Jackson Maxwell

Jackson Maxwell

Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.

Articles by: Jackson Maxwell

Poison Noises' new Not for Josh pedal (left), Josh Scott

"Not for Josh": JHS's Josh Scott is banned from owning this new fuzz/overdrive pedal

By Jackson Maxwell published

Poison Noises has banned the popular YouTuber and pedal fanatic from owning its new four-knob creation, and he's responding to the trolling in (mostly) good humor

Manual Gardner Fernandes of Unprocessed playing guitar in the Thrash music video

“A moment for modern guitar playing” that reaches new technical heights and Spinal Tap’s antidote to the Barbie hype: this week’s essential guitar tracks

By Matt Owen published

Hot new cuts courtesy of Unprocessed, Derek Smalls, Meet Me @ The Altar, Wargasm, While She Sleeps, Erja Lyytinen, Wilco, Big Thief and more

Steve Hunter (left) and Lou Reed perform at Marni in Brussels, Belgium in November 1973

“I still remember writing the intro to Sweet Jane sitting on a couch in my living room”: How a session guitar legend resurrected Lou Reed’s career with hard-rock lead heroics – and help from Blood, Sweat & Tears’ Steve Katz

By Jackson Maxwell published

He was the ghost player on Aerosmith's Train Kept a Rollin’, and defined many a classic Alice Cooper album with his stinging, melodic leads, but Lou Reed's ferocious Rock ’n’ Roll Animal live album may just be Steve Hunter’s finest hour – and contains one of the most underrated twin-guitar solos of the ’70s

Gabriel Bergman (left) and Mason Marangella explore Eric Johnson's custom Dumble rig

“All of the Eric Johnson signature sounds are inside this preamp and power amp”: Vertex Effects played Eric Johnson’s $400,000 Dumble rig – here’s what it sounds like

By Jackson Maxwell published

The “rarest of rare” in the Dumble line, this custom-made Manzamp preamp and Odyssey power amp are said to be among the legendary amp builder’s “weirdest and most unobtainable” builds

Victoria De Angelis and Thomas Raggi of Måneskin perform at San Siro Stadium on July 24, 2023 in Milan, Italy.

Remarkable returns from the Rolling Stones and Måneskin, plus a Tool bassist’s sonic experiments: this week’s essential guitar tracks

By Jackson Maxwell published

Besides stadium and arena mainstays, we’ve got fresh cuts from The Gaslight Anthem, Dead Poet Society, Shylmagoghnar and an eclectic Justin Chancellor side-project

(from left) Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl and Paul McCartney perform onstage at Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 12, 2012

“You know, I've never played slide before, but it just started doing things on its own – I didn’t even have to try”: That time Paul McCartney channeled his inner bluesman – with the help of Nirvana, and a wild 4-string cigar box guitar

By Jackson Maxwell published

Matty Baratto's guitars have been played by Slash, Keith Richards, Zakk Wylde, Prince, Josh Homme, Joe Perry, and countless others. Seeing the Beatle use one of his four-string creations live with Nirvana, though, was a truly "surreal" moment for the luthier

Marnie Stern of the 8G Band performs on July 23, 2015

Pantera-inspired groove-metal throwdowns and the return of one of the 21st century’s foremost tapping talents: this week’s essential guitar tracks

By Michael Astley-Brown published

New releases you can’t afford to miss from Marnie Stern, Jason Hook, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, George Lynch, Ty Segall, Blackberry Smoke and so… much… more!

Jackson's Andreas Kisser Pro Series Signature Soloist Quadra model

"Finally!" Jackson cements its relationship with Sepultura guitarist Andreas Kisser with a single-pickup, skull-emblazoned Soloist

By Jackson Maxwell published

After three decades, the thrash metal guitar icon finally has a signature Jackson – and it certainly stands out from the Soloist pack

Two of Gibson's 2023 Custom Color Series Les Paul guitars

“Make a bold statement”: Gibson gives the Les Paul Standard a 2023 makeover with vibrant finishes that are anything but sunburst

By Jackson Maxwell published

The firm's US-made Les Paul Standard 50s and Les Paul Standard 60s models can now be purchased with plain or figured tops – with six arresting finishes for each option

Dean Parks (left) plays guitar while Mason Marangella looks on

“We all loved Larry Carlton’s guitar, it was just magic… We were all looking for guitars with chunky necks, to try and get the sustain that he had”: Session legend Dean Parks reveals the secrets of his most iconic Steely Dan and Eric Clapton guitar parts

By Jackson Maxwell published

You can hear Parks on Josie, Haitian Divorce, Change the World, Rikki Don’t Lose That Number and innumerable other songs – here, the guitarist unpacks the gear and recording sessions that forged them

Bernie Marsden plays his legendary 1959 Gibson Les Paul, The Beast

“As I came off the stage I said, ‘How much do you want for it?' He wanted the princely sum of 600 pounds”: Bernie Marsden plays the blues on “The Beast,” his legendary 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard, and reveals its origin story

By Jackson Maxwell published

Gary Moore was in awe of its tone, and Jeff Beck played Scatterbrain on it... Here, the late blues-rock guitar titan tells the story of the most famous six-string in his collection

Emily Wolfe performs onstage at the Haute Spot in Cedar Park, Texas on June 26, 2021

Gossamer tremolo picking and the stuff of Phrygian nightmares: This week's essential guitar tracks

By Matt Owen published

Unmissable new songs from Fiddlehead, HotWax, Guns N’ Roses, Emily Wolfe, Born of Osiris, Babymetal ft. Tom Morello, CLT DRP, and more

James Burton

“An absolute groundbreaker as a player”: His Telecaster mastery was the backbone of records by Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, and countless others – watch James Burton demonstrate his incredible chicken pickin’ technique

By Jackson Maxwell published

Beloved by Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Pete Townshend, Brian May, and innumerable other rock guitar giants, Burton's skill and list of stage and studio credits are mind-boggling

YouTuber Bernth plays a neckless Ibanez guitar

“I never thought I could actually play a solo on this thing”: YouTuber creates a ‘neckless’ guitar – and even manages to record a song with it

By Jackson Maxwell published

Djenty-crunch, "extreme vibrato," whammy-like bends... Bernth Brodträger gets a surprising amount of range from his crazy Ibanez in this original composition

The Joy Formidable's Rhydian Dafydd (left) and Rhiannon "Ritzy" Bryan perform at The Fillmore Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina on October 19, 2022

Palm-muted gut-punches and Strandberg shred that sounds like Plini meets Mario Kart: This week’s essential guitar tracks

By Michael Astley-Brown published

Fresh, guitar-driven cuts from Bleed From Within, The Joy Formidable, Ottto, Angra, James Bay, Eliza McLamb, and loads more

Stanley Jordan performs onstage, with two guitars

Steve Hackett called him “probably the most proficient tapper out there”: Watch underrated tapping genius Stanley Jordan apply his masterful technique to Stairway to Heaven – on two guitars at once

By Jackson Maxwell published

The visionary virtuoso put a jazzy and classical spin on a technique most often associated with hard-rock, and applied it to a bold reimagining of the Led Zeppelin classic

(from left) Jimmy Page, Jack White and The Edge perform in the 2008 documentary, It Might Get Loud

"We had no idea we were going to do it": That time Jimmy Page, Jack White and The Edge saluted the Band with a surprise campfire cover of The Weight

By Jackson Maxwell published

The impromptu acoustic jam closes out the 2008 guitar-themed documentary, It Might Get Loud

Robbie Robertson performs onstage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, Ohio in 1995

Robbie Robertson, guitarist for Bob Dylan, the Band, dies at 80

By Jackson Maxwell published

The famed guitarist had recently completed work on the score for the upcoming Martin Scorsese film, Killers of the Flower Moon

Sixto Rodriguez performs live onstage at the Arcimboldi Theatre in Milan, Italy on May 15, 2015

Sixto Rodriguez, singer-songwriter of Searching for Sugar Man fame, dies at 81

By Jackson Maxwell published

The Detroit native's two once-obscure early '70s albums – filled with distinct, plain-spoken songs focused on oppression, poverty, and racism – found a massive audience in South Africa, which he remained unaware of for decades

Link Wray performs at The Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California in 1978

“The kids just went ape”: This menacing riff shaped the playing of Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend and Jeff Beck – and had a guitar tone so aggressive it was banned from the radio

By Jackson Maxwell published

Finally set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this year, Link Wray was a guitar pioneer who – when he released Rumble in 1958 – made the instrument sound more dangerous than anyone before him

Buddy Guy performs at Stern Grove in San Francisco, California on August 6, 2023

“I don’t want someone coming away from my show thinking, ‘He doesn’t sound any good’”: Buddy Guy opens up on his retirement from the road

By Jackson Maxwell published

The blues guitar legend says that seeing the toll advanced age took on the live performances of some of his own heroes – including B.B. King – played a significant factor in his decision

Marty Friedman (foreground, right) performs with Megadeth at the Wacken Open Air Festival on August 4, 2023

Marty Friedman revisits his thrash heyday once again for ferocious four-song guest spot with Megadeth

By Jackson Maxwell published

The Wacken Open Air festival played host to the legendary shredder's second 2023 reunion with the metal icons

Black Sabbath perform in concert, New York, New York, October 29, 1983.

“I don't know whether we played it properly, but the audience loved it”: When Black Sabbath regularly covered Smoke on the Water – and unwittingly inspired Spinal Tap's Stonehenge

By Jackson Maxwell published

Sabbath's ill-fated Born Again tour featured comically oversized props “as big as the real Stonehenge”, onstage spills, and a crowd-pleasing hard-rock crossover

Lucia de la Garza, Eloise Wong, and Bela Salazar of The Linda Lindas perform at the Sonora Tent during the 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 22, 2023 in Indio, California.

Johnny Cash’s 1930s Martin makes a comeback – and so does Napster-era crunch: This week's essential guitar tracks

By Jackson Maxwell published

You just gotta hear these new songs from Sophie Lloyd, The String Revolution ft. Tommy Emmanuel, Crypta, Graveyard, The Linda Lindas, Wilco, Nervosa and so very many more

Lead Belly, pictured at a recording session in the 1940s

His underrated guitar playing influenced everyone from the Beatles to Nirvana – here's how Lead Belly used his 12-string skills to play his way out of prison

By Jackson Maxwell published

Huddie Ledbetter's magnetic musical talent got him an early release from a hellish Texas prison – yet his full impact on 20th century guitar playing is often overlooked

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