with Whitesnake, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Iconic, and pop icon Cher. In-between, he joined Revolution Saints, the power trio led by Journey drummer Deen Castronovo and just delivered the powerhouse effort Eagle Flight. How did you land the Revolution Saints gig? Well, […]
Spotify
2021 August Issue on Spotify
This This month we feature Ray Benson’s Asleep at the Wheel, Neal Schon, Styx’s Tommy Shaw and James Young, Paul Gilbert, John Notto, Reverend Peyton, Earl Slick, Jimmy James, and Marc Bonilla, Rusty Young, Ronnie Montrose, Bruford, Julian Lage, John Hiatt and Jerry Douglas, Styx, Peter Frampton, Paul Gilbert, Tommy Emmanuel, The Who, and many […]
Artists
Have Guitar Will Travel 103 – Live In The Vineyard #2
In episode 103 of “Have Guitar Will Travel”, presented by Vintage Guitar Magazine, host James Patrick Regan is again at the “Live in the Vineyard” event in Napa and again speaking with a host of up and coming Country Music Stars including Elliot Greer, Remy Garrison, DINER, Rose Falcon, Josh Ross and with all of […]
Artists
Robert Randolph
Soul Power
“I wasn’t really a Coltrane fan, but when I heard Kind Of Blue I was like, ‘Hell, as long as it’s got soul.’” For sacred-steel specialist Robert Randolph, it’s all about soul. After absorbing the philosophy of his church and using his talent to create a hybrid of uplifting secular music, Randolph has just released, […]
Artists
Joe Stump
Professor Shred
Some musicians use grandiose nicknames like “the doctor” (Dr. John) or “the professor” (Rush’s Neil Peart) – but Boston shredder Joe Stump actually is a professor at the Berklee College of Music. In his educational role, Stump teaches guitar students how to speed-pick like metal’s greatest masters. He also demonstrates his chops on the solo […]
Artists
Thinkin’ Thin
Heroes of the Semi-Hollow
The semi-hollowbody electric guitar is one of the most revered axes in the plugged-in universe, offering the playability of a solidbody with the warm, woodier tone of a fat archtop. Yet the term “semi-hollow guitar” is somewhat confusing, as few can agree on a precise definition. There is the classic design of the Gibson ES-335 […]
Music
Fletcher Bright and Bill Evans with Norman and Nancy Blake
Songs That Are Mostly Older Than Us
This jam session recorded in veteran fiddler Fletcher Bright’s living room in Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, exudes a warmth, passion, and joyfulness that’s right in line with the old-time music, fiddle tunes, and bluegrass the quartet plays. Banjo man Bill Evans organized proceedings, rounding up old friends Norman and Nancy Blake. They cut these 16 […]
VG Approved Gear
Wampler’s Ego Mini Compressor and Faux Tape Echo v2
Both Ends
With an extensive line of nearly 30 devices, it’s no surprise Wampler Pedals has entries in both the traditional-size and a micro pedal markets – and pedals to cover both ends of your board. Placing a compressor toward the beginning of the signal chain is a typical strategy. And a compact version of the Wampler […]
Artists
Lance Lopez
Hard-Time Music
Several years after being liberated from Supersonic Blues Machine, Lance Lopez is back and better than ever. Wielding hard lessons from the road and the influence of players named Billy, Jimi, and B.B., his latest album, Trouble is Good, is wild, blistering, and hellacious. As proof, he rips holy hell on slide guitar during the […]