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September 2026

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274 articles

September 30
- “It really does feel broken in, even before you’ve played a note”: Eastman Kauffmann Series SC Classic review
- Guitar World’s tracks of the month – our editors pick their guitar highlights
- “There's no getting around the fact that it's a bit of an acquired taste, aesthetically": Washburn Scavenger SB4R review
- “I was drunk. I fell flat on my face, but I could still squeeze out some notes, even though I was unconscious”: Mick Mars wasn’t even awake when he recorded parts for one of Mötley Crüe’s biggest tunes
- “I never found a guitar that felt 110% right to me”: Sabaton’s Chris Rörland ends his hunt for his perfect guitar with his first Jackson signature model
- Players have wanted it for years. Now, Strymon has released a standalone analog tape drive that channels the Deco's magic tone
- “Allan Holdsworth was without doubt one of the greatest legato-style players ever”: Alex Skolnick shares his legato secrets – and how Holdsworth made the technique his own
- Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Susan Tedeschi, Joe Bonamassa, Billy Gibbons, Jimmie Vaughan and more to celebrate Buddy Guy's 90th birthday with an unmissable concert: Here's how to watch Buddy's Got The Blues from anywhere
- “I made a big mistake”: How Eric Clapton felt when he auctioned off his legendary Stratocaster – and why it was ultimately worth it
- December 2026 Guitar World lesson videos and more
- Is PRS trolling Fender with its Defender Silver Sky collab? Here’s what John Mayer told us
- “Steve Jones threw the guitar against the wall, stormed out and never came back to get it”: The story of Gary Moore’s ’55 Les Paul Junior – a bargain buy from a Sex Pistol
September 29
- “I’m not a shredder. I don’t do leads. The solo was figured out on the spot”: Jim Adkins on the making of Jimmy Eat World’s Bleed American – and The Middle’s iconic guitar lead
- John Mayer announces Sphere residency – featuring three distinct sets and the return of his blues-rock trio
- “The original concept was to have a six-neck that spun like a roulette wheel”: Rick Nielsen’s guitars are going up for auction – including his bonkers five-neck Hamer
- “I don’t think a film can define her legacy – she did that through her playing. But it can help more people hear it”: Jazz virtuoso Emily Remler has gone unnoticed for far too long – now, one filmmaker is bringing her story to light
- “The second he heard our guitars were stolen, he insisted I play his”: Eddie Vedder saves Irish band’s tour after all their gear was stolen
- Why the neck-to-body join has a major impact on the way your acoustic guitar plays and sounds
- “I speak on behalf of Santana, Mark Tremonti and David Grissom, John McLaughlin and Neal Schon”: John Mayer inducts Paul Reed Smith into Guitar Center RockWalk of Fame
- “I’ve never been a fan of a shop that doesn’t let you play the good stuff”: Behind the scenes at Well Strung Guitars – Farmingdale, NY's emporium of vintage treasures
September 28
- Olivia Rodrigo debuts heart-shaped guitar and custom Fender builds for Unraveled Tour: “Five prototypes before I got the body right. It had to look cool, play easy, feel comfortable, and most of all, sound good”
- “We asked 500 guitar and bass players, and 50% said they can’t or don’t set up their guitars”: MusicNomad is on a quest to make guitar setups simple – combining tools, education, and step-by-step guidance for beginners and pros alike
- Meet the Formula 1 engineer who started his own boutique tube amp brand, Woodfield: “The way I look at the amplifier, it’s an instrument. It’s as important as your guitar”
- Cara Delevingne showcases her two-hand tapping chops as she returns to Jimmy Fallon: “Everyone thought it was a party trick. It was actually foreshadowing”
- “One of the original Bay City Rollers”: Bay City Rollers and Middle of the Road guitarist Neil Henderson dead at 73
- “The Rockestra was quite a session – I was in the guitar section with Denny Laine, Hank Marvin, David Gilmour and Pete Townshend”: Laurence Juber on his bass lesson from Paul McCartney and the making of Wings’ 1979 swan song
- John Mayer and Derek Trucks trade solos as Marcus King and Joe Bonamassa cover Led Zeppelin at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival 2026
- “I said to Billy, ‘We should order one of these, and I’ll play it. It’ll be hilarious.’ Then it went viral. I hate playing that bass. Now I’ve got to play it every night”: Elwood Francis on why he regrets his 17-string bass becoming a ZZ Top staple
- “The prognosis was I’d have two years of playing left in me before the batteries in my hands ran out”: A degenerative nerve condition forced blues fingerstylist Amit Dattani to hang up his acoustic. Then a custom electric guitar saved his playing
- “Crazy things happen when we play this song. Someone was crowdsurfing and threw out their prosthetic leg for me to sign”: How Drowning Pool made Bodies
September 27
- “The riff itself will ‘decide’ whether it needs to be played with a single coil pickup, a humbucker or something else entirely”: Charlie Starr on why choosing the right guitar for the song makes all the difference
- “Interestingly, the cheaper L-00 and L-0 models generally have a bolder, more focused tone than fancier similar models”: In praise of Gibson's L-00 – the small-bodied acoustic that could
- “A musician serves an intention, a continuum, a storytelling… You need to be listening carefully to what you play”: The quintessentially French, impossibility brilliant Pierre Bensusan on the freedom of DADGAD and unpredictable magic of performance
- “Truly an amp improver – you’d instantly miss it if you turned it off”: ThorpyFX Kudu review
- “Bruce told me he wanted to sound more like Jeff Beck, so he ended up buying this Gibson. It turns out he’d bought an EB-6!” How Jimmy Fallon’s bassist bonded with Bruce Springsteen over their shared love of 6-string bass
September 26
- “The most common mistake is thinking it’s an out-of-tune guitar”: What people get wrong about microtonal music
- 5 ways to make the C chord much more interesting
- “It’s kinda like when Santa leaves the workshop and the elves get to play”: Weezer’s Brian Bell reveals his Mason Marangella-built pedalboard
- “We have long been of the opinion that it is one of the most underrated electric guitars on the market”: The best guitar gear launched this week, ft. Phil Collen’s signature relic’d Jackson and your ’board’s final Boss?
- “Robert Fripp asked me to get together with some guys he knew. In the studio were Adrian Belew, Bill Bruford and Robert. My jaw dropped”: Tony Levin’s lessons from Steve Vai, Robert Fripp and Peter Gabriel
September 25
- “We were sitting backstage in the Voodoo Lounge, and Mick and I started talking. He said, casually, I'll gladly do some tracks for you”: How Mick Jagger very nearly ended up on a Joe Satriani record – before Satch deleted his performance
- “A game-changer? In some ways, absolutely”: Steadfast Stopbar review
- “I was broke. I only had $200 and we booked a gig. There was this guitar at a pawn shop that had been there for years...” How George Thorogood stumbled across the Gibson that became his go-to guitar – a week before his first gig with the Destroyers
- “The day I was meant to leave, I was lying in my bed, paralyzed. I was like, ‘If I’ve got to keep doing these tours, I’m going to end up dead’”: Industrial metal pioneer Justin Broadrick on his punk salvation, Phoebe Bridgers collabs and burying Godflesh
- “I’m going to go home broke because I shipped everything over here... but at least I’ll have my sound”: Talking gear, tone and technique with the great Eric Johnson – and the “stigma” around modifying vintage Strats
- “Neil Young was supposed to play the solo, but he couldn’t make it, so I did it myself”: The cult up-and-coming ’90s guitarist who ended up pitching in for Neil Young at the last minute
- “I'm on tour. I may have a brain tumor. I didn't tell nobody. Meanwhile, one ear is slowly turning all the way off”: Ben Kenney on touring with a brain tumor in Incubus – and why he will never hear stereo guitars again
- “The people who go with Yamaha don’t want the old-style. There’s a level of freedom if you’re a brand that doesn’t have that baggage”: Matteo Mancuso on the making of his signature Yamaha Revstar
- “There were shows where we literally weren’t allowed to stay inside the venue. We’d have to wait in the car until the support act had finished”: Teenage bassist Aria Becker on the strange realities of life in an underage band
September 24
- “You don’t need anything else at all. I’ve done recordings and you go ‘That’s a Strat’ or ‘That’s a Les Paul’ – no, it’s all here”: Jackson and Phil Collen launch a Mexican-made take on his unique Superstrat
- “Something genuinely original in a world of copies”: Steelyjam Delta Junior review
- “As I sling Jack’s own Triplecaster over my shoulder, the gravity of the situation hits me”: I played Jack White’s guitar rig – here’s what I learned
- “I cut a hole in it and used a ruler as a neck and rubber bands as strings. I’d imitate Jimi Hendrix”: Micki Free on the time he made a guitar out of a detergent box and the advice Billy Gibbons gave him
- “Anyone who picks up a guitar and starts playing at a party, I think, ‘You’re embarrassing’”: Josh Homme has had his fill of cringe-worth party players – including, er... Harry Dean Stanton
- “I got back into classic jazz… exploring all those wonderful guitarists – Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino, Kenny Burrell and Grant Green”: Deirdre Cartwright on why she’s still flying the flag for jazz standards
- “When that gets called out, I need to listen”: Fender CEO Bud Cole says he has heard players’ complaints about quality control – and is taking steps to address it
- “Far more than an exceptionally rare 1958 Gibson, it is a cornerstone of American music history”: Lonnie Mack’s workhorse Flying V is heading to auction
- 16-year-old Thai guitarist crowned winner of America's Got Talent after performing with Linkin Park and The Warning
- “An essential toolbox”: Boss debuts the EX-4 Effects Expander, a compact multi-FX that could be the ultimate pedalboard space saver
- Rig breakdown: build your own version of Jack White's tricked-out stage setup
September 23
- "Expensive, but it may be the only guitar plugin you ever need": Line 6 Helix Stadium Native review
- “I just got sick of having this perfect guitar sound”: Why Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis moved away from high-end amps in favor of the humble gear he used back in the ’80s
- If you learn one thing from Johnny Marr, it should be this
- 16-year-old guitarist stuns in America’s Got Talent final by turning the White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army into a metal anthem: “The world is going crazy because there is nothing like you right now. You are unique”
- “I took a blowtorch to it. I nearly killed myself”: Johnny Marr tried to make his first guitar look like Rory Gallagher’s – and it made him pass out
- “I never imagined I’d be standing onstage playing Detroit Rock City with Kiss”: Tommy Thayer is taking a funky next step with Shogun Mojo – but he still loves the day job
- Dead Kennedys icon East Bay Ray reveals Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis: “He plans to continue performing and touring for as long as his health allows”
- Fender says it’s solved single-coil hum issues with a new breakthrough – and it could change the playing experience forever
- “I thought, ‘This guy has a really good voice. He sounds really similar to Chris Martin’”: Busker unknowingly plays Coldplay classic with the band’s frontman
- Paul McCartney – a life in guitars: from the Ed Sullivan Epiphone to his Blackbird acoustic, and one of the world’s rarest Gibsons
September 22
- Carvin “King of Strings” Jones – once touted by Eric Clapton as “the next up-and-coming blues player” – dies at 60
- Epiphone confirms Eric Clapton signature ES-335 – and guitarists can play it at the Crossroads Guitar Festival
- “I thought it was nice to give something to the SE. When I was growing up, the more accessible guitar got punished”: John Mayer makes the black pickguard PRS Silver Sky a reality in the most unexpected place – a Land Rover Defender collaboration
- In 1968, Eric Clapton gave George Harrison a Les Paul named Lucy – but when was it made? Test your Beatles guitar knowledge with our quiz
- I played my beloved Strat when I opened for Weezer. It got me discovered by Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready. Then I gave it away to a prison
- “I was nervous that Jerry would go, ‘Are you ripping off my sound?’ I fixed that problem by having him play it!” Tim Montana grew up with no electricity and running water. Now he’s collaborating with Jerry Cantrell, Slash and Billy Gibbons
- “This amp gave us a chance to show people another side of Fender that has always been there, even if it hasn’t been front and center”: How Fender resurrected its under-the-radar classic, the ’62 Deluxe
September 21
- “I can’t help but spend time admiring the guitar every time I pick it up.” Epiphone Futura ES-355 review
- Tesla driver faces charges after allegedly playing guitar while driving
- “I’ve come to understand what heavy metal is”: William Shatner covers Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne and Motörhead in his first live heavy metal show
- “How am I going to get musicians to stand on stage with me in a week where no-one wants to?”: Ed Sheeran assembles a new backing band after his last group quit
- “I thought, ‘This is a McCartney song, surely? No, it’s Andy.’ What a joyful noise. I even liked my out-of-tune intro. Steven Wilson corrected that when he remastered everything. But I miss it”: Dave Gregory on the guitar story behind XTC’s 1979 classic
- “One of the most significant collector instruments in Gibson history”: Latin rock guitar hero Gustavo Cerati honored with ultra-limited Gibson Custom ES-335
- “His spirit will be felt on every stage we stand on, with every note we play”: New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert dead at 45 after cancer battle
- “Brent remains relevant to Mastodon’s brand even after his exclusion and death”: Brent Hinds’ estate sets the record straight on its ongoing Mastodon lawsuit
- “I felt what Capitol label head Gary Gersh did was malevolent and almost vindictive. He just kicked me to the curb”: Billy Squier on his classic album that went unheard when the label tried to bury it
- Meet the Baby Terror: Orange's answer for the modern musician
September 20
- “I couldn’t get it together. Robert came in, with his martini and cigarette, and said, ‘I don’t want Robbie McIntosh. I don’t want Clapton. I want you’”: How British superstar Robert Palmer pushed his guitarist out of imposter syndrome
- “He floored us. When David and I met him, we knew he’d fit in looks-wise, but we had no idea what was coming until he picked up his Les Paul”: The rise and fall of Mick Ronson – rock ’n’ roll’s most quietly spoken guitar hero
- “We played SXSW. A week later, our bassist gets an email – Dan Auerbach saw us play. He's like, ‘Hey, do you want to come to Nashville and record?’” Meet the Animeros, the Auerbach-approved guitar trio with big-screen appeal
- “It’s an honor that my dad named me after Duane. People will always associate me with that lineage. It’s who I am. But I want people to hear my songs and consider that there’s more to it”: Duane Betts on hope, legacy, and his guitar right-hand-man
- “I have no idea why Gillie wanted his guitars to look like 1950s kitchen cabinets. Maybe it matched his personality or the band’s stage outfits”: Walnut brown, super-rare, these custom-order ’50s Fender Telecasters beg the question – who was Gillie?
- “I modified The Edge’s Strat and he got this magic music out of it. Even I never thought of using it that way”: The fabled Infinite Guitar saved one of U2’s biggest hits. But why did Michael Brook’s invention never go into production?
September 19
- “When you stand onstage with Liam and he’s singing those songs, it’s incredible… He brought the vibe in bucketloads”: Barrie Cadogan on Liam Gallagher, Morrissey, and Primal Scream – and how John Squire started it all
- “Dickey was instantly recognizable. When I started playing with him, I realized I needed to go to school to figure out how to make every note sound like myself”: Warren Haynes on playing with Clapton, his favorite guitar and first rig
- “A fan wrote to Dave and said, ‘I hope your new stuff is faster than Metallica.’ The tempos sped up, and we became a thrash band that night”: When a fan challenged Megadeth to outpace Metallica, the band responded by cranking up the tempos
- “I always had to think, ‘Is Brent gonna like this?’ Pretty soon, he didn’t like anything that we would come up with”: Bill Kelliher on his difficult songwriting sessions with Brent Hinds
- “It was super-cool looking – and very uncool in an indie rock world”: Page Hamilton on the ESP Horizon that’s been on every Helmet album from Meantime on (and was a GW cover star)
- “All of those guitars were underneath my bed in Hollywood for 30 years. If they found out, we’d be in jail”: The inside story of the ‘Outlaw Guitar Collection’ – bootleg custom shop guitars made from stolen Gibson parts
- “There’s an old adage that you can’t do a lot of string-bending if you’re using a capo. The truth is that you can, as long as you have a good capo”: Joe Bonamassa on how to saddle up a capo and get more out of your cowboy chords
- Has social media been good or bad for guitarists?
- My pick of the best guitar gear launched this week: Fractal blinks first, Tim Henson gets more signature gear, and Joan Jett’s iconic Epiphone triumphantly returns
September 18
- “Billy played this guitar during the Pumpkins’ Lollapalooza set… Now, it’s available for everyone”: Reverend launches the very sweet Billy Corgan Z-One Infinite Sadness – and there’s a Drop-Z baritone version too
- Cory Wong’s Sterling By Music Man StingRay II is officially here, and even nicer than we remember it
- “We sold 40-some million records, four number-one albums, and you just scratched that off of your brother’s legacy”: Sammy Hagar responds to Alex Van Halen calling him a “complete idiot”
- Gibson’s former CEO learned the art of guitar building. Now his one-of-a-kind models have inspired a new series
- “I want girls and guys everywhere to be fearless about picking up a guitar. Anyone can play rock ’n’ roll”: Joan Jett’s signature Epiphone is back – just in time for the 45th anniversaries of two of her most iconic albums
- “I realized I could take that feeling, with just an acoustic guitar and my voice, and play and sing that to anybody for the rest of my life”: Charlie Starr on how the acoustic guitar can play a vital role in songwriting
- “Duane came onstage. It was hard to see, so I tried to help him with the amp. He looked at me and said, ‘Man, I think I know how to run an amp by now!’” Dickey Betts and Duane Allman’s rocky first jam
- “We could have done this better”: Fender claims it is no longer going after boutique builders in its Stratocaster copyright dispute – but it’s already signed agreements with 18 firms
- “He leaned down and whispered in my ear, ‘Do you mind if I try something else on the solo?’ I had to have faith, and boy, was it rewarded”: The greatest Paul McCartney post-Beatles guitar moments
- “Exceeded all my expectations”: Johnny Marr’s guitar collection – including several iconic Smiths guitars – sells for almost $5m at auction
- Here’s how Laney’s Ironheart Foundry Series brings analog Ironheart tone to solid-state amps: “Everything you need, nothing you don’t”
- “When James got his first offer to play at the Troubadour, I thought it would be one gig. It turned into 20 years”: Lee Sklar looks back on his early sessions with James Taylor and Jackson Browne – and the beginnings of a legendary studio career
September 17
- Guitar Center launches competition to find openers for Ed Sheeran – just as all his support acts dropped out
- Guitar Center just dropped its mega Guitar-A-Thon sale with discounts hitting up to 30% off Fender, Epiphone, MXR, and loads more
- Meet the “super arpeggio” – the extended shape that can supercharge your solos
- “I've had this guitar since I was 12 years old. My mom bought it for me off my guitar teacher”: Billie Joe Armstrong on how his first-ever guitar defined Green Day's sound
- "There's no replacement for picking up a guitar and feeling those strings": Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Paul Gilbert, and more on how to get your fingers fretboard-ready by building your calluses the right way
- “I always found Fenders too scratchy and Gibsons a bit too dark”: Brian May on what guitar he’d play if he never made the Red Special
- “We grew up massive fans of Green Day. We knew all the lore and how Rob worked with them – we were just starstruck”: Riff Wood formed when they were 11 years old. Then they were discovered by Green Day’s producer. Stadiums are next
September 16
- "Still the reverb/tremolo pedal to beat": Strymon Flint V2 review
- Stephen Stills, Mike McCready, Geezer Butler, and Scott Ian join Tom Morello's Power to the People festival
- “Although he lets me take all the lead breaks, Malcolm’s still a better guitarist than Eddie Van Halen”: What Angus Young thought of Eddie Van Halen
- Ed Sheeran’s own backing band and all support acts pull out of US tour
- “I’ve had a talk box since I was 16. To me, it’s right up there with the Cry Baby Wah”: MXR debuts signature talk box for Slash
- “Despite the huge depth, it’s incredibly easy to edit and adjust sounds, which is the real strength of this pedal”: Strymon BigSky MX review
- “Mike McCready played the prototype during Alive and Even Flow live with Pearl Jam. How much more R&D truth can you get?” How signature models are really made – and how they can drive innovation in guitar design
- “The most natural, studio‑grade live tone ever achieved from an acoustic guitar”: Gibson and Baggs might have just revolutionized acoustic guitar pickups
- “The one company you could make do things they’re not supposed to do”: Electro-Harmonix puts Adrian Belew’s most famous sounds into a signature Echoflanger pedal
- “We want you to get twice your money’s worth. If we’ve made a $600 guitar and you’re like, ‘I’d have paid $1,200,’ that’s a home run”: Jack Higginbotham on why PRS needed a CEO, and why it’s him
September 15
- “I’ve used this guitar on 2,000 albums”: Fender recreates session legend Lee Sklar's iconic P-Bass – used on records by James Taylor, Phil Collins and Jackson Browne
- “We’ve never been a Strat band or a Marshall band. It feels a little too on-the-nose for what a rock sound should be”: Troy Van Leeuwen on turning his Custom Shop 12-string into a Squier signature, and channeling Robert Fripp for the new QOTSA record
- “John and Paul weren’t interested. The next day I was in a car with Eric Clapton and said, ‘Why don’t you come and play on this track?’” George Harrison on the Beatles classic saved by Slowhand
- Angine de Poitrine make their Tonight Show debut – and play a new song to mark the occasion
- “Her soloing is wild, well thought out, and performed with ease and abandon. It reminded me of playing with Jason Becker”: Marty Friedman’s 12 favorite guitar collaborations from his Japanese variety show channel
- “He bought it on a trip with Noel Gallagher, a day or two after they first met. Johnny said, ‘Let’s go for a sandwich. Never buy guitars on an empty stomach”: Johnny Marr’s most iconic guitars, the stories behind them – and why he’s selling them now
September 14
- Former Custom Shop head takes aim at Fender with new firm’s S-style design
- Cheetah Chrome, co-founder and guitarist of punk legends Dead Boys, dies at 71
- “I remember looking at it on the floor going, ‘That can not be The Smiths' guitar’”: The Johnny Marr guitar hidden in an iconic Oasis photoshoot
- Angine de Poitrine broke a string onstage – and restringing the double-neck was so challenging it nearly derailed the show
- “Classical guitar is under-appreciated in heavy music. No-one would think it could hold a drop A# tuning”: Alt-rock nomad Emma Ruth Rundle on channeling Smashing Pumpkins, her nylon-string awakening, and what made her sell her beloved Gibson SG
- Why Tony Iommi said no to a final Black Sabbath album with Andrew Watt: “He was a bit too excited”
- “Slayer’s Kerry King saw Mustaine rip it up on this guitar, leading to him accepting the offer to join Megadeth… for three weeks”: Dave Mustaine’s life in guitars – how the Megadeth main man weaponized the Flying V
- “We strongly deny allegations of ill intent”: Mastodon respond to Brent Hinds estate lawsuit
- "For me, what sets it apart is its sheer versatility and interactivity": Z.Vex Vexter Fuzz Factory review
September 13
- “I don’t want to say it was a dirty little secret. Insiders knew, but I wasn’t really allowed to talk about it”: Why Anthrax’s riff-writing isn’t like other bands’
- “That energy popped back like we had been playing all the time. Nobody was rusty, man. Everybody was on – like we'd just got off the J.B.’s bus!” How Bootsy Collins and his James Brown alumni brought the J.B.’s back to life for the Superbad soundtrack
- “There’s the Stanley Brothers, Flatt and Scruggs, and Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass. But there’s no mother of bluegrass”: How Lindsay Lou, Molly Tuttle and an all-star cast united to uncover the women behind bluegrass’ biggest songs
- “When I’ve played the guitars of people I’ve looked up to, it always feels like there’s DNA on them – like you’re getting a visit from your heroes”: Marcus King on his new signature Epiphone acoustic, playing Tiger, and his brotherhood with Brent Hinds
- “We tell our guitar techs we’re sorry profusely. I feel horrible for making their lives miserable”: Mark Holcomb on how Periphery harnesses super-heavy guitars for a super-heavy album that takes djent to a dark place
- “I walked into the studio, and she was playing the song that we were going to cut that day. It’s hard when you’re in a room with greatness like that”: Steve Lukather recalls his first studio session with Joni Mitchell
- “Gibbons has used his frequently on ZZ Top albums – he often plays through two at once”: Meet the world’s first ‘pedal’ – a steampunk wonderland you need Windex to use
- “The first thing he said to me was, ‘You’re in the band, but you gotta get a new guitar. You can’t play that SG’”: Neil Giraldo on how a push from Rick Derringer led him to the B.C. Rich Eagle
September 12
- “I’m not trying to toot horns, but Joe Bonamassa said there are only a few guitar players that can do the Albert King bends correctly, and he said my name”: From teenage rigs to stage disasters – the life and times of Eddie 9V
- Pink Floyd has a Dark Side of the Moon guitar pick made from gold – and it’s one of the most expensive guitar picks ever made
- “That fine line between a trainwreck and a stroke of genius is exactly what Ted McCarty tapped into”: The Gibson Flying V – how a misunderstood design conquered the guitar world
- “It was not about making a copy of somebody else’s guitar. It was about improving the guitar in general”: Petr Furch on 45 years of acoustic guitar innovation – and the challenge to make his guitars better
- “I choose to play the guitar “upside down”… It completely changes the riffs, phrases and chords that are available to you”: Eric Gales on how the blues turned his life upside down – and what you can learn from his approach
- “We played every show we could get, from dive bars to opening for Red Hot Chili Peppers. One out of three people in the crowd liked us, and the other two thought we sucked”: Primus’ original guitarist, Todd Huth, recalls the band’s early pre-fame days
- My pick of the best guitar gear launched this week: a new era of Gibson beckons, Joe Bonamassa's pawn shop SG eternalized, and Squier makes history with a 12-string
September 11
- “The peso coin is a rarity, but we’ve still got a few filed down for the ready”: Why Billy Gibbons started using a peso as a guitar pick
- “A lot of guitarists never use the middle pickup, but I’m all for it. I never used the others”: Why Lenny Kaye only needs one under-appreciated pickup position
- “It’s the first time a Chinese guitar brand has brought a world-class master guitar builder onboard”: Ex-Fender Master Builder John Cruz and Farida unveil his first guitar (yup, it’s an S-style)
- “Plug in, pick up the bass and experience the gear that created Motörhead’s unmistakable sound”: Las Vegas Motörhead exhibition will let play through Lemmy’s bass rig
- “Any of you lucky enough to be seeing their sold out US rallies, let us know what you think of these beasts”: Manson teams up with President, revealing new models for the masked metallers
- What do you want from the future of guitars?
- The rise of stainless steel frets: why players are making the switch, and what makes them better than traditional nickel
- Mastodon are being sued by Brent Hinds’ estate
- “It was the early Jimi Hendrix days. I was persuading George to do something feedback-y and crazy. I was showing him what I wanted and he said, ‘Well, you do it’”: On the trail of Paul McCartney, the Beatles’ not-so-secret guitarist
- “A tiny tone machine that proves solid-state can sound great”: Orange Baby Terror review
- “The next generation of the Gibson humbucker”: Gibson ushers in a new era of its humbuckers with the ELEV8
- “Don Felder played, and I sat in. It was weird looking out and seeing Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas looking back at us”: The continuing guitar adventures of Peter Frampton – from Skywalker Ranch to his new all-star solo album
- “Our guitarist saw an online ad where Bon Jovi was looking for a local band to open for them. She didn’t even tell us she’d applied!” How Violet Lea went from self-taught bassist to opening for Bon Jovi
September 10
- Why pedal artwork matters – and how it impacts your sound without you even realizing: “They're tools for making music, but they're also statements about who we are as players and what we value as artists”
- “Most people hate our best-selling guitars right out of the gate”: We’re in a golden era for new body shapes, but they still split opinion – we speak to the brands risking it all in a nostalgia-led market
- Guitar Center is inviting players to test its new in-house guitar brand – but you’ll need to sign an NDA
- Soundgarden return to the stage with Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready and The Pretty Reckless’ Taylor Momsen at Seahawks NFL halftime show
- “I ran over to the student center, unenrolled from all my classes and hit the road”: Noah Kahan was an unknown when his guitarist got the gig. Now he’s playing Fenway Park with his own signature guitar
- “Technology is supposed to make things easier, not get in the way”: Are apps ruining guitar gear? We argue for and against the trend that has taken over practice amps
- “Ozzy’s such a nice guy. But the day I walked out of the band I was like, ‘I’m glad to be out of that’”: Bernie Tormé’s turbulent eight-gig stint with Ozzy Osbourne
September 9
- “The album is quickly emerging as a major crossover moment”: Brian May will be on William Shatner’s surprise album – alongside a host of metal guitar heroes
- “I was called to play on an album with Peter Gabriel, whom I didn't know of. I hadn’t even heard of Genesis”: Tony Levin on how a Peter Gabriel session changed his life – and led him to King Crimson
- Two of Gretsch’s most affordable and desirable guitars just got an irresistible new look
- The ultimate guide to sus chords: the secret sauce shapes for the Edge, Andy Summers and the Beatles
- With up to 60% off budget guitar brand Harley Benton plus loads more big brands, the Thomann Guitar Days sale is the place to pick up an absolute steal on a guitar right now
- “Metal players embraced it, but so did players like David Gilmour”: 20 gear innovations that changed guitar playing
- Never-before-heard Van Halen live recording from 1974 set for release: “Van Halen opens the family archive for the first time”
- “I remember trying to sound like Chris Squire. Ozzy’s reaction was, ‘What the hell is that?’” How Geezer Butler helped define the sound of heavy metal on this eight-minute Black Sabbath opus
- “When the next generation are 60 with money for a vintage guitar, they’re going to want a Strandberg, not a Fender. Les Pauls will be collectible art pieces”: Meet the 24-year-old luthier taking headless guitar design into the future
- “This was the beginning of my love affair with them”: Joe Bonamassa’s pawn shop 1961 SG changed his outlook on P-90s – now Seymour Duncan has recreated its pickups
- “Visitors saw stacks of amps with names like Yngwie Malmsteen, George Lynch, Jake E. Lee and Adrian Vandenberg on the service tags”: The story of Eddie Van Halen’s elusive amp tech, José Arredondo – and the new amp that honors his legacy
- “Inspired generations of guitarists and shaped the sound of countless records”: Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi review
- I admit it: I’m a wah-wah addict. It’s the greatest sound a guitar can make. And I have proof
- “Nigh on impossible to craft a bad tone”: Positive Grid Spark Pedal review
- How Positive Grid's REACTOR is supercharging the amp modeler and opening up more possibilities for tone creation – without leaving the traditional amplifier behind
- “They looked like an ancient instrument of torture. I thought, ‘There must be a better way’”: Why Sleep Token’s IV, Brandi Carlile, and Foo Fighters’ Pat Smear have all added G7th’s all-round premium capos to their rig
September 8
- “He was the first guy in that genre that I heard that I was like, ‘Wow – these lead guys can really take an exciting part of the band’s sound’”: Former Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy guitarist John Sykes’ final recordings to be released as an EP this November
- “For metal, Solar’s big talk isn’t hyperbole”: Solar Chug Capo review
- “I had a guitar stolen in Houston. We pulled over to a Guitar Center and there was a used Les Paul Custom on the wall”: Bill Kelliher on what started Mastodon’s Silverburst love affair
- Fender launches first Squier Paranormal signature guitar, the Troy Van Leeuwen Telecaster XII: “That guitar can always be heard in the mix”
- Ditch the soldering iron: you can swap pickups in seconds with these guitars
- “Digital rig? No problem!” How Laney bridged the modeler gap and found a way to make digital setups sound better
- “This guy dutifully opened the case. I can still smell it. It was this otherworldly object, like something out of Raiders of the Lost Ark”: Johnny Marr on the guitars he’s loved and is about to lose at auction – and the one that started it all
- Tailgunner address sexual abuse allegations against their bassist
- “I think they’ve been forgotten about in our generation”: Why Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka thinks more guitarists should be using combo amps
- “There was this D-Day where everybody in rock music got dropped except for us and Beck. I felt the immediate hatred in town”: Weezer’s Brian Bell on polarizing fans (and the band), proving the critics wrong, and making the Gold Album
- “Gibson wasn’t the only company to lose its mind in thrall to technology”: The 21st century guitar innovations that never caught on
- “We put the same level of attention into everything. It can be infuriating… We’ll listen in different rooms, with different guitars and different players, to get there”: Inside Blackstar’s quest to build the next generation of guitar amps
- “Maybe it was a guy on smack who got paid $50”: This Funkadelic solo was one of the band’s best – but who really played it?
September 7
- “That an electric guitar under $500 can play and sound as this does – it’s remarkable”: Harley Benton Fusion-T II EMG MN HT SBK review
- Musician's Friend walks the line with its epic Labor Day sale by slashing a whopping $6,000 off a Johnny Cash Gibson acoustic, as well as up to 60% off big-name brands
- This year's huge Labor Day guitar deals include up to 60% off at Musician's Friend, a crazy Guitar Tricks saving and super cheap Positive Grid gear – here’s 5 essential sales to shop today
- “Opportunities to play museum-grade instruments in all their glory are few and far between. Couple that with Denmark Street, and you've got the perfect storm”: The Holy Grail guitars you can see up close and in action in London this month
- “Every line has to be played live. It’s what this freak show is all about – making it ridiculous, hard and painful for the musicians, thus fun for the audience”: Angine de Poitrine tell us the origin story of guitar’s most surreal band
- Forget the fire and flames, Sweetwater just dropped an exclusive, stealthy Black Satin version of Herman Li’s PRS SE Chleo you won’t find anywhere else
- The guitar world pays tribute to Andy Williams: “We all deserved more time with him. More riffs, more wrestling matches, more conversations about guitars, and gear”
- Ball-ends through the tuners? Meet the Steadfast Stopbar, the Les Paul tailpiece that strings your guitar backwards
- Marty Friedman names one of his favorite guitarists to jam with: “It reminded me of playing with Jason Becker. She does all the guitar things I don’t do – like tapping – but does them in a way that I like”
- What are impulse responses? A guitarist’s guide to the secret sauce of great guitar tone
- Have you been putting your capo on wrong? Tommy Emmanuel says this is the right way to do it – and it could save your tuning
- How IK Multimedia raised the bar with the TONEX Board – the powerful amp modeler we’ve all been waiting for
September 6
- “Being a musician in Latin America is difficult. You end up paying almost three times the standard price for a guitar”: Nervosa’s Prika Amaral on her unconventional playing style and overcoming Brazil’s broken music scene
- What happened to Syd Barrett’s Mirror Disc Telecaster? “Even if it were discovered today it would be very difficult to verify as actually being the Pink Floyd founder’s guitar”
- “A lot of people wanted to run with: ‘Oh, Godflesh man works with Phoebe Bridgers!’ I was really upset about it”: How Justin Broadrick ended up playing 8-string guitar on a Phoebe Bridgers record
- “It was a pedal designed to make your bass sound like a trombone, but I could make it sound like Jimi Hendrix”: How Ralphe Armstrong unlocked Hendrix-inspired expression on one of Jean-Luc Ponty's most adventurous recordings
- Every Time I Die guitarist and pro wrestler Andy Williams dies aged 48
- The player who transformed B.B. King from “terrible” to legendary: “It was no fun to play with him. When he found out who I was he begged me to join him. I’m responsible for him being what he is today”
- “We’d sit outside, get really stoned, and nerd out about a solo or two”: Marcus King opens up about his friendship with Brent Hinds
- “John Lennon laid down a simple guitar part. Then David asked me if I wanted to go to dinner with them!” The genius of David Bowie’s guitar collabs in 9 classic tracks
- The surprising history of the first-ever signature guitars, from custom builds for teachers to high-profile artists
September 5
- Meet the ‘no 5’ chord – the jazz-friendly option for guitar solos
- “I got word that Chester was gone, and it just hit me so hard. I never listen to that song the same anymore”: Stone Temple Pilots bassist Robert DeLeo has experienced the death of his lead singer twice – and somehow found a way to keep playing
- “Bob Rock said, ‘I’ve got Metallica. That’s only gonna take a couple of months…’ 13 months later he finished their record and we had to find another producer”: Billy Duffy on staying true to the Cult’s manifesto and his vision for rock guitar
- “Right when I started with the Ramones is when I bought a guitar. The first song I learned to play was a Ramones song”: How the Ramones took New York punk round the world
- Tommy Thayer discusses the prospect of new Kiss material: “We recorded a great new song that Paul wrote”
- Gene Simmons, Don Felder and Slash have all enlisted his drum skills. Now Brian Tichy is stepping out from behind the kit, guitar in hand: “This is me saying, ‘I’m not just a drummer and never have been’”
- My pick of the best guitar gear launched this week: a meet and greet with Billy Gibbons, the modeler we've all been waiting for, and a Butterscotch Blonde wristwatch
September 4
- Tony Iommi reveals his final phone call with Ozzy Osbourne: “The night before he passed, he said to me, ‘I feel tired and really worn out’”
- Christone “Kingfish” Ingram hails new signing as the future of blues: “He represents where the blues can go next”
- “Anything that sounds remotely like a Tele is that Esquire. It’s my impression of Keith Richards”: Steve Lukather played his 1951 Esquire on sessions with Joni Mitchell and Dolly Parton. And it tells us a lot about the evolution of the Fender Telecaster
- “I hate it. I just about get away with it every time”: Noel Gallagher was forced into becoming Oasis’ lead guitar player – and he didn’t want the role
- “I’ll do a lot of things Eddie does, and it kills me. I wish I could take time and come up with something that nobody has done before”: Randy Rhoads on the struggle to become his own player and avoid the Eddie Van Halen comparisons
- You can finally become a six-string god this Labor Day as Guitar Tricks slashes an annual guitar lessons subscription to only $99 for a very limited time
- “I made a beeline through the crowd to hand Chuck Berry his ES-335. His eyes were windows into the legend”: The Canadian guitarist who worked with Rush, Heart and k.d. lang – and unwittingly co-wrote a Rolling Stones song
- Fender needs your help for its new grassroots gig initiative with Music Venue Trust: “Gives fans an opportunity to celebrate the venues that matter”
- Former Turnstile guitarist Brady Ebert claims he “did not commit a crime” after being charged with attempted murder: “Every part of the police report is a lie”
September 3
- Joe Bonamassa explains how “hiding” your guitar pick can make you a more expressive player: “You can start with rock and end with B.B. King”
- "The sounds here are absolutely the cream of the crop": Eventide H9 Harmonizer Gen 2 review
- “After I stopped touring with Ian Brown, people would ask him, ‘Where’s that Asian Jimi Hendrix that plays with you?’” From the Stone Roses to Paul Weller, poverty to ’59 Les Pauls, Aziz Ibraham shares his remarkable story
- Headless pioneer Strandberg is developing a guitar with a headstock for a mystery player: “Their needs are beyond what any current guitar on the planet can meet”
- George Michael's iconic “Faith” acoustic guitar is hitting the auction block – and could fetch over $100,000
- Save up to 30% on exclusive Epiphone, Fender, and Taylor finishes thanks to some hearty discounts in the Guitar Center Labor Day sale
- “I think the price was down to the ‘cute’ factor of being a little nine-year-old. The poor attorney took pity on me”: Hannah Wicklund on how a blues lawyer got her playing boutique guitars aged 9 – and the weapon she picked to take on Deep Purple and Yes
- "I thought it was only for heavy riffs": I traded my ES-335 for a baritone guitar for a month and fell under its spell – here's 5 reasons why I think every traditional guitarist should try a baritone
- IK Multimedia’s touchscreen TONEX Board is its most ambitious modeler to date – and it’s biting at the heels of its biggest rivals
September 2
- Steve Vai and Joe Satriani’s first joint studio album is finally coming out: “We’ve been planning this since 1973”
- Green Day, Rancid and Blink-182 members celebrate the Ramones’ 50th anniversary with a set at a cemetery
- If you learn one thing from Angus Young it should be this
- Phil X on the time his pedals died moments before opening for Steel Panther: “Guys, we don’t have overdrive tonight”
- Gibson recreates Billy Gibbons’ Pearly Gates Les Paul – and you’ll have to meet the ZZ Top legend in person if you want one
- Ibanez drops new Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Nita Strauss signatures – and an Iceman like no other
- “On a couple of gigs we had Eddie Van Halen playing with us. He said, ‘I can't play on that!’ I said, ‘Yes, you can!’” Albert Lee is the legendary British picker who found his home in country music – and made guitar heroes quake in their boots
- Bluegrass hero Billy Strings swaps Martin for Charvel to shred with death metal band
- “Neil Young and Stephen Stills have explored this tuning to great effect”: Drop D is not just for grunge and metal – Joe Bonamassa explains how he uses it for blues guitar
- Bruce Springsteen shares the mods and mysteries of his Born to Run Fender Telecaster: “It was hanging on the wall, it cost $185. It’s a mutt”
- Get the most powerful practice tool for guitar players for just $99 in this awesome early Labor Day deal
September 1
- One of the biggest brands in acoustic guitar tone just changed its name
- Rush surprise themselves with new Fifty Something tour dates: “We didn't know how well we would hold up to the rigors of the road, but we're having a blast”
- “Rock ’n’ roll is an old person’s game now – there’s still loads of people 10 years older than me who are doing it. I imagine they’ve got personal trainers and better health regimes than I do”: The inimitable Robyn Hitchcock on the enigma of songwriting
- “What we found was horrifying”: Footage of Les Paul’s destroyed home surfaces after iconic studio was quietly ripped down
- “Undoubtedly the first popular, commercially successful guitar amp with reverb”: Is this humble Ampeg the vintage tube combo to rival golden-era Fender amps?
- November 2026 Guitar World lesson videos and more
- Pete Townshend pulls out of Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival due to injury: “One day I hope I can accept Eric's invitation to appear with him”