Yvette Young news and features

“A bass overdrive gives me more control over which frequencies push forward when I want to take more risks”: Yvette Young spills the secrets of her pedalboard – and names the one stompbox she could play an entire show with

By Andrew Daly published 30 January 24

The Covet phenom's 'board is rigged for stereo, sequenced for experimentation, and makes us wonder if we've been missing a trick by not having a bass overdrive in our setup

They're one of Yvette Young's favorite bands and influenced a generation of math-rock guitarists – now cheap guitar enthusiasts Enemies are back because their music "never seemed to die"

By Andrew Daly published 25 July 23

The Irish instrumentalists on their surprise reunion after seven years away, using a B.B. King Lucille model for math-rock and why they almost stopped playing guitar entirely when the band folded

Nita Strauss playing her Ibanez JIVA and Yvette Young with her YY20 signature guitar

Nita Strauss and Yvette Young once traded signature guitars – but found each others’ designs damn-near unplayable

By Matt Parker published 8 June 23

The swap may not have worked out for them but Strauss says it made her feel good about the health of the guitar industry

Yvette Young: “I’m really optimistic about the future of guitar. It’s being used in a creative way and people don’t know all the cool sounds you can get from it”

By Jenna Scaramanga published 9 May 23

One of the most original guitarists on the planet, combining innovation with accessibility on a new Covet album, Catharsis, Young explains why she’s the virtuoso who just “fell into” the guitar scene

Yvette Young names the 10(+) guitarists who shaped her sound

By Michael Astley-Brown published 5 April 23

Covet’s two-hand tapping math-rock mastermind reveals why she only just started listening to Van Halen, what it’s like to jam with Steve Vai and the guitar discovery that changed her life

Covet reveal tap-happy new single Firebird, the first taster from forthcoming album Catharsis

By Matt Parker published 22 February 23

Yvette Young returns with a new song and full-length due this April

Willow performs live on stage at Reading Festival day three on August 28, 2022 in Reading, England.

Willow on her quest to solo like St. Vincent, getting two-hand tapping lessons from Yvette Young and why her latest album is a love letter to rock music

By Amit Sharma published 5 December 22

Following her guitar-heavy creative reinvention, Willow traces her six-string journey so far, her love of heavy music “from Smashing Pumpkins to Lamb of God” and how she hopes to make “women and girls of color feel accepted” in the rock world through her music

Yvette Young announces new Covet lineup: “This is my shot at trying one more time”

By Matt Owen last updated 17 October 22

The math-rock virtuoso will be joined by Brandon Dove and Jessica Burdeaux for the band's upcoming Rebirth tour

Watch Steve Vai and Yvette Young share the stage for an ‘80s-flavored jam at Vai Academy 6.0

By Matt Owen published 30 August 22

The two Ibanez artists donned their signature six-strings for the performance, which is loaded with tasty arpeggios, stellar scale licks and vocal lead lines

50 years of Ibanez in the USA: the unstoppable rise of the pioneering Japanese guitar brand

By Chris Gill last updated 15 July 22

How the Ibanez brand evolved in lockstep with guitar culture, leveraging artist partnerships to make new breakthroughs in design, sound and performance

Tash Sultana, Lari Basilio, Yvette Young

Female and non-binary artists make up less than 6% of the signature electric guitar market

By Matt Owen published 8 June 22

Of the 226 signature electrics available from today’s 21 biggest guitar brands, only 13 come from artists who identify as female or non-binary, a study has found

Joe Satriani, Tim Henson, Scott LePage, Tosin Abasi

30 instrumental guitarists with something to say

By Amit Sharma published 17 May 22

No lyrics, no problem. These are the instrumental guitar trailblazers you need to listen to now, and some of them were even good enough to share their advice...

Steve Vai names 5 contemporary guitarists who are taking the instrument to the next level

By Robin Davey published 4 April 22

The virtuoso picks 5 players who are breaking new six-string ground

[L-R] Carmen Vandenberg and Yvette Young

Yvette Young and Carmen Vandenberg set to be honoured alongside Dionne Warwick at 10th Annual She Rocks Awards

By Matt Parker published 18 March 22

This year’s ceremony will be co-hosted by Lzzy Hale and also features a performance from Canadian artist Tenille Arts

Yvette Young: “I never really felt like I got good on guitar. The way I spend my time is still very much based around improving”

By Amit Sharma published 8 March 22

One of the most gifted and innovative guitarists of the modern era explains how she developed her unique style – and how you can find yours

Walrus Audio M1 High-Fidelity Modulation Machine

Walrus Audio debuts hugely tweakable, six effect-strong M1 High-Fidelity Modulation Machine

By Michael Astley-Brown published 20 January 22

The latest pedal to join the Mako Series packs chorus, phaser, tremolo, vibrato, rotary and filter sounds – and comes accompanied by a demo from Yvette Young

Yvette Young Sweetwater tapping guitar lesson

Watch Yvette Young teach her transformative tapping technique in this new video lesson

By Matt Parker published 17 January 22

There are few better people to give us a lesson in tapping. Here, the Covet guitarist unpacks some of the key techniques around the band's tune, Atreyu

Ibanez officially unveils Yvette Young’s second signature guitar, the YY20

By Matt Owen published 1 December 21

The fingerpicking powerhouse's latest signature sports Tele-style hardware, Seymour Duncan pickups and an exuberant Orange Cream Sparkle finish

Yvette Young teases new-look, freshly spec'd version of her Ibanez YY10 signature guitar

By Matt Owen published 2 November 21

The Covet player's revamped Talman is set to be treated to an eye-popping orange colorway, a fretboard and hardware overhaul and a Tele-style pickup configuration

Yvette Young

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