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How Jerry Jemmott stayed on top of Aretha Franklin’s Respect, recorded live at Fillmore West in 1971
Jerry Jemmott plucked his sunburst ’65 Jazz Bass in front of his Acoustic 360 rig
“I didn’t see myself as a professional instrumental guitarist”: Steve Vai on game-changing debut Flex-Able
Flex-Able was the sound of a young Steve Vai following his musical obsessions. That it changed everything for guitar – and Vai's career – was just a happy accident
Joe Perry reveals all about the Gretsch Duo Jet from his ’87 GW cover story
On Guitar World’s December 1987 cover, Joe Perry – tagline “the Bad Boy who's badder than ever” – was rocking a ’57 Duo Jet. This is the story behind the guitar
Shrapnel veteran Michael Lee Firkins reflects on the final days of shred
The former Shrapnel star discusses bringing bluesgrass to shred, working with the great Jason Becker and his pivotal role in establishing the Yamaha Pacifica
Europe’s John Norum on sacred Strats and what he learned from Don Dokken
As Norum gets ready to work on a new Europe album, the Swedish six-string maverick pops by to share his most embarrassing moment onstage and famous firsts
How Colin Greenwood came up with his deceptive stop-start bassline on Radiohead’s Airbag
Colin Greenwood’s bassline drives the opener of Radiohead’s OK Computer, even though it contains more rests than licks
Randy Bachman on how a broken string inspired his iconic American Woman guitar riff
How one broken string on a ‘59 Les Paul changed Randy Bachman’s career
“It made me realize how grateful I am to have the guitar in my life”: I applied to be the new Smashing Pumpkins guitarist – I didn’t get the gig, but it was one of the most life-affirming experiences of my musical career
Kiki Wong deservedly landed the touring guitarist spot, but applying to join one of my all-time favorite bands reignited my teenage dreams – and Billy Corgan should be commended for offering the opportunity to so many players
The story of Van Halen’s 1984 – the Flying V, the synths and the end of the David Lee Roth era
Creative differences led to Roth’s departure the following year, but 1984 found the band firing on all cylinders, as Eddie Van Halen embraced his pop sensibilities while retaining the musical adventurism that made him the greatest of all time
