Positive Grid’s $159 Spark NEO Core could be headphone amp you’ve been waiting for
The firm has issued a wired – and more affordable – version of its wireless headphone amp
Latest news
Positive Grid’s $159 Spark NEO Core could be headphone amp you’ve been waiting for
The firm has issued a wired – and more affordable – version of its wireless headphone amp
Seymour Duncan has retooled its Jeff Beck-backed JB pickup – and it might be your next Tele mod
The metal and blues-approved pickup has been given a single-coil-sized makeover, with the JB Jr. aiming to rectify classic Tele issues
Guitar Center CEO reveals his favorite guitars he owns
Gabe Dalporto is a keen collector and player, as well as the CEO of the retail giant – and he’s got quite the collection
Kirk Hammett and Gibson have released the Raven – putting a horror-themed twist on the classic dreadnought design
The Edgar Allen Poe-themed acoustic has been dressed up for Halloween, and only 100 are being made
Viral troubadour pens ode to buying guitars – and catches the ears of Joe Bonamassa and Billy Strings
Singer-songwriter Jesse Welles, who has gone viral for tackling controversial topics and taking on the role of a modern-day voice of resistance, is uniting guitar aficionados with his love letter to the instrument
Stray Cats cancel fall tour as Brian Setzer battles “serious illness”
Just days ago, the beloved rockabilly trio were forced to cancel the opening show of their tour due to Setzer's ongoing health issues
Sammy Hagar is touring the UK for the first time since 1996 – and bringing Joe Satriani and Van Halen's Michael Anthony with him
Hagar will bring his Best of All Worlds tour – a celebration of his five-decade career and musical legacy – across the pond in 2026
Artists
For John McLaughlin, it all comes back to Montreux – this is how he took his playing there to the 4th Dimension one last time
The six-string legend is signing off with a live album that chronicles one of the greatest shows of his stellar career, but his journey with guitar is far from over
How Geddy Lee created one of the most outrageous bass tones of all time for a Rush fantasy classic
The Rush frontman played a Rickenbacker 4001 on nearly every track from 1975’s Fly By Night, but found a new bass sound for the role of By-Tor
“Extreme music expresses hardship and suffering – but we’re reaching towards joy”: Introducing Agriculture, the “ecstatic black metal” band who recorded their sophomore LP as the LA wildfires closed in
Ahead of the quartet’s US tour, guitarist Dan Meyer, guitarist/producer Richard Chowenhill and bassist Leah Levinson discuss the secret behind their prolific work ethic, meeting Joe Satriani and the making of a dream guitar
Nicolas Meier was hand-picked by Jeff Beck. Now he’s honoring the late guitar icon with a sound that seeks new horizons
Meier on what he learned from Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía, and how in Jeff Beck he found a kindred spirit for guitar sounds with no limits
Why Three Days Grace’s Barry Stock is embracing the Ibanez Iceman – and picking his trusty Quad Cortex over a 7-string
Alienation finds Three Days Grace reinvented as a quintet, and exploring the destructive power of super-low tunings. Onstage, meanwhile, Stock has been having fun with a Porsche GT Silver-themed Ibanez...
A salute to Freddie Salem, the guitar ace who delivered licks for Barbra Streisand, and Southern rock fire and brimstone with the Outlaws
The late guitarist went from hard-rock hijinks to a well-respected session career, and had skills and stories – a smoke with Johnny Depp in full Jack Sparrow dress, a 9 a.m. whiskey with Keith Richards – aplenty, but always remained humble and easy-going
Limp Bizkit remain one of the biggest nu-metal bands ever – but they wouldn't have taken those giant strides without bassist Sam Rivers
Limp Bizkit may be known for their planet-sized guitar riffs, but behind every monster moshpit there's a talented bassist
We chart 25 game-changing Ibanez guitarists
While it’s easy to think of Ibanez as a company that’s solely at the cutting edge of metal machines for the modern age, they’ve also innovated much further afield, producing timeless acoustics, semi-hollows, and hollowbodies
Lindsay Ell on feel, failure and finding her voice – and what jams with Keith Urban and Buddy Guy taught her
Shania Twain's touring guitar ace opens up about her Buddy Guy baptism by fire and the raw questions that shaped her new EP, fence sitter. And she tells us that John Mayer is reassuringly human
Gear
Boss XS-1 Pitch 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
The 16 most expensive guitars of all time
Fenders owned by Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan, Martins belonging to Kurt Cobain and David Gilmour, and one independently made axe headline the list of most profitable guitars sold at auction
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
“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
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
“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 story of the Framus Hootenanny, the resurrected John Lennon favorite that was a key component of Beatles tone
Loved by the Animals, the Stones, and most famously John Lennon, what was it about this Framus 12-string that made it a staple of ’60s rock tone?
"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?
Lessons
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
How to layer guitar parts like a pro (with a little help from Cory Wong)
In this exclusive video and tab lesson, the funk maestro serves up a big ol' slice of rhythm layer cake that reimagines the guitar as keyboard, bass, as everything in the band
Reviews
Boss XS-1 Pitch 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?
"A Bluesbreaker and a King of Tone walk into a bar… and I went home with both of them": Warm Audio Throne of Tone pedal review
Could this be the finest drive and boost pedal of the year?
Buying Guides
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
Best mini amps for guitar 2025: power up your practice with these tiny towers of tone – these are my top picks
Short on space? Practice anywhere with these small guitar amps that pack a punch
Best acoustic guitars under $500 in 2025: get more for your money
These sub-$500 acoustic guitars are ideal for everything from folk and indie guitar to blues and country
Best electric guitars 2025: 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
