Janelle Monáe’s new guitar of choice is the cheapest Epiphone Les Paul ever released
The multi-instrumentalist donned one of the most budget-friendly guitars Epiphone has ever released when teasing her new era
![A B/W live shot of the Bangles performing for a music video [l-r]: Vicki Peterson, Susanna Hoffs and Michael Steele](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HaGPwJUm5wdQLiNtbqXueS-1920-80.jpg.webp)
![Joanne Shaw Taylor pictured with a Les Paul [left] and B.B. King, taking solo on Lucille at the Chicago Theater in 1991](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xcyUro4TZ38XsPtW6NxmwJ-1200-80.jpg.webp)
Latest News
Janelle Monáe’s new guitar of choice is the cheapest Epiphone Les Paul ever released
The multi-instrumentalist donned one of the most budget-friendly guitars Epiphone has ever released when teasing her new era
Verso looks to revolutionize the lap steel slide guitar with the Log
The instrument is shaking off its conventional connotations to deliver a whole new world of soundscaping
Eastwood bravely recreates Mike Bloomfield’s mangled Bob Dylan Telecaster
Bloomfield famously used the Telecaster before its brutal cutaway mod when Bob Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival – and now it’s been remade in all its grisly glory
Seattle rock guitarist on touring with Metallica and Aerosmith in the early ’90s
The success of their debut album soon found Candlebox on the road with two massive bands
Why Myles Kennedy felt uneasy using Jeff Buckley’s Telecaster to play Hallelujah
Kennedy played Buckley’s iconic 'Grace' Tele for a special tribute performance of Hallelujah in 2019
Steve Vai has recorded a new solo over Van Halen’s Jump
Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker also features on the track
All the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including the angriest fuzz pedal you will ever come across
Plenty of new pedals, amps and more from the likes of Epiphone, IK Multimedia, Fender, Laney, Mesa/Boogie and beyond...
Artists
He arrived on the shred scene with Paul Gilbert, Jason Becker, Greg Howe, and John Petrucci, but by the mid-90s, he'd vanished
After starting a family and his own company, Darren Housholder's priorities changed; but he’s gradually brought music-making back into his world
How Eric Gales enlisted Buddy Guy, Kingfish, Joe Bonamassa (and his guitar collection) to pay tribute to his brother
With a little help from Bonamassa and Josh Smith, Eric Gales put together one of the great 21st-century blues albums to honor his brother Little Jimmy King
Witch Fever’s Alisha Yarwood on superhero stompboxes, dream tours with IDLES, and why ‘That Great Gretsch Sound’ was doom-punk all along
Raw, feminist, fiercely unrelenting, Witch Fever have taken their sound from clubs to arenas. Here, Yarwood talks tonal epiphanies, starting on drums, and finding freedom on bigger stages
Meshell Ndegeocello favors restraint over fretboard theatrics; but Marcus Miller (and Jaco) get a pass
Meshell Ndegeocello discusses what set Jaco Pastorius apart from the pack, what she looks for in a bassist, and the crucial lesson her jazz musician father taught her
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It was nothing more than a throwaway jam – then they were playing it at the Grammys in tuxedos
In the annals of ’90s alt-rock one-off hits, few were more improbable than Liar, the snarky funk-metal jam that brought hardcore heavyweight Henry Rollins and his band onto mainstream radio, and to music's biggest stage
Remembering the late Mick Abrahams, co-founder of Jethro Tull, purveyor of “good, honest music”
A powerful, lyrical bluesman, the founding Jethro Tull and Blodwyn Pig guitarist always played music his way – even when it hurt his career
Ando San on marrying hip-hop with prog, thumping, and his eight-string guitar personally spec'd by Jeff Kiesel
Inspired by Tosin Abasi and J Dilla, San's mission to merge modern prog with experimental hip-hop required him to mature as an artist – and he has no plans to stop evolving
Gear
8 signature guitars that deserve your attention – including models from Fatoumata Diawara, Susan Tedeschi, St. Vincent, Yvette Young, and more
From unique SGs to metal monsters and updated classics, these signature guitars cover all the bases
Epiphone Fatoumata Diawara SG review
Grammy-nominated Malian singer and guitarist Fatoumata Diawara joins forces with Epiphone to produce a vivid-looking and wicked-sounding SG that’s a celebration of her style
“It may not have the same EQ options as other FRFRs, but the Laney LFR-110 amplifies your digital tone in a way that will easily get you heard on stage”: Laney LFR-110 review
Laney introduces its most compact FRFR guitar cabinet yet, in what could be the perfect on-stage companion to your carefully curated modeling tone
"It’s fast-feeling, streamlined, and distressed already, so go ahead and beat it up - this under $700 guitar is geared for many road miles and serious shredding": Fame Custom ST RW review
Fame delivers an absolute burner of a guitar that exceeds expectations.
I spent the weekend testing the best guitar gear of the year at The Guitar Show in Birmingham – these are the 9 hottest products you can buy right now
I visited a sold-out UK Guitar Show to check out the latest and greatest from the wide world of guitar gear
Cort G6MS Review
Cort has been making headless guitars for Strandberg for years, so has its learning translated into a must-have budget axe, or is there work to be done?
Best delay pedals 2026: our pick of the coolest spacey pedals for your pedalboard
Whether you prefer digital or analog delay pedals, the options in this round-up will help boost your creativity on the guitar
Lessons
Big jumps for a bigger sound: Steve Morse’s masterclass on wide intervals
Deep-dive your technique for powerful intervals with six string-jumping, fretboard-stretching examples from one of the world's most influential super-pickers
What we can learn from Mike Oldfield about breaking free of the pentatonic box
In this lesson, we reimagine folk, jazz, blues and Celtic music for a blues roadmap that takes the road less traveled
KT Tunstall’s 5 guitar tips to boost your songwriting skills
Learn KT's five go-to guitar techniques: from power strumming to rich chords, colorful picking, and unison vocal/guitar riffs.
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Demystifying 13th chords, the voicing that Stevie Ray Vaughan used to stunning effect in Lenny
This primer in 13th chords will give you five voicings to use in your playing – and an explanation on how they get their name
How to play slide guitar in standard tuning
Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke demonstrates how slide playing in standard and drop D tuning can be the best of both worlds
What is “Dead thumb” fingerpicking? Jared James Nichols explains
Jared James Nichols is a master of “Dead thumb” fingerpicking. The Blues Power fingerstylist explains how it gives the him freedom to cut loose
How to let it rip like the late, great Gary Moore
Time to show the Marshall amp no mercy and engage the Tube Screamer – this solo lesson works mid '70s Thin Lizzy into Parisienne Walkways and Still Got The Blues and doesn't hold back
![B.B. King [left] cups his hands to his ear as he asks the crowd for more. Joe Bonamassa, with a Les Paul, gives his crowd a thumbs up.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/P3XrQLh86C27JfPp4AGp6n-840-80.jpg.webp)
Reviews
Epiphone Fatoumata Diawara SG review
Grammy-nominated Malian singer and guitarist Fatoumata Diawara joins forces with Epiphone to produce a vivid-looking and wicked-sounding SG that’s a celebration of her style
“It may not have the same EQ options as other FRFRs, but the Laney LFR-110 amplifies your digital tone in a way that will easily get you heard on stage”: Laney LFR-110 review
Laney introduces its most compact FRFR guitar cabinet yet, in what could be the perfect on-stage companion to your carefully curated modeling tone
"It’s fast-feeling, streamlined, and distressed already, so go ahead and beat it up - this under $700 guitar is geared for many road miles and serious shredding": Fame Custom ST RW review
Fame delivers an absolute burner of a guitar that exceeds expectations.
Cort G6MS Review
Cort has been making headless guitars for Strandberg for years, so has its learning translated into a must-have budget axe, or is there work to be done?
Blackstar ID:X Floor One review
Blackstar becomes the latest in a long line of companies to develop a floorboard-based amp modeler rig solution – and it's gone about it in the perfect way
"Easily one of the most desirable electric guitars under $1,000 that I've played": Eastman FullerTone Offset '62 review
The latest FullerTone design might just be the best yet, and a big statement from Eastman
“Surely the most vicious artist series model in the Gibson catalog”: Gibson Mark Morton Les Paul Modern Quilt review
Lamb of God riff-master Mark Morton's Les Paul has been years in the making, subject to brutal road-testing, featuring a hot custom-wound humbucker pairing, but it's finally here
“In a world where streaming is king and few people own the music they listen to, the BandBox Solo’s ability to conduct stem separation from a Bluetooth source is incredibly useful”: JBL BandBox Solo review
With the ability to separate stems from a streamed audio source over Bluetooth and a host of useful tools, the JBL BandBox Solo could be a game-changer for home practice
Buying Guides
Best delay pedals 2026: our pick of the coolest spacey pedals for your pedalboard
Whether you prefer digital or analog delay pedals, the options in this round-up will help boost your creativity on the guitar
Best electric guitars 2026: our top picks for every playing style, ability and budget
Useful buying advice and our expert pick of the best electric guitars for newcomers to pro players
Best acoustic guitars for beginners 2026: My top picks for new players, reviewed by a pro
I've tested epic affordable six-strings from Fender, Taylor, Yamaha, and more – read on for my best beginner acoustic guitar recommendations and watch my video demos
Best cheap acoustic guitars 2025: budget acoustics with genuine pedigree
Great tone doesn’t have to break the bank – these are the best cheap acoustic guitars from Fender, Yamaha, Cort and more
Best guitar audio interfaces 2026: get better recorded guitar tones
My pick of the best audio interfaces for guitar will have you up and recording in no time
Best EQ pedals 2026: must-have effects to tame your tone
Our expert pick of EQ pedals for the discerning player from the likes of Boss, Chase Bliss Audio, MXR and more
Best Klon clones 2026: Our pick of the best Klon Centaur Klones for every budget
From straight-up klones to full reimaginings, here are some of the best Klon Centaur-inspired pedals on the market today
