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 world’s most influential guitar gear designers: meet the pioneers behind the innovations that changed the electric guitar forever
By Amit Sharma published
It’s not just star guitarists who have changed the way we play – these are the innovators whose inventions forever altered the course of the guitar itself

“If a modern player delivered a Jimmy Page solo, they’d get crucified”: Nita Strauss discusses the Led Zeppelin icon’s unique ability to play the right thing in any situation
By Amit Sharma published
From his incredible ear to his innovative arrangements, Strauss explains why she loves Page’s playing

Game-changers, taste-makers and trend-setters: here are 2023's guitarists of the year
By Guitar World Staff published
We tip our hats to the players that made 2023 such a defining year in guitar history – and whose achievements we'll be talking about in years to come

News of the (guitar) world: the biggest, baddest, weirdest and saddest guitar news of 2023
By Amit Sharma published
We track the year’s biggest six-string stories – from landmark gear developments to devastating departures and 2023’s most headline-grabbing players

“Eddie was like a new sun appearing in the sky. You could sense that the world would never be the same”: From the big bang of Eruption to tone tips and warm-ups – Paul Gilbert shares the knowledge gleaned from a lifetime studying Eddie Van Halen
By Amit Sharma published
The shred icon salutes his greatest influence – with the insight of a fellow guitar obsessive

“I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for Master of Puppets”: Mark Tremonti on how Metallica's classic record changed his life – and how James Hetfield's right hand shaped his picking style
By Amit Sharma published
The metal trailblazers had an immeasurable impact on the Alter Bridge axeman – here, he discusses what makes Hetfield and Kirk Hammett such a potent duo

“I wanted to be Paul Kossoff – a Les Paul with a wah into a Marshall and nothing else. I’d be telling myself off for dialing too much gain!” Black Stone Cherry share their gear epiphanies – and why we’re hearing Misha Mansoor’s Peavey on their new album
By Amit Sharma published
Ben Wells and Chris Robertson on the gear and the tones behind one of hard rock's most engaging guitar double acts – and why it all goes back to Leo Fender

“Tone is in the fingers. That’s not to say you can’t get close. Some YouTube players can get so close to Stevie Ray Vaughan, it’s frightening!” Danny Bryant is one of modern British blues’ finest players – ignore his tone wisdom at your peril
By Amit Sharma published
Give Bryant a Strat and he'll give you the blues straight, no chaser. He reveals the ‘death metal’ lessons Walter Trout taught him, and how to get the best out of your Strat

“If you want to be a well-rounded metal player, alternate picking is something you cannot skip out on”: Josh Middleton on the essential techniques and discipline of metal guitar
By Amit Sharma published
The Sylosis riff master unpacks some of his metal approaches and explains why practice makes perfect, even if it makes you the last person in the world anyone would want to watch TV with

“Malcolm Young would shred picks. It's like he would pick them up and they’d turn to dust!”: Richard Fortus breaks down his role as Guns N’ Roses’ rhythm machine – and explains the overlooked details that separate good players from great ones
By Amit Sharma published
GNR's resident Gretsch signature artist discusses his chemistry with Slash – and how it echoes that of Izzy Stradlin's – and pinpoints his approach to staying in the pocket

“This music was born out of pain and suffering. It wasn’t all about guitar solos or ‘my baby left me’! That’s where a lot of people go wrong”: Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram on why the future of blues guitar requires an understanding of its past
By Amit Sharma published
The Mississippi blues phenom draws on influences ranging from past masters to Eric Gales and Prince alike – and he says to play the blues, you've got to know where it came from

“I have a Danelectro ’84 Strat copy worth $400 – it’s one of my main guitars, right up there with the $10k Custom Shop SG”: He’s one of the guitar world’s biggest YouTubers. Now Tyler Larson is turning his gear habit into electrifying instrumental rock
By Amit Sharma published
Inspired by Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Radiohead, the debut album from the Music is Win mastermind brings his formidable demo chops to full-blown compositions. He explains why anyone can make it as a YouTuber, the elusive formula that makes certain gear so sought-after and whether the Klon Centaur is really worth $5,000…

“There’s no replacement for picking up a guitar, feeling those strings under your fingers and building your calluses”: British shred hero Sophie Lloyd teaches you how to become a better player
By Amit Sharma published
As first-call player for Machine Gun Kelly, a YouTube six-string superstar and solo artist, Lloyd is one of the world's fastest-rising guitarists. She shares her tips for getting better faster

“I got the call saying there was a band looking for a player. I said yes before even asking which band it was. Then I got told it was Ghost”: Former Nameless Ghoul Chris Catalyst breaks cover about his time in Tobias Forge’s epic metal project
By Amit Sharma published
The UK session guitarist went from marathon tours with Sisters of Mercy and Ugly Kid Joe to massive arena shows with Ghost. He reveals what it takes to cut it in one of metal’s biggest bands, why Noel Gallagher has one of his all-time favorite guitar tones, and how a love of Kempers, hooks and Britpop shaped his new solo album

“Go into your local shop and pick one up… just try not to kill anyone with it”: How Five Finger Death Punch’s Andy James made one of the most dangerous signature guitars of all time
By Amit Sharma published
Now armed with the B.C. Rich Assassin and its lethal Pitchfork headstock, the British shredder reveals what made him jump ship from Kiesel and ESP Guitars, what his last-minute FFDP initiation was really like, and why he couldn’t find any tube amps that “sounded as good and dependable as the Kemper”

“I’ve been wanting to do this solo thing for a very long time. I had to do stuff with Mötley… now it’s my time”: Mick Mars opens up about his surprisingly heavy solo debut and life after the Crüe
By Amit Sharma published
As he releases the first single from his first-ever solo record, The Other Side of Mars, Mick Mars reflects on his guitar legacy, growing up with Eddie Van Halen and why he thinks Mötley Crüe made a “very, very wise choice” in hiring John 5

“Playing scales up and down is dumb… this isn’t a f**king recital!” We meet the outspoken cartoon shredder who teamed up with Gary Holt, Alex Skolnick and George Lynch for one of this year’s biggest shred guitar albums
By Amit Sharma published
Led by a guitarist who claims to be the Bay Area lovechild of James Hetfield, The Shredderz just put out an all-star thrash metal album like no other. We get the lowdown on how a fictional band recruited some of today’s finest soloists for an orgy of sweep picking and searing shred

“What people tend to do is learn licks and then try to stick them into the solos – and that’s not really the way to do it”: Iron Maiden’s Janick Gers shares his tips for better guitar solos
By Amit Sharma published
The Iron Maiden stalwart explains why he is a big advocate for guitar solos with the safety off: no soundchecks, no warm-ups, and something different each and every night

“Sometimes bad gear can give you a good idea! I’ll go with whatever’s around. There are no rules”: Code Orange’s Reba Meyers on writing “pure evil” riffs and why she’d rather play a guitar that “sounds a little sh**tier” than a studio classic
By Amit Sharma published
New album The Above finds the Pittsburgh metalcore crew pushing at the extremes – but just don't take those clean tones as some kind of '90s revival

“I never have to think about strumming patterns – it’s all taken care of because the motor is always going”: Cory Wong is the modern king of funk guitar – he shares his tips for tightening up your rhythm playing
By Amit Sharma published
The maestro of contemporary funk shares what he learned from Nile Rodgers, the classic chord you won’t find in guitar books, and why guitarists have to leave some room for the audience’s imagination

“People forget that great rhythm guitar will help make your solo sound better”: YouTube guitar guru Marty Schwartz on the biggest mistakes aspiring guitarists make – and how to fix them
By Amit Sharma published
The star of online guitar teaching on why you should never underestimate the importance of good rhythm guitar, and the best songs to improve your guitar playing fast

“It’s the best front-end amp pedal I’ve ever heard”: Justin and Dan Hawkins have launched their own pedal brand – and its first stompbox is based on their tones from The Darkness’s debut album
By Matt Owen published
The limited-edition unit – built in collaboration with Kirk Hammett's KHDK pedal brand – ushers in the pair's new gear venture, Hawkins Brothers Audio

“We’re trying to do the AC/DC version of a two-pronged attack, especially when we play live”: The Darkness’ Justin and Dan Hawkins on the high-volume twin-guitar secrets behind Permission To Land
By Amit Sharma published
To celebrate 20 years of Permission To Land, the Hawkins brothers take us back to the start, and unpack a sound built upon the elemental force of Marshall amps and Gibson Les Pauls

“A lot of folk are ignorant. People watch a couple of Stevie Ray Vaughan videos and think all they need is distortion and fast licks”: Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram on where guitarists “go wrong” when playing the blues
By Matt Owen published
The blues ambassador reflects on the state of the genre in the modern age

“If you sound really good when you’re practicing, that means you’re practicing things you can already do, which isn’t really benefiting you fully”: Guthrie Govan shares his top tips for soloing
By Amit Sharma published
The Aristocrats virtuoso is a generational talent – here is his advice for getting the most from your practice
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