Rick Beato was offered the chance to play guitars from Eric Johnson, Peter Frampton and Larry Carlton – here’s why he turned them down
What would you do if Frampton handed you his black Les Paul? Beato? He handed it right back
Latest News
Wolfgang Van Halen on the panic attack he suffered on the way to his Metallica support – and how it inspired his new album
Flying out to Mexico City, Wolfgang felt his body betray him – a terrifying experience that turned out kinda useful when writing The End
Every year, Rob Scallon and Andrew Huang write and record an album in a day. For 2025, they did it in an open Guitar Center – and used any gear they wanted
The two YouTubers have taken their First of October recording project to the public domain
Jason Isbell has shared his bizarre method for breaking in new acoustics – and you’ll never guess what it is
There’s science behind the madness. We promise
Billy Strings nails Jake E Lee's Bark at the Moon solo while dressed as a werewolf
What better way to celebrate Halloween and pay homage to two metal greats?
Guitar World deals of the week: get the lowdown on the best early Black Friday deals, including a massive $670 off a signature Gretsch, and a limited edition Squier with a gigantic $218 reduction
Your weekly digest of the best early Black Friday guitar deals from all corners of the web, hand-picked by Guitar World's gear experts
Ernie Ball fights battery waste with new rechargeable AA and 9V batteries that are tailored for effects pedals and active guitars
With recharge times as quick as 75 minutes to 80%, Ernie Ball guarantees that these batteries deliver a “consistent, full-voltage performance across instruments, wireless packs, pedals, tuners, and more”
Guitar heroes are hailing him as shred’s next big thing – but Spiro is already planning a blues left-turn
Touted as the guitar world's next big disruptor by Tim Henson, Misha Mansoor and Tosin Abasi, Spiro Dussias reveals his next project and why he hopes to record a blues album before he turns 30
Artists
He’s inspired by Buddy Guy, played EVH in a Van Halen tribute band and made his name in GA-20 – say hello to Pat Faherty's new power trio
Canyon Lights gives Faherty the opportunity to draw from all corners of his musical vocabulary but ask him what he wants as a player and he'll tell you it's all about Buddy Guy, 1970, and that touch and feel...
Rory Block left home as a teenager then met and impressed her blues heroes
She refined her skills with help from Skip James, John Hurt and Fred McDowell, wound up with a signature Martin guitar, and with advice from Maria Maulder, fought self-doubt to deliver new album Heavy on the Blues
Tom Petty wanted to turn a catchy riff into a much-needed hit. He didn't stop playing it until he did
Under pressure to follow up his multi-platinum breakthrough, Damn the Torpedoes, with another best-selling album, Petty wanted a lead single “that had a little lick from the beginning”. That lick proved to be a stubborn one
The lead single from Van Halen’s 1991 album with Sammy Hagar combines a thunderous bassline with a revved-up power drill
Michael Anthony’s 16th-note bass grooves remained as much a part of the “Van Hagar” sound as Eddie Van Halen’s guitar pyrotechnics
Sub Pop-backed alt-rockers SPRINTS on guitar trolls, nylon-string fuzz wars – and the tonal benefits of olive oil
Second record All That Is Over sees the Irish group adding new sounds, avoiding scales, and continuing to confuse sound techs with their eccentric approach to gear
Chris Buck on vintage “dogs”, signature model intrigue, and how rock royalty helped his regal blues-rock tap into America
How many bands take 16 years to craft their debut album? This one did… But Chris Buck and Cardinal Black are making up for lost time
Bernie Tormé only played seven gigs with Ozzy Osbourne – but he saved the Black Sabbath frontman’s career
Flown in at short notice after Rhoads' death, the Irish Strat magician would soon leave Ian Gillan, Phil Lewis, and Tracii Guns – among many others – with blown minds
Anxiety, wildfires, slap guitar… How Wolfgang Van Halen made the monster guitar album of 2025
With his third album (and a bit of his dad’s Frankenstein), Wolfgang Van Halen and Mammoth are taking the world of rock guitar by storm once again
Slash on his return to Guns N’ Roses, changing up the Sweet Child O’ Mine solo, and what needs to happen for a new GNR album
Slash is the luckiest man in rock. Quitting GNR in ’96 when they were on top, he returned in ’16 and hasn't looked back. Here he talks about the past, present, and what the future might hold...
Gear
“It's a testament to just how good beginners have it these days that I can’t find all that much to fault”: Cort G200SE review
It might be built for beginners, but the G200SE’s quality and playability show that budget guitars are getting seriously good
Best FRFR speakers 2025: transparent tone for multi-effects and amp modelers
Get the most out of your digital modeler with the best FRFR speakers, from on-the-go options to arena-filling mammoths
Best guitar amps 2025: tube, solid-state and modeling amplifiers for all levels and budgets
These are the best combo amps and heads from Orange, Fender, Marshall, Boss, and more
Best bass strings 2025: Optimize tone, feel and lifespan
Our expert pick of strings to bring the low-end thunder from Ernie Ball, D’Addario, Rotosound and more
I’ve been playing live shows for 20 years – these are my road-tested Christmas gift recommendations for gigging guitar players
From essential spares to gig-saving tools, these gift options are ideal for guitarists who play live. They’re affordable too, with price from only $4.99
“There’s plenty of scope to craft some unique ambient textures”: Crazy Tube Circuits Mirage review
Crazy Tube Circuits presents a dual-engine ambient reverb workstation that spans the traditional and the esoteric
Best electric guitar strings 2025: our top-rated strings for your electric
Keep your axe feeling fresh with the best guitar strings for electric guitar
"Some might say this is far from a valid Oasis signature guitar, having only come into play earlier this year": Gibson Noel Gallagher Les Paul Standard review
What started this year as a ’mystery’ guitar and then became a 25-only £17k collector’s piece is now a Gibson USA ‘Paul for the people
Lessons
Cory Wong on how to create a bigger, wider sound by layering baritone guitar parts
Using a Fearless Flyers classic as a case study in baritone layering, the funk-master GW columnist peels away the onion to explain how these individual parts all stack up
Explore open G tuning: a fresh perspective that reshapes your fretboard and inspired timeless blues and Americana songs
Open G has been embraced by legends including Keith Richards, The Black Crowes and Led Zeppelin. Now it’s your turn to revel in its golden tones
David Gilmour is a master of melodic bluesy phrasing – here are 3 minor blues approaches you can expand your soloing vocabulary
Whether you call these solo ideas minor blues or embellished pentatonic/blues scale, the effect is the same, freeing you up from established patterns to hold your audience's attention
How you can swap the notes in a chord to give it a different feel
A lesson in second inversions sounds like advanced physics but it's simply swapping the root note for the 5th, expanding your chord vocabulary with a minimum of fuss
Power-up your blues with a turnaround trick that was a specialty of the great Freddie King
This masterclass in turnarounds explores different ways to approach an essential blues technique, so of course it finishes up with a look at how the master of turnarounds did it back in the day
Jared James Nichols explains how to use open strings and Drop D tuning to bulk-up your blues fingerstyle
Park your electric guitar in Drop D. Throw your pick in the trash. It's time for some muscular fingerstyle with the purveyor of blues power himself
Learn the chord secrets of Joe Pass, Barney Kessel and Wes Montgomery with this iconic jazz progression
Want to add sophistication to your chords? Master this essential chord progression as played by 5 guitar legends
Joe Bonamassa on his love for the Gibson ES-350 – and why it's a blues powerhouse
The ES-350 was a big favorite of Chuck Berry's. Well, well, well, it's no surprise that Joe Bonamassa loves it too. And here he puts it through is paces, and takes us to the B.B. Box in the process
How to master the art of tremolo picking – the indispensable picking technique heard in everything from death metal to surf rock that can power up your playing
Sharpen your chops and ramp up your speed with our technique-focused workout inspired by power pickers Dick Dale, Jonny Greenwood and Kerry King
Reviews
“It's a testament to just how good beginners have it these days that I can’t find all that much to fault”: Cort G200SE review
It might be built for beginners, but the G200SE’s quality and playability show that budget guitars are getting seriously good
“There’s plenty of scope to craft some unique ambient textures”: Crazy Tube Circuits Mirage review
Crazy Tube Circuits presents a dual-engine ambient reverb workstation that spans the traditional and the esoteric
"Some might say this is far from a valid Oasis signature guitar, having only come into play earlier this year": Gibson Noel Gallagher Les Paul Standard review
What started this year as a ’mystery’ guitar and then became a 25-only £17k collector’s piece is now a Gibson USA ‘Paul for the people
“It would be criminal if this didn’t hit a stage”: Patrick James Eggle Oz-t Cabronita Thinline review
Upholding the craft of the luthier, Patrick James Eggle’s latest build is another reason to look to the UK if you want the best
"Will it knock your socks off? For some, absolutely, but for me, I find it works admirably in a cranked rig and stacks nicely with other gain pedals": Warm Audio Tube Squealer overdrive pedal review
Warm Audio’s latest overdrive machine serves up the three greatest hits of the 'Green Screamer' overdrive in one stompbox
“Boss’s claims of the pedal being artifact-free more than hold up”: Boss XS-1 Poly Shifter review
The Japanese giant's new pitch-shifting algorithm has been in its laboratory for years, but patience has proven a virtue with this small-but-mightily-usable stompbox
“Can absolutely replace going the traditional route of a practice amp”: Positive Grid Spark Neo Core review
PG's follow-up to its first wireless amp-headphone solution for guitar gives players a massive price cut, but it doesn't get everything right
“All-solid body construction and premium electronics for under $350? You have my attention”: Harley Benton CLC-650SM-CE review
Harley Benton is once again pushing the boundaries of what 'bang for your buck' actually means
“The standard-bearer against which to judge all small combo amps”: Fender Blues Junior IV 30th Anniversary review
Decked out in tooled western-style livery with a saddle bag’s worth of speaker and circuit upgrades, this anniversary edition stands strong in the lineage of the classic benchmark combo
Buying Guides
Best FRFR speakers 2025: transparent tone for multi-effects and amp modelers
Get the most out of your digital modeler with the best FRFR speakers, from on-the-go options to arena-filling mammoths
Best guitar amps 2025: tube, solid-state and modeling amplifiers for all levels and budgets
These are the best combo amps and heads from Orange, Fender, Marshall, Boss, and more
Best bass strings 2025: Optimize tone, feel and lifespan
Our expert pick of strings to bring the low-end thunder from Ernie Ball, D’Addario, Rotosound and more
I’ve been playing live shows for 20 years – these are my road-tested Christmas gift recommendations for gigging guitar players
From essential spares to gig-saving tools, these gift options are ideal for guitarists who play live. They’re affordable too, with price from only $4.99
Best electric guitar strings 2025: our top-rated strings for your electric
Keep your axe feeling fresh with the best guitar strings for electric guitar
Best guitar cleaning kits and tools 2025: Keep your guitar looking and sounding sweet
Keep your instrument in its prime with my pick of the best cleaning kits and maintenance tools
Best guitar picks 2025: My choice of tried-and-tested plectrums to upgrade your playing
My expert guide to the best picks for electric, acoustic, and bass guitar covering new players through to guitar veterans
