Soul Captain

Luther Dickinson gives a tour of the North Mississippi Allstars’ existential party cruise on Set Sail.

Sterner Stuff

Five years after a misstep on a New York City street left him with broken bones and nerve damage in his right hand, Mike Stern perseveres one gig at a time.

Sweet Little Rock & Rollers

The sound of rock and roll began in the hands of Charles Edward Anderson Berry. Here are some of the guitars that helped him make history.

How I Wrote…“Take It Off the Top”

Steve Morse opens up about the Dixie Dregs’ long-running fan favorite.

CHANGING GEAR

FROM CHARLIE CHRISTIAN TO TOM MORELLO, THESE 25 GUITARISTS SHIFTED THE COURSE OF GUITARS, AMPS, EFFECTS AND TONE, TO BRING US WHERE WE ARE TODAY.

Strymon

Compadre Dual-Voice Compressor and Boost

ORIGIN EFFECTS

RevivalDRIVE Compact and MAGMA57

MACKIE Thrash215 Powered Loudspeaker

SINCE THE 1990S Mackie, a company founded in America’s rugged Northwest, has been designing great-sounding and reliable audio products for musicians. A good part of their success can be attributed to the thoughtful design of mixers and loudspeakers that deliver both professional quality and portability. With the debut of their new line of Thrash-powered loudspeakers, Mackie has attempted to address perhaps the most challenging constraint to producing great audio — doing it on a budget. Thrash promises more for a fraction of what other professional powered loudspeakers cost.

EASTMAN T64/v and T184MX

BOASTING A REPUTATION that grows year upon year, the Eastman String Company has long defied any “budget-brand” preconceptions normally heaped upon Chinese-made guitars, delivering instruments that punch well above their weight for build quality, tone and playability (see the “Meet Your Maker” interview with two of the company’s prime movers.

FENDER Mustang Micro

MINIATURIZATION IS THE story of the modern age, as devices keep getting smaller and more powerful. Case in point, the Mustang Micro, a very, very small guitar amplifier and effect modeling system that features a selection of tones from the Mustang series modeling amps. You can plug it directly into your guitar’s input jack, connect stereo headphones to its 1/8-inch jack, choose various amp and effect settings, and play for hours. The unit lets you jam along with tunes from your music library or streaming service through Bluetooth audio from your mobile device, tablet or computer. You can also record your guitar tones with or without a Bluetooth audio stream to your preferred recording system by using Mustang Micro’s USB-C output.

JAZZ ODYSSEY

Freedom has been on a lot of people’s minds the past two years. Jazz-fusion pioneer John McLaughlin made it the topic of his latest solo album, Liberation Time.

California Dreamin'

The new Matchless Laurel Canyon and Coldwater Canyon amps capture classic West Coast splendor.

Catch Me if You Can

Chuck Berry brought poetry to pop and broke race barriers to become rock and roll's first guitar-playing frontman. As he recalled, it all began with some "hillbilly stuff' he revved into a rocker: "Maybellene."

Beat the Odds

Luther Dickinson reveals his technique for fingerpicking with groups of five and seven.

John Frusciante

He saved the red hot chili peppers. But first he had to save himself.

Alternative Notion

"AVA puts an elegant spin on carbon-fiber luthiery with its One First Edition electric guitars."

Fire Down Below

"Armed with just his phone and extensive network of musical cohorts, Tom Morello takes the electric guitar into uncharted territory on The Atlas Underground Fire."

ROYAL TREATMENT

Blues phenom Eric Gales returns with the album he was born to make: Crown.

INTO THE GROOVE

Nylon-string maestro Jesse Cook finds release in electronic beats on Libre, his latest fret-burning effort.

FOREVER '50s

Rockabilly’s top cat talks about beating tinnitus, resurrecting Dick Dale, why you’ll never catch him with a Strat, and why rockers can’t play the ’billy.

Time Is on Her Side

Stripping away the heavy rock guitars of her previous albums, Courtney Barnett makes a fresh start with Things Take Time, Take Time.

Leo Rising

After 50 years, Leo Nocentelli’s long-lost solo debut reveals a softer side to the hard-nosed electric funk legend.

How I Wrote... "I Love Rock 'N' Roll"

The late Alan Merrill recalled how his flop became Joan Jett's runaway hit.

Acoustic Blues Musings, Pt.4

Slide song suggestions with insights from Ben Harper and Roy Rogers.

NEW ADVENTURES IN HI-FI

Armed with a Rickenbacker and a Fender Twin, Peter Buck helped R.E.M. put alternative rock on the map. Producer Mitch Easter reveals the genius behind the jangle pop.

THESE THINGS TAKE TIME

Rejecting traditional rock guitar stylings, Johnny Marr created a new ethos that defined alternative rock and placed it at the forefront of the U.K.’s 1980s music scene.

EARTHQUAKER DEVICES

Hizumitas Fuzz Sustainer

WINNING LAP

Having mastered Guitar Hero, Yasmin Williams turned her attention to the real deal and became a lap-tapping superhero in her own right for a new generation of players.

SHOUT IT OUT

LOUD It took four albums for Kiss to rise from Rust Belt cult act to national rock stars. Now the pressure was on for a follow-up. They responded with Destroyer, the 1976 album that turned the New York City glam-rockers into Gods of Thunder.

RUST BELT Troubadour

After making his mark with Gregg Allman and members of the Band’s camp, Scott Sharrard now takes his place in Little Feat while dropping a solo album infused with his Midwest roots.