Vintage Guitar (magazine)

Vintage Guitar (magazine)

Vintage Guitar magazine is a consumer publication that focuses on vintage and classic fretted instruments, amplifiers, effects, and related gear, as well as notable players from all genres and eras. The publication's feature stories and monthly columns cover a diverse range of topics by contributors including some of the biggest names in the industry and renowned authorities like Dan Erlewine, George Gruhn, Wolf Marshall, Richard Smith, and Seymour W. Duncan, as well as some of the best-known writers in the field, including Walter Carter, A.R. Duchoissoir, Dan Forte, Lisa Sharken, Rich Kienzle, Michael Dregni, John Heidt, John Peden, and others.The magazine’s classified-ad section provides readers with access to thousands of classic, used and new guitars, amps, accessories, books, videos, and more for sale. Other editorial content focuses on reviews of music as well as objective reviews of new gear. Vintage Guitar also includes monthly repair columns written by noted Luthiers Dan Erlewine and Will Kelly.

Originally published as The Music Trader, its inaugural issue was distributed in September, 1986, with the intent of achieving two goals; to supply musicians with a market to buy and sell instruments and equipment or locate other musicians, and to inform and entertain readers. Today, these remain the basic goals of the magazine. Though The Music Trader was a publication for all types of instruments, the majority of advertisements and articles were guitar-centric. In 1989, publisher Alan Greenwood changed its name to Vintage Guitar magazine because he felt it better represented the publication.