vintage-vault: Latest Updates

An Elegant PRS and the Truth About Angry Larry

This 2019 PRS Custom 24-08 has a 10-top, making it one of the company’s most elite models, and it longs to be played.

Vintage Vault

Revisiting a Forgotten Hippie-Era 6-String

The idiosyncratic, Summer of Love-era Musicraft Messenger had a short-lived run and some unusual appointments, but still has some appreciators out there.

Vintage Vault

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

Originally priced at $25 and tagged for the student market, this guitar built at the Kawai factory sounds surprisingly good, but its neck is a “husky” fit.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Vintage Vault: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Vintage Guitars at the Movies

Vintage Vault: How a Sunburst 1960 Gibson Les Paul Broke My Heart

When Does a Guitar Become “Vintage?”

The Slanted Fret Rickenbacker 481

IK Multimedia Launches TONEX Board

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A New Yorker Fit for Memphis Minnie

An Elegant PRS and the Truth About Angry Larry

This 2019 PRS Custom 24-08 has a 10-top, making it one of the company’s most elite models, and it longs to be played.

Revisiting a Forgotten Hippie-Era 6-String

The idiosyncratic, Summer of Love-era Musicraft Messenger had a short-lived run and some unusual appointments, but still has some appreciators out there.

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

Originally priced at $25 and tagged for the student market, this guitar built at the Kawai factory sounds surprisingly good, but its neck is a “husky” fit.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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This 2019 PRS Custom 24-08 has a 10-top, making it one of the company’s most elite models, and it longs to be played.

The idiosyncratic, Summer of Love-era Musicraft Messenger had a short-lived run and some unusual appointments, but still has some appreciators out there.

Originally priced at $25 and tagged for the student market, this guitar built at the Kawai factory sounds surprisingly good, but its neck is a “husky” fit.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.