Guitar World deals of the week: save $450 on a Fender Strat, plus all the best deals for Easter weekend By Matt McCracken published 29 March 24 Save yourself some big money on the best gear from all the major music retailers
“If it’s too good to be true, it’s fake”: Rob Chapman says scam competitions featuring his image have reached a new level with AI deep fakes – and explains how to spot them By Matt Parker published 28 March 24 A clip featuring an AI emulation of the YouTuber’s voice has prompted him to address online fakes
“Is it just me, or is that Stone Gossard and/or Mike McCready doing The Gojira Pick Scrape™?” March 2024 Guitar World editors’ picks By Michael Astley-Brown published 28 March 24 From indie folk, full-throttle blues rock and flamenco-meets-fusion to the guitar crossover episode you never knew you needed – here are our standout guitar tracks from the past 30 days
“A series that is worthy of being called a ‘hybrid’”: Fender Japan’s latest Hybrid II models bring modernistic quilted tops and never-before-seen finishes to the Strat, Tele, Jazzmaster and Jazz Bass By Matt Parker published 28 March 24 If you’ve ever wanted one of electric guitar’s classic outlines with a fresh quilted maple look, well, Fender Japan has answered your prayers...
‘Frankenstrat’ or ‘Frankenstein’? Wolfgang Van Halen sets the record straight on the ‘official’ title of Eddie Van Halen’s iconic electric guitar By Matt Owen published 28 March 24 The Mammoth WVH leader has revealed the actual name of his father’s legendary instrument, which is written across its case
“That was my favorite Eddie guitar. It was always the most magical one”: Nuno Bettencourt has had a custom ‘Bumblebee’ Washburn N4 made as a tribute to Eddie Van Halen By Matt Owen published 28 March 24 The replica will see action during Extreme's tour, and is reportedly set to feature in an upcoming music video
“The perfect partner for your musical journey”: Onboard effects, a 10W built-in speaker and app connectivity – is Enya’s carbon fiber Nova Go Sonic the all-in-one electric guitar of the future? By Phil Weller published 28 March 24 More than just a lightweight and ergonomic electric guitar, the $349 Nova Go Sonic comes loaded with futuristic features
“Not a stitch. I can’t pull anything off!” Joe Bonamassa names the one technique he cannot nail – and reveals what prompted him to pivot from Strats to Les Pauls By Phil Weller published 27 March 24 It's a technique that Allan Holdsworth and Eric Johnson are masters at, but the revered blues guitarist has had to pursue a different approach to counter his shredding kryptonite
“An all-in-one pedalboard for guitar effects and tones”: Mooer just dropped one of the smallest – and cheapest – intelligent multi-FX pedals on the market, the Prime S1 By Matt Owen published 27 March 24 Ultra-lightweight and absurdly small with access to a huge range of tones and a rechargeable battery: the app-controlled Prime S1 looks like a serious bit of kit
“Whether it be Saturday Night Live or the Grammys – this bass has held its own on every stage”: MD to the stars, Adam Blackstone, debuts a signature bass named after his grandmother – the Jackson Gladys Pro Series Concert By Matt Parker published 27 March 24 With Rihanna, Jay-Z and Alice Keys, he’s played the world’s biggest shows. Now the go-to bassist and MD has his own Jackson signature build – and it’s no metal monster…
“If you are searching for a guitar that pushes the envelope in every capacity, look no further”: Vola Guitars has unveiled Michael Keene’s first ever Japanese-made signature guitar – and it’s received a significant tonal update By Phil Weller published 27 March 24 The OZ Keene Machine J1 follows The Faceless guitarist's Toxic Green Custom Shop model, but drafts in some key electronic changes
“A trademark blend of sound and playability”: Mithans unveils its latest works of art – two S-Style Bristol Series builds By Phil Weller published 27 March 24 Hand-crafted in a small village on the Slovenian-Austrian border, these swamp ash beauties look to pair premium specs with premium aesthetics
“These guitars influenced generations of musicians and world-renowned artists”: Gibson has revived the Everly Brothers’ J-180 – an iconic acoustic used to inspire The Beach Boys, Beatles and beyond By Matt Owen published 26 March 24 The revered flattop, as used by the influential rock 'n' roll duo, returns more than 6 decades after the signature model was introduced
“I think there were actually two paths. One was the wild pointy-shape things. The other was what I believe led to the 335”: The 1955 ‘missing link’ guitar designs that offer intriguing clues to Gibson’s Golden Era developments By Matt Parker published 26 March 24 The images inspired the recent production of the Theodore solidbody, but could also fill some crucial gaps when it comes to our knowledge of Gibson’s 1950s R&D process
“I’m at a loss for words”: It’s one of the defining cartoon theme tunes of the ’90s – now Nili Brosh has reimagined the classic X-Men lick fest for X-Men ’97 By Matt Owen published 26 March 24 Brosh brings some serious bends to the table as she helps breathe new life into the iconic opener, which has been re-recorded for Disney's animated X-Men revival
Used Gibsons hold their value better than Fenders on the second-hand market – but there’s good news for Player Tele and Strat owners By Matt Parker published 26 March 24 A new study compares new asking prices to Reverb used sales figures for the top 40 best-selling guitars in the US
“A powerhouse dreadnought made for genre-defying artists”: Orangewood branches out with the Pomona Live – its first signature acoustic, built for boundary-pushing fingerstyle artist Alejandro Aranda By Phil Weller published 25 March 24 The LA acoustic builders have collaborated with local hero Aranda – formerly known as Scarypoolparty – for the instrument, which adds “playful embellishments” to a vintage dreadnought design
“Museum-grade works of art”: Gibson has unveiled its most ambitious set of Master Artisan instruments yet – trust us, you’ve never seen Custom Shop guitars quite like this before By Phil Weller published 25 March 24 Drawing inspiration from the Mediterranean, Middle East, Wild West, and beyond, these one-of-a-kind builds champion the unique craftsmanship of Gibson's master artisan builder, Rickie Hinrichsen
“Reliably power your effects and floorboards”: Meet the mega-powerful NUX ZEUS – an isolated power supply that will solve all your pedal powering problems By Guitar World Staff published 25 March 24 With 10 high-current DC power outlets – with switchable and variable voltage options – the ZEUS promises to supply noise-free power to just about any analog and digital effects pedal, with all the cables provided
“A true masterpiece crafted for the hard rocking guitarist”: Wylde Audio lives up to its name once again with the Goregehn – an all-new angry, angular and offset creation By Phil Weller published 25 March 24 Zakk Wylde's latest EMG-loaded beast arrives in three distinct finishes – Cocobolo Psychic Bullseye, Rawtop Buzzsaw, and a Special Edition Blood River Burl