Latest articles by Henry Yates
Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter on recutting his classics, mad-scientist modding and hustling Guitar Center for parts in the ‘70s
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”
The British folk-blues guitarist talks lost Teles, ugly SuperStrats and the gear treasure trove that is Norwich Cash Converters...
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”
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”
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”
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”
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!”
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”
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”
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”
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”
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"
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"
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
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!"
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"
The shred god on the passion, violence and Latin behind new album, Parabellum
The Black Crowes’ Chris and Rich Robinson unpack the story behind their timeless debut, Shake Your Money Maker
How the brothers' combustible creative kinship spawned a rock 'n' roll guitar classic
Todd Rundgren: “I reached a point with my technique where I said, ‘I don’t want to play faster than I can listen’“
The legendary guitarist and producer reflects on his prolific and stellar career
Jon Gomm: “It doesn’t matter how crazy your technique is, the hardest thing is always playing in time and in tune“
The maestro returns with new music that healed him in hard times and reflects on his status as one of today's leading percussive guitarists
Lari Basilio: “My plan with the Ibanez LB1 was to make an electric guitar that could do it all“
The Brazil-born virtuoso guides us through her new signature model, from tonewood exotica to working with Seymour Duncan, and that lipstick-inspired finish
Eddie Van Halen 1955-2020: a visionary virtuoso who rewrote the rules of electric guitar
An all-star line-up remembers the life, times and exploits of the player who raised the bar and reinvented the electric guitar
Tom Morello: “Trust me, there are plenty of new guitar sounds still to discover. I guarantee you that“
Rage Against the Machine's six-string revolutionary looks back at his life and career in his own words
Larkin Poe: “Be tenacious. If you really want to learn how to write good songs, you gotta do it and do it again“
Megan and Rebecca Lovell on the roots scene, the importance of writing bad songs and rock ’n’ roll’s post-pandemic fightback
