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Steve Vai and Thomas McRocklin at Monsters of Rock Festival in 1988

Guitarists He was a guitar god at 8, then he disappeared – the unlikely story of Thomas McRocklin

Left-Steve Lukather of Toto performs at Toyota Pavilion at Concord on August 25, 2025 in Concord, California; Right- Jimmy Page performs onstage during the 38th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Barclays Center on November 03, 2023 in New York City

Guitarists Steve Lukather was hanging out with Eddie Van Halen, when Jimmy Page paid him the highest compliment

George Lynch

Guitarists George Lynch on resurrecting his band, what it would take for him to go back to blues, and chasing that elusive masterpiece

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA - JULY 26: Guitarist Cody Chavez of Drain performs onstage during day 1 of Warped Tour at Shoreline Waterfront on July 26, 2025 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)

Guitarists Inspired by Kiss, Metallica and Dokken, DRAIN’s Cody Chavez is the hardcore hero who isn’t afraid to shred

Wolfgang Van Halen of Mammoth performs at Little Caesars Arena on November 20, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan.

Guitarists Wolfgang Van Halen names the 2 classic rock tracks he plays to test any electric guitar

Jake E. Lee photographed July 5 in Birmingham, England, with the custom Purple Burst Charvel he played at Back to the Beginning

Guitarists Jake E. Lee names the guitar virtuoso who had him sweating backstage at Back to the Beginning

Heriot guitarists Debbie Gough and Erhan Alman

Bands Soloing next to Misha Mansoor and Marty Friedman, Heriot are next-gen metal guitar heroes-in-the-making

Ricky Byrd wears a weathered biker jacket and throws a pose as he plays a Telecaster on the stoop of a NYC apartment.

Guitarists Ricky Byrd on charged encounters onstage with Joan Jett and how Jeff Beck turned him onto smaller amps

Eddie Angel of Los Straitjackets wears a Luchador mask and plays a funky looking offset with four single-coil pickups

Guitarists Primitive solos, Luchador masks, SpongeBob SquarePants? Meet Los Straitjackets, guitar’s most out-there instrumentalists

Slash of Guns N' Roses wears his trademark top hat as he takes a solo on his Gibson Les Paul – the stage is lit up in purple and white in the background.

Guitarists Slash on his return to Guns N’ Roses, changing up the Sweet Child O’ Mine solo, and what needs to happen for a new GNR album

Kiki Wong

Guitarists Kiki Wong’s go-to amp at home is a budget combo everyone loves to hate

Chris Buck sitting on the hood of car, playing a Yamaha Revstar

Guitarists Chris Buck on vintage “dogs”, signature model intrigue, and how rock royalty helped his regal blues-rock tap into America

Buddy Guy wears a matching cream jacket and pants with floral stitching and a wide-brimmed hat as he sits and plays a Fender Stratocaster against a deep red background.

Guitarists Buddy Guy on showmanship, Strats – and why he has unfinished business with the blues

Tom Bukovac and Joe Walsh

Guitarists Why Joe Walsh’s distinct taste in amps took Tom Bukovac by surprise

Big Wreck's Ian Thornley pictured with his trusty Suhr electric guitar

Guitarists Big Wreck’s Ian Thornley on channeling Eric Johnson and Steve Morse – and why he’s called a guitar the “Jungle Gym”

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Artists
Guitarists

Interview: Loudness Guitarist Akira Takasaki on the Band's 30th Anniversary

By Josh Hart published 14 July 2011

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Loudness guitarist Akira Takasaki recently stopped by the Guitar World studio to shoot some licks for our Lick of the Day App, and we were able to catch up with him for a brief chat.

In this exclusive video interview, he talks about Loudness celebrating their 30th anniversary, the future of the band, and how the music scene around the world responded to the recent earthquake in Japan.

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Josh Hart

Josh Hart is a former web producer and staff writer for Guitar World and Guitar Aficionado magazines (2010–2012). He has since pursued writing fiction under various pseudonyms while exploring the technical underpinnings of journalism, now serving as a senior software engineer for The Seattle Times.

Read more

George Lynch goes two-handed on his tiger-striped signature ESP.

“I made a critical mistake 35 years ago, and I try to walk away from it, but I end up coming back”: Why George Lynch is back with his band

George Lynch

George Lynch on resurrecting his band, what it would take for him to go back to blues, and chasing that elusive masterpiece

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA - JULY 26: Guitarist Cody Chavez of Drain performs onstage during day 1 of Warped Tour at Shoreline Waterfront on July 26, 2025 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)

Inspired by Kiss, Metallica and Dokken, DRAIN’s Cody Chavez is the hardcore hero who isn’t afraid to shred

Phil X of the Drills wails into the mic as he performs with his SG-alike Gibson prototype signature guitar.

Phil X on his upcoming Gibson signature, lead discipline – and how to prepare for shows in the YouTube age

Barry Stock of Three Days Grace performs at Circolo Magnolia on June 21, 2023 in Milan, Italy

Why Three Days Grace’s Barry Stock is embracing the Ibanez Iceman – and picking his trusty Quad Cortex over a 7-string

David Immerman and Avril Lavigne

David Immerman on moving from pure shredding to playing with American Idol stars and Avril Lavigne

Latest in Guitarists

Steve Cropper performs onstage in Squaw Valley, California on August 25, 1991

Steve Cropper, Stax and soul guitar legend, Booker T. & the MG’s co-founder, dies at 84

Jeff Beck playing guitar and a PRS headstock

Jeff Beck secretly played a PRS at home – and the company is trying to get it back

Ola Englund palying a Solar Relik Series guitar in 2025

Ola Englund on why he decided to set up his own guitar company

Marcin - D'Addario 2025

Marcin on why he will never use a guitar pick

Nuno Bettencourt and Jake E Lee

Why Nuno Bettencourt said no when Jake E. Lee asked him to play one of his iconic Sabbath solos at Back to the Beginning

Eddie Angel of Los Straitjackets wears a Luchador mask and plays a funky looking offset with four single-coil pickups

Primitive solos, Luchador masks, SpongeBob SquarePants? Meet Los Straitjackets, guitar’s most out-there instrumentalists

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Gem Archer, Noel Gallagher and Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs, each photographed with their new signature models from Epiphone and Gibson

The story behind Oasis’ new signature guitars

[LEFT] 1966 EMS-1235 with full-scale four-string tenor neck and eight-string mandolin neck. Right: 1961 EMS-1235 with a regular six-string neck and an octave six-string neck.

“Some might be thankful they only made one because Gibson didn’t waste any more wood”: Meet the obscure ’60s Gibsons that prove double-necks were a thing before Stairway to Heaven

Walrus Audio Fundamental Ambient

I am determined to find great tone for under $100. Behold! I have unearthed the best cheap pedal deals

Gary Moore's 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard 'Stripe': played hard, well-loved, and now up for private sale, Stripe has some of the coolest battlescars you will see on a guitar

You know Greeny, now it’s time to meet Stripe – Gary Moore’s other go-to ’59 Les Paul, and a guitar of incalculable vibe

Steve Rothery plays his Daphne Blue Reverend T-style in the studio

How Marillion’s Steve Rothery forged a new musical alliance – and got addicted to buying pedals in the process

Gary "Mani" Mounfield of Primal Scream performs onstage on the third day of the Roskilde Festival on 1st July in Roskilde, Denmark.

How a hypnotic ‘Mani’ bassline propelled one of the Stone Roses’ finest moments

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1
“He helped create some of the most enduring songs in music history”: Steve Cropper, Stax and soul guitar legend, Booker T. & the MG’s co-founder, dies at 84
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“They were trying to sell the guitars to distributors who had no idea who I was, like, ‘Who is this YouTube guy?’” Ola Englund on why he decided to set up his own guitar company
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“Virtually indistinguishable from the all-tube original”: EVH signals the start of a brave new era with its first digital combo – which promises authentic Eddie Van Halen tube amp tones
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“People don't know this. He loved it”: Jeff Beck secretly played a PRS at home – and the company is trying to get it back
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“I am a true enemy of the pick. It’s the most limiting thing in the world”: Marcin on why he will never use a guitar pick

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