Sebastià Gris used his Gibson SG as eye-candy to play a sample of “Clickbait,” from his latest album, “Oli, All i Julivert.” It was custom-finished by his friend, David Solé, at Leno Guitars, who also built the Small Jumbo he used to record the album. He finishes with a bit of “Akhatova.” Read Now!
Sebastià Gris used his Gibson SG as eye-candy to play a sample of “Clickbait,” from his latest album, “Oli, All i Julivert.” It was custom-finished by his friend, David Solé, at Leno Guitars, who also built the Small Jumbo he used to record the album. He finishes with a bit of “Akhatova.” Read Now!
This month we feature Marty Friedman, Twisted Sister, Blackberry Smoke, Blue Öyster Cult, Rick Vito, Judas Priest, Kay-Ta Matsuno W.C. Clark, HSAS, Mark Knopfler, and more! Spotify is free or available without ads via a paid subscription. Go to www.spotify.com and search “Vintage Guitar magazine,” or if you already have an account Listen to the […]
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Vince Gill and longtime friend, collaborator, and pedal-steel giant Paul Franklin share a love of country music history. Bakersfield, their 2013 collaboration, paid homage to the timeless, twang-heavy music of Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. Sweet Memories: The Music of Ray Price and the Cherokee Cowboys celebrates the late, iconic Texas singer and his Western-swing […]
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Anyone with a taste for real country music – in particular, Western swing – will recognize this guitar. Even though Asleep At The Wheel leader Ray Benson quit using this early-’60s Gibson ES-355 in about 1985 (and eventually sold it), it’s the guitar fans inevitably associate with him – and, with a Lone Star Beer […]
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As a young musician, Ralph Towner wrote “Icarus,” a revolutionary jazz piece that became a crossover hit for the Paul Winter Consort. Later, the classically trained guitarist (also a fine pianist and horn player) found his way to ECM records and, for more than 50 years, has released music of introspective guitar artistry, as well […]
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Silky-Smooth on a vintage hollowbody Hip as all get-out, Tomas Janzon plays some of the silkiest jazz you’ll hear this year. Here, he demonstrates on “Ascending,” a track from his new album, “Nomadic.” That’s his ’59 Gibson L-7, and you can catch our review along with an interview with Tomas in the May issue. Read […]
Dr. Leo Mazow’s vision for the new “Storied Strings: The Guitar in American Art” exhibition at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts stemmed from the overwhelming popularity of (dare it be said?) the world’s favorite instrument. “Guitars are ubiquitous,” Mazow said. “They’re cool and fun, so they’ve always been a natural choice for artists to […]
Marcus King is a guitar slingin’ powerhouse barnstormer. Unlike most contemporary pop music – heavy on production, low on everything else – King’s new album, Young Blood, propels music fans back in time to a world of meaningful lyrics, saucy grooves, clever arrangements, and cowbell. Dan Auerbach (VG, October ’19) returns as producer with a […]
Among early Fender amps, the tweed Deluxe and Bassman garner the lion’s share of affection. But the first amp given that durable luggage covering was one Leo created for guitarists playing popular music in the years just before blues moved out of the country and Ike Turner drove “Rocket 88.” Fender’s Dual Professional is recognized […]
On most guitars, installing a traditional vibrato is a task ranging from difficult to impossible. And even done right, mechanical vibratos impact tuning stability and increase wear on nuts and saddles. The Virtual Jeff PRO digital whammy changes all that. A kit that comes complete with the whammy bar and mount, foot controller, radio transmitter, […]
Drawing from a vast well of American R&B and soul, Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal deliver powerhouse sounds from their home base in Nebraska. On its latest, Green Light, the sextet melds Stax, Motown, Philly, and Muscle Shoals sounds, woven together by Hoyer’s gigantic voice and the superb guitar work of Benjamin Kushner. If you […]
Mike Lipe Virtuoso Price: $4,000 Contact: lipeguitars.com; phone (818) 352-6212 Mike Lipe has built guitars for top players and guitar companies (notably heading up the Ibanez Custom Shop in the ’90s). In 2000, he struck out on his own. His Virtuoso model is a solidbody that takes a familiar theme but lifts it up to […]
Rare and sought-after, in part because only about 40 were built, the Matchless JJ-30 John Jorgenson is the only Signature Series amp ever made by the original company. Designed for Jorgenson, guitarist with the Desert Rose Band, the Hellecasters, and Elton John, the JJ-30 was made from approximately 1992 until ’98. It combined existing design […]
It’s understandable if you detect a certain Southern-rock flare in the music of singer/guitarist Duane Betts. After all, his father is longtime Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts and he shares a name with the legendary Duane Allman. On his first solo album, Wild & Precious Life, the 45-year-old pays tribute to his musical roots while […]
In 1964, blues enthusiasts Nick Perls and Phil Spiro, along with freelance photographer/writer Dick Waterman, made a pilgrimage to track down Eddie “Son” House. Decades earlier, the blues singer and bottleneck guitarist had recorded a handful of songs for the Paramount label and Library of Congress. After some dead ends, the trio drove to Rochester, […]
Vintage Blues, Vintage L-50 Direct from Ireland, 17-year-old Muireann Bradley indulges us (and tugs at our Led Zep heartstrings) with a rendition of Memphis Minnie’s “When the Levee Breaks.” She’s using the ’34 Gibson L-50 borrowed from dad’s collection. “It’s my favorite guitar for sheer playability and has by far the most-comfortable neck profile of […]
The ’80s were teeming with music ranging from pop-metal to new wave, thrash metal, blues revivals, and the New Romantic movement. Mid-decade, an instrumental rock-guitar album improbably rode the tide. Joe Satriani was a road warrior, studio player, and guitar teacher who schooled students like Alex Skolnick, Charlie Hunter, Kirk Hammett, and Steve Vai. His […]
Magnatone Twilighter Price: $2,249 (12″ combo, list) Info: www.magnatoneusa.com. Magnatone is dead, long live Magnatone! The original Magnatone amp company died in 1969 after several decades of making storied “Golden Voice” amps noted for their “real” vibrato effect. Buddy Holly played his Strat through one, Scotty Moore swore by his, and Neil Young remains a […]
Tyler Morris Playing a Martin Style 2 1/2-17 Tyler Morris grabbed his 19th-century Martin Style 2 1/2-17 to play a medley of 20th-century licks. He also digs into the history of the instrument and notes its similarities to his modern Martin. Keep up with Tyler HERE!
The banjo and American music cross paths in a remarkably entangled web of complexity. The banjo was brought to the New World – conceptually, at least – by African slaves who used it to create music subsequently appropriated by 19th-century white entertainers, who created blackface minstrelsy, which became the basis of Vaudeville and a great […]
Reggie Young passed away on January 17, 2019. Here is an extensive interview he did with VG in 2001. Reggie Young is one of the most recorded guitarists in history. His tasty style has opened doors for him to play onstage and in the studio with every style of music possible; early rockabilly, rhythm and […]
For more than 60 years, aluminum has been used as a component in guitar construction. Exactly whose idea it was originally has never been a cut-and-dried matter of fact, but has amply provided cud for the world’s guitar animals to chew upon. In his November ’04 column “The Different Strummer: Al-u-minium!,” VG contributor Michael Wright […]
