Andrew Daly
Andrew Daly is an iced-coffee-addicted, oddball Telecaster-playing, alfredo pasta-loving journalist from Long Island, NY, who, in addition to being a contributing writer for Guitar World, scribes for Bass Player, Guitar Player, Guitarist, and MusicRadar. Andrew has interviewed favorites like Ace Frehley, Johnny Marr, Vito Bratta, Bruce Kulick, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Morello, Rich Robinson, and Paul Stanley, while his all-time favorite (rhythm player), Keith Richards, continues to elude him.
Latest articles by Andrew Daly

Larkin Poe have worked on music together since they were toddlers – and their guitar sisterhood has never been stronger
By Andrew Daly published
Bloom is a family affair that takes Megan and Rebecca Lovell’s spark from stage to the studio, with guitars plugged straight into a cranked amp and served up “neat”

Devo’s Josh Hager on the most frustrating album sessions of his life – and his wild custom Fender model
By Andrew Daly published
The Hendrix devotee recalls buying back his first guitar which was immediately stolen, adjusting his guitar’s action to prevent him playing solos, and filling the late Bob Casale’s shoes by using just one sound, but using it well

How Steve Vai consoled Pete Thorn after Chris Cornell's death
By Jackson Maxwell published
“Here, I'd lost a close friend and collaborator; and a hero of mine, from the time I was 11 years old or so, took the time to console me,” the newly appointed SatchVai Band guitarist tells GW

Bass journeyman Phil Soussan looks back at his storied career – and why he picked Ozzy Osbourne over Jimmy Page
By Andrew Daly published
The Last in Line member recalls his weird experience of recording bass on The Ultimate Sin, what it was like being in the room for Zakk Wylde’s Ozzy audition, being frustrated with Vince Neil’s band, and his amazing chemistry with Steve Lukather

Cult guitar hero Rob Fetters on his friendship with Adrian Belew – and the time they raced home to try tapping after seeing EVH
By Andrew Daly published
The Raisins co-founder has returned to making his own music after years of commercial work. He looks back on his fruitful friendship with Zappa sideman Belew – but can’t predict if they’ll reboot their former band

ZZ Top’s Elwood Francis on the latest weird bass he takes on stage
By Andrew Daly published
The guitar tech-turned-band member already struggled with a 17-string monstrosity, before adding a 15-string to his arsenal – and says he can’t forget his days cleaning the band’s fuzzy guitars

Amp guru Dave Friedman on why he's not ready to hop off the tube train
By Andrew Daly published
The amp guru looks back on a career of modding Marshalls, building rigs for Eddie Van Halen, and developing his most simple product ever – and looks forward to the future of NAMM and boutique tech

Orianthi on why she loves old gear – and recording her new Band of Gypsys-inspired supergroup with Jimi Hendrix’s producer
By Andrew Daly published
The former guitarist for Michael Jackson and returning Alice Cooper member has survived the trials and tribulations of the pop industry, emerging with a new energy and sound that honors her true inspirations and talents

How Aryan King escaped the war in Ukraine to find a new home in Nashville – and rekindle his love affair with Gibson guitars
By Andrew Daly published
Currently working on a new album with Gary Moore’s son, Jack, the rising Instagram star tells GW how he bounced back after losing it all, and why guitar is the only way he can share his true feelings

Watch a rare 1965 video of Jimi Hendrix backing an obscure soul duo on TV
By Damian Fanelli published
This vintage clip from the TV show Night Train is a rare video of the guitar legend's days as a sideman

Brad Delson on Linkin Park’s miraculous comeback, why he quit touring, and how he trained his replacement
By Andrew Daly published
The co-founding guitarist has decided to focus on the studio side of the band, working with new vocalist Emily Armstrong’s energy, and balancing the PRS and Fender sounds that defined the nu-metal institution’s sound

José Arredondo built amps for Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and Mick Mars. Now Dave Friedman is honoring his legacy with a definitive amp
By Matt Owen published
With the blessing of Arredondo’s family, Friedman will build a highly limited amp that encompasses most of the late amp guru’s elusive mods

Jason Becker and Marty Friedman on their wild ride making Cacophony’s Go Off! – one of the Eighties’ most in-your-face shred albums
By Andrew Daly published
With dreams of being the next Poison or Whitesnake, two young shred virtuosos took their songwriting to the next level for their 1988 Shrapnel Records classic

Steve Vai on BEAT, being a virtuoso in his 60s – and the Fripp riff he just couldn’t master
By Andrew Daly published
The virtuoso reflects on how Frank Zappa helped him and Adrian Belew, the value of learning from rather than competing with other players and changing rig for his tour with Joe Satriani. But who’s going to be in the SatchVai band?

Orianthi on what she learned from Santana and Joe Bonamassa, and why she’s returning to Alice Cooper’s band
By Andrew Daly published
With a completely new rig for the Alice Cooper tour, the Aussie virtuoso explains how her approach will differ from Nita Strauss, why she’s donating the PRS guitars she’s playing on the road – and what to expect from her forthcoming Epiphone signature model

Billy Morrison tells the tale of two Les Pauls – one the bargain of the century, the other the one that got away
By Andrew Daly published
The Billy Idol guitarist shares his guitar-buying tips and undying love for Gibson guitars and Friedman heads – plus why he can’t be bothered to open his pedal tray…

Chris Impellitteri is one of the fastest guitarists of all time – but he realized there was more to life than shredding
By Andrew Daly published
Impellitteri explains why he listens to Albert King and Joe Bonamassa, what he learned from Eddie Van Halen and Ritchie Blackmore, and why he doesn’t regret missing out on the Ozzy Osbourne gig that went to Zakk Wylde

How Jason Becker and Marty Friedman made one of shred music’s most celebrated albums with a little help from their pupils
By Matt Owen published
When the two virtuosos went into the studio to record under the Cacophony name, they brought a bunch of gear that had been lent to them by students

Matteo Mancuso on how he plans to take his playing to even greater heights – thanks to some advice from Steve Vai
By Andrew Daly published
The Sicilian virtuoso is changing guitar in real-time and we are all along for the ride. Here he explains why he might be too lazy to use anything other than a Line 6 Helix, but won't rest in his pursuit for the perfect performance

Grace Bowers took the blues world by storm – but she says there’s much more to her playing ready to be unleashed
By Andrew Daly published
After a “whirlwind” year, the 18-year-old sensation sits down to discuss her love of SGs, inspiring a new generation of guitarists, and why she’s more than just a blues player

Linkin Park’s Brad Delson on why he stepped back from touring – and if he’d ever return to the stage
By Phil Weller published
Though he isn’t directly involved in the show night-on-night, Delson has been instrumental in what the band delivers on the road

Why Steve Vai dropped his anti-supergroup stance to help revive some of King Crimson’s most celebrated work
By Phil Weller published
BEAT has been celebrating King Crimson’s 1980s albums, with Adrian Belew and Steve Vai’s new guitar partnership at its core

Billy Bremner on his greatest sessions with Pretenders, Nick Lowe and countless others – and the story behind Rockpile
By Andrew Daly published
Rockpile was a band that came and went too soon, but its guitarist, session great Billy Bremner, played on hundreds of recordings, including the Pretenders’ Learning to Crawl and Nick Lowe’s Cruel to be Kind. This is his story
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