Ola Strandberg ushered in a new era of headless guitars – but no one is doing it like his own company
Ibanez, Kiesel, Schecter and more have all upped their headless guitar game in recent years, but Strandberg’s approach is unique
Latest news
Ola Strandberg ushered in a new era of headless guitars – but no one is doing it like his own company
Ibanez, Kiesel, Schecter and more have all upped their headless guitar game in recent years, but Strandberg’s approach is unique
Troy Van Leeuwen explains why Queens of the Stone Age are not a Fender Strat band
The alt-rock maverick doubles down on his love for offsets and the Tele's versatile tone
DiMarzio is determined to make you like the Tele neck pickup position with its new Muscle T set
The Muscle T aims to add everything Tele pickups lack
This is all the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – and it includes my new dream reverb machine
Elsewhere, Ibanez shows its RG range some love and Dunlop hopes to make you a better player with some newly engineered guitar picks...
If I was starting guitar again today, this is the first deal I’d jump on – get $1,000 worth of content for just $125.65 with Guitar Tricks' Summer Black Friday
Thinking about buying new gear? Investing in your technique is a much better way to spend your money
Guitar World deals of the week: save $850 on a Music Man, get $10 guitar lessons, plus all the best early Prime Day guitar deals
Get your hands on all the biggest savings on guitar gear in one place
Gibson steps up the search for the lost Back to the Future guitar – and its discovery hinges on one key spec
The guitar played by Michael J. Fox for the film’s famous school dance scene has been missing for 40 years – and Gibson is determined to track it down
Artists
Nile Rodgers on what made Bernard Edwards a bass genius – and the making of some iconic 4-string moments
With Chic, Bernard Edwards delivered some of the most infectious basslines of all time
Rival Sons’ Scott Holiday on what it’s like to open a Black Sabbath show
Supporting Sabbath throughout The End Tour, Rival Sons got a better view of metal's godfathers than anyone – and will pay tribute to them at their final show. What will they play? Holiday's sworn to secrecy
Billy Gibbons shares the story of the “treasured moment” he sat in on a B.B. King session – as a child
Long before he got the chance to pick it up for himself, the ZZ Top man found himself in a truly formative session with an icon of electric guitar
Ricky Warwick on welcoming Lita Ford and Billy Diffy to vintage guitar nirvana for his new solo album
The Thin Lizzy and former Almighty man's Blood Ties is packed with signature chord voicings and guest spots from his friends – and even though Ford only sings on it, she brought her Hamer to the party
Glen Matlock on how the Sex Pistols have changed, while his bass rig never has and never will
The punk icons’ most accomplished musician explains what Frank Carter has brought to the band, the financial advantages of not using a pick, and the chance of new music with their latest recruit
Bill Kelliher on his awkward Tony Iommi encounter and Mastodon’s Back to the Beginning plans
As he gears up for Black Sabbath's last hurrah, the Mastodon man looks back on his brief – but probably very helpful! – exchange with Tony Iommi, and explains why no-one tops the Sabbath riff lord
How Stevie Ray Vaughan's biggest hit benefitted from one of the baddest rhythm sections in blues history
Also known as Double Trouble, Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton laid down an unfaltering groove for SRV’s 1983 debut
Lzzy Hale on how Halestorm wound up playing Ronnie James Dio’s final show, and doing the same for Ozzy
The Halestorm leader is a die-hard Black Sabbath fan who first encountered the Dio lineup before discovering the Ozzy era. She explains why Back to the Beginning will be a full-circle moment
Meet Robin Nolan, the Gypsy jazz guitarist who collaborated with a Beatle
For the Love of George is not only a tribute to the late George Harrison, it's a celebration of friendship and ultimately a collaboration, featuring a track co-written by Nolan from a chord progression from the late Beatle
Gear
“A vast universe of distortion and fuzz effects and much more”: SOMA Harvezi Hazze review
Behold, a distortion pedal with waveshaper designed around a "relic" from the early days of semiconducters – and yes, it sounds like nothing you've ever heard before
Best compressor pedals 2025: control your tone with the must-have utility pedal
With great options from Boss, Keeley, MXR, and more, there has never been a better time to add a comp pedal to your 'board
A breakdown of Neil Young's wild and fascinating live rig
“When it comes to equipment, the idea with Neil is that you don’t change anything,” Young's guitar tech, Larry Cragg, told GW in 2009. “You don’t even think about it”
Can we turn an Epiphone Flying V into a vintage Gibson unicorn? It’s easier than you might think
Using Chris Buck’s ’50s Epiphone Flying V, Huw Price demonstrates how you can take an affordable Epiphone and transform it into a relic’d Gibson. A little DIY Tom Murphy action, if you will…
“It might be the smallest of the small, but it’s a Goliath in sound”: On-Stage Travel Guitar Amplifier review
It's the size of a Boss pedal and you could stick it in your pocket, but this little travel amp might be your best friend on vacation
“The Tone King sound for a quarter of the price”: Tone King Imperial Tri Tube Preamp review
Tone King's latest arrival miniaturises the celebrated Imperial amp, for the fly-rig crowd
“No shrinking violet, this pedal will stamp its authority on your tone”: ThorpyFX Six Zero review
It’s a jump back to the golden age for ThorpyFX with a pedal that combines vintage fuzz with tremolo
Lessons
Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones explains what people get wrong about his Black Dog riff
In his inaugural Guitar World lesson column, authored in 1996, the legendary bassist also revealed why he used pick to lay the song down in the studio – and why he later would use an eight-string bass to play it live
Can you keep up? 6 minor pentatonic licks that go FASTER!
Turbo-boost your pentatonic lead playing by learning from Nuno Bettencourt, Joe Bonamassa, Jimmy Page and more
Sue Foley pays tribute to blues icons Johnny Winter and Muddy Waters with 4 essential soloing licks
Sue Foley returns to help us navigate the I-IV-V changes and come up with some soloing ideas that enhance your melodic sensibility – and add a bit of fire along the way
30 beautiful acoustic guitar chords every player needs to know – and how to play them
Increase your musical vocabulary and expand your compositional horizons, in each and every key
11 alternate and open tunings every guitarist should know
From drop D to DADGAD and beyond, these essential tunings will help you approach your guitar in a different way, and as a result, level up your playing
How to play the B chord on guitar
Beginner guitar: the B chord is one of the trickier chords you'll learn as a beginner, but mastering it will close that gap and make you a more well-rounded player
How 440Hz became the “concert pitch” – and the argument to change it to 432Hz
A=432Hz – also known as “Verdi’s A” – is said by advocates to be in tune with the laws of nature and mathematically consistent with the universe
Reviews
“A vast universe of distortion and fuzz effects and much more”: SOMA Harvezi Hazze review
Behold, a distortion pedal with waveshaper designed around a "relic" from the early days of semiconducters – and yes, it sounds like nothing you've ever heard before
“It might be the smallest of the small, but it’s a Goliath in sound”: On-Stage Travel Guitar Amplifier review
It's the size of a Boss pedal and you could stick it in your pocket, but this little travel amp might be your best friend on vacation
“The Tone King sound for a quarter of the price”: Tone King Imperial Tri Tube Preamp review
Tone King's latest arrival miniaturises the celebrated Imperial amp, for the fly-rig crowd
“No shrinking violet, this pedal will stamp its authority on your tone”: ThorpyFX Six Zero review
It’s a jump back to the golden age for ThorpyFX with a pedal that combines vintage fuzz with tremolo
“Big Muffs are usually 'all or nothing', but the Chelsea is a different beast”: EarthQuaker Devices Chelsea Low End Fuzz Driver Pedal review
The secret weapon behind LCD Soundsystem's bass tone is here at last, and it's... a Big Muff?
“One heck of a rock ’n’ roll vision”: Newman Honeycomb Senior review
It started with a five-string, now the UK-made Newman range has a fully formed six-string with dual swappable pickups and oh-so-’70s credentials
"Take JHS up on their offer of a refund, or leave on the pedalboard to add that Dumble touch to your rig?" JHS Notadümblë review
JHS is offering a refund on its Notadumble pedal, but I would argue that it's worth keeping
Buying Guides
Best compressor pedals 2025: control your tone with the must-have utility pedal
With great options from Boss, Keeley, MXR, and more, there has never been a better time to add a comp pedal to your 'board
Best acoustic guitar pedals 2025: pedals to transform your tone and boost creativity
Improve and shape your tone with the best acoustic guitar pedals from the likes of Boss, Fishman, MXR & LR Baggs
Best locking tuners 2025: improve your performance with these powerful upgrades
Keep your guitar playing consistently with our top locking tuner picks from Fender, Schaller, Sperzel and more
Best guitar slides 2025: every budget and material covered, plus how to choose the right slide for you
Getting into the bluesy world of slide guitar? From Shubb and Dunlop, to Taylor and Ernie Ball, these are our top choices
Best pedalboard power supplies 2025: juice your ‘board with my pick of pro-grade power, fully tested
I put budget-spanning pedal power supplies from Fender, Cioks, Walrus Audio and more through their paces – these were the standouts
Best cheap looper pedals 2025: bang-for-your-buck loopers for your ’board
Score a looper for under $80 and spark your creativity with our pick of the best budget pedals from TC Electronic, Electro-Harmonix, Boss and more
Best baritone guitars 2025: pick up the slack with these long scale guitars
Get low with my expert pick of the best baritone guitars from PRS, Gretsch, Chapman, Jackson, and loads more
