Latest articles by Amit Sharma
“I’m never going to out-do Yngwie”: Richie Faulkner on Priest’s new album and why he’s no shredder
Judas Priest's Invincible Shield finds the British metal institution surviving against the odds. Its very own bionic man Richie Faulkner gives us the guitar POV on a venerable work of British steel
“Paul said he’d do anything to make it happen”: Herman Li on his switch to PRS
Paul Reed Smith wanted to do something but I had to explain it was my dream as a kid to have an Ibanez signature. Paul said he’d do anything to make it happen
Yngwie Malmsteen on Rising Force and the spectacular introduction of a neoclassical shred icon
Breaking out of Alcatrazz and releasing Rising Force in 1984, a young Yngwie Malmsteen took us all through a supernova of virtuosity that changed guitar forever
How Anna Calvi threw out the guitar rulebook to write the Peaky Blinders score
The UK guitar great explains how she approached writing for a prestige TV show, and why she shares a Telecaster obsession with her hero Jeff Buckley
How Raphael Saadiq moved to guitar and earned his new limited-edition Tele
The Grammy-winning producer has worked with the biggest names in music. He explains why the Telecaster has appeared on every album he’s ever worked on – and shares what he learned from Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Barry Gibb and countless others
12 blues guitar albums that chart the genre – and the instrument’s – evolution
From Son House to Eric Gales, John Lee Hooker to Albert Collins, these classics highlight how blues guitar has changed over the years – its stories, tones and techniques all passed down and reinvented
“This disease won’t beat me and I will continue writing and playing for as long as I can”: Glenn Tipton explains how Richie Faulkner and a ‘no surrender’ mindset has helped him adapt his Judas Priest role
Tipton stepped back from official touring duties in 2018, but continues to write and record alongside Faulkner as a crucial member of Judas Priest
“Playing at the Super Bowl is the easy part. It’s the musical director responsibilities leading up that’s stressful”: Adam Blackstone heads up the biggest gigs on the planet – now with a 5-string Jackson bass named after his grandmother
The Emmy and Grammy winner has led the musical charge for everyone from Rihanna to Eminem and Justin Timberlake. He explains why he went for Jackson over Fender for his signature bass, what makes five strings essential to his style, and how he leads the band while laying down the groove
“I could have headed towards blues or shred. I chose blues… Fast-forward to 2020, I decided to become a 12 year-old learning guitar again – I went the other way and got an Ibanez with a Floyd Rose!” Gary Clark Jr. is finally unleashing his inner shredder
On his powerful and experimental new album, Gary Clark Jr. is channeling the pioneering spirit of the greats and finding new shades of blue
“I have Marshall, Orange and Victory amps, but they just don’t have the bark I need for this project. The 5150 is what metal sounds like to me”: Meet Jaguar Throne, the UK metal big beasts following in the hoofprints of Mastodon
Steve Sears builds a bestial, musically adventurous sound with dark prog vibes, monster riffs and some serious production savvy
“I just need one good sound and I’m set. A lot of players forget that”: Gus G’s tone and soloing philosophy is always evolving – and right now, it’s full of Floyd Rose divebombs
The Greek guitar phenom goes over the top on Firewind's new album, Stand Up, proving that all those hours locked away with Paul Gilbert instructional DVDs did not go to waste
“Those virtuoso guys can do anything. But sometimes it’s more fun to hit one note and see if it can mean as much. Sometimes it can mean even more”: Rich Robinson on earning AC/DC’s approval, losing guitars to a hurricane, and The Black Crowes’ return
The Robinson brothers are back in session as The Black Crowes complete their triumphant comeback. Here, Robinson gives us the guitar story behind the rock ’n’ roll album of the year
“I love a lot of those classic players. I just didn’t want to play like them. Like Captain Kirk, I wanted to go where no-one’s gone before!” Yngwie Malmsteen names 11 guitarists who didn’t shape his sound – but he still thinks are great
The larger-than-life Swedish maverick was more influenced by violin than guitar – but he still has soft spots for some mind-blowing players
“I met Ritchie Blackmore during the Sepultura days. At first, he wasn’t interested in talking to anybody. But the minute I asked, ‘Do you like football?’ he said, ‘Yes – come with me!’” Max Cavalera names 10 guitarists who shaped his sound
The metal pioneer reveals how to score private time with Ritchie Blackmore, the reality of trying to cover Tony Iommi, what Chuck Shuldiner would be doing today – and why he’s finally playing all six strings… on a James Hetfield guitar
“I’m now running a dual rig – it’s like hearing Queens of the Stone Age and Guy Ritchie movies mixed together!” Meet Kid Kapichi – the UK beat-punks busting out Chuck Berry moves and opening for Liam Gallagher
Ben Beetham is a pedalboard thrill-seeker whose tones make Kid Kapichi one of the most vital bands on the UK rock scene
“Freddie was a good riffmeister! He was a devotee of Jimi Hendrix. People think he was just concerned with the lighter stuff but it’s not true. He did enjoy the heavy stuff”: Brian May reveals the inside stories behind 13 classic Queen tracks
In a world-exclusive interview, Brian May takes you behind the scenes of the making of 13 iconic Queen cuts, and reveals what inspired his magical guitar playing in Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen, Don’t Stop Me Now and many more
“I’ve used Gibsons and Fenders in the past, but, honestly, nothing compares to how good my signatures sound. It’s almost a joke!” How Nick Johnston found tonal nirvana by plugging straight into the amp
Just a couple of his best-selling Schecter signature models, an amp and a taste for adventure, and Canadian six-string phenom Nick Johnston had all he needed to make the album of his career
“It was so destroyed you could take the paint off with your hands”: How Rich Robinson brought his ’68 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop back from the brink after Hurricane Sandy
The Black Crowes guitarist says his restored LP is a rare example of an instrument that (eventually) came back stronger following the 2012 disaster
“My headless six-string is the color of Hannibal Lecter’s couch… and I have an Oxblood Red model inspired by his office!” How Ihsahn combined horror scores, blastbeats and space-age guitars for a black metal album to eclipse ’em all
As the Emperor icon returns with the most ambitious album of his career, he dropped by to discuss his fierce picking speed, the influence of film scores, and why you don't need as much distortion as you think
“I couldn’t even walk, but I thought, ‘At least I can play guitar!’ When I picked one up, I just couldn’t. That was the final straw”: Deryck Whibley had to rebuild Sum 41 after nearly dying – so why is he ready to break up the band?
As Sum 41 release their final album, the pop-punk icons’ frontman explains why he knew it was time to call it quits – but not before he bought the ’68 Les Paul featured on the album that inspired him to play in the first place
![Dirty Sound Magnet [L-R]: Marco Mottolini (bass guitar), Stavros Dzodzos (guitar/vocals), Maxime Cosandey (drums)](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wjqtjU8uisahDGf4NgHzpD-840-80.jpg.webp)
“I never have boundaries regarding the gear I use – my rule is simply to follow my ears”: Dirty Sound Magnet sound like Hendrix meets the Doors by way of Zappa – Stavros Dzodzos explains how analog adventurism fuels their psychedelic sound
Dirty Sound Magnet have the sound of a band trying to shake loose reality. Guitarist/vocalist Dzodzos shares his analog-forward tone approach
“My best advice to all guitarists is to sit down and write the things you practice”: Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale talks tone tips, meat and potatoes rock, and reveals how a fan gave her an original Klon Centaur
The Gibson Ambassador and Kramer signature artist checks in to share six-string wisdom, the secret of keeping it simple, and why she made a guitar that looks like it came from the '80s
“A lot of the pedals I use are to make guitars sound less like guitars”: Travis Johnson reveals the PS-3 secrets behind Activity’s sound, and what’s next for Trap Door Electronics
An alumni of Death By Audio, Travis Johnson is taking guitar sounds into uncharted territory with his band and his boutique pedal firm, Trap Door
“This is a Dinky that lives up to the legacy behind it”: Jackson Pro Plus Series Dinky DKAQ review
This Seymour Duncan-equipped shredder might be too good to be true, applying top-quality pickups and hardware to Jackson's go-faster design DNA at a sensible price
“I tend to think if you wouldn’t sing it, don’t play it”: Session player turned Mamas Gun guitar slinger Terry Lewis on the enduring majesty of the 335 semi-hollow and what he learned from Larry Carlton
A formidable session guitarist and teacher at BIMM, Terry Lewis is the virtuoso presence behind London neo-soul quintet Mamas Gun
