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January 2025
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301 articles
- January 31
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- “He said, ‘Put it away and get a proper guitar!’ So it went by the wayside”: Andy Fairweather Low had a guitar specially bought for him in America, then brought back across the Atlantic – but Eric Clapton wouldn't let him use it onstage
- “We're gonna play something we thought was appropriate for the evening”: Watch Slash join the Black Crowes for a heartfelt Led Zeppelin cover at star-studded FireAid benefit concert
- “The king of modern blues getting down and dirty (musically) with a former Van Halen singer”: January 2025 Guitar World Editors’ Picks
- “It’s back and better than ever”: Gibson revives its cult classic Victory guitar – and elevates it to even greater heights
- “If we can fill the performance with these incredible women singing Nirvana songs, then we’ll have achieved our own revolution”: Nirvana reunite unannounced at FireAid concert, with four guest frontwomen
- These are the gear trends that will shape your guitar buying in 2025: we explored every inch of NAMM to discover what brands are plotting for the next 12 months – and how the guitar gear world at large is changing
- It’s a soloing strategy that T-Bone Walker, B.B. King and Albert King all used, and will instantly make your blues solos sound more pro – learn parallel pentatonics and you will set your playing free
- “Around Vulgar, he would get frustrated with me because I couldn’t keep up with what he was doing, guitar-wise – Dime was so far beyond me musically”: Pantera producer Terry Date on how he captured Dimebag Darrell’s lightning in a bottle in the studio
- “Everyone who buys our products comes back saying the same thing – it’s the closest they’ve gotten to that SRV sound”: Behind the rise of Pedal Pawn, the UK stompbox brand loved by Eric Gales, Philip Sayce and Stevie Ray Vaughan fanatics the world over
- “We’ll inspire Beatles fans all over the world by bringing this unique instrument back to life”: John Lennon’s Hootenanny 12-string sold for $2.8m last year – now Framus has revived the acoustic with the Lennon estate’s approval
- “That’s 15 less than I’m used to….” ZZ Top’s Elwood Francis was saddled with his 17-string bass after a joke appearance went viral – now he’s experimenting with a 2-string build
- January 30
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- “We promised him that we would keep his legacy alive”: What’s going on with Dumble Amps – and why was the company at NAMM 2025? We discovered the story behind the re-emergence – and future – of the guitar world’s most mythical amp brand
- “I gave him my Les Paul to use, which, just by him holding it, increased its value by like a million dollars”: In 1992, Steve Lukather was still getting over meeting his Beatles icon – then there was a knock on the stage door
- “A pillar of modulation, now more accessible than ever”: After a 3-year wait, Behringer’s affordable clone of John Frusciante’s favorite chorus pedal is finally here
- “You felt as if you might be in the presence of a Zen master”: Remembering Bill Puplett, the guitar sage and expert luthier loved by Johnny Marr, Adrian Legg and countless players whose instruments he rehabilitated
- "The legendary amp maker is taking aim at other Marshall-in-a-box pedals with a new lineup that is diverse, well-made, and very well-thought-out": Marshall 1959, JCM800, JCM900, DSL, and JVM overdrive pedal review
- “It was a different feel, but it was so expressive. I had never seen that clip of Jeff Beck before”: Jerry Cantrell on how Jeff Beck inspired him to dig out a rare pedal for I Want Blood
- “Throughout the Beat tour, my left hand kept going numb and burning like fire”: Adrian Belew recovering after undergoing carpal tunnel surgery
- “We might find 50 guitars to choose from. All of a sudden, something that was on an electric might now be on a rubber-bridge acoustic”: Meet flipturn, the indie-rockers flipping the script on three-guitar bands – with a chorus pedal as a sixth member
- “Paul Reed Smith and I grew up on the same street. He knew I was finishing guitars and one day asked for help. Eventually we needed somebody to head up the factory. He said, ‘You’re it’”: How Joe Knaggs became one of America’s most respected guitar makers
- January 29
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- "It sounds good; you’re not getting superb clarity or a broad, rich frequency range – you get the sound of your guitar’s pickup amplified": Harley Benton TableAmp V2 Bluetooth review
- “I like seeing boundaries pushed. With these loops, I wanted to inject my identity”: Tosin Abasi’s playing is now available in GarageBand and Logic thanks to a high-profile new producer pack
- “It’s getting a little bit more difficult. I just don’t have the pressure that I had, but I work around it”: Peter Frampton explains how he’s adapting his technique in order to keep playing guitar
- “Scoring video games is something I’ve always wanted to do since I played Doom when I was 11”: How a video game about a cult led by a lamb united 5 of today’s greatest metal players in a quest for brutality
- “Grover Jackson used to bring down these guitars, but some of them weren't even finished – he’d change the pickups backstage”: Adrian Smith reveals what convinced him to ditch Les Pauls for Jacksons
- “For me, it’s not enough to play an idea once and then move on. I’d rather develop my initial phrase and then morph it into 10 different, thematically connected ones”: Jared James Nichols shows you how to use call-and-response blues phrasing
- “Phoebe Bridgers got this intimate performance – I’d have put in a million layers of fuzz guitar before singing!” Jasmine.4.t on being produced by all three members of boygenius, borrowing their baritone – and why you should try writing in DADGAD
- “I was intimidated by teaching it to him. I was intimidated from playing it myself. He wasn’t intimidated. He just did it”: Timothée Chalamet’s guitar tutor was surprised when the Complete Unknown star tackled one of Bob Dylan’s trickiest songs with ease
- “It was two days after Chris Cornell passed. Steve said, ‘I know you lost your friend – it's too soon now, but the time will come where you think of him, and it'll be happy memories’”: Once just a hero and mentor, Steve Vai is now Pete Thorn's bandmate
- January 28
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- “You’re playing that fast that you need to have a satin neck? Really? Wear it down yourself!” Why Johnny Marr isn’t convinced by the satin neck trend
- Danny Elfman’s scores for Tim Burton are laden with dramatic musical movements – and learning his arpeggio style on guitar can give your playing a spooky, neoclassical edge
- “It is with profound regret that I find I must bow out of my role with the Eagles while I can still do so gracefully”: Longtime Eagles guitarist announces retirement from band following health struggles
- “Jimmy Page said, ‘If you want to go work straight away, do the Ozzy gig. If not, we’d love to have you’”: Phil Soussan is one of the ultimate bass journeymen – he looks back at his storied career, and why he picked Ozzy Osbourne over Jimmy Page
- “The perfect affordable choice for guitarists who want an acoustic 12-string with classic tone”: Martin D-X2E Brazilian 12-string review
- “Darrell’s solo in Cowboys from Hell hit me like lightning”: Kerry King, Alex Skolnick, Zakk Wylde and more of Dimebag Darrell’s friends and fans pick their favorite solos from the late Pantera guitarist
- January 27
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- “Unfortunately I have a torn hamstring and damage to my hip”: Gilby Clarke to replace Orianthi (who was replacing Nita Strauss) on upcoming Alice Cooper dates
- “He stands behind me, and counts it off with the kids – he did the pick slides, the whole thing”: Dweezil Zappa showcases the Kramer Eddie Van Halen gifted him when he was 12 years old
- “Faster attack and enhanced midrange punch”: Gretsch refreshes flagship Professional Collection with 5 Japanese-built stunners – including a Broadkaster that's built for “full-spectrum sound at high volume”
- “Adrian and I connected on everything – we even went to the Whisky and paid $5 to see Van Halen play in a one-third full room”: Cult guitar hero Rob Fetters on his friendship with Adrian Belew – and the time they raced home to try tapping after seeing EVH
- “I acted the way I did because a guitar that Eddie Van Halen gave me went missing for 18 years... I'm very happy to say I cried wolf”: Jerry Cantrell on what really happened when his ‘Blue Dress’ G&L went missing last year
- “Enormous spectrums, ghostly reverse effects, and heavenly reverbs”: Pigtronix morphs its ambient reverb pedal into the simplified Cosmosis 1 – meaning it’s no longer rocket science to operate it
- “It was too good to keep to ourselves”: MXR gives Eddie Van Halen’s favorite orange box the golden touch with its 50th Anniversary Phase 90
- “Experience the all new OSO Short Scale”: Suhr’s new build aims for the best of both – combining a Gibson-like scale length with a T-style body
- “The river was flooding – the water was flowing so fast it created a whirlpool. I was sitting in an innertube, floating in a circle and that walkdown came to me”: Riff inspiration can strike in the strangest places – just ask William “Billy” King Reynolds
- “He was only paid £6 for his credit on the James Bond theme, but he would dine out reputationally on that riff for the rest of his life”: Vic Flick played sessions for The Beatles, Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield – but the James Bond riff is his legacy
- “I’ve never heard Xotic’s Raw Vintage RV-PAF in action, but now I’m floored by its harmonically rich voice”: Xotic XSS Super S-Style review
- “The perfect tool for capturing the next riff on the go”: Fender eyes up the iRig with the Link I/O interface – a studio-grade audio interface that can fit in your pocket
- “Built for speed, equipped for domination”: Jackson stealth-launches the Pure Metal range – a trio of limited edition single-pickup shred machines
- January 26
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- “Now the minds of Kerry King and Dean are available at the perfect price for everyone”: Dean Guitars unveils a Kerry King Overlord for under $500 – and an affordable Misfits signature that’s not afraid to make a point...
- “Intricate finishes, exotic tonewoods, and immaculate details”: 12-string Telecasters, baritone offsets, and diamond-laced Strats headline the Fender Custom Shop's awe-inspiring 2025 Prestige Collection
- “It’s not for sale… yet”: Jack White announces a Custom Shop version of his wild, ever-evolving Triplecaster – and it colors way outside the Fender lines
- “More people play stop-tails than guitars with locking tremolos. We dig both”: EVH delivers on its hardtail promise with two new models that vow to take Eddie's legacy to new heights
- “In line with my creative spirit and DIY methodology, I've chosen to create one from the ground up”: Coheed and Cambria guitarist Claudio Sanchez has designed his own signature guitar – and launched his own brand to make it
- “Delivering screaming leads to funky rhythms, and everything in between”: Guitarist and YouTuber Maxxxwell Carlisle teams up with Harley Benton for a budget-friendly, versatile signature model – the Guitar MAX Fusion
- “Why did I build a ‘guitar solo box’ to stand on? Well, it sets people up to pay attention”: Deep Sea Diver’s Jessica Dobson on supporting Pearl Jam, arena riffs – and making the ultimate stage prop
- January 25
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- “A sound and visual aesthetic unlike anything Taylor has ever offered”: Taylor unveils the Gold Label Collection, a vintage-inspired line with striking visual touches, and an entirely new body shape
- “You talk about PRS and some say, ‘They’re too nice.’ What’s too nice? You want that special vibe that only tuning every song can give you? You want bad intonation?!” John Mayer pays tribute to Paul Reed Smith at PRS Guitars’ exclusive anniversary show
- "Aggressive, heavy, and with enough gain to sink a battleship, this model is designed for high-intensity riffing": Walrus Audio Mako Series MKII ACS1 review
- “Hands-free hammer-ons”: DigiTech’s HammerOn pedal is a 7-in-1 pitch-shifting monster that lets you play the impossible
- “Two new K7s, inspired by the eternal Yin and Yang”: Ibanez’s signature line-up is packed with dazzling artist models – and, newly reunited with both Korn guitarists, it’s bringing back an old friend
- “Takes the tactile and tonal experience of our Tortex Flex Picks line to a whole new level of performance”: Dunlop launches its first-ever Tortex pick with a grip – guaranteeing “ultimate playability”
- “This is basically the single-coil equivalent of what Eddie Van Halen did when he wired a humbucker directly to the volume control on his Frankenstein guitar”: Why the Fender Esquire remains a stone-cold classic
- January 24
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- “A giant leap forward in tone, playability, and durability”: John Mayer has developed a new acoustic string set with Ernie Ball, and it's designed to be ideal for solo performers
- “It’s wonderful passing on anything about Darrell to fans old and new. He was an incredible person”: How Rita Haney, Dimebag’s soulmate and partner in crime, keeps the late guitarist's memory burning more brightly than ever
- “I’ve received several offers to create a signature amp. Yet I never fully committed. I wasn’t 100% sure – until now”: Blackstar collaborates with Dead Daisies guitarist Doug Aldrich for the DA100, a fire-breathing amp with a nifty secret weapon
- “Endless possibilities for modern setups”: Donner’s Hush-X was lauded as the ultimate affordable travel guitar – now it’s been given a major upgrade
- “Everyone in the Custom Shop pushes one another to test the boundaries of their creativity and technical skills”: Fender Custom Shop ditches dry January with a cocktail-inspired guitar collection – and it’s a uniquely potent mix
- “I gave them a list of unreasonable demands... I think we found that balance”: Tim Henson put Ernie Ball’s skills to the test with his new signature strings
- “Everyone from Bonnie Raitt to Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were all huge fans of the Feat”: Joe Bonamassa pays tribute to Lowell George – and his legendary Dumble
- "While sound quality was once something that held modelers back, it is now a big reason to buy": 5 reasons you’re better off with an amp modeler than a tube amp
- “Would I play it for a whole show? Absolutely not! I’m so happy to get that thing off. It’s brutal”: ZZ Top’s Elwood Francis on his latest weird bass acquisition – the 15-string ‘High Selecta’ bass
- “A legendary amp in the making”: Orange debuts the O Tone 40 – a “ludicrously loud” solid-state combo that promises to be a dream pedalboard platform
- “This unique model captures Jacob’s boundary-pushing musicality”: Jacob Collier’s wild five-string Strandberg signature, the JC Djesse, has finally hit the market – and it’s been joined by a six-string option
- “This is the secret weapon... This thing is incredible”: It’s finally here – Josh Homme teams up with Peavey to recreate its sought-after Decade amp – and it has a host of studio- and stage-ready upgrades
- We went behind the scenes at Gibson’s exclusive NAMM 2025 booth to check out all of its new releases – here’s everything we saw
- “If you think of the word ‘guitar,’ I think of a Martin D-28. Some people might think of a Strat or a Les Paul, but to me, it’s just so American”: Martin joins forces with Billy Strings on two signature models inspired by his 1940 D-28
- January 23
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- “The whereabouts of only a few are known today”: Gibson's new commemorative 1955 NAMM Show Les Paul celebrates the 70th anniversary of a historic, ultra-rare run of the company's most famous model
- “I am about to delve into P-90 world pretty hard”: Warren Haynes has teamed up with Gibson for a new signature Les Paul, and, spoiler alert, it's loaded with his new favorite pickups
- “Like nothing from the modern era”: Mick Ronson’s Cry Baby wah tone transformed rock music with David Bowie – now he’s been honored with a signature wah, inspired by his original Italian pedal
- “For players who want to get lairy, experiment with the interactions between stompboxes, and create auditory chaos”: Eventide x Third Man Hardware Knife Drop review
- “The boldest, most expressive Whammy ever”: DigiTech teams up with MonoNeon on a triple-octave Whammy for both guitar and bass – and it even comes with custom gaffer tape
- “The very latest in musical fart technology”: The Fart Pedal Number Two has dropped – and it’s promising “10 times the splooty blompers”
- “I've been a Strat guy my whole life, but this instrument is going to give me options to expand my color palette”: Cory Wong teams up with Ernie Ball Music Man on a StingRay bass-inspired electric guitar – while still keeping ties with Fender
- “Modeling is just not fun. It doesn’t give you any sort of feeling. You gotta shake the pant legs and feel that air”: Dave Friedman, who’s built amps for Jerry Cantrell, Steve Stevens, and Chris Shiflett, is not ready to hop off the tube train
- “The highly anticipated Sterling version has arrived – now with a standard scale”: Sterling by Music Man serves up an affordable take on Tosin Abasi’s Kaizen, plus Rabea Massaad and Fluff signature guitars
- “Radiating timeless Fender charm and primed for today’s players”: Fender adds pizzazz to its Player II guitars with the Limited Edition Sparkle Series
- “We wanted to make Fender more affordable and to a wider amount of people”: Fender launches new $599 Standard Series lineup – and it marks a major shift for one of America’s most iconic guitar brands
- “A groundbreaking hybrid guitar that redefines versatility and performance”: EVH brings Wolfgang Van Halen’s cutting-edge signature to a more affordable price point with the SA-126 Standard
- “By no means is the instrument a one-trick pony”: Harley Benton doubles down on the Fender Tom DeLonge Strat, with this Blink-style dual humbucker build
- “Offering modern metalheads a sleek new take on a classic machine”: At long last, Jackson has revived its offset Surfcaster for a new generation of heavy players – and it’s surprisingly affordable
- “A versatile spectrum of acoustic and electric tones in a single creative tool”: Fender reveals its most affordable Acoustasonic builds yet – in the form of the $599 Standard
- “The secret weapon that defined the sound of 1980s arena rock”: MXR officially revives the Rockman – the revolutionary headphone amp used by Joe Satriani, Phil Collen and Boston
- “Testament to the legacy of a genius”: Jeff Beck's guitar collection has sold for an astounding $10.7 million at auction – complete with a record-breaking Les Paul sale
- “The iconic sound that defined so many 90s rock bands, at bedroom levels”: Marshall reimagines the JCM900 as the Studio 900 – condensing its gain and growl into a portable, practice-friendly head and combo
- “Modified connects us with a long-standing tradition of modifying Marshall amps that dates back to the 1970s”: Marshall unveils factory modded takes on the 1959 Plexi and JCM800 – tipping its cap to the amp wizards of rock’s golden era
- “These pedals deliver the rich, dynamic sound and performance you expect from Marshall”: Marshall makes a surprise play for the amp-in-a-box market, bringing authorized takes on Plexi, DSL and JCM amp tones to your pedalboard for the first time
- January 22
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- "The tone these amps produce is classic Orange": Orange Baby 100 Series review
- NAMM 2025 live! The biggest guitar news as it happened
- “His thumbprint is an indelible part of the Whitesnake record he did. The fatness of that record and the rock integrity it had was all him”: Steve Vai followed John Sykes in Whitesnake – and he quickly decided what not to do when playing his parts
- “Venus isn’t just about filling a gap. It’s about creating instruments that make women feel seen”: Venus Guitars is a new company aimed at empowering women in the guitar scene – and its first guitars offer smart features that any player will appreciate
- “I’m not playing the Eagles, so this is probably not the guitar for that. But it’s perfect for me”: Tetrarch’s Diamond Rowe went against conventions to create her Jackson signature model, and it all comes back to being a guitarist with a presence
- “I heard the chorus... Then we took it into the studio. I'll never forget it – for me, it was like I wasn't playing the song”: Veteran bassist Nathan East on recording one of Eric Clapton's most personal – and well-loved – songs
- “The McLaughlin Strat was stolen after Beck absentmindedly left it in an open-top hot rod”: The highlights of the Jeff Beck guitar auction – from the story of Seymour Duncan’s Tele-Gib hybrid to his legendary Oxblood Gibson Les Paul
- January 21
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- “His rhythm playing is tight and in tune in a way that’s rare, and his intonation is stunning”: Joe Satriani and Steve Vai have detailed the full SatchVai Band lineup – and Pete Thorn is handling rhythm guitar
- “The first of its kind”: The AmpRx Brownie can tweak your amp’s voltage for maximum tone – and it could be your key to finally unlocking Eddie Van Halen’s coveted ‘Brown Sound’
- “Friends texted me saying, ‘I wish Taylor Swift would dance to my music.’ I’m like, ‘Put a good song out and she actually might!’” Justin Hawkins on the Darkness going viral, the return of virtuosic playing – and why he finally switched from Les Pauls
- Best Neural DSP plugins: 10 Neural plugins tested with sound samples
- “50 years is a great achievement for ESP, but our sights are set on what’s coming next”: ESP goes all-in on single-pickup builds for 2025 – is the neck humbucker becoming a thing of the past for metal guitars?
- “Joe handpicked each amp and dialed in his favorite settings”: IK Multimedia launches Joe Satriani signature TONEX One loaded with presets designed by the guitar great – and yes, it’s chrome
- “Lightweight, portable, and incredibly powerful”: Orange launches “studio-grade and gig-ready” Baby Range – three affordable, compact heads that downsize classic Orange tones (and introduce some new ones, too)
- “Dime was taken from us too soon, and I’ve yet to see that next ‘it’ guitar guy. I’m sure there are some out there, but none that stormed the scene like Dime did”: Star players from Kerry King to Chad Kroeger on what made Dimebag Darrell a true original
- “Watching the destruction and its impact has been heartbreaking – I want to raise as much as possible”: Spiritbox’s Mike Stringer to raffle off his gear in support of L.A. wildfires relief
- “When I was a teenager, I had a dream about a guitar with a dragon inlaid down the neck. That dream has since become an important part of our history”: How Paul Reed Smith created the ultimate Dragon for PRS Guitars’ 40th Anniversary
- “Blends style and performance, and modern features with classic appeal”: Sterling by Music Man brings six high-end builds to affordable price ranges – covering guitars and basses
- “His work with Tygers of Pan Tang was by far my favorite of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal”: Tributes pour in for Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, Tygers of Pan Tang guitarist John Sykes
- “Creamy fat tones and complex sound architecture”: Magneto takes its Sonnet six-string to new heights and launches its first-ever bass
- “I got this guitar when I was 17 years old. In 2003 it was stolen from my house. I thought it was gone forever”: Deryck Whibley recovers long-lost Gibson guitar – just in time for Sum 41's final tour
- “A pint-sized powerhouse that’s built for performance”: Nobels stuffs three chorus flavors into its tiny new pedal, the CHO-mini
- January 20
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- “Always one of my favorite guitarists – what a loss”: John Sykes, Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, Tygers of Pan Tang guitarist, dies at 65
- “Designed for musicians and collectors alike, they promise something truly extraordinary“: Martin dazzles with its 3 millionth masterpiece – and a Standard Series double-neck that’s been 100 years in the making
- “Whenever I’d see him play live it was an off-the-rack Strat. He was never one to say, ‘I’ve got to play that’”: Joe Perry says he was planning to take Jeff Beck’s Strat on tour with Aerosmith – but its owner was the only special thing about it
- “Unlock the true sonic potential of amplifiers without worrying about the volume”: Celestion’s ear-saving Peacekeeper speaker lets you dial in the “sweet spot” of a driven amp at modest volumes
- “Gary was one of the greatest ever guitarists and deserves to be honored in his home city”: Plans are in place for a Gary Moore statue to be erected in Belfast
- “The recent wildfires have deeply impacted our artists and friends in Los Angeles”: Gibson has pledged an initial $250,000 to L.A. wildfires relief
- “The first thing I said to Jordan Rudess was, ’You’ve got a pretty sick guitar player in your band. What are you asking me for?’” How Spiro Dussias became shred’s next great hope – and ended up giving Dream Theater guitar lessons
- “A new take on a classic”: Marshall teases the release of a modded JCM, as a new era for the legendary amp brand beckons
- “I have a fingerprint of the way I play – a mix of Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Gary Moore – but I’m constantly evolving”: Orianthi on why she loves old gear – and recording her new Band of Gypsys-inspired supergroup with Jimi Hendrix’s producer
- “I was wrestling with whether I was going to keep doing music… and then I got the call from Robert Plant and Alison Krauss”: JD McPherson nearly abandoned his surf noir opus. But playing Zeppelin with Plant and Marc Ribot gave him a shot in the arm
- “Good weight, versatile sounds and a far from ‘shredder’ neck… It’s a very credible, classy instrument”: Jet Guitars JS-45 Elite review
- January 19
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- “I rediscovered the glorious bottom-end of the Fender… I feel far more fluid playing the Jazz Bass than I ever did on the Rickenbacker”: Geddy Lee went on a tonal quest and broke all the bass rules to make Rush sound huge
- “I only used the back pickup. Ozzy hates the sound of the front pickup. He calls it the ‘cow tone’”: Bursting with ideas but deferential to Ozzy Osbourne, a young Zakk Wylde had interesting guitar instructions upon joining the legendary frontman's band
- “A less idiosyncratic, more intuitive but still distinctly handsome machine. It plays and feels like a much more modern proposition”: Gretsch Professional Series Hollow Body Tennessean review
- January 18
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- “When I got into Miles Davis' band, playing like my idols – Jaco, Stanley and Larry Graham – wasn't going to work. I had to dig and find something else”: How Marcus Miller found his voice – and became one of the most-imitated bassists in the biz
- “Cliff always wanted to play more than he should have, but we didn’t try to control him – we couldn’t”: How Cliff Burton’s bass masterpiece earned its place in the pantheon of great rock solos
- January 17
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- March 2025 Guitar World lesson videos and more
- “The best guitar that ever happened in guitar history”: ESP has dropped a new LTD signature guitar for Richard ZK – and it’s got the Rammstein riffer rather excited
- "Throw your Cantrell staples at the Dirt, and you’re rewarded with authenticity": Funny Little Boxes Dirt pedal review
- “It’s unique, fast, accurate, and extreme. This is a huge update”: Cort and Hedras continue to elevate their progressive electric design with new Mutility II – and it’s got more tones than ever before
- “It was very simplistic compared to my later compositions”: It may have been inspired by the Kinks, but Al Di Meola's Race with Devil on Spanish Highway is one of the great virtuoso displays in guitar history. Watch the maestro play it with Steve Vai
- “I don't think I want to go on tour anymore. I hate to say that”: Sammy Hagar reveals his touring days are over
- “There was unfinished business. I was hoping to have the opportunity to reclaim my name someday”: Revered luthier Dennis Fano is now leading both Fano and Novo – as his two boutique companies merge
- Everyone from Metallica to jazz pros have made use of the ominous sound of the Locrian mode – here's how it could shake up your guitar playing
- Guitars signed by Paul McCartney, Slash, Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Olivia Rodrigo and many more to be auctioned off in support of leading music charity
- “Our goal was simple: build a guitar too good to be true”: Designing new solidbody electrics is one of the biggest challenges in guitar building – but Eastman has made it look easy yet again with the FullerTone
- “The next step in cable technology”: Ibanez and JTC claim to have created the world’s most advanced guitar cable – but what makes it so special?
- “This is on a level of Live Aid, mid-'80s”: John Mayer and Dave Matthews to perform as a duo for the first time at L.A. FireAid benefit concert, alongside Red Hot Chili Peppers, Joni Mitchell and Green Day
- “A highly specialized design built to Mick’s exact specifications”: Mick Thomson’s long-awaited ESP signature guitar is finally here – but it’s not what we expected
- “The goal was to shake up B.B. King’s music and make it chart-friendly”: B.B. King had his breakthrough blues guitar moment with The Thrill Is Gone – but it was Jerry Jemmott’s bass that made it groove
- “Tina Turner signed it with a flick knife after he recorded for her in London. Then they all went out to dinner”: What the auction of Jeff Beck’s best-loved electrics tells us about the late guitar icon
- “I never get to discuss guitar in most interviews!” Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos reveals his obscure vintage gear obsessions, how Peter Green was a huge influence on his playing, and why the thrill of guitar is undeniable
- “I had to have a spare liver and pancreas on ice… Then I missed my flight, and that’s when the comedy really began”: Zakk Wylde tells the story behind his infamous Guitar World cover with Dimebag Darrell
- “Walrus has gone well beyond the typical Klon-style proposition”: Walrus Audio Voyager Preamp/Overdrive MKII review
- January 16
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- “This monumental collaboration signals a new chapter in Bad Cat’s commitment to exceptional tone”: Bad Cat marks the return of amp design guru Mark Sampson with the Era 30
- NAMM 2025: Boss has launched a range of guitar cables inspired by its classic pedals
- “Exceptional sound and feel, at an entry-level price”: Kepma disrupts the budget acoustic game with torrefied solid-topped models starting at $249
- “Yellow Fall became one of the best-selling pedals in Donner’s history”: Donner has given its Jack White-approved delay pedal an upgrade… and it’s got an awfully familiar new look
- Grab yourself a guitar like no other with huge 20% discounts on these web-exclusive Squier guitars
- “I’m thrilled to give people access to so many abstract sounds that inspire me”: Yvette Young has been secretly working on her dream signature pedal for the past year-and-a-half – the Walrus Audio Qi Etherealizer is the otherworldly result
- “The way we think about guitar and what the instrument is supposed to do has changed”: Justin Hawkins explains why technically complex bands like Sleep Token and Polyphia are generating mass appeal
- “I got a knock on my door. When I opened it, I couldn’t believe my eyes – it was a Gibson. I was overwhelmed and cried for hours”: How Aryan King escaped the war in Ukraine to find a new home in Nashville – and rekindle his love affair with Gibson guitars
- “That’s my little secret weapon... Old Blue”: Pantera’s Rex Brown has teamed up with Morley on a recreation of the wah pedal so good Dimebag used to borrow it
- “Capture the essence of your favorite gear without owning the hardware”: Mooer raises the stakes, and guns for TONEX and Neural DSP with an AI-equipped modeler that can profile your own gear – and grant you access to other players’ rigs
- You can now comment directly on Guitar World articles
- “After witnessing the terrible destruction caused by the Los Angeles fires, it seems like the wrong time for a party”: DiMarzio pulls out of NAMM 2025 in response to L.A. wildfires
- “Someone once said to me, ‘Why do you make solo records?’ And it’s like, ‘So I can play solos!’” Myles Kennedy on the blues-rock hero who shaped the way he plays, why he’s an accidental frontman, and what the power of the riff made him do
- “Harness the complete output of a tube amp”: Boss takes on Universal Audio and Two Notes with the Waza Tube Amp Expander Core – and it might be the recording tool you’ve been waiting for
- “Infinite sonic possibilities”: The Boss VG-800 aims to make your guitar sound like any other electric or acoustic on the planet – plus sitar, banjo and synth
- January 15
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- “We believe it is not the right time to gather for an event of this nature when so many are facing hardship”: Boutique guitar brand pulls out of NAMM 2025 in the face of L.A. wildfires
- “You heard a lot of musicians, but nobody played guitar like him”: In 1965, Jimi Hendrix appeared on TV backing an obscure soul duo – and you can already feel his brilliance
- “We’re setting a new standard in boutique guitars”: Iconic Guitars forms a partnership to watch as it recruits former Fender Master Builder John Cruz
- "I remember coming to the studio and the producer just had his head in his hands and he was like, ‘Oh no, no, no!’" Why Matt Heafy had to delete and re-record all the guitar parts on a Trivium classic
- “We do not want to spend our anniversary only looking back”: PRS looks to the future with new pickups, expanded Private Stock-grade specs – and two new Core models inspired by pre-factory builds
- “We get past our second show and I get an email from Robert. At the end, he said, ‘Can I make a suggestion?’” How Robert Fripp helped Steve Vai tailor his King Crimson playing on the BEAT tour with one piece of advice
- “A new layer of expressiveness”: Meet the Verso Sine – a futuristic electric with freely movable pickups that looks to redefine how you interact with your guitar
- “As a Southern California guitar-maker for over 75 years, we are struggling to process what our diverse and deep-rooted music scene has lost”: Fender launches initiative to replace instruments and gear destroyed by L.A. wildfires
- “DIY shell stickers included”: Behringer be warned – Donner’s $29 Embark series is changing the ultra-cheap pedal game with metal enclosures and customizable designs
- “My phone rang – Nuno told me to get to Sao Paulo right away. I arrived 30 minutes before guesting on Get the Funk Out”: Mateus Asato on landing the Bruno Mars gig, playing with his heroes and how his pink Suhr went from reject to best-selling signature
- “I thought that it was a crime that these songs were sitting there on the shelf”: In the 1970s, Hayley Williams’ grandfather made an album that nobody heard. Now it’s finally being released through her Paramore bandmate’s label
- “All the labels said, ‘You’re dated.’ If we weren’t doing so well, it would have been crushing, but we were playing to sold-out crowds”: How forgotten ’80s heroes Zebra earned their stripes as the people’s power-trio
- “What ran the risk of being a toy-like guitar actually proved to be some serious fun”: Lava ME Air review
- “The tone fattens up as the amp is pushed into overdrive, and fully cranked up it pumps out deliciously gritty crunch”: In praise of the Champ, Bronco and Vibro Champ – how Fender’s compact tube amps became MVPs in the studio
- “The ultimate authentic tone and feel of a real amp”: IK Multimedia continues its takeover of the amp modeler market with the TONEX Cab – a flagship FRFR unlike any other
- January 14
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- “One of the premier events during the NAMM Show”: Jennifer Batten, Samantha Fish, Lindsey Stirling, and more to feature at 2025 She Rocks Awards
- “Maybe Aerosmith will do something in the future, but it’s a big ‘if’ – the last thing I want to be doing is to try and push Steven in that direction”: Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton gives update on frontman Steven Tyler’s health
- “We’re going back, but we’re going back for one reason only”: Fender CEO Andy Mooney explains why the firm’s return to NAMM 2025 won’t be business as usual
- “A new tool to perfect your practicing techniques”: Walrus Audio just created an entirely new type of pedal that’s aimed at improving your playing, not your tone
- “When I joined, Ozzy told me I'd often hear people scream out Randy's name during a show”: Zakk Wylde discusses Ozzy Osbourne's hard-and-fast guitar rules, and the friendly shadows of Randy Rhoads and Jake E. Lee, in his first Guitar World interview
- “People might look and think I’m just this TikTok personality. They don’t know that I’ve been playing since 2010”: Kiki Wong recalls her early guitar career – and the “crazy” bootleg tours with three people sleeping in the back of a truck
- “A cleaner, meaner, better Rectifier. There’s no denying it”: Mesa/Boogie resurrects a ’90s icon with its reissued Dual Rectifier – and the holy grail amp head has been given some upgrades
- “Things are changing very quickly, but at this time, we have decided to go forward with the show”: Sophie Lloyd confirms her debut U.S. show at Los Angeles' iconic Whisky a Go Go will go ahead
- “It’s been an incredibly intense year – even my closest friends didn’t know what we were doing. I can’t believe we were able to keep it a secret”: Brad Delson on Linkin Park’s miraculous comeback, why he quit touring, and how he trained his replacement
- “The amp’s fast, punchy response immediately inspired me to butcher all the Dime riffs I know, and I had an absolute blast”: We’ve played the Dimebag Warhead amp – and it is 100% crushing
- “Presets based on some of the world’s most iconic guitar amps”: Vintage squares up to Positive Grid and Boss with its Retro desktop modeling amp range – which starts at less than $150
- “This cutaway format is a real winner. What’s even more remarkable is that the Studio version is every bit a champ”: Gibson Acoustic Hummingbird Studio EC and Hummingbird Standard Rosewood EC review
- “He showed me the Rickenbacker he used with the Beatles at Shea Stadium. It still had the song list taped to the side”: Released weeks before his murder, John Lennon’s final album paired him with some of the era’s finest session guitarists
- January 13
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- “The loss overall is awful and unspeakable”: Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith and Primus guitarist Larry ‘Ler’ LaLonde among thousands who have lost homes in L.A. wildfires
- “The guitar that killed folk”: Mike Bloomfield’s butchered Fender Telecaster – which was used during Bob Dylan’s infamous 1965 Newport Folk Festival performance – is up for sale
- “Eruption was my phone alarm for a while – we have a love-hate relationship because it woke me up every morning”: Sophie Lloyd names 10 guitarists who shaped her sound
- “This fiddle is Really Dope”: Cesar Gueikian all-but-confirms the return of the cult Gibson RD – an unsung build beloved by Dave Grohl and Ghost
- “These are the changes Martin enthusiasts have been asking for”: Martin overhauls its Standard Series for the first time in 7 years in response to player demands
- TrueFire launches its free 10-week guitar Boot Camp today – and you don’t even need to provide credit card details to sign up
- “Los Angeles musicians and artists, we’re with you, and we’re here to help”: Guitar Center launches initiative to replace music gear destroyed by L.A. wildfires
- “The asking price represents a sizable outlay, but it’s justified by the sheer range of quality effects”: Fractal Audio VP4 review
- “Deserves status as one of rock ’n’ roll’s most iconic electric guitars solely from its association with three of the four Beatles”: From the Beatles to the Stones, Johnny Marr and Radiohead, why everyone loves the Epiphone Casino
- “Loads of guitarists could knock spots off Neil Young, but he’s aware of his limitations and hasn’t spent his energy perfecting his technique. I’ve carried that forward”: Meet Steve Logan, the singer-songwriter putting a distinctly Welsh spin on Americana
- January 12
- January 11
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- “One of the best compact wireless systems you can buy”: Xvive A58 Guitar Wireless System review
- “I was playing a lot of jazz when we did Longview. I’d sit in at jazz clubs and read off the Real Book”: If you think Mike Dirnt is another clueless punk, think again
- “It’s important to know where your guitar lives and find sonically where you want to be. There are some tricks on the guitar that will get you there in a hurry”: Joe Bonamassa shows you how to get more tones from your Gibson Les Paul
- “Jim Morrison was carried out. Jimi Hendrix was there. We were all getting drunk”: Ritchie Blackmore recalls the first time he saw two-hand tapping – at a wild show in 1968
- January 10
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- “Will shape guitar history”: Breedlove turns to an unsung tonewood for two new special edition acoustics that promise “unparalleled tonal qualities”
- “I was playing with the Scorpions, and I broke a string and had a solo coming up. My brother and I swapped guitars really quickly”: Michael Schenker talks Vs, his early flirtations with offsets, and how he joined one of hard rock's biggest juggernauts
- “I knew in my heart there was no way I would say no, but I had butterflies. It would be the first time I ever did something outside of Aerosmith”: That time Tom Hamilton ended up playing bass for Thin Lizzy
- “Ohio supports their own, Alaskans have expensive taste”: Reverb reveals the most popular effects pedals in each US state – and a quarter of the country favors one brand in particular
- “After having been involved with Chapman for some time I realized we had a shared vision”: Chapman Guitars brings major industry player onboard as part of company restructure – and teases first-ever amp
- "Grants you access to serious guitar tones, crystal-clear vocals, and bags of volume, all in a lightweight, portable package": Positive Grid Spark Edge review
- “Give it some time and you’ll find a guitar sound you have never heard before. We need pedals like this”: Walrus Audio Mako M1 MKII High-Fidelity Modulation Machine review
- “You might want to play on the cleaner side of the tracks, but try cranking it up a little – it damn-near takes off”: Why Gibson’s B.B. King ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ 1974 ES-355 is a technical knockout
- “Inspired by the popular Iron Label series”: Ibanez takes a leaf out of its heavy electric playbook to produce its most ‘metal’ acoustics yet
- “Hidden in a closet for decades”: Mike Bloomfield’s missing custom-painted ’66 Fender Telecaster – which was lost in 1974 – is going up for sale
- “We are closely monitoring the wildfires in Los Angeles”: NAMM CEO issues statement on 2025 event following L.A. wildfires
- “Unprecedented performance and affordability”: Ibanez launches the $550 AZ Standard – a wake-up call for big brands in the mid-priced guitar market
- “In that last year of his life, I said to him one night, ‘Les, I don't know, but I swear, you're playing better than you were last year’”: Tommy Emmanuel recalls his final moments with guitar legend Les Paul
- “My job was to add feel and groove to Brian’s written bass parts. I tried to keep it cooking for him”: Carol Kaye on how she made Pet Sounds with the Beach Boys – and why good basslines don't come from scales
- “Sonic wizardry at its finest”: Electro-Harmonix POG3 review
- “Stevie would fill out the sound by combining bluesy licks with chords and rhythmic playing”: How to blend rhythm and lead blues guitar like John Mayer and Stevie Ray Vaughan
- January 9
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- “I knew this day would come eventually but just not today”: Joe Bonamassa’s Nerdville West – one of the world’s largest collections of vintage guitar gear – is under threat from LA wildfires
- “Imagine performing a Green Day song to Billie Joe Armstrong”: Guitarist plays Green Day classic at Liverpool's Cavern Club – only to discover Billie Joe Armstrong was filming his set
- “This epic is Page’s crowning achievement in guitar orchestration”: Led Zeppelin's 50 greatest songs
- “We’re going to release an end-all-be-all amplifier with his name on it”: Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and Metallica are among the rock royalty who used José Arredondo’s legendary amps. Now Dave Friedman is honoring his legacy with a definitive model
- “Paul Simon told me what key the song was in, turned off the vocal track and counted me in”: He’s been sampled by Kanye West, and played with Paul Simon, The Black Keys and Tame Impala – yet Delicate Steve is still the best-kept secret in indie guitar
- “Dad's gift to the world was music. I'm so happy to come together with some very special friends to honor the beauty of his life”: Dickey Betts' legacy to be celebrated in star-studded tribute concert
- “It’s a modern clean machine, but there are plenty of twists to create a clear and powerful rock machine. A unique and frankly inspiring instrument”: Cream T Astra Custom ‘Decades’ review
- “He only really ever played Free Bird on that guitar. I broke rank”: Charlie Starr on the spiritual moment he played Gary Rossington’s famed ‘Free Bird’ 1961 Gibson SG
- “Your picking hand is where you control your tone. It’s surprising to me that so few people really talk about it”: Sue Foley explains why your picking hand is the key to great guitar tone
- “There’s an unpredictability that I really appreciate with him. He doesn’t think like other guitar players”: Myles Kennedy reveals what he learned as a guitar player from working with Slash and Mark Tremonti
- “Using these wider voicings creates an interesting and warm-sounding rhythm pattern that’s also fun to solo over”: How inverted boogie riffing can shake up your blues
- January 8
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- "This could well be Harley Benton's most impressive electric guitar platform yet when it comes to value": Harley Benton ST-Modern HSS review
- “You've been an inspiration for so many, and will continue to be for centuries to come”: Peter Yarrow, guitarist, singer for Peter, Paul & Mary, and co-writer of Puff the Magic Dragon, dies at 86
- “An original icon built by the same artisans who built them 30 years ago”: Mesa/Boogie is reviving the Dual Rectifier – the hallowed amp head that defined the sound of 1990s high gain music
- “I need to play. Once a week I go to Ged’s – it’s in the calendar”: Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee are recording their regular jam sessions – but remain tight-lipped about what they’re using them for
- “The sound of a thousand hits”: The Rockman amp shaped the sound of 1980s rock – now MXR is bringing it back in a new pedal form
- Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour and Slash all love Aeolian – the minor mode that rules over them all. Here’s what makes this scale work
- “I got to go backstage at the Whisky, and Joe Bonamassa knew who I was! I immediately took a picture and texted it to my dad”: Sophie Lloyd on the time she met Joe Bonamassa – her childhood guitar hero
- “I’ve seen firsthand how technology and innovation have reshaped the six-string landscape”: 5 reasons why new guitar players have never had it so good
- “The Uni-Vibe was an excellent alternative to a Leslie and became a mainstay for Jimi Hendrix”: Everything you need to know about modulation, from Leslie emulators and chorus pedals to bucket-brigade chips and phasers
- “I get a call, ‘Hello, Andy, it’s Roger Waters.’ Who? I hadn’t paid attention to their names”: Andy Fairweather Low was personally recruited by the Pink Floyd legend – but didn’t know who he was when he came calling
- “For me, it’s not how many are watching, it’s who is watching – Tosin engaging made me feel like I was doing something right”: Dante Swan is blurring the lines between djent and trap music – and he wants you to steal his riffs
- “I’m always envisioning the phrases I play as being like vocal parts”: Jared James Nichols shows you how to make your solos “sing”
- January 7
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- “A portable companion for authentic tone without compromise”: Has HeadRush changed the future of amp modeler rigs with a tiny $149 FRFR cab?
- “For me to be so appreciated, I think I can start to feel guilty and pressured. But I guess it’s a good problem to have”: From playing Steve Vai's guitars to playing with him onstage, Tosin Abasi's rapid ascent made him one of the biggest names in guitar
- “Ed Norton was telling me stories about how to keep props. I was like, ‘I’m not stealing this guitar!’” Monica Barbaro played Joan Baez alongside Timothée Chalamet’s Bob Dylan – and her co-star encouraged her to take the 1929 Martin she used onscreen
- “I bumped into Eric in a club and I thought we were going to get into a fight! But he went, ‘Hello, man!’ and gave me a big hug”: Jeff Beck took the Yardbirds in a new direction, but the constant Eric Clapton comparisons took years to shake
- “I want to convey our heartfelt regret”: Angus and Malcolm Young’s childhood home has been demolished – despite being on the National Trust Register of Historic Houses
- “I’ve jammed with him at Kirk’s place. I’ve spent a night at his house and we’ve ended up with guitars in the kitchen”: Jerry Cantrell and James Hetfield have talked about making an album together
- “We knew listeners usually wanted a memorable song rather than an insane guitar solo or riff, but we wanted to be extreme”: Jason Becker and Marty Friedman on their wild ride making Cacophony’s Go Off! – one of the Eighties’ most in-your-face shred albums
- “Plentiful bass, well-rounded trebles, bags of toneful volume… there’s really not much more you could ask for”: Atkin Dust Bowl 0012S and 00014 review
- Confused about altered and extended guitar chords? Here’s the theory behind them – and how they can supercharge your songwriting
- “Like Gretsch’s Duo Jet, it was surely spurred by Gibson’s success with the Les Paul”: The mysterious history of the Guild M-75 Aristocrat, the blue-blooded hollowbody played by John Lee Hooker, John Mayer, St. Vincent and Dan Auerbach
- January 6
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- “I had a long vamp out and I played an extra few notes. David smiled and said, ‘Tony, in Pink Floyd you don’t do that extra couple notes until far later’”: Tony Levin on playing for Pink Floyd in the post-Roger Waters era
- “The digital recreation of a legend”: Hughes & Kettner finally brings back its Puretone amp by popular demand... as a plugin
- “No Strat? Not too clever”: A Rory Gallagher statue has finally been unveiled in Belfast – but some fans aren’t too happy with it
- “The missing piece of your pedalboard puzzle”: Keeley takes on the Walrus Fundamental and JHS 3 Series with new range of $99 Sweetwater exclusives
- “Before studying his playing, I was doing a lot of ‘Look how fast I can play!’ There wasn’t that much feel behind my music”: Sophie Lloyd names the guitarist who overhauled her perspective on what makes a good solo
- “Top money buys forensically aged details and incredible craft, but you won’t necessarily hear £5k’s worth of difference in the sonic performance”: How close are Gibson's ’59 Burst replicas and their boutique rivals?
- “One of Supro’s finest combo offerings thus far”: Supro Black Magick Reverb TB review
- “Chris Shiflett has this great AC30 from the ’60s – that’s the main amp on the album. That and a Princeton Reverb – until I blew it up”: How one-man blues-rock band Steve Hill cheated death – then found redemption at Foo Fighters’ Studio 606
- “I built him a guitar. It will always remain one of my most cherished life memories”: Jimmy Carter planted trees and personally harvested the wood that was later used to create his custom acoustic
- “This is a guy who worked for Frank Zappa. Frank said to him, ‘Whatever you do, don’t learn how to read music.’ He's all-creative – he's a miracle, really”: Steve Vai on BEAT, being a virtuoso in his 60s – and the Fripp riff he just couldn’t master
- “Greeny is getting a bit jealous!” Kirk Hammett sent Jack White his signature Gibson Les Paul – and received the White Stripes legend’s wild Fender Triplecaster in return
- “I just did Victoria’s Secret and I used the Crush. People were like, ‘Your tone was really great.’ ‘Yeah, it was the Crush!’” Orianthi used a $219 Orange practice amp to play in front of millions on live TV
- “You fix it so it won’t break again, then you pound on it some more. Every amp gets the living daylights hammered out of it”: Randall Smith on the origins of his ‘hammer test’ that makes Mesa/Boogies bulletproof
- January 5
- January 4
- January 3
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- “A genius in his ability to write music”: Wayne Osmond, guitarist and singer of The Osmonds, dies aged 73
- “Allow you to focus on your technique rather than trying to hold onto the pick”: Bog Street Picks review
- “I remember Bruce calling me and asking me for my permission to switch to Telecaster”: Stevie Van Zandt on why the Strat became his go-to guitar for decades – after passing the Tele baton to Bruce Springsteen
- “He’s not used to not being the focus of the show. I’d say, ‘When Steve’s soloing, don’t throw your guitar up in the air right next to him’”: Joe Satriani on the unique challenges of having Yngwie Malmsteen on the G3 tour
- “I don’t care if all guitar internet hates me. I cannot wait for this pendulum to swing back. Mark my words, it will”: Why Rhett Shull thinks amp modelers will fall out of favor in the future
- "I'm not a big amp plugin user beyond recording – but my time with these three changed my playing habits": Universal Audio UAD Dream '65 Reverb, Ruby '63 Top Boost and Lion '68 Super Lead Amplifier plugins review
- “When people said I probably wouldn't be able to play again, I wasn't going to listen to that”: Scottish guitarist relearns how to play guitar with one arm after severe stroke
- “There are two big myths about Harley Benton, and one in particular that I'm really sick of”: YouTuber sets the record straight on Harley Benton guitars – and debunks the main misconceptions about the budget-friendly brand
- “Roxy insisted I have a white Strat – I bought that guitar off Brian Eno, who bought it off his milkman for 30 quid!” Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera on how he found his bargain Firebird and why he has no regrets about rendering a ’51 Tele “valueless”
- “The days of flagship guitars sporting ostentatious tech are long gone”: Why today’s guitars are performing better than ever – not that you’d notice from looking at them
- “The four-chord pattern riff is unoriginal but the dynamic contrasts add to the potency of one of the best guitar riffs of the ’90s”: Nirvana track named the best guitar riff of all time by surprising new study – which leaves out some huge hits
- “I discovered open tunings on the electric because of The Rolling Stones and Keith Richards. It opened up a whole new palette”: Meet Julian Taylor, the Canadian musical encyclopedia who plays a custom Tele called the ‘Barncaster’
- January 2
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- “I said, ‘Hey, Carlos, would you plug into this?’ ‘That’s a Fender. I don’t want to plug into that.’ I said, ‘But I boosted it’”: How did Mesa get its iconic Boogie name? Founder Randall Smith explains
- “If you look at the leads he was doing and when he was doing ’em, he innovated a lot of that stuff”: Slayer's Kerry King reveals who he thinks is the most “overlooked” guitarist in metal
- “Lefties, thank a rightie today”: John Mayer on why right-handed guitar players were responsible for the eventual creation of the left-handed SE Silver Sky
- “Could you play it? Sure. Is this guitar worth the $1,500 I paid for it? No way”: YouTuber buys Trump guitar – and is surprised by what he finds
- “Pop culture is inspiring Britons of all ages to rediscover the joy of music”: New study names the electric guitar as the UK’s most popular instrument of 2024 – and it’s because of a Netflix show from 2 years ago
- It's one of Joe Satriani and Steve Vai's favorite scales, and holds the most mysterious-sounding note combinations – here's how the Lydian mode works
- “I think my father would have loved this song”: Gary Moore's son pays homage Thin Lizzy's dual guitar sound on his debut solo single
- “The top-selling artist acoustics were Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and my guitar, which is insane”: How Orianthi shook up the industry with her signature gear, what she learned from Santana and Joe Bonamassa, and why she’s returning to Alice Cooper’s band
- “Vintage Gretsches can be hit and miss. A former Gretsch employee told me they would go out and have five-Martini lunches and then try to put guitars together in the afternoon”: When Gretsch took on Gibson with the 6130 Round-Up and 6121
- “Samsung wanted to buy my Les Paul. I didn’t want to sell it, so I threw out a stupid price and they said yes. I wish I hadn’t”: Billy Morrison tells the tale of two Les Pauls – one the bargain of the century, the other the one that got away
- “The tonal character and responsiveness of all four pedals is indeed quite tubular”: Vox Valvenergy Fuel Injector, Tone Sculptor, Power Burst and Smooth Impact review
- January 1
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- "People said I was just jerking off on guitar. There was a point when I thought, ‘Oh, God, they’re right’”: Chris Impellitteri is one of the fastest guitarists of all time – but he realized there was more to life than shredding
- “Bach was one of the only guys who really understood the range of the bass. All his cello pieces are right in the 5-string bass range”: John Myung plays for one of rock’s most ambitious bands, and he’s tackling the challenge with extraordinary discipline
- “He redirected the future of blues guitar from his very first release, and his influence continues to inspire new generations of aspiring players”: Joe Bonamassa pays tribute to the late, great Stevie Ray Vaughan
- “That top nut is probably the most common problem with any lower-end mass-produced guitar”: Having problems with your shiny new guitar? Try these fixes first
