Features

Francis Rossi on the Status Quo groove, Kempers, and his relationship with the late Rick Parfitt

By Henry Yates published 18 March 26

The Quo’s motormouthed frontman had no intention of releasing a new solo album. But with The Accidental, Francis Rossi tells us he’s stumbled across his best work yet

I attended the biggest guitar auction in history – and witnessed a new dawn in the value of the instrument

By Jackson Maxwell published 18 March 26

The monumental bidding wars that took place on the first night of the Jim Irsay Collection auction at Christie’s New York were a testament to the power of the instrument and the aura of the classic rock gods, and left attendees spellbound

How bassist Eva Gardner landed the gig with Pink

By Nick Wells published 18 March 26

The daughter of Creation bassist Kim Gardner, Eva Gardner was also a member of The Mars Volta

I’m a drummer. You guitarists have made me hate being in bands

By Martin Kielty published 18 March 26

Your noodling, new toys, bad cables, and blasé attitude to learning songs is turning me into a rehearsal-hating retiree. But there’s hope for you yet…

John Lennon’s ’64 Rickenbacker is officially a $1.3m guitar – but it was originally a replacement for a Beatles live show

By Jamie Dickson published 18 March 26

This stunning stand-in Ricky was owned by both John Lennon and Ringo Starr in its time, and was one of the big sales in the Jim Irsay auction at Christie’s

George Harrison’s 1964 Gibson SG Standard is officially part of the multi-million dollar guitar club – but as a piece of Beatles history it’s priceless

By Jamie Dickson published 17 March 26

Sold at auction for $2,271,000, Harrison’s SG is one of the most significant Beatles guitars

Melissa Auf der Maur on joining Hole amidst tragedy and her “Master’s in Music” with the Smashing Pumpkins

By Janelle Borg published 17 March 26

In her love letter to the ’90s – the last analog decade – the Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist shares how she fell in love with the low-end and became an integral part of the noise-making generation

Cory Wong on not buying the Klon hype and vintage unicorns lost and found

By Andrew Daly published 17 March 26

The modern-day funk maestro discusses his career in gear, and that means Strats, creative gear solutions, and why he never got swayed by the “mystique” of Klons and tube amp grails

How a Radio Shack pedal and a fiery Fall Out Boy guest spot helped Filth is Eternal live up to their name

By Gregory Adams published 16 March 26

After finding inspiration in an old Radio Shack analog reverb, guitarist Brian McClelland’s tonal experimentation has exploded – and it’s added more bite to the band's new release, Impossible World

Chicago bassist Peter Cetera reflects on opening for Jimi Hendrix and why Paul McCartney changed everything

By Chris Jisi published 16 March 26

The newly named Chicago were invited to open for The Experience on several dates during their 1969 US tour