Articles by Henry Yates

Guitar World

Henry Yates is a freelance journalist who has written about music for titles including The Guardian, Telegraph, NME, Classic Rock, Guitarist, Total Guitar and Metal Hammer. He is the author of Walter Trout's official biography, Rescued From Reality, a talking head on Times Radio and an interviewer who has spoken to Brian May, Jimmy Page, Ozzy Osbourne, Ronnie Wood, Dave Grohl and many more. As a guitarist with three decades' experience, he mostly plays a Fender Telecaster and Gibson Les Paul.

Articles by: Henry Yates

Remembering David Crosby, a giant of American songwriting who gave the ‘60s a voice

By Henry Yates published 17 April 23

As architect of two ‘60s supergroups – and spokesman for the peace and love generation – Crosby will be remembered for his contribution to the counterculture, not the darkness in his life

Bruce Foxton: “We once butchered some Rickenbackers, putting in P-Bass pickups to make it sound like a Precision. But all it did was screw up a lovely guitar”

By Henry Yates published 7 March 23

The former Jam bassist checks in to discuss his tonal experiments, writing with Paul Weller and why the Beatles can't sue him for the Start! bassline

Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton performing live onstage, singing at same microphone, Wembley Arena, December 1982

How The Jam's Town Called Malice turned a cheeky Motown steal into a bona fide bass classic

By Tom Poak published 17 February 23

Bruce Foxton on destroying Rickenbackers and the band's history of borrowing bass parts – plus, how to play Town Called Malice

Marty Stuart: “I appreciate the Stratocaster, but I really can’t do it justice. It’s two different planets, two different universes – and I’m a Tele guy”

By Henry Yates published 16 February 23

Telecaster master Marty Stuart recounts a half-century love affair with the snub-nosed Fender model, from falling for the twang and surviving the honky-tonks, to the spookiest session with his iconic ‘Clarence’ Tele and snapping up Mick Ronson’s ’52 Esquire

Francis Rossi: “You really need to be a s**t-hot player to make a Telecaster sound good. Particularly when playing lead”

By Jamie Dickson published 14 February 23

Status Quo’s Francis Rossi on baiting the purists, swapping guitars with Badfinger, and why he’s not an all-time-great Tele player

John Osborne: “The Telecaster is the most versatile guitar out there… Its simplicity allows you to find your voice. It’s a desert island guitar”

By Jamie Dickson published 13 February 23

The Brothers Osborne guitarist on how he discovered the Tele, trading up and why bad B-Bender technique is like too much cologne…

Simple Minds’ Charlie Burchill: “Edge had his AC30, his delays and his black Strat. I picked up his Strat – and I sounded like Edge! I thought, ‘Jesus, it’s in the gear as well…’”

By Jamie Dickson published 12 January 23

The Glasgow guitar legend talks vintage Gretsch, the rise of Simple Minds as a pop behemoth, eschewing powerchords, and what happens when you play through the Edge's epic rig

Lzzy Hale: “When you get your first Gibson, it feels almost like it could play itself because there’s some kind of intangible magic”

By Henry Yates published 30 September 22

Hale talks cult guitars, her identity crisis, the darkness behind new album, Back From The Dead – and the drinking session that inspired her purist-baiting signature Gibson Explorerbird

Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter on recutting his classics, mad-scientist modding and hustling Guitar Center for parts in the ‘70s

By Henry Yates published 8 August 22

The Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers legend sits down to share gear war stories, explain what makes a good session player, and discuss his first solo album, the brilliant Speed of Heat

Ida Mae’s Chris Turpin: “Most guitars are good for something. Even bad guitars can be fantastic because they force you to play a different way”

By Henry Yates published 28 July 22

The British folk-blues guitarist talks lost Teles, ugly SuperStrats and the gear treasure trove that is Norwich Cash Converters...

Joe Satriani onstage with his Marshall amps

Joe Satriani on his love of Marshall amps: “If there was ever an amp that makes you feel self-conscious yet emboldens you to play like a giant, it’s a Marshall”

By Henry Yates published 11 July 22

The virtuoso on the sound that made him stop in his tracks – and also realize that there was no hiding place at high volume

Andy Summers: “The Every Breath You Take riff has become a kind of immortal guitar part that all guitar players have to learn”

By Henry Yates published 7 July 22

The Police guitarist takes a trip down memory lane, opening up on how the band found their sound, being too good for punk, and why the creative tension was something to be embraced

Joe Satriani: “I’m not trying to sell myself as a guitar technician. I write songs because I want them to become the soundtrack to people’s lives”

By Henry Yates published 6 April 22

Returning with The Elephants of Mars, the virtuoso king tells us about turning his back on amps, winging it on sitar and what he really thinks of Steve Vai’s triple-neck Hydra guitar

Joey Santiago: “The non-traditional sounds I get are just the way I attack the guitar. When we play Vamos, I’ll hit my amps, bite my strings – I just go bananas”

By Henry Yates published 23 March 22

The Pixies guitarist reflects on a career that shaped the direction of alt-rock, and a playing style inspired by the most primitive tools in the toolbox

Bernard Butler: “The best thing about a Tele is that when you bash them, they look even better. You don’t say that about the 355!”

By Henry Yates, Jamie Dickson published 24 February 22

As the Brit-rock guitarist releases a reimagined take on his 1998 solo debut, People Move On, he revisits the no-expenses-spared sessions, the vintage guitars and the ambition in the air

Kiefer Sutherland: “The closest Jack Bauer ever would have been to a guitar was smashing it over someone’s head”

By Henry Yates published 17 February 22

The Hollywood star and acclaimed singer-songwriter talks broken hearts, modded Teles, pawning presents for guitar money, and how hopefulness informs new album Bloor Street

Carlos Santana: “When I play guitar, I’m a kid with a first-class ticket to Disneyland, and I can go on any ride I want”

By Henry Yates published 30 November 21

As the guitar god returns with a new all-star collaboration album, Blessings and Miracles, he joins us to talk Strats, snakes, improv and acid…

Jimmie Vaughan: “There’s nothing as cool as a Stratocaster. It’s like the coolest car you’ve ever seen”

By Henry Yates published 16 November 21

The blues stalwart takes a trip down memory lane to talk about the day the blues came calling, the genius of his younger brother, and swapping wah pedals with Jimi Hendrix

Brian Setzer: “For guitar players, rockabilly is the best music you can play. You can do anything with it – you can inject jazz, country, blues into that style”

By Henry Yates published 10 November 21

The rockabilly icon talks hot-rods, Gretsch, the importance of looking after your hearing, and explains why rockabilly requires a different skill-set from your traditional rock player

KT Tunstall: "Busking was the key factor in learning how to be a rhythm guitarist. It made me transfer to steel-string with a pick"

By Henry Yates published 26 October 21

The Scottish singer-songwriter on how the early '50s rock 'n' rollers set the bar for rhythm guitar, playing hard, and why the looper is a mainstay on her pedalboard

Joan Armatrading: "When Mark Knopfler wrote Money For Nothing, he knew it was a hit. As the creator, if you don’t know, you need to do something different"

By Jamie Dickson, Henry Yates published 18 October 21

The legendary singer-songwriter on her approach to her craft, the importance of letting the song choose the instrumentation and why she can't put the guitar down

Teenage Fanclub on the art of constructing solos, emulating Robert Fripp, and the pursuit of tone

By Jamie Dickson, Henry Yates published 12 October 21

On Endless Arcade, Scotland's finest contemplate life, mortality and all in between. “Everything is going to fall apart but it’s not so bad,” says McGinley

Yngwie Malmsteen: "There are two man-made objects you’re gonna see from space: the Great Wall of China and my wall of Marshalls. My road crew hates me!"

By Henry Yates published 23 September 21

The shred master reflects on some of his career highlights in his own words, and offers a lesson in why you should never put the whole band in first class on a long-haul flight

Yngwie Malmsteen: "I got all the Strats. Gibsons, too. But I just keep going back to the signature gear because that’s the sound I’m looking for"

By Henry Yates, Jonathan Horsley published 31 August 21

The shred god on the passion, violence and Latin behind new album, Parabellum

The 50 greatest guitar riffs of all time

By Amit Sharma last updated 20 March 23

From metal to rock, punk to grunge, these are the best guitar riffs ever recorded, as voted for by you