Guitar Player Magazine August 1996 Dave Navarro Dave Matthews SKU 1549

Original Guitar Player Magazine – August 1996, Issue 320, Volume 30 No. 8, featuring a strong mix of artist interviews, guitar history, lessons, technical features and a substantial mid-priced solidbody guitar comparison.

The cover is dominated by the headline “Real Deals! – A Mid-Priced Solidbody Shootout”, with several electric guitars pictured prominently, alongside a featured image of Dave Navarro and additional cover references to Dave Matthews, Vernon Reid, Lead Belly, 7 Year Bitch and Fender history.

A particularly interesting mid-1990s issue for guitar players, collectors and fans of alternative rock, blues and vintage electric guitars.

Dave Navarro Feature

A significant feature beginning on page 42 covers Dave Navarro, with the contents describing his career from Jane’s Addiction to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

This is one of the strongest collectible aspects of the issue, documenting Navarro during an important period of his career and making the magazine especially relevant to fans of Jane’s Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers and 1990s alternative guitar music.

Dave Matthews

Dave Matthews is featured from page 29, with the magazine describing the article as a “crash course”.

A useful period feature from the height of the Dave Matthews Band’s 1990s rise, adding further appeal for collectors of alternative, jam-band and guitar-focused music magazines.

Main Guitar Feature – Mid-Priced Solidbody Shootout

The principal gear feature begins around page 92 and compares a selection of mid-priced solidbody electric guitars.

The contents photography and cover show several contrasting designs, including Strat-style, single-cut and offset-inspired instruments.

The issue credits the cover guitars as including examples from:

• Ibanez
• Epiphone
• Fender
• Other mid-priced manufacturers represented in the comparison

This makes the issue a useful period reference for anyone interested in the guitar market of the mid-1990s.

Other Major Features

Other clearly listed content includes:

Vernon Reid – included within the introductory/features material.

J.J. Cale – page 39, described as the long-established guitarist and songwriter.

Sacred Steel – page 33, examining steel guitar in a religious/musical setting.

Lead Belly – page 55, focusing on the influential blues and folk musician and his 12-string guitar work.

Nashville Demo Session – page 69, following a professional-style Nashville recording session and the pressures of working in the studio.

Twang Tango – page 75, covering two-guitar playing techniques.

Fenderology – page 85, a historical piece on the development of the Telecaster, Stratocaster and Jazzmaster.

The issue also celebrates Fender’s 50th anniversary, with a giveaway mentioned in the contents.

Guitar Lessons / Sessions

The magazine contains a substantial instructional section with lessons including:

• Jim Campilongo – chromatic guitar ideas
• Roger Ferguson – stylistic lesson material
• Fareed Haque – jazz-orientated lesson
• Mike Hickey – diminished concepts
• Adam Levy – saxophone-inspired guitar lesson
• Ralph Towner – three-dimensional fingerpicking
• Bret Willmott – guide-tone comping
• Featured Lick of the Month

This is a strong issue for players as well as collectors, with practical tuition alongside interviews and gear content.

Gear & Regular Sections

Regular magazine content includes:

• Repairs
• New Gear
• Reviews
• Learning Curve
• Classifieds
• Advertiser Index
• Encore
• Guitar equipment and technical coverage

The magazine therefore provides a good snapshot of guitar culture and equipment from 1996.

Important – Original Extras

Any loose gifts, promotional items, inserts, CDs, supplements or other extras that may originally have been supplied with this magazine are no longer included unless they are clearly shown in the photographs.

The sale is for the magazine itself and only the material visibly present in the supplied images.

Condition

Pre-owned vintage condition with visible handling and storage wear.

From the photographs:

• Front cover remains bright and highly presentable overall.
• There is visible surface rubbing, scuffing and scratching, especially across the white areas of the cover.
• Spine edge shows rubbing and general wear consistent with age and reading.
• The top-left corner/spine area has noticeable wear and slight creasing.
• The top-right corner is bent/creased, with a visibly raised or curled section.
• Right-hand outer edge shows some small creases, handling marks and edge wear.
• Lower corners and bottom edge show additional rubbing and light bending.
• Some light marks and small indentations are visible across the front.
• Interior contents page appears generally clean and well retained.
• Pages show normal age-related handling but appear well attached in the areas photographed.
• No major tears or detached sections are evident from the supplied images.

Overall, this is a used collector’s copy with noticeable cosmetic cover wear, but it remains complete-looking, readable and attractive for its age.

Please study all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.

Packaging

UK orders: Sent securely in a hardback envelope.

International orders: Sent in a cardboard mail-size box for additional protection during transit.

SKU: 1549