Acoustic Guitar

Acoustic Guitar is a monthly publication that has been available in the United States since July/August 1990, produced by String Letter Publishing. This magazine provides valuable information, motivation, and guidance for acoustic guitar enthusiasts, catering to everyone from newcomers to experienced educators. Each edition features around three songs complete with notation and tablature, along with lessons, product reviews, and interviews with well-known acoustic musicians. The magazine enjoys a readership of about 54,000 and has a strong social media presence, boasting over 490,000 likes on Facebook, making it easily accessible across North America.

International

English

Magazine

Outlet metrics

Domain Authority

Ranking

Global

#237155

United States

#144110

Arts and Entertainment/Music

#1856

Traffic sources

Monthly visitors

Articles

With a Custom Bouzouki, Vintage Tenor Guitar, and Layered Studio Work, Watchhouse’s ‘Rituals’ Is Its Most Exploratory Album Yet

1 week ago | acousticguitar.com | Isa Burke |Michael Wright |Mark Small |Adam Perlmutter

On its seventh studio album, Rituals, North Carolina duo Watchhouse—Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz—explores themes of home, presence, time, and the patterns we come to depend on. Co-produced by Marlin and Ryan Gustafson of the Dead Tongues, the album gently expands the band’s sonic palette. It introduces new textures and approaches while holding onto their signature warmth and lyrical clarity.
Campfire Songs: Learn to Play “Oh, the Dreadful Wind and Rain”

2 weeks ago | acousticguitar.com | Maurice Tani |Mary Flower |Adam Perlmutter |Judy Minot

“Oh, the Dreadful Wind and Rain” is a traditional folk ballad with roots tracing back to the mid-17th century. Like many songs passed down orally for generations before the era of recording, it has appeared under various titles, with small shifts in melody and lyrics. But the core story has remained—and it’s a dark one.
Isa Burke, Lisa Liu, Mamie Minch, Sean McGowan, and Thu Tran Share Musical Insights in New Artist-Led Lesson Series

2 weeks ago | acousticguitar.com | Emile Menasche |Adam Perlmutter |Richard Bienstock

With online education now deeply woven into the fabric of music learning, today’s guitar students have access to instruction that was once available primarily through conservatory programs or specialized workshops. But for all the polished tutorials and algorithm-friendly content circulating online, something essential often goes missing: the human touch. That’s what makes the new Acoustic Guitar Teaching Artists series, hosted on Patreon, worth a closer look.
Interview: How Billy Strings Became the Most Electrifying Bluegrass Artist of His Generation-Without Leaving the Old Songs Behind

2 weeks ago | acousticguitar.com | Emile Menasche |Teja Gerken |James Rotondi |Bob Doerschuk

March 1, 2025: It’s Billy Strings’ second consecutive packed-to-the-rafters show at the 17,000-capacity Bridgestone Arena in his adopted home of Nashville.
Great Acoustics-Gordon Lightfoot’s 1967 Gibson B-45-12: The Guitar Behind “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”

3 weeks ago | acousticguitar.com | Emile Menasche |Teja Gerken |David McPherson |Adam Perlmutter

Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, who passed away in 2023, left a legacy of great songs—and a remarkable collection of instruments. Among them, one stood apart: his Gibson B-45-12. Late last fall, this 12-string guitar was the top-selling item in a Heritage Auctions estate sale, going for $350,000 to a group of Canadian collectors. Over a career spanning more than 60 years, Lightfoot amassed dozens of fine acoustic guitars.
Review: Heather Maloney Mourns and Celebrates Her Father on ‘Exploding Star’

3 weeks ago | acousticguitar.com | Derk Richardson |Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers |Pat Moran

“Are you floating in the cosmos, finally free from time/ While I’m down here on the highway looking for signs?” asks Heather Maloney in the title track from her new album, Exploding Star, over the light 6/8 strum of her guitar.
Teaching Artists May Recap: The Bass Rumble, Jazz-Blues, Map Your Fretboard with Intervals, Musical Travis Picking, and Summer Goals

3 weeks ago | acousticguitar.com | Joey Lusterman |Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers |Adam Perlmutter |Dale Miller

In April 2025, we debuted the Acoustic Guitar Teaching Artist series, a program designed to help you grow as a guitarist. Our cohort of instructors—Isa Burke, Lisa Liu, Sean McGowan, Mamie Minch, and Thu Tran—is committed to helping you discover new musical and creative territory throughout the year, offering one new video lesson each week, plus virtual concerts, roundtable discussions, and more. You can unlock access for just $5 a month.
Valerie June on Finding the Right Guitar, Crafting Her Sound, and Channeling Magic Through Music

3 weeks ago | acousticguitar.com | Mac Randall |Natalia Zukerman |Karen Peterson |Adam Perlmutter

Valerie June’s soundscapes stretch from Memphis soil to cosmic skies. Her voice is a mix of earth and ether, channeling gospel, blues, and folk traditions into something unmistakably her own. “I’m basically an ambassador for joy,” she says, and it’s hard to argue otherwise. June’s latest album, Owls, Omens, and Oracles (Concord), offers a mix of love, sweetness, and light.
How to Play Simon and Garfunkel’s Bossa Nova-Inspired Ballad “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright”

4 weeks ago | acousticguitar.com | Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers |Kate Koenig |Adam Perlmutter

One of the great deep cuts from Simon and Garfunkel’s 1970 masterpiece, Bridge Over Troubled Water, “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright” taps into the sultry rhythms and jazz harmonies of bossa nova, with a lovely nylon-string guitar part by Paul Simon. When I interviewed Simon for this magazine in 1993, he noted that he must have started listening to Brazilian composer Antônio Carlos Jobim around the time he wrote the song.
Developed with John Mayer, Ernie Ball’s Earthwood Bell Bronze Strings Provide Bold Tone and Solid Tuning

1 month ago | acousticguitar.com | Emile Menasche |Adam Perlmutter |Kate Koenig

Ernie Ball may be best known for its electric strings—especially the Slinky series, an industry stalwart for decades—but the company also has an impressive lineup of acoustic offerings. The latest is the Earthwood Bell Bronze set ($12.99), developed in collaboration with singer-songwriter John Mayer, a player as fluent on acoustic as he is on electric. Made with a proprietary alloy exclusive to Ernie Ball, these strings offer a distinct tonal character.