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The life and times of Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson, the true guitar original who inspired everyone from Hendrix, Zappa and SRV to Ice Cube, Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige
From urban blues maverick to ‘Superfly’ funkster, Watson’s 40-plus-year career saw him negotiate his way through the most explosive period in musical history and, unlike so many, he managed to keep his ear to the ground and his music relevant to the times
Meet husband-and-wife guitar team Spotlights, the dreamsludge tonesmiths championed by Mike Patton
Dreamsludge, doomgaze, doomsludge… Whatever you call them, Mario and Sarah Quintero are producing some of the heaviest tones in the business. They reveal how they do it – and why couples who riff together, stay together
Jeff Schroeder reveals his epic post-Pumpkins pedal rig, inspired by Rival Sons’ Scott Holiday
The former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist has created an almighty hybrid ’board that delivers “endless possibilities”
“It was the first kind of ‘bass solo’ I’d been allowed to throw on a Rush song”: Geddy Lee on the album that saved Rush
After a six-year absence from the recording studio, Vapor Trails redefined Rush’s career
Fender currently makes over 100 Stratocasters – here’s how to choose the Strat that’s right for you
Stratocasters explained: from pickups to bodies, necks to hardware, this is what you need to consider when buying a Fender Strat
How Judas Priest made a blockbuster new album in the face of adversity – and became unstoppable
Judas Priest’s Richie Faulkner, Rob Halford and Glenn Tipton open up on their guitar tag-team approach on Invincible Shield, a bold new album that lashes out at human frailty
Pat Beers honed a one-handed, five-string guitar technique so he can cause more onstage chaos with The Schizophonics
With Hendrix, MC5, and Stooges influences, these antsy San Diego rockers put on a show you’re not likely to forget
The Tube Screamer that Stevie Ray Vaughan really used – and why it may not be the one you expect
The iconic Ibanez overdrive pedal SRV used to create his timeless tone – and the settings he used to do it
Rich Robinson on why he reunited the Black Crowes – and revitalized their guitar lineup
Toxic band member behavior drove the Robinson brothers apart – but it also brought them back together. Rich Robinson details the challenge of playing in 15 different tunings, how a flood made his Les Paul Goldtop sound better, and why Nico Bereciartua is just the guitarist the band needs
