“His music was determinedly and insistently unconventional”: Steve Harley, Cockney Rebel singer and guitarist, dies at 73 By Jackson Maxwell published 17 March 24 Harley wrote and sang the glam-rock band's mid-'70s smash, Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)
“Noel spat on his T-shirt, rubbed off the signature and said, ‘I’ll take it anyway!’”: Noel Gallagher once bought one of Peter Green’s Les Pauls – but erased Green’s signature to get back at the store owner who sold it to him By Matt Owen published 16 March 24 Bill Ryder-Jones, the guitar's current custodian, revealed how the Oasis man came into possession of the storied Les Paul, and stripped it of its notable scrawl
Guitar World deals of the week: get Amplitube for just $49.99, a $120 discount on a D'Angelico, plus all the week's best guitar gear deals By Matt McCracken published 15 March 24 Get the low down on the biggest savings and best deals from all the major music retailers
“Furthering Fortnite’s commitment to working with forward-thinking music brands”: Fender teams up with Fornite to bring its Stratocaster and Precision Bass to the digital realm By Phil Weller published 15 March 24 Fender’s collaboration with one of the world’s biggest video games brings the two timeless models to Fortnite’s 221 million players
“Advanced playability for the seasoned professional and the aspiring performer”: Charvel launches its latest Pro-Mod model – rolling out relic’d finishes to its standard range for the first time By Phil Weller published 15 March 24 Giving a worn-in look and feel to its flagship model, the firm looks to marry old and new with a guitar that is said to blend “sophisticated style with assertive tone for maximum playing enjoyment”
“What he did with it, it just brings you to tears”: Jeff Beck’s last-ever recording has been released – as Mark Knopfler’s sensational star-studded charity single finally arrives By Matt Owen published 15 March 24 More than 50 of the world’s finest guitar heroes have joined forces for the track, which has been recorded to raise funds for teenage cancer charities
“We’ve arrived at something that’s really special”: Gibson launches Jimmy Page’s ultra-exclusive Collector’s Edition 1969 EDS-1275 double-neck signature guitar – a meticulous, $50,000 recreation of an enduring rock ’n’ roll symbol By Matt Owen published 14 March 24 Only 50 units exclusive to the Gibson Garage will be made, and each come played and hand-signed by the Led Zeppelin legend himself
“The sound of other guitars is leading the player. With the Stratocaster, the player leads the sound”: Tom Morello explains why the Fender Strat is unlike any other electric guitar By Matt Owen published 14 March 24 The Strat served as Morello's “North Star” and helped him break out of his “sonic safety zone” – and that's because it grants a level of agency that other models simply don't provide
“Slash says, ‘You got the gig. Learn the whole catalog.’ I was like, ‘Don’t you have a set of songs?’ Slash goes, ‘There’s no setlist. Axl just calls ’em out’”: How Gilby Clarke got the Guns N’ Roses gig – and learned the band’s back catalog in a week By Matt Owen published 14 March 24 Clarke was formally announced as Izzy Stradlin's replacement in the early ’90s – but not before undergoing an audition process that saw him learn his test tracks in the car last minute
“One small stomp for man… one giant leap for chorus, delays and reverbs”: Zoom updates one of the best-value multi-FX on the market with the MS-70CDR+ MultiStomp By Michael Astley-Brown published 14 March 24 The original MS-70CDR was a cult classic and a shoegazer’s best friend – and for $149, the new and improved pedal adds a host of long-requested features
“Puts authentic sounds from the stage class Boss Katana amp series at the instrument’s output jack”: Has the Katana:GO just changed the headphone amp game forever? By Matt Parker published 14 March 24 Full-fat Katana tones in a jack – for $119? Boss has seriously upped the stakes when it comes to guitar and bass headphone amps
“That wasn’t in the job description”: This metal guitarist mistook a photographer for his guitar tech – and accidentally launched his guitar at him By Phil Weller published 13 March 24 Just weeks after unveiling his new Schecter signature guitar, Sullivan King unintentionally trashed one after trying to pull off the Springsteen-esque stage stunt
“The best Tele tones I've ever had”: Rabea Massaad seeks to make the Telecaster more versatile than ever with new Bare Knuckle Nomad pickups By Phil Weller published 13 March 24 Rabea Massaad's third signature set with Bare Knuckle aims to do for the Fender Telecaster what his radical Triptych single coils did for the Stratocaster
“Overdrive, distortion and dirt that you have never heard before”: Keeley’s new 4-in-1 Series elevates the firm’s hybrid gain experiments – matching Rat, DS-1 BluesBreaker and Big Muff circuits to “Frankenstein new monster tones” By Matt Owen published 13 March 24 Building on the pedal precedent set by the Noble Screamer, the three flagship 4-in-1 Series stompboxes offer impressive versatility thanks to interchangeable tone circuits and clipping sections
“Is there an expanded one? Is there a smaller footprint version? Is there a native version?” Fender’s Justin Norvell teases next steps for the Tone Master Pro range – and confirms tweed FRFR speakers are “definitely on the list” By Matt Parker published 13 March 24 The floor modeler has already established a firm ‘foothold’… but it seems Fender’s just getting started
“Steals the spotlight”: Schecter bestows Avenged Sevenfold’s Zacky Vengeance with a new familiarly styled signature guitar – could a headless model for Synyster Gates follow in its wake? By Phil Weller published 13 March 24 Vengeance’s newest model goes for a more classic look and feel – and with Gates currently playing what appears to be Schecter’s first headless guitar, could another A7X signature be right behind it?
“I couldn't imagine they would even be using the guitar”: Kurt Russell says he couldn’t care less about that 145-year-old Martin he smashed on The Hateful Eight – and the tale of the “priceless” guitar has been blown out of proportion By Matt Owen published 13 March 24 The actor revealed he only felt bad for how the guitar smash made his co-star feel, and suggested the story had veered into urban legend territory with its valuation
“Ignore the Pacifica Pro at your peril: this is a world-class instrument”: the Yamaha Pacifica Professional returns to the model’s roots as the ultimate pro player toolkit By Guitar World Staff published 12 March 24 Born from a new collaboration between the firm’s Japanese luthiers and its USA custom shop, the Pacifica Professional aims to build on the magic of the original high-end Pacificas that were so admired by session players
“A celebration of unity and togetherness in these uncertain and divisive times”: Slash announces the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. traveling blues festival – set to feature Warren Haynes, Keb’ Mo’, Larkin Poe, Eric Gales and Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram By Matt Parker published 12 March 24 The Guns N’ Roses icon has unveiled a fundraising festival run in support of his new blues album
“I don't believe that I have a signature guitar. I feel like I’m dreaming”: Fender taps influential producer and R&B guitarist Raphael Saadiq for a bold new signature Telecaster – and it’s received Eric Gales’ seal of approval By Matt Owen published 12 March 24 The bluesman was on hand to help the Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist launch his limited-edition signature model, which “acts as a piece of art”