All content archive

March 2026

Filter

Year
Month

278 articles

March 31
- "I need to be honest about how well this pedal holds up for down-tuning against the newer competition it faces": DigiTech Drop Limited Black Edition review
- “It’s not a Bowie tribute, though it’s hard for people not to think of us as that, because look who we have”: How David Bowie's longest-serving guitarist became the hero in his own story
- “An unlikely combo of samba and shred – it shouldn’t work but it kinda does”: March 2026 Guitar World Editors’ Picks
- “His legacy will live on through the instruments he created”: Doug Irwin, legendary maker of Jerry Garcia’s record-shattering Tiger and Wolf guitars, dies aged 76
- “I often feel powerless but in response to this tragedy I decided to use my craft to take action”: How a luthier built an acoustic guitar that celebrates Palestinian heritage – raising money for medical aid along the way
- “We can’t let anything happen to it”: Ziggy Marley on the whereabouts of Bob Marley’s iconic Les Paul Special – and why he prefers a Strat now
- “I believe with all my heart that it will translate to something good”: Lindsey Buckingham teases reunion with Stevie Nicks following renewed interest in their pre-Fleetwood Mac album
- The world’s first generative AI guitar creates playable parts from user prompts – and teaches you how to play them
- “He had a knife to my groin. I was petrified. He went for my guitar”: Mikael Åkerfeldt on nearly losing his prized PRS on the way to record a landmark Opeth album – and why he doesn’t deserve a signature model (even though he’s got one)
- “After mine was stolen, I didn’t have time to go to the factory, so they just handed me this 10-string”: The 10-string oddity that became one of Joe Perry’s most iconic guitars – even though he hardly played it in Aerosmith
March 30
- “I can't walk away, so I've come back to do the thing I know how to do best, which is play”: Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival announces 2026 lineup
- “Purple Haze felt impossible at first, but it was such an accomplishment once I got it”: Courtney Barnett on leftie legends, and embracing the Olympic White Stratocaster
- “A high-octane character that’s occasionally stubborn, but it stands out from the crowd”: Fender 75th Anniversary American Professional Classic Cabronita Telecaster review
- “Bet you haven’t seen this before”: Prog maestro Josh De La Victoria shows off new multi-scale 7-string S-type – and Misha Mansoor wants one
- “It sounds like nature coming through the speakers”: Jimmy Page shares rare home recorded demo of Led Zeppelin’s Ten Years Gone
- "His guitar was his life’s breath”: Tributes pour in as The Dictators and Manowar guitarist Ross “The Boss” Friedman dies aged 72
- “There is not another guitarist in the world who plays like him. As raw as John Lee Hooker and sophisticated as Andrés Segovia from one phrase to another”: The life and times of Grateful Dead icon Bob Weir
- “You really can't ask us what song to play. If we have to choose one song, it's almost impossible”: Rush's Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee perform with new drummer Anika Nilles for the first time at Canada's Juno Awards
- “I can still see them shaking their heads. I knew I’d lost the gig right there”: Pepper Keenan recalls the moment he knew he’d failed his audition to be Metallica’s bassist
- “When it came out, there was no experimental reverb pedal category. I feel like it’s the first. Quote me on that!” How EarthQuaker Devices went beyond the boutique pedal boom and took left-field tones mainstream
March 29
- “I still think Johnny Christ is one of the most underrated bass players ever”: The story behind Intervals virtuoso Jacob Umansky’s signature bass – and why Avenged Sevenfold changed his life
- “I had a beat-up Strat and a Yamaha digital amp. Edgar was horrified. He said, ‘Doug, your tone is atrocious!’” Air-guitar playing AC/DC fan Doug Rappoport on how he fell into working with Edgar Winter and Paul Gilbert
- “We have a new contender for the ultimate affordable all-in-one fly rig”: All the guitar gear that caught my eye this week – including Line 6’s most hotly anticipated Helix update
March 28
- “James asked if I wrote the bassline – he was mad at me for not getting a cowriting credit”: How Allen McGrier brought his Jamerson-approved Detroit swagger to a classic R&B ballad
- “We wanted to do things at a certain speed, but the label didn’t. They let us go”: Meet STONE, the Liverpool alt-rockers who quit their major label, wowed Yungblud’s fans and wrote their new album on a Gibson missing a string
- “For any singer-songwriter, busker or open-mic-night trooper it really has everything going for it”: Faith PJE Legacy FG4 Earth review
- Have you ever regretted selling a guitar?
March 27
- “It’s the same, loud, high headroom amp but with a more open-sounding clean tone that boasts a little extra life”: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 30th Anniversary review
- “These items represent fifty years of memories and experiences with the Grateful Dead”: Following the record-breaking sale of Jerry Garcia’s “Tiger,” more Grateful Dead and Garcia guitar gear is coming up for auction
- “I was amazed that my hard work might come back to help me”: Jim Gustafson and Poobah endured decades in the dark, but now their early albums are selling for $1,000 a copy
- “It’s like a Christopher Nolan movie in a pedal. Don’t think – feel”: EarthQuaker Devices Towers review
- “You had to know somebody that knew somebody that knew him to get a hold of him”: The amp wizards who shaped the technology we use today, and gave the world great guitar tone
- “This is a dream”: This guitarist played Les Paul’s Number One guitar at Les Paul’s recording studio – and it still had the same strings on it
- “The only way I could do it is if we had Slash. I thought I gave them an impossible task. They were like, ‘We’ll do it’”: Ryan Gosling insisted Slash was flown in from Thailand to play a guitar solo at the Oscars
- “I look at my hands and say, ‘Well, let’s see what we can do today’“: Keith Richards opens up on how age and arthritis has changed his approach to playing
- “I was just throwing stuff at the wall to see what stuck”: Beach Boys hire new member from social media – after he made a video on how to sound like the Beach Boys
- “I know there’s purists that aren’t into that, but it made me a better guitar player”: Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready explains why switching to digital modeling improved his guitar playing
- “I’ve potentially lost my income, my career, my life’s passion, my expressive voice”: Jon Gomm reflects on the horror fall that almost ended his career
- “I’m not an amp snob. I’m gonna give everything a try. Some of the oddest guitars and amps I have are ones I’ve used on my favorite songs”: Joe Perry gives us a decade-by-decade guide to the amps behind his Aerosmith tone
- “When we did the tribute to my brother, we had B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy. And just to watch B.B. playing close up was amazing”: Jimmie Vaughan was a garbage man listening to B.B. King. Then he wound up touring with his hero
- “I can’t button my pants, let alone play guitar”: Brian Setzer shares autoimmune disease struggles – and how he recovered
March 26
- “The best Big Muff there’s ever been for bass”: Electro-Harmonix Bass Big Muff Pi 2 review
- “The promoter was panicking and asked me to headline. I didn't have a band with me. And I didn't have any solo material prepared”: Paul Gilbert’s completely unplanned Jimi Hendrix tribute set for first-ever digital release
- “Paul happened upon a chord that even he didn’t recognize”: Paul McCartney announces new Andrew Watt-produced album inspired by an unfamiliar guitar chord
- “I think the only thing was ‘Please, don’t play Eruption.’ He didn't say that, but I wasn't going to do that”: Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti on making an Alter Bridge album at Eddie Van Halen’s studio
- The ultimate guide to guitar amps: from vintage vacuum tubes to modeling marvels
- “I spoke to him personally on a phone call… they don’t want to be a part of it”: Sepultura founders Max and Iggor Cavalera have turned down the offer to perform at the band’s final show
- “It quietly became the working guitarist’s secret weapon”: 10 sleeper guitar amps that deserve legendary status
- “I loved the band with Hillel so much – all I could think about was trying to match that energy”: John Frusciante on the challenge of replacing Hillel Slovak in the Red Hot Chili Peppers – and why he’s still at the core of his guitar style today
- “The Mega channel has played a major role in heavy guitar tones since the early ’90s”: How the Diezel VH4 conquered metal, won fans in Metallica, Tool and Muse – and impressed John Fogerty too
- “My instinct was to start filming. I hope your guitars are OK”: Guitarists furious after footage of baggage handler carelessly throwing guitars on the ground goes viral
- “Not a prop. Not a joke”: The world’s first cardboard acoustic electric has been made – and it was crafted by the man who built guitars for Josh Homme and Steven Tyler
- “I picked it up in Detroit at 9:30pm in some sketchy neighborhood, scaring my management. I said, ‘Trust me, it's worth it!’” How Travis Barker-championed pop-punk heavyweight KennyHoopla found his dream Tele via a shady Facebook Marketplace deal
- From a hand-sanitizing hi-hat stand to DNA healing tuning forks, here are 5 absolutely unhinged music products in the Amazon Big Spring Sale – plus 3 I'd actually buy
March 25
- “Some kid begged to get backstage. He had a guitar. He said it was his grandmother’s, and that she'd kept it under the bed…” Sheryl Crow was devastated when her favorite guitar was stolen – a year later, a fan gave her a life-changing gift
- “This decision was completely out of my control and I had nothing to do with it”: Ill Niño part ways with new guitarist just weeks before tour – and only months after hiring him
- Slash and Gilby Clarke play together again as former Guns N’ Roses bandmates reunite for fundraiser show
- “There are many approaches Slash could have taken for his solo – I thought it was cool he did his own thing”: How Joe Bonamassa and Slash channeled B.B. King and the Edge for an iconic cover of an iconic tune
- I’m rebuilding my pedalboard for my first gig of 2026 and these 9 essential items in the Amazon Big Spring Sale will ensure I’m gig-ready from just $4.49
- “An ice cream truck drove by as I got done with the song. I was like, ‘We’re keeping that!’” How a custom SG gifted from The Mars Volta and a voice memo fed into Blackwater Holylight’s doomy shoegaze masterpiece
- Gibson brings back the Thunderbird bass beloved by Krist Novoselic and Gene Simmons – and it’s been given some fresh upgrades
- “One of the most historically significant guitars in rock and roll”: Ace Frehley’s iconic 1975 Gibson Les Paul expected to sell for more than half a million dollars at auction
- “I told him the serial number. His mind was blown – he said it was Prince’s No. 1 amp on the Purple Rain tour”: How an ’80s session guitar icon accidentally ended up with the ultimate Prince amp
- I normally tell guitarists to skip the Amazon Big Spring Sale but this year I’m happy to be proven wrong – here’s 7 essential accessories to kickstart your year in guitar from just $6.49
- “It’s kind of hard to play, honestly”: Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi on what it was like to play Jerry Garcia’s $11.5 million Tiger guitar
- Whisper it... Donner's 4.5-star Hush-X travel guitar just dropped by a chunky 20%, bringing quiet practice within reach at home or on vacation
- “Arguably the most practical single pedal you can put in front of an amp”: Flattley The Outlaw review
- I've spent years testing beginner acoustic guitars, and my top-rated model just got a huge 15% price cut in the Amazon Big Spring Sale – plus score 20% off a Squier Paranormal Strat
- Can the right guitar amp make you a better player? All the ways the Positive Grid SPARK 2 could level up your practice experience – and get you gig-ready
- "The bush can make you whacky, especially if you’re running from a few coppers who are shooting at you": William Crighton on bush psychedelia, collaborating with the late Rob Hirst, and his new LP Colonial Drift
March 24
- “You’re hanging out with your hero, then they go, ‘Okay, cool. Now pick up the guitar and show us what you got’”: Virtuoso Luis Kalil recalls the time he met – and played for – Jason Becker, at the shred icon’s house
- “They’re not just relics of the past. They are benchmarks”: The holy grail of tone – three amps that built the sound of recorded guitar
- “They gave me an MRI and said it looked like I’d been in a car crash”: Gary Holt once gave himself clinical-grade whiplash because he headbanged to his riffs too hard
- “A band member said, ‘If we didn’t write it, there’s no point in doing it because we won’t get writing credits.’ I was really disappointed”: The moment Ritchie Blackmore knew he’d leave Deep Purple
- “I quit playing music for two years. I was done. Then I got a call from Stone”: Mike McCready followed Duff McKagan to LA to make it big – but he nearly missed his shot in Seattle
- “With the solo, my mindset is that we’re at the start of a musical journey, and it’s my mission to tell a story”: Jared James Nichols on his melodic soloing ideas every guitar player can take from Eric Clapton, Joe Bonamassa and SRV
- “Brad said, ‘I know where it is.’ He opened up Guitar Player and it was there in a photo of Slash’s guitar collection”: The story of Joe Perry’s ’59 Les Paul Standard – his lost treasure and ultimate birthday gift
- “I laughed my head off! Like, ‘Oh my God, what have we spawned?’” Keith Richards shares his response to the Sunset Strip shredders of the 1980s
- “The house and studio burned to the ground. When we got there, Pink was sitting in the driveway. She gave me a Gibson guitar case with a bow on it”: How Butch Walker’s ear for killer tone took him on a journey from obscurity to in-demand producer
- “I auditioned for The Ultimate Sin record. I was there for 21 days and recorded almost every day or night”: Greg Chaisson on his gruelling Ozzy Osbourne audition
- “That thing is unbelievable. It’s one of the most impressive new amps I’ve tried”: Misha Mansoor has a ton of amps. But one new design has blown him away
March 23
- "It’s one of the most satisfying stacking combinations I’ve encountered in a dual-channel pedal for a very long time": Wampler Golden Jubilee review
- “Her family wanted the guitar to go to a good home where it would actually be played. I still can’t believe her generosity”: With the help of a stunning vintage Gibson acoustic, Jussi Reijonen is giving Western folk an Arabian makeover
- “It was one of the strangest, most beautiful, serendipitous moments”: The John Mayer song that features a cameo from Prince’s guitar
- “More aggressive, more physical, more raw and in tune with the animal kingdom”: Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi 2 Dual Op-Amp Fuzz review
- “Some of the guys made fun of it, but it ended up giving us our second Number 1”: Back to the Future made them a household name, now they needed a followup – the making of Huey Lewis and the News’ last big rock ’n’ roll guitar record
- “I discovered that it would be harder to try to replicate his tone than anybody else”: Steve Vai has followed in the footsteps of many guitar greats – this was the hardest one to nail
- “Too much gain is one of the most common tone mistakes”: How to dial in any guitar amp and find your sound
- “Opening the case, we find ourselves transported back in time some 54 years”: How Gibson made the ultimate tribute to David Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson
- “It sounds way bigger than it is”: Joe Bonamassa names his go-to studio amp – which he bought from Steven Seagal
- “The pinnacle of sonic engineering”: Ashdown pairs the classic, sought-after valve tone with modern flexibility in its SX guitar amp line
- “Focused, harmonically rich valve tone with a modern edge”: Orange redefines modern tube amps with the OR60, a single-channel, easy-to-use amp head with serious muscle
- “It was so heavy to lift as an 11-year-old”: Josh Homme’s first guitar amp wasn’t even a guitar amp
- Built in the UK: Why Marshall still defines the sound of guitar
- “Unparalleled amplification for digital guitar rigs”: Laney is leading the way for FRFR speakers in 2026 – and its LFR lineup sets a new standard for amp modeler users
- PRS has set the industry standard for high-quality, touring- and studio-ready guitars – now, its sights are firmly set on crafting tone-first amp designs for serious guitarists
- “Our job isn’t to preserve the past. It’s to give players the tools they need to create the sounds of tomorrow”: As Blackstar heads towards its 20th anniversary, it redefines what it means to develop an artist-first amp that pairs class with innovation
- “Giving guitarists multiple paths to finding the sound that fits their playing”: How Mesa/Boogie balances its storied heritage with modern tonal versatility across three flagship ranges – the Mark VII, Fillmore, and Badlander
March 22
- “A prototype given to George Harrison was prominently featured in the Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night, inspiring insatiable lust for the electric 12”: How the Rickenbacker 360/12 revolutionized the sound of ’60s guitar
- “I spent so much time as a teenager just staring at this guitar”: Liquid Gold Teles, a $569 shred machine, bonkers synth pedals... here is all the gear that caught my eye this week – and the megabucks Flying V that changed Kirk Hammett's life
- “Lo-Fi and Pitch modes take you well beyond the usual analog delay paradigm”: Beetronics Bee Bee Dee review
March 21
- “It's exactly Bruce’s guitar to his specifications. He just made it purple in honor of Moe’s Tavern”: Simpsons icon Hank Azaria on his Springsteen tribute – and his custom Moe guitar from the Boss’ own builder
- “Those Fender Jazz basses sounded fantastic, but they scared the hell out of me”: Why bassist Paul Samwell-Smith chose a short-scale Epiphone for his “rave-ups” with the Yardbirds
- “Fender execs were miffed that the brand was being represented by such a worn-out Strat. They gave Rory a new one to replace the ’61. It saw little use”: The story of Rory Gallagher’s ’61 Stratocaster, one of the most iconic guitars of all time
March 20
- “I look down, I see the empty pit, and I see a bass guitar against the wall. I said, ‘Right, I’m gonna show you guys what I’ve got’”: When a teenage Suzi Quatro laid down a marker by jamming with Jeff Beck and Cozy Powell
- “He was one of a kind”: Alabama guitar legend Wayne Perkins – who played with the Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, and Joni Mitchell – dies at 74
- “We opened the case, and I gave him the guitar. He grabbed the neck and said, ‘Oh yes, that's mine!’” Richie Sambora reunited with stolen Gibson Explorer after 40 years
- “There were no frets left on it. I’d never seen anything as horrible!” How a new recruit turned Swedish adventure rockers Hällas into a band of gearheads
- May 2026 Guitar World lesson videos and more
- What makes a guitar worth $14.6 million?
- “We’ve been intensifying our efforts. We finally hit upon a recipe that we loved”: This new 75th Anniversary Telecaster features a genuine Fender first – and it could change the face of Teles to come
- “The moment we started playing with it, we just laughed”: Viral duo Angine de Poitrine have become one of the most talked-about bands on the planet – and microtonal guitar has been the key to their unlikely success
- “I’d never met B.B. and thought he’d look at me like, ‘Who the hell are you?’ So I just froze”: Warren Haynes remembers B.B. King – from being in awe to playing with him
- “Out of an abundance of caution”: AC/DC’s Stevie Young admitted to hospital in Argentina
- “A vibey ‘Junior’ with a stylish boutique-y finish that’ll age with use”: PJD Origin Series Carey Apprentice and St John Apprentice review
March 19
- "It’s not the cheapest solution, but it’s one of the most fully featured volume pedals available": Walrus Audio Canvas Volume review
- “It’s a triangle – gear, hands, feel. Where do they meet? What feels right, sounds sick, and is helping you play better?”: Varials’ Shane Lyons believes the band's new album is an “ear assault” that defines their pummeling sound
- “If it was in that room that day, that would be between 20 and 30 million dollars easy for sure”: Guitar expert reveals the guitars that could surpass the new auction record held by David Gilmour’s Black Strat
- “My therapy was literally locking myself in a room for three hours in the morning”: Radiohead's Ed O'Brien on using guitar playing as therapy in the midst of depression
- “Got my dream amp!” Gary Moore's go-to Marshall head has been bought by another ’80s rock hero
- “He’s very underrated. If you asked David Gilmour, he’d probably say, ‘Yeah, he’s my idol!’” Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt names prog’s great unsung guitar hero
- “Instead of two or three pickups, we have a few dozen that are only picking up one string each”: This guitar has 64 pickups – and it could revolutionize guitar recording
- “The Gretsch was given by John Lennon to his cousin. He kept it for almost 50 years”: The magical mystery of the $1.3m Gretsch that might have recorded a Beatles classic
- “It’s about building intensity… think of Jeff Beck shifting to Billy Gibbons!” How to solo over one-chord blues
- “One of the best gigs I've ever been involved in”: Brian May returns to the stage for a fiery three-song cameo with Benson Boone – then hands him the Red Special
March 18
- “I dream of him a lot – only the positive stuff. But the negative stuff hits me in reality. The night he joined, he said, ‘I haven’t learnt the songs’”: Francis Rossi on the Status Quo groove, Kempers, and his relationship with the late Rick Parfitt
- “It puts the Black Strat in the neighborhood of the most expensive Stradivarius violins ever sold”: I was there when records were broken at the biggest guitar auction in history – and witnessed a new dawn in the value of the instrument
- “It’s not the kind of music I want to make anymore”: Grace Bowers explains why she doesn’t want to be known as a blues guitarist
- “I won’t go through treatment. I’ve lived the life of 10 men and will die with dignity”: The Wildhearts frontman Ginger Wildheart reveals cancer diagnosis
- “Legendary San Dimas performance at a price point that'll blow your mind”: Charvel launches the Standard Series with a $599 Tele that promises to play like a pro
- “The boldest evolution yet”: Gretsch makes a play for the best bang-for-your-buck single-cut with the Premier Jet
- “I just wasn’t ready to spend $250,000 on a guitar at that stage in my life and my career”: Butch Walker turned down the opportunity to buy the Greeny Les Paul before Kirk Hammett bought it
- “I was told to pack for three months, learn four albums' worth of material and be ready to leave in three days!” How bassist Eva Gardner landed the gig with Pink
- “I broke a string at a show. My brother was playing a V, and I had to take a solo, and he quickly gave me his guitar. That’s when I went, ‘Wow’”: Gibson Custom recreates Michael Schenker’s iconic 1971 Flying V
- “I try to avoid rehearsals at all costs now. It’s the only way I can survive”: I’m a drummer. You guitarists have made me hate being in bands
- With £542 off an ESP LTD, the Thomann Spring Sale is just the boost you need to pull you out of the winter lull – save up to 60% on a huge range of guitars, pedals, and amps
- “This may be the best album Peter’s ever made”: Peter Frampton announces first album in 16 years – and it features an all-star cast
- “We played a song or two, and I said, ‘Hey, you guys want to jam on some Isley Brothers?’ Nobody laughed”: Les Claypool looks back on his disastrous Metallica audition
- “It was kept in Lennon’s attic studio… You can see the guitar in photographs right by his Farfisa and Brenell tape machines”: John Lennon’s ’64 Rickenbacker is officially a $1.3m guitar – but it was originally a replacement for a Beatles live show
March 17
- “It’s clearly had a lot of thought put into making it as flexible and useful as possible”: Laney Black Country Customs Nathan East Digbeth DB-EAST review
- “Legend has it that, while recording, Clarence said, ‘Hey, I need another finger to play this chord!’” Charlie Starr on the origins of the B-Bender – and how you can play those licks without one
- “Harrison put the SG into immediate use on recording sessions for Revolver”: George Harrison’s 1964 Gibson SG Standard is officially part of the multi-million dollar guitar club – but as a piece of Beatles history it’s priceless
- “The Telecaster is like the heart and soul of rock and roll music”: Fender celebrates 75 years of the Telecaster with 5 new models – including the return of a cult classic and some Tele firsts
- “I literally cried tears of joy”: After years of searching, YouTuber finally uncovers the identity of Kurt Cobain’s mystery In Utero amp
- “Living in the shadow of my grunge parents, Courtney and Billy… it was a complex and exhausting shadow to come out from under”: Melissa Auf der Maur on joining Hole amidst tragedy and her “Master’s in Music” with the Smashing Pumpkins
- “Instead of creating a polyphonic tuner itself, it simply knocked off Empower's patented device instead”: Behringer sues Boss over “knock off” polyphonic tuner
- “I get up to the counter and the guy’s like, ‘Ah, you know what? I just don’t like that guitar. I’ll give it to you for a few hundred bucks’”: Cory Wong on not buying the Klon hype and vintage unicorns lost and found
March 16
- “When the song was done, I turned to everybody and said, ‘I think this song is going to be massive’”: Don't Stop Believin' is Journey's signature song – now, the guitar that was used to record it has been sold for over a quarter of a million dollars
- “When you plugged in a guitar it would overdrive like crazy – it was incredible!” How a Radio Shack pedal and a fiery Fall Out Boy guest spot helped Filth is Eternal live up to their name
- “We were still gluing the fur on the tuning keys when the FedEx driver showed up”: Paul McCartney, Fleetwood Mac and ZZ Top basses top the biggest four-string sales at historic Jim Irsay auction
- “After the set, Hendrix came knocking on the dressing room door and said, ‘I want you to come on tour with me’”: Chicago bassist Peter Cetera reflects on signing for Columbia Records, opening for Jimi Hendrix and why Paul McCartney changed everything
- “When I was seven years old, my dad put a guitar in my arms – it became everything to me”: Miles Caton, Buddy Guy and Brittany Howard lead all-star Sinners performance at the Oscars – as composer Ludwig Göransson pays tribute to the guitar
- “The wood was underwater for thousands of years. It’s shocking it works as well as it does”: Jason Isbell on the acoustic that was eons in the making and how a stolen guitar brought him into the Martin lineup
- “We knew that if Tiger went somewhere else, it was most likely going to be left behind glass”: Derek Trucks plays Jerry Garcia’s ‘Tiger’ guitar on stage just hours after it sold for $12 million
- “One of the greatest rock albums of all time”: Former Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent is charging $2 million for his new album
- “It’s weirdly heavy, which you wouldn’t necessarily expect from its diminutive size”: Up close and personal with Prince’s $635,000 Yellow Cloud guitar
- “The basic rotary sound is very convincing”: Crumar Burn review
March 15
- "We let John take this out and beat it up for a while. This is about as robust a unit as we can make – because it needed to be”: Inside Fender’s B-Bender revival – and the making of its very first in-house design
- “Will appeal to high-gain players without unlimited budgets”: Victory MKX Lunch Box Head review
March 14
- “A lot of people said it was Ozzy’s worst record ever. By the late ’90s, I thought, ‘I guess it was. I just really sucked on it’”: Jake E. Lee on his battle to make Ozzy Osbourne’s The Ultimate Sin – and how he learned to love it in spite of the critics
- “One of the coolest things we saw at Fender’s invite-only NAMM event”: All the guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including the answer to all your modeler tone woes
- “My comfort zone is big volume and lots of blues”: Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell has died aged 64
- “There was a lot of mythology around there being ‘secret drugs compartments’”: How 2,000 hours of work and some of the world's most exotic tonewoods birthed Jerry Garcia’s “Tiger”
- “We thought, ‘He’s a massively successful artist – what could possibly go wrong?’ We really didn’t like the results, so we didn’t give permission for it to be released”: The folk-rock album recorded with an ’80s mega-star that never saw the light of day
March 13
- “Elevates one of Gibson’s most beloved modern designs”: Gibson revives and refreshes its Songwriter Recording Artist acoustic range
- “She told me, ‘That Les Paul’s too heavy for you, honey. You’re not gonna be able to do that.’ So she took me to Norm’s Rare Guitars”: When Bonnie Raitt took Melissa Etheridge guitar shopping – and convinced her to swap her Les Paul for a Strat
- “Instead of firing me and getting somebody who could really play, he would throw me solos every night”: How John Mayer helped Doug Pettibone sharpen his pedal steel skills
- “People wanna assume the worst and say he’s some kind of dictator and forced me to do it. It was totally not like that”: Steve Di Giorgio sets the record straight on what it was like to sideman for Dave Mustaine and Megadeth
- “Joe Walsh and I go on guitar safaris. He’ll say, ‘You only bought one!’ I say, ‘But it cost more than the 10 of yours!’” If the Eagles quit this year, Vince Gill will leave with gratitude and great memories
- “Inspired by the creativity, community, and chaos of the Seattle music scene”: Mike McCready has spent 20 years making a rock opera that explores an alternate history of grunge – and it’s finally ready
- “An evocative track reflecting the social and political unrest of Britain”: The Specials’ Ghost Town bass fetches thousands at auction – having been bought for just £200
- “Lot after lot we felt like we were making history”: World record for most expensive guitar shattered three times in one night as Jim Irsay auction sees David Gilmour's Black Strat fetch $14.5m
- “I feel like I’ve been molded for this gig. Trent has been an influence on me from the beginning”: How new Nine Inch Nails bassist Stu Brooks went from pop royalty to one of rock’s most sonically adventurous gigs
- “It was the first production guitar with three pickups. Gibson only made 22 that year – one became the instrument T-Bone Walker used”: How the Gibson ES-5 paved the way for a new wave of electric blues (and maybe even the Strat, too)
- “Left-handed necks of that era typically say ‘Custom’ or ‘Special’ because they were so seldom made and used”: What Kurt Cobain’s record-breaking 1969 ‘Competition’ Mustang tells us about Fender’s guitar building in the ’60s
- “A lot of deceptively clever craft, all presented in faultless style”: Duesenberg Starplayer CBR review
March 12
- The Jim Irsay Collection sale live: David Gilmour's Black Strat sells for record-shattering $14.5 million in the biggest guitar auction in history
- “Every once in a while a pedal comes along that takes you by surprise. It’s a pedal I didn’t even know I needed”: Electro-Harmonix Effects Interface review
- “I threw my guitar off mid strum, dove into the crowd and began strangling him to the ground”: Billy Corgan on the first time he met future Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur
- “I kept saying, ‘I’m not the guy. Call Nuno’”: Joe Satriani put Nuno Bettencourt’s name forward for failed EVH tribute tour with Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth
- Who's the best guitar player you've ever seen live?
- “It’s a really good guitar, especially for the price”: Jake E. Lee has added Yungblud’s signature guitar to his collection
- “I was the only guy playing that guitar. It was their version of a semi-hollow”: How Robben Ford helped Fender design their short-lived answer to the ES-335
- “I thought, ‘Well, it couldn’t hurt…’ It did hurt”: Noodling alone at home is fine. But you’ll never be a great guitar player unless you join a band
- “Why an SG? Perhaps he was fed up that his two Les Paul ’Bursts had been stolen”: The history and preservation of Eric Clapton’s The Fool SG
- “It was just unbelievable. I’ve literally never heard anything like it my whole life”: Jacob Collier on what happened when he gave his 5-string acoustic to Julian Lage and Chris Martin
- “This can be the area that spawns the most intimidating names”: 5 altered chords you need to know – and how they get their names
March 11
- “I set about them with a wood burner”: Pat Metheny asks Ibanez to send him “cheap” versions of his own signature guitar – to turn them into artworks
- “I don’t think anyone has changed the world as much with their guitar”: Grammy-nominated Malian changemaker Fatoumata Diawara reveals her biggest guitar hero
- “Using the same techniques, and even some of the same machines”: Gibson unearths the only known Kalamazoo factory footage from the ‘Golden Era’ of guitar building
- “Bridging the gap between digital rigs and real valve amps”: Victory says its new PowerValve 200 is a better companion for your amp modeler than any FRFR cab could ever be
- “I’d wake up in the morning and I wouldn’t be able to move my pinky. I’d think, ‘Is this the end?’” Joe Satriani opens up on the hand injury that forced him to relearn how to play his songs
- “The tune was inspired by legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius’ Teen Town”: Cory Wong on why doubling the bassline is one of the “most badass” things a guitarist can do
- “All I need is insurmountable odds. Give me your worst guitar, an amp made in a garage and a pedal that’s not meant to be there. We’ve got something”: Josh Homme is finally ready to talk tone
- “This guy comes over, leaning on me. He said, ‘I’m sorry my guitar is such a pain in the butt’”: That time Eddie Van Halen visited the EVH workshop while they were building the Wolfgang
- “I’ve spoken to a lot of people about it – many of them think it will make more this time around”: David Gilmour’s Black Strat could be about to break records all over again
March 10
- “I'm probably gonna get 150 guitarists telling me how I'm doing this wrong, but this is just what works for me”: Samantha Fish reveals the “cheat” she uses to emulate a pedal steel guitar
- “I had no idea who they were. My manager said, ‘You should talk to this guy named Trent Reznor’”: How Adrian Belew ended up working with Nine Inch Nails
- “I freaked out. I couldn’t believe it. Nobody else was doing that at the time”: The Beatles made the Leslie speaker an iconic guitar tone. But a pioneering “all-female” rock band were one of the first to take it out on the road
- “There are a lot of amazing guitars, but none are as versatile as the Telecaster”: Fender’s radical John Osborne Telecaster brings the B-Bender back to its ranks for the first time in over 20 years
- “We couldn’t play those songs properly. It’s a bunch of kids, playing a lot of chords, not always successfully”: Glenn Tilbrook on the resurrection of the Squeeze concept album that never was
- “A cost-effective way of accurately amplifying your modeled tone, which is exactly what many guitar players need”: Blackstar Artist FR Special review
- “I was a good bass player, and I am proud of my Celebrity Skin work, but oh my God, it changed my level of musicianship forever”: Melissa Auf der Maur on what she learned from playing with Billy Corgan and The Smashing Pumpkins
- “Reinforces the value of originality”: Fender secures legal ruling to protect the Stratocaster body design
- “Every lick he plays sounds perfect, like it’s etched in stone. But I’m sure that he simply improvised everything”: How to play B.B. King’s greatest song (with some help from Joe Bonamassa)
- “He felt a responsibility to look after these things. He was aware that you can’t be buried with them – you are but the temporary custodian”: Inside the greatest guitar auction of all time
March 9
- “Amp and cab models that surpass some expensive units from bigger brands”: Blackstar ID:X Floor Three review
- “I would go by John’s room and he’d be working on alternate picking to a metronome. I’d never seen anyone do that before”: He arrived on the shred scene with Paul Gilbert, Jason Becker and John Petrucci… then he vanished
- Janelle Monáe’s new guitar of choice is the cheapest Epiphone Les Paul ever released
- The most advanced lap steel ever? Verso looks to revolutionize the lap steel slide guitar with the Log – a radical new take with freely movable pickups
- “One of the great troublemakers in guitar history”: Eastwood bravely recreates Mike Bloomfield’s mangled Bob Dylan Telecaster – the guitar that killed folk
- “All of the guys in Metallica, except for the guitar player, told me what a great guitar player I was”: Candlebox guitarist on touring with Metallica and Aerosmith in the early ’90s – and receiving the ultimate praise from his heroes
- “I was a little uncomfortable, to be honest”: Why Myles Kennedy felt uneasy using Jeff Buckley’s Telecaster to play Hallelujah
- “Joe said, ‘Check this out.’ It just so happened to be a quarter-of-a-million-dollar guitar that got the job done”: How Eric Gales enlisted Buddy Guy, Kingfish, Joe Bonamassa (and his guitar collection) to pay tribute to his brother
- “I never know what might come across my desk, but this was a taker”: Steve Vai has recorded a new solo over Van Halen’s Jump – which has been crowned the official World Cup 2026 anthem
March 8
- Bopping blues and greasy grooves: Ally Venable's rhythm guitar tips and secrets
- “Sometimes David had suggestions. If he wanted a specific thing, he'd ask for or try to explain it. Lenny's the opposite – he wants it to sound exactly like he did it!” How Gail Ann Dorsey honed her bass craft with David Bowie and Lenny Kravitz
- To celebrate International Women’s Day, we highlight 8 signature guitars that deserve your attention – including models from Fatoumata Diawara, Susan Tedeschi, St. Vincent, Yvette Young, and more
- “When everyone’s staring at you, you can’t run off and cry. You just gotta deal with it”: Witch Fever’s Alisha Yarwood on superhero stompboxes, dream tours with IDLES, and why ‘That Great Gretsch Sound’ was doom-punk all along
- “He was in a terrible factory accident that cut his fingers off at the knuckles”: Melissa Etheridge reveals the most important lesson she learned from her “scary” first guitar teacher
- “I never saw myself as a bassist. I haven’t played bass since the last Sonic Youth gig”: Why Kim Gordon has stopped playing the bass – despite being an icon of the instrument
- “Great neck shape, playability and setup – and it’s gig-ready, something we don’t always say about Epiphone, or indeed Gibson”: Epiphone Fatoumata Diawara SG review
- “We’d get a note from the tour manager, ‘Prince is here and would love to play with you.’ It was like, ‘What? Here, take my guitar, please!’” Vicki Peterson on a gift from the Bangles’ most famous fan – and their garage approach to an ’80s pop classic
- “I hate bass player albums. It's an ugly instrument, solo-wise. Probably the only person I can tolerate is Marcus Miller”: Grammy-winning bassist Meshell Ndegeocello favors restraint over fretboard theatrics – but Marcus Miller (and Jaco) get a pass
March 7
- “It offers the holy grail amp sounds beloved by John Mayer, SRV, and more for just $150. A must-try for Dumble fans”: All the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including the angriest fuzz pedal you will ever come across
- “We played it at CBGB’s. The label guy said, ‘That’s a single.’ We said, ‘Oh, no... That’s not going on the album. That’s a joke song!’” It was nothing more than a throwaway jam – then they were playing it at the Grammys in tuxedos
- “He goes, ‘The audition is in Nashville tomorrow. Here’s 45 songs you’ve got to know by then’”: Her manager didn’t like him. But Doug Pettibone grinded to land his dream gig with Lucinda Williams
March 6
- “A compact powerhouse that turns inspiration into endless possibilities”: Laney unveils the Prism-Mini, a feature-packed modeling amp and Bluetooth speaker that looks to steal the Spark Mini's crown
- "The sound of six figures”: IK Multimedia models two vintage – and VERY expensive – Dumble amps for the $249 TONEX One Double Special
- “I got a call from a manager who was trying to drag him out of obscurity. We jammed daily, but he was away with the fairies”: Rick Fenn on the time he tried to help bring Peter Green back into the limelight
- “We could hold our own with any company. It didn’t bother us if we were put on the bill with Crimson or Zeppelin. Nothing phased us”: Remembering the late Mick Abrahams, co-founder of Jethro Tull and purveyor of “good, honest music”
- “How I rap correlates with how I play. There’s a lot of syncopation and dead notes”: Ando San on marrying hip-hop with prog, thumping, and his eight-string guitar personally spec'd by Jeff Kiesel
- “We’re in tune, baby. It’s literally a dream come true”: Blind guitarist couldn’t tune his guitar without help – now a vibrating tuner pedal has changed his life
- “I said, ‘Where is it from?’ He says, ‘I don’t know. It’s been here for the last 20 or 25 years...’” Jake E. Lee was on tour with Ozzy Osbourne when he stumbled upon the gear bargain of a lifetime
- “I can put them in every guitar, and it’s gonna sound exactly like I need it to”: Metallica has rolled out something special to help celebrate 50 years of EMG
- “These dominated stages behind some of the biggest names in rock”: Mesa/Boogie brings back the fire-breathing Triple Rectifier in a classic finish – reviving one of the most impactful amps it ever created
- “A detailed, room-filling tone from a remarkably compact body”: Laney continues to redefine the competitive battery-powered amp market with its small footprint powerhouse, the PRISM-MINI
- “I remember he had these massive hands… I said, ‘Mr King, my name is Joanne and I’m 13, and I think I’m going to be a blues guitarist’”: Joanne Shaw Taylor’s life-changing first meeting with the great B.B. King
March 5
- “He played guitar like an orchestrator, arranging in real time around his own voice”: Jeff Buckley is an underrated guitar genius – and deserves a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- “When I heard Train Kept a Rollin' I said, ‘Man, Joe Perry and Brad Whitford have gotten really good!’ After Steven left, Jack Douglas said, ‘Don’t say anything, but that’s not Brad and Joe’”: Angel’s Punky Meadows on why he didn’t join Kiss or Aerosmith
- "I was just shy of crying from pain that was in my right arm. I couldn’t even move it": Stephen Carpenter sheds light on the health struggles that have impacted his playing
- “It may not have the same EQ options as other FRFRs, but the Laney LFR-110 amplifies your digital tone in a way that will easily get you heard on stage”: Laney LFR-110 review
- Which guitarist should every beginner listen to?
- “I was asked to sit in with Buddy Guy. John handed me his 1930s National and smiled while I struggled to get anything out of it”: Joe Bonamassa leads tributes for musical troubadour John Hammond, who has died aged 83
- “Rick Rubin heard something. He had to convince those guys – they were kind of tentative. But Aerosmith was up for anything”: Joe Perry on how Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C. united rock and rap – and the secret role the Beastie Boys played
- “They already had Buckethead. I was thinking, ‘Who’s the craziest and the best?’ I knew there was only one guy”: Joe Satriani on the guitar ace he recommended for the Guns N’ Roses gig
- “Ed was under the same pressure we all were. You can play your old gear, but it sounds old”: Billy Corgan on what drives guitar heroes to change their tone – and how it led him to package his sound in a pedal
March 4
- "It’s fast-feeling, streamlined, and distressed already, so go ahead and beat it up - this under $700 guitar is geared for many road miles and serious shredding": Fame Custom ST RW review
- “He was like, ‘Who's your favorite guitar player?’ I said, ‘Django Reinhardt.’ He’s like, ‘Wrong answer – go home!’”: The key Berklee lesson that kept giving to Big Thief's Buck Meek as he built his new solo album
- “The most organic amp tones ever captured”: Kemper rolls out the latest evolution of its Profiling tech – and this update is free
- “He was horrified, saying, ‘Doug, your tone is atrocious!’”: Sideman to the stars Doug Rappoport reveals the classic rock icon who persuaded him to up his gear game
- “I felt like I was being used. I’m not a puppet that you can put your hand up its ass and make do stuff”: The signature gear Josh Homme turned down
- “I would have loved to get together with Wolfgang”: Eddie Van Halen once asked Paul Gilbert to give Wolfgang a guitar lesson – here’s why it never happened
- “To create something from nothing is one of the greatest feelings”: Why Prince turned down a deal with Guitar Hero
- I spent the weekend testing the best guitar gear of the year at The Guitar Show in Birmingham – these are the 9 hottest products you can buy right now
- “There was a big snowstorm. The governor asked him to postpone the show. He wouldn’t do it. He goes, ‘I told them I’m going to be here and I’m here’”: Joe Bonamassa on his friendship with the ultimate bluesman, B.B. King – and paying the ultimate tribute
- “I was using my Line 6 POD. He said, ‘I’ve got something that may work better.’ He sent me two things in the mail…” When Joe Satriani volunteered to help Dethklok mastermind Brendon Small with his home recording
- “A collaboration that’s nothing short of extraordinary”: Pat Metheny, Al Di Meola and more of the biggest names in jazz and fusion are playing in London this year
March 3
- “A long-term model to support the future of live music”: Marshall pledges to donate a percentage of gear sales to support grassroots venues
- “The pickups are so often the Achilles heel of more affordable guitars, and that’s no different here”: Cort Space G6MS review
- “Don Henley’s looking at me like I’m crazy, and finally I said, ‘What?’ He goes, ‘I thought you were a bluegrasser…’” Vince Gill on the importance of versatility – and how the Eagles enabled him to flex his hidden rock chops
- “He said, ‘I hear you’re going to make a record. If there’s anything I can do to help you guys out, let me know’’’: They were alt-rock legends who had to follow up a classic debut – then R.E.M.’s Peter Buck offered to lend a hand
- “It turns out you all really love a wildcard”: The hottest new guitar gear releases of February 2026 – according to Guitar World readers
- “Combining two of my favorite things”: Teemu Mäntysaari shreds Megadeth… while ice skating
- Big jumps for a bigger sound: Steve Morse’s masterclass on wide intervals
- “You never want to pull out cases and have no recollection of when, where or how you acquired it”: Joe Bonamassa is cutting back on his gear collecting habit
- “I gave it away… I thought I didn’t need it any more”: Cult Japanese guitar hero Masayoshi Takanaka gave away his iconic surfboard guitar. Now he’s got it back for his first-ever world tour at 72 years old
- Eric Clapton announces US tour – and he’s bringing another blues guitar hero on the road with him
March 2
- “I took the one lesson and left and never went back. I got to learn how to play guitar by myself”: Joan Jett on defying stereotypes and teaching herself guitar by playing along to Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath records
- “There’s more to life than just guitar. Once you've had a heart attack there’s always that thing in your mind that it could happen again”: How Al Di Meola’s heart attack led to his anti-ICE concert with Tom Morello and Bruce Springsteen
- “That’s why I don’t like old Les Pauls”: The reason Adrian Smith isn’t keen on some vintage Gibsons
- “He is truly one of the best players in the new generation”: Matteo Mancuso names the emerging virtuoso that you need to know about
- “One day, my mom went to Costco and was like, ‘They’ve got these guitars on sale. Let’s get it for your dad’”: Kiki Wong on how a cheap Yamaha and a Metallica classic changed her musical trajectory
- Zakk Wylde leads all-star Ozzy Osbourne tribute at the BRIT Awards – with the help of Robert Trujillo and Robbie Williams
- “Steven grabbed it and wanted to throw it out into the audience. I had to wrestle him for it”: That time Joe Perry had to rescue a broken guitar from Steven Tyler in the middle of an Aerosmith gig
- “It’s the only guitar I’ve kept from then. I paid $900 for it. Today it might be worth $45,000”: How Europe’s John Norum learned to love The Final Countdown – and the guitar he used to track its iconic solo
- He wrote chart-topping hits and one of the greatest Christmas songs of all time, but all he wanted to do was play deep slide blues – remembering the late, great Chris Rea
March 1
- “In Mötley Crüe I always used a pick, but I’m a better bass player when I use my fingers”: Nikki Sixx names his biggest weakness as a rock bassist