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Trending Now
The John Pizzarelli Trio is back on the road supporting its latest album, Stage and Screen. Joined by Isaiah J. Thompson on piano and Michael Karn on double bass, Pizzarelli is flying through tunes mostly associated with Broadway and the movies. We had the chance to dig in a bit with the jazz master. What […]
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Artists
Dave Gant’s Amp Collection
Key Collection: Nashville pro Dave Gant fosters an impressive gathering of amps
Dave Gant grew up in Ada, Oklahoma, and while the city of 17,000 will never be confused with Memphis or Nashville in terms of musical impact, it is the birthplace of a handful of noteworthy personalities including country singer Blake Shelton, NFL tight end Jeremy Shockey, and Gant, who when he’s not serving as musical […]
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Unabashedly British and irresistibly swaggering, Bad Company personified ’70s arena rock. Detractors denounced them as machismo, but fans have bought more than 40 million albums, 20 million in America alone. Guitarist/founder Mick Ralphs was a prime role model for numerous players. Michael (Mick) Geoffrey Ralphs was born in Herefordshire, West England, on March 31, 1944. […]
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Brian Tarquin is more than keeping busy. In the space of six weeks, he recently released two very different instrumental CDs centered on his playing with a multitude of guests, and he published a coffee-table book about guitars. Guitars For Wounded Warriors is a tribute to those who have served. “I wanted to really give […]
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Music
Crown Lands
Fearless
This Canadian duo doesn’t disguise its Rush fanaticism. The obvious parallel is Greta Van Fleet, and what that quartet did for Led Zeppelin, Crown Lands does for Rush. On the 18-minute “Starlifter: Fearless Part II,” guitarist/bassist Kevin Comeau and drummer/vocalist Cody Bowles time-travel to the Hemispheres era for a complex, spacey (and quite impressive) suite. […]
Artists
Bruce Forman Honors Barney Kessel
Reunited
From 1957 to ’60, guitarist Barney Kessel, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Shelly Manne recorded four LPs for Contemporary Records as a group called Poll Winners, a byproduct of each topping reader polls in Playboy and the jazz magazines DownBeat and Metronome. As a guitar/bass/drums group, they were a cutting-edge departure from the piano trio. […]
Artists
Mike Anthony
Jazz Big-Leaguer
Howard Roberts and Tommy Tedesco were his mentors; both recognized his extraordinary talent and relentless work ethic. When L.A. session guitarist Mike Anthony elected to leave the studio life after many years, Tommy Tedesco threw him an unforgettable gala retirement party that was populated by so many guitar greats it was chronicled by a feature […]
Music
The Move, Santana, Derringer
Magnetic Waves of Sound
Under the Radar
Sometimes great bands and albums don’t bubble to the surface of fame, depriving fans of brilliant music. The Move is one of those acts and its wondrous pop is compiled in the 2-disc Magnetic Waves of Sound. Led by singer-guitarist Roy Wood, the Move offered up infectious flower-power sounds, heard on 1967’s “I Can Hear […]
VG Approved Gear
Ernie Ball MVP Volume/Gain Expression Pedal
Total Control
Ernie Ball’s MVP Volume/Gain Expression Pedal Price: $179 (list); $129.99 (street) Info: www.ernieball.com. Just when you thought you were done building the perfect pedalboard with all the coolest overdrives and time-based effects, you realize you need to control your sound. No doubt, a volume pedal is the way to go for controlling the volume of […]
Music
Cash Box Kings
Oscar’s Motel
For two decades, the Cash Box Kings have stood apart from the multitudes of “blues bands” that focus on bar-band rock, not actual blues. Inspired by the 1940s-’60s Chicago sounds of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Little Walter, the Kings stay true to the roots, even on original tunes. Singer/harmonica player Joe Nosek, vocalist Oscar […]
VG Approved Gear
Tx-Watt Flagship
Tone Big as Texas
For more than three decades on the Texas roadhouse circuit, guitarist Jack Kay’s love of vintage Fender and Marshall tones often had him using both amplifier brands at the same gig. Envisioning one capable of producing American and British sounds, the founder of Tx-Watt embarked on a quest to build the ultimate amp. After 10 […]
VG Approved Gear
Dogu Custom Electric Guitars’ MOS-01
This Old Strat
Dogu Custom Electric Guitars’ MOS-01 Price: $2,200 (list) Contact: www.actionfigurestudios.com Improving upon classic designs is a consistent theme in the guitar-manufacturing community. While many companies take a pragmatic approach to updating older designs for better performance, Mehmet Dogu (pronounced “Dough”) took a wistful one. He was determined to replace the guitar that got away. The […]
Have Guitar Will Travel
Have Guitar Will Travel – 009 Featuring Mt. Joy
In this episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel”, James Regan talks with Matt (Quinn) and Sam (Cooper) from the indie band Mt Joy. The band has originally hailed from Philadelphia and debuted in 2016 with their single “Astrovan”, that they recorded in Los Angeles by Quinn, Cooper, and Byrnes (their bass player). It was added to a lot of key […]
Artists
Bakersfield twang from Nashville Honeymoon
Vintage Instruments, Traditional Sounds Nashville Honeymoon plays country music laden with Bakersfield influence – the best kind! Here, Hank Maninger plays his ’62 Guild Starfire III, while Lynne Maes sings and strums a ’60 Martin O-15 to do “Sears Roebuck,” from their latest album, “Just Like Yesterday.” Catch our review in the December issue. Read […]
Music
Kelly Mulhollan
True Faith, True Light: The Devotional Art of Ed Stilley
Divine Inspiration
Arkansas farmer Ed Stilley was plowing his fields in 1979 when he was struck down by a heart attack; lying in the dirt, he had a vision that God wanted him to build guitars and give them to children around the country to make music. Once recovered, he began crafting instruments of his own design, […]
Classic Instruments
Mark Erlewine’s 40 Years with Willie Nelson’s Trigger
Wooden Wonder
For a decade, Willie Nelson chased fame as a performer in the Nashville mold of the ’60s – hair coifed, striding to center stage at the Grand Ole Opry in sport coat and tie. Nelson had become one of country music’s most valued songwriters; Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” is a Willie song, as are Faron Young’s […]
Artists
Fretprints: Toy Caldwell
Southern-Rock Eclectic
Marshall Tucker Band was arguably the most unusual Southern-rock group of the ’70s. Its namesake wasn’t the leader, a member, or mascot, their virtuosic lead guitarist didn’t use a pick, and they regularly featured flute and saxophone solos. Moreover, MTB played a seemingly irreconcilable array of styles, blending country, blues, folk, gospel, and rock with […]
Classic Instruments
Gretsch Country Gent #1
The Gretsch Country Gentleman 6122 was the third of four Chet Atkins signature guitar models created for the legendary guitarist in the ’50s. The little-known truth is it was also a response to all the things Atkins did not like about the first model Gretsch conjured for him – the 6120 Hollowbody. The reality is […]
VG Approved Gear
The Walrus Audio ACS1
Simple Simulation
From worship services and home-recording where volume is an issue to fly-in shows where a full rig is impossible, amp modeling has many applications. While a lot of amp/cab simulators offer virtual buffets of options, Walrus Audio’s ACS1 keeps it simple with three amp models, six toggle-switched cabinet “impulse responses” (IRs), Gain, Volume, and Room […]
VG Approved Gear
Tech 21 English Muffy
Killer Combo
The Tech 21 Character Plus Series aims to combine a vintage amp with one classic overdrive/fuzz/booster circuit, essentially giving two pedals in one chassis. The English Muffy pairs Hiwatt sounds with a Big Muff-type circuit, offering the brashness of a venerable British amp with a definitive New York City fuzzbox. You also get SansAmp speaker […]
VG Approved Gear
Jim Dunlop BG95 and EVH95 Signature Cry Baby Wahs
Voodoo Chasin’
Wah users needn’t settle for stock tonal options like those heard on the “Theme From Shaft” or “Voodoo Child (Slight Return).” That’s because Jim Dunlop offers recreations of the classic Cry Baby with additional tone-shaping options, boost features, and improvements to potentiometers, all to help you replicate the wicked sounds you hear in your brain, […]