Kevin Owens

Guitar Guru: What can Torrefaction Do for Your Instrument?

Properly torrefied, properly selected wood used in conjunction with a well-engineered design, can produce guitars that are both great-sounding and durable.

Ask the Expert: How to Cure Your Guitar’s Wintertime Humidity Blues

Maintaining your guitar’s humidity level is key in avoiding lots of headaches, from a fluctuating setup to potentially expensive structural repairs.

closeup of an acoustic guitar bridge and bridge pins

Can Bridge Pins Enhance Your Acoustic Guitar’s Tone?

There are so many different materials for acoustic guitar bridge pins, but how much difference do they make in your guitar tone?

Guitarist Merle Travis, dressed in western clothes, picks an acoustic guitar

Video Lesson: Learn the Basics of Travis Picking on Acoustic Guitar

Learn Travis picking, a style of fingerpicking characterized by a steady alternating bass that underscores rhythmic patterns and melodies on the treble strings.

This Is Classical Guitar's Bradford Werner plays guitar with capo at third fret

Digital Conservatories: Online Learning Resources for Classical Guitarists

We looked into a number of the most popular classical-guitar learning sites and offer profiles of three here; at the end you’ll also find brief glimpses of four others.

Guitar Guru: When it Comes to Repairs, When Is Enough Enough?

By Dana Bourgeois | From the September 2016 issue of Acoustic Guitar Q: I have a D-18 from the mid-’60s. Before I owned it, a lot of repair work h... Read More...

Justin Townes Earle on Songwriting, His Idiosyncratic Fingerpicking Style, and Battling Personal Demons

By Kenny Berkowitz | From the September 2012 issue of Acoustic Guitar As the son of Steve Earle, Justin Townes Earle carried an enormous weight of e... Read More...

Guitar Guru: Vintage vs. Modern Instruments—Do Blindfold Tests Really Work?

By Dana Bourgeois | From the June 2016 issue of Acoustic Guitar Q: I've read about blind tests in which professional violinists attempted to identify contempo... Read More...

Woody Guthrie’s Songwriting Wisdom

Guitar Guru: How Much Do Acoustic Guitar Top Woods Contribute to Tone?

By Dana Bourgeois | From the August 2016 issue of Acoustic Guitar Q: Back in the day, it seemed that all new guitars came with Sitka spruce tops. Now players ... Read More...