Billy Gibbons, Jimmie Vaughan, Gary Clark Jr. and the Dixie Chicks are just a few of the high-profile artists who’ve relied on guitar technician Tom Oatley for their instrument set-ups and modifications. Based in Austin, Oatley’s Guitar Garage has long been the go-to place for expert repairs and advice, for professionals and amateur players alike.

David Bowie’s career was not exactly skyrocketing in early 1969. He’d already been through several bands that failed to make a dent in the British charts or the London clubs, and his 1967 debut album David Bowie was a risky pop effort that missed the mark. The song “Rubber Band,” for example, used a tuba as lead instrument, and electric guitar was entirely absent – just as Eric Clapton and Cream and Jimi Hendrix were riding to superstardom on the cutting edge of six-string rock, and The Who’s Pete Townshend was cranking his amps to 11. To make matters worse, Bowie’s greatest recognition to date was via the commercial he made for the Lyons Maid ice cream brand, later countered by a rejection from the makers of Kit Kat candy bars.

Social media has changed the way we interact with each other. Now we can get up to the minute information about the lives of our favorite musicians through services like Facebook and Twitter. There is quite a change that has occurred in just the past ten years. It used to be that if you wanted information about a band you would have to wait for an interview in a music magazine. Now many musicians write on Twitter and Facebook, giving their fans up to date information on their latest projects. Here we list ten musicians who are both active and fascinating on Facebook.

No less an authority on blues than the Rev. William F. Gibbons considers Sam “Lightnin’ ” Hopkins one of the genre’s essential figures. Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys concurs, as does Jimmie Vaughan. And departed giants including Stevie Ray Vaughan, T-Bone Walker and Albert Collins held the same perspective on the lean, laconic, dark sunglasses sporting Texas bluesman who emerged out of the Houston ghetto to tour the world and stake his place in six-string history, earning the number 71 slot on Rolling Stone’s haphazard list of the “Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”

A great guitar outro can serve as the musical equivalent of an exclamation point, something to drive home a song in a memorable way. Whether flashy or subtle, the best guitar codas leave an impression that lingers long after the last notes fade. Below are 10 of the very best.

English blues-rock guitarist Alvin Lee, who unexpectedly died on March 6, was an underappreciated artist in many ways. He became worldwide famous for his band’s Ten Years After’s performance at Woodstock in 1969 and subsequent hits followed… but Lee always lived in the shadow of what Ten Years After played at Woodstock, "I'm Going Home.” Before, they were unknowns. After, Ten Years After were stars.

Having an appreciation for the bass guitar, I understand that a having bass player that knows how to move and groove is critical to the sound of any band.

Eric Clapton has not often played Gibson SGs, but he did in Cream’s 18-month existence from mid-’66 to late-’68. His SG became a trippy-rock icon and helped birth Clapton’s fabled “woman tone.” Here’s the tale of Eric Clapton’s psychedelic “Fool” SG.

You’ve got a great gig coming up in a big room with a guaranteed audience and, as icing, the fee you’re being paid includes the money to rent a righteous sound system. The best way to ensure that this dream-come-true for most working musicians doesn’t become a nightmare of squeals, hums, rumbles and arm-race-style onstage volume wars is to tune the sound system to the room.

Jared Followill is the bassist of one of the most successful rock bands of the last decade, Kings of Leon. Along with brothers Nathan, and Caleb, and his cousin Matthew, Jared has toured the world numerous times, and recorded five albums so far, with a sixth reportedly on the way. Pretty impressive for a 26 year old. Whenever you see Jared on stage, expect him to be rocking a Gibson Thunderbird IV bass. This beautiful bass has been Jared's instrument of choice for many years, and aside from being very esthetically pleasing it just sounds fantastic.