Chris Gill
Chris is the co-author of Eruption - Conversations with Eddie Van Halen. He is a 40-year music industry veteran who started at Boardwalk Entertainment (Joan Jett, Night Ranger) and Roland US before becoming a guitar journalist in 1991. He has interviewed more than 600 artists, written more than 1,400 product reviews and contributed to Jeff Beck’s Beck 01: Hot Rods and Rock & Roll and Eric Clapton’s Six String Stories.
Latest articles by Chris Gill
How the Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier defined the high-gain guitar sound of the 1990s
By Chris Gill published
Originally crafted for the hair metal crowd, but only finished after the grunge tidal wave, the Dual Rectifier was nonetheless an era-defining success
Endorphin.es Golden Master Multiband Mastering Processor review
By Chris Gill published
Placing the multi-band processing power of its Golden Master eurorack module into a pedal, Endorphin.es offers guitarists the studio-quality EQ, compression and mid/side processing you never knew you needed
The story of Van Halen’s 1984 – the Flying V, the synths and the end of the David Lee Roth era
By Chris Gill published
Creative differences led to Roth’s departure the following year, but 1984 found the band firing on all cylinders, as Eddie Van Halen embraced his pop sensibilities while retaining the musical adventurism that made him the greatest of all time
“Damn close to Lifeson’s late ‘70s/early ‘80s sounds”: Lerxst CHI head and cab review
By Chris Gill published
A lower-powered version of Alex Lifeson’s superlative Omega tube amp, the CHI could facilitate your guitar’s passage to Bangkok
Jackson Pro Plus Dinky MDK HT7 MS review
By Chris Gill published
Multi-scale madness in a go-faster hot orange colorway, this weaponized 7-string is not for gentle turnarounds and fingerstyle folk. But for metal and shred players? holy moly...
“Pristine with warmth and definition… and the output level was more than loud enough for club stages”: Seymour Duncan PowerStage 100 Stereo review
By Chris Gill published
Meet the pedalboard power amp with ample power for gigs, an excellent EQ, and everything you need to live your stereo wet/dry/wet live rig dreams
“More of an instrument than an effects processor, it creates strange and beautiful sonic textures”: SOMA Cosmos Drifting Memory Station review
By Chris Gill published
Ambient guitar soundscapists, your spaceship has come in...
The smallest, the simplest, the best? Why the MXR Phase 90 remains a pedalboard classic, beloved by EVH and Gilmour enthusiasts the world over
By Chris Gill published
Famously used by Eddie Van Halen, David Gilmour and Steve Hackett, this single-knobbed phaser pedal has never been out of style, with a chewy psychedelic sound that can't be beat
The Gibson ES-335 has been played by greats including Eric Clapton, B.B. King and Larry Carlton – here’s why guitarists can’t get enough of the iconic semi-hollow
By Chris Gill published
Since 1958, the ES-335 has caught players’ imaginations as only great instruments can
“A robust meat-and-potatoes amp that can survive daily gigs, performs well in the studio and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg”: Peavey Classic 20 Combo review
By Chris Gill published
Revamped and downsized in all the right places, the Peavey Classic Series delivers bluechip tube tones at blue collar prices
“A just-right balance between pure, unadulterated vintage tube tone and modern conveniences”: Gibson Falcon 20 review
By Chris Gill published
This sweet-sounding tube combo puts Gibson's amp range back on its perch
“Strat connoisseurs should find that the pickups deliver the tonal qualities of their dreams”: Ernie Ball Music Man Luke 4 SSS review
By Chris Gill published
The EBMM x Steve Lukather collab celebrates a landmark anniversary with a triple-single coil model that is ridiculously effective and well put together
“Just like driving a Plexi Super Lead flat out, but accessible at lower volume levels – and won’t cause permanent ear damage”: Universal Audio UAFX Lion ’68 Super Lead Amp review
By Chris Gill published
UA sought to capture the tone and feel of one of the most legendary guitar amps of all time in a pedal – and the Lion nails the brief
“It sounds as good as ever, with impressive volume output and projection, rich, reverb-like resonance, brisk treble and sweet, sonorous midrange”: Taylor GS Mini Sapele review
By Chris Gill published
The high-end acoustic guitar specialist has done the impossible once again, serving up a small-bodied acoustic with a huge voice, with a top build at an inflation-beating price. Remarkable
How the Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins became a rock ’n’ roll icon, played by Pete Townshend, Randy Bachman and more – before enjoying a triumphant second act in the hands of Brian Setzer
By Chris Gill published
There are few cooler hollowbody electrics than the Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins/Nashville, few more versatile. It has done country, rock 'n' roll, rockabilly and rock. This is its story
“Dazzlingly authentic speaker and miked room tones that truly sound and feel like guitar speaker cabinets”: UAFX OX Stomp Dynamic Speaker Emulator review
By Chris Gill published
It's the Ox in a 'box, offering the same studio-quality cab and mic emulation in a compact, pedalboard-friendly format
“The sound is so good that I’m starting to question whether the expensive exotic tone woods that so many guitarists lust over really make much of a difference”: Donner Hush-X solidbody guitar review
By Chris Gill published
The electric travel guitar that sounds so good you won't believe it isn't a regular solidbody
How the Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress became the go-to flanger for David Gilmour and Andy Summers, and remained a pedalboard staple for nearly 50 years
By Chris Gill published
Was it the world's first flanger? Who cares. What matters is that the EHX Flanger/Filter Matrix can legitimately claim to be the coolest, and contributed to some classic recordings
“Ben Cote wanted a bottle opener on his strap, which is something every guitarist needs whether they know it or not!” Inside the rise of Fairfield Guitar Co., strap company to the stars
By Chris Gill published
Guitar straps so comfortable that they should come with a recommendation from a chiropractor? Count us in. See why Rob Caggiano, Philip Shouse and more are partnering with Fairfield
“Affordable, gig-worthy stompboxes that bring pro-level polish and timeless tones to any rig”: Universal Audio UAFX Evermore, Heavenly, Orion and 1176 review
By Chris Gill published
Offering studio hardware in a compact, pedalboard-friendly format, UAFX is democratizing reference-quality guitar tones – and we can't get enough of it
“A great and affordable option for players seeking a stripped-down hot rod shred guitar”: EVH Frankenstein Relic Series review
By Chris Gill published
Meet the new Frankenstein, same as the old one, just without the stripes, and with a lived-in feel that's as comfortable as well-worn denim
“The SA-126 is way beyond a typical semi-hollow. There’s nothing else like that guitar. It’s like a hot rod, but with a souped-up modern engine”: Wolfgang Van Halen on building the supersized sound of Mammoth II (with some help from Eddie’s Frankenstein)
By Chris Gill published
Armed with his new EVH semi-hollow signature model, plus the most hallowed pieces in his father's collection, Wolfgang Van Halen explains how he went all in for his epic sophomore album
Why Guild’s 12-string design is one of the greatest engineering feats of the 20th century – and how it became a go-to acoustic for Jimmy Page, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Brian May
By Chris Gill published
We chart the history and innovations behind one of music's most popular 12-string acoustics – a guitar that can be heard on classic tracks from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Supertramp, Simon & Garfunkel and more
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
How the 1960s Gibson J-200 upset acoustic purists but remained King of the flat-tops in the eyes of the Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Yusuf/Cat Stevens
By Chris Gill published
The bridge was the one thing the purists just couldn't cross, but those who did found an acoustic bursting with songs and a tone that could not be matched
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