No. 258, June 2014

The Mouse that Roared

Sweden’s Peter von Poehl goes all in onBig Issues Printed Small

By John Glasser

Like a Hurricane

Tommy Emmanuel blows through Acoustic Guitar’s offices

By David Knowles

Southern Exposure

How Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal createdThe River and the Thread

By Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

The Beat

‘The Winding Stream,’ a Carter Family documentary, debuts at SXSW

News Spotlight

Songwriter Ray LaMontagne starts anew onSupernova

Songcraft

Valerie June sings and plays an otherworldly mix of ancient Appalachian folk, Delta blues, Motown soul, and fuzzy indie rock

Here’s How

Five tips for navigating the guitar-store rollercoaster 

The Basics

When it comes to a great blues solo, it’s all in the phrasing

Weekly Workout

The essence of Western Swing guitar

Shop Talk

Folk Alliance International finds community in Kansas City

Makers&Shakers

Bob Taylor calls himself a mediocre guitar player—but there’s nothing ordinary about Taylor Guitars

Guitar Guru

Can a blindfolded guitar expert tell a guitar by its sound?

Review: Ronin Glory jumbo

The Northern California brand’s second ‘jumbo’ is not your average beautiful handcrafted boutique guitar

Review: Ovation Celebrity Standard Plus

Earthy soundboard a perfect match for the guitar’s patented synthetic bowl-shaped body

Review: Fender’s Acoustasonic 90

The perfect little amp for the guitarist on the go

Playlist

A rerelease of Cassandra Wilson’sBlue Light ‘til Dawn, plus the latest from Leif Vollebekk, Railroad Earth, Bryan Sutton, John Gorka, and Special Consensus

Books

Rolling Stones Gearshines a light on the instruments of the world’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll band

Great Acoustics

The legacy of the Churchdoor guitar