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Vintage Vault

Did Hendrix Play This Rare 1968 SG Custom?
Photo courtesy of Imperial Vintage Guitars Reverb Shop
Vintage Vault

Did Hendrix Play This Rare 1968 SG Custom?

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An Elegant PRS and the Truth About Angry Larry
Photos by Madison Thorn
Vintage Vault

An Elegant PRS and the Truth About Angry Larry

Revisiting a Forgotten Hippie-Era 6-String
All photos courtesy of the SS Vintage Shop on Reverb.com
Vintage Vault

Revisiting a Forgotten Hippie-Era 6-String

The Sorrento Swinger: A Japan-Made Guitar for Its Era
Vintage Vault

The Sorrento Swinger: A Japan-Made Guitar for Its Era

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Bass Players, Beware: A Low-Ender Novelty for One-Man Bands
All photos by Madison Thorn
Vintage Vault

Bass Players, Beware: A Low-Ender Novelty for One-Man Bands

MXR Bass Synth Serves Up Intergalactic Grooves & Vintage Analog-Style Vibes
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MXR Bass Synth Serves Up Intergalactic Grooves & Vintage Analog-Style Vibes

An Acoustic Piece of Italian-American Luthier History
Vintage Vault

An Acoustic Piece of Italian-American Luthier History

When our columnist stumbled upon this 12-string hanging streetside in NYC, he knew he’d struck gold.

The 6-String Bass with an ES-335 Look
Vintage Vault

The 6-String Bass with an ES-335 Look

You may know the Gibson EB-6, but what you may not know is that its first iteration looked nothing like its latest. 

How Kramer Tuning Fork Headstocks Came to Be
Vintage Vault

How Kramer Tuning Fork Headstocks Came to Be

This bass sports some original modifications made by Gary Kramer following the early-’70s departure of his partner Travis Bean.

This ’61 Gretsch Firebird Is Still Flying High
Vintage Vault

This ’61 Gretsch Firebird Is Still Flying High

The author’s PX-6131 model is an example of vintage-guitar evolution that offers nostalgic appeal in the modern world—and echoes of AC/DC’s Malcolm Young.

The Many Faces of the Howard Roberts Signature Guitar
Vintage Vault

The Many Faces of the Howard Roberts Signature Guitar

This acoustic-electric, built for the jazz-fusion guitarist, was varied in both specs and brand names throughout the late 20th century.

From Epiphone to Guild: How a ’50s Archtop Got Its Strings
Vintage Vault

From Epiphone to Guild: How a ’50s Archtop Got Its Strings

Here’s the tale of how the now-Gibson-owned Epiphone company came to be, and its unexpected connection to the birth of this Guild model.

The Burns Virginian: An Underrated Luthier’s Obscure Underdog
Vintage Vault

The Burns Virginian: An Underrated Luthier’s Obscure Underdog

This vintage electric hollowbody has some unusual components—such as a Rezo-Tube bridge—that would make it a fascinating addition to any collector’s vault.

A Fine-Tuned Signature Guitar for a Jazz Great
Vintage Vault

A Fine-Tuned Signature Guitar for a Jazz Great

Jazz musician Johnny Smith set the bar high when it came to the design of his signature model, doing his own research and hopping manufacturers when his expectations were left unmet.

A Lawsuit-Era Takamine to Contend with Martin
Vintage Vault

A Lawsuit-Era Takamine to Contend with Martin

This ’70s Japanese lawsuit-era guitar was brazenly designed to mimic a Martin D-41, and to our columnist’s ears, sounds just as good as the original.

A Near-Century-Old Larson Brothers Flattop
Vintage Vault

A Near-Century-Old Larson Brothers Flattop

Built in the 1920s by the storied luthiers, this guitar has maintained an exceptional tone over the years.