News

Converge’s Kurt Ballou has an enviable collection of boutique gear, but there’s one big reason he tours with a modeler

By Phil Weller published 22 June 26

When it’s time to board the tour bus, there’s only one piece of gear Ballou needs for his tones

Kirk Hammett tumbles off stage as Metallica pay tribute to Thin Lizzy in Ireland

By Phil Weller published 22 June 26

The band’s first of two nights in Dublin saw Hammett embark on some unplanned choreography during a thrash classic

Nuno Bettencourt names the Extreme track that changed his life overnight

By Janelle Borg published 22 June 26

Bettencourt and his bandmates fought hard for the song that would eventually become Extreme's most enduring hit

Wolfgang Van Halen opens up on his Van Halen cover anxiety at Taylor Hawkins tribute concert

By Phil Weller published 22 June 26

The show, he says, was “do-or-die”

A massive '70s headstock, HSS pickup configuration, and a killer flame top all for $340! This early Prime Day deal just chopped serious cash off a spec-loaded beginner guitar that we awarded 4.5 stars

By Daryl Robertson published 22 June 26

Amazon's massive sale is still a day away, but this stellar Squier discount proves there's no need to wait

Thomann, the world’s largest music retailer, is suing Fender over cease-and-desists

By Michael Astley-Brown published 22 June 26

Thomann, whose own brand Harley Benton is caught up in the Stratocaster cease-and-desist dispute, says it is engaging in legal action on behalf of the entire guitar industry

Johnny Marr to sell nearly 100 pieces of gear at auction – including some prized Smiths-era guitars

By Phil Weller published 22 June 26

Guitars that have featured on some of the Smiths’ biggest songs, and moonlighted in Oasis, are up for grabs

This magnetic modular pedalboard could change the way you use your pedals – and it’s undergone the most extreme demo

By Phil Weller published 21 June 26

A Kickstarter campaign has been launched for a modular pedalboard that makes pedal and cable management effortless via a host of smart-thinking features

The accident that led Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard to play an obscure Fender model

By Jackson Maxwell published 21 June 26

The alt-rock statesman's relationship with the Bullet, a beginner-friendly model, began with a gift that he thought at the time was an act of pure, unprompted generosity. He didn't quite know the whole story...

Fender just announced its biggest mid-year gear drop yet – here’s everything you need to know

By Matt Owen published 20 June 26

A complete pedal range overhaul, the return of the Nocaster, a new Silent System for Strats and Teles, plus some – dare we say – awfully Silver Sky-looking finishes