Phish's Trey Anastasio thinks all guitar music sounds the same – so he radically switched up his songwriting process
Anastasio says that, in an effort to push compositional boundaries, he writes a lot of his guitar parts on piano
Latest news
Phish's Trey Anastasio thinks all guitar music sounds the same – so he radically switched up his songwriting process
Anastasio says that, in an effort to push compositional boundaries, he writes a lot of his guitar parts on piano
Teenager shredding Bon Jovi’s You Give Love a Bad Name at her valedictory goes viral
Erin Phelan’s take on the Bon Jovi classic has become a hit on social media
Ella Feingold’s signature string set brings her wild inverted tuning to the masses
The Grammy winner popularized the upside-down tuning in funk guitar and it has been a pillar of her sound. Now, her new La Bella string set makes it easier than ever to replicate
Musician’s Friend has just destroyed Black Friday before it’s even begun with up to 50% off guitars from Gretsch, PRS, Fender & more in their unmissable Holiday Sale
The Musician's Friend Holiday Sale sees big-name brands slashed by up to 50% with new items added every Monday from now until Black Friday
Ritchie Blackmore on Jeff Beck’s imposter syndrome
Both guitarists revolutionized rock guitar – but Beck wasn’t always the biggest fan of his own work
This innovation might have completely changed the way you dial in effects pedals forever
The Knobyfier could revolutionize the way you interact with your pedalboard
The one thing stopping headless guitars being embraced by traditional players, according to Ola Strandberg
Strandberg instruments have been pigeonholed as metal guitars, but the company wants guitarists to realize they aren't just for prog players
Artists
Conjurer just dropped a modern sludge-metal classic – and they made it using custom guitars with satanic scale lengths
The UK progressive sludge-metallers are one of UK heavy music’s most potent forces. Dani Nightingale and Brady Deeprose break down their Carillion and Mozer guitars, and why they write material using Guitar Pro – then send the tabs to their fans
Described as the 4-string equivalent of painting with a sledgehammer, Van Halen’s Ultra Bass was not your typical bass solo
Michael Anthony’s Yamaha BB2000 would get rebuilt after every show following his foundation-shaking solo spot
How Sting’s 1953 P-Bass set the tone for this Police classic
Taken from the fourth Police album, Ghost in the Machine, Sting's fretwork is filled with chord inversions, syncopations, and dynamics – all the right stuff for a dynamite bassline
Deftones' White Pony was one of the first metal masterpieces of the new millennium. Its creation was anything but smooth sailing
Resident riffmaster Stephen Carpenter minced no words in this 2000 interview, rolling his eyes at “our friends” Korn, and even – before walking it back – calling his bandmate's guitar-work “awful.” Still, though, he was proud of the band's “really awesome record”
Xan McCurdy on Cake, dumping Joe Satriani, and buying the wrong guitar thanks to Keith Richards
Obsessed with the British bands of the mid ‘60s, McCurdy started playing to impress his older friends, and was delighted to wind up in a band that used trumpet while grunge was exploding
Samantha Fish on the magic of 335s, “best” players – and why the North Hill Country Delta blues is a bottomless well of inspiration
With her latest studio release, Paper Doll, the Kansas City blues rocker bottles the energy of life on the road and goes in search of hooks, hooks, hooks
How Paz Lenchantin’s departure from the Pixies led to her first-ever solo album
She’s played in some of alternative music’s biggest bands. Now Lenchantin is back with a solo album fueled by a vintage P-Bass that Billy Corgan inspired her to buy
Gear
"Some might say this is far from a valid Oasis signature guitar, having only come into play earlier this year": Gibson Noel Gallagher Les Paul Standard review
What started this year as a ’mystery’ guitar and then became a 25-only £17k collector’s piece is now a Gibson USA ‘Paul for the people
“It would be criminal if this didn’t hit a stage”: Patrick James Eggle Oz-t Cabronita Thinline review
Upholding the craft of the luthier, Patrick James Eggle’s latest build is another reason to look to the UK if you want the best
"Will it knock your socks off? For some, absolutely, but for me, I find it works admirably in a cranked rig and stacks nicely with other gain pedals": Warm Audio Tube Squealer overdrive pedal review
Warm Audio’s latest overdrive machine serves up the three greatest hits of the 'Green Screamer' overdrive in one stompbox
Best guitar cleaning kits and tools 2025: 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 guitar picks 2025: My choice of tried-and-tested plectrums to upgrade your playing
My expert guide to the best picks for electric, acoustic, and bass guitar covering new players through to guitar veterans
Best Christmas gifts for guitar players 2025: the ultimate festive gift guide for guitarists
Treat them right this Christmas with our pick of the 46 must-have guitar items, essential accessories, clever gadgets and instruments for every budget
“Boss’s claims of the pedal being artifact-free more than hold up”: Boss XS-1 Poly Shifter review
The Japanese giant's new pitch-shifting algorithm has been in its laboratory for years, but patience has proven a virtue with this small-but-mightily-usable stompbox
Lessons
David Gilmour is a master of melodic bluesy phrasing – here are 3 minor blues approaches you can expand your soloing vocabulary
Whether you call these solo ideas minor blues or embellished pentatonic/blues scale, the effect is the same, freeing you up from established patterns to hold your audience's attention
How you can swap the notes in a chord to give it a different feel
A lesson in second inversions sounds like advanced physics but it's simply swapping the root note for the 5th, expanding your chord vocabulary with a minimum of fuss
Power-up your blues with a turnaround trick that was a specialty of the great Freddie King
This masterclass in turnarounds explores different ways to approach an essential blues technique, so of course it finishes up with a look at how the master of turnarounds did it back in the day
Jared James Nichols explains how to use open strings and Drop D tuning to bulk-up your blues fingerstyle
Park your electric guitar in Drop D. Throw your pick in the trash. It's time for some muscular fingerstyle with the purveyor of blues power himself
Learn the chord secrets of Joe Pass, Barney Kessel and Wes Montgomery with this iconic jazz progression
Want to add sophistication to your chords? Master this essential chord progression as played by 5 guitar legends
Joe Bonamassa on his love for the Gibson ES-350 – and why it's a blues powerhouse
The ES-350 was a big favorite of Chuck Berry's. Well, well, well, it's no surprise that Joe Bonamassa loves it too. And here he puts it through is paces, and takes us to the B.B. Box in the process
How to master the art of tremolo picking – the indispensable picking technique heard in everything from death metal to surf rock that can power up your playing
Sharpen your chops and ramp up your speed with our technique-focused workout inspired by power pickers Dick Dale, Jonny Greenwood and Kerry King
Reviews
"Some might say this is far from a valid Oasis signature guitar, having only come into play earlier this year": Gibson Noel Gallagher Les Paul Standard review
What started this year as a ’mystery’ guitar and then became a 25-only £17k collector’s piece is now a Gibson USA ‘Paul for the people
“It would be criminal if this didn’t hit a stage”: Patrick James Eggle Oz-t Cabronita Thinline review
Upholding the craft of the luthier, Patrick James Eggle’s latest build is another reason to look to the UK if you want the best
"Will it knock your socks off? For some, absolutely, but for me, I find it works admirably in a cranked rig and stacks nicely with other gain pedals": Warm Audio Tube Squealer overdrive pedal review
Warm Audio’s latest overdrive machine serves up the three greatest hits of the 'Green Screamer' overdrive in one stompbox
“Boss’s claims of the pedal being artifact-free more than hold up”: Boss XS-1 Poly Shifter review
The Japanese giant's new pitch-shifting algorithm has been in its laboratory for years, but patience has proven a virtue with this small-but-mightily-usable stompbox
“Can absolutely replace going the traditional route of a practice amp”: Positive Grid Spark Neo Core review
PG's follow-up to its first wireless amp-headphone solution for guitar gives players a massive price cut, but it doesn't get everything right
“All-solid body construction and premium electronics for under $350? You have my attention”: Harley Benton CLC-650SM-CE review
Harley Benton is once again pushing the boundaries of what 'bang for your buck' actually means
“The standard-bearer against which to judge all small combo amps”: Fender Blues Junior IV 30th Anniversary review
Decked out in tooled western-style livery with a saddle bag’s worth of speaker and circuit upgrades, this anniversary edition stands strong in the lineage of the classic benchmark combo
"The effects pedal equivalent of a jukebox packed with classics and overlooked gems – but how well it fits your needs may depend on how much extra you're willing to spend": Boss PX-1 Plugout FX pedal review
Its announcement stirred up plenty of opinion online, but is the reality really so controversial?
“Boss has worked hard to counter the DigiTech Whammy's biggest pitfalls, but whether it dethrones it outright is a matter of taste”: Boss XS-100 Poly Shifter review
After years of dominance, the DigiTech Whammy’s expressive pitch-shifting has a worthy challenger – but can it raise the bar?
Buying Guides
Best guitar cleaning kits and tools 2025: 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 guitar picks 2025: My choice of tried-and-tested plectrums to upgrade your playing
My expert guide to the best picks for electric, acoustic, and bass guitar covering new players through to guitar veterans
Best Christmas gifts for guitar players 2025: the ultimate festive gift guide for guitarists
Treat them right this Christmas with our pick of the 46 must-have guitar items, essential accessories, clever gadgets and instruments for every budget
Best Christmas gifts for bass players 2025: the ultimate festive gift guide for lovers of low-end
Show your bass-playing buddy, parent, or partner some love this Christmas with 15 brilliant gift ideas for bass players
Best guitar capos 2025: 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
Best clip-on guitar tuners 2025: hit the right note with my top pick of cost-effective tuners
Whether you play acoustic, electric, or bass, these clip-on tuners offer a quick, easy, and affordable way to achieve concert pitch every time you pick up your instrument
Best guitar straps 2025: play in comfort and secure your guitar in style – top picks from a guitar salesman
My expert pick of straps for electric, acoustic and bass, covering all budgets and materials
