Billy Corgan on the first time he met future Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur
The pair reflect on how a heckler at an early Pumpkins gig led to a decades-long friendship
Latest News
Billy Corgan on the first time he met future Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur
The pair reflect on how a heckler at an early Pumpkins gig led to a decades-long friendship
Joe Satriani put Nuno Bettencourt’s name forward for the failed EVH tribute tour with Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth
Before embarking on the Best of All Worlds tour with Sammy Hagar, Satch was close to hitting the road for a Van Halen tribute tour with Roth and Alex Van Halen
Who's the best guitar player you've ever seen live?
Did the best live guitar playing you've ever seen come from a hero you'd been dying to see for years? Or someone out of the blue, who you'd never heard before? Tell us the story!
Jake E. Lee has added Yungblud’s signature guitar to his collection
The former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist has been playing the affordable Epiphone – and he's impressed
How Robben Ford helped Fender design their short-lived answer to the Gibson ES-335
The short-lived build aimed to compete with one of Gibson's flagship models
Jacob Collier on what happened when he gave his 5-string acoustic to Julian Lag
Collier has ushered in a five-string revolution and a few big names are already on board…
Pat Metheny asks Ibanez to send him “cheap” versions of his own signature guitar – to turn them into artworks
Between launching a new music label and studio album, Metheny spends his downtime transforming his Ibanez signatures into sculptures
Artists
Glenn Tilbrook on the resurrection of the Squeeze concept album that never was
Demo’d in ’74, when their compositional skills wrote checks their chops couldn’t cash, Squeeze shelved Trixies for 52 years. Now, Tilbrook says he’s proud to pull this lost album from the time machine
He arrived on the shred scene with Paul Gilbert, Jason Becker and John Petrucci… then he 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
How Gail Ann Dorsey honed her bass craft with David Bowie and Lenny Kravitz
Bowie’s long-time bassist salutes her mentor and unpacks her approach to the bass chair with Lenny Kravitz
![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-840-80.jpg.webp)
Vicki Peterson on a gift from the Bangles’ most famous fan and their garage approach to an ‘80s pop classic
The heat was on. The label expected. And so, in 1986, the Bangles did what the Bangles did best – they put together a set of songs that had the whole world walking differently
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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
Gear
“It’s a pedal I didn’t even know I needed”: EHX Effects Interface review
From the creator of the Big Muff comes a handy unit for getting your pedalboard and your DAW effects talking to each other
The history and preservation of Eric Clapton’s The Fool SG
With its psychedelic paint job, Clapton’s iconic Cream-era Gibson SG is a guitar like no other. As it goes under the hammer as part of the Jim Irsay Collection, we take a closer look at The Fool SG
Best pedalboard power supplies 2026: juice your ‘board with my pick of pro-grade power for every budget and size of 'board, fully tested
I put budget-spanning pedal power supplies from Fender, Cioks, Walrus Audio and more through their paces – these were my standouts
I just discovered savings of up to 26% off Boss pedals in the Amazon Spring Deal Days sale – get big money off a Waza Craft Metal Zone, the versatile DD-8 digital delay, and the flagship GT-1000CORE multi-effects pedal
With these savings on Boss pedals Amazon is proving it's not just the destination for budget stomp boxes
Amazon is the home of dirt-cheap pedals from brands you've never heard of, but their Spring Deal Days sale just brought stomps from Vox, Ibanez, Boss, MXR, and more into budget territory
As a gigging guitarist, here are the 8 pedals I'd pick up in Amazon's springtime sale
David Gilmour’s Black Strat could be about to break records all over again
It was the world's most expensive guitar when sold at auction in 2019, but as it goes under the hammer in the Jim Irsay Collection, there are a number of reasons to think it will claim another record
With deals starting from just £8.07, it's time for a total rig refresh as the Amazon Spring Deal Days sale launches, delivering massive savings on strings, multi-tools, patch cables, and more
The Amazon Spring Sale is the perfect place to pick up a bargain on accessories for your guitar
“A cost-effective way of accurately amplifying your modeled tone, which is exactly what many guitar players need”: Blackstar Artist FR Special review
Bypassing some of the fancy features of other FRFR cabinets, Blackstar gets straight to the point with a no-frills solution for amplifying your modeled guitar tones
Lessons
5 altered chords you need to know – and how they get their names
Altered chords can be intimidating at first, but here we demystify the naming conventions, and once you understand that, you can easily find your own
Cory Wong on why doubling the bassline is one of the “most badass” things a guitarist can do
Cory Wong uses Vulfpeck's Jaco-inspired Dean Town to teach us the value of doubling a bassline on guitar
How to play B.B. King’s greatest song (with some help from Joe Bonamassa)
Bonamassa says B.B. King’s The Thrill Is Gone is so perfect that he initially couldn’t find anyone to cover it on his tribute album. Here, he unpacks the tones and approaches of the King of the Blues
Bopping blues and greasy grooves: Ally Venable's rhythm guitar tips and secrets
Learn how to boost your blues to pro levels of authenticity with a handful of great chords and a rock-solid rhythm technique
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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Reviews
“It’s a pedal I didn’t even know I needed”: EHX Effects Interface review
From the creator of the Big Muff comes a handy unit for getting your pedalboard and your DAW effects talking to each other
“A cost-effective way of accurately amplifying your modeled tone, which is exactly what many guitar players need”: Blackstar Artist FR Special review
Bypassing some of the fancy features of other FRFR cabinets, Blackstar gets straight to the point with a no-frills solution for amplifying your modeled guitar tones
“Amp and cab models that surpass some expensive units from bigger brands”: Blackstar ID:X Floor Three review
Blackstar swerves the touchscreen for a tactile, amp-style workflow
“Great neck shape, playability and setup – and it’s gig-ready, something we don’t always say about Epiphone, or indeed Gibson”: 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.
“The pickups are so often the Achilles heel of more affordable guitars, and that’s no different here”: Cort Space 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?
"A successful first foray into amp and effects modeler floorboards for the firm, which has a really bright future in the space": 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
Buying Guides
Best pedalboard power supplies 2026: juice your ‘board with my pick of pro-grade power for every budget and size of 'board, fully tested
I put budget-spanning pedal power supplies from Fender, Cioks, Walrus Audio and more through their paces – these were my standouts
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
