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
“It reminds me of the kind of things Steve Hackett was doing”: Georgie Greep on Angus Young’s genius
By Amit Sharma published
Black Midi might sound little like AC/DC but as Greep reveals, the influence is there and it is profound, and here breaks down the madcap genius style of rock's evergreen schoolboy
“My pedalboard should be called ‘50 Shades of Gain’!” Chris Buck on how a fetish for dirt led to his new signature pedal from ThorpyFX
By Amit Sharma published
The tube-driven Electric Lightning is a boost/drive twofer like no other, and it is the result of many nerdy discussions between the Cardinal Black guitarist and UK pedal guru Adrian Thorpe
Best Stratocasters 2024: 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
Mark Tremonti on what his PRS MT100 amp has in common with his Dumbles – and why its cleans rule too
By Amit Sharma published
One of the best metal amps on the market? Sure. One of the most versatile? Most def. The Alter Bridge and Creed guitarist's signature head has three independent channels and they're all their own thing
“I still don’t know how they make it at that price point”: Nick Johnston on how his signature Schecter conquered the world
By Amit Sharma published
The Canadian instrumental mastermind continues the quest for tension on his latest album, Child of Bliss, and proves once again that he is totally the sort of player to torch the rulebook
The 50 greatest acoustic guitar songs of all time
By Jonathan Horsley published
As voted for by you, this list spans some of the most significant acoustic moments ever committed to tape – and features a controversial winner…
“Some of the greatest sounds were created on junk!” Joe Bonamassa reveals the secret to getting great tones from affordable gear
By Amit Sharma published
Bonamassa is one of the world's highest-profile vintage guitar collectors but here the blues maestro assures us that affordable options from today's market past the taste test
Samantha Fish talks soloing strategies and blues heroes ahead of Slash’s S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival
By Amit Sharma published
As Slash's all-star blues festival kicks off, the Kansas City blues whiz tells us what we can expect of her set, the gear in her life, and why you need to take some time with your solos
Chris Shiflett once tried (and failed) to trick Joe Bonamassa into believing he had bought a '59 Les Paul
By Janelle Borg published
Chris Shiflett defied country guitar expectations and used the Les Paul on his latest country-tinged EP
This is one of the hardest guitar songs you could attempt to cover, according to cover pro Lord Phobos
By Janelle Borg published
With a hefty repertoire of covers under his belt, TWRP guitarist Lord Phobos pinpoints the song that he admits was “quite a tough one” to learn
Joe Bonamassa on why he’s no ’Burst hog – and putting on his “British hat” with BCC
By Amit Sharma published
Joe Bonamassa checks in to tell us what it’s like to playing in rock supergroup Black Country Communion, why his rig is bigger for his solo shows, and channeling Andy Summers
Meet Lowlives’ Lee Downer, the British rocker who just needs a cranked amp – and 169 guitars...
By Amit Sharma published
You might know the name Lee Downer from The Defiled. Now relocated to sunny LA, working in Guitar Center, his new band is all about '90s alt-rock, no tricks, “meat and potatoes rock”
Jazz schooled, Queen-inspired, The Last Dinner Party’s guitar hero Emily Roberts unpacks her sound
By Amit Sharma published
Roberts reveals how their hit debut album was created, and how her unique approach to the instrument was shaped by jazz greats and one rock legend in particular…
Foo Fighters' Chris Shiflett on why he opted for a Quad Cortex over amps on his latest record
By Janelle Borg published
Chris Shiflett discloses the reasons why he didn't use a single amp in studio
Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram first heard Slash on Guitar Hero – now he’s playing in his traveling blues show
By Amit Sharma published
Kingfish is leading the charge for a new generation of blues heroes. Here he checks in to talk soloing styles, the message behind the blues and Slash's upcoming S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival
Meet Jack Gardiner, the Tom Quayle-taught virtuoso turning Baby Shark and Wheels on the Bus into blistering fusion guitar workouts
By Amit Sharma published
The Ibanez-toting, Neural DSP aficionado is one seriously gifted player, a bona fide virtuoso who just so happens to do a neat line in nursery rhymes
Royal Blood’s Mike Kerr names 10 guitarists who shaped his bass sound
By Amit Sharma published
The Royal Blood frontman explains why guitarists have influenced him more than bassists as he marks the 10th anniversary of the duo’s debut album
Guns N’ Roses producer Mike Clink on having a front-row seat to Slash’s most iconic guitar moments
By Amit Sharma published
Having reunited with Slash for Orgy Of The Damned, the producer of Appetite for Destruction recalls the magical sessions with Guns N' Roses
Inside Cream Guitars, the no-copy Mexican brand shaking up guitar with color-changing finishes
By Amit Sharma published
How a doctor (who also sidelined in designing suits for firefighters) ended up creating Cream Guitars, one of the most groundbreaking new brands in the industry
Martin Miller on how he recruited Paul Gilbert, Lari Basilio and Mateus Asato for his world-beating jams
By Amit Sharma published
The Ibanez signature artist talks forsaking his shred roots, how to approach chord changes and those world-class live sessions with the likes of Paul Gilbert and Andy Timmons
“As user-friendly as a guitar can get”: Strandberg Boden Essential review
By Amit Sharma published
The groundbreaking sound and feel of Strandberg's future-forward guitar designs arrives at a price more of us can manage, but does this craft translate to a more affordable instrument? You bet
Best Telecasters 2024: the top Fender Tele electric guitars for all budgets and styles
By Amit Sharma last updated
Figure out which is the best Telecaster for you - we pay homage to Fender's iconic electric guitar
Feeder’s Grant Nicholas talks fuzz, Jazzmasters, and why he hasn’t changed his strings in 8 years
By Amit Sharma published
As the UK rock heavyweights return with their first-ever double album, Black/Red, Grant Nicholas checks in to discuss his love of old strings, broken Tube Screamers and fuzz – lots and lots of fuzz…
Unprocessed’s Manuel Gardner Fernandes on returning to tubes – and why Polyphia’s support means more than anything
By Amit Sharma published
Just as Unprocessed rediscover the taste for metalcore on new rager...And Everything In Between, guitarist Manuel Gardner Fernandes was seeking out real tube tone
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