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“Jimi Hendrix scared me. Learning about the Hendrix E chord was amazing… I figured out where to put my fingers and kinda eked it out on my own”: Steve Lukather names the 12 guitarists who shaped his sound
From George Harrison and Jeff Beck to David Gilmour and Eddie Van Halen, the Toto veteran has befriended many of his heroes – and it's thanks to them that he still loves to sit at home playing
“I can play a riff you've probably never heard. If there's a mistake in there, I can work on it. Sometimes the mistakes are the riffs that stick”: Brian Setzer on how he’s kept his writing skills sharp – and the records that define his career
The Gretsch loyalist and rockabilly royal unpicks his latest album, The Devil Always Collects – and discusses his tips for avoiding repetitive riff writing, and why he's finally decided to turn down his amps along the way
“Let's do that again!” This compilation of fiery Sister Rosetta Tharpe guitar solos shows how her revolutionary playing inspired blues-rock greats like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck and the Rolling Stones
Though she passed away five decades ago, footage of Tharpe's aggressive, virtuosic and precise fretwork, thankfully, remains
“I'm a completely different bass player now… When I was in Jeff Beck's band, I hadn't even been playing for four years!” Tal Wilkenfeld on her evolution from bass phenomenon to solo artist
The bass player for Prince, Ryan Adams and Jeff Beck on going it alone as a singer-songwriter
“A collector turned up with a Cherry Red Flying V and I was like, ‘Are you sure you want to customize that?’ It was such a beautiful thing already!” Meet the English entrepreneur who covers guitars with crystals for a living
Crystal Skins boss Zoe Brodie-James’ work has been seen in movies and on TV, and she’s completed commissions for some very, very rich people
“I watched a lot of people chase guitars and amps to try to find themselves, like, ‘No, it’s the next guitar. Maybe that will be the one.’ I didn’t do that”: How Joyann Parker discovered that tone is in the fingers – and music can change minds
The Americana singer-songwriter has dealt with impostor syndrome, panic attacks, depression and the fear of change (even when it’s positive). Putting it all into her art has shown her she’s not alone, and she’s motivated to share the lesson far and wide
“The first song I learned was The Beatles’ Blackbird. I’m still a pretty good fingerpicker, if nothing else!” Katy Kirby on jumping into guitar at the deep end – and why she made new album Blue Raspberry as uncool as possible
The Texas singer-songwriter is winning plaudits for her brand of wry indie-folk. She discusses an especially thrifty Teisco find, chasing a “salty” sound and how a kitsch instrumental curio changed the way she writes on guitar
“Bass is the underdog. You’re not the singer or the guitarist – you’re the glue that holds it all together”: Lisa Dodd on leaving the soloing to Billy Sheehan – and staying in the “money zone”
Award-winning Canadian bassist Lisa Dodd outlines her role as a bass player in country music
“On four-strings you have to jump to get the second octave, but on the five-string it’s right there”: Mohini Dey reflects on her switch to five-string basses – and the advice her dad gave her about Jaco
Mohini Dey has achieved more with the bass guitar than most of us achieve in a lifetime. And she’s only just getting started
“It didn’t sound right with just one guitar lead, so why not have two?” Mary Timony on her multiversal lead lines and why the Depression-era Gibson acoustic is the ultimate six-string survivor
The former Helium and Wild Flag D.C. rocker can still unleash some decidedly untame sounds and work an EBow like no-one else
