STRONG STUFF

Fresh Prince

IT’S NOT UNUSUAL for musicians to keep an element of what they do secret. Some do it to prevent others from learning their processes, defy convention or create an air of mystery. Still others are just irritatingly private and have no interest in sharing anything beyond the music they make

May Showers

Thanks for the gracious nod to Brian May,

AUDIOPHILE AXE

With its tubepowered pickup, the Ruokangas Duke Valvebucker is a high-fidelity experience

GUIDED BY VOICINGS

Jane Getter’s singular sense of scales lends mystery to the fusiony Anomalia.

TECH EDUCATION

Once an analog man, Lloyd Baggs used digital know-how to revolutionize acoustic amplification with Voiceprint Acoustic D.I

MY CAREER IN FIVE SONGS

He’s a huge Flatt & Scruggs fan, but Blondie’s Chris Stein put his signature on the punk era with these five tracks

Big Bottom

Designed for bassists, the Fender Bassman became the favored tone machine of guitarists everywhere

Treasure Island

The music of Trio Matamoros is alive with Cuba’s long-lost bolero-son traditions

ROYAL INTRIGUE

Prince kept his music and life private. In these new exclusive interviews, those who knew and worked with him share untold secrets and tales from the studio and road

LET’S WORK

Engineer Hans-Martin Buff recalls life as Paisley Park’s studio boffin

BLUE MOODS

Julian Lage and his trio honor the Blue Note tradition with a spiritual offering for a troubled modern world

LOVE AT THE IMPROV

Julian Lage’s four tips for embracing your inner improviser

BATTLE READY

With The Battle at Garden’s Gate, Greta Van Fleet fight for rock’s right to evolve. Jake Kiszka leads the charge

BLUES BROTHER

As Steve Cropper returns with his “first proper solo album,” the Hall of Famer reflects on his long and remarkable role in the Stax family and beyond

RECONSTRUCTED CLASSICS

On Covered Tracks, bayou bluesman Eric Johanson reinterprets rockers with acoustic guitars and looping technology

Stageworthy Strategies, Pt. 2

Understanding acoustic preamps, D.I.s and digital enhancers

OPEN TO OPTIONS

How to put the openstring chord-voicing prowess of Wayne Krantz to work

HOME RIGS OF THE STARS

What do guitar heroes play when they’re off the clock? John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert, Sonny Landreth and five other axe slingers reveal the gear they use every day

GUILD

BT-258E Deluxe 8-string Baritone

D’ANGELICO

Excel 59

NEURAL DSP

Quad Cortex Floor Modeler

Eventide

MICROPITCH DELAY

EARTHQUAKER  DEVICES

Astral Destiny reverb

How I Wrote… “For the Love of God”

Steve Vai recalls how a mystery guitarist inspired him to write his signature song