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October 2025

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108 articles

October 13
- “He our admiration for his music and our respect for his talent for recognizing guitar genius”: The life and times of Ozzy Osbourne – metal’s godfather and Prince of Darkness
- “He was my favorite guitarist I played with, besides Slash, and was the one I felt most unified with”: Richard Fortus on how he’s held down the Guns N’ Roses gig – and his other favorite GNR guitarist
- “A true artifact of musical genius”: Frank Zappa’s ‘Baby Snakes’ SG is heading to auction for the first time – and expected to sell for half a million dollars
- “It’s perfect for playing Chuck’s classic songs, like Johnny B. Goode and Maybellene”: Joe Bonamassa on his love for the Gibson ES-350 – and why it's a blues powerhouse
- “Over the span of several years of wrestling with that dynamic, I had an epiphany”: JHS Pedals’ Josh Scott on how IKEA inspired him to create a DIY Klon clone that took the internet by storm
- “You’ll laugh, but I thought he used to play too loud”: Buddy Guy remembers the first time he saw Jimi Hendrix play – and the warning he used to give him before gigs
- “It’s totally his fault. I just couldn’t take my eyes off his guitar”: John 5 on the unlikely player who started his life-long love affair with the Telecaster
- “When I was younger I avoided acoustic because of the ‘female singer-songwriter’ trope. But now I don’t feel like I have anything to prove”: Flock Of Dimes on how turning to ‘70s and ‘80s Yamaha acoustics helped her capture the pain of generational trauma
October 12
- “Even if you learn to play bass from YouTube videos, you’re still not self-taught. Autodidactic learning is awesome, but everyone needs a teacher”: How Esperanza Spalding created the most complex music of her career under the guidance of an alter ego
- “Leo was somewhat disgusted that he played an indirect role in the newfangled radical and rambunctious sounds that were taking over radio airwaves”: How the Fender Jazzmaster became the one offset to rule them all – even if no one really used it for jazz
- “It might be Fender Japan’s biggest collab to date and it’s not even with an artist”: All the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including an affordable recreation of one of Nerdville’s rarest Les Paul Customs
October 11
- "No matter what type of fuzz you enjoy, you’ll find something to love here": Kernom Moho Fuzz review
- “There's so much baggage that comes with a Strat”: Why Chris Buck ditched his Fender Strat in favor of this underrated Yamaha model
- “Those seeking pointers on how to tailor a solo to serve the song would do well to investigate their back catalog”: The Scorpions guitarists list boasts some of rock's most electrifying and underrated players – this is what you can learn from each of them
- “To me, we were like a Motörhead-type hard rock band, so any kind of ballads were sort of uncongressed”: Sweet Child O’ Mine is Guns N' Roses' most iconic song, but Slash originally wasn't a fan
October 10
- “He was never happier than being on stage – he was ‘Just a singer in a rock and roll band’”: John Lodge, Moody Blues bassist and singer, dies at 82
- “You lit a fire under this genre”: Joe Bonamassa trades licks with “the future” of the blues, Marcus King, during virtuosic Albert King cover
- “You ain't ever gonna see James Hetfield slag off a young rock star”: Yungblud and Jack Osbourne push back against criticism of the VMAs Ozzy Osbourne tribute with Nuno Bettencourt, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry
- “If the guitar has ever been your sanctuary, you already know you need to be there”: Nuno Bettencourt announces four day guitar camp – and he's recruited some big-name players to help
- “Once you learn how to do that, any blues solo will fly”: Joe Bonamassa shares his top tip for blues players looking to level up – and it’s not to learn more solos
- “Josh Homme said, ‘Do you want to come over?’ I was like, ‘So, you want to do Kyuss, but no John Garcia?' I’m good.’ I was bitter, I guess": Scott Reeder on the last days of Kyuss, QOTSA and what he told James Hetfield after that Metallica audition
- “I walked out and Nuno had the crowd chanting my name. It was overwhelming. I’m surprised I didn’t trip and fall down”: Jake E. Lee on defying expectations, arthritis and gunshot wounds to mend his friendship with Ozzy at Back to the Beginning
- “He's definitely trying to push what a guitar could be”: Misha Mansoor joins Tim Henson and Tosin Abasi in praising this emerging virtuoso – who’s changing the landscape of progressive guitar
- “It’s coming. I know it’s coming because everybody is thinking about it”: Are Guns N' Roses going to release a new record? This is what Slash had to say
October 9
- “Someone buys a guitar with my name on it and takes it home – I hope it becomes a part of their daily habit”: Martin teams up with Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy for a new signature model – and reintroduces an old favorite
- “It doesn’t exactly behave like Neural DSP’s other plugins, and that is both its potential weakness and saving grace” – Neural DSP Archetype: Misha Mansoor X review
- Spare 5 minutes to tell us about your guitar habits and collection – and you could win a $200 Amazon gift card
- “I had a slight fender bender. It happens. Especially to those of us who are horrible drivers”: Gene Simmons rushed to hospital after reportedly losing consciousness and crashing his SUV into a parked vehicle
- “My hands were bleeding on my strings”: George Benson session player Corrado Rustici on what it took to record Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance with Somebody
- “When we sat down and started playing some of the Rush stuff, and I realized how hard it was to play these songs”: Alex Lifeson reveals his biggest challenge when preparing for the Rush reunion tour
- “I don’t want people to know where I come from or what my real name is”: Anonymous guitar star DarWin is keeping the mystery alive, but like Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake before him, he has found a sparring partner in Greg Howe
- “I got it on Craigslist from this avid Strat collector who needed new teeth. He was so sad to see it go. I think of him every time I pick it up”: Indie-rock’s secret weapon Jay Som on a guitar with history, boygenius – and the time Paramore had her back
- 25 Prime Day guitar gear deals still live right now – including 60% off EHX pedals
- “At the push of a button, the legendary roar thunders through the amp”: Fender wrangles Godzilla for a monster guitar collaboration – featuring two company firsts
October 8
- “If any of you have a good name in mind I would welcome hearing from you immediately”: How the Fender Telecaster got its name, with a little help from Gretsch
- Klon creator Bill Finnegan’s lawsuit against Behringer over its Centaur clone has been dismissed
- “It just involves moments where we both shut up for a second”: Two legends of fretless bass, one whip-smart genius shredder – here’s how the mind-blowing Testament x Pestilence fusion project Quadvium came together
- “This is your chance to own the sound that defined heavy metal”: Reverb and Ashdown are selling bass amps used by Geezer Butler during rehearsals for Black Sabbath’s final show
- “It’s great to add this to the lineup as an option”: PRS strips down its acclaimed David Grissom signature for the SE DGT Standard – and it’s the most affordable version to date
- With $160 off a five-star rated PRS SE, this mega sale is the best place to shop for a properly great Prime Day guitar deal
- Quick! 3 of our top-rated Positive Grid Spark amps have hefty Prime Day discounts until the end of today – and they all scored 4.5 stars in our reviews
- "A really clever bit of kit that makes playing along with drum beats an absolute breeze": Singular Sound BeatBuddy 2 review
- “The pedal tap-dance is as important as learning the song on the fretboard. I have to figure out a way around it. If we got drunk before a show we’d be on the floor!”: Nova Twins on keeping sonic secrets, putting vocals through a Plexi and blowing up amps
- “I took the guitar to someone and when I got it back, I almost cried. I decided, ‘Nobody is touching my stuff again’”: The botched luthier job that convinced John Suhr to get into guitar building
- “My one came from a little old lady in Pennsylvania. The family didn't realize it was a very special”: Joe Bonamassa’s ultra-rare 1959 ‘Black Beauty’ Les Paul Custom is one of 20 in existence – now it’s been recreated as an Epiphone signature guitar
- I've recommended this beginner acoustic countless times, and with $136 off, it's an even easier choice – don't hang about, though, the sale ends today!
October 7
- “He just blows everybody away”: Samantha Fish on who she thinks are the best modern blues guitar players right now
- “Proves that a world-class instrument doesn’t have to break the bank”: PRS finally rolls out an SE version of its boundary-pushing Herman Li Chleo signature guitar
- “I cannot thank you enough for your incredible Parker Fly design. Your genius changed my life”: Adrian Belew leads tributes to Ken Parker, pioneering guitar maker who has died aged 73
- How to master the art of tremolo picking – the indispensable picking technique heard in everything from death metal to surf rock that can power up your playing
- "Adding a few tweaks to the winning formula… The perfect pedal platforms": Victory V40 The Duchess MK II Deluxe Combo and Lunch Box head review
- Hunting for guitar gear this Prime Day? These 4 anti-Prime Day sales are taking Amazon on at their own game
- “The next morning, I got an email that had a receipt for a 1957 Gibson Custom goldtop”: Jam band and Southern rock prodigy Bella Rayne was bereft when her Les Paul was stolen – then came an answer to her prayers
- Amazon has failed to deliver any truly good Prime Day deals for guitar players – I'm shopping the Musician's Friend Rocktober sale instead, with up to 40% off guitar gear
- “Our lawyer said, ‘You need a letter from an industry expert.’ So I texted Slash”: Chris Buck explains how the Guns N’ Roses guitar hero came to the aid of Cardinal Black on their first US headline tour
- “I was affected as much as anybody hearing that first Van Halen record. I think the other guitar players in LA went, ‘Oh, my God, I’ve got to compete with that’”: Steve Stevens on why he never felt the need to compete with Eddie Van Halen
- You won't find your next guitar in Amazon's Prime Day sale, but I've looked through 280+ deals and found 6 unmissable accessory savings from $6.49 that will end tonight
- “Dolores said, ‘This is an angry song; I think it needs to be reflected in the music.’ That was the turning point. I bought my first distortion pedal”: How The Cranberries became ’90s alternative icons on borrowed amps and banjo-like guitars
- Quick! Guitar Center's epic Guitar-A-Thon sale leaves Amazon Prime Day in the shade, with up to $900 off Taylor and $500 off Gibson models – but the deals are ending soon
- With up to $54 off Loog’s kids guitars for Prime Day, it’s finally time to buy my son his first guitar
October 6
- “Sweet Child O’ Mine is a terrible song. I don’t like Slash’s playing, but it stands the test of time. That was my inspiration – to write something timeless”: Lorna Shore return with new music, brash Ibanez customs, and a fresh kind of death metal energy
- “I grew up with the myth, the thinner the neck, the faster you can play. For me, that didn't work”: Bernth on why thinner necks don’t always result in speedier soloing – and how switching helped improve his playing
- “At this upper mid-range price point, it's hard to think of a guitar to rival it”: Strandberg Boden N2 Standard review
- December 2025 Guitar World lesson videos and more
- “I played Flying High Again with no amp. He jumped up after I finished the solo and gave me a hug. He said, ‘I love you, Bradley – pull me through’”: Wigs, fake blood, and Ferrari jumpsuits – Brad Gillis on what it was like to be Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist
- “Alex and I have done some serious soul searching and come to the decision that we miss it”: Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee announce Rush reunion tour – and name who will be playing drums
- 5 of my go-to Universal Audio plugins just got heavily discounted in the monster Rocktober sale – glow up your recordings from as little as $24
- “It’s hard to understand someone who is trying to do rock music in a new way because, of course, I’m referencing the past”: Yungblud responds to critics following divisive VMAs Ozzy Osbourne tribute with Nuno Bettencourt, Joe Perry and Steven Tyler
- “We were on at 10 a.m. We start playing, and nobody’s there yet. But by the time we got to the second or third song, there were thousands of people”: Disturbed's Dan Donegan on Ozzfest, the versatility of his ginormo-rig, and his migration to Schecter
- “He’s been wonderful, and this is an incredible gift”: Brad Paisley gifted his new favorite guitarist a prized Telecaster – and left a hidden message under the pickguard
- “The call was, ‘Michael’s interested. Can you come down, rehearse with the band, and take a year off?’ I said, ‘Take me anywhere for any length of time’”: Jennifer Batten on how she landed the gig of a lifetime with the world’s biggest superstar
- Sweetwater is looking to outshine Amazon's Prime Day 2 with a cool $100 off my favorite ever signature guitar – this versatile 4.5-star Guild is a must-buy for grunge fans
- “The good news is I'm responding really well to treatment”: Oasis guitarist Bonehead temporarily pulls out of reunion tour following cancer diagnosis
- “He knew I wasn’t able to film. He knew I was in a lot of pain”: Josh Scott on how John Mayer ended up demoing JHS Pedals’ new Mk.gee-coded pedal – following the firm founder’s serious biking injury
October 5
- “These guys are pros. Brian handpicked these people to represent his music”: Al Jardine on good times with Brian Wilson (and his band), the legacy of his genius, and how the Beach Boys transformed ‘60s surf and guitar culture
- “A supreme utility pedal”: Diamond Boost/EQ review
- “My objective is to find a purposeful role for each guitar part”: How to layer guitar parts like a pro (with a little help from Cory Wong)
October 4
- “I couldn't afford a real bass guitar, so I just tuned the strings down on a Telecaster”: How Geezer Butler went from playing bass on a guitar to the ominous riff that defined one of Black Sabbath’s darkest moments
- “John Bonham and I would push the tempo and play it ridiculously fast for minutes on end while Page wailed away on the guitar”: John Paul Jones wasn't married to a single bass technique, but for these Led Zeppelin classics, one finger was all he needed
- “The guitars Gibson was making during wartime often reflect a number of shortages they had to deal with”: Why the 1942 Gibson Southern Jumbo is far more than a J-45 in fancy dress
October 3
- “Ibanez has broken the rules of conventional guitar design. Pick it up and break the rules of guitar playing”: Ibanez Q54W review
- “A week later, I got a message from my manager asking, ‘Did you meet Jeff Beck?’ He wanted me to sing on his record”: That time Jeff Beck gave an impromptu guitar lesson to a future pop pioneer – who didn’t know who he was
- “In the time I was involved in attempting to play his parts, never really could I have captured the essence of him”: Buckethead reflects on his time in Guns N’ Roses as Slash pays tribute to the elusive virtuoso
- “I’m on a breathing machine 24/7, and I’ve started to lose the use of my left arm”: Ken Parker, designer of the Parker Fly guitar beloved by Adrian Belew and Joni Mitchell, launches crowdfunding campaign for cancer treatment
- “I was outside shoveling some moldy hay into a wheelbarrow, and my wife comes out holding the phone. She thought it was a prank call”: Scott Reeder on the time he auditioned for Metallica – after Lars Ulrich cold-called him
- “The American tube amp that powered generations of rock, surf, and pop music”: Universal Audio reimagines a classic Fender amp used by Keith Richards, The Beach Boys and beyond as a plugin – and it’s currently free to download
- “It’s insane… If you hold it up to the light you can see through it”: Dweezil Zappa finally gets his hands on the viral cardboard Strat and cooks up a crazy psych-rock rager for the occasion
- “I hadn’t seen him in a while, and I wish I had”: Jimmy Page pays tribute to original Yardbirds guitarist Chris Dreja, who has died aged 79
- “With Taylor, there was a lot of, ‘Give us the kitchen sink – try this, try that!’” He’s a go-to guitarist for Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Jack Antonoff – but for Mikey Freedom Hart, it all started with a kid playing Eruption at church camp
- “John Lennon’s 12-string has a similar trebly edge to it… this guitar passes the ‘Fab Four’ test”: Framus Hootenanny 12-string and 6-string review
- “When I first joined them I couldn’t believe how bad they were. I thought, ‘How do they make such good records?’” Mick Taylor’s Rolling Stones baptism by fire came just two days after Brian Jones’ death – in front of 250,000 people
- “I don’t have heroes, but I adore Queen… I think you can hear bits of Brian in my solos”: Named after a Måneskin track, inspired by Queen and Arctic Monkeys, here’s how Baby Said became the UK’s hottest rock duo
- “There’s so much style in playing blues. The new blues scene is kind of like guitar teachers. They’re great players, but it’s a different thing”: How the triple-guitar threat of the Texas Headhunters is keeping a Lone Star tradition alive
October 2
- "So much more than just 'Mk.gee in a pedal', this clever little preamp box leaves plenty of room to find your own voice": JHS Pedals 424 Gain Stage review
- “A powerful, unpredictable, and endlessly fun performance tool”: Gamechanger Audio puts its foot on the gas with the Motor Pedal – a driveable synth pedal that reacts to your playing in real time
- “I was attracted to melodic bass players like Carol Kaye. Why should a rock bassist play dumb notes all the time?” How Tony Visconti rethought rock bass for David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold the World
- “I remember asking Leslie West, ‘How should I go about this song?’ I remember that as if it were yesterday”: When Ricky Byrd needed to record a solo for this Joan Jett hit, he asked the Mountain legend for advice – this is what he said
- “This is humble music for everyone. It’s for people who have sunk a million hours into fighting zombies on Xbox”: Meet University’s Zak Bowker, the punk guitarist who believes your biggest inspiration should be yourself
- “Modelers are like Spotify. I’d never get excited about a box that has every single tone”: My pedalboard is so huge it’s got wheels. But switching to modelers costs guitarists their identity
- “Its aggressiveness earned it a revered place in heavy rock and metal”: The Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ HRG was championed by John Petrucci and beyond – now it’s been brought back
- “I was just like, ‘I need to make sure Frankenstein is safe’”: Wolfgang Van Halen stowed his dad’s most legendary guitar in his car as a precaution during the LA wildfires
- “Every time I picked up a guitar I got the horrors”: Radiohead were the world's most talked-about guitar band. Then they burned the rulebook, and made the instrument sound like no-one else had before
October 1
- “We couldn’t beat it”: Alex G is a guitar icon for Gen Z – and he gets some of his favorite tones from a stock Logic preset
- “The guitar is tragically, but beautifully intertwined with the impact a changing climate has on the livelihoods of people who live in rainforests”: PRS to auction off one-of-a-kind guitar made using woods salvaged from South American hurricane
- “We love ugly guitars”: KHDK Electronics has started making guitars
- “Mutt Lange would always make me play rhythm. He liked my feel. I’m technically not very good, but I have a feel that’s intuitive to me”: Bryan Adams says he’s no guitar hero, but believes he’s written songs that cover versions can’t beat
- “I have such horrible OCD. Ever since I was a little kid, if I couldn’t get something, I would stay home from school fake sick and play it over and over”: John 5 on staying true to the Crüe, pushing his playing and why he’s surrounded by ghosts
- “It was my first cover. I knew Slash would use a great vintage Les Paul, so I had to up my game”: Gilby Clarke on the story behind his modded ’69 Fender Telecaster, immortalized on the cover of Guitar World