
Amit Sharma
Amit has been writing for titles like Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Guitar World for over a decade and counts Richie Kotzen, Guthrie Govan and Jeff Beck among his primary influences as a guitar player. He's worked for magazines like Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, Prog, Record Collector, Planet Rock, Rhythm and Bass Player, as well as newspapers like Metro and The Independent, interviewing everyone from Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy to Slash and Jimmy Page, and once even traded solos with a member of Slayer on a track released internationally. As a session guitarist, he's played alongside members of Judas Priest and Uriah Heep in London ensemble Metalworks, as well as handled lead guitars for legends like Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols, The Faces) and Stu Hamm (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, G3).
Latest articles by Amit Sharma

Nuno Bettencourt on why, with his Six String Sanctuary, he’s finally ready to become a guitar teacher
By Amit Sharma published
Sponsored by Nuno’s Six String Sanctuary
The Extreme man’s Six String Sanctuary weekender goes way beyond your typical guitar clinic – and he’s recruited Steve Vai, Eric Gales, Mateus Asato, Richie Kotzen, Taj Farrant and guitar “Yoda” Rick Beato to help

Blues ace Larry McCray names the unsung guitar brand that convinced him to switch after a life of playing Gibsons
By Phil Weller published
McCray says this brand is the perfect middle ground between two of the industry's big guns

Veteran bluesman Larry McCray recalls the night Stevie Ray Vaughan died
By Janelle Borg published
The famed Strat wielder passed away at the age of 35 in a helicopter crash outside East Troy, Wisconsin

Wolfgang Van Halen on Allan Holdsworth, unintentional Van Halen-isms, and his go-to guitar-test riffs
By Amit Sharma published
As the son of one of the world’s most influential rock guitar players, it’s understandably taken Wolfgang Van Halen some time to feel comfortable in his own skin. Mammoth’s third full-length, The End, is undoubtedly the sound of his confidence growing stronger and stronger

The greatest guitar gear of the 21st century (so far)
By Amit Sharma published
The guitars, amps, effects, tech and innovations that changed how we play, listen and create

He’s played on over 500 albums. Now Marcus Deml is making breathtaking guitar instrumentals under his own name
By Amit Sharma published
He spent 12-hour days learning at GIT in the shred era. But for his Strat-led solo showcase, Deml relied mainly on his ears and a religious approach to tone

Paul Reed Smith on the near-fateful end of the PRS SE Line – and what eventually saved it from extinction
By Phil Weller published
Smith reflects on the time the plug was almost pulled on the affordable branch of PRS guitars

Jeff Beck secretly played a PRS at home – and the company is trying to get it back
By Matt Owen published
Beck played Fenders, Gibsons, even Jacksons onstage – but he reportedly kept a PRS handy at home for recording

Jared James Nichols owns a few vintage amp gems – but here's why he still prefers Blackstars
By Janelle Borg published
Nichols and Blackstar have collaborated on a handful of signature amps over the years

What Guthrie Trapp learned while escaping the country player label – and how the fretboard can change your life
By Amit Sharma published
The session ace explains what’s wrong with modelers, why anyone emulating SRV is doomed to fail, and how he nearly missed out on jamming with Billy Gibbons

Anglo-French blues-rocker Laura Cox on Les Pauls vs SGs, and getting huge tone from a Junior guitar
By Amit Sharma published
On Trouble Coming, Cox cuts loose, recording with the No Money Kids and showcasing her formidable slide chops

Wolfgang Van Halen on his early gigs with Van Halen – and keeping Eddie in line
By Phil Weller published
Wolfgang also wanted to unearth some B-sides to help honor the genius of his predecessor once he stepped into the role

Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil on why he fell in love with Kirk Hammett’s Greeny – even if he’s still Team Strat
By Amit Sharma published
With their 10th album, Futique, Biffy Clyro remind us exactly why they are one of the most important rock bands of the modern age

How John Suhr built one of guitar’s hottest boutique brands
By Amit Sharma published
John Suhr knows a thing or two about tone. Hey, the guy oversaw repairs at Rudy’s Music in NYC, modded amps with Bob Bradshaw, became a Senior Master Builder and launched his own brand

Jared James Nichols was gifted a Klon Centaur by Joe Bonamassa – here’s how he kept it safe on the road
By Janelle Borg published
Nichols went from nearly having his borrowed Klon stolen to being given one of his own by the blues guitar icon

Wolfgang Van Halen on what sets his favorite contemporary metal guitar hero apart from his peers
By Phil Weller published
Wolfgang has praised this player's ability to bridge the generational and genre divide

Best guitar amp headphones 2025: 6 options for when the neighbors need a break
By Amit Sharma last updated
From studio stalwarts, to fully fledged amps you wear on your head, these are the best headphones for guitar amps

Best Telecasters 2025: top Teles for every taste
By Amit Sharma last updated
Whether it’s your first Telecaster or you’ve walked in the boots of guitar-playing royalty, our top Telecasters will help you get your twang on

Best Stratocasters 2025: The best Strats for every budget and playing style
By Amit Sharma last updated
Find your fit with our top pick of the best Fender Strats

Made famous by David Gilmour, the Binson Echorec is a secret-recipe tool that helped define rock guitar tone
By Amit Sharma published
If you have even the most passing familiarity with Pink Floyd, you've heard an ethereal soundscape generated by the Binson Echorec. This is what it is, the unit's fascinating inner workings, and why it still matters

Guitar heroes are hailing him as shred’s next big thing – but Spiro is already planning a blues left-turn
By Janelle Borg published
Touted as the guitar world's next big disruptor by Tim Henson, Misha Mansoor and Tosin Abasi, Spiro Dussias reveals his next project and why he hopes to record a blues album before he turns 30

Eric Gales on his all-star blues tribute to his brother, the man who started him on guitar
By Amit Sharma published
With a stirring tribute to his older brother Manuel, who performed as Little Jimmy King, the master southpaw returns with one of the finest albums of his career

Nicolas Meier was hand-picked by Jeff Beck. Now he’s honoring the late guitar icon with a sound that seeks new horizons
By Amit Sharma published
Meier on what he learned from Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía, and how in Jeff Beck he found a kindred spirit for guitar sounds with no limits

We chart 25 game-changing Ibanez guitarists
By Amit Sharma published
While it’s easy to think of Ibanez as a company that’s solely at the cutting edge of metal machines for the modern age, they’ve also innovated much further afield, producing timeless acoustics, semi-hollows, and hollowbodies
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