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Several years before he became a luthier who deserves much greater recognition, Ralph Jones sold new Fender guitars and amps out of his home studio in Rockville, Maryland. One early customer was Bill Fudge, a high-school kid who in 1959 was ready to move beyond his Silvertone and into his first real rig – a […]
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1958-’59 Fender Twin Preamp tubes: one 12AY7, two 12AX7 Output tubes: four 5881 (6L6 equivalents), fixed bias Rectifier: GZ34 (5AR4) tube Controls: Volume, Volume, Treble, Bass, Middle, Presence Output: 80 watts RMS +/- Speaker: two 12” Jensen P12N Many tweed-o-philes get more excited about the small and mid-sized amps that they can crank up in […]
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On Things Eternal, jazz-guitar wizard Dan Wilson fuses post-bop, spirituality, and the songs of Stevie Wonder into a satisfying musical journey. The album is a celebration of those who have passed on, but don’t get it twisted; Wilson understands that what they left behind is the greatest gift of all, and he honors them with […]
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Expect the unexpected from Gwenifer Raymond. Born in Wales, England, she was inspired by underground bands like the Pixies and Nirvana, while her deft fingerpicking style was shaped by Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James, Roscoe Holcomb, and John Fahey. Just as surprising, Raymond has a Ph.D. in astrophysics and works in video-game production. Her new […]
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Artists
Fab Four’s Big Three
The Beatles’ “Ed Sullivan Show” Guitars, 50 Years On
For Americans, the legend of the Beatles has a very specific starting moment: 8 p.m., February 9, 1964. That Sunday evening 50 years ago, the group appeared for the first time in the U.S. on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” and spurred a phenomenon. The broadcast was watched by the largest television audience tallied up to […]
Classic Instruments
Universal Audio’s OX Amp Top Box
The Tube Abides
Since the mid ’60s, electrical engineers have been trying to drive a stake into the heart of the vacuum tube, first with transistors, then with zeros and ones. Yet the tube abides, because nothing can replicate the crunch and organic feel of warm power tubes clipping and overtones moaning. But tube saturation comes with a […]
VG Approved Gear
The Xaviere XV-JT90 and XV-585
Planks for Pennies
Xaviere is a company that imports its guitars from China, sets them up in its Massachusetts shop, then sells direct. The company’s XV-JT90 Offset Hybrid is a solidbody with a body shape reminiscent of a Jazzmaster, yet it has a bridge pickup more like you’d find on a Telecaster, making it more adaptable for everything […]
VG Approved Gear
Koll Super Glide Almighty
Grady’s Choice
What do you get when you cross a Jazzmaster, Les Paul, Gretsch Duo Jet, ES-335, and Tele? You just might end up with an axe from Koll Guitar, a Portland-based builder who’s been at it for more than three decades. One of their instruments is the Super Glide Almighty, a retro-themed electric with a chambered […]
Music
Jimi Hendrix
Morning Symphony Ideas
James Marshall Hendrix is undoubtedly the greatest rock guitarist who ever lived, and Experience Hendrix LLC is now releasing a vinyl version of this original 2000 collection. The original release consisted of studio jams and home demos recorded between 1969 and ’70, and featured Buddy Miles on four tracks and Billy Cox on one. This […]
VG Approved Gear
EHX’s Bad Stone Phase Shifter, C9 Organ Machine, and Pitch Fork Polyphonic Pitch Shifter
Pedal Heaven
When it comes to stompboxes, there are the standard go-to effects that every guitarist, whether a gigging musician or a bedroom noodler, seems to have in his or her arsenal. Then there are those pedals that push an electric guitar’s sonic possibilities even further into the stratosphere. Recently, three boxes from Electro-Harmonix landed on our […]
Classic Instruments
Epiphone Zephyr De Luxe Regent and Zephyr Amplifier
The Zephyr De Luxe Regent was Epiphone’s second-from-the-top electric guitar produced from the late 1940s through the mid ’50s. The instrument went through several name changes, from Zephyr De Luxe Cutaway, in 1948, to Zephyr De Luxe Regent, in 1950, to the DeLuxe Electric, by 1954. In Epiphone nomenclature, the word “Zephyr” indicated “electric” and […]
Artists
Philip Sayce’s Guitar Meditation
Exploring, Expanding Absorbing and exuding great vibes from his living room, Philip Sayce and his PRS Silver Sky (plugged into a ’68 Super Reverb) play “Lady Love Divine,” one of the fine tunes from his latest album, “The Wolves Are Coming.” Catch our interview with Philip in the April issue. Read Now!
Artists
Vic Flick
007 Guitar Man
You may not know the name Vic Flick, but you know his signature motif–that reverby lick from the James Bond theme, recorded in 1962 for Dr. No, the first in the long-running film franchise. Flick played on every Bond smash through Diamonds are Forever, and even recorded with Eric Clapton on the latter-day 007 soundtrack, […]
Music
George Harrison
All Things Must Pass 50th Anniversary Edition
Is the world big enough for two distinct renderings of All Things Must Pass, Harrison’s iconic masterpiece? This anniversary set features a dramatic new mix (overseen by George’s son, Dhani), offering a sweeping sonic overhaul – and new listening experience – of what’s widely regarded as the quintessential Fab Four solo release. It’s also available […]
Artists
Sean Watkins
The Fire Returns
Nickel Creek’s new album, Celebrants, is the trio’s first in nine years. Mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile, violinist Sara Watkins, and guitarist Sean Watkins crafted 18 songs that crack the boundaries of Americana, bluegrass, and rock. Watkins plays his vintage Gibson like a boss, creating visceral textures and vistas with a dizzying right hand. It’s Nickel […]
Artists
Rich Robinson Re-Launches
Solo Again
Ah, glorious cohesion. For guitarist Rich Robinson – who today records and tours solo after serving as co-founder and musical driving force in the Black Crowes – it’s been too long coming. Fans of real rock and roll will forever appreciate how the Crowes helped keep it afloat with its 1990 debut album, Shake Your […]
Artists
Fretprints: Roy Lanham
Hillbilly Jazz Takes Hollywood
Woefully under-recognized guitarist Roy Lanham was a favorite of leading country and jazz pickers and rock innovators; Merle Travis extolled his musicianship, and when Barney Kessel sought him out for coaching on country picking, Lanham exclaimed, “Take off your boots and hat, and you can be a great jazz player!” Emerging when musical boundaries were […]
Music
Carla Olson & Mick Taylor
Sway: The Best of Carla Olson & Mick Taylor
There’s a timelessness to the earthy, powerful rock and roll captured in this collection. The blend of Textones founder Olson’s tough-and-tender voice with the ex-Rolling Stone’s blues-soaked guitar – especially his legendary slide – is simply combustible. Several sources make up this two-CD set. The first is ’91’s Live: Too Hot for Snakes, recorded during […]
VG Approved Gear
Retro and Wonderful
The EHX Mainframe Bit Crusher
The Mainframe Bit Crusher is a nasty little pedal that warps, mangles, distorts and produces lo-fi digital sounds and trippy sci-fi gizmo textures reminiscent of computers and video games of the ’80s and early ’90s. Packed with beaucoup features, the Mainframe provides sample-rate reduction ranging from 48kHz to 110Hz. Additional filter functions warp signals even […]
Classic Instruments
Ted Nugent’s 1962 Gibson Byrdland
Anyone who’s ever caught Ted Nugent on tour has seen this instrument, and during the Summer of 2003 it was intended to be the only guitar used by the Motor City Madman during his one-hour slot. “That was pretty much due to time restraints,” said Dean Mitchell, who has been Nugent’s guitar tech for a […]
VG Approved Gear
Falbo Alpha Series Hollowbody
Top Dog
Falbo Alpha Series Hollowbody Price: $3,450 (base); $6,250 (as reviewed) Info: www.falboguitars.com Frank Falbo set the acoustic guitar world on its collective ear in 2012 with a revolutionary string-anchoring design that reduces or eliminates the string pull that attempts to tear the bridge right out of the top of acoustic guitars. By attaching the ball […]