Summer 2020

Dapper and dashing, T-Bone Walker was a pioneering electric-blues guitarist. He and the big, beautiful ’49 Gibson ES-5N we feature this month made the model requisite for fashionable blues men. We also tell the story of Leonard “Baby Doo” Caston, The Mississippi native helped seed the line between the Delta and Chicago. While touring the world, the National Sonora feature in this issue was his go-to guitar. Amp guru Dave Hunter digs into the Supro Model S6422TR Tremo-Verb, and fellow vintage-gear sage Peter Kohman explores the gimmicky Burns TR2/Vibra Slim. Don’t miss our annual “Dad’s Day” ode to fathers who inspire. We talk speak with Johnn Colla, Kinga Glyk, Frank Marino, Wayne Krantz, Adam Hawley, Nili Brosh, Gordon Lightfoot, and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thall about their new music. Wolf Marshall’s “Fretprints” gets grungy, breaking down three of the greatest licks from Jerry Cantrell, while “Pop ’N Hiss” reminds why Free’s Fire and Water is such an impressive piece of work, thanks in large part to the playing of Paul Kossoff.

Our “Approved Gear” takes a close look and gives objective opinions of the Asher Mozo, Boss DD-3T, MXR Timmy, Danelectro ’59 Divine, Eastwood Mad Cat, Fender ’64 Custom Princeton Reverb, Fender American Acoustasonic Stratocaster, and the G&L Espada. Also, because it’s always a great time to find new music, we offer our thoughts on the latest by the Allman Brothers Band, Alex de Grassi, David Bromberg, Vandenberg, Robby Krieger, Pokey LaFarge, Wylde Ratttz, Neil Young, and others while Dan Forte takes us on a journey through the British blues boom – think Eric Clapton, Kim Simmonds, Brett Marvin, Graham Hine, Mick Taylor, Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, and others – in his “Check This Action” column.