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

The best guitar albums of 2024
By Jonathan Horsley published
The guitar albums that had the biggest impact in the guitar world and beyond, as chosen by GW editors and pro players

“He’s playing pretty badly, but he is playing”: When Corey Feldman went full shred and melted faces
By Amit Sharma published
2024 Year in Review: This year’s most talked-about solo came from the most unlikely of places

How Kerry King rose from the ashes of Slayer – ready to slay all over again
By Amit Sharma published
2024 Year in Review: Slay bells ring, are you listening? From Hell I Rise is the sound of a thrash icon doing what thrash icons do best
![The Heavy Heavy's Georgie Fuller [left] and William Turner play live under gold stage lights, a fitting setting for their retro-inspired sound](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9xEE7YB5apcJxaz3aWqXv8-320-80.jpg)
William Turner and Georgie Fuller on how the Heavy Heavy is making fresh music with classic sounds
By Amit Sharma published
One of a Kind makes something anew out of familiar materials, and presents a sound that's a not just a celebration of the classics, but of rhythm guitar itself...

“It was building up in the back of my mind for so long that it finally pushed its way to the fore”: Why this was the year Slash finally got the blues
By Amit Sharma published
2024 Year in Review: The Guns N’ Roses icon indulged his earliest influences and shone a spotlight on blues icons old and new

The best guitar songs of 2024 – as chosen by Guitar World editors and pro players
By Jonathan Horsley published
With the help of pals including Eric Gales and Vernon Reid, we run down the songs that lit up the guitar-o-sphere this year, including a remarkable hardcore breakthrough, a virtuoso collab for the ages and the prodigy that everyone’s talking about

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

Meet Lizzard’s Mathieu Ricou, the delay-keen guitarist whose giant tone defies the power trio format
By Amit Sharma published
Five albums in, the European art-rock trio are still searching for new ways to expand their sound

“This is like Santana’s Soul Sacrifice at Woodstock or Hendrix’s Machine Gun”: The best guitar solos of 2024
By Jonathan Horsley published
From a supernova of tapping and pitch-shifted metal guitar anarchy to all-star team-ups, here is your year in lead guitar – featuring Mdou Moctar, Diamond Rowe and some dudes named Satriani and Vai…

From Eddie Van Halen's amps to boosts, Mike Exeter reveals the secrets behind Tony Iommi's tone
By Amit Sharma published
Producer Mike Exeter has worked with Iommi for over three decades, and knows exactly what the Godfather of Heavy Metal wants from his sound – and just how to get it

Best Christmas gifts for guitar players 2025: the ultimate festive gift guide for guitarists
By Daryl Robertson last updated
Treat them right this Christmas with our pick of the 46 must-have guitar items, essential accessories, clever gadgets and instruments for every budget

Best electric guitars under $500 2025: maximum tone, minimum price
By Amit Sharma last updated
Our pick of the best guitars under $500, with top choices from Squier, Epiphone, Schecter, and more

“Could this be the most impressive tube amp under $700? For simpler needs, we definitely think it’s up there”: Blackstar TV-10 B combo amp review
By Amit Sharma published
The British amp wizards once again succeed in making boutique tones affordable

Pete & Vinnie Play started with a Racer X cover; now they’ve released their own shred single
By Amit Sharma published
After meeting at college and building up 150,000 followers online, the duo are stepping into the ‘real’ world as No Writer with help from Kiko Louriero’s producer and the master they studied under

Tony Iommi on hanging out with Jimmy Page and Brian May, early Sabbath – and his time with Jethro Tull
By Amit Sharma published
The godfather of heavy metal takes us through the unimpeachable majesty of Black Sabbath’s first six records, his gear choices – old and new – and how that new solo album is coming along...
![Opeth's Fredrik Åkesson [left] and Mikael Åkerfeldt sit on an old sofa with their PRS electric guitars. Åkesson looks off into the distance while Åkerfeldt stares into the camera.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mBjBAxu9jXG82RYpeGpuUX-320-80.jpg)
Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt and Fredrik Åkesson on their love of “stupid riffs,” and “recapturing that old death metal magic”
By Amit Sharma published
Opeth may have returned in a way to their sonic roots on their new album, The Last Will and Testament, but – with appearances from a Neal Schon signature model and a “not very metal” trick picked up from Eddie Van Halen – there are still plenty of quirks to go 'round

“A lot of my peers have turned to modelers. I’m not there yet. It still feels like an electronic toy to me”: Jerry Cantrell on his love of guitar duos, vibing off Jeff Beck on his solo album – and why he remains a digital tone skeptic
By Amit Sharma published
The Alice In Chains guitarist discusses sticking to tubes, breaking out the talkbox and the potty-mouthed solo sessions behind his new album I Want Blood

Tony Iommi tried to reclaim his iconic Gibson ‘Monkey’ SG but wasn’t allowed
By Matt Owen published
After retiring the Monkey SG, the Black Sabbath legend sold it to the Hard Rock Cafe – but ran into a spot of bother when he tried to get it back

Prince’s Cloud guitar builder Dave Rusan on how he made the iconic instrument – and the legal battles over his replicas
By Amit Sharma published
With Prince’s Cloud 3 guitar fetching nearly a million bucks in June, we speak to Rusan about working for a pop legend, using tools you’d find around the house to make a guitar for Purple Rain, and what fans can expect from his replicas

Yungblud on the genius of his guitarist Adam Warrington – "the Sid Vicious to my Johnny Rotten”
By Amit Sharma published
It was meant to be. A chance encounter in east London brought Harrington into Yungblud's life, and he has been his six-string lieutenant ever since, a player who always knows how to grab the audience's attention

Serj Tankian reflects on his guitar journey with System of a Down, Tony Iommi, Buckethead and beyond
By Amit Sharma published
In a rare guitar interview, Serj Tankian breaks down his “fast folk” playing style and upcoming signature Gibson Les Paul, his love of shredders, and freaking out Maynard James Keenan (and being freaked out by Buckethead)

Jerry Cantrell shares his thoughts on digital modelers – and why he’s “not there yet”
By Matt Owen published
The Alice in Chains icon uses a Kemper while tracking demos, but he’s not ready to take them into the studio – and onto the stage – just yet

How Yungblud became punk’s next guitar hero, bringing high-volume rock to Gen Z
By Amit Sharma published
Armed with a new Epiphone signature model, the punk-rock hero and Gen Z superstar shares the story behind his incredible rise – and his plans for what comes next
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