Latest articles by David Mead
Joe Bonamassa on why volume is a tone super power and why they don’t make CTS pots like they used to
Amid the mayhem of his European tour, Joe gives us a guided tour around his 2025 live gear and tells us why his mighty multi-amp rig has to be run at breaking point. All in the name of tone
How a Gypsy jazz guitarist came to play George Harrison’s iconic Beatles guitars on a new tribute album
Recorded in Harrison’s home studio using his most famous instruments, Robin Nolan’s Gypsy jazz covers reimagine the quiet Beatle’s best moments – and finally completes Harrison’s ‘lost’ song…
How Bonnie Bramlett’s name ended up engraved onto JoBo’s prized 1955 Fender Strat
It has been his number one road Strat for years, but until the iconic singer put her Dremmel to the back of its body, it didn’t have a name
“Impossible to resist”: Fenech VT Camphor Laurel Auditorium & VT Professional Blackwood Dread D78 review
An Australian brand with a burgeoning reputation down under steps into the limelight with a pair of hand-built acoustics that incorporate premium tonewoods and a sharp eye for design
Alex Lifeson on throwing sonic curveballs with Envy of None – and why he’s all in on plugins
As Alex Lifeson launches the second album from his latest prog project, Envy of None, we delve deep into the mists of its sonic landscape
Up close with Fender Custom Shop’s ’59 Journeyman Stratocaster – a stunning vintage repro fresh out of the box
Eschewing the heavy relic work of many Custom Shop Strats, the Journeyman nails that ‘one careful owner’ vibe
Lita Ford on the only amp she ever returned, and why she didn't ask for her stolen Mockingbird back
The rock icon talks all things gear, like that time she lied about her age so she could earn money for an SG, Neal Moser's badass B.C. Rich custom jobs, and why she returned a Kerry King Marshall
Cory Wong on the making of his signature StingRay and how Vulfpeck just, y’know, made an album during a show
The funkmeister guitarist is back with a whirlwind of new recording projects in his wake, and a fresh new signature guitar by his side
How Samantha Fish used raw amp energy and “wild, funky, weird” guitars to make new album come alive
Paper Doll is the sound of Fish unleashing the riffs and working a newfound confidence with her vocals, and it has some seriously sizzling tones
Randy McStine reveals all behind his cosmically epic solo on Steven Wilson's The Overview
When Wilson asked McStine to redefine the guitar solo for the 21st-century, David Gilmour's greatest solo was the reference. The catch? No pentatonic minor blues. It was to be comfortably new
Is Toby Lee Britain’s next blues-rock superstar?
The Firebird-toting Blackstar endorsee's name has been mentioned ever since he recorded a track for B.B. King, aged 10. Here, he explains why he was always playing for keeps
Steven Wilson on his cosmic prog epic, expanding guitar's 21st century vocabulary, and lo-fi plugins
Wilson's new album is unlike anything he’s done before, a very proggy space odyssey that takes the listener on a journey to the outer reaches of the universe…
Lita Ford had her prized Mockingbird stolen – but crossed paths with it in the most bizarre circumstances
Ford was briefly reacquainted with her beloved Mockingbird when an auditionee rocked up to her studio with her stolen guitar
Muireann Bradley is keeping country blues blues alive – and she's still a teenager
Bradley's interpretations of original country blues songs are causing quite a stir among players, and breathing new life into a form of music that’s nearly a century old
“For years, the only 12-string acoustics I got my hands on, the necks always pulled off after a bit. I earned a lot of money replacing them!” Why one of the UK’s most prolific luthiers is a bolt-on acoustic die-hard
With the trio of upgraded Faith Eclipse acoustics now on the marketplace, we talk to the designer behind the brand, Patrick James Eggle
“Clapton is God” graffiti made him a guitar legend when he was barely 20; he says he felt he deserved it at the time
Speaking to Guitar World in 1994, Eric Clapton said that at the time – though he would grow more humble over the decades – he was “unbearably arrogant”
“The tuning did not need tweaking for the entire time we spent trying to avoid playing Stairway To Heaven”: Faith Eclipse Venus E/Cutaway & Neptune E/Cutaway 12-String review
“Designed as the ultimate stage guitars, with workhorse reliability and maximum performance capability,” these look the part, but how do they deliver in terms of quality and tone?
Eric Johnson on his G3 reunion with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai
We catch up with the maestro to talk all things G3, formative influences, hollow-body Strat designs, and what he has to learn from Wes Montgomery after all these years
Meet JWJ’s Rich Jones, the chef who turned luthier – and is serving up some mighty fine acoustics
From the pass to Joe Pass, Jones is cooking up a storm in his workshop – and he says it’s all about the work ethic
“If only we could hand out Michelin Stars for guitar-building”: JWJ Parlour Select, Orchestra Select and Slope Shoulder Select review
This acoustic trio hails from UK-based JWJ’s Select Series, essentially guitars made to a spec that luthier Rich Jones would choose himself. Let’s see how they measure up
Eric Bibb never planned to be a roots troubadour, but the blues took hold of his career
With more than 40 albums, three Grammy nominations and countless Blues Foundation awards to his name, Eric Bibb releases his most autobiographical set of songs yet on his latest release, In the Real World
“A real winner”: Gibson Hummingbird Studio EC & Hummingbird Standard Rosewood EC review
Gibson refreshes one of its most iconic acoustic designs with three new cutaway models. Will these latest ’Birds fly or simply fail to take off? Let’s take a look
“Plentiful bass, well rounded trebles, bags of toneful volume”: Atkin Dust Bowl 0012S & 00014 review
Alister Atkin’s UK workshop pays homage to the stripped-back, no-frills instruments that were available in the USA nearly a century ago when money was tight but roots music was blooming
