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August 2025

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267 articles

August 31
- “The guitar head poked through the ceiling. When I brought it out, the top of the neck was left behind... They were laughing their heads off”: Pete Townshend's guitar-smashing became a controversial onstage ritual, but it started by accident
- “Never in a million years did I think that doing those once-a-month Friends sessions would turn into the highest-paying gig I've ever had”: Elton John bassist Matt Bissonnette looks back on one of his best gigs – playing on the Friends soundtrack
- “One of the most dangerous myths in guitar culture is that barre chords are ‘advanced’ while open chords are ‘beginner’”: Stop hiding behind barre chords – use smarter voicings that serve the song
August 30
- “Before toe, my guitar was always distorted. The concept was to make music with cleaner tones”: Guitarist behind influential Japanese post-rock outfit toe, Yama made his career with cheap guitars – and barely any pedals
- “I may have swiped that guitar from underneath him”: Jake Kiszka once came close to finding an equal for his famed Number One Gibson SG – but his Mirador bandmate ‘stole’ it from him
- “Watching Tony Iommi play Iron Man to demo his signature pickup in person was a borderline biblical experience”: All the new guitar gear that caught my eye this week – and is that a new Epiphone double-neck?
- “Unusual chord voicings and inversions, which would be impossible in regular tuning, can be played relatively easily”: How Jimmy Page used open C tuning to open up a whole new world of acoustic blues
August 29
- “The band is called Guitar – that’s the pitch. Why are you still standing here?” August 2025 Guitar World Editors' Picks
- “Icons reimagined”: Fender gives four Player II classics a stunning Shell Pink refresh – and this web-exclusive drop might be sweetest we’ve seen
- “Infused with contemporary upgrades while retaining classic Kramer DNA”: Can Kramer reclaim its place as world’s number one Superstrat brand? Enter the Pacer Deluxe Collection
- “My first concert that I attended as a young teen was Kansas. They were and remain my favorite band ever”: Kansas superfan becomes band’s new full-time guitarist – as Rich Williams scales back touring duties
- “I was just kind of saddened by it. It’s beyond my control”: Rubber bridge guitar pioneer Reuben Cox breaks his silence on the Orangewood Juniper 'copycat' controversy
- Guitar World deals of the week: Save $600 on a bonkers Music Man, get a gigantic $400 off a signature PRS, plus a free Universal Audio guitar plugin
- “I realized I might pass the audition, and then they sent the cops over, came and picked me up, and took me to jail”: How C. J. Ramone landed the role of Ramones bassist while he was in jail
- “Theory C: it’s a scoop knob... they built James’ parametric EQ into the amp”: Metallica spark a Mesa/Boogie mystery as unidentified amp spotted in 50th Anniversary message to ESP Guitars. Could this be a James Hetfield signature?
- “It was a foolish idea. I was heartbroken about my band breaking up… I gave it to a 12-year-old kid”: Why John Fogerty parted ways with the iconic guitar he used on CCR hits – and how he got it back
- “Cat Stevens asked me to play on his recordings… it never got to the point where I felt like I could add as much as I wanted”: Eric Johnson reflects on his early session career with Carole King and Christopher Cross – and getting fired by Donald Fagen
- “I don’t tune it like a normal guitar, and that’s gonna come and haunt me at one point in my life”: Dany Villarreal reveals the unconventional alternate tuning she used on The Warning’s latest album
- This year's best-ever Labor Day guitar deals include up to 60% off at Musician's Friend, 20% Fender savings and super cheap Spark amps – here’s 6 essential sales to shop right now
- “I was 18, strung out on meth and drinking every day. But I’d hear a song I loved by Slayer or Exodus, and it would save my life”: Robb Flynn set out to make Machine Head’s shortest record – but he hopes its four-minute songs will have a lasting impact
- "A solid player that looks a million dollars and doesn't sound too far off": Squier Classic Vibe Duo-Sonic HS review
- “All the shiny, pointy guitars were gone, and this one was still on the wall… something just drew me to it”: How Khruangbin made Fender history with signature models of the first guitars they ever bought
August 28
- “It might not be to all tastes, but its retro charm and sonic potential are compelling indeed”: Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster Bass review
- Our highest-rated online guitar lessons just dropped by 65% for Labor Day - up your game for only $10.47 per month
- Save up to 30% on gear you won't find anywhere else in the Guitar Center Labor Day sale, including $500 off a Gibson Les Paul
- “This is the way rock stars die, OxyContin”: Pete Townshend opens up about the health challenges he encountered and overcame before The Who's final bow
- Orianthi
- “I said, ‘Oh, when did you get Eric Clapton to play on that?’ He said, ‘He’s not playing on it. That’s me’”: Paul McCartney guitarist Robbie McIntosh on the time he mistook John Mayer’s guitar playing for Slowhand’s
- “Spinal Tap was getting ready for one of its shows. Paul McCartney was in another room rehearsing, and he happened to walk in one day”: Spinal Tap director Rob Reiner on the real-life encounter that inspired a scene in the highly anticipated sequel
- “Tony Iommi didn’t want a song by another guitarist on a Sabbath record. I never saw the money. But hearing Dio perform my song was unforgettable”: Jimi Bell may have lost out to Zakk Wylde in his Ozzy Osbourne audition, but he has no regrets
- “Your guitar playing was on point”: 10-year-old guitar prodigy backed by Kiko Loureiro nails Joan Jett classic during America’s Got Talent quarter final
- “The timeless Boss experience in one versatile pedal”: Boss crams 16 beloved effects into the convertible PX-1 Plugout FX – a multi-FX that looks like the one of the firm’s standard compact pedals
- “It suffered a broken headstock, was completely refinished, refretted and had P-90s replaced with humbuckers”: Untangling the history of Jeff Beck’s Oxblood Les Paul, the most expensive Gibson Les Paul ever sold at auction
- “Not a hair out of place... A faultless, well-tuned and well-voiced working guitar”: Manson MD-3 Mikey Demus review
August 27
- “These are weird niche instruments, but they are so inspiring”: Misha Mansoor has got another custom shop Jackson Surfcaster – and we could be creeping towards a potential signature run release
- “It’s like walking in to a Walmart to see Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads politely sharing Hendrix riffs”: Underrated guitar hero Danny Gatton to be honored with release of first new album in nearly 20 years
- “There was so much negative feeling from the record company, and our management was worried, we came back full force. There was a lot of passion and anger on that record”: Alex Lifeson on the story behind Rush's longest song
- "Somebody stole it from the hotel. Then Gibson made another one, and somebody stole that as well! I couldn't believe it": Tony Iommi on the time two of his prized early Gibson SGs went missing
- “I ended up getting three of them. I just fell in love with them”: Steve Vai on the affordable modeling amp that stole his heart
- November 2025 Guitar World lesson videos and more
- Fender is laying down the gauntlet to all other Labor Day guitar sales – save up to $200 off an American Pro II Strat or Tele, and so much more
- “I’d been playing guitar full-time for 25 years, and when I got to play on a Deep Purple album it was just one chord!” Meet Tommy Denander, the session guitar great who’s worked with everyone from Jeff Beck and Michael Jackson to Joe Perry and Ace Frehley
- “It is madness to keep people locked in poverty for the ego of one person”: Cradle of Filth members quit over alleged poor pay and “psychopathic” contract – and push back on release of Ed Sheeran collab
- “They say they are owed millions in lost royalties”: Sting sued by Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland over lost royalties from Police mega-hit
- “People say Eurythmics are a synth-pop duo, but a lot of those songs started with me playing electric guitar. Even Sweet Dreams is a blues song, really”: Eurythmics legend Dave Stewart on gigging folk clubs underage and drinking sake with Bob Dylan
- “Do modelers have a place? Yes. Are they going to put me out of business? I don’t think so”: Mike Zaite on the secret to the Dr Z sound, making custom amps for James Walsh’s shows at the Sphere and the enduring appeal of the tube amplifier
August 26
- “They were getting pretty hard to find!” Gibson has re-launched its first ever signature pickup – the Tony Iommi humbucker
- “It weaves together wild features into something that could’ve been a producer’s secret weapon in the early 1970s”: Acclaimed producer Adrian Younge’s new semi-fretless signature Fender is perhaps the craziest Jazz Bass the company's ever released
- “The big thing was the neck shape that Clapton wanted. We made about a dozen neck samples for him to play”: From Slowhand’s Strat to “tongue-in-cheek” relics, this is the hidden history of the Fender Custom Shop
- There's no need to wait for the weekend with up to 60% off gear in the Musician's Friend early Labor Day sale - save $500 on a Supro tube amp
- “I have enough songs that I could put a record out right now”: John Mayer reveals where things stand with his next album – and why he's not rushing the process
- Sweetwater jump on the Labor Day savings early by slashing a whopping $500 off an exotic Gibson Les Paul, $300 of Dave Grohl's signature Epiphone and so much more
- “He doesn’t want it to be a hang-on-the-wall trophy piece. He wants it to be played”: Eddie Vedder and Fender have designed a new custom Telecaster – and it’s a trophy for a baseball tournament
- “I was all over the place. But when I first heard Randy play, it was poetry in motion. I thought, ‘Wow, I’m onto a good thing here’”: Ozzy Osbourne couldn’t play guitar. Yet he changed the guitar world by introducing some of its greatest heroes
- “All that we accomplished after that first fistfight in the van 25 years ago. I didn’t think you’d be taken from us like this”: Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher issues first public statement following Brent Hinds' death
- “My guitar was slightly out. Steve Vai walked past and said, ‘Your low E was four cents flat.’ And he’d been in the green room!” Meet Derek Day, the swaggering virtuoso who went from busking on the streets to touring with his hero
August 25
- “Learned the solo the other day – it’s not perfect, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t fun to play”: Grace Bowers channels her inner shredder with a searing tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and Randy Rhoads
- “Brian asked me if I wanted to do a lead. I got excited and was ready to shred”: The Lost Beach Boy on the classic song he overdubbed on
- “A lot of the music stores didn’t want to touch used instruments back then. They would laugh at me and say, ‘You’re paying more for this old guitar than I am for this new guitar’”: Norman Harris on the nascent days of the vintage guitar market
- “We were brothers to the end. We really loved each other, and we made a lot of very beautiful music together”: Mastodon honor Brent Hinds onstage at their first live performance since the guitarist's death
- “To surprise me, they put my name on the headstock in gold lettering – but they spelled it wrong”: The Cars’ Elliot Easton on the Flying V that Tim Shaw built him – a “gorgeous” guitar (even if Gibson slipped up on his name)
- “Men love to come along to our shows and say, ‘They’re miming!’ but the sounds we make are all live”: Why Nova Twins love the challenge of playing everything live with pedals
- “It’s all about the patterns that smoothly and musically ‘walk’ you from one chord to the next”: Sue Foley shows you how to nail blues turnarounds
- “When you strip it down to the essentials, I believe it mostly comes down to the wood and the strings”: Why do some guitars sustain better than others? It’s complicated
- “Learning to play with a pick was like dancing with two left feet. I had to entirely relearn the bass”: Having played in the Pixies, Zwan, and A Perfect Circle, Paz Lenchantin knows a thing or two about the bass guitar and its role in rock
- “The thing is, Jake doesn't appreciate how spectacularly special that is”: When Chris Turpin started playing with Jake Kiszka, the Greta Van Fleet guitarist's live rig surprised him
- “He handed me that famous pink Strat. That riff is the first thing I played – it had that riff in it. I’m lucky to be the guy it came out for”: Mark Morton on his all-star solo album feat. Grace Bowers, Tyler Bryant and a perfect solo from Jason Isbell
August 24
- “We went to Waffle House and I saw a sugar packet. Those songs went from being the third Bob Mould solo album to being by a band called Sugar”: Bob Mould on Hüsker Dü's rise and fall, and what changed when he swapped his Ibanez Rocket Roll for a Strat
- “Originally retailed for around $250, they can now fetch up to 2,500 times that”: 1959 Gibson 'Burst Les Pauls sell for a king's ransom, and have been played and cherished by everyone from Jimmy Page to Billy Gibbons – but what exactly makes them special?
- “I said, ‘What about Keith Richards?’ I was just joking... He came with about 600 guitars in a semi-truck. And a butler”: How Tom Waits began a decades-long creative partnership with the Rolling Stones legend
- “His voice was staggering, but the bass playing had to be on a par with someone like Jack Bruce. And Phil wasn’t there yet”: How Phil Lynott narrowly missed the chance to form a supergroup alongside Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore
August 23
- “That’s one of the things that made us sound so heavy”: Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song, Kashmir, and The Song Remains the Same are wildly different classic rock staples, but one key element ties them all together, says John Paul Jones
- “Create wide-ranging, piano-style chord voicings that aren’t available in regular tuning”: Loved by Joni Mitchell and Keith Richards alike, essential to slide players, here’s how you can explore chords in open D
- “It seems the age of touchscreen guitar amps is advancing faster than I ever imagined”: All the new guitar gear that caught my eye this week – including the return of my favorite Fender offset
August 22
- "Classic Vibe value, Telecaster style, and Bigsby wobble, what's not to like?" Squier Classic Vibe Custom Telecaster SH with Bigsby review
- “I can tell you how to become a virtuoso very easily”: Steve Vai on how anybody can become an elite guitar player
- "A simple move up the neck can open up new voicings, textures, and moods you would never get from standard open chords": 5 creative ways to use a capo
- “Paul Reed Smith sent me two amazing guitars because I lost all but one of my PRSs. That’s been one of the upsides”: Larry LaLonde lost his home in the LA wildfires, but Primus' new drummer, and two new PRSs, are keeping him focused
- “This thing is like a time capsule. It feels like home in my hands again”: Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley has been reunited with his beloved Iggy Pop Tele – after it spent 20 years on display
- The guitar amp of the future? The Lava Studio has a built-in touchscreen tablet – and offers modeling, recording and learning platforms in one compact combo
- “He told me that after he was gone, he just wanted to be remembered for bringing country music into metal”: Brent Hinds, 1974-2025 – the guitar world pays tribute
- “The first thing that springs to mind is the value for money when compared with their Gibson forebears”: Epiphone Pre-War SJ-200 Rosewood Reissue, 1960 Hummingbird Reissue and 1963 Dove Reissue review
- “John Entwistle and I were at the Rainbow talking about all the guitars we had. We looked at each other and said, ‘You know… we’re idiots’”: Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter says he’s going to hell for owning too many guitars – and some of the best ones are dirt cheap
- “I started out on a Baby Taylor, but I coveted Martins because that’s what all my favorite guitar players had”: Molly Tuttle on her new kick-ass band, her jaw-dropping custom Martin – and why she’s taking her sound beyond bluegrass
- “I see other players with one of them on their ’boards and say, ‘You get that off of me?’ They go, ‘Yeah, as a matter of fact, I did’”: Brent Mason on his affordable secret tone weapon – and how it's become a go-to pedal for session guitarists
- “Our producer had a Marshall Lead that had been modded by Dumble. He paid him with a Nutribullet”: When Dave Cobb traded a blender for the services of a legendary amp modder, he found the sound for Mirador’s blockbuster debut
August 21
- “I’m an oddball when it comes to the metal scene”: Co-leader of Mastodon for a quarter century, Brent Hinds was a one-of-a-kind guitarist who took metal guitar into uncharted territory – because he never considered himself a metal guitarist
- Former Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds dies aged 51 following fatal motorcycle accident
- Guitarists always talk about down-picking, but have you worked on your up-picking lately? Here's why it could be a game-changer for your playing
- “I think I probably have another five years in show business”: Pete Townshend looks to the future as The Who’s farewell tour gets underway
- “Great Scott!” Gibson teases Back to the Future ES-345 replica – and an Epiphone version may not be far behind
- “He triple-tracked his solos. Ozzy told him, ‘Nobody can do that!’ Well, he could. That was just his genius”: Randy Rhoads’ sister Kathy is keeping his legacy alive with a new pedal and old memories
- “I still don’t have an answer… It’s sad, I want him onstage with us at every show”: Even Chino Moreno doesn’t know why Stephen Carpenter isn’t touring with Deftones
- “They’re hard to sell, particularly when they have issues. The only models that fetch a premium are the White Falcon and Penguin, and the 6120”: Buying a vintage Gretsch guitar can be a gamble – but every pro should have one
August 20
- “Johnny B. Goode with Marty McFly himself”: Aerosmith shares previously unseen footage of Steven Tyler jamming Chuck Berry with Michael J. Fox – who’s wielding an appropriate guitar for the job
- “He has this really old black acoustic that everybody has signed. It’s got Johnny Cash’s name scratched into it, and he had me sign it”: How a rite of passage led Margo Price to etching her signature onto a guitar next to a country legend’s
- “One day, when I was learning to play guitar, I was stomping around the house because my playing was in a rut. My dad, who's a great guitarist, said something I’ve always remembered”: Dimebag Darrell on the priceless playing advice he got from his father
- “Mesa/Boogies have what they call ‘suggested settings.’ I have it set for death metal”: Why Walter Trout uses a metal setting to dial in his blues guitar tones
- “Though this 15W combo is technically advertised as a practice amp, it can churn out some serious sonic damage”: EVH 5150 Iconic Series 15-watt 1x10 Combo review
- “Dave's a good storyteller, but there's some truth in between the showmanship”: Sammy Hagar believes David Lee Roth’s story about being visited by the ghost of Eddie Van Halen
- “Randy Bachman called me up and said, ‘I found my guitar. I can tell you how I did it’”: 60 years after he sold it, Neil Young has been reunited with his Squires Gretsch 6120 – thanks to a little help from Randy Bachman
- “A class act, delivering fat, smooth and richly textured fuzz that can attain a fierce edge”: ThorpyFX Hanami Germanium Fuzz review
- “I can’t believe the pick scrape became a thing. It was born by mistake”: Gojira’s Joe Duplantier on the origins of his trademark technique, playing Ozzy Osbourne’s final show – and what he’s got cooking with ESP
- “My friend told me if I go to a folk club I have to know how to play Angi. When I played it, they said they haven’t heard it in 10 years!” How seven years of busking and Nick Drake’s influence were the making of England's new folk guitar hero Chris Brain
- “The Japan team is free to create guitars with a fresh perspective”: Fender Japan remains a mystery to the western world. I went behind the scenes and found out why its guitars are so radically different – and what’s stopping them reaching the US
August 19
- “Brings additional variety with fresh takes on Fender legends”: Squier launches its 2025 Classic Vibe collection – complete with Bigsby-loaded Telecasters and pink hardtail Strats
- “At the end of the service, they would just shred, and I would sit there and watch with my jaw to the floor, not moving”: Steve Lacy reflects on his guitar origins – and how it all goes back to church and Guitar Hero
- “It was probably the greatest 10 seconds of guitar playing I’ve ever seen in my life”: Billy Corgan quizzes Steve Vai on his epic guitar battle with Yngwie Malmsteen – and the guitar lick that left them both in disbelief
- “I prioritized music over my health for 20 years. I’ve paid a high price for that”: Hotly tipped alt-rockers Dinosaur Pile-Up were on the verge of success, then frontman Matt Bigland nearly died for his music. He won’t let it happen again
- “I hope this pisses off some more Tele purists! We have enough ‘regular’ boring guitars out there”: Jack White unveils Thinline version of his wild Triplecaster – which was specifically requested by Kirk Hammett
- “Broken vertebrae, knee/shoulder damage and 29 face stitches”: JHS Pedals founder Josh Scott recovering after suffering serious cycling accident
- “Bowie heard we were thinking of packing it in. He wrote a letter saying, ‘I really love your band… would you consider doing this song?’” The life and times of Mick Ralphs, the innovative founding guitarist of Mott the Hoople and Bad Company
- “Each guitar has the Mirador logo inlaid in abalone pearl”: Mirador's Jake Kiszka and Chris Turpin show us their custom one-of-one Martin acoustics
August 18
- “Thrilling to play and the combination of playability, poise and articulate power means you can really immerse yourself in plugged-in performance”: Martin GPE Inception Maple review
- “You really rip it, man”: How Bob Dylan championed mgk – forming an unlikely friendship and artistic collaboration
- “I don’t want people to be upset with me because I don’t mention Ritchie”: Glenn Hughes has worked with some of guitar’s all-time greats – now he’s named the best he’s ever played with
- “A once-in-a-lifetime celebration of the life, music and legacy of one of Ireland’s most iconic musicians”: Members of Thin Lizzy and Guns N' Roses set to celebrate Phil Lynott's life and legacy at upcoming Dublin show
- “They just kept on coming in and borrowing my equipment”: Kiss’ controversial live album, Alive!, didn’t just borrow its title from Peter Frampton – it also features some of his gear
- “Decided to pick up my 9-string beast”: Journey’s Neal Schon shreds on a one-of-a-kind 9-string Ibanez
- “I don't know what the odds are, but last night the ghost of Eddie Van Halen visited me at my hotel room”: David Lee Roth trolls Sammy Hagar over his ‘ghost of Eddie Van Halen’ claims
- “The albums hadn’t been doing well. We weren’t doing great. Suddenly we kind of surprised people”: Dave Davies on how You Really Got Me saved The Kinks, those Jimmy Page rumors – and what he really thought of Van Halen’s cover
- “A very clever original design, albeit one that could easily have come out of the Gibson factory in the early ’60s. That’s not easy to do”: Ivison Dakota Standard review
- “I was thinking, ‘Why does it sound different when I play the Mississippi Queen intro, as compared to when he does it?’” Jared James Nichols on why playing behind and ahead of the beat are the key to great blues guitar
August 17
- “I lost everything – the only thing I held onto was my Fender Jazz Bass”: How Tommy Shannon broke a 7-year cycle of jail and halfway houses to record his most famous bassline with Stevie Ray Vaughan
- “I’m the kind of guy that never says never. I don’t hate Paul or Gene. We’re rock and roll brothers”: Ace Frehley sets the record straight on where things stand with Kiss
- “As long as onboard IRs aren’t needed, this Swiss Army knife for amp connectivity is simply the best in its class”: Two Notes Torpedo Reload II review
- “Pretty much everyone who used chorus during the ’80s had a Boss CE-2 at some point or another”: How a little dual-knob blue chorus pedal from Boss took over the world
August 16
- “I remember when Led Zeppelin II came out and hearing The Lemon Song. That bass solo is one of my favorite bass parts ever”: Why The Lemon Song is John Paul Jones’ finest moment in Led Zeppelin
- “He had some good ideas. I remember when we met, he was eating an incredible amount of ice cream”: David Byrne on what happened when Talking Heads met Lou Reed
- “One of my favorite medium-slow shuffles is Jeff Beck’s Rock My Plimsoul... based on the B.B. King blues classic Rock Me Baby”: Joe Bonamassa invites you to join him on medium/slow blues shuffle – don’t worry, he’ll show you the notes
- “That guitar is a very special one because Ritter made that guitar for him. It’s actually the prototype”: Isaiah Sharkey has acquired a one-of-a-kind guitar that was originally crafted for a jazz great
- “One of my favorite signature guitars of all time just got a standard run release, and Gretsch has not disappointed”: All the new guitar gear that caught my eye this week – including a pedal that will solve all your Mk.gee tone troubles
August 15
- “Metallica is nearly equal to Ozzy in terms of the respect factor – not all the way, but nearly”: When Jason Newsted swapped bands with Robert Trujillo
- “I’ve been spending a lot of time with Steven and he just doesn’t want to tour and he can’t”: Joe Perry joined by STP and Black Crowes stars as his solo project returns to the stage – but Perry is not ruling out one more Aerosmith show
- “Ozzy said, ‘Are you crazy? You’re a rock star. You could buy your own college by the time you’re done if you keep doing this!’” Just before his passing, Randy Rhoads was ready to leave the rock star life behind – and go back to school
- “It’s crazy that White Pony was 25 years old this year, even crazier that one of our fans owns one of the ESPs used to record it”: Stephen Carpenter’s ESP Horizon Custom from Deftones’ Back to School video has been valued at $55,000
- “Recreating this piece of metal history wasn’t just a challenge, it was a privilege”: Jason Momoa orders super-gnarly replica of James Hetfield’s iconic Elektra OGV – and this Polish luthier recreated every last detail
- “He’s a master. The way he plays is insane. But he was hesitant to teach me until I showed him how serious I was”: How Iron Maiden icon Janick Gers’ son Dylan went from late-starting guitarist to epic collabs with Thom Yorke’s son Noah
- “A 1952 Les Paul was not a cool guitar to own – I remember these guitars hanging around and fading in shop windows for months on end”: The story of Gibson’s “cursed” 1952 Les Paul and why it was long overlooked on the vintage market
- “While four grand is no snip, this is everything you could want in a top-grade acoustic-electric guitar”: Why we’ve fallen hard for the Martin OM-28E Standard
August 14
- “It came from how much timber had been taken off the neck, almost to Ibanez levels of thinness”: What's the secret behind the tone of Jimmy Page's legendary “Number One” Les Paul? Bare Knuckle founder Tim Mills had the chance to examine it and found out
- “We changed the guitar world and how it's played. The bands I played in have influenced the world. Thank you for everything”: Dave Mustaine announces new Megadeth album will be his last
- “As soon as I heard the news, I turned to my roommate and said, ‘That's my gig.’ The next day, Dave rings”: Steve Vai on how he joined David Lee Roth’s band – and Roth’s desire to “beat Van Halen”
- “I just don’t see them as, ‘Oh, a nice guitar,’ or ‘a nice pedal.’ I see the hours behind them. I see, ‘Wow, somebody really committed hours and energy and their soul’”: Seal is a secret tonehound – and he has great taste in gear
- “No decisions have been made”: Staff at Ed Sheeran guitar builder Lowden Guitars reportedly slated for redundancy following “the natural end of the acoustic boom experienced during the Covid-19 period”
- “Sleep Token are big fans of what we did, and they’re the biggest rock band in the world right now. That means a lot”: From Oceansize to Biffy Clyro and now Cardiacs, Mike Vennart is one of the UK’s greatest under-the-radar guitar talents
- “No two guitars will be the same”: Gibson launches signature version of Noel Gallagher’s mystery Oasis reunion Les Paul – one of 2025’s most talked about guitars
- With up to 20% off left-handed guitars at Thomann, southpaw players finally have a sale to call their own
- “You don’t want your favorite tone. The secret is to set your gain, roll your volume back and challenge yourself to play cleaner”: Joe Bonamassa on defying the blues police, his greatest tone discoveries and why you’re not a success until you’re a meme
- “It might be a slightly different hue, sonically speaking, but the build and sound quality is all there”: Taylor Builder's Edition 514ce Kona Burst review
August 13
- “I used to play this old POS. I needed that guitar or I couldn’t do my show”: How a $30 guitar shaped indie hero Mac DeMarco’s career
- “A retro-refined take on a classic”: Gretsch reboots the Corvette as the all-new CVT – a sub-$500 build based on the oddball vintage gem beloved by Rory Gallagher and Jimi Hendrix
- “They kicked me out of the band for embarrassing them for being who I am”: Brent Hinds says he was forced out of Mastodon – despite claims his departure was amicable
- “It’s hilarious because that one thing you pour your heart into is just going to be completely covered by an explosion”: Yvette Young on what it was like to record guitar for James Gunn's Superman
- “What Les Paul was for Gibson, Edward Van Halen is for Kramer”: Eddie Van Halen’s Kramer Ad guitar surfaces for sale – and is expected to reach $3,000,000 at auction
- “We love exciting experimental, electronic music that doesn’t even really allow guitars. The rock thing is something we’re trying to fit in”: The Wants’ Madison Velding-VanDam is reimagining jagged post-punk guitar over a genre-spanning sonic landscape
- “Playing along to streamed music works a treat and, while a straight dry click might not be everyone’s favored choice, it’s a useful facility”: Walrus Audio Canvas Rehearsal review
- “Checking or asking for the weight of a guitar isn’t for cork-sniffers only”: What’s the optimum weight for a Les Paul? And is there such a thing as too heavy?
August 12
- “If I were anywhere else in America, I might not be here”: Three Days Grace guitarist opens up after he suffered a heart attack mid-show – and kept going
- “I ended up using it on the Donna Summer album. It was a hell of a deal”: Jeff “Skunk” Baxter on the cheap $35 guitar that ended up becoming a trusted stage and studio stalwart
- “People have bought tickets and you can see them thinking, ‘That’s not ‘Brothers in Arms’”: Mark Knopfler on why one of the Dire Straits’ most iconic tracks hinges on this four-note guitar intro
- “This is the original, hand-made at the Nashville Gibson Custom Shop”: Dave Grohl’s own Gibson DG-335 prototype has surfaced – and it’s up for sale on Reverb
- “We got on the stage and I just remember watching people walk away before we even started playing”: Brad Whitford and Joe Perry on the time Aerosmith were upstaged by their support act
- “Some purists will find the mix of vintage and Ultra spec sacrilegious, but working players will have waited for a Tele exactly like this”: Fender Ultra Luxe Vintage ’60s Telecaster Custom review
- “We’ve redefined the balance between heritage and innovation”: Fender debuts the American Ultra Luxe Vintage range – taking on its boutique rivals and rolling out its new Heirloom relic’ing process
- “I was throwing the guitar at the amp over and over”: Billy Corgan wanted to make a statement on this Smashing Pumpkins song – so he trashed his guitar rig
- “It’s essentially based off of a knockoff Fender!” Khruangbin’s Laura Lee Ochoa just got a signature Fender based on the first bass she ever bought – but it was a Jazz Bass copy
- “Steve Vai walked me through the process – he’s had it done twice. He introduced me to one of the best surgeons in the US”: Adrian Belew on his carpal tunnel fears and recovery, working with Vai and Frank Zappa, and his next musical adventure
- “I was side of stage, watching Jake with his ‘number one’ SG. It was a crazy, spiritual experience. I hadn’t heard a guitar player like that before”: Chris Turpin on teaming up with Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka for Mirador and the unplanned magic of rock
- “Interviewers were telling me that I started the whole glam rock, hair metal scene. I said, ‘What? Don’t blame me for that!’” Drugs, guitars, triumph and tragedy – the inside story of Hanoi Rocks
August 11
- “Someone said, ‘Grief is the price of Love.’ I say that to myself every day but at the end of the day I just miss my friend so much”: Ozzy Osbourne collaborator Andrew Watt opens up on the Black Sabbath legend’s passing
- “I don’t care who you are, I’d recommend this to any guitar player”: Carlos Santana’s practice routine that will make you a better musician
- “This Mk.gee thing came along. It’s really new and fresh and different”: JHS Pedals has put Mk.gee’s beloved 424 MK1 multi-track tones into a pedal – as it finally unveils its mystery stompbox
- “Geezer broke down into tears. He had a hard time speaking, and then he delivered an amazing eulogy”: Robert Trujillo opens up on his experience of Ozzy Osbourne’s “beautiful” funeral
- “If you can’t beat them, join them”: Mark Tremonti’s love for Dumbles and tube amps is well-documented – but he’s brought a Neural DSP Quad Cortex on tour
- “If airlines can damage professional-grade instruments and then refuse to take responsibility, it puts every traveling musician at risk”: Emily Wolfe’s signature guitar smashed inside hardcase during flight – airline taking no responsibility
- “I was a Marshall guy back then. Now I literally cannot listen to Marshalls”: How Jeff Beck inspired former Joan Jett and the Blackhearts guitarist Ricky Byrd to switch from Marshall stacks to Fender combos
- “It is impossible for me to adapt to that role”: Classic rock supergroup parts ways with their new guitarist – after just one gig
- “They said, ‘Now it’s time to play the solo.’ I just came up with it on the spot”: Remembering Rick Derringer – the B.C. Rich-toting maverick who brought the fire to Johnny Winter’s band, and was a one-take ace for Steely Dan and more
- “Working on Jimmy Page’s guitar was bucket list stuff for me”: Bare Knuckle’s Tim Mills on how he built the biggest indie pickup brand in the world – and why Page’s ‘Number One’ Les Paul sounds like Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Strat
- “I thought, ‘I’m going to get this guitar, make a few videos then sell it.’ But I found my place as a guitarist”: Rob Scallon on the eight-string that changed his life – and how it helped him become one of YouTube’s OG guitar stars
August 10
- “Three guitars with pretty much the same sonic range: which is best? Well, that could lead to quite a discussion”: PRS Special Semi-Hollow, S2 Special Semi-Hollow and SE Special Semi-Hollow review
- “Bob wanted me to help him not only learn guitar but learn to arrange. I think he caught on!” Ska and reggae pioneer Ernest Ranglin played with everyone from Bob Marley to Jimmy Cliff. At 93, he plans to secure his legacy
August 9
- "A modern rock machine providing up-to-date tones and plenty of fun features at a reasonable price": Manson Meta MBM-2H Sustainiac review
- “Everybody I know that’s a guitar head is like, ‘Why would you do that?’” The true confessions of Ty Segall – his blasphemous SG mod, exploding a vintage Gibson and why a “dying dinosaur” fuzz is one of his holy grail pedals
- "I've never played a PRS Silver Sky but that might be about to change": All the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – and I've just solved a problem I didn't even know I had
- “Whenever anybody says, ‘Can you just follow the root note?’ my immediate retort is, ‘Why don't you just f*** off?’” How Peter Hook re-wrote the rulebook on punk bass – and became “allergic to low notes” in the process
- “With our in-house pickups, we’ve now got real control of how our guitars sound”: PJD Guitars founder Leigh Dovey on the evolution of the UK’s most exciting electric guitar brand
August 8
- “I was gonna look like I was trying to be Randy. It was meant to look like the poster for Vertigo”: Zakk Wylde on how his iconic “Grail” Les Paul Custom got its bullseye finish – and gave him his signature style
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art claims to have solved the mystery of the Rolling Stones' 1959 Gibson Les Paul – which Mick Taylor alleges has been missing for decades
- “A George Benson, or John Mayer, or B.B. King, or Albert King solo, you can almost sing it”: Isaiah Sharkey on what he learned about guitar soloing – after playing with the likes of John Mayer, D'Angelo and Paul Simon
- “Eruption with one hand”: This guitar prodigy plays Eddie Van Halen's legendary two-hand tapping part – with only one hand
- “I found myself using less EQ and lighter compression on my guitar tracks while mixing, as the overall sound captured by the mic was close to finished quality”: Warm Audio Fen-Tone WA-FT ribbon microphone review
- “It has become the talk of the town every time it is used”: Noel Gallagher’s mystery Oasis Les Paul looks set for a signature release
- “Every now and then, you’ll look at the wall and think, ‘I can’t believe we’re here’”: Wolfgang Van Halen welcomed Alter Bridge into the hallowed halls of the legendary 5150 Studios to record their new album
- “Am I a number or am I a name?” JHS Pedals has teased a huge new drop with a riddle – and some gear fans think they’ve cracked the code
- “My mom got right in their faces and said, ‘This is my son. He plays guitar and he wants to join a band.’ I was totally embarrassed”: How Return to Dust found their teen guitar phenom and put a fresh face on ’90s grunge
- “The year that I spent with Frank was the first and only time that I’ve ever had serious instruction”: Adrian Belew reflects on his game-changing year with Frank Zappa – and what the avant-garde musician taught him about music and the business
- “People were afraid to get involved, but I’ve no regrets. Giacomo was being a dipstick”: Danny Sapko on social media scandals, his ’80s-inspired AI-generated rock band – and how the ‘Dipstick Lick’ broke America
- “He listened to me play when he was in my belly for 9 months, but now he’s here outside with me and he continues to listen to me play”: Lari Basilio is finding redemption and joy in motherhood and guitar – and she wants to share it with you
- “I’m not a big fan of bands that take themselves too seriously. Look at Angus Young. He’s a grown man who wears a schoolboy uniform”: Justin Hawkins unfiltered – the inside story of the rise, fall and rebirth of the Darkness
August 7
- “I got fired because I couldn’t get it”: Eric Johnson has written some of the greatest lead lines of all time – but once got sacked from a session because he couldn’t come up with anything
- “The Core preserves much of what made the original Expander such a useful tool”: Boss WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core review
- “My grandma asked me why I was spending so much time pretending to play the guitar when I could just get a real guitar and try to learn how to actually play”: Inhaler’s Josh Jenkinson reveals that Guitar Hero was his launchpad to picking up the guitar
- “We played a local gig and Jeff said, ‘Why don’t we go on tour with Brian Wilson?’” Nicolas Meier was playing in a London jazz club, when he looked up and spotted Jeff Beck standing a few feet away – it proved to be a life-changing moment
- “If I were to strum a full barre-chord voicing for each chord, it would feel too ‘chunky.’ Instead, I do what Nile advised me to do”: Cory Wong on the most important technique you can learn from Nile Rodgers
- “It’s in there to make your tone nicer, the sustain really nice, and the buzz even less”: Khruangbin’s Laura Lee reveals the little trick she’s picked up along the way to ensure a buzz-free bass tone
- “I missed out on being in one of the biggest rock bands in the world, but I don’t think I had the image!” Session pro and YouTube favorite Tim Pierce never wanted to be a rockstar – but he’s sure made a lot of their records
- “I always wanted to reconcile, tell him there weren’t any hard feelings and end things on a friendly note. I got to do that”: Jake E. Lee had a hero’s welcome at Back to the Beginning – but mending his rift with Ozzy Osbourne was what meant the most
- “It produces the most amazing distortion, but I can’t sell it”: Robert Keeley has invented a drive pedal that is also a weed vape – but he’s not allowed to release it
August 6
- “A fresh chapter for Epiphone acoustics”: Gibson brings some of its most sought-after vintage gems to Epiphone’s Inspired by Custom range for the first time
- “Hetfield personally hooked me up with them back in the day. I’m not cheating on anyone. I want all the instruments!” Gojira’s Joe Duplantier explains how he started playing ESP guitars – and why he’s still playing Charvels
- “It survived crashing onto the highway and turned up in a pawnshop”: How Zakk Wylde’s ‘The Grail’ Ozzy Osbourne Les Paul found its way back to him – 3 years after it fell out of a moving vehicle
- “He took us to 5150, and it still had all the tapes up there. There was Jump, the old analog tapes, everything marked”: Lzzy Hale on why Wolfgang Van Halen is well positioned to “save rock ’n’ roll”
- “Somebody had stolen some equipment from the opening act and we got blamed for it. The crowd went crazy”: Ricky Byrd on the disastrous Joan Jett gig where they were wrongly accused of stealing gear – and the audience turned on them
- “You could argue that the pickups are the most important thing. But in the end, there’s nothing more important on the guitar than this”: Paul Reed Smith on a guitar's most crucial feature – and how it dictates your tone
- “Ghost Guitar is a beam of light coming in through a window and illuminating a big empty space”: Rafiq Bhatia breaks down the experimental techniques that earned him an Oscar nomination for his scores – and why it all stems from Jimi Hendrix
- “She's got that thing that I could never do – I have to cheat”: Billy Corgan reveals the technique Kiki Wong can do on guitar that’s beyond him
- “We’ve had to bring in some help”: Gibson hires the investigative journalists who helped find Paul McCartney’s lost Höfner violin bass to aid the hunt for the missing Back to the Future ES-345
- “I know I’m being judged right now. I read comments saying, ‘You’ve got nothing on Brent.’ I’m not worrying. I feel free”: How Nick Johnston went from instrumental virtuoso du jour to joining Mastodon and playing Ozzy Osbourne’s final show
- “The ego is quite useless in a writing situation. I just ask myself, ‘What does this song want?’” Deacon Blue’s polymath guitar genius Gregor Philp dissects his six-string approach, and reveals his favorite Strat (clue: it isn’t a Fender)
- “A classic fuzz with two distinct flavors makes a welcome return”: Shaftesbury Duo Fuzz Heritage Edition review
August 5
- “Four new colors inspired by traditional American fashion”: PRS and John Mayer unveil fresh finishes for the best-selling SE Silver Sky – and add new Maple models
- Metronome magic: master your picking, improve timing, and build up speed – one click at a time
- The all-new October 2025 Guitar World – where Smashing Pumpkins and Sex Pistols mingle openly with Carlos Santana and Khruangbin
- “I was looking at my watch thinking, ‘I’m so miserable doing this.’ That was the last time we did anything with the original lineup”: Steve Jones on why Frank Carter gave the Sex Pistols a new lease on life – and where things stand with John Lydon
- “A Katana killer? The jury’s still out, but one thing’s for sure – this is a great addition to the ID range”: Blackstar ID:X 50 review
- ”Stevie told me to call his brother Jimmie and ask him to lend me his amp and then play it with a Strat so he could feel it through me”: Carlos Santana on his “visitation” from Stevie Ray Vaughan, who implored him to borrow his Dumble amp
- “The first thing that I grabbed when I was like, ‘We’ve got to get the hell out of here’ was the double-neck that Alex Lifeson gave me”: Primus’ Larry LaLonde opens up on losing his house and nearly all his gear in the devastating California wildfires
- “Ozzy looked well. He did not look like he was two weeks away from passing… The feeling was similar to when Randy passed away – that dead void, that emptiness”: Rudy Sarzo on the lifelong kindness of Ozzy Osbourne – and the miracle of his final weeks
- “It looks sweet, sounds sweet, and the music that comes out of it should be sweet too”: Russian luthier builds Les Paul out of donuts (sort of)
- “I’m, like, ‘Why are they calling me? Did every rock guitar player in Los Angeles disappear spontaneously at the same time?’” When Joe Bonamassa guested on an Ozzy Osbourne album – and couldn't quite believe it
- “One of the greatest to ever do it”: Terry “Superlungs” Reid, the guitarist, singer, and songwriter who forged his own path after turning down Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, has died aged 75
- “I remember my first concert, and that incredible band is actually here tonight to play a few songs”: Olivia Rodrigo’s first-ever gig was Weezer – now she’s played with them at Lollapalooza
- “I thought maybe we’d have 2,000 people show up early, but our first performance was for 10,000 people. I was shocked”: Jake Kiszka on Mirador, his hard-riffing collab with blues brother Chris Turpin – and what it means for Greta Van Fleet
- “Being called a guitar hero was just awkward. Whether I’ve written a good song or not, that’s what counts to me”: Mark Knopfler on 40 years of Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms – the guitars, the riffs… the pressure of learning to play in time
- “The idea is Kirk was gonna play rhythms along with James. That changed everything, and some people don’t like it”: Bob Rock says Metallica's divisive Load album redefined the Hetfield-Hammett guitar partnership
August 4
- “We read all the complaints. We’re far from perfect, but we’re moving very quickly to get a lot better”: Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto is on a mission to win back guitar players’ trust
- "The strength of the Triniphase is how much it encourages experimentation": Supercool Pedals Triniphase review
- With up to 40% off guitar amps Thomann's huge Hughes & Kettner sale just made upgrading your backline a lot more affordable
- “I got a phone call from L.A. It’s David going, ‘We’re putting Pink Floyd back together. Would you be interested and available?’” Why David Gilmour's go-to bassist for the past four decades very nearly didn't get the gig
- “He looked at me like I had five heads”: Spike Lee once asked Prince for his signature guitar – he didn’t expect what happened next
- Jimmy Page settles decades-long Dazed and Confused lawsuit with original songwriter
- “From the simplest reverb to complex shifting ambiences, there’s something here for everyone”: Electro-Harmonix Oceans Abyss review
- “We love you, Ozzy!” Nuno Bettencourt covers three Ozzy Osbourne classics with Extreme – and nails Randy Rhoads and Jake E. Lee’s iconic solos
- “Glenn Frey said it best when he said we ‘created a monster with Hotel California, and it ate us’”: Don Felder on the making of the Eagles’ The Long Run
- “I wound up joining Spinal Tap in Phoenix and played bass along with Adrian Belew on Big Bottom. It was a huge comedy honor”: The chance encounters that led Abby Travis to play bass with Beck, Elastica, The Bangles and The Go-Go’s
August 3
- “When I played with Jason Newsted, I knew he was the one. Not that Robert Trujillo is a bad bass player, but Jason just has this edge”: In March 2003, Ozzy Osbourne introduced the world to his new bassist
- “It was painful for me to listen to Ian Anderson’s voice. I felt for him a lot”: Dave Pegg on why he quit Jethro Tull, beating Metallica to a Grammy, gigging with John Bonham and working with Nick Drake in a smelly squat
August 2
- “Car Bomb opened me up to playing bass with a pick. Now I’ve been a pick guy for so long I’m afraid to play fingerstyle!” Marrying savage hooks to technical prowess, Jon Modell is proof of just how heavy a 5-string bass can be in modern metal
- “The scene was super-underground. When the music industry developed, everyone got excited to start a band”: Meet Seera, Saudi Arabia’s first public all-female band, who are merging Nirvana and Tool with Arabic influences – and going global
- “Those tubes need to be burning. As I put it to the band, I like to smell dinner cooking”: With his gourmet phrasing and R&B hot sauce, D.K. Harrell is the blues hero you need in your life right now
August 1
- Met Museum refutes that former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor ever owned the ’59 Les Paul he claims was stolen from him – and now appears in a new exhibit
- “For over two years, we worked closely with some of the top techs in the world”: Level up your fret game with MusicNomad’s Fret Care line and resource hub – which offers everything you could ever need to master your setup
- “Right after the concert, I got a call from my parents saying that I had to rush back to Italy because the finance police was looking for me”: Slap bass phenom Davie504 lifts the veil on the pressures of becoming a YouTube megastar
- “Two legends right there”: Slash joins Michael Schenker on stage to cover a UFO classic
- “I remember the phone call. He said, ‘Jim, I just wrote this thing. It was for Blue Öyster Cult. But I don't think they're going to keep it…’” The Bryan Adams track that started life as a Blue Öyster Cult song
- “It’s difficult to think of a synth bass sound that couldn't somehow be achieved here”: MXR MB301 Bass Synth Pedal review
- “The credit was obscured. And as the years have passed, they have brought it out into the open”: Tim Pierce has recorded with Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and more – but this song is his crowning achievement
- “One of a kind”: 19-year-old follows in Marcin’s footsteps and brings percussive fingerstyle acoustic to America’s Got Talent with knockout performance
- “I’ve had so many people reach out wanting to know what it is and if we can build one for them”: What’s the story behind Noel Gallagher’s new Murphy Lab Les Paul? Gibson finally reveals all
- “Thought the DIY pedal trend had run its course? Think again”: All the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including a reverb pedal inspired by an abandoned nuclear reactor
- “I wouldn’t be surprised if the guitar moves in a digital direction where it doesn’t have strings”: How Ola Strandberg went from midlife crisis to revolutionizing headless guitars – and what he thinks could be next
- “It’s a daunting task. I’ll always have impostor syndrome… If the fans think it’s jive, we’ll pull it off streaming services!” Jakob Nowell opens up on using his late father’s gear and unreleased jams to create new Sublime music
- “Do I placate the minority of folks, or do I play an arena gig with blues songs that nobody else is doing?” Joe Bonamassa’s approach to the blues has triggered some purists – this is his response
- “I get a lot more feeling when I play with my fingers. Wes Montgomery was my reference as a kid for not using a pick”: Championed by Fender and signed to Blue Note, Maya Delilah might just be the most melodic guitar soloist since John Mayer
- “There was a blue arc of electricity, and I was shot back off the mic – that encouraged me to get a wireless system!” There are some rock ’n’ roll stories that you couldn’t make up. One is how ‘Grog’ Lisee was electrocuted by an unearthed microphone