Access Backstage Pass
Latest Features
“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
“I would prefer no solo in a song to a solo that’s just an obligation”: Marty Friedman sets the record straight on guitar solos
We asked the Japan-based virtuoso to elaborate on his thoughts surrounding technique, self-indulgence and the future of solos. What we got was a manifesto for the guitar solo in the 21st century
“Randy Rhoads trusted me. He put his reputation with Sharon and Ozzy on the line to bring me in”: Rudy Sarzo talks Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne and reshaping his bass tone for Whitesnake
With his work covering six decades of music, Rudy Sarzo has seen things we wouldn’t believe, from the world’s biggest stages to the darkest of tour buses
“I built a trailer that was big enough for me and eight guitars. Then I proceeded to travel, seeing everything that was out there”: How Gabe Mangold tracked a death metal record in the desert – and how the Quad Cortex redefined his songwriting
Cramming every style of metal into Enterprise Earth’s Death: An Anthology, Mangold learned to push the limits of his playing like never before – while feeling lucky he got one of “the best guitars in the world” before the company responsible lost its way
“My headless six-string is the color of Hannibal Lecter’s couch… and I have an Oxblood Red model inspired by his office!” How Ihsahn combined horror scores, blastbeats and space-age guitars for a black metal album to eclipse ’em all
As the Emperor icon returns with the most ambitious album of his career, he dropped by to discuss his fierce picking speed, the influence of film scores, and why you don't need as much distortion as you think
