Mark Lettieri on his jams with John Mayer, and how they ended up working together on PRS' 40th anniversary show
Three guitar greats needed a band, and Lettieri came to their rescue
Latest News
Mark Lettieri on his jams with John Mayer, and how they ended up working together on PRS' 40th anniversary show
Three guitar greats needed a band, and Lettieri came to their rescue
Adrian Smith on why making music outside of Iron Maiden lets him stretch his soloing wings
In Smith/Kotzen, he’s relishing the chance to improvise and color outside of his usual lines, but admits that keeping up with Kotzen isn’t easy
Harm’s Way guitarist Bo Lueders dies at 38
The guitarist released five albums with the Chicago hardcore veterans
Who is the most iconic Fender Telecaster player?
The Telecaster doesn’t get enough credit for its versatility – and in its 75 years of production, it’s found its way into every genre. Let us know who you think is the greatest Tele wrangler of them all
6 Comments
Turnstile co-founder and former guitarist Brady Ebert reportedly arrested for attempted murder
Ebert was recently fired from his latest band, The S.E.T., following a social media outburst against his former Turnstile bandmates
Alice Cooper announces new 22-year-old guitarist, handpicked by Nita Strauss to be her replacement
Anna Cara was cherry picked for the role and will join the Cooper band on the road in the US and Europe this year
Yes postpone upcoming tour dates due to guitarist Steve Howe requiring “essential surgery”
The shows, which intend to celebrate the band's landmark 1971 album, Fragile, will be rescheduled
Billy Corgan on the first time he met Courtney Love and witnessed Hole live
After meeting at a Chicago venue in 1991, the two artists and their respective bands were interlinked for decades to come
Guitar World deals of the week: get a signature Jackson with $910 off, bag an EHX overdrive pedal for half price, plus the PRS guitar that broke the internet gets a $250 reduction
Your weekly digest of the best deals on guitar gear from all corners of the web, hand-picked by Guitar World's team of guitarists
Artists
Alt-rock icon Kim Gordon on the secret to making great music on bad guitars and why she never saw herself as a bassist
Returning with solo album Play Me – a stinging broadside against the modern age – the alt-rock talisman remembers the bad guitars and renegade tunings of her ’80s breakout with Sonic Youth
Tailgunner are flying the flag for old-school metal (with a little help from K.K. Downing)
Tailgunner’s new album, Midnight Blitz, is a love letter to the '80s, to shred, to Yngwie, Priest, all things shred, and it is produced by a bona-fide Metal God
Melissa Etheridge learned more from a grouchy old man who’d lost his fingers than she did at Berklee
The veteran hitmaker charts her evolution from acoustic to electric and back again and explains how she went digital, how she keeps her classic songs fresh, and how her family deal with her incredible guitar collection
The 17-year-old guitar prodigy who flourished with Dio, but got off to a nightmare start
Rowan Robertson's fairy-tale ascension sent him from pubs to arenas virtually overnight. But he was a little over-confident for the first of those mega gigs…
How David Bowie's longest-serving guitarist became the hero in his own story with KillerStar
KillerStar might be populated by Bowie alumni, but with guitarist-vocalist Rob Fleming fronting, The Afterglow is a record with its own unique flavor, says Earl Slick
Mikael Åkerfeldt on nearly losing his prized PRS on the way to record a landmark Opeth album
The Opeth mastermind on being robbed as they made Blackwater Park, what he hated about Kurt Cobain’s ’53 Martin D-18 and loved about Hank Williams’ ’40s D-18, the ’90s band he still adores and the ’70s guitarist he still worships
The 10-string oddity that became one of Joe Perry’s most iconic guitars – even though he hardly played it in Aerosmith
Perry and B.C. Rich go way back. The Aerosmith guitarist looks back on the most outlandish guitar the brand ever made him, the ’70s Bich 10 Supreme
Courtney Barnett on leftie legends, and embracing the Olympic White Stratocaster
The Aussie songwriter discusses how her pedalboard changes off stage, asking Waxahatchee to guest, and being inspired by Cobain, Hendrix, and McCartney
“There is not another guitarist in the world who plays like him”: The life and times of Grateful Dead icon Bob Weir
We salute the Grateful Dead original, who – in the last 30 years of his life – stepped out from Jerry Garcia’s considerable shadow to emerge as a guitar hero in his own right
Gear
“It can get loud enough to annoy my partner, which is good enough for home use”: Laney Prism-Mini review
This mini practice amp doesn't tether you to your smartphone, but there are some growing pains
How a Swedish luthier used by Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton created the iconic ABBA star guitar
Meet Göran Malmberg, maker of the ultimate glam-rock axe that Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA walked on the Eurovision stage with in 1974
"I need to be honest about how well this pedal holds up for down-tuning against the newer competition it faces": DigiTech Drop Limited Black Edition review
The Polyphonic Drop Tune pedal first landed in 2014, and now a limited run in a new finish gives us a good opportunity to check where it stands today
Best compressor pedals 2026: control your tone with the must-have utility pedal
My pick of the best guitar compressor pedals will enhance your tone with options from Boss, Keeley, MXR, and more
“A high-octane character that’s occasionally stubborn, but it stands out from the crowd”: Fender 75th Anniversary American Professional Classic Cabronita Telecaster review
The Telecaster’s “asshole cousin” trades traditional twang for a boutique growl that looks as sharp as it sounds
How EarthQuaker Devices went beyond the boutique pedal boom and took left-field tones mainstream
EQD founder Jamie Stillman on the pedal that made the company famous, why the overcomplicated is not for him, and the stompbox that serves death metal and country guitarists alike
“It really has everything going for it”: Faith PJE Legacy FG4 Earth review
Patrick James Eggle’s take on the OM body shape is built by Faith’s facility in Indonesia and based around PJE’s Linville model from his acoustic-building days. But does it rock our world?
“It’s the same, loud, high headroom amp but with a more open-sounding clean tone that boasts a little extra life”: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 30th Anniversary review
Fender celebrates 30 years of the ubiquitous Hot Rod Deluxe with an Anniversary edition that boasts a speaker change and a classy aesthetic
3 Comments
Lessons
Philip Sayce: The 5 techniques that define my sound
Turbocharge your fretting hand stretches, screaming bends and blues-rock intensity with the core techniques that shaped Philip Sayce’s signature sound
Welcome to Mike Stringer’s downpicking bootcamp, in which he teaches us the punishing string skipping techniques behind Spiritbox’s Jaded
In his debut GW column, the prog-metal master teaches you the punishing seven-string string-skipping techniques behind Spiritbox’s Jaded
Paul Gilbert: What I learned and taught at GIT
Paul was a student and a tutor at LA's G.I.T. (Guitar Institute of Technology). Here are the shred secrets he learned there – and taught
How Joe Bonamassa and Slash channeled BB King and the Edge for an iconic cover of an iconic tune
In his latest lesson for GW, Joe Bonamassa celebrates B.B. King’s late '80s collaboration with U2
Jared James Nichols on the melodic soloing ideas every guitar player can take from Eric Clapton
In his latest Guitar World column, the blues powerhouse channels Slowhand (and uses his own track Threw Me to the Wolves) for a lesson in lyrical leads
“It’s about building intensity… think of Jeff Beck shifting to Billy Gibbons!” How to solo over one-chord blues
Soloing over changes is cool, but sometimes the blues is all about exploring melody over a single chord
Charlie Starr on the origins of the B-Bender – and how you can play those licks without one
No B-Bender, no problem, as the Blackberry Smoke frontman shows us 9 licks for that faux pedal-steel sound
Reviews
“It can get loud enough to annoy my partner, which is good enough for home use”: Laney Prism-Mini review
This mini practice amp doesn't tether you to your smartphone, but there are some growing pains
"I need to be honest about how well this pedal holds up for down-tuning against the newer competition it faces": DigiTech Drop Limited Black Edition review
The Polyphonic Drop Tune pedal first landed in 2014, and now a limited run in a new finish gives us a good opportunity to check where it stands today
“A high-octane character that’s occasionally stubborn, but it stands out from the crowd”: Fender 75th Anniversary American Professional Classic Cabronita Telecaster review
The Telecaster’s “asshole cousin” trades traditional twang for a boutique growl that looks as sharp as it sounds
“It really has everything going for it”: Faith PJE Legacy FG4 Earth review
Patrick James Eggle’s take on the OM body shape is built by Faith’s facility in Indonesia and based around PJE’s Linville model from his acoustic-building days. But does it rock our world?
“It’s the same, loud, high headroom amp but with a more open-sounding clean tone that boasts a little extra life”: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 30th Anniversary review
Fender celebrates 30 years of the ubiquitous Hot Rod Deluxe with an Anniversary edition that boasts a speaker change and a classy aesthetic
3 Comments
EarthQuaker Devices Towers review
The latest entry into EarthQuaker Device's range of revolutionary ambience machines will make you rethink your relationship with reverb
“The best Big Muff there’s ever been for bass”: Electro-Harmonix Bass Big Muff Pi 2 review
A long-lost EHX Big Muff variant, made real – and now made for bassists to enjoy too.
Buying Guides
Best compressor pedals 2026: control your tone with the must-have utility pedal
My pick of the best guitar compressor pedals will enhance your tone with options from Boss, Keeley, MXR, and more
Best chorus pedals 2026: My pick of choices for your 'board at every price point
From analog to digital, and shimmery to subtle, let me show you the top chorus pedals you can buy today from the likes of Boss, Ibanez, MXR and Walrus Audio
Best 3/4 acoustic guitars 2026: small-bodied, short scale sensations from Taylor, Martin, Fender and more
I count down the best compact acoustics for new players, smaller guitarists and those looking for a neat 'couch guitar'
Best beginner guitar amps 2026: my top picks from over a decade working in music retail
After nearly ten years working in a busy high-street music store, I’ve seen which beginner amps truly deliver, offering the best value, most useful features, and long-lasting popularity from brands like Blackstar, Fender, Positive Grid, and more
Best bass amps for practice 2026: top combos for working on your chops at home
Get the most out of your playing at home with one of these great bass practice amps
Best Stratocasters 2026: The best Strats for every budget and playing style
Find your fit with our top pick of the best Fender Strats
Best guitar capos 2026: These are the tried & tested options I'd recommend for acoustic and electric players
I tested 10 of the most popular capos on the market. Here’s my expert picks for electric, acoustic, 12-string and beyond
