Stephen Carpenter sheds light on the health struggles that have impacted his playing
The Deftones guitarist opens up about how his undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes impacted the writing and recording of Private Music
![Joe Bonamassa [left] wears shades takes a solo on vintage Gibson Les Paul; B.B. King [right] wears a cream suit and takes a solo on a red Gibson ES-355 at the 1969 Newport Jazz Festival](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fcHMzdytCgLhP6ivPZHUih-1200-80.jpg.webp)
![Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith pose with an S-style electric guitar [left]; A classic BW portrait of Run DMC in 1986](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/N75cmTsfBRePWsvatq69T-1200-80.jpg.webp)
Latest News
Stephen Carpenter sheds light on the health struggles that have impacted his playing
The Deftones guitarist opens up about how his undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes impacted the writing and recording of Private Music
Which guitarist should every beginner listen to?
Someone you know has just picked up the guitar for the first time. They ask you: which guitarist should I listen to and really study first? Who can I learn the most from? You can only name one
Joe Bonamassa leads tributes for musical troubadour John Hammond, who has died aged 83
The prolific blues great once had Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton both sit in with his band
Kemper rolls out the latest evolution of its Profiling tech – and this update is free
The Profiler OS 14.0 update looks to level up Kemper's acclaimed Profiling tech, promising the “most complete, dynamic, and life-like amp captures ever achieved”
Sideman to the stars Doug Rappoport reveals the classic rock icon who persuaded him to up his gear game
Rappoport was clocked for his budget gear – which didn’t quite fit the modus operandi of the ’70s legend
The signature gear Josh Homme turned down
Before working with Peavey, Homme had been approached by another firm for a separate piece of signature gear – but it never came to be
Eddie Van Halen once asked Paul Gilbert to give Wolfgang a guitar lesson – here’s why it never happened
The Mr. Big virtuoso has been reflecting on his guitar teaching methods, and why he thinks it’s time to bring back the shred
Artists
Jeff Buckley is an underrated guitar genius – and deserves a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
One of the world’s foremost session and rhythm players, Ella Feingold, explains what most people get wrong about Buckley as a guitarist and musician
Angel’s Punky Meadows on why he didn’t join Kiss or Aerosmith
As the band’s final large-scale tour looms, the Superstrat pioneer looks back on how he got started, why he quit, and why he’s not planning to fall silent again
The key Berklee lesson that kept giving to Big Thief's Buck Meek as he built his new solo album
The unorthodox virtuoso on sending live feeds to modules, keeping out of the way while his band do their thing, and how he learned that playing hard doesn’t necessarily mean heavy when you’re being recorded
When Joe Satriani volunteered to help Dethklok mastermind Brendon Small with his home recording
Small's appearance in the new SatchVai music video isn't his first collaboration with the two virtuosos. They cropped up on his cult animated TV series, Metalocalypse, and have since become mentors
They were alt-rock legends who had to follow up a classic debut – then R.E.M.’s Peter Buck offered to lend a hand
Feelies guitarist Glenn Mercer says the pressure was on to come up with a killer sophomore album – but having a little help from Buck certainly helped in making one
How Al Di Meola’s heart attack led to his anti-ICE concert with Tom Morello and Bruce Springsteen
Aware he’s in the last quarter of his football game of life, the health alert has made Di Meola determined to make more of a difference – politically and musically
How Europe’s John Norum learned to love The Final Countdown – and the guitar he used to track its iconic solo
The Final Countdown is one of rock's evergreen anthems, but Norum admits he thought it was “dreadful” at first
Gear
“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
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
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
“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
