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December 2024
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275 articles
- December 31
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- “Those overdriven cowboy chords and stadium-conquering chorus hooks will be omnipresent throughout 2025”: When Oasis finally returned
- “His finest work since The Dark Side of the Moon”: How David Gilmour made a blockbuster comeback with Luck & Strange – and Ice-T
- “I’d bet most rock guitarists use only the bridge pickup with the tone control wide open 90% of the time… so why bother with a neck pickup and tone controls?” ESP LTD Deluxe EC-01FT review
- “Joe was great at making me comfortable – he’s such a nice guy”: When Matteo Mancuso jammed with Joe Bonamassa
- December 30
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- Guitar modes lesson 3: It has the sound of thrash metal at its core, but also Latin and flamenco music too – here’s how the Phrygian mode works
- “An end to 100 years of service to the music community”: Why the closure of Sam Ash marked the end of an era
- “Her weapon of choice is, in fact, 45 years older than she is”: The unstoppable rise of Grace Bowers
- “This is a historic collaboration”: How Diamond Rowe made history with Jackson Guitars
- “Jason and I were always battling for the same space in the mix”: The controversial mixing of Metallica’s …And Justice for All wasn’t a hazing of Jason Newsted. This is James Hetfield’s explanation
- December 29
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- “We had a band powerful enough to turn goat p*** into gasoline”: When it comes to Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn’s huge catalog of bass grooves, this ear-catching line from The Blues Brothers is a great place to start
- “Fresh eyes, honest appreciation and devoted teamwork have brought us to this special moment”: A nu-metal institution was reborn as Linkin Park returned for 2024
- “It proved to be short-lived”: The year Dave Navarro returned to Jane’s Addiction, got assaulted, and a fractious reunion fell apart
- They emerged from the same British blues explosion as Fleetwood Mac, but soon became prog trailblazers – and their interlocking acoustic guitar approach is often overlooked
- December 28
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- “They’re both amazing guitarists, but Jeff Beck let you take liberties”: Rhonda Smith had been on call with Prince for more than a decade when she told the Purple One she was busy with Jeff Beck
- “The interviewer asked Joe Satriani, ‘Why Andy Fairweather Low?’ And that’s exactly the question I would’ve asked, too”: He's played with Eric Clapton, George Harrison and David Gilmour, but now, this rhythm guitar hero is ready to take center stage
- “Historic for Gojira and metal”: Why the Olympics played an unlikely host for some of the biggest guitar moments of the year
- “Anti-colonialist anguish, hope, joy and the search for connection, all through his guitar. That’s what makes a guitar hero”: Guitarists of the Year 2024 – the players who took 2024 by storm
- “We shared and borrowed gear from our students, who usually had better gear than we did”: How Jason Becker and Marty Friedman made one of shred’s most celebrated albums with a little help from their pupils
- December 27
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- Guitar modes lesson 2: The Dorian mode is a bittersweet minor mode – here’s how it works
- “We’re thrilled to be back”: Why 2024 marked a major milestone for Fender – and saw a surprising turnaround for 2025
- “You can rehearse until you’re blue in the face, but once you hit the stage, all bets are off”: How King Crimson was reborn at the hands of Steve Vai and Adrian Belew
- Gibson launched an epic multi-guitar partnership with Jimmy Page this year – but 2025 could be even bigger
- Remembering the guitarists we lost in 2024
- December 26
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- “He ran home and came back with a grocery sack full of old, rusty pedals he had lying around his mom’s house”: Terry Date recalls Dimebag Darrell’s unconventional approach to tone in the studio
- “I don’t think they do too well living in a case all their lives”: Mark Knopfler parted ways with his guitar collection – but he hopes they all get played
- “You could write your own Stairway to Heaven on an instrument like this”: The hottest guitar gear launches of 2024 – from Wolfgang Van Halen’s long-awaited semi-hollow signature to UAFX’s Dumble-in-a-pedal
- “I never thought little ol’ 15-year-old me playing metal guitar in the bedroom would amount to this moment”: After 10,000 applicants, Kiki Wong landed the Smashing Pumpkins guitarist gig
- December 25
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- “We’re probably better off than the previous generation. Not because we’re better, but because it’s easier to reach a certain level faster”: Matteo Mancuso on how he plans to take his playing to even greater heights – thanks to some advice from Steve Vai
- “I’m backing away from being a ‘blues guitarist’. It’s not what I wanted to be boxed into”: Grace Bowers took the blues world by storm – but she says there’s much more to her playing ready to be unleashed
- “I was playing at three times the speed I normally play at”: When Pete Townshend got his first Jackson guitar… and loved it
- December 24
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- The ultimate Dimebag Darrell tribute – and the Ultimate Gear Guide! – only in the new Guitar World
- How to hold the guitar, pick strings and fret your first note! Beginners guitar lesson 1
- “He got a kidney infection, so he’s in hospital… That’s a bit of a drag, because he was going to be the lead guitarist”: The iconic charity rock song that missed out on its star guitarist due to illness – and why it could have sounded very different
- “When Jerry left, that was the end of the Grateful Dead. Period. There’s just no way that you can replace Jerry Garcia”: The Grateful Dead on Jerry Garcia’s lasting impact on their legacy – and how they felt the band couldn’t go on without him
- “My job is not to be the guy that’s bringing the entertainment or adding the color”: Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman opens up on his role in one of the world’s biggest bands – and how he’s adapting his playing style
- “He thought it sucked and I told him to leave it alone. I was literally in tears”: Rex Brown on the Dimebag Darrell guitar solo he fought to keep on record
- “Nigel has been running a cheese and guitar shop in Berwick-upon-Tweed”: Spinal Tap II director teases what we can expect from the long-awaited sequel
- “It couldn’t be any simpler – yet, in truth, it couldn’t be any better”: Inside the remarkable story of the Gibson Les Paul Junior – the single-cut that changed the world
- “People want to get onstage and stagedive, but if you run into me, you’re not coming back. There’s a Travis Bean-shaped dent in someone’s head”: Duane Denison on the inspired return of the Jesus Lizard – and that time he tried to sell Steve Howe a guitar
- “Further proof that the gear doesn’t matter when you have the skills to pay the bills”: When their gear didn’t turn up for a festival performance, Primus played brand-new Fender guitars from Guitar Center – with the tags still on
- December 23
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- “They want people to look at them and say, ‘Is this a joke?’” Chibson has made a movie about Robert Plant’s “favorite band” – a reggae Led Zeppelin cover group fronted by an Elvis impersonator
- “I would never have picked up a guitar had it not been for her”: Watch the Grateful Dead and Bonnie Raitt receive this year's Kennedy Center Honors – as they're covered by Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Sheryl Crow and Brandi Carlile
- “You never know. I don't have a crystal ball, I can’t definitely say”: Linkin Park’s Brad Delson on why he stepped back from touring – and if he’d ever return to the stage
- “There are better players, better lyricists, better songwriters – but there’s an energy to their combined powers that is hard to rival at the moment”: The best guitar albums of 2024
- “This bridge is a work of art”: Tim Commerford’s new Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay is a love letter to the pawnshop bass that shaped the first Rage record – and it’s uniquely primed for his playing style
- “The instruments he’s sold have been used to make music that’s changed the landscape of rock ‘n’ roll”: The highly anticipated Norman’s Rare Guitars documentary gets its first trailer – and an official Netflix release date
- “He's probably, for my money, one of the finest guitarists in the world”: Radiohead's Colin Greenwood on who he considers the best rhythm guitarist he's ever played with
- “My stock answer was, ‘No.’ Most people who approach me to do something like that are looking to relive the glory days of ’80s rock”: Why Steve Vai dropped his anti-supergroup stance to help revive some of King Crimson’s most celebrated work
- “I don’t classify myself as a rock ’n’ roll or rockabilly player… I was trying to be as all-around as I could be”: Billy Bremner on his greatest sessions with Pretenders, Nick Lowe and countless others – and the story behind Rockpile
- “He’s playing pretty badly, but he is playing”: That moment when Corey Feldman engaged full shred mode and melted the internet's face
- “It ain’t hip, but it’s fairly priced for a North American-made guitar – and an instrument this writer would happily gig with, no hesitation”: Godin Radium review
- “Everyone thinks Slayer is getting back together, but that couldn’t be further from the truth”: How Kerry King rose from the ashes of Slayer – ready to slay all over again
- December 22
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- “The door burst open. It was James, who was late and had come into the wrong room. He started listening and said, ’No, no, that's not the way you do it,’ and grabbed my EB-3”: Jack Bruce on his chance meeting with Motown hit-maker James Jamerson
- “I have a hair tie around the nut of my bass, and I pull it up to the 17th fret”: Just when we thought he’d settled into his routine as a bass superhero, Victor Wooten pulls out another surprise: a 25-cent hair tie?
- December 21
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- “He stuck his head out and said, ‘Can you give me a ride home?’ Next thing I know, I’m driving Frank Zappa to Laurel Canyon”: When cult guitar hero Rob Fetters went to pick Adrian Belew up from a Zappa rehearsal – and ended up giving his idol a lift
- “There’s not a bad note on Rio. Everything just came together for that album”: Duran Duran’s John Taylor breaks down the group’s landmark album and how it inspired his signature bass
- “Ron played bass like John Entwistle – he was definitely into that kind of rhythmic gallop”: When Ron Asheton switched from guitar to bass, Iggy and the Stooges recorded their most influential record
- December 20
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- "With a unit this affordable, are the effects any good? Yes! They really are": Zoom MS-50G+ Multistomp review
- Guitar modes lesson 1: The Ionian mode is the same as the major scale – here’s what makes it work
- “One of our best-selling pedals for over a decade with an updated feature set”: Electro-Harmonix responds to sky-rocketing looper competition with the Pico 360+ – can this mini looper take the crown?
- “I got together all of my pocket money that I had saved up… it’s still my favorite guitar”: Blackpink’s Rosé on the acoustic guitar she bought when she was 14 and played at the most important audition of her life
- Is it too late to order a guitar in time for Christmas? We break down the important cut-off dates from Guitar Center, Sweetwater, Thomann, Andertons and more
- “It’s rare to find Gilmour and Vai in one package, but these double-neck escapades cross the electric guitar solo rubicon”: December 2024 Guitar World Editors’ Picks
- “Unparalleled comfort during extended play”: This bonkers new strap secures your guitar to your belt and lets you flip it 360 degrees – but it could also solve your back pain issues
- “I was changing my strings on the bed and I had all this garbage when I was done. My daughter said, ‘You should really do something about that’”: Why are D'Addario strings color-coded? CEO Jim D'Addario reveals the story behind the innovation
- He was one of blues guitar’s great unsung heroes, renowned for his raw energy, fiery lead work and funky rhythms – the story and playing behind the ‘Otis Redding of guitar’
- “We’ve been looking for it for 50 years, and I got it back”: Paul McCartney’s long-lost Höfner returns to the stage for the first time in 50 years, as he enlists Ronnie Wood and Ringo Starr for an epic tour finale
- “People get too dependent on the sound they’re getting from the pedals”: Duane Betts on why less is more on his pedalboard – but a tuner and a boost? Everyone should have one
- “In the past you might have said, ‘That’s only for a metal or super high-performance hard-rock guy.’ Well, maybe not”: Allen Abbassi has overseen every Fender electric guitar since 2007 – but he’s still pushing the envelope
- “These techniques are very effective for giving your lines a slippery, rubber band-like sound”: Steve Vai and Guthrie Govan love these long-slide glissando techniques – here’s how you can bring them into your playing
- December 19
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- “It was totally improvised. I had no idea that song would go out into the world and be his first single”: Veteran session guitarist Tim Pierce on how his off-the-cuff solo ended up on a Bon Jovi classic
- “I’ve never heard this guitar sound like this”: Upgrade the performance of your Strat – and harness a Randy Rhoads vibe – with FU-Tone’s premier all-brass bridge
- February 2025 Guitar World lesson videos and more
- “Rhythm guitar is the apex of guitar playing. Just look at Keith Richards or Steve Cropper. It’s not the solos, it’s the character in the chords. Most people can solo quite easily”: The Heavy Heavy have bottled rock ’n’ roll soul – ready to shake up 2025
- “Playing the Bass VI is a really strange experience – a truly unique instrument”: Squier Limited Edition Classic Vibe Bass VI review
- “We asked Troy to come up with six of his favourite ‘next level’ slide licks – and he went for a challenging 7/8 time feel and open E tuning”: Troy Redfern is an innovative slide maestro – and his licks will up your solo game
- “An all-in-one power solution, on or off the grid”: D’Addario’s rechargeable XPND Pedal Power promises to make your ’board more portable – but only if you daisy chain
- “The message said, ‘This is Sharon Osbourne. Me and Ozzy have been checking you out, and we really love your guitar playing. We want you to audition’”: That time one of the fastest shredders in guitar history auditioned to join Ozzy Osbourne’s band
- Bob “Slim” Dunlap, guitarist for The Replacements, has died at 73
- “It was building up in the back of my mind for so long that it finally pushed its way to the fore”: Why this was the year Slash finally got the blues
- “The first big gig for Starship was opening for Skynyrd in Florida in front of like 30,000 people. I had all these note-for-note solos, going, ‘God, I hope I nail these!’” Alastair Greene played sideman to rock greats – before he came back to the blues
- “This year has been one long vulgar display of Bowers”: The best guitar songs of 2024 – as chosen by Guitar World editors and pro players
- “I felt like I’d expressed everything I had inside me and nothing was left. After 20 years I thought, ‘Man, maybe I’m done’”: How Eddie Van Halen inspired Todd Jones to pick Nails up off the canvas for a face-ripping comeback album
- December 18
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- “I think he’s wanting to jump into some circles that are a little more blues-oriented. We’re just happy to have him”: Slash makes surprise appearance with the Allman Betts Family Revival to cover Allman Brothers Band classics
- “Prized for its warm and rich character”: Cort brings unsung solid cedar to an accessible price point with 2 sleek $370 acoustics
- “He showed me chords, pinch harmonics, and was ceaselessly encouraging to me when I was a beginning guitarist”: Tom Morello reflects on his high school band with Adam Jones – and how the guitarist shaped him into the player he is today
- “Create the perfect loop”: Mooer stokes the compact looper market with the GL100 – an AI-equipped looper/drum pedal that's less than $150
- “We thought they were quite fun and funny. We weren’t thinking, ‘Oh, people are gonna hate this’”: Neural DSP co-founders reflect on the negative response to their Nano Cortex video campaign – which went viral for all the wrong reasons
- “Even better than the original”: Danelectro’s Spring King was the cult reverb pedal you could kick – now it’s back, but not as you remember it
- “I wish we’d had bidding wars – a mad time dining out with everyone falling in love with us. But no; we had one dude with a small label who believed in us”: Gavin Rossdale on the sacred and absurd experience of making Bush’s Sixteen Stone
- “I bring something really different to the band than Nita does”: Orianthi on returning to Alice Cooper – and why she'll take a different approach to Nita Strauss
- “It has 24 frets, which is rare even for a Stratocaster”: Fender Japan and J-Pop guitar hero Rei have launched one of the most inventive Strats in recent years – and it’s got 24 frets and the neck of an unsung 1970s model
- Turn $350 into $400 and save on your guitar of choice with this awesome free Fender gift card offer
- “There is a difference in the tone compared with just the simple wrapover bridge, which resonates more in your body”: Why Rory Gallagher’s “Kid Gloves and Walkin’ Wounded” Gibson Les Paul Juniors were two of his best-sounding guitars
- “All these sound engineers and friends were advising us to use a backing track… we really despise that! We wanted a real person”: How an 18-year-old shredder supersized Frozen Crown’s triple-guitar power metal assault
- “I hope I don’t sound too French... but we already know how most typical guitars sound. Why stick to someone else’s palette?” Meet Lizzard’s Mathieu Ricou, the delay-keen guitarist whose giant tone defies the power trio format
- “A more sophisticated version of a Bluesbreaker pedal”: Origin Effects Halcyon Blue Overdrive review
- December 17
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- “My brain is like, ‘Guitar solos are dated because Metallica’s solos are from the ’80s…’ She was like, ‘No, I want a guitar solo’”: Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan producer Dan Nigro explains why today’s pop stars want guitar solos on their tracks
- “When we were little kids our dad would say, ‘Get your guitars and play for our guests.’ Someone would always say, ‘Maybe someday you can make a record together’”: Jimmie Vaughan on the only album he and Stevie Ray Vaughan ever made together
- “It’s time”: A Norman’s Rare Guitars documentary telling the story of the world's most famous guitar store is launching on Netflix – and some huge names are set to feature
- “A guitar so playable that you might need to put the brakes on yourself and remember to play to the count”: Fender American Ultra II Telecaster review
- “We started doing that before there was a thing called ‘metal’ or the Seattle stuff, we just did it to save our voices. And then it became commonplace”: Gene Simmons says Kiss was one of the first bands to take down-tuning into the mainstream
- “I just loved mushrooms. My dad thought it was hysterical, so he had the freaking guitar made with a mushroom on it”: Rosanne Cash on learning the ‘Carter scratch’ technique, her most valued guitar gear – and recreating Johnny Cash’s iconic SJ-200
- “This is like Santana’s Soul Sacrifice at Woodstock or Hendrix’s Machine Gun, an act of freeform radicalism”: The best guitar solos of 2024, as chosen by Guitar World editors and pro players
- “I called looking for advice. He tells me, ‘Just wait, I’ve got a surprise for you’”: Gibson’s mystery Metallica-inspired Explorer hasn’t gone to James Hetfield – it’s been gifted to a Hollywood superstar
- Former London guitar store set to house homeless and at-risk families
- “Joe Perry was running close to 15 cabs on stage, and he ended up asking Tony to turn down. The amp was only on 4”: From Eddie Van Halen’s amps to the art of boosting, here are Tony Iommi’s tone secrets – from the man who knows them best
- “A lot of my practice is about making smooth pedal changes to avoid surprises”: God Is an Astronaut’s Torsten Kinsella on his favorite fuzz flavors, tube amp disasters and learning his pedalboard dance steps
- “He goes, ‘There’s one condition. You have to come to my house, and I’ll stripe it for you personally’”: That time Eddie Van Halen promised Dimebag Darrell a collectible EVH inspired by his beloved Bumblebee – which he vowed to paint himself
- “Music has to be heartfelt. Robert Johnson didn’t go back and redo anything. John Lee Hooker, he walked in there and did it once”: Tab Benoit on returning from the swamp with the blues comeback of the year, and why he’s a one-take wonder
- December 16
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- Soundgarden’s surviving members reunite for charity set – with the help of Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan
- “Well, yesterday was nuts”: Metallica pull out all the stops for All Within My Hands charity gig – bringing out oddball Danelectros, Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament and rarities
- “I think a lot of this stuff is tailored towards big gearheads”: Sophie Lloyd shares her ambitions to make amp modelers “more accessible”
- “There’s absolutely no-one like him. I will cherish this for the rest of my life”: Isaiah Sharkey names his favorite guitar player of all time – and reveals he’s bought one of his most iconic guitars
- "If you’re looking for a no-nonsense giggable tube head that covers a lot of ground, there isn’t much that beats the Dual Terror at this price point": Orange Dual Terror review
- “Mastodon have this tuning where the sixth string drops to B. Our singer would say, ‘No, I want it lower.’ As soon as I picked up a 7-string I wished I’d done it sooner”: Meet Obeyer, the chorus-soaked UK metallers hand-picked by Periphery
- “I don’t think James would rip anything off from me, but the first time I heard that song, I was like, ‘That’s awfully close’”: Billy Corgan reckons this Metallica track sounds suspiciously similar to a Smashing Pumpkins deep cut
- “He says, ‘Hey Mike, come over about 1:30.’ And I thought, ‘Well, that’s going to work for me, a little lunch.’ Eddie says: ‘a.m.’”: Mike Rutherford reveals his secret studio sessions with Eddie Van Halen – and sheds light on their unreleased songs
- “Bluegrass and thrash are nearly the same – fast, precise, aggressive, melodic, with songs about death, destruction and doom”: Meet The Native Howl, the thrashgrass pioneers running Taylor acoustics through Mesa/Boogie stacks
- “You’ll find it in many old blues tunes through the later recordings of Eric Clapton”: If you play blues, country, jazz, folk or rock, you need to learn how to solo over this chord progression
- “I was 15 when we met – I was recording demos for my first record, and he was working with his brother, Jimmie Vaughan”: Eric Gales on the riffs that changed his life – and meeting Stevie Ray Vaughan as a teenager
- December 15
- December 14
- December 13
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- “Unlimited looping for endless ideas”: Can Zoom beat Boss and TC Electronic at their own game and conquer the compact looper game with its latest MultiStomp pedal?
- “Blends Shergold’s rich bass heritage with contemporary appeal”: Shergold’s new Telstar Bass repackages one of the firm’s best electric designs of recent years into a low-end format
- “Clapton’s manager says, ‘George Harrison wants you to do the tour and play all the slide parts – he doesn’t want to do it’”: When rhythm guitar hero Andy Fairweather Low was recruited by a Beatle to play slide – even though he’d never played slide before
- “He turned it up, and it was uncontrollable”: Eddie Van Halen on the time Billy Corgan played through his rig – and why his setup shocked the Smashing Pumpkins frontman
- “I was stunned and angry… They easily could have agreed to that, and the reunion would have been on”: Marty Friedman reveals the real reason he rejected Megadeth's proposed Rust in Peace lineup reunion
- “We don’t want to be an old-school death metal band. But if you say ‘progressive death metal’, people expect hyper-sweeps and polyrhythms”: How Blood Incantation fused B.C. Rich, doom and David Gilmour to make one of 2024’s most talked-about metal albums
- “I was lucky to play with my heroes at 9 years old. I remember doing shows with Buddy Guy and Bob Dylan”: Derek Trucks recalls playing with the greats from an early age – and the lesson he learned from Buddy Guy that influenced his entire sound
- Quick! Guitar Center’s up 40% December Deals sale is your last chance to save before Christmas – including hundreds slashed off Fender, Yamaha, Line 6 and more
- “As a guitar collector, when you get the opportunity to buy one of your heroes’ guitars, you must do it”: Stone Sour guitarist Josh Rand’s guitar collection is an ode to the gods of ’80s shred – but he’s putting some of his prize pieces up for sale
- “It’s a testament to just how much utility it provides”: Reverb has revealed its best-selling pedals of 2024 – and it seems we have a winner in this year’s amp modeler race
- “Even those who couldn’t afford carved tops, fancy inlays or binding weren’t expected to compromise on their tone”: The tonal mysteries of Gibson’s P-90 dog-ear pickups, which got their due in the Les Paul Junior
- “Dick Boak called him and said Martin wanted to do a signature guitar for him. He paused and said, ‘I’ve been waiting for this phone call my whole life’”: The emotional moment Johnny Cash was offered his one-of-a-kind signature acoustic
- “I couldn’t be happier to come back after all these years”: Pantera’s Rex Brown rejoins Spector’s artist ranks – less than a year after dropping his first Epiphone signature
- "Gives you more features than the comparable Boss and Line 6 units": HeadRush Flex Prime review
- “I plugged into my first Dumble at a PRS gig. I ran right for it. I beat Carlos Santana and David Grissom to it. I’m like, ‘Out of my way!’” Mark Tremonti on how Paul Reed Smith got him hooked on Dumbles
- “Mustangs are sick. They can take quite a beating when you’re literally chucking yourselves around”: Meet Lambrini Girls, the noise-punks starting a riot with blunt punk and scathing social commentary
- “Tell a musical story and develop it in a conversational way while carrying the song forward”: How to create memorable single-note themes in instrumental guitar music
- “I needed to have a bucket on the side of the stage because I was that sick”: Richie Kotzen on his worst-ever show, that time wildfires came for his guitar collection, and upsetting his mom by getting Purple Haze wrong
- December 12
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- “I went to Lars’ house, and he played me the tape of Hit the Lights. I said, ‘This song sucks. You need more guitar solos’”: They forged a new sound, and in 10 years, they were the biggest band in the world
- NAMM 2025: rumors, predictions and breaking news from the world’s biggest guitar gear show
- “It blew my mind as a 12-year-old”: Dweezil Zappa shares the surprising beginner guitar lessons he learned from Eddie Van Halen
- “You could describe it as an early ‘boutique’ pedal company… but its products were made in a damp, rat-infested basement”: Loved by Nuno Bettencourt, Jeff Beck and Kurt Cobain, the ProCo Rat graduated from dank basements to the world’s biggest albums
- “A lot of the time it was about how we get the guitar to sound almost worse”: The Timothée Chalamet-starring Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, uses an array of top-of-the-line Gibsons. Its producers had to find a way to make them truer to Dylan's tone
- He’s the fearless, Strat-wielding counterpart to icons like Pat Metheny, John Scofield and Allan Holdsworth – and Wayne Krantz forged a raw, rhythmic approach to fusion guitar
- “I was approached to join David Lee Roth’s band, initially… I didn’t want to be Eddie Van Halen part two”: Steve Stevens on laying down the Dirty Diana solo with Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones, recording Rebel Yell – and why Vai got it right with Roth
- “They thought they were going to lose me because my vitals were out of control. That’s when a miracle happened. The nurses were baffled”: Jamie Foxx says his daughter saved his life by playing guitar
- “Reveal coming soon”: At long lost, is Gibson finally working on James Hetfield signature guitars?
- “He had one of the greatest finger vibratos of all time”: Jared James Nichols on the guitar genius of Free’s Paul Kossoff
- December 11
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- “The pick that makes guitar easier”: Introducing the PickTwist – a new 3D pick that will make you a better player… and never slip out your hand
- “I used my P-Bass in the studio and my Jazz Bass live, because it projected a little louder”: Originally recorded as a B-side, this riff-driven blues became a Jimi Hendrix classic – and bassist Billy Cox played a pivotal role
- “Match the tone of the short-pants rock God”: Crazy Tube Circuits bottles Angus Young’s tone in a pedal – including the secret sauce that shaped his guitar sounds (and Kiss, Pink Floyd and Metallica’s, too)
- “I went to Alexander Dumble’s home and plugged into all his amps. He let me play the first one he ever made”: Orianthi’s new signature Orange is inspired by a visit to the most coveted amp maker of them all
- “After leading our overall list for two years, it did not come in No. 1”: Reverb reveals its best-selling electric guitars of 2024 – and the previous top-seller has been toppled
- “There was a time you wouldn’t have touched a Superstrat, at least in my world – that was very illegal. It’s cool to be able to let go of those old feelings and those silly rules”: How Chris Shiflett learned to love his inner shredder
- His cascading melodies are like a pianist using the sustain pedal, while his double-stop lines channel an entire horn section – Rodrigo Gouveia is a neo-soul maestro, and this masterclass in his style will make you a more rounded player
- “The guitar can be your best friend one day and your rival the next – it keeps you on your toes”: London jazz ace Artie Zaitz on why the amp is your second instrument and how he learned to love mistakes
- “Elevating the amplified sound to incredible new heights”: Faith has given its staple Eclipse acoustics a premium reboot – and they’re aiming to be the ultimate stage guitars
- “It works every time… although you'll ruin your pick”: Joe Bonamassa shows you how to get out of a slow blues solo
- “I came across this clip and I enjoyed watching. Great job!” Steve Vai gives his seal of approval to the viral Hungarian high-schooler who nailed For The Love of God at his school prom
- December 10
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- “It can be whatever pedal you need it to be”: TC Electronic’s Plethora X1 takes the fight to the Line 6 HX One – and it costs over $100 less
- “We love it when Gibson gets it right”: Gibson ES-330 and Les Paul Studio review
- Their ingeniously arranged rhythm guitars fueled one of prog metal's most pioneering bands and gave them an orchestral edge – how Queensrÿche's Michael Wilton and Chris DeGarmo became two of metal's most cerebral riff-masters
- “This pickup could have come out of a late-’50s Gibson. If you had a guitar from that era with these pickups, everyone would be like, ‘Wow. That’s a badass-sounding Les Paul’”: How Adam “Nolly” Getgood and Bare Knuckle reinvented the P.A.F. for a new era
- Harley Benton might just have launched its best-value acoustic yet – a solid spruce/rosewood build that starts from $318
- “From the first chord, we both thought, ‘Wow’ – I quit my band and moved to Denmark”: How husband-and-wife duo the Courettes became one of the most exciting bands in the garage-rock underground
- December 9
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- “I went to a Fender event with her and they allowed the public into the exhibit. People were losing their minds. It kind of scared me”: Abigail Ybarra is a legend of the pickup world – but her daughter didn’t realize until she got mobbed by fans
- Guns N’ Roses are hitting the road in 2025 – and they’re bringing punk and hip-hop legends with them
- “I played and sang Suffragette City and everyone else was doing Foxy Lady – I was so drunk, I didn’t even know”: The Cure’s Robert Smith on his disastrous first show as a singer and guitarist... when he butchered a Jimi Hendrix classic
- “Jimi Hendrix came in with an old Duo-Sonic. I had just put together a Strat I’d strung up left-handed, and I went, ‘I’ll trade you.’ I was docked three weeks’ pay”: Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter recalls the questionable guitar deal he made when he met Jimi Hendrix
- “I blew it up and replaced it with a black-panel Deluxe. He probably doesn’t know...”: Steve Hill on the time he recorded at Foo Fighters’ studio – and broke Chris Shiflett’s prized Fender Princeton
- “I won seven guitar contests in a row. When I went to enter again, they said, ‘No, don’t even enter – you’re going to judge the next one’”: Dimebag Darrell discusses his love of soloing – even when it was uncool – and dishes advice in his final interview
- “The finest tone we’ve ever achieved. It’s knocking industry titans off pedalboards”: Keeley has launched a new Rotary pedal – and it could be the brand’s most significant launch in some time
- “I was having so much anxiety about getting a great sound that I wasn’t writing songs… I said, ‘I’m gonna stop thinking about it. This is going to be my sound’”: Tom Morello on his tone struggles and what he learned from teaching his son Roman how to play
- “We are both at the top of our game”: Steve Vai and Joe Satriani have formed a new band together – and will release new music ahead of upcoming tour dates
- “I have a Southern accent, and it’s the same on the guitar. I adapted the guitar to do the talking for me when I was too shy”: Marcus King on why your fretboard has its own language – and how mental health became his muse
- “When we learn to improvise, the first thing we pay attention to is where to put our fingers… rarely do any of us pay attention to the rhythm of a melody or lick”: Can’t figure out why your improvised solos don’t feel right? Here’s how to fix them
- “MXR’s claim that Layers will ‘extend the creative potential of your instrument’ is absolutely right”: MXR Layers review
- December 8
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- “It was just full of guitars, and there was no air in it. No spaces, no gaps”: Bill Wyman reunited with his old Rolling Stones bandmates on their Hackney Diamonds album, but didn't like the track he played on
- “I played a 5-string with Lauryn Hill, but it didn’t feel like a real bass”: Raised on R&B, schooled by fusion, and empowered by punk rock, Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jenifer remains a 4-string purist
- December 7
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- “Could this be the most impressive tube amp under $700? For simpler needs, we definitely think it’s up there”: Blackstar TV-10 B combo amp review
- “I went to this very posh house in Regent’s Park in London, knocked on the door and this 16-year-old American kid held it up. I said, ‘It’s a red guitar – I’ll have it!’” How Phil Manzanera got his trademark Roxy Music Gibson Firebird
- “Zoom discontinued that pedal because nobody bought it – but bass players are always coming up to me wanting to know how I got those sounds”: Remembering jazz great Victor Bailey, who used an unsung multi-FX pedal for his cover of Prince’s biggest hit
- December 6
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- “I got really sick, and in the hospital, I decided to teach myself how to play guitar. I was playing piano and violin classically, and it was a little intense”: Yvette Young on why choosing the guitar felt “magical” – and what it represents to her
- “Gilmour says, ‘I want to play on it’ – like, he doesn’t do this’”: Body Count rip through their Comfortably Numb reimagining on the Tonight Show, as Ernie C does his best David Gilmour
- Proggy pentatonic! How to use the good ol’ pentatonic scale in cool new ways
- “It’s everything the SLO is, all in a pedal”: Soldano’s SLO Plus could be the new hard rock pedal amp to beat – bringing both channels of the legendary SLO-100 guitar amp to the floor
- “I had a hard time playing in tune. The producer stopped me and said, ‘George, tune up again.’ I didn’t realize the value of that until Breezin’ came out”: How George Benson landed a hit album by breaking the rules – and learning to play in tune
- “Captures the very essence of British rock ’n’ roll”: The Masquerader Standard makes one of cult UK builder Shergold’s most distinctive guitars significantly more affordable
- “I hope that’s cleared up any curiosities about how we run the show”: Sleep Token’s guitar tech finally lifts the lid on IV’s entire live guitar rig – right down to his pick of choice
- “When she asked me if I would come be her lead guitar player, I just was like, ‘Um, how can I say no to Shania?’” Lindsay Ell on the “pinch-me moment” when she became Shania Twain's lead guitarist
- “This band has allowed me to diversify my playing 10-fold. I would consider myself a one-trick pony prior to joining”: Kiki Wong on how playing with Smashing Pumpkins has made her a better guitar player
- “Even though a Marshall sounded fantastic, I refused to play one. That’s my bad… I had a terrible sound for years”: Punk-grunge icon Donita Sparks on ironic gear choices, L7’s infamous Reading Festival set and why recording with Butch Vig was “maddening”
- “You could tell it was gonna be a good group, but people wouldn’t even book the band”: Long-awaited Becoming Led Zeppelin documentary gets its first trailer – and hints at the band’s early struggles
- “I bought my ’54 Strat from the biggest dealer in Sweden – he was crying when I walked away with the guitar”: Brian May, Steve Vai and Neal Schon have all given Yngwie Malmsteen guitars – but nothing compares to his Fender Strats
- December 5
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- “An enhanced version of the classic”: Gibson has put an all-new spin on its traditional Les Paul Studio – and it was created in response to requests from players
- “An all-in-one suite for songwriting”: Mooer’s latest pedal is ridiculously light, insanely small… and could be the most portable multi-effects unit out there
- “I didn’t have a bass guitar, so I had to make one. Unknown to me at the time, I built the first fretless bass, about five years before they came out”: Before the Rolling Stones, Bill Wyman needed a good bass guitar – so he created his own
- “A lot of them need to be played. They have souls”: One of California’s top music entrepreneurs has left behind one of the finest vintage guitar collections we’ve ever seen
- “From the aesthetics to the feel and the sounds, the Sferata is wholly convincing”: Rivolta Forma Sferata review
- “I got a chance to play the guitar that David Gilmour owned with serial number 0001 – and I was actually disappointed”: Why one of David Gilmour’s most iconic Strats underwhelmed Fender’s CEO – who tried to buy it at auction
- “If there was ever a time to get off the rollercoaster, it was going to be at the top”: Being in a band is tough – just ask bassist Dirk Lance, who left Incubus at the peak of their powers
- “It was finally time to see if we could do a second build of this revered Boogie”: The iconic Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ is officially back – 40 years after the holy grail high-gain amp was last produced
- “He said, ‘That was a great take, but would you like to do it again?…Are those P-90 pickups?’” That time Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon was a total guitar nerd and solved a pro player’s persistent feedback problem in minutes
- “Trying to emulate these different players was a challenge. Chris Poland to Marty Friedman is like night and day. But that’s what excites me”: Glen Drover grew up idolizing Megadeth and King Diamond’s guitar heroes – then he had to step into their shoes
- His playing had an intensity and drama that even Eric Clapton admired – and it all started with classical guitar: Paul Kossoff was a rare genius with a vibrato to die for
- The glitterball guitar heroes of ’70s funk were masters of rhythm guitar – and learning their string-popping techniques and snappy chord shapes will make you a better player
- “Many players think that the pickups are the main contributor to the way a guitar sounds… But if you change what the string does, that changes the guitar”: How Andy Powers rethought electric guitar design for the Powers Electric A-Type
- “Shockingly good for an instrument at such a low price point”: Squier Affinity Series Starcaster Deluxe review
- December 4
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- “We made a handwritten tab book. I wanted to make some sort of DIY zine, and I had all these guitar solos from the EP that people were asking about”: Musical polymath Luna Li on blending harps with Fender Jaguars – and the art of arrangement
- “If I was only doing blues, we wouldn’t be sitting here. The mix of what I do is what makes it stand out”: Bonnie Raitt on why pushing beyond the blues was key to her success – that, and making her guitar “sound like bacon smells”
- “Phil and I were both on our knees trying to find this screw”: Scott Gorham's bootleg Les Paul fell apart during his disastrous Thin Lizzy audition, but his struggles inspired a key tweak he now makes to all of his Les Pauls
- “No other company delivers as many innovative and affordable products as we do”: Behringer blasts critics and announces return to NAMM after 10 years away
- “I remember watching Jimi when I was younger, while he was in the room with me. I’d have my social studies book, but I was listening and watching him”: Ernie Isley lived with Jimi Hendrix – then took his place to write hit after hit in his brothers’ band
- “This album has been thousands of years in the making”: 80-year-old blues guitarist and singer-songwriter wins Australia's top music prize – beating Nick Cave and Amyl and the Sniffers
- “What do you say when you meet Vernon Reid by chance at the Memphis airport and he suggests you swap signature guitars? You say, ‘Yes sir, coming right up’”: Jack White and Vernon Reid exchange signature guitars after serendipitous airport encounter
- Fulltone founder allegedly posts and deletes graphic comment encouraging suicide, directed towards Michigan State Senator
- “Gene Simmons used a Grabber for a reason – because they play like nothing else on earth”: Epiphone Grabber Bass review
- “We wanted to carry the torch of the guitar duo – Friedman/Becker, Gilbert/Bouillet – and pay homage to the golden era of shred guitar”: YouTube virtuosos Pete & Vinnie Play started with Racer X covers – now they’ve released their own classic shred single
- Using arpeggios to imply dominant 9th chords in your solos sounds complicated – but Jim Oblon can explain all, and it might be the secret sauce your improvised leads are waiting for
- “I always liked bluegrass a lot because the tempo is a lot closer to a NOFX beat”: Meet the Bad Ups, the Philadelphia punks inspired by country-and-western, reggae and Chet Atkins
- “From metal machines to versatile all-rounders”: Explore the Ibanez GIO range – a powerhouse of the high-performance guitar market that caters to every discerning taste
- December 3
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- “His guitar work can be heard all over iconic tracks from their internationally acclaimed Mezzanine album”: Massive Attack guitarist Angelo Bruschini's guitars and gear are currently up for auction
- “The Kemper came into play obviously as a convenience. But when I profiled my first Marshall, it sounded identical. I couldn't tell the difference”: Bad Religion's Brian Baker on his switch to a Kemper – and why he swears by it for his live setup
- “Jimmy was the player who defined the EDS-1275 from the day it was delivered to him”: Gibson launches new Custom Shop VOS Jimmy Page 1969 EDS-1275 model – a meticulous recreation of the Led Zeppelin man's iconic double-neck that doesn't cost $50,000
- “I get disrespected before I even play”: Guitar prodigy Grace Bowers on how she’s won over the critics who underestimate her
- “Trump Guitars is not in any way officially connected with Gibson”: Trump Guitars backtracks after Gibson cease and desist and takes Les Paul-style guitars off the market
- I've just scoured the post-Cyber Weekend sales and found 64 guitar gear deals that won't be around much longer
- “A new dimension of creativity”: Controlling your pedalboard with head movements and your breathing? This potentially game-changing new device lets you do just that (sort of)
- “My friend talked to a roadie, and they said to come back the next day to meet at Steve Howe’s hotel room in downtown Detroit”: When he was a teen, Duane Denison tried to sell a vintage jazz box to one of his guitar heroes
- “David Ellefson told me, ‘You got the gig. Oh and by the way, Dave told me to tell you that you played many of the wrong guitar parts’”: Marty Friedman tells the inside story of his auditions with Ozzy Osbourne and Madonna – and landing the Megadeth gig
- How to understand the meaning behind guitar chord names – and why it matters
- “I don’t like brand-new guitars. I’ll see a new guitar and I’m like, ‘That’s gonna look good after I drag it across the driveway’”: Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy spills his tone (and drop tuning) secrets
- “Allows guitarists to use drop tuning while maintaining the same exact feel and comfort of a standard scale guitar”: Reverend Billy Corgan Signature Drop Z review
- December 2
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- “Whether it’s clean chords or aggressive fuzzed-out solos, this Mustang takes it all in its stride”: Achieve Nirvana for less with this roaring Cyber Monday discount on Fender's Vintera II '70s Competition Mustang
- “Trust me, the Hizumitas isn’t just a pedal – it’s an experience”: I swore off pedals, but Sweetwater’s time-limited 20% off EarthQuaker Devices Cyber Monday sale is too tempting to ignore
- “When I pull up, Ed is standing there with the wah. He goes, ‘Why does John Frusciante want a piece of crap like this?’” Eddie Van Halen’s tech helped John Frusciante track down a rare wah pedal – but the guitar hero didn’t approve of his gear choice
- I built the Lego Fender Stratocaster and the detail blew me away – it just dropped to its lowest EVER price, and I need to tell every guitarist in my life immediately
- I’ve been reviewing this Telecaster/Les Paul mash-up and have fallen in love with it – now the Squier Paranormal Troublemaker is 25% off un the Fender Cyber Week Sale, and I’ve got it in my basket
- I already thought this Sterling by Music Man was the smart buy of the beginner guitar market, but now that it’s under $200 at Sweetwater for Cyber Monday, it’s a no-brainer...
- Guitar Center return policy: Worried about buying a guitar online? Here’s everything you need to know about the retail giant’s return policy
- Fender's first-ever Player II deals sold out fast – but you can still grab a $200 discount on a Stratocaster in one last Cyber Monday offer
- “It’s a great piece for your arsenal. I did some recording with mine and it worked great”: Joe Perry names his new favorite amp company
- Selling a Cry Baby was my worst-ever pedal deal. Now Guitar Center is offering a 20% discount on the classic wah – is it finally time to let go of my very real pain?
- Quick! ALL JHS Pedals are 25% off – they’re selling out fast, but you can still grab some Cyber Monday stompbox bargains
- I’m shocked by how many newly launched guitars, amps and pedals are discounted this Cyber Monday – including my favorite electric guitar release of the year
- I’ll always love my plucky little Yamaha, but I’m in serious need of an acoustic upgrade. These are the Cyber Monday savings I have my eye on
- One of my favorite headphone amps for guitar just got a last-minute discount for Cyber Monday
- Not to be outshined, Guitar Center just dropped the best Cyber Monday deal for Chris Cornell fans: Score $120 off the Epiphone ES-335 Bigsby in gorgeous Olive Drab while stocks last
- This Jim Root-approved hardtail Fender Strat is now 30% off for Cyber Monday – and it's your very last chance to buy this super-rare model
- We think the Boss Gen 3 Katanas are some of the very best amps in the business – and there's still enough time to get up to $150 off these do-it-all amps with this last-minute Cyber Monday deal
- Musician’s Friend’s Cyber Monday 15% off coupon is now live and it applies to thousands of guitars, pedals, amps, accessories and more – but you’ve not got long left to bag yourself some bargain gear
- “The easiest upgrade you can make to your guitar”: I hate restringing guitars, and that’s why I fit locking tuners to all my electrics – and with 26% off Fender locking tuners, you can improve your Strat or Tele for less
- Harley Benton is the champion of cheap guitars and gear, but I just spotted these dirt-cheap Cyber Monday deals that make them even cheaper
- “We have no problem with sampling. If it hadn’t been for that you probably wouldn’t be interviewing us today”: Cymande bassist Steve Scipio on how the funk pioneers were almost buried before crate diggers like De La Soul and the Fugees brought them back
- “I will make sure Steve Vai sees this video”: Hungarian high schooler goes viral with flawless performance of For The Love of God at his prom
- The Fender Custom Shop David Gilmour signature’s $10k price tag leaves me uncomfortably numb. Instead, I’d spend $549 on this Limited Edition Player model from Guitar Center – and make my own Black Strat...
- When the band formed, they could barely play their instruments – then their guitarist bought a delay pedal and changed the sound of electric guitar forever
- “Delay isn’t something you really think of when you think of an acoustic guitar, but it works quite well when you’re adding a top line to a loop”: How Yamaha evolved its TransAcoustic tech to create an acoustic guitar with an onboard delay and looper
- “I depended on Mike – on how he maintained my guitars and amps show after show, and hour after hour in the studio”: Joe Satriani pays tribute to his long-time guitar tech with new video
- “A supreme upgrade of the classic ES-335 design, with exceptionally more versatile tonal options”: Gibson ES Supreme review
- "Straight out of the box, the build quality of the D'Angelico Premier Gramercy was immediately impressive, especially considering its price point": Score $160 off one of our top-rated beginner acoustics this Cyber Monday
- “I don't look at the fingerboard, I listen to it. All of my fretless basses have no fret lines. I can't play on a lined fingerboard”: How Bakithi Kumalo’s swung, fretless bassline helped create one of Graceland’s defining sounds
- December 1
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- Guitar Center just dropped a 15% off coupon for Cyber Monday – and it’s valid on thousands of guitars, pedals, amps and accessories – including one of our favorite signature models, a fire-breathing EVH lunchbox head, and that Hello Kitty strap you wanted
- “I used to sit in the back seat of the rental car while I was on my radio tour at 16 writing songs”: Taylor Swift learned to play guitar on this acoustic – now you or a loved one can too, with $100 off her pint-sized Taylor signature for Cyber Monday
- I’ve been reporting on Cyber Monday guitar pedal deals for 7 years – and I’ve never seen discounts like these
- Cyber Monday Les Paul deals are starting to heat up – and I’ve picked out the best of the bunch so far
- I’ve tried every kind of earplug in my 20 years of gigging – and the best ones I’ve used just received their first-ever discount ahead of Cyber Monday
- Public service announcement: Fender straps have been discounted to as little as $5 for Cyber Monday – but not for much longer
- Fender’s Squier Debut Stratocaster took the fight to cheap Amazon guitars when it arrived earlier this year – now it’s dropped below $100 for the first time ever
- “When I was growing up, everyone said, ‘Oh, bass is just a second guitar.’ Bull! It's an art, man!” How Matt Freeman became one of punk’s most iconic bassists – bringing bass solos, jazz band and Carole King to Rancid
- “We try to schedule shows around school, and if we can’t, we’ll end up skipping… The band is our first priority”: The Linda Lindas are too punk-rock to stay in class – but they’re learning all the time
