No. 259, July 2014

Down By Law
On the heels of hot new album, sometime-rocker Scott Law reflects on the decision to pick up the acoustic

The Haunting
North Dakota troubadour Tom Brosseau leaves a ghostly impression on his new album, Grass Punks

From Busking to Bigtime
Australian sensation John Butler continues his inspiring rise to stardom

Free Byrd
Jonathan Byrd spreads his wings as a Southern traditionalist singer songwriter

SPECIAL FOCUS
Nylon Strings Attached!

Nylon May You Run
Experts’ guide to buying a nylon-string guitar

Brandt Offerings
Nylon luthier goes Hollywood

Assad Effects
Brazilian virtuoso Badi Assad’s got the world on a string

Nylonic Duo
Rodrigo y Gabriela reincarnate their sound with 9 Dead Alive

The Beat
Goo Goo Dolls unplug on tour, and in forthcoming DVD

Think Thrice, It’s All Right
A trio of new Dylan offerings has us tangled up in Bob

Songcraft
At 34, Conor Oberst has written more incredible songs than most artists will in a lifetime

Here’s How
Five surefire ways to build your acoustic-guitar self-confidence

Take It Easy
Choosing the right sound production

The Basics
Hone your jazz vocabulary

Weekly Workout
How low can you go with blues bass lines?

Shop Talk
Saving spruce with a limited edition Taylor GS Mini

Makers & Shakers
Mervyn Davis designs from the motherland

Guitar Guru
Great wood doesn’t mean great sound

Review: Breedlove Legacy Auditorium
Oregon guitar maker builds on its, er … legacy

Review: Gretsch G9550 New Yorker
Archtop classic is Big Apple to the core

Review: Gibson J-29
Another red-letter day for the J series

Playlist
Ben and Ellen Harper keep it in the family with Childhood Home, plus the latest from Tom Griesgraber and Bert Lams, Liz Green, Dirk Powell, and William Fitzsimmons

Books
The heart of a songwriter in Joni Mitchell Complete So Far… 

Video
Suzanne Vega brings her solo Solitude to DVD