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How Dave Davies wrote the savage solo for the Kinks' breakthrough hit
Davies debunks false claims that the track featured Jimmy Page and reveals how it all came about
Latest News
How Dave Davies wrote the savage solo for the Kinks' breakthrough hit
Davies debunks false claims that the track featured Jimmy Page and reveals how it all came about
Eddie Van Halen’s soon-to-be-released recordings are going to blow you away, according to Steve Lukather
The highly anticipated project could be the ultimate Eddie Van Halen honor record
Les Claypool’s bonkers one-string leads the biggest (and strangest) bass releases of the month
May saw the reissue of Fender's best-selling bass, a custom Rickenbacker for Geddy Lee, and a supersized version of the daddy of all fuzz
Why being an acoustic guitarist doesn't necessarily make you an electric player – according to Eric Bibb
Bibb admits he won't be calling himself an electric guitar player anytime soon
May 2026 Guitar World Editors' Picks
From The Rolling Stones to Julian Lage, Tamikrest to the Warning, this month's guitar greatness spanned many generations of players
This week's hottest new guitar gear – featuring Wes Borland's Jackson and a Korn pedal
Jackson and Limp Bizkit's Wes Borland unveil the coolest metal guitar of the year, IK Multimedia go '60s Marshall mad, and someone put Korn's early sound in a pedal
Billy Duffy on the one guitar he wish he never sold
Duffy’s timing could hardly have been worse
Artists
Bill Laswell on Lemmy, Paul Simon, and his failed studio session with Jaco Pastorius
The visionary producer also had his say on Lemmy, Paul Simon, and his failed studio session with Jaco Pastorius
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Reb Beach on working with David Coverdale, and what comes next now Winger and Whitesnake are over
With both his star bands calling it quits, the ace sideman finds himself at a career crossroads. But which path will he choose – jazz-fusion or stand-up comedy?
Sully Erna is optimistic for Godsmack 2.0, and he can't wait for you to hear their new guitarist
The Gibson devotee reveals why he's feeling excited about working with new lead player Sam Koltun, discusses the photo that made him want a Les Paul, explains why he won’t use amp modelers, and tells you why you should play drums
Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings on the Guess Who’s fight to return to the stage
Bachman and Cummings talk favorite songs, cherished guitars and what it means to be back as the Guess Who after years of legal struggles
How tuning down and jamming Eagles and Skynyrd unlocked the return of Swedish doom heroes Monolord
Neverending finds the venerable Gothenburg trio expand their sound under the supervision of Tool producer Sylvia Massy, adding light and shade to those riffs – and more guitars
How Jared James Nichols took Blues Power to Dave Grohl's Studio 606 and super-sized his sound
On this year’s Louder Than Fate, Nichols is spreading his creative wings, and – with some help from a one-of-one amp made for Jeff Beck – venturing into new musical pastures
How Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood went from Sikth super-fan to playing in the band
Former bassist for Periphery, Getgood pinpoints the pickup selection and pick technique he’s been using onstage with Sikth
Gear
“Waiting to throw a spanner in the works of your guitar tone”: Electro-Harmonix Pico Atomic Cluster review
EHX’s new Pico pedal is designed to deconstruct your tone to an atomic level
The story of the Boss digital delay pedal that changed the world
Despite advances in technology, elite players such as Joe Bonamassa, Tom Morello and Brad Paisley still keep a DD-2 or DD-3 on their 'board
Best overdrive pedals for bass 2026: The ultimate in bass saturation at all price points
My pick of the top-rated overdrive pedals for bass players from the likes of EBS, Electro-Harmonix, Origin Effects, and more
“It’s a guitar that can indeed be a singer-songwriter’s tool, or a guitar for chugging metal”: PRS SE Ed Sheeran Hollowbody I Piezo Baritone review
One of the biggest names in pop delivers a first signature electric that bridges the gap between open chords and heavy metal chugs
Fender Vintera III Early '60s Bass VI review – is this oddball offset really worth the hype?
Fender's cult classic offset, beloved by The Beatles and beyond, is back and supposedly better than ever
“Bright, lively, and surprisingly loud, it projects with a clarity and presence that belies its compact footprint”: Faith Nomad Mini-Neptune Trembesi review
This scaled-down Neptune is worlds apart from some of its travel guitar competition
Best Squier guitars 2026: the ultimate guide
We check out the top Squier guitars, including the Classic Vibe series, Affinity series, Debut models, and Paranormal series guitars
Lessons
“To some people, this is more of a ‘jazzy’ sound”: How to use dominant 7 arpeggios in a guitar solo
Because you can't have enough exit ramps from traditional blues phrases, here's how you can use the notes of a dominant 7 chord to spice up your solos
5 chords that sound like they’re in an open tuning (but aren’t)
Because sometimes retuning your guitar is, well, a pain in the backside – and there are workarounds
Charlie Starr on how to play “Piedmont” fingerstyle guitar
The Blackberry Smoke frontman goes unplugged to give us a lesson in the fingerstyle techniques he applies in his day job
Hidden for four decades, the story behind the (almost) unheard outro solo on John Farnham’s smash hit, You’re the Voice
Celtic rock bagpipe phrasing, THAT blazing arpeggio and a crazy bend that broke a string – learn how Brett Garsed played his solo in this exclusive feature
Joe Bonamassa breaks down the differences between P-90s and PAF humbuckers
In this lesson, the blues maestro demonstrates how pickup choice affects the tone and can be used for different purposes
How to survive setbacks when music is your identity, not just your job
Australian metal veteran Glen Phillips on what he wished he knew when he was starting out
The simple trick that adds sparkle to your songs: Nashville Tuning explained
David Gilmour, Keith Richards & Taylor Swift all do this…
Reviews
“Waiting to throw a spanner in the works of your guitar tone”: Electro-Harmonix Pico Atomic Cluster review
EHX’s new Pico pedal is designed to deconstruct your tone to an atomic level
“It’s a guitar that can indeed be a singer-songwriter’s tool, or a guitar for chugging metal”: PRS SE Ed Sheeran Hollowbody I Piezo Baritone review
One of the biggest names in pop delivers a first signature electric that bridges the gap between open chords and heavy metal chugs
Fender Vintera III Early '60s Bass VI review – is this oddball offset really worth the hype?
Fender's cult classic offset, beloved by The Beatles and beyond, is back and supposedly better than ever
“Bright, lively, and surprisingly loud, it projects with a clarity and presence that belies its compact footprint”: Faith Nomad Mini-Neptune Trembesi review
This scaled-down Neptune is worlds apart from some of its travel guitar competition
“No guitar does everything, but this comes dangerously close”: PRS DGT Semi-Hollow review
After testing the water with a limited-edition version, PRS has added David Grissom’s semi-hollow signature to the Core lineup. But are we worthy?
EarthQuaker ZEQD-PRE review – the ultimate tube-equipped tone-sculptor for your pedalboard?
EarthQuaker Devices and Dr Z join forces for a tube-based preamp and boost with flexible connectivity
“A strange and weird anomaly that stands apart not only from most known octave fuzz designs, but also from fuzzes full stop”: JHS Coyote review
A fascinating lost octave fuzz gets a reissue
"I would prefer to see Fender tweak the pickups rather than the aesthetic": Fender Vintera III Mid '60s Telecaster review
Shifting the focus from the highlights of a decade to more specific years, Fender updates its Vintera range in a way that will please those who get a kick out of attention to vintage aesthetics
Buying Guides
Best overdrive pedals for bass 2026: The ultimate in bass saturation at all price points
My pick of the top-rated overdrive pedals for bass players from the likes of EBS, Electro-Harmonix, Origin Effects, and more
Best Squier guitars 2026: the ultimate guide
We check out the top Squier guitars, including the Classic Vibe series, Affinity series, Debut models, and Paranormal series guitars
Best modeling amps 2026: get iconic amp and effects tones at your fingertips
I break down the best modeling amps available, covering a range of budgets, brands and sizes
Best mini amps for guitar 2026: power up your practice with these tiny towers of tone
My top picks of small guitar amps that pack a punch and let you practice when you're short on space
Best parlor guitars 2026: sofa-friendly acoustics for every budget
The grandfather of acoustic guitars – our top parlor guitar picks from Gibson, Martin, Yamaha, and more
Best guitar cleaning kits and tools 2026: Keep your guitar looking and sounding sweet
Keep your instrument in its prime with my pick of the best cleaning kits and maintenance tools
Best ukuleles 2026: Acoustic and electric ukes for all budgets and playing styles
Get started or find your next upgrade with our pick of the best ukes from Mahalo, Martin and Cordoba, plus a cool Fender Jazzmaster ukulele
