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September 2025

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272 articles

September 30
- “Brian May called this 2014 hit ‘one of the best rock songs ever’ – now he’s playing on it”: September 2025 Guitar World Editors' Picks
- “As parents discovered Loog over the years, we often heard them say, ‘I wish this existed when I was a kid’”: Kid-friendly guitar brand Loog recently partnered with Fender and Gibson – now, it's launching its very own teen- and adult-sized models
- “It really is a special set”: Joe Bonamassa’s newest signature pickups are inspired by his Bolin ’Burst – the infamous Les Paul he acquired under extraordinary circumstances
- “Making history as the first-ever amp authenticated on the blockchain”: Synyster Gates has launched what’s called a Universal Pedal Platform – and it’s nothing like your usual amp head
- “We’re pretty sad. These instruments have a lot of time and love in them, more than we can express”: New Zealand indie rock outfit The Beths had their gear stolen in France – and are now appealing for its return
- “Built with the same passion I’ve put into every note I’ve ever played”: Nuno Bettencourt has launched his own guitar brand, Nuno Guitars – marking the end of his longstanding partnership with Washburn
- “Never did I actually expect to get the chance to see one up close, let alone play one”: Everything that caught my eye at Guitar Summit 2025 – from the grand unveiling of a brand-new guitar company to the year’s most anticipated amp modeler
- “He pointed out that the bass is the most important thing in a rock song”: Ozzy Osbourne has worked with the biggest virtuosos in the world – but Andrew Watt says he valued the bass above all else
- “One of the proudest moments of my life”: Sophie Lloyd shreds in front of 82,000 people to open the Women’s Rugby World Cup final
- “I thought, ‘I wonder if I can get away with putting sleigh bells on a doom-metal song?’” How Paradise Lost’s Greg Mackintosh is rewriting the gothic metal rulebook
- “Remember the golden rule of mixing: if you can’t hear something, that doesn’t mean it’s too quiet – it’s more likely that something else is too loud”: How to deal with sound engineers and help them help you dial in a killer live tone
- “A Klon-type pedal with a twist”: Keeley Manis review
September 29
- "Unfortunately I can imagine that because nothing would surprise me": The Living End's Chris Cheney on AI punk bands, going back to basics, the Spotify exodus and rock 'n' roll as a life force
- “Developed so that players will always have the assurance of knowing where their guitar is, and what condition it's been kept in”: Lowden puts AI in its acoustics to help players better look after their guitar – and track it down when lost or stolen
- “I saw one of their pedals and thought, ‘That’s the sound I’ve been thinking about for 10 years!’” Meet Coach Party, the UK indie-rockers dialing in Tokai Teles, Amazon tremolos and secrets from Queens of the Stone Age’s pedalboards
- “Playing with John is always a university of learning and experimenting”: John Mayer and Isaiah Sharkey impress at record-breaking concert – and Sharkey’s in-development signature Ibanez was along for the ride
- “Unlike FRFR cabs, they provide a playing experience more like plugging into an amp with a traditional open-back cabinet”: Line 6 debuts Powercab CL multi-voice guitar speaker systems
- “I didn't know anything about pedals. It seemed like some communist idea or something”: John Fogerty on why he was skeptical of guitar pedals during his Creedence Clearwater Revival days
- “Turn your old guitars and pedals into higher earnings”: Reverb launches Reverb Wallet, offering boosted earnings and quicker payouts for US sellers
- “Against his wishes, his doctor insists that he refrain from travel at this time”: Ace Frehley cancels show after fall in home studio
- “We were like Dime and Vinnie and the Van Halen brothers combined… Then when everything went down, I found out that we were not as close as we thought”: Max Cavalera on Sepultura’s bloody roots, the rise of Soulfly and how metal became the family business
- “Sometimes I go to a Guitar Center, see a kid jamming and I’ll start jamming with them. We look at each other and it’s, like, a moment”: Yvette Young-backed emo icons Algernon Cadwallader are back – and as giddy and technically dazzling as ever
September 28
- “Two shots fired by a frantic chick at her boyfriend missed him and hit T-Bone’s guitar”: T-Bone Walker’s 1949 Gibson spearheads the reopening of iconic Denmark Street guitar store Regent Sounds
- “Losing Jeff was devastating. He was the most powerful talent of my generation”: Bassist Mick Grøndahl looks back on his time with Jeff Buckley, and the song that took 19 takes to perfect
September 27
- “A shut-up-and-take-my-money fuzz pedal if ever there was one”: All the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week, featuring Manson, Martin, Ibanez, Positive Grid, and more – plus, will Boss' XS-100 Poly Shifter steal the DigiTech Whammy’s crown?
- “It’s quite lyrical and different from a lot of other Stones songs... I played in a different mode”: Mick Taylor lent stunning slide work to golden-era Rolling Stones classics, but he says this obscure album cut is his best performance with the band
- “The guy in the support band was playing a Jazz Bass. We agreed to swap instruments… That guy was Ian Hunter who went on to form Mott the Hoople”: Leo Lyons on the bass that appeared at Woodstock, has been played by Hendrix, and is on three UFO classics
September 26
- “Is this the best guitar I've ever played? Including the ones in your museum? I believe so”: Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt teams up with Martin to create a new signature acoustic that blends traditional style with a key, ultra-modern twist
- “One thing led to another, and a jam session turned into Warren Haynes sporting some of rock and roll’s most iconic guitars on stage”: Warren Haynes becomes the latest to wield Jeff Beck's ‘Yardburst’ on stage – following Marcus King and Craig Ross
- “I don't even really know where all the notes of the guitar are because I learned to play by ear”: Why Tim Henson believes that “learning everything by ear” is the best thing aspiring guitarists can do
- “We’ve had some progression in the case, thanks to all the tips you guys have been sending in”: Gibson has found an ES-345 that Michael J. Fox played in Back to the Future – but it’s not the one they’re really looking for
- “Quite unlike anything I’ve ever played. Every guitarist, at some point in their playing life, should experience this”: Strandberg Boden N2 Original review
- “Dickey came to one of the shows. He whispers, ‘Hey, is that the guitar I loaned you?’ I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ He goes, ‘Good. Use it for as long as you want’”: Frank Hannon on how guitar instrumentals helped him grieve father-in-law Dickey Betts
- “An instrument that actually solves the problems holding guitarists back”: Ibanez and Bernth team up for a classy high-performance signature electric that makes you play “faster” and “cleaner”
- “We were trying to do the perfect crossover between a Telecaster and a Les Paul. I love both”: Mikey Demus on making a Manson signature guitar that suits him down to a T
- “The pickups on that old Univox were amazing. It really makes you wonder about the Japanese guitars produced back then. They weren’t so bad at all”: How Vintage’s REVO range breathed new life into the oddball electric
September 25
- “I looked at the page and I went, ‘John, you’ve written a classic, a song like the greats – Lennon and McCartney or Bob Dylan’”: John Fogerty recalls the moment he wrote one of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s most iconic tracks
- “I pushed my design and engineering skills to the limit”: Former Fender Custom Shop head John Page has built instruments for Eric Clapton and David Gilmour – but his latest masterpiece is a cathedral within a guitar
- “It’s going to change guitar as it is. That’s a big statement”: The MyTrem looks to spark a vibrato revolution with a configurable bridge system that brings whammy bar pitch-changing to the guitar
- “By the time I realized I was in, I was a deserter from the Marine Corps. Johnny was was like, ‘Do your time. When you get out, you’ve got a job’”: CJ Ramone landed the gig of a lifetime with the Ramones, but his audition got him sent to naval prison
- “I said, ‘If you don't want it, I'll have it,’ very calmly, trying to control myself. It's the best Strat I've ever had”: Gary Moore's iconic 1961 Strat is up for sale – alongside his ‘Still Got the Blues’ ’59 Gibson Les Paul
- “He’s swinging this guitar around and nearly took my face off with it. It ended up on the floor and I put it out of its misery”: The “smashed up” Gibson ES-355 that broke up Oasis in 2009 is headed to auction
- “Reshaping the nut to look more like a Gibson from the ’50s is too tempting not to do”: How I made the Epiphone Jeff Beck Oxblood 1954 Les Paul a little more Jeff Beck
- “A new benchmark for heavy guitar sounds at a relatively accessible price point”: Blackstar DA100 Ruby review
- “Sets a new benchmark in polyphonic pitch-shifting effects”: Boss takes on DigiTech with the XS-100 and XS-1 Poly Shifter – could it topple the Whammy?
- “I’m not thinking about the audience and what they want, to be honest”: Why David Gilmour never learned to play this iconic Pink Floyd guitar solo
- “Like fine-tuned ‘sweet spot’ knobs, letting you drive your tubes hard while keeping the volume in check”: Why you need a power attenuator for your tube amp
- “This actual guitar has been on something like 10 number one records”: From Green Day to Eric Clapton, meet the Taylor acoustic guitar you didn't know was responsible for some of the biggest songs in the world
- “Pentangle sold out the Royal Albert Hall and the next night I was playing in a jazz quartet for 40 quid”: From gigging in strip clubs to recording with John Martyn and Kate Bush, Danny Thompson walked a singular path in bass playing
September 24
- "A well-judged entry point to owning a ‘real’ Les Paul Custom": Gibson Les Paul Custom 70s review
- “A force of nature. A player who served the song and who enriched the lives of every single person he met”: Danny Thompson, innovative bassist who played with Kate Bush, Roy Orbison, Nick Drake, Pentangle, and countless others, dies at 86
- “Every time I slid my hand down the neck, a splinter of wood would stick in my finger and I would start bleeding”: Sepultura co-founder Max Cavalera looks back on his first-ever electric guitar, “The Rotten” – and the moment he discovered metal
- “Some of the best guitars I’ve owned have been free, but the truly special one is the one I’m working on…”: Phil X’s highly anticipated signature Gibson is almost here – and it’s set to be a best-of-both-worlds Les Paul/SG hybrid
- “She said, ‘It’s an honor to be here and meet you.’ It was like, Where’s Chappell Roan? I thought she was going to be some big diva”: Nancy Wilson joins Chappell Roan on stage for an explosive rendition of a Heart classic
- IDLES invite Jack White to join chaotic Riot Fest guest spot – and give him the keys to Lee Kiernan’s famed Pink Mustang
- “Involved the extraction of thousands of small nails”: PRS’ latest limited-edition models are built from wood used in the construction of Brazilian houses and salvaged from a hurricane in Puerto Rico
- “Before getting my Dunable, I never felt like a guitar was mine. I started on a Squier Strat, but I was like, ‘There are a million of these!’” Meet Faetooth, the LA “fairy doom” trio breaking out with unlikely punk influences and a box of dirt pedals
- “The first time I saw Todd Rundgren with The Fool SG, I fell in love with the idea of the guitar being an art canvas”: Vernon Reid breaks down his melting-pot writing approach and the poignant symbolism of his Reverend guitars
- “An unforgettable night of iconic guitars”: Join Guitarist and Gibson for an evening celebrating ‘Holy Grail’ guitars with ‘The ’Burst Experience’ – and get up close with Les Paul Standards owned by Gary Moore and Gary Grainger
- “I asked if he had anything inspiring – he brought Gregg Allman’s ’66 Guild Starfire. It’s cool that Gregg played a small part on this record”: Marcus King on true love as recovery, being neighbors with Billy Strings and the Tele he bought while drunk
- “That song should have been finished on an Eagles record with Joe and I following up on Hotel California with some dazzling guitar solos”: The song that started life as an Eagles track – but ended up as the theme song for an animated film
September 23
- “Our headstocks have their quirks. However, there have been 60 years of constant attention to this”: Gibson sets the record straight on headstock breaks – and what the brand has been doing for the past 60 years to fix it
- “Describe the tone you’re after. BIAS X brings it to life”: Positive Grid embraces the age of AI with BIAS X – which responds to prompts and recreates the guitar tones of any reference song
- “Carries the legacy forward by putting professional-grade guitars back within reach of the musicians they were always meant to serve”: Dana Bourgeois celebrates 50 years of guitar making by reimagining the ever-popular Professional Series
- “Among the easiest modeling plugins to get to grips with – great results in very short order”: Positive Grid BIAS X review
- “There’s a whammy dive riff that’s diabolically tricky. I’m already panicking about the day I play it live”: BTBAM have always fused metal and the unexpected. Now the band’s sole guitarist, Paul Waggoner has to live up to fans’ lofty expectations
- “I was hitting sessions until my eyeballs were popping out. I’d go in early in the morning, start at 10 and get home midnight”: Session hero Brent Mason has played on over a thousand records. Here’s what he’s learned about getting the job done
- “Uncertainty around tariffs may cause Fender’s operating performance to deteriorate more than we expect”: Fender has been forced to increase its prices to weather the tariff storm, according to new report
- “If I’m a little late to first period in the morning because I had to do an interview, my teachers are pretty lenient with me”: Ethan Kahn on Chained Saint’s face-ripping debut and how the new school of thrash metal is rewriting the rulebook
- “He smashes the guitar to smithereens and says, ‘It’s my band. I can do whatever I like!’” Pete Townshend’s substitute guitarist on his heated rehearsal row with the Who legend
September 22
- “Nuno calls me up and says, ‘Picture this. I want Mad Max and Jesus Christ Superstar’”: Nuno Bettencourt’s outrageous part-guitar, part-keytar Washburn is 2025’s wildest Custom Shop creation
- "My first guitar was nasty, old, and cheap. It didn’t have a name on it – they were too embarrassed to put it on, I think!” 7 electric guitar icons on the budget acoustics that shaped their early years
- “It’s ugly, but if you want probably the best-sounding Stratocaster in the house...” Norman’s Rare Guitars is home to some of the finest Strats in the world – but you’ll never guess which one sounds the best
- “The internet went crazy and sold out of the things”: TikTok’s favorite tennis racket rubber bridge guitar hack no longer exists – so this guitarist made something even better
- "One of the best ways to quickly and easily record your music alongside your smartphone": Blackstar Polar Go review
- “Considerably less money than going down even the light-relic route in the Fender Custom Shop”: Fender American Ultra Luxe Vintage ’50s Telecaster and ’60s Strat HSS review
- “I was falling out of love with music. Playing with Elton John woke me from my slumber. I got blisters every night because it was fun again!” Matt Bissonette’s “dumb-guy” approach to bass has taken him round the world with pop and rock royalty
- “The crowd went crazy. Somebody threw a 9-volt battery, and it hit me right above my eye”: Ricky Byrd on charged encounters onstage with Joan Jett and how Jeff Beck turned him onto smaller amps
- “Ozzy had a problem with my short hair. Sharon had a problem with my green guitar – she said it looked like a booger”: The unlucky 13 guitarists who auditioned for Ozzy Osbourne – but didn’t make the grade
September 21
- “It always takes a certain amount of time to work up to where you were yesterday”: As he revisits his most beloved Creedence Clearwater Revival hits to some of the biggest crowds of his career, John Fogerty's guitar practice regimen is as rigorous as ever
- John Frusciante and Dave Navarro are the household names, but plenty more guitarists made their mark with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Here’s our guide to all of them
- “I had no idea how good of a guitar player he was when we started recording. Most of the guitar on the records is him”: Foo Fighters super-producer Nick Raskulinecz on the most surprising thing about Dave Grohl's guitar playing
September 20
- “We’ve seen a few YouTubers turn their hand to guitar making, but this new one might just be my favorite”: All the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including a triumphant return for one of Gibson’s most sought-after builds
- “I’m the first bass player to ever MD a stadium tour like this. We make history every night”: As Musical Director for Kendrick Lamar, Tony Russell could be the greatest bass player you've never heard of
- “He used to call himself the worst bass player in the business, but he knew that wasn’t true”: The life (and tragically early death) of Phil Lynott, Thin Lizzy’s legendary bass-playing frontman
September 19
- “There’s something deeply emotional about your first guitar”: Gibson drops three-string Les Paul and SG Juniors as it launches new kid-sized guitars with Loog
- “And I’m selling this why?!” Brian Setzer is re-opening his Reverb store – and it’s filled with stage-played vintage gems
- “I never segued from that SG. It just doesn’t happen. It’s like an old pair of jeans”: Why Lita Ford is still partial to her Runaways-era Gibson SG – despite wielding B.C. Rich guitars for decades
- Power up your inner shredder: Gus G shares his ultimate guitar warm-ups
- “I called Steven and told him, ‘You have to hear this guy. He’s the real deal’”: After causing a stir at the VMAs, Yungblud and Aerosmith are officially releasing an EP together
- “I confess I pushed him more towards the Les Paul sound. I felt a resistance early on. But I persevered”: Why Mark Knopfler’s guitar tech convinced him to play Les Pauls – and how they impacted his tone and playing
- “Making its long-awaited return to the lineup”: For the first time in 20 years, Gibson is offering the Custom Les Paul ’70s as a standard run USA model
- “The scrutiny we were under lent itself to the atmosphere of the record. We really had to come out swinging”: Jake Kiszka and Chris Turpin on conjuring old-school guitar magic for Mirador’s debut – and the difference between US and UK guitar players
- “This guy comes up and I’m thinking, ‘He wants me to sign his guitar.’ He said, ‘I bought your Les Paul years ago. Would you like to buy it back?’” Bryan Adams sold his Summer of ’69 guitar in the ’80s – but it found its way back to him
- “The first time I heard the Smashing Pumpkins’ Cherub Rock, I fell in love. He’s playing rhythm, but it’s about so much more than the rhythm”: Meet Phoneboy, the New Jersey indie rockers dialing up melody, artistry and singable guitar solos
September 18
- “I wanted to continue along that journey of heavily effected psychedelic guitars, but I wanted to streamline my songwriting”: How Kylesa guitarist Laura Pleasants went from drop-tuned sludge to “skeletal” guitars for post-punk solo project The Discussion
- Thomann just dropped a guitar sale that's bold as love with a whopping £309 off Hendrix's iconic Love Drops Epiphone Flying V, as well as up to 70% a host of other gear
- “Dear UPS, where are my guitars? They disappeared a week ago”: Johnny Marr’s guitars have gone missing days before his tour
- “No brands expressed any interest in doing a signature guitar with me. So I figured, you know what, forget them. I’ll do it myself”: One of the biggest guitar YouTubers has launched their own brand – and its first model is destined to become a rarity
- “When I went to the all-digital realm, I took on a world of pain that I was not expecting”: Why Stephen Carpenter has returned to tube amps for Deftones’ latest tour
- “I look at tapping in two different ways. There’s Eruption, and there’s Hot For Teacher”: Wolfgang Van Halen explains the variations in EVH’s trademark technique – and shows you how to play them
- “Kurt felt things about bands that had a certain honesty. His stamp of approval stood us in good stead”: The Raincoats’ Gina Birch on star fans Kurt Cobain and Kim Gordon, and why John Cale led her band into pop when they didn’t want to go there
- “I started to think, ’Could I come up with something that would be a fit for a James Bond movie?’” Robin Trower on the secrets to his signature sound, his Strat headstock theory – and how 007 influenced his new album
September 17
- "The variety of sounds is astounding": Ibanez TOD10 Tim Henson Signature review
- Tool’s Adam Jones and Danny Carey serve up surprise prog rock spar to open the Canelo vs. Crawford boxing match
- “He used to always say, ‘You step on my pedals like you’re killing cockroaches or something’”: Session guitarist extraordinaire Mike Scott on Prince’s critiques during soundchecks
- “Brings the shape that metal guitarists have coveted for decades to a new generation”: Jackson drafts the Rhoads V into its high-end American Series – bringing Randy Rhoads’ iconic metal guitar back to the States
- “He’s always with us in spirit”: Renowned guitar collector Jim Irsay honored by Indianapolis Colts with “Win for Jim” Stratocaster – which will be carried out every game this season
- “Working on the Springsteen movie, they asked me if I would teach Jeremy Allen White to play guitar. My honest thing was, I have no idea”: J.D. Simo’s advice that helped Jeremy Allen White play like the Boss
- “I just imagine that without buying this, I would have died alone with my dog in my living room”: How the trip to buy a Boss pedal inadvertently saved this guitar player’s life
- “This band interacts and reacts. No two nights are the same. There’s a risk in working like that but also a beauty to the freedom”: Jazz guitar phenom Pete Roth on the making of a trio that lives on the outer limits of improv
- “It’s kind of a trick”: John Mayer shares his number one overdrive pedal tip – and it works with any drive
- “It’s a silly kid’s drawing, but I sent it to ESP, and we did a deal”: URNE’s Angus Neyra on the schoolboy scribble that got him an endorsement, getting Troy Sanders to guest on their 9-minute single, and why he needed a “brother” guitarist
- “He came up to me and said, ‘Rich, can I have a word?’ It’s never good when someone says that”: The playing advice Glenn Tipton gave Richie Faulkner on his first tour with Judas Priest
- “I wanted to play like Stevie and see if I could break my guitar in half like he tried to do”: Ally Venable is spreading the Texas blues gospel via a deep-seated love of Stevie Ray Vaughan and her “Wounded Warrior” Les Paul
- “Chrissie Hynde was getting fed up with our performance. So she stood in front of us and bent over, so we were staring at her backside”: How bassist Tony Butler helped relaunch The Pretenders with this 1982 rock classic
September 16
- "The finish cracking here is pretty subtle and there are no faux-dings, but with use it’ll continue to age": Fender Limited Edition Vintera II Road Worn 60s Stratocaster review
- “B.B.’s only wish was, ‘Do what you can to keep the blues alive.’ Hopefully this album gives a B12 shot to his legacy”: Joe Bonamassa announces a landmark B.B. King tribute album with a jaw-dropping roster of collaborators
- “It can never be a bad thing to know your triads and inversions!” Rush’s Alex Lifeson was a master of first-inversion chords – here are 5 voicings you can use in your playing today
- “I’m not trying to copy the classics”: The VP-1 Dark Fang is a space-age Super Guitar that introduces a wild new fretboard capable of ‘outward string bending’
- “I was playing a U2 song, and I hear drums behind me. I turn around and it was him. He and I jammed without speaking for 30 minutes”: Ozzy Osbourne collaborator Andrew Watt on the pop star who helped kickstart his production career
- “The authentic broken-in feel players love about vintage Fenders”: Fender’s Road Worn guitars have become a dying breed – but now they're back as limited-edition Vintera II guitars
- “I will never forget it as long as I live. I got to play Blackbird with him”: Paul Mescal had to learn guitar left-handed to play Paul McCartney in the upcoming Beatles biopic – but also got to jam with him
- “One day it hit me, I want a Fender 7-string Stratocaster. I got a lot of ‘no’s”: How the Fender Custom Shop was convinced to make the firm’s first 7-string guitar
- “They kept talking about this bizarre guitar player who practiced nonstop in his room and was very eccentric. I thought, ‘I want to work with him’”: Bill Laswell survived Buckethead, John Lydon, Ginger Baker and Eddie Hazel – and made it sound easy
- “Frank gets it. He’s not a po-faced, miserable git. He’s got a sense of humor. He’s got a twinkle in his eye”: Glen Matlock on the legacy of the Sex Pistols and getting back on the road with Frank Carter’s help
- “He walked into my bedroom, and he says, ‘Darling, I think this is a hit.’ And I went, ‘Cool man, let me hear it…’” How Nile Rodgers and David Bowie accidentally wrote Let’s Dance – with a 12-string that was missing 6 strings
September 15
- Rory Gallagher
- “Trading the stability of playing for a pop star to start walking on my own steps was a very tough decision”: Mateus Asato has walked away from Bruno Mars, Jessie J and Tori Kelly to pursue a solo career – and his solo album is finally ready
- “I’m a big Slash fan but ya gotta admit John stole the show”: Remembering the night tres hombres by the name of John Mayer, Slash and Billy Gibbons gave ZZ Top’s La Grange a triple-guitar glow-up
- “I’ve never met you, John, if you’re watching...” Paul Reed Smith invited Mike Dawes to meet John Mayer after his Slow Dancing cover went viral – but he never made the rendezvous
- “Whether or not my fingers bled, I don't remember”: Billy Corgan on the making of Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness – and how one of its biggest hits nearly didn’t make the record
- “All of my favorite players – Paul Kossoff, Leslie West, Jimi Hendrix – play with tonal perfection, but it also often sounds like they’re hanging on by a thread!” Jared James Nichols teaches you the wild drop D blues stomp he wrote with Tyler Bryant
- “In my mind, it would have ruined my life had I messed up. I took it very seriously”: Wolfgang Van Halen took a gamble when he decided to cover his dad’s songs – and it paid off
- “This collaboration felt incredibly necessary in this moment”: Gibson rarely does collaborative brand Les Pauls – but it’s just unveiled 4 new models designed in partnership with a US fashion giant
- “My bass got caught in my pants and ripped them down to my ankles”: 11 real-life Spinal Tap moments from bass-playing royalty
- “My production manager came into my bus. He’s like, ‘That white SG…’ It got stolen right off stage”: Daron Malakian on the time his prized Gibson was swiped from the stage – while System of a Down were headlining Ozzfest
- “It’s like playing a tree! It’s crazy how far your hands are away from your body”: How Vianova crafted one of the best modern metal debuts in years by making brutal 30" baritones disgustingly fun – and naming songs after cult Squier guitars
- “I had to learn to play electric guitar when I formed the Beach Boys with the guys. I had to go electric. It was like Dylan”: These two Beach Boys classics might have been misunderstood, but with Al Jardine’s guitar work, they stand the test of time
September 14
- “They had an 8-track demo for Livin’ On A Prayer. When the producer came in, we both agreed we had to come up with a better bassline”: How Hugh McDonald became Bon Jovi’s uncredited recording bassist
- “An excellent, extremely easy-to-use pedal that’s not just for double-tracking but also for spacious stereo modulation”: KMA Geminus Stereo True Double Tracker review
September 13
- “I came upon the V, but I didn’t think much of it because of the weird shape. I didn’t think it was very playable”: Dave Mustaine first discovered the Flying V when he joined Metallica and wasn’t a fan – this is what changed his mind
- “Sometimes the nicest thing to do with a guitar is just look at it”: How Radiohead’s debut changed the way they thought about recording guitars – and set them up for two landmark albums
- “Robin opened up the case, and there was a 1957 Fender Stratocaster. He said, ‘Do you like it?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ And he said, ‘Take it’”: Robert Fripp on that one time Robin Trower gave him a highly coveted Strat – and why he never ended up using it
- “Joe said, ‘I love this truck. Is it for sale?’ I was like, ‘If you buy it, it's going to cost you a vintage Les Paul’”: The Imaginaries’ Shane Henry on his eye for vintage gear, recruiting Vince Gill – and trading trucks with Joe Bonamassa
- “I have long harbored a slight obsession with this hugely underrated guitar. The new finish doesn’t help with that one bit”: All the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including... an urn that fits inside an acoustic?
September 12
- “Makes next-level Gretsch style and sound more accessible than ever”: Gretsch brings its iconic Falcon and Nashville hollowbodies to new-low price points with unveiling of the Synchromatic Collection
- “I set myself the challenge of making a full-length album, using almost entirely the five-stringed guitar, in just four days”: Polymath virtuoso Jacob Collier’s new album is a love letter to the guitar – and alternate tunings
- “A unique and meaningful tribute to your departed loved one”: Would you keep your loved one’s cremated remains in the soundhole of an acoustic guitar?
- “He shaped the tone of his voice like a guitarist would finesse riffs and phrases”: Joe Satriani pays tribute to Chris Cornell with instrumental cover of Audioslave’s Be Yourself
- “Her technique is particularly difficult to replicate because she played ‘upside down’ on a guitar strung for a righty”: Sue Foley salutes Elizabeth Cotten and her favorite female guitar pioneers in this fingerpicking blues masterclass
- “Together, our chemistry is magical”: Steve Morse has announced his first new album since leaving Deep Purple – and it’s set to feature Eric Johnson and John Petrucci
- “Nothing’s more real than seeing your Ibanez JS guitars played by the legendary Spinal Tap”: How Joe Satriani became Spinal Tap’s unofficial guitar supplier for the loudest movie of the year
- “A modernized take on the classic shred machine”: Charvel beckons a new era for its So-Cal Superstrat – and brings the classic Pro-Mod model into the modern era
- “Yungblud seems to have positioned himself as a natural heir to the Ozzy legacy”: Justin Hawkins defends his brother’s comments over the VMAs Ozzy Osbourne tribute
- “If you have a really fast run it’s just blazing past you. But with a lovely slow melodic line, you just kind of melt into it”: Meet Still Corners, the Anglo-American duo who write Shadows-inspired dream pop while they’re watching movies
- “My grandma asked me why I was spending so much time pretending when I could just get a real guitar”: Inhaler guitarist Josh Jenkinson on how Miley Cyrus and Harry Styles’ producer expanded their sound – and why he just bought his first electric last year
- "It was only £45 or something, and all the other guitars were getting into the hundreds": Jimmy Page's 5 most iconic guitars, in his own words
September 11
- “Heavy metal and drop D is a match made in heaven”: Eddie Van Halen used it, Jimmy Page loved it, and all of your heavy metal heroes have tried it – drop D made drop-dead simple
- “I saw the message and I was like, ‘Who the hell is this guy?’ He called me the next day and offered me a world tour”: How Yungblud bassist Silke Blansjaar got the gig of a lifetime – despite not playing bass
- “I grabbed his hand saying, ‘Thank you for everything.’ He goes, ‘You were the only guitar player who said no to me’”: Nuno Bettencourt remembers his final exchange with Ozzy Osbourne – a reminder of the gig he once turned down
- “He wanted to show me his really nice old Les Paul, and I just said, ‘I don’t like Les Pauls,’ and walked off”: When Joe Bonamassa was introduced to Joanne Shaw Taylor – who “offended” him on their first meeting
- “I measure success by the number of knock-off clones I have – that gives me an idea as to how I’m perceived in the pedal world”: Robert Keeley on becoming one of the most imitated pedal builders in the biz – and the “smoking” drive he can't sell online
- “I said, ‘That’s my music.’ His manager said, ‘You’re a girl. You don’t have the money to fight this’”: Rita Coolidge alleges she helped write Eric Clapton’s Layla – but never got credit for it
- “The first gig, they handed me a mayonnaise jar full of cocaine and said, ‘Welcome to the band’”: Blues survivor Walter Trout on wild times with Canned Heat, how John Mayall helped him get sober – and his death metal tone secret
September 10
- “It’s clear that the pickups on this guitar are geared for the loud and lewd stuff”: Gretsch Electromatic CVT review
- “Makes selling music gear more rewarding than ever before”: Reverb relaunches in the UK with reduced seller fees – promising players “more money for their music gear”
- “Connecting directly to that golden era of guitar innovations”: Jackson pays homage to its early days with Pro Origins 1985 San Dimas series – featuring newly developed era-accurate pickups
- “I was instantly in a band because nobody wanted to play bass back then”: How Eddie Van Halen led to Les Claypool picking up the bass – and how he nearly joined Kirk Hammett’s band
- “On the bass…” Spinal Tap recruit Tal Wilkenfeld and Thundercat for Jimmy Kimmel performance of Big Bottom
- “I’m gonna sneak some stuff in there to give it more personality”: Steve Morse injects Coldplay with some Deep Purple flair as he adds a guitar solo to mega-hit Fix You
- “It has had an interesting history. I don’t think it found its true voice until now”: PRS has resurrected its Mira model – and says it's better than ever
- “Of all the artist-associated instruments I’ve been involved with, this has been my favorite journey”: A guitar once owned by Jimmy Page and given away in a magazine competition goes for over three times its estimate at auction
- “The guitar I play live is secretly a Squier. I replaced the neck plate – I was like, ‘I’m too big for this!’” How Frankensteined Fenders and vintage Gibsons supercharged the rise of Jack White-backed rockers Die Spitz
- Get more from Guitar World: How to make Guitar World a preferred source in your Google Search results
- “If Leo Fender had released a Jazz Bass like this back in the ‘60s, it would have changed the entire history of popular music”: The inside story of Adrian Younge’s half-fretless, fuzz-loaded Fender Custom Shop Jazz Bass
- “I was drinking a lot and forgot that I bought it. The folks at Carter Vintage called me and were like, ‘You gonna come get this guitar?’” Marcus King on the vintage guitar he accidentally bought while drunk
- “You get emails saying they’d like to try a guitar and you think, ‘It’s not going to be THAT Audley Freed, is it?… Then the penny drops”: How Ivison Guitars became Britain’s hottest high-end brand
- “The player is not renting or subscribing to access the effect… It’s a purchase that lasts a lifetime”: The Boss PX-1 Plugout FX backlash has gone viral – but is it justified? We put the biggest criticisms to Boss – here’s what they had to say
September 9
- "Check one out before someone realises they’ve miscalculated the price!" PRS S2 Mira 594 Satin review
- “The only person who did a version of Summer of ’69 and did it justice was Taylor Swift”: Bryan Adams looks back on the time he crossed Fenders with the world’s biggest popstar on one of his most iconic hits
- “He recorded some of the most important and enduringly popular instrumental guitar music”: Joe Bonamassa pays homage to Duane Eddy – and reminds us why the “Titan of Twang” was a great blues player, too
- “After Kirk introduced me to Greeny, it felt only right to return the favor”: Kirk Hammett let Al Di Meola play his iconic Greeny – so the fusion virtuoso let him play his prized Elegant Gypsy Black Beauty
- Sting's legal representatives claim Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland may have been “substantially overpaid” following lost royalties lawsuit
- “Makes me sick how people jump on this to further their own careers”: The Darkness’ Dan Hawkins blasts Yungblud, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry for their VMAs Ozzy Osbourne tribute
- “We did this show in Amsterdam. It was quite loud, so it was shut down after 20 minutes. The people started throwing wooden shoes”: Nigel Tufnel on the return of Spinal Tap – with Marshall amps that go to infinity, new custom guitars, and a point to prove
- “We all talked to each other before we went on – Kirk, Zakk and Slash. Kirk said, ‘I’m nervous, man!’ I said, ‘I am too’”: Jerry Cantrell looks back at the “walk-off home run” of Ozzy Osbourne’s final show
September 8
- “There isn’t a bad sound in the RT-2 – this thing has real mojo”: Boss RT-2 Rotary Ensemble pedal review
- “I wrote Flea a fan letter, and I was like, ‘I want to do what you're doing. Do you have any advice?’ He wrote me back – it's unbelievable”: Vulfpeck’s Joe Dart on the priceless bass advice he got from Flea as a teenager
- “There are no limits. It’s basically: how long will it take and how much is it going to cost?” Behind the scenes at the Fender Custom Shop – where anything goes, and heritage and innovation go hand in hand
- “One of my favorite moments”: That time Eric Johnson shredded a custom Dean V – which had been built for Dave Mustaine to use on the Experience Hendrix tour
- “Though every note has been learned and rehearsed and played, you need to think, ‘Oh, there’s something about the feel that had before that it’s gone forever’”: David Gilmour sets the record straight on the Pink Floyd solo that accidentally got erased
- “David said, ‘Slicky, you don’t have Les Pauls anymore.’ I said, ‘I haven’t been playing them.’ He said, ‘You need to get a couple’”: The one time David Bowie ordered Earl Slick to swap his Fenders for Gibsons
- “Our riffs are unconventional because we don’t know what key anything is in. Most guitar players wouldn’t admit that”: From Billy Corgan to Big Thief, how Momma became one of alt-rock’s most addictive bands
- “It’s the preeminent instrument in the world. Every culture has made something of their own of it”: Andy Summers to explore the guitar’s impact on the world in globe-trotting docu-series
- “I’ll try my best to do you proud Oz”: Nuno Bettencourt, Joe Perry, Steven Tyler and Yungblud pay tribute to Ozzy Osbourne with a medley of Prince of Darkness classics at the VMAs
- “I almost cried when I first saw John Frusciante live. But when I got involved in extreme music, people would say, ‘Don’t mention RHCP’”: How Arve Isdal carved his own extreme metal path with Enslaved – and became Norway’s answer to Slash
September 7
- “Duane Allman told me he was inspired to pick up slide guitar because he saw me playing with the McCoys. That blows my mind”: The life and times of Rick Derringer, the all-American guitar hero
- “I can’t feel it. It’s bone on bone. I’ve had to adjust my style. In a way, it’s like learning to play guitar again”: Jake E. Lee on how he has changed his playing – and gear – due to arthritis struggles
September 6
- “I said, ‘I can’t accept this. I haven’t earned it.’ He was like, ‘You need to go pick it up’”: How a 17-year-old guitar prodigy ended up with a 1957 Goldtop Reissue from the foundation of a band she once hated – after her Number One Les Paul got stolen
- “Proof that semi-hollows can rock as hard as the clichés, even if they are bedecked with gold”: Gretsch Professional Broadkaster LX review
- “It’s taken 3 years, but a more affordable spin-off of one of the 21st century’s most advanced guitar designs has finally landed”: All the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including the most extravagant acoustic you will see all year
September 5
- Ibanez treats its best-selling nylon-string to a stunning exotic tonewood glow-up – and it gives Tim Henson’s signature model a run for its money
- “I had some guitars stolen. Fender heard about it because we were trying to find them. They sorted us out”: How a guitar that went missing led IDLES' Lee Kiernan to his now-famed pink Mustang
- “They’ve held value better than almost any other brand”: Reverb declares PRS “quiet champion” in the market for used guitars – but which Squier turned out to be the best investment?
- Dimebag Darrell
- “I look at guitar playing as a dance between both hands. One hand brings discipline, the other brings chaos…” John Butler shares his secrets in this stunning masterclass
- David Gilmour
- James Hetfield
- Tom Morello
- “All of a sudden, some of the other guitars weren’t really doing it”: Why Linkin Park’s new singer forced Mike Shinoda to change guitars
- “I did the least amount of overdubs on Alive! – I’ll let the fans decide why that is…” Ace Frehley looks beyond his next Origins album to his travel guitar, more touring and even reconciling with Kiss
- “It went off into the universe and it left us thinking, where did it go? There must be an answer…” The remarkable story of Paul McCartney’s Höfner 500/1 bass – which went missing for 50 years – to feature in new documentary
- “It was a major step up for me. I still pull it out from time to time at home – it’s a bit of a lost classic in the Gibson range”: Zakk Wylde on the miracle of his ‘Grail’ Les Paul and the three most important guitars in his life
- “Something a little different, with vibey and diverse sounds for not a lot of money”: Vintage REVO Galactica and Astrostar review
- Brent Hinds found to be “at fault” for the tragic motorcycle accident that led to his death, police determine
- “The ultimate Gibson acoustic to date”: Gibson spares no expense to celebrate its 100th Monarch SJ-200 – a one-of-one Brazilian rosewood build that costs $99,999
September 4
- “It evokes a cool old Jazz Bass that's picked up some useful mods over its life”: Squier Classic Vibe Active ’70s Jazz Bass review
- “We did a trade, but he owed some money. The guy whose guitar it was had the cops pull me off stage to get it back”: Phil Demmel’s new Jackson Polka Dot signature King V pays homage to his first Randy Rhoads Jackson model – and the guitar god himself
- “I’d just hit the bass really hard and overdrive it with my hand. There’s no need to have any finesse if you’re a bass player”: Nikki Sixx recalls his decadent early days with Mötley Crüe
- “Jeff Ament said, ‘Could you imagine tuning the guitar to all Es? Wouldn't that be crazy? That'd be dumb’”: Kim Thayil on the time Chris Cornell tuned all his guitar strings to E – and the Soundgarden song that came from it
- "Back then, I was pretty much a nobody, so Gibson sold it to me at cost!" Slash's 5 most iconic guitars, in his own words
- “I’ve kind of just dealt with it. At first, I had to have an epidural every three months just to live”: Burning Witches and former Iron Maidens guitarist Courtney Cox reveals she has been touring with multiple herniated discs in her back for years
- “The pick hand is the timekeeper, and I’ve spent a lot of time working on exercises designed to bolster my strumming competence”: Rhythm guitar master Cory Wong shares his secrets to perfect pick-hand timing
- “I’m thinking, ‘I’m in trouble now…’ And then, Dickey goes, ‘No.’ I go, ‘What do you mean?’ ‘That’s not the good one. Go in the bedroom and grab the good one’”: Tesla’s Frank Hannon on borrowing one of Dickey Betts’ prized Gibson SGs
- “A kid came in, plugged into an amp and started. It was extraordinary. I went out the next day to find records by this character, 'Jimi Hendrix…'”: David Gilmour on the first time he saw Hendrix play – in the company of the Beatles and Rolling Stones
- “He’s written some of the heaviest, greatest rock riffs of all time. That’s served me tremendously”: How Harrison Whitford balances inspiration from Aerosmith guitarist dad Brad, boss Phoebe Bridgers and his devotion to alternate tunings
- “I was starstruck when I first met Ozzy. He said he had ‘a good feeling’ about me. He just encouraged me to play with my heart”: Gus G on growing up on Black Sabbath, playing with Ozzy Osbourne – and why Tony Iommi’s style was the hardest to master
September 3
- “Push the boundaries of modern guitar design”: Rick Graham’s second Charvel signature is an ode to his reconnection with the guitar – and it’s got a killer relic’d pink finish
- “I want the guitar to play fast, to wear close to the body, and communicate a degree of aggression”: Sterling by Music Man and Tosin Abasi bring the futuristic Kaizen to a new low price point – slashing nearly $3k off the original
- “There’s so much tasty guitar playing that’s also pretty achievable for a lot of people as well. I think it should be in everyone’s repertoire”: Mike Dawes on the one John Mayer hit that every guitarist should learn
- “Everyone in the pedal market is concerned. I think it's going to take a big chunk of the market”: Brian Wampler of Wampler Pedals on why digital modeling could be Napster for traditional pedal makers
- “It was a bit of a disaster. I plugged my guitar in, and it was instant feedback”: John McLaughlin remembers his nightmare jam session with Jimi Hendrix – when he was forced to play acoustic
- "I've tested loads of pedals for reviews, and it’s not often I come across one that feels this inspiring": Hotone NC-200 Verbera reverb pedal review
- “If you bring in some cheese, I might trade you one of the guitars on the wall”: Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel has been running a cheese shop where guitars can be used as currency
- “I didn't want to put it down. I've missed it ever since!” Jake E. Lee played Kirk Hammett’s legendary Greeny Les Paul backstage at Ozzy Osbourne’s final show – but he almost wishes he hadn’t
- “John Mayer ruined me with getting new guitars and vintage stuff. He’s always experimenting, so I had to expand my own rig”: Isaiah Sharkey is one of guitar’s most versatile talents. He lets us in on how he works with Mayer, D’Angelo and Miles Davis
- “Our definition of what makes a ‘good’ guitar tone has changed dramatically in the past 10 years”: Does ‘bad’ guitar tone even exist anymore?
- “I sat on the bed while he sat on the floor. He jumped up after I finished the solo and gave me a hug. He cried out, ‘I love you, Bradley’”: Brad Gillis remembers the moment he got the Ozzy Osbourne gig
- “An evolved Fuzz Face with an edge, this is no single-sound pedal”: EarthQuaker Devices Rancho de la Luna Dirt Transmitter Fuzz Driver review
- “A good guitar solo should sound like an orgasm. I can hear it in Eddie Van Halen’s playing, and Jimi Hendrix. I live for the juicy notes”: Carlos Santana on playing like a soul singer and his visitations from B.B. King, Miles Davis and Stevie Ray Vaughan
September 2
- “The most immersive, intuitive headphone amp on the market today”: Blackstar’s Beam Solo takes on Fender and Boss – is this the new headphone amp to beat?
- “We took Randy’s pedalboard out for the first time and did the first pedal with the polka dots. We’re releasing a second one”: MXR’s latest Randy Rhoads Distortion is inspired by another of the guitar great’s iconic axes – the Jackson Concorde
- “I met with him and asked him to work with me, but only if he got rid of the bucket”: Buckethead once auditioned for Ozzy Osbourne – now he’s covering Ozzy and Black Sabbath classics in tribute to the gig that didn’t quite work out
- “They would hear Aerials or Chop Suey! on the radio or MTV, and they’d be like, ‘That’s the one we heard you playing in your room’”: Daron Malakian wrote System of a Down’s career-defining album while still living with his parents
- “I used to have a really crap 335 copy – I think it was a Hohner. It would just never stay in tune. Fortunately it got stolen”: Pulp’s Mark Webber explains the happy accidents, thefts and uncontrollable pedals behind the Britpop icons’ guitar sound
- “It now goes to Infinity. Just think about that for a moment… Oh, my God, that’s literally infinity”: For Spinal Tap’s reunion, Nigel Tufnel asked Marshall to make him an an amp that went beyond 11
- “Whether this is the first instrument you buy, or that dream guitar you’ve saved years for, the expectation from Ibanez has always been to over-deliver”: How Ibanez is continuing to cement its legacy as the alternative acoustic guitar brand
- “Ibanez has always been there at the forefront of the metal revolution and evolution”: How Ibanez became one of the biggest metal guitar makers on the planet, beloved by players and pros alike
- “I kept comparing myself to others and it just stopped being fun. I've been finding it harder to stand out”: Sophie Lloyd lifts the veil on being a successful guitarist in the era of social media
- “I saw Kiki’s name, I stopped and thought, ‘Wait… I think I follow her on Instagram.’ …I was like, ‘Oh, that’s that person I really like’”: Billy Corgan and Kiki Wong on the guitar chemistry behind Smashing Pumpkins’ new era
- “It was a Facebook marketplace find. By the time we were done, I kept finding more and more”: Gibson’s Certified Vintage manager on his most memorable guitar safari discovery (and it wasn’t a guitar)
- “I got a writeup in a guitar magazine, and a gentleman from the UK sent me a handwritten letter in the mail saying, ‘Hello, my name is Guthrie’”: Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal on the unifying magic of the guitar instrumental
September 1
- Jeff Beck
- A rare 12-string guitar that Mark Knopfler “borrowed” for 50 years is now up for auction
- Eddie Van Halen
- "The true star here is the pickup configuration": PRS SE Studio review
- “I always wanted a Les Paul but I couldn’t play them”: Tony Iommi on why he never became a Les Paul player – despite wanting to become one
- “A tribute to Ibanez’s past”: Ibanez has revived one of its most outrageous shred guitar designs from the 1980s
- Atlanta police release further details of Brent Hinds' fatal motorcycle accident
- “I probably had a better chance of getting struck by lightning”: Daron Malakian joins System of a Down tribute band onstage – after wandering into their gig off the street
- If you want to sound better live, three of our top-rated in-ear monitors just got some mega discounts in the Thomann In-Ear Days sale - save up to 30% on pro-level live sound
- “There is a revolution taking place right now in guitar playing”: John Mayer posts surprise demo of JHS Pedals’ new Mk.gee-coded stompbox – and explains why it reflects a wider change in guitar music
- “Since Clapton was in London, I was tapped to fill in the spaces – I was given credit in the ‘special thanks’ section”: He played with blues legends and taught Trey Anastasio. Now Paul Asbell is reflecting on 50 years as a player’s player
- “I’ve got nothing but love for John. He was brilliant back in the day… We’ve just grown apart”: Steve Jones on the Sex Pistols’ legacy, their ill-fated second guitarist auditions and how a new singer has rejuvenated the band
- I thought I was done buying Gibsons, but with a massive up to $450 off everything from my favorite Explorer to a newly released Les Paul in the Musician’s Friend Labor Day sale, I’m about to add another
- “Julian pushes the boundaries on the guitar. He’s got a specific sound and message he’s going for”: Meet the virtuoso axe-slingers from the Voidz – Strokes singer Julian Casablancas’ inventive other band
- “The closest alignment with Gibson’s legacy that Epiphone has ever achieved”: Epiphone draws on its 152-year-old history and Gibson’s aspirational craftsmanship to bring the Inspired by Gibson Custom Acoustic Collection to players at all levels
- “I didn’t set out to start a guitar company. I set out to solve a problem. That problem became a purpose”: Behind the rise of Strandberg, the firm that ushered in a headless guitar revolution – and changed the concept of guitar design in the process
- “We will continue to innovate and drive our company with passion that’s how we can win”: How Blackstar shook up the amp establishment – and cemented its place in the upper echelons of the industry
- “We really wanted to honor the past, honor the story, honor everything that makes Analog Man's King of Tone special – but with a twist”: Chase Bliss’ Joel Korte lifts the veil on the five-year process that led to Brothers AM – an overdrive for the ages
- “We didn’t just make another speaker. We created solutions tailored to what guitarists actually need”: How Laney went above and beyond with its LFR range to create the ultimate speaker solution for guitarists with digital rigs