Touring Instrument Stores All Over the US With Only $10

Have you read a printed book lately?

The number of people who do not read actual books on a regular basis has increased significantly due to the significant increase in the number of people who read e-books, the Internet, YouTube, etc.

It has been a long time since television news reported such survey results.

It is only natural that as times change, the media changes.

VINTAGE GUITAR magazine (hereinafter referred to as ‘VG magazine’), which we will discuss in this issue, started out as a paper-based magazine, but it’s now an e-book.

VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE

The paper edition of VG magazine is no longer published in paperback. It may be available at used bookstores that deal in music books, or at music stores that actually imported instruments from the United States. Currently, it seems that some of them are sold among individuals by searching on the Internet, but it seems to be difficult to select one in detail.

One music store once had a display of many VG magazines scattered around their high-end guitar amplifiers. This was probably because they were rarely seen in Japan. If you become a regular customer, you may be able to get a copy of the magazine.

When it was first published, it was more like a thick newspaper than a magazine. It was filled with guitar inventories from all the music stores all over the United States. Since the Internet was not yet widespread, the magazine mainly listed the model name and price of the instrument, which was different from the magazine. If I were to use a Japanese analogy, it’s like Player magazine, which was full of information on how to become a member.

The first issue of VG I bought on time; it had a wonderful aura.

A long time ago, the American magazine Guitar Player also carried an inventory list of vintage guitars, but it must have been rare to know so much information about musical instruments. The number of copies steadily increased.

After a few years, the color section on the cover became more vivid. It began to feel more like a guitar equipment magazine with color photos, especially color ads, slowly began to appear. In addition to instrument prices, articles on artists' equipment and rare guitars became more prominent. What was particularly noticeable was a large ad for the Centaur, a compact effects pedal. The ads frequently featured rave reviews from the musical instrument industry.

Clone model of Centavo

WARM AUDIO / Centavo Overdrive

WARM AUDIO / Silver Centavo

Clone model of ZENDRIVE

WARM AUDIO / Warmdrive

The price of these 3 units are too good.

Fender Jimi Hendrix model

FENDER / Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster Olympic White

I got a used one. It has more color pages, but the quality of the paper was still similar to newsprint.

A few years later, a version with the same paper size and more color pages were published. As in Europe and the United States, the paper quality of the cover was thinner than that of our magazine, but it was a world of difference from the initial paper quality that’s similar to newsprint, including the contents. Especially around 2008, when the Lehman Brothers collapsed, VG magazine had high quality articles and advertisements as well as guitar prices, making it a great magazine to read and look at. If you can find it anywhere, it's a thousand times better!

In the 2010s, e-books of VG magazine became popular in tandem with the print magazine, and the size of the paper became smaller.
That form continued for a while, and about three years ago, I learned from the Japanese distributor where I had been buying the magazine by mail order that the paper version was no longer available.

So, how have I loved reading VG magazine? This time, I would like to focus on the period when the magazine was published in large print with a full-color cover.

The first time I saw VG was in the spring of 1994 on the second floor of Tower Records next to the Hands Shibuya store. As usual, I stopped by the foreign magazine section and found a book with a red Stratocaster that had a Gibson-type bridge that I had never seen before on the cover. It was packaged in a thin transparent bag.

There were fine print English letters around the photo, giving it an aura of interest. Reading the English text, it turned out to be the guitar used by Rick Derringer for his album covers. The price was about 800 yen. I mean, it wasn’t cheap, but it wasn’t expensive either.... I was curious to see what was inside this thick magazine.

This photo was my motivation to buy VG magazine. I had never seen a Strat like this at the time.

I ventured to ask the clerk, “Can you open it?” But of course, the clerk laughed and said no.

However, I was so fascinated by the aura of the magazine and the picture of a Strat that I had never seen before on the cover, that I couldn’t suppress my desire, so I bought it along with some CDs. Yes, I have a thing for Strats. (haha)

If it had been a traditional acoustic guitar on the cover, I might not have encountered it.

When I got home and opened the plastic film, the name of the guitar and the price in dollars were all over it. Culture shock! The use of fonts for the various store names was like looking into an American music store. The inventory list had information on 1,000 electric guitars alone.

There were five features that VG magazine had that Japanese magazines did not have.

① Due to the large size of the magazine, the equipment photos were also large. It was very in-your-face realism.

The photo of Eddie Van Halen's signature model in the December 2024 issue of Litto Music's Guitar magazine was a powerful spread, but the back cover ad photo in the VG magazine was even larger and it seemed to be full-size. It was powerful.

The back cover ad with the body of the model on the front cover. Almost full-size. Full of power.

EVH / EVH Striped Series 5150 Red/Black/White

VG magazine’s specialty was often featuring effects pedals and other items at full size or larger, and it made such an impact that it gave the impression of holding the actual product in one's hands, even though the paper was a medium thickness.

② The introduction of equipment, especially the internal circuit boards of amplifiers, is interesting.

In Japan, there are few opportunities to introduce the internal wiring of vacuum tube amplifiers in detail; VG magazine mainly featured vintage amps and, in principle, carried a single amplifier in each issue in color. This is a good way to understand the individuality of each amplifier manufacturer, and it can be used as a reference for self-made amplifiers. Most of the amps had point-to-point wiring, and you could lose track of time looking at the models from the good old days.

③ Because advertising costs were low, detailed information on a variety of instruments was available.

From famous guitar makers such as PRS, large guitar stores such as Guitar Center, to information on what is for sale on a private level. Guitars, amps, effects pedals, accessories, parts, etc., which you cannot find in Japan, are all listed with photos.

Paul Reed Smith (PRS)) / SE CUSTOM 24 Black Gold Sunburst

The time you spend watching and reading this
It's time to immerse yourself in the US of A.

From major guitar makers to garage effects pedals to small items like ideas, I never get tired of reading and browsing.

④ The text is perfect for those who want to work in the musical instrument industry in the future.

You can also come into contact with live English from overseas sites on YouTube, but when you read the text, you will discover things that you are not likely to come into contact with in Japan. For example, how do you say PU Zaguri “Bento Box” for Strats in the US? You can also find out about this kind of thing. (The answer is at the end.)

The catch phrases used in the advertisements are also tasteful and easy to understand. The catchphrase “Why would you use a strap that costs only 1,000 yen for a '61 Strat?” and “Why do you use a $1,000 strap on your '61 Strat?”

The “TONE WE CAN HELP” is a good example of the “Leave it to us to take care of your electrical system.” A concise and stylish front-page ad.

Advertisement for a strat-type electrical system. The catch copy is tasteful, and you can learn some industry terminology.

The ad for a guitar-making school was also excellent: “SHAPE YOUR FUTURE”, which combines two elements: shaping the body of a guitar and opening up the future for students.

The school ran several different ads for the same ad.

⑤ You can understand how much the US values their electric guitars.

The history of the electric guitar in the U.S. is about 250 years younger than that of Japan. It is no exaggeration to say that the guitar is a “traditional American musical instrument” like the shamisen and the koto, which are comparable to Japanese musical instruments. The history of the banjo is even older than that of the guitar, and they are collectively categorized as fretted string instruments.

Every year on Father's Day, I post a picture of a father and son in a friendly relationship. It is a rare shot in Japan to see three generations of a military family with a grandfather, father, and grandson playing an electric guitar. It’s a culture that is deeply rooted in daily life.

Other photos of fathers and children playing the guitar together in their living rooms are used in equipment advertisements, giving us a glimpse into how musical instruments are part of daily life.

As you can see, the magazine has a lot of appeal, but you might say, “This is imported and it’s in English!”

Actually, there’s a book in Japan that is all about the world of equipment, and it’s available at Sound House. As of March 2025, Sound House has 20 copies in stock. The name of the book is THE EFFECTER BOOK (published by Shinko Music).

This magazine specializes in effects pedals, but it is similar to VG magazine, and I highly recommend it if you read Japanese. The entire series has never faded away, is a permanent edition, and is rich in content.

⇒ THE EFFECTER BOOK LIST

For example, Vol.59 is the most detailed information about Marshall effects pedals in Japan.

For more details, please refer to my column [THE EFFECTER BOOK], so you can get a feel for the features of the book.

The entire series is not available on the Sound House website, but if you are an educated guitarist, there is no harm in purchasing a few of these books.

You will learn more about your own equipment, and you will also gain an in-depth understanding of the history and construction of famous machines that you do not know about, which will change the way you purchase and use your instruments and your effects pedals.

VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE is a valuable music equipment culture magazine that allows you to catch a glimpse into American culture.

[Answer.]
The bento box of the Strat PU is generally called a “swimming pool” in the US.

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