Features

Whether you're a beginner or a pro, these 5 finger exercises will help all areas of your bass playing – from fret work and picking to ear training and theory

A Chaos of Flowers finds the Canadian trio broadening their otherworldly sound as they look forward to “dismantling the little boys’ club” of heavy music. But try as they might, they can’t turn down the volume – this is vital guitar music made to be performed loud

Two of the world's most popular headphone amps go head to head to see who comes out on top

Judas Priest's Invincible Shield finds the British metal institution surviving against the odds. Its very own bionic man Richie Faulkner gives us the guitar POV on a venerable work of British steel

Paul Reed Smith wanted to do something but I had to explain it was my dream as a kid to have an Ibanez signature. Paul said he’d do anything to make it happen

Adrian Belew reveals what went on behind the scenes during the making of the band’s dual-personality 10th album, Three of a Perfect Pair – the final studio release from the Fripp/Belew/Levin/Bruford crew

On the back of his stirring new album, the guitar icon discusses the primacy of songwriting, and how his relationship with the instrument has changed

From Fender Japan exclusives to mid-’60s unicorns, and a 1958 Sparkle Sunburst Jazzmaster that’s a holy grail in anyone’s book…

Jakob Nowell doesn’t sing or play like his father, and spent years trying to avoid riding his coattails – but he’s determined to get the reactivation of the ’90s punk-rock icons right, and in his own way

The No Doubt and Dreamcar guitarist attempted two Rush songs at a seventh-grade talent show, chunked up on Black Sabbath and later named his son after Ace Frehley – but reggae got deepest into his heart