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May 2024

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314 articles

May 31
- “A time capsule from Prince’s most recognizable era”: Prince’s Cloud 3, which went for less than $10,000 in 2005, sells at auction for $900,000 more – and breaks a world record
- “Malcolm was managing the Dolls for a while. I guess they owed him money and gave it to him as payment”: This Sex Pistols and New York Dolls-owned Gibson just sold for $390,000 at auction
- “We spent over a year fine-tuning this bridge, expanding our design work to new heights”: Mastery's innovative new archtop bridge could completely change the game for Bigsby players
- “A diabolically overdriven outburst of riffing… there can be no more fitting sendoff to this uncompromising sonic innovator”: May 2024 Guitar World editors’ picks
- “He stopped using the Strats and from then on played a Gibson Les Paul. These were retired, stolen, sold off”: Folk and blues guitar icon John Martyn's guitar gear is up for auction – including two 1954 Gibson Les Paul Goldtops
- “Designed for exceptional performance, stunning aesthetics and versatile tones”: Harley Benton has launched a new series of Fender-inspired bass guitars – and prices start from just $207
- “Leave with lifelong memories and skills to elevate your musical journey”: Green Day, The Killers, and Jane’s Addiction members confirmed for 2024 Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp
- “Space Guitar has to be heard to be believed. If one track could carve a path up to and beyond Hendrix, this is it”: The life and times of Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson, the true guitar original who inspired Zappa and SRV – plus Ice Cube, Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige
- “Ozzy was hoping to finish it all off. I’d absolutely love to do it”: Plans for one final Black Sabbath show are afoot – and Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler are already onboard
- “Two prodigies born in the same house with such enormous talent can only happen once every 100,000 years”: Lost recordings from flamenco virtuoso Paco de Lucía have been discovered – after spending 60 years stored in a meat can
- “Warren Haynes once said Albert King was the most immaculate blues guitar player because no-one played like him before, and everyone played like him after. I totally agree”: Joe Bonamassa demonstrates the genius of Albert King
- “People are always surprised that I’m playing a P-Bass and he’s playing a Stratocaster – it’s crazy just how heavy they can be”: Meet husband-and-wife guitar team Spotlights, the dreamsludge tonesmiths championed by Mike Patton
- “I had an existential crisis with my pedalboard after leaving the Smashing Pumpkins”: Jeff Schroeder reveals his epic post-Pumpkins pedal rig, inspired by Rival Sons’ Scott Holiday
May 30
- “A home-run of a guitar”: PRS’ $499 SE CE 24 Standard Satin is the firm’s most affordable guitar yet – and, at that price, “it’s impossible to beat”
- “It’s weird. It’s glitchy. Sometimes it’s its own animal. But it is a little kitty cat”: Meet the Meowdulator, a pedal that makes your guitar sound like a cat (yes, really)
- “I blew up. I had tears in my eyes because I was so upset. I grabbed the guitar, and I just ripped through it”: Elliot Easton on the emotional rollercoaster that helped him record one of his most iconic guitar solos
- “It was the first kind of ‘bass solo’ I’d been allowed to throw on a Rush song. I wanted to trade off with Alex, but he didn’t want to get into that”: Geddy Lee offers his track-by-track guide to Vapor Trails – the album that saved Rush
- “I think it’s unrealistic to expect any one amp to be able to ‘do it all’”: Guthrie Govan on how Hans Zimmer forced him to embrace digital modeling – and why he’s not going back
- “When Bob Dylan really did go electric, nearly 60 years ago, this Fender Telecaster was one of his most crucial weapons”: Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson's 1965 Fender Telecaster fetches a whopping $650,000 at auction
- Fender currently makes over 100 Stratocasters – here’s how to choose the Strat that’s right for you
- “Glenn is all over this album. He’s playing on a lot of the songs, but those moments where he wasn’t able to, Richie is carrying that metal torch for him”: How Judas Priest made a blockbuster new album in the face of adversity – and became unstoppable
- “The last gig of the tour was in Barcelona. We were there for a couple of days and Eric said he wanted to get a Spanish guitar”: The acoustic Eric Clapton used to write Tears in Heaven just sold for over $100,000
- “It’s a five-string guitar, since I don’t use a high E string. That came from when I broke a tuning peg”: Pat Beers honed a one-handed, five-string guitar technique so he can cause more onstage chaos with The Schizophonics
- “I use the Tube Screamer because of the tone knob. You can turn it on slightly to get a Guitar Slim tone”: The Tube Screamer that Stevie Ray Vaughan really used – and why it may not be the one you expect
- “When I met him, he didn't have an amp. He would use my Twin Reverb and turn it all the way up. And he would sound like B.B. King”: Joe Bonamassa recalls the times B.B. King borrowed his amp – and made it sound better than him
May 29
- “One of the most important Beatles guitars ever to come to the auction block”: John Lennon’s lost Help! Framus 12-string has become one of the most expensive guitars to ever sell at auction
- “You can put the best solo in the world in an average song and nobody is going to care. Put an average solo in a great song and you’ve still got a great song”: Rich Robinson on why he reunited the Black Crowes – and revitalized their guitar lineup
- “Set to completely change how guitars are played forever”: This bold new guitar innovation lets you control your volume with a whammy bar
- “I knew my pentatonic scales before I went to Berklee – and 90% of the time that’s what I’m called upon to play”: For the third time in his career, Chris Chaney has landed one of bassdom’s most coveted gigs – a slot in the re-energized AC/DC
- ESP vs LTD Guitars: What's the difference?
- Show your dad he rocks this Father's Day with Positive Grid and up to 40% off the Spark, Spark Mini, Spark Go, and more
- “Gordon’s daughter said to us, ‘Leave it to Rush to make The Way I Feel sound prog,’ so I think we succeeded”: Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee reunite for Gordon Lightfoot tribute
- Download and stream the audio from Guitar Techniques 362
- “If Les were still alive today, I have absolutely no doubt that he and Peter would be experimenting together at Les’ house”: Peter Frampton honored with Les Paul Spirit Award
- “I was trying to be Dave Navarro or Vito Bratta – those moments where you go into the spotlight with wind blowing”: Terry Corso on how he finally fused ’80s shred with nu metal for Alien Ant Farm’s surprising comeback
- How we test beginner acoustic guitars
- “In the fusion era of the ’70s, we were always thinking of the record. I don't associate him with any record yet”: Al Di Meola gives his take on the Matteo Mancuso phenomenon
- “Music is such therapy for me. When I’m writing a song I’ll say something I didn’t know I was bothered about”: For Darius Rucker, the industry has brought joy and cut him to the bone. Now he’s written a book on living with his mental health challenges
- Download and stream the audio from Total Guitar 385
- “He wasn’t kicked out, he quit. And he hasn’t made any great overtures about coming back”: Jon Bon Jovi says a reunion with Richie Sambora isn’t happening any time soon
- “People started saying I looked like Voldemort!” Joe Satriani and Steve Vai look back at their classic Guitar World covers – and the star guitars they loved and lost
- “Eric has done more trying to be the best that he can be than anybody I’ve ever seen. He works hard on his tone, sound, and techniques”: Stevie Ray Vaughan was in awe of his playing – and these 10 Eric Johnson techniques will take your solos up a notch
May 28
- 5 Fender signature guitars you need to try – and 5 we can't believe they haven't made yet
- “I used to pretend to be in their band in the mirror and sing along to the album when I was nine”: Ed Sheeran picks up an electric guitar for a high-octane appearance with The Offspring
- “I picked him up and we drove by a music shop. I said, 'Do you want to pick a guitar up?' and we did – one of his Eddie Van Halen ones”: Tony Iommi on that time Eddie Van Halen helped co-write a Black Sabbath song – but didn’t get a credit
- “If we lose the amp-making business, we lose everything. We’ve got to go back and show the guitarist community that Marshall truly cares about them”: From digital amps to modelers and mods – Marshall’s new CEO has big plans to win back guitar players
- “An all around versatile guitar. It’ll only get better after I spend some time with it”: Fender has quietly rolled out a hardtail Player Plus Strat – and Jim Root has already taken one for a test drive
- “We were playing so loudly, you could see that we were tiring people out”: Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham on the development that changed the amp game forever
- “Chuck Berry’s manager said, ‘Nobody’s allowed to play any Chuck Berry songs.’ We started Roll Over Beethoven – he ran onstage and tried to stop us”: The Liverbirds played alongside the Beatles and the Rolling Stones – and paved the way for women in rock
- “I realized there’s no way to play the Van Halen stuff on my rig – it’s a different animal”: Joe Satriani has seemingly switched out his Ibanez guitars to play Van Halen material on the Best of All Worlds Tour
- “Randy indirectly got me the gig. He told Kevin, ‘Hey, you should check out this guy. My students are saying he’s really good. Give him a call for Quiet Riot’”: Carlos Cavazo forged ’80s hair metal excess, replaced Randy Rhoads and riffed with Ratt
- “Brian walked up to me and said, ‘I dig that.’ I was finger-tapping with my right hand. He says, ‘I'm going to nick that from you!’” The mystery virtuoso who inspired Brian May to two-hand tap recalls the exact moment it happened
- “When I saw it, I just was blown away. It just… took me there”: Eddie Vedder invites his “great, great pal” Bradley Cooper to join Pearl Jam for Neil Young and A Star is Born covers
- “At some point, Slash was going to come play. Chris Robinson just said, ‘Let bud play. He could do this in a heartbeat’”: Why the Black Crowes’ Hard to Handle guitar solo was played by producer Brendan O’Brien instead of Slash
- “When I was very young I didn’t have access to Western music. In 2016, I was first introduced to Eddie Van Halen and Jimi Hendrix”: Mdou Moctar is one of Africa’s premier guitar heroes – and he’s using his Stratocaster to spark a revolution
- “The people I listened to most are the guitar players from the 1920s, who are some of the best that ever did it”: Charlie Hunter has played with John Mayer, D’Angelo and Frank Ocean – just don’t call him a session guitarist
- From Smoke on the Water to Johnny B. Goode, double-stops feature in some of rock’s most iconic songs – get to grips with this cornerstone technique in our definitive double-stop lesson
May 27
- “People always want to go to extremes. And if you go to the edge, you must be prepared to fall off”: Phil Lynott’s 5 best basslines with Thin Lizzy and beyond
- Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Bob Dylan are all fans of the rubber bridge guitar. I played one for a month to find out what the hype was about – and it wasn’t at all what I expected
- “The coach of the Dallas Mavericks came up to me after the show and said, ‘What’s your dream guitar?’ I said a 1960 Fender Stratocaster. A few days later one showed up at my house”: Tyler Bryant on his remarkable Strat stories
- “I dreamt I was listening to a live Allman Brothers album, and they were playing exactly what’s heard on the record. I woke up and thought, ‘That’s not an Allman Brothers song!’” Andy Aledort on creating his Satriani and Vai-endorsed blues album
- “I never want to be boastful – I don’t like being the center of attention. Even my guitar playing is like that”: Cameron Griffin has gone from construction worker to UCLA linebacker and, now, a multi-platinum producer and guitarist
May 26
- “That Les Paul became my thing. Its neck has broken three different times! That’s why I call it my workhorse – it just keeps going”: Collective Soul’s Dean Roland on his long-serving gear – and why he’s never rested on the band’s ’90s success
- “Riders on the Storm started off as a surf tune – then it somehow morphed into what it became…” Robby Krieger on honing his Doors guitar tone, overcoming “dentist’s syndrome”, and why slide guitar is the ultimate way to express yourself as a player
May 25
- “I came up with slap bass out of necessity. I was basically trying to play drums on the bass”: Larry Graham recounts the birth of “thumpin’ and pluckin’”
- “There’s always been an open door… We were the only ones that knew what it’s like to have that extreme kind of fame, so that created a bond”: 10 times the Beatles and the Rolling Stones collaborated together
May 24
- I review pedals for a living and Sweetwater’s awesome Memorial Day pedal sale has got my attention – here are the 5 pedals you should be looking at
- “He has found things to do on the guitar that are like nobody else. It was the same when I first saw Prince”: Eric Clapton picks an unlikely contender as his favorite contemporary guitarist
- “Timeless models with a stunning new look”: Gibson’s new Dark Purple Burst is one of its tastiest finishes to date – and now it’s been extended to 3 classic designs
- “A unique look and function”: Fender Japan has revived the cult classic Cyclone – and it might be the most desirable Fender offset of the year
- “A spectacular homage to the golden age of shred”: Kramer launches its latest wild Custom Graphics creations – and one of them pays tribute to a model that “revolutionized the guitar world”
- “I have never experienced anything like that. There was B.B. King grease that had been baked on there for years and the strings were heavy as hell”: Lee Ritenour on the time he played B.B. King’s prized guitar Lucille
- “I never understand when someone’s in a studio, using their own stuff. I’m pulling out everything – we used 100 guitars on the previous record”: Sadie Dupuis on making Rolling Stone’s top guitarists list – and getting a guitar in the Rock Hall of Fame
- “Dave was peak-Navarro”: Dave Navarro plays with Jane’s Addiction for the first time in 3 years following his long Covid battle – and the band debuted new material
- Guitar Center's Memorial Day sale has landed with up to 35% off a host of guitar gear – including $200 off the P90-loaded Gibson Les Paul Standard
- “Tom Morello is my idol! The way he approaches guitar in a non-traditional way was really inspiring”: Introducing Glytsh’s Claire Genoud, the London shredder taking “horrible” sounds and turning them into alt-metal bangers
- “A monster for blazing lead and solo tones that bite through the mix”: Keeley Electronics Angry Orange, Blues Disorder and Super Rodent review
- “The Strat, for me, is like an old friend. I can get a lot of personality and expression out of it. But had I been there when the guitar was designed…” Hank Marvin on what he loves about the Fender Stratocaster – and what he would he change
- “It breathed new life into a guitar I hadn’t played in years”: I top-wrapped my Les Paul to find out whether it actually made a difference – and I wish I’d done it sooner
- “Set out to blow your wildest expectations of how your guitar can sound and feel”: Kiesel’s first all-in-one amp and effects plugin looks to shake up the world of digital guitar tones
- Americana is where country, blues, folk and bluegrass collide – and players like Steve Earle, Jason Isbell and Lucinda Williams are masters of the craft
May 23
- Maximize your studio and rehearsal space setup with Gator’s high-end Cableworks cables and Elite Guitar and Case Combo rack
- “My green Kramer is the first electric I had. I didn’t know what locking tuning was, so I was like, ‘Oh, it’s broken – you can’t tune it!’” Meet Dehd, the indie-rockers building a wall of sound from ’80s shred machines and out-of-tune basses
- “It started out as a 1962 Fender Jazz Bass, and then I got bored and did this to it”: Why Lee Sklar hand-carved his pre-CBS Fender
- “The AC30 works in a different way from most guitar amps”: Used by The Beatles, Brian May and The Edge, the Vox AC30 is one of the all-time great amp designs – but what makes it sound so good?
- “Powerful sound and exceptional connectivity”: Orange's new Pyramid Audio System is a “revolutionary” new speaker setup that promises to solve a glaring problem with modern sound systems
- “I find Les Pauls too heavy – they’re not comfortable to play! I just stick with the Yamaha models because of the sound and the relationship I have with them”: Matteo Mancuso talks tone, technique and Guthrie Govan’s key to improvising
- “Ted Newman Jones builds beautiful guitars. He made some five-strings for Keith. He’s great”: Played by Keith Richards and Billy Gibbons, Newman guitars are some of rock’s greatest secret weapons – and a new model seeks to preserve their legacy
- "My first guitar was a beat-up flamenco-style acoustic that my grandmother had in her closet": Slash, Jimmy Page and more remember the guitars that set them on the path to six-string immortality
- “I fired Hendrix. He was a damn good guitar player, but the guy was never on time”: Rare pre-fame Jimi Hendrix recording from his short stint as Little Richard's guitarist is now up for auction
- “There’s nowhere on the planet that these cats would be in the same room together for such a cool low key hang”: Fender just opened a mega new Nashville HQ – and Music City’s finest guitarists were all in attendance
- “Tracii has been so important. I’ve always loved his playing – I’m extremely grateful to have him as a mentor”: Schooled by Tracii Guns and serving in three hard-rock powerhouses, Sam Bam Koltun is a Les Paul aficionado to watch
- “The way I feel is that Wolfgang probably wasn't excited really about being in Van Halen”: Michael Anthony on how he finally got the closure he needed with the Van Halens
- “There was suddenly no sound. I was on stage all on my own. And this was a heavy metal concert, so the crowd was starting to chant and boo”: Alex Skolnick reveals his most embarrassing onstage moment
- “You know that feeling when you see a guitar and your pupils turn into cartoon hearts? Yeah, that”: Vola Guitars teams up with metal vet and ex-Pro-Pain guitarist Adam Phillips for a brand-new signature model
- "It sounds more alive with sweetened highs, richer harmonics in the mid-range, and a tighter, more defined low-end": Boss Katana 50 Gen 3 review
- “Katana Gen 3 elevates the lineup, providing a playing experience that goes where no other amps can”: Boss has launched the latest evolution of the Katana range – and it’s more versatile than ever
May 22
- “It’s my love letter to that rhinestone-y and flashy era of country”: Gretsch unmasks a new signature guitar in collaboration with alt-country star Orville Peck
- “I do not endorse your product or any company who uses artificial BS to bamboozle people”: Tyler Bryant calls out guitar company for Photoshopping his picture to promote a Les Paul copy
- Eric Clapton called it “the best-sounding acoustic guitar I’ve ever played” – now his personal Martin signature acoustic prototype is up for sale
- A virtuoso of rapid-fire solos and thrash riffing, Gus G is a speed picking master – and his alternate picking masterclass will get you playing faster than ever
- “I get accused of not learning more – but I’m not one of those guys. I could learn anything if I wanted to, but I just let it go as it is”: Steve Cropper on recording classic Stax cuts with a Telecaster – and why he thinks his Peavey sounds better
- “‘I’ve never picked one up and it’s never moved me’ – that’s not fair”: Paul Reed Smith hits back at critics who say PRS guitars are “too perfect and have no soul”
- “I was no fool – I’d have guitars laying around my living room and a couple of little amps”: Heart’s Ann Wilson on how she convinced Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains to jam together at her house
- “This is one of our most feature-laden designs to date”: PRS’ new David Grissom signature tube head looks to rival classic vintage amps – and elevate their performance in the process
- “It’s about finding sounds that enhance rather than distract. I like my guitar to sound big – I record through two amps at once”: New Zealand indie royalty Kane Strang on winning Dinosaur Jr.’s support and how he conveys Office Dog’s cinematic sound
- “Regardless of who picks one up and what they do with it, the Strat continues to excel in every environment”: The Fender Stratocaster can thrive in any genre – and these cutting-edge guitarists prove it
- “The ultimate affordable semi-hollow”: Gretsch G2604T Streamliner Rally II Center Block review
- “I had an issue with one of my guitars that had my active set in it, and I needed a B guitar really quick to use”: How a technical mishap led Jeff Loomis back to passive pickups – and an all-new Seymour Duncan signature set
May 21
- “My Blackstar Artist 15 brings such a retro vibe to my single-coil tones… Sometimes it all sounds so good, I forget to start singing!” Meet Morganway, the PRS-loving country-rockers playing John Mayer’s Silver Sky – and an offset called ‘The Badger’
- “I wasn’t playing accurately in the beginning – I was just going crazy. It became a balance of visceral expression and actually trying to play”: Ben Weinman on the Dillinger Escape Plan’s chaotic birth – and unexpected return
- Musician’s Friend's up to 40% off Memorial Day sale just dropped 6 days early – save big on Schecter, Electro-Harmonix and more
- “I realized that day that you don't perform for people. You don't prove anything to the audience”: Nuno Bettencourt on how Alice in Chains' Layne Staley radically changed the way he plays guitar on stage
- “I went for the lowest-priced one. My heart broke as I handed my jazz box over. However, as soon as I pulled that Strat down, sadness was replaced with joy”: Nile Rodgers on how he found The Hitmaker – and how the Fender Strat changed the world
- “I may not be the absolute best player out there – in fact, I know I’m not! But what I have is an undying love for guitar and heavy metal”: Kiki Wong landed the gig of a lifetime with the Smashing Pumpkins – and she knows she has big shoes to fill
- “Dave Cobb had just done the last Slash record with walls of Marshall stacks, which got ungodly loud – I don’t think we used anything bigger than an 8” speaker!” Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr on why downsizing his backline made for bigger tones
- “Designed to meet the exacting standards of today’s bassists”: Aguilar has overhauled some of its most iconic bass amps with some choice upgrades
- “I put this riff on it, which people are telling me is the birth of thrash metal or something”: Queen’s Stone Cold Crazy comes full circle with a live punk rendition by The Offspring and Brian May
- Fender's unmissable Memorial Day sale promises up to 30% off Player, Paranormal, Affinity, and loads more
- “Less versatile than the Greeny tributes… but it’s the perfect weapon to seek and destroy”: ESP LTD KH-V Kirk Hammett review
- “Melodies and lyrics moved me when I was really young. It’s a mixed blessing – it allows you to feel things very deeply. But it can be draining”: Session guitarist Jon Conley has faced mental health challenges all his life. Here’s what keeps him going
May 20
- AC/DC just kicked off their first tour in 8 years with a new bass player – watch footage of their explosive Power Up opener
- “He was a lover of the blues, but it was the Irish side that helped him stand out against Eric Clapton or Peter Green”: What made Rory Gallagher a true guitar one-off – and how he ended up with his first Fender Strat by accident
- The 20 greatest slap bass songs of all time
- “No material performs as well as real, natural diamond”: These picks are encrusted with literal diamonds to provide ultimate grip – and they’ll make you a better player, apparently
- “Ian was always ready to play a stylistically perfect solo for every track he was involved with”: The Les Paul behind the iconic guitar solo on Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights is now up for auction
- “She was about to lose her house, but the money she got from me via Guitar Center ultimately saved the situation”: Joe Bonamassa’s pre-war Martin was the ultimate “museum-grade” find – now it’s reborn as his first Martin signature
- “Among vintage guitar collectors, a changed set of tuners can be a dealbreaker”: Guitar tuning pegs – everything you need to know about the parts that keep your guitar in tune
- “I'm really dumb for doing this, but here goes nothing!” Nuno Bettencourt swapped his Washburn N4 for a Les Paul copy to shred onstage with Stone Temple Pilots – and still sounded exactly like Nuno Bettencourt
- “Back to being 12 years old, going to a show and holding a sign that said, ‘Can I play the guitar solo for Alive?’” Pearl Jam producer Andrew Watt joins Mike McCready to share one of the all-time great guitar solos
- Bob Dylan is one of the greatest songwriters of all time – and his acoustic guitar approach defined the folk sound of the 1960s and beyond
- “The realization of a lifelong tone quest”: Friedman's PLEX is a “sonic twin” of the amp that kickstarted Dave Friedman's tone obsession – with a sneaky modern twist
- “I have probably modeled myself after that. I go, ‘Well B.B. did it, so I can do it!’” Slash reveals one of the biggest lessons he learned from his blues hero, B.B. King
May 19
- “No guitar has shaped popular culture like the Strat”: How the Fender Stratocaster ushered in an evolution in guitar design – and a revolution in guitar music
- “Ozzy would never stand in front of the bass rig. He told me to turn it down one night, so for a laugh I turned it up”: Geezer Butler names the Black Sabbath album that captured his favorite bass tone
- “Guitarists need to start bands again – we’re a little caught up in the TikTok world where everyone’s on their own”: Trev Lukather on why he loves St. Vincent’s guitars, and the guitar lessons he learned from his dad
May 18
- “While I was on the phone, there was this loud noise in the background… It was David, who had been working on one note all day long for two weeks”: He’s spent decades chasing David Gilmour’s guitar tone – now Steve McElroy reveals what he’s learned
- “I’ve always been an on-the-one guy, and I knew I could count on Pops to be there every time”: Robert “Pops” Popwell’s basslines rivaled any of his session bass peers – and few are better than The Crusaders’ Sweet ’N’ Sour
- “Until I found the Mu-Tron, I never heard anything that made the bass sound totally wacko”: How Bootsy Collins’ mastery of the envelope filter became the flamboyant funkateer’s signature sound
May 17
- “A favorite of players all over the world”: It’s been used by Foo Fighters, Nili Brosh and Joe Bonamassa. Now, one of the most popular boost pedals on the market has been given a fresh new look
- “The Mofetta is my way of bringing it all back and re-creating those singing tones”: Wampler’s Mofetta pays homage to a cult ’90s distortion pedal that now sells for upwards of $400
- “This record is a return to joy”: Bon Jovi reunite with the talk box and roll back the years for a new comeback single that will give you serious Livin’ On a Prayer vibes
- “Advancing the lineage of the amps guitars players love, and preserving its heart and soul”: Boss has teased the third generation of its best-selling Katana amp range – and an official announcement is coming soon
- “Better tech, modern features, and the rich warbling vibratos of the ’70s and ’80s”: Diamond revives its fan favorite Vibrato after nearly 20 years – and it’s been given some key upgrades
- “I’m able to pick these instruments up for the first time and play them like I’ve already had them for years”: Spector unveils two new Doug Wimbish USA Custom Series basses, including a replica of the Living Colour bassist's iconic 1987 5-string
- “In today's post-COVID environment, the challenges to our brick-and-mortar business have necessitated a restructuring”: Sam Ash Music files for bankruptcy after announcing the closure of all its stores
- “They can be really useful when trying to tame some top-end”: How hemp cones affect guitar tone and why Derek Trucks, Carlos Santana and Steve Morse are among their fans
- “I played what I could – I keep pushing myself because I believe in ‘no surrender’”: Judas Priest’s Glenn Tipton on defying Parkinson’s and his partnership with Richie Faulkner
- “Expanding our signature aesthetics, ergonomics, and playability to a whole new audience of creators”: Abasi Concepts has debuted its first-ever Larada bass guitar – ushering in a new headless design in the process
- “I don’t play with all four of my fingers, because I attach two of my fingers together… It changes the feel of the whole thing”: Khruangbin’s Laura Lee explains how her lack of technical bass training works in her favor
- “I love Alter Bridge, but more Myles Kennedy’s playing, rather than Mark Tremonti. Myles goes for the gross notes, which I really like”: Meet James Frankland, the classical-loving instrumentalist fusing Rachmaninoff and Guns N’ Roses
May 16
- “As soon as I heard the demo, I knew it would be crucial to add rock elements”: Justus West reveals how he sneaked Tosin Abasi and Plini onto the new Beyoncé album (sort of)
- “I walked up to Tony Iommi and said, ‘Why don’t you just use my amp?’ He saw it was solid-state and said, ‘No, I’m not going to use that!’” Frank Marino on why solid-state amps make the best pedal platforms and starting his own stompbox company
- “A new standard in simplicity, modularity, and performance for powering pedalboards”: Walrus Audio unveils Canvas Power range of linkable pedalboard power supplies – and one of them is a 22-outlet beast
- “I played one chord on that guitar and bought it right away”: How Hermanos Gutiérrez leveraged vintage guitar tones and Dan Auerbach's guitar tech to create a cosmic sonic palette on Barrio Hustle
- “This is sort of sacrilegious. I might have fibbed and said 'never' with the digital modeling…” Jim Root has switched to the Neural DSP Quad Cortex for some Slipknot shows – and plans on pulling his PRS guitars out of retirement
- “It’s a bargain for a complete collection of effects that most guitarists will never grow tired of”: Line 6 HX One review
- “I bought a 1964 Vox AC30 for £300 from a friend whose partner had died. She knew it was worth a lot more, but she wanted me to have it as a memory of him”: Troy Redfern on his most emotional gear finds and his biggest guitar-buying mistakes
- “If Ed were here today, he would not stop talking about this guitar. He would love this guitar”: Wolfgang Van Halen’s long-awaited EVH SA-126 signature model is officially launched – after 3 years of development
- “I’ve written most Erra records with a Line 6 Spider. I’m not precious about any gear – the first priority is writing good songs”: Dirty fret choices and weird bends are more important to Jesse Cash than geeking out on gear
- “All those riffs came out with the Mulecaster. An amazing instrument that weighs a ton but sounds utterly timeless and three dimensional”: Folk great John Smith on his life-changing Mulecaster experience and why the Quad Cortex isn’t just for metalheads
May 15
- “It was funny when I first met James Hetfield. I was like, ‘Thank you for teaching me how to play guitar. You paved the way for me’”: Mastodon's Bill Kelliher on how meeting his guitar heroes pushed him to improve his craft
- “This guy came up to me and said, ‘Hi, I’m Jimi Hendrix, can I sit in with your band?’ I said, ‘Well, I dunno – let’s go and find out’”: In June 1968, Jack Bruce came close to forming a band with Jimi Hendrix
- “The perfect amp-in-a-box pedal”? Tsakalis AudioWorks’ tube-loaded Mothership merges analog warmth with highly configurable cab sims in one tube overdrive/preamp pedal
- “When I was younger, I wanted the most expensive stuff… But there’s more character in the player than the equipment”: Loathe’s Erik Bickerstaffe on conjuring impossibly heavy riffs with a Gretsch baritone, Behringer multi-FX and some serious down-tuning
- “An audio-controlled sampler that tracks your playing to create immersive musical landscapes”: Chase Bliss’ Onward sampler pedal is glitching and freezing heaven for guitarists of all styles
- “It was four days of recording – I had the flu for two days. You’re in the studio with one of your favorite artists ever, and not wanting to let him down”: Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament on recording with one of their biggest idols
- “They’re fighting not just for a free Ukraine, but for the free world”: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken plays Neil Young’s Rockin’ in the Free World with covers band in Ukraine
- “The Beach Boys are massively important in the evolution of guitar sound”: Josh Scott, Robert Keeley and Chris Benson have built exclusive effects units inspired by the Beach Boys’ studio tones
- Brian Setzer is a Gretsch-toting guitar god who breathed new life into rockabilly with fresh picking approaches and Bigsby swagger
- “This is a very iconic guitar. It’s one of the harder guitars I’ve ever had to replicate”: Fender’s latest Joe Strummer tribute model is a meticulous Masterbuilt Custom Shop creation that costs $20,000
- “I gave up hope on any future tours. I threw together a resume and sent it in, thinking it probably would get lost”: Kiki Wong reveals how she nailed her Smashing Pumpkins audition ahead of 10,000 other candidates
- “I open the door and there’s this 12-year-old kid, a stringless guitar in one hand, a pack of strings in the other”: How Joe Satriani and Steve Vai met, became fast friends, and changed guitar forever
- “Karl Sanders taught me there are way more notes you can play during a solo than notes you can’t”: Meet Belushi Speed Ball, the ‘pizza thrash’ band chasing greasy guitar tones and making a pineapple-friendly racket on rare ‘90s Jacksons
- Dave Grohl's guitars: meet the six-strings behind the Foo Fighters, plus get DG's tone on a budget
- “Searing hotness that will cut through any mix”: Seymour Duncan promises country tone without the hum with new noiseless Hot Chicken Strat and Tele pickups
- “A refinement of Leo’s original proposition in every respect”: Fender 70th Anniversary American Professional II Stratocaster review
May 14
- “It was a quality instrument to learn on. Without my dad, who knows what kind of tree trunk I would’ve had”: You’ll never guess what guitar thrash metal pioneer Kerry King learned to play on
- Slayer's Kerry King and the 30 greatest New Jersey guitarists of all time – only in the new Guitar World
- “It makes me sick to even think that I spent that much money on a guitar. Nile Rodgers was like, ‘What is that?!’” Tash Sultana on the magic of Strats and blowing a guitar legend’s mind with an extremely rare model
- “If you stand outside of the zeitgeist and try to get people gassed up on the guitar, it doesn’t really work. We should be taking the guitar to the public”: Marcus King on mental health, recovery, and the timeless style of vintage guitars
- “I felt very dissatisfied with what I came up with… self-doubt rears its scary head to the point where I wonder who the hell I think I am”: Brian May questioned his guitar abilities ahead of a “challenging” virtuosic collaboration with Jean-Michel Jarre
- “Listen to and lock with the drums. Do that and you’ll sound like a pocket genius!” How session legend Neil Jason put on a slap bass masterclass on David Sanborn’s 1979 instrumental classic Hideaway
- “It was all automatic Eddie Van Halen comparisons. I wanted something different”: Vito Bratta explains why he switched from Stratocasters to his iconic Steinberger
- “David Bowie and Brian Eno used to laugh at me, saying: ‘You’re not supposed to be able to play that!’” Adrian Belew on Frank Zappa’s lessons, Robert Fripp’s synth guitar, and what’s coming up with Steve Vai
- “A one-of-a-kind collectible of immense cultural significance”: Eric Clapton was moved to tears when he sold the Martin 000-28 he used to write Wonderful Tonight – now it’s headed to auction again
- “A legendary Epiphone original comes home”: Epiphone’s updated Coronet revives one of its earliest solidbody electric guitars – and, for the first time in decades, it’s made in the USA
- “I couldn’t believe it… the list of players could have gone from here to Leeds!” Mark Knopfler on how he enlisted Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and dozens more for the all-star Guitar Heroes version of his Local Hero theme
May 13
- “It goes beyond Foo Fighters. This has the firepower to cover everything from blues to indie to classic rock tones with ease”: Epiphone Dave Grohl DG-335 review
- “I came to America with a guitar and a toothbrush. When Fender said they wanted to make me a Strat, I didn’t even know what a signature guitar was!” Yngwie Malmsteen traces his Stratocaster story – and recalls the origins of his scalloped signature model
- “I wish guitar players were more adventurous, but they’re just not. They seem like the most conservative people on the face of the planet”: Buzz Osborne has a piece of playing advice that every guitarist should listen to
- “I narrowed it down to the bare essentials and found that three strings were all I needed”: 10 guitarists who played with missing strings on purpose… and the weird reasons why
- “Abigail is a pickup god. I named the ABI after her to make sure she’s never forgotten”: Legendary pickup builder Abigail Ybarra comes out of retirement for a new line of guitars with a former Fender Master Builder
- Allan Holdsworth blew the minds of Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and a generation of guitar heroes – and his extraordinary fretboard hacks are still inspiring players today
- “Transform your boring guitar’s voice and let it party!” Kasabian’s Sergio Pizzorno just got a signature psychedelic fuzz pedal with built-in reverb and no controls
- “You may think, ‘That guy can’t solo.’ You wanna see me do a guitar solo right now?” Dave Grohl pranks an entire audience by ‘playing’ EVH's Eruption – with a little help from Wolfgang Van Halen
- “At the beginning of the band, we were all happy to be there. When we got to writing Ænima, we spent a year and wrote five songs. That, to me, was so frustrating”: Paul D’Amour opens up on his Tool exit – and his unsung contributions
- “There’s the Ozzy thing and the Ronnie thing, and then there’s this”: Black Sabbath’s “lost era” didn’t have Ozzy Osbourne or Ronnie James Dio – but it featured some of Tony Iommi’s best guitar playing
May 12
- “I've been trying to complete an over-the-top, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink, double-neck, 6-string bass, but it hasn’t been easy!” How Michael Manring’s search for new sounds led to the creation of his signature Zon Hyperbass
May 11
- “Most bass players are boring, standing at the back. I’m not like that because I was a guitarist first”: Lemmy, the godfather of heavy rock, on why he switched from guitar to bass
May 10
- “The bass has been given the nickname ‘Momoa’s Koa’”: Jason Momoa is auctioning off a collection of Gibson and Fender Custom Shop guitars and handmade bass builds, including signed Slash and Billy Gibbons Les Pauls
- “I would pick her out in a crowd... Like, ‘I know who that is,’ like David Gilmour”: Heart's Nancy Wilson says this “Clapton-type shredder” is her favorite contemporary guitarist
- “My friend called me: ‘You won’t believe this, and it’s probably not gonna happen, but I gave Billy Corgan your number. He might call you, he might not…’” Ginger Pooley reflects on her time with the Smashing Pumpkins – and why she had to give it up
- “The shape of things to come”: Rivolta’s Forma series brings Dennis Fano’s most out-there electric guitar designs to life
- “I was really delving into the nuance of why a guitar sounds the way it does”: One of The Edge's personal Strats is up for auction for a good cause
- “He doesn’t like the sound of new strings. The ones on the guitar for the new album were two years old”: Mdou Moctar prefers old guitar strings – and the Roland Cube is his favorite amp for a very good reason
- “A fantastic replica of this extraordinary guitar. Same dot neck, Bigsby tremolo, and finish. You have to check it out”: Gibson has announced a signature Slash ES-335 – and it includes tickets to an exclusive gig
- Guitar triads are one of the ultimate keys to unlocking the fretboard – here’s how you can use the CAGED system to master them
- “Direct, personalized one-on-one lessons with top instructors from the Fender Play roster”: Fender has announced a major expansion of its guitar learning platform – offering direct access to guitar teachers for the first time
- “I look over to the side and see Joe Walsh while we’re playing Rocky Mountain Way, and I’m transported back to being a kid in my bedroom”: Vince Gill on flying high with the Eagles – and why every vintage gear dealer has him on speed dial
- “Yes, it’s another fuzz box, but it’s one that is particularly inspired”: Walrus Audio Silt Harmonic Fuzz review
- “James really absorbed the dual-harmony thing and took it to heart. He made it his but it was originally Cliff’s”: Kirk Hammett on Joe Satriani’s influence and Metallica’s ’84 masterpiece Ride the Lightning
- “Before there was Muff, there was boost”: Electro-Harmonix has reimagined the 1968 effect that launched the brand as a tone-shaping powerhouse – and it could become your pedalboard’s secret weapon
May 9
- “It might be the only chance you’ll get to see this lineup in a live performance”: Three of the biggest guitar and bass YouTubers are going on tour to ‘Escape the Internet’
- “If I overplayed behind a singer, there’d be a fight outside the venue, or a guy waiting for me with a knife!” Marcus Miller on why bands need to offer a “little more love and support for vocalists”
- “I care about my guitar’s wellbeing, but they’re meant to be sacrificed”: Knocked Loose’s Isaac Hale on how his new “hell tone”, a custom Ibanez and ancient mathematics helped the Slipknot support picks reinvent heavy guitar for 2024
- Improve your Fender’s neck playability and reliability with a KLŌS Guitars’ F-Series Carbon Fiber Neck Replacement for Strat, Tele and Jazzmaster
- “It’s a monster – the most powerful Magnatone to date, delivering enough unbelievable tone, gain and headroom to fill a stadium”: Magnatone’s mega-loud signature Slash head the SL-100 is available in new Blackout Edition finishes
- “Partnered with a decent Stratocaster, it’s sonic dynamite that can cover Hendrix, SRV, John Mayer and many more”: Victory The Deputy Compact Head review
- “He was and is the best guitar player I've ever played with”: Ozzy Osbourne reveals the name he rates above all his other guitarist collaborators
- “I note the passing of old friend Steve Albini – certainly gone too soon”: Lee Ranaldo remembers the time Steve Albini made Sonic Youth a guitar with 16 high E-strings – and an inlaid appendage
- “People say, ‘You could afford Buckingham Palace by now if you’d stayed with Genesis.’ But music is its own currency”: Steve Hackett on creative liberation, recording with practice amps and why he used a Brian May Red Special
- “This was one occasion where employing fills and chops in a funk tune really paid off”: Listen to Stuart Zender’s isolated bassline on Jamiroquai's Virtual Insanity
- “I thought I’d make the notes count, like Jeff Beck. It doesn’t sound anything like Jeff, but that was the intention going in!” Phil Collen on how – by accident and design – Def Leppard reinvented rock guitar on classic album Pyromania
- Exercises for bass: 5 ways to improve your bass guitar technique
May 8
- “Musician, studio engineer and the mastermind behind some of rock's greatest albums”: Steve Albini, punk guitar icon and producer for Nirvana, Pixies, dies at 61
- “My pickups were tuned in a studio and then tested on the road, the end result being both musical and face melting”: Slipknot's Mick Thomson has just released his much-speculated Fishman Fluence signature pickup set
- “I’m not gonna point fingers, but through all of this, one of the ingredients was not playing ball with everybody else”: Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony sets the record straight on the much-rumored VH tribute project
- “Keep Rude Dude”: Mick Mars’ ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ Kramer appears in Motley Crüe’s You’re All I Need video, features NSFW rear artwork and has just gone up for auction
- “Sharper attack, extended sustain and a warmer tone”: Could brass saddles supercharge your Strat tone?
- “Unlearning our instruments is definitely something we’ve done – we don’t rely on fretboard technique”: BIG|BRAVE conjure some of today’s most thrilling guitar tones with feedback, open tunings and an awful lot of volume
- Boss Katana:Go vs Fender Mustang Micro: which headphone amp is right for you?
- July 2024 Guitar World lesson videos
- “Being close to him is like approaching a source of spiritual energy. I gave him my guitar as a sign of respect”: B.B. King once gifted one of his Gibson Lucille guitars to the Pope – now it’s up for sale
- “When Bob Dylan went electric, this guitar was there”: Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson's much-customized 1965 Telecaster is up for auction and could fetch up to $700,000
- “I’ve never been a shredder. I’m never going to out-do Yngwie Malmsteen. I’m more from the Schenker and Blackmore school”: Judas Priest’s Richie Faulkner on the secret to headbanger riffs, and half-nailing, half-blagging the Painkiller solo
- “Paul Reed Smith wanted to do something, but I had to explain it was my dream as a kid to have an Ibanez signature. Paul said he’d do anything to make it happen”: Herman Li on his switch to PRS – and the perils of shredding on waterslides
- Muddy Waters is a blues guitar icon who pioneered the sound of electric guitar in popular music – and invented a new soloing language as he did it
- “Strong choices with the advantage of dual modes”: Ross Pedals review
- “That was one hell of a fall”: Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready falls off stage mid-solo – but doesn’t miss a note
- “Prince was not a guy who would sit around and polish his guitars or even think that much about them – they were tools”: In 2005, Prince’s Cloud 3 sold for $10,000. Now it’s expected to fetch $600,000 at auction
- “Robert had a plan laid out that we would do three records in three years”: Adrian Belew on how King Crimson made an underrated prog classic in “this industrial musical junkyard we created”
- “These won’t last long!” Fender issues surprise limited-edition semi-hollow guitar drop, bringing the Telecaster Thinline to the American Professional II Series and reviving the Stratocaster Thinline
May 7
- “You couldn’t sell them and you wouldn’t want to sell them because they’d be just too hard to say goodbye to”: Mark Knopfler on the guitars he couldn't bear to part with, and the six-strings that surprised him on One Deep River
- “The Ford Motor Company had created a color called ‘Daisy Pink’ especially for his aunt. She was famous in her own right and had the paint sent to Fender”: Meet 9 of Fender’s most elusive offset guitars
- “Retains all the charm of the original 1960s classic design in all its vintage glory”: Danelectro has brought back its Big Sitar – with some modern upgrades
- “Open the doors to versatility, creativity, and otherworldly sounds”: Red Witch aims to harness Frank Zappa and Carlos Santana tones with its new sample hold filter pedal – but it’s limited to just 59 units
- “Derek looks so proud during Duane’s solo – like a brother would”: Duane Betts and Derek Trucks trade solos for the first time since Dickey Betts’ passing with emotional cover of the Allman Brothers Band’s Dreams
- “Technically, he was such a gifted and bluesy player. I’m not a really good soloist – but I know how to sit down, learn, and get work done”: Jakob Nowell, son of Sublime’s Bradley, is picking up his late dad’s guitar to reunite the band and the family
- “I thought, ‘OK, I’ll prove myself. I’m not a guy, so if I prove myself a little bit harder, then I might be noticed and taken seriously as a player’”: Nancy Wilson on the making of her acoustic masterpiece turned Instagram guitar staple
- "The glorious neck staining and the warmth of those pickups make the CV 60s Strat a serious guitar that just so happens to look, feel, and sound amazing": Squier Classic Vibe 60s Stratocaster review
- “If it makes it more accessible and achievable for girls to chase their dreams, then it’s a win in my book”: Gibson’s Miranda Lambert Bluebird was its best-selling signature acoustic of the past year. Now there’s a much more affordable Epiphone model
- “You’d be hard-pushed to find a bass sound that you couldn’t gig with almost immediately”: Boss Katana-500 Bass Head review
- “The light weight, raw resonance and superb playability more than tick the working guitar box”: Manson Guitar Works Verona Junior review
- “There’s an early No Doubt song which might as well be full-on heavy metal, if you want to hear Gwen singing for Black Sabbath. And there’s an absolutely shredding solo!” No Doubt’s Tom Dumont names 10 guitarists (and one genre) that shaped his sound
- “This is like a Neural DSP Tinder”: Plini and Mateus Asato go on a guitar virtuoso date to write a song in a day – and the results are jaw-dropping
- “This recognition holds immense significance for me”: Gary Clark Jr. joins Carlos Santana and Van Halen on Guitar Center Hollywood’s iconic RockWalk
- “I was trying to do the ultimate guitar solo”: Lou Reed once recorded a double album consisting solely of guitar feedback – but his label took it off sale after three weeks
- “I was going for a sound where it’s like, ‘Is this person virtuosic, or do they totally suck?’ That’s kind of where I live”: St. Vincent on channeling Neil Young and embracing a less-is-more approach to guitar solos
- “Nobody cares about new material anymore. They just want to hear the old stuff from guys like us”: Alex Lifeson says he’s jamming with Geddy Lee again – but they sound like a “really bad tribute band” at times
- “The bouncers wouldn’t let the audience stand up. That frustrated me to the point that I destroyed my bass guitar”: The Clash's Paul Simonon reflects on that iconic London Calling moment
May 6
- ‘Hammer-ons from nowhere’ can blow your guitar playing wide open – and help you craft silky smooth, effortlessly fast and highly impressive solos
- “I've put it through every nightmare scenario it could have been exposed to, and it's been faultless”: ThorpyFX’s Electric Lightning is a tube-driven overdrive/boost pedal built in collaboration with Chris Buck
- “Lightweight construction and exceptional playability”: Can’t afford the Jimmy Page double-neck? Danelectro has you covered with an $899 alternative
- “They probably only made two or three of them, but there’s a signature Burns Chris Stein Scorpion out there somewhere”: Ahead of a new Blondie album, Chris Stein talks folk and jazz influences, fighting with early effects, and his MIDI future
- “It's thrilling that he played my homemade guitar, all those years later”: Brian May pens personal tribute to Duane Eddy, and reflects on the time Eddy played his Red Special
- “Keyboards started coming up a lot more, and so there was a little more of a fight for space with the guitar”: Alex Lifeson looks back on the difficult creation of Rush’s 1984 classic, Grace Under Pressure
- “If you want to bench press 200lbs, you start at 80... You should concentrate on performing with articulation at whatever speed it is”: Kerry King on how to master thrash metal speed riffing
- “It was very tense – he wasn’t at rehearsal... there's too much mystery around him”: Slash almost missed the I’m Just Ken performance at the Oscars
- “It should be – and usually is – pedal-first for us, because pedals can affect your playing so much”: Shoegaze heroes DIIV on how stompboxes formed the building blocks of their new album
May 4
- “There’s very little to fault or criticise. The company is back with a new workshop and all guns blazing”: Gordon Smith Grande and Geist review
- “I used to write solos, but there’s a lot of beauty in a more spontaneous take – even an old, known pattern that falls in a different place than usual”: Matheus Canteri is shamelessly blending country with shred – and it’s working
- “Guys would come up and tell me, ‘I can play such-and-such a Tower of Power song note-for-note.’ But who cares?” The magic of Rocco Prestia’s bassline on Tower of Power’s Only So Much Oil in the Ground
May 3
- “From 1993 to 2004 those amps were over half of our business”: How the Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier defined the high-gain guitar sound of the 1990s
- Build a whole new lickbag with our country-blues masterclass – featuring licks inspired by Dickey Betts, Albert Lee and Brent Mason
- “It’s good to see something fresh in dirt pedals – if an almost 60-year-old circuit could be described as such”: Danelectro Nichols 1966 review
- “Eddie Van Halen’s main solo is a greatest hits of all his best guitar licks”: Dweezil Zappa issues update for What the Hell Was I Thinking? – his ambitious mega-track featuring Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, Brian May and more
- “There’s not a guitar teacher in the world that would ever teach anyone to play a guitar like that”: Buzz Osborne thinks Jimi Hendrix is one of the greatest guitarists ever – but says his technique was “wrong”
- “A cache of beautiful gear used in the studio and on tour”: Gilby Clarke is selling his Guns N’ Roses, Slash’s Snakepit and Heart gear on Reverb
- “Ronnie gave me great advice about building a guitar solo... left to my own devices, it would have been a case of how many notes I could fit in!”: Vivian Campbell looks back on the 1984 Dio classic The Last In Line
- “I swear that guitar plays itself… Who’d have thought a 16-year-old girl like me could suddenly have this crazy connection with Jerry Garcia?” Meet Bella Rayne, the guitarist who jumped from Mom’s Strat to wielding Garcia’s Alligator onstage
- Everything you need to know about fretwraps: what are they and do you need one?
- “Thank you for allowing us to serve musicians like you for 100 years”: Sam Ash Music announces it will be officially closing all its stores
- “I’m playing a Strat, too, which you never hear me use”: Slash explains why he swapped his Les Paul for a Stratocaster to cover a Peter Green track on his new blues solo album
- “I’ve typically been afraid of Strats just because they carry so much baggage”: How a gift from Mike McCready helped change St. Vincent’s relationship with the Stratocaster
- “A sophisticated piece of hardware made for the working pro but priced for the serious amateur enthusiast”: Sterling By Music Man Ray34 (PSK) bass review
May 2
- “Designed to be the ultimate professional boost, overdrive and distortion device”: Human Technologies’ first-ever stompbox promises to cram “dozens of expensive high-end vintage pedals” into one little box
- “One of the most affordable Klon clones out there, and easily the most entertaining”: JHS Pedals Notaklön review
- “Improvise a musical story that makes sense, and takes the listener on a captivating musical journey”: “Call and response” phrasing can help transform a simple guitar solo into an evocative narrative device
- “It was an insane, bare bones show”: Primus's Les Claypool and Ler LaLonde were just forced to play a gig with brand new gear from Guitar Center – and yes, they still sounded exactly like Primus
- “I view everything from the pick to the speaker as my instrument”: Meet John Frusciante favorite Anthony Pirog – the boundary breaking guitarist who’s jamming jazz, punk and fusion with Fugazi’s rhythm section
- “I don’t really listen to Prince’s guitar playing – it’s very triggering. But I always feel his spirit”: How Purple protege Judith Hill pushed past her ‘black widow’ trolls to discover a new relationship between her voice and her SG
- “Sparkle, jangle and chime, refined”: Gibson’s Non-Reverse Firebird V 12-string revives an ultra-collectible model from 1965 – with a crucial upgrade
- “A true pioneer and bona fide legend”: Duane Eddy, 1938-2024 – the guitar world pays tribute
- “When you blend a Gibson and a Fender together, you get a much thicker sound. That’s a trick I learned from Pete Townshend”: Ace Frehley invites us to his home to talk tone tricks, 10,000 Volts and pawn shop treasures
- “If my sound isn't right, I feel like I'm wearing ankle weights. To me, playing to a good sound is the most inspiring part about playing guitar”: Warren Haynes explains why having a great guitar tone is non-negotiable
- "It delivers a smooth, thick, high-octane overdrive that perfectly captures modern rock and metal, with a full and bright clean tone to match": Vox amPlug3 High Gain review
- Best MIDI foot controllers: seamless transitions for amps, pedals, rack effects, and more
- “You have to have your own sound, do it with authority and let it all hang out… If you do that you communicate with your guitar”: Duane Eddy reflects on his signature sound, hanging with Elvis and the story behind his go-to Gretsch
- “Watching a player like Stevie Ray Vaughan play, you begin to understand how much violence the guitar can actually take”: Larkin Poe's Rebecca Lovell on why the secret to great Strat tone is in the right hand
- Matteo Mancuso is one of the hottest guitar players in the world right now – learn four licks in his breathtaking rock fusion style
- “It's an elusive quality that hasn't been captured by modeling amps”: Steve Morse pinpoints the key traits that give tube amps the edge over their digital counterparts
- “That was the one and only thing I found with Strats that I don’t like. I think they’re awful”: Yngwie Malmsteen reveals the one spec of certain Stratocasters he's not a fan of
- “Affordable, direct-to-fan, and simple in every way. It really is a dream come true”: Sterling by Music Man’s first-ever Joe Dart signature model is a made-to-order funk powerhouse that costs less than $400
- How to sound like IV from Sleep Token: "He likes long necks and heavy gauge strings, with 084-010s his set of choice to provide a thick, rounded tone"
May 1
- “One of the most successful instrumentalists in rock history”: Duane Eddy, rock guitar pioneer, dies at 86
- “Even Eddie Van Halen – god bless him, I love him – was mainly pentatonic. I was radically different”: Yngwie Malmsteen on Rising Force and the introduction of a neoclassical shred icon
- “It’s a shoo-in for any gigging musician”: Gibson Les Paul Modern Studio review
- “It takes $10,000 a day… the goal of getting on the road, playing in front of fans, outweighs the pain of losing the stuff”: Dweezil Zappa on sacrificing his out-there guitar collection, mixing Hendrix and building an immersive rig
- Donner’s BackBeat is a premium electronic drum kit primed for both practice and performance – and lights up to boot
- “It was very emotional. He said, ‘This is where it belongs’”: Jon Bon Jovi has been reunited with the first guitar he ever owned, 45 years after he sold it
- “A better djent tone than anybody I’ve heard and his secret sauce is literally pasta remnants”: Guitarist proves anything can djent by ripping Meshuggah with an elastic band and Tupperware
- “My dad always said, ‘Focus on your rhythm and writing songs.’ But when I got the itch to start doing solos, I got into Eddie Van Halen”: Trev Lukather on the guitar lessons he learned from his dad, Steve Lukather
- Learn how to get gigs and make a living from your music with Solo Acoustic Musician – the ultimate resource for the performing musician