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75 years of the Telecaster: the evolution of the original solid-body electric guitar that started it all
As the Telecaster turns 75, we chart its history – hardware, parts, and all – from the Nocaster days to the Wide Range era
“I’ve never concerned myself with the Big Four”: Gary Holt and Lee Altus on why Exodus will never be a legacy thrash act
The Bay Area thrash stalwarts return with the face-ripping Goliath, an album that finds them with nothing to prove but Holt's still out for blood anyway
Linda Perry on the enduring success of 4 Non Blondes’ What’s Up?, and the Goldtop she wouldn't sell to Slash
The veteran hitmaker recalls attending guitar class without owning an instrument, and reveals why she decided to re-record the smash she wrote for Christina Aguilera
The difficult birth of The Sisters of Mercy’s trailblazing goth classic
Billy Corgan loved First and Last and Always so much he invited guitarist Wayne Hussey to his home to jam it. Over 40 years on, Hussey and Gary Marx look back on its dark majesty
“As it was going up in the air, I thought, ‘Wow, that looks so cool.’ On the way down, I was thinking, ‘What did I do?!’ Joe Perry on his customized ‘50s Gibson Les Paul Junior that refused to die
The Aerosmith guitarist on the iconic Junior with the custom mother-of-pearl inlay, his desert island guitar – and why he reads Guitar World every month
A rare look inside Prince's world – record label battles, 3am sessions and wildfire guitar genius
The year is 1994: Prince has changed his name to O(+>, is at war with his label, and is readying a smoldering, guitar-heavy blues/funk trio album. GW was given rare access to his inner sanctum – his band, his studio, and even the elusive man himself
“Jaco said, ‘If you ever need a sub, call me!” When Chicago’s Peter Cetera met Jaco Pastorius
Peter Cetera tells the story of how he met Jaco – and got to know bass legends Willie Weeks, Carol Kaye and Duck Dunn
How Mike Dirnt honed his signature bass tone for Green Day’s Revolution Radio – and why it all starts with the wrist
Working with Fender, Dirnt built a bass rig that allowed him to ditch distortion pedals and harness his distinctive sound
Jackson Dean on playing in Nashville alongside some of the best
The viral star turned country hero discusses finding space as a picker surrounded by guys like Tom Bukovac, John Osborne, and the sideman who’s been with him since the beginning, Brandon Aksteter
![Tortoise: [from left] John McEntire, Dan Bitney, Jeff Parker, Douglas McCombs and John Hernon.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2YUmuCLFdmw3kARNUmCCBN-840-80.jpg.webp)
Douglas McCombs on the long-awaited return of post-rock trailblazers Tortoise
We had to wait nigh-on a decade for new album Touch but it demonstrates that Douglas McCombs and his six-string lieutenant, Jeff Parker, have not lost theirs, nor for their taste in retro-audio engineering techniques
