Latest articles by Jackson Maxwell
George Harrison typically sketched out his solos in advance – his lead break on this classic Beatles track was an exception
Harrison told GW that while he was happy to improvise when needed, when it came to laying something down in the studio, he was far more comfortable charting out a path in advance
How one of rock's most storied Les Pauls changed hands from one guitar hero to another
Page had known Joe Walsh, then a budding guitar hero with the James Gang, since his pre-Zeppelin days with the Yardbirds. And Walsh had a proposition for him
When Shane Fontayne had to play the Stairway to Heaven solo – in front of Jimmy Page
As a member of the Kennedy Center house band, Fontayne – best known for his tenures with Bruce Springsteen and Lone Justice – played lead guitar on Heart's legendary cover of the none-more-iconic eight-minute epic
Shane Fontayne on the unenviable task of filling the shoes of Stevie Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren in Bruce Springsteen's band
Springsteen had seen Fontayne perform with Lone Justice on Saturday Night Live years before, and was impressed. When the time came to put together a new band, Fontayne was one of his first calls
Mastodon part ways with Brent Hinds
Hinds co-founded the band with guitarist Bill Kelliher, bassist Troy Sanders, and drummer Brann Dailor in 2000
Brian James, guitarist for The Damned, The Lords of the New Church, dies at 70
During his brief time with the Damned, James authored songs like New Rose, considered one of the foundational anthems of punk
For David Gilmour, Pink Floyd’s wildly ambitious the Wall tour was a blast – and a challenge
Used to experimenting and improvising onstage, Gilmour suddenly found himself juggling a multitude of new responsibilities, and, on one occasion, dodging burning drapes...
PRS's new semi-hollow stunner brings enticing updates to one of the company's very first models
Keeping its 40th birthday party going, PRS has added both visual and sonic upgrades to one of its foundational designs
Joey Molland, guitarist, singer, last surviving original member of Badfinger, dies at 77
In addition to his time with the early '70s hitmakers, Molland worked independently with all four Beatles, playing guitar on George Harrison's All Things Must Pass and John Lennon's Imagine
When Rory Gallagher was asked to fill Eric Clapton's shoes in rock's pioneering power trio
As Cream began to disintegrate barely two years into their existence, the enormously successful band's managers were desperate to keep them going
A guide to every guitarist who's played with Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are tough enough for punks, heavy enough for metalheads, poetic enough for romantics – and their catchy riffs and licks have been played by some of the finest guitarists on earth
February 2025 Guitar World Editors’ Picks
A round-up of the best new guitar releases from the month of Feb, with new cuts from Sam Fender, Tash Sultana, Los Pirañas, and... Buddy Guy and Switchfoot?
The Hollywood-like “kidnapping” and ransom story of one of George Harrison's most famous guitars
Clandestine meetings, dramatic TV pleas, ransom demands, hurried getaway drives across the Mexican border... it sounds like a thriller, but it all revolved around a very special Les Paul
You’ve heard of AC/DC’s Angus and Malcolm, but a third Young brother was responsible for a ’60s classic
In George Young, guitarist for the oft-overlooked Australian band the Easybeats, Malcolm and Angus Young had a significant creative role model
That time Miles Davis stopped his entire band to give John McLaughlin some unlikely advice
The famously blunt and temperamental jazz icon was determined to realize his boundary-pushing late-'60s creative vision, but nonetheless had great respect for the budding guitar virtuoso
PRS unveils the Charcoal Phoenix – Paul Reed Smith’s personal guitar of choice
The new, limited-edition beauty sprung from Paul Reed Smith’s desire to create a stoptail-equipped variation of John McLaughlin's signature Private Stock PRS
The Cars' Elliot Easton considers this lost gem from a Guitar World compilation to be one of his best performances
Walk On Walden stood out in comparison to Easton's previous work with the Cars, and especially in the context of the compilation in question. Not that this was an accident
A labor of love, Wes Borland's beloved custom Jackson King V began life as a factory floor reject
Rather than a top-of-the-line custom job involving the best of the company's best luthiers, Borland's favored King V was brought to his attention by Jackson because, not in spite of, the quirks that led to its initial rejection
Unreleased Jimmy Page/Rich Robinson composition set to feature in Jimmy Page & the Black Crowes: Live at the Greek reissue
The newly remastered set, Page says, provides a glimpse of “the full explosive passion and exciting energy of those alchemical moments”
Jimi Hendrix said he was a better guitar player than he was – yet this Telecaster icon often remains overlooked
Had he not died tragically at 31, there's no telling what virtuoso Chicago guitarist Terry Kath would have gone on to do with the instrument
Nuno Bettencourt joins Steven Tyler for jam at charity gig – and, wait, is that a Les Paul?
Backing Tyler and some of his A-list friends at a fundraiser for the Janie’s Fund foundation at the Hollywood Palladium, the Extreme virtuoso ditched his signature Washburn
“It sounded awful. I could hardly play”: Brian May on the one time he experimented with a Marshall stack
The Vox AC30 amp/Red Special guitar combo is one of the most iconic in rock, but the Queen guitar hero didn't solidify that setup straight away
Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt on playing Kurt Cobain's “haunted” Martin D-18
Åkerfeldt was decidedly more moved when handed a 19th century Martin, a guitar so pristine he was scared to play it
