April 2023

In a band at age nine, Marty Stuart fixated on country sounds even at the height of Beatlemania. His many hats include multi-intrumentalist, songwriter, guitar collector, historian – and captivating storyteller.

Markneukirchen has been home to countless luthiers, one being ubiquitous. And while he was primarly a violin maker, Ernst Heinrich Roth also built a lot of guitars.

The late Kim Simmonds is featured in Wolf Marshall’s “Fretprints” and in this month’s “Classics,” where a longtime fan recounts how he bought Simmonds’ ’73 Les Paul Custom.

If you daydream about conjuring riffs while sipping espresso and noodling on a favorite guitar, the Teisco Checkmate 30 is probably your amp.

We talk new music with Steve Vai, Stephen Ulrich, Steve Hill, Chris Tapp, Tomer Cohen, Sunny War, and Brian Tarquin, while Deke Dickerson tells us what he learned while writing the new biography on Merle Travis. 

“Pop ’N Hiss” talks to Richard Williams and Dave Hope bout how Kansas’ Leftoverture became its peak effort. "VG Q&A" unearths details of a super-rare vintage Jazz Bass and a home-made lap steel used to back a country-music legend.

Knowledgeable and trustworthy, our “Approved Gear” reviewers tell you why some new gear is worth your time and money. This month, they dig into the Chaos Audio Stratus, DGN Garcia Blaster, Walrus Melee, Bad Cat Black Cat, BBE Sonic Stomp and Green Screamer, Maestro’s Agena, Mariner, and Orbit pedals, Mesa Badlander 25, and the Supro Amulet.

Because your ears are starved for fresh “food,” we offer our thoughts on new music from Gary Moore, Billy Strings, Winery Dogs, Samantha Fish and Jess Dayton, Kansas, John Lee Hooker, and more!

It’s all in the April issue of Vintage Guitar!