Latest articles by Eric Kirkland
Wayne Charvel's namesake brand started life as a small parts and repair facility and ended up building guitars played by the biggest virtuosos on the planet
From Super Strats to classic stompboxes and rack-mounted signal processors, the decade transformed guitar with new tech promising fresh sounds and all-new musical horizons
In this previously unpublished 2004 Guitar World interview, Vai explains how he accessed his dark side to play Jack Butler
The iconic Fender Strat and others were set on fire by Jimi's hand, but thereafter their whereabouts are the stuff of legend
How an epic 20-year quest to find the red Jackson Vai played as Jack Butler in the movie Crossroads led to the ultimate replica headcutter
Carvin’s relationship with guitarist Steve Vai dates back to his formative years as Frank Zappa’s “stunt guitarist” and David Lee Roth’s virtuoso ax god.
Seymour Duncan’s Blackouts have an exciting and natural sound, qualities I would have never expected to find in active pickups.
Tested through a host of amps, the Katana was supremely transparent, offering everything from mild lift to radical boost while it maintained the precise nuances of my attack.
If you're looking for a boutique overdrive that can introduce wicked tone in your arsenal, by all means, step on the Landmine and prepare to be destroyed.
With punchy, distortion-free tones down to 30Hz, the Thunderverb is ideal for down-tuning shred-a-holics.
Marshall's digital stomp boxes deliver boutique tone at affordable prices.
Like a tastefully updated vintage Porsche, the Princeton Recording-Amp marries what's great about the old days with the utility of the modern age.
The high-gain Tré treats players to dazzling clean tones, pragmatic tone-shaping circuitry and scintillating touch sensitivity.
A feature-laden pedal that delivers searing Brit-style preamp-derived gain.
A short-scale guitar with distinctive classic looks and modern features.
Mate a Stiletto Stage II preamp to a vibrant 50-watt power section, and you get the Mesa Stiletto Ace.
Handcrafted quality at a production-model price.
Noiseless pickups with the nuances and tone of vintage single-coils
A passive 16-position electric guitar tone pot that replaces stock tone controls.
