Video Lesson: How to Play the Blues Like Elizabeth Cotten
Few guitarists have had as much impact on fingerstyle folk and blues guitar as Elizabeth Cotten. Learn to capture her sound, phrasing, and dynamic approach to guitar.
Pete Madsen
Pete Madsen is an acoustic blues, ragtime and slide guitarist from the San Francisco Bay Area. He's the author of Play the Blues Like..., an essential guide for playing fingerstyle blues in open tunings.
Fender Acoustic 200 Amp Review
Think Fender and your mind fills with images of Stratocasters, Telecasters, and a wide array of tube-driven electric-guitar amplifiers. However, of late, Fender has been busy developing several lines of acoustic amplification that range in price from $99 to $999, offering options for every level of player.
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Taylor 10e and 12e Academy Guitars Review
If I hadn’t had their spec sheets in front of me, I might not have known that a pair of new Taylor guitars were affordable instruments. The new Taylor Academy 10e dreadnought and 12e Grand Concert each sell for well…
Guild M-40E Troubadour Review
The Guild M-40E acoustic guitar is based on the 1960s-era Guild F-20 model. It is a concert-sized instrument that packs a punch, especially when plugged in.
GEAR REVIEW: Bill Collings Revisits His Roots in the New T-Series of Acoustic Guitars [VIDEO]
The guitar inside the case—the OM1A T—is a force to be reckoned with. It’s beautifully crafted and, though newly built, has a mature sound and a phenomenal responsiveness.
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Video Lesson: Play the Blues Like Alvin Youngblood Hart
Hart leans heavily on single-chord grooves with monotonic bass patterns. Learn some of these licks and how to capture the feel of Hart's acoustic blues.
Guitar Roundup: 3 Travel Guitars Reviewed
Scaled-down is the new “bigger is better,” a design aesthetic for guitars that are easy to transport, gig-ready, and quite attractive. These days, modern guitar players value portability in addition to tone, playability, and visual aesthetics, and the industry is responding with compact acoustic axes that travel easily, accommodate players with small hands or ergonomic challenges, fit into cramped living spaces, and suit modest budgets.
VIDEO REVIEW: The Stalwart Taylor 410ce-R Is the Latest Iteration of a Classic Dreadnought
Nothing is more traditional than a dreadnought-sized guitar, but add a slim-neck profile, an elegant Venetian cutaway, and an innovative pickup system that accurately represents the true acoustic nature of the guitar in an amplified setting, and you have the Taylor 410ce-R, a modern acoustic guitar that speaks to a wide spectrum of players.
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Video Review: There’s a Lot to Love About the Maple-Top Fender T-Bucket 400CE
Fender Guitars, long known for its iconic Strats and Teles, may turn a few heads with the flame-maple-topped, dreadnought-sized T-Bucket 400CE, which is not only good looking, but sounds good and, most importantly, is affordable.
Video Review: Skysonic’s Pro-1 Acoustic Guitar Pickup System Offers Flexibility & Tonal Variation
Founded in China, Skysonic has recently made its way stateside via the Allen Eden Guitar Co. Their top-of-the-line offering is the Pro-1, which combines a dual-coil magnetic soundhole pickup with an onboard mic and an under-saddle piezo pickup.
Video Review: The Hand-Built Boswell 00-14 Sparkles with Refined Tone and Articulation
Butch Boswell, a self-proclaimed “wood junkie,” is taking his 20 years of guitar repair skills and putting them toward building one-of-a-kind instruments that cater to his clients’ individual needs. Boswell builds guitars in small batches of two or three instruments at a time at his shop in Bend, Oregon.
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Video Lesson: Mixolydian Mode is an Essential Tool for Guitar Soloing in All Styles
Bored of soloing with the major scale or the minor pentatonic? Looking for something new to help expand your musical palette? The Mixolydian mode might just be the thing. This mode can be a great tool for improvising in blues, jazz, rock, or practically any other style.
Video Review: Batson’s Americana Is Innovative and Affordable
The Batson Americana is visually striking: The ebony fretboard, bridge, and tailpiece make a beautiful, chocolate-hued center line against the vanilla-shaded, solid Sitka spruce top; and the light-colored, solid mahogany back and sides have a honey-hued, koa-like sheen.
Video Review: Cort’s Frank Gambale Luxe Is a Fast-Playing Flattop
The Cort Frank Gambale signature model is a collaboration between the guitar company and the artist, who oversaw almost every detail of this guitar. Gambale, a jazz-fusion shredder who often records and performs acoustically, wanted an acoustic that played like an electric, and he has put his personal stamp on the Luxe.
Gear Review: Martin’s GPC15ME Is a Great Stage Guitar, Well-Suited for a Myriad of Musical Styles [Video]
There is a certain familiarity to the Martin GPC15ME—the rustic charm of all mahogany guitars that have a log-cabin-type appeal can inspire a gutbucket response.
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Gear Review: Martin LE Cowboy Is a Collectible Triple-0 Acoustic Guitar with a Lively Voice [VIDEO]
The instrument has all the hallmarks of a great 000: a brilliant, piano-like response and a sound that’s distributed evenly across the frequency spectrum.
Gear Review: Guild Relaunches Its US-Built Acoustic Guitar Line with the M-20 [VIDEO]
Even though the M-20 is relatively unadorned—no binding, nor abalone nor mother-of-pearl inlays except in the “Guild” insignia on the head stock—its build is apparent in the quality of the woods, fret dressing, bone nut and saddle, and set up.
Gear Review: The 2016 Gibson Hummingbird Vintage Model Is a High-Flying Acoustic Guitar [VIDEO]
It’s not just one of the best Hummingbirds I’ve played, but an excellent flattop by any yardstick—one as graceful and nimble as its name suggests.
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Video Lesson: 6 Tips For Acoustic Fingerpicking Blues Guitar
Learn to combine the bass and treble voices in your fingerpicked blues to add complexity.
Review: Two Affordable Eastman Acoustic Guitars, the AC–GA1CE & AC–GA2CE [VIDEO]
I am a little snobbish when it comes to instruments, but two new Eastman guitars—the AC–GA1CE and AC–GA2CE—have led me to reappraise my view of lower-priced models.
Video Lesson: Reimagining Bluesman Robert Johnson in Open-G Tuning
Take a look at some of the songs Robert Johnson played in open tunings and learn how to use his melodic and rhythmic ideas in any 12-bar blues.
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Three New Waterloos: WL-14, WL-K, and WL-JK [Video Review]
I’d been intrigued by Waterloo guitars ever since seeing Julian Lage play his WL-14 on an Acoustic Guitar Sessions video episode, but never seemed to be able to audition one. Due to the high demand, Collings had none for review…
Review: PRS’ New Angelus SE A30E Sustains Interest
PRS’s Angelus SE A30E has got a lot going for it: top-notch playability and an agreeable voice that reproduces well thanks to its high-quality electronics.
Review: Gibson’s J-45 Vintage Is a Winning Workhorse [VIDEO]
Some skeptical guitarists might see phrases like “thermally cured” and “hide glue” as mere marketing tools, but there’s no denying that the J-45 Vintage has a full, rich voice with excellent definition and note separation. When I play it in the Carter style, I’m struck both by the depth of the bass notes and the crispness of the chordal accents. When I pick some G runs, I’m taken with the string-to-string balance and the thickness of the single notes.
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Create Simple Blues Solos by Adding Thirds to Your Blues Lines
Playing solos using scales is great, but that’s just the beginning. One way to flesh out the sound of scales is by adding intervals on an adjacent string to create simple harmonies.