Latest articles by Jackson Maxwell
David Gilmour says he can't tell the difference between his signature Fender and his original Black Strat
Unbothered by letting go of his most famous – not to mention valuable – six-string tool, Gilmour tells GW that his signature Fender Black Strat does the job of the original perfectly well
“I have convinced myself that they are the best actual rock band in the world at the moment”: September 2024 Guitar World editors' picks
Your monthly round up of the freshest new cuts from the world of guitar courtesy of Tetrarch, The Cure, Larkin Poe, Amyl and The Sniffers, Dayglow, and many more
“It was like an insult”: Paul McCartney turned down George Harrison's proposed guitar parts for Hey Jude
Harrison suggested answering each of McCartney's lines with a guitar phrase, an addition McCartney saw as unnecessary
Peter Buck's guitar work defined R.E.M.'s Man on the Moon – and it all started when his bandmate fell off a chair
Michael Stipe's ode to the late comedian Andy Kaufman is driven by a riff of unusual origin, and some reluctant slide work
Positive Grid is launching its groundbreaking Spark 2 desktop amp with a live premiere event featuring Nuno Bettencourt and Periphery's Jake Bowen – watch now
Hosted by Guitar World's own Paul Riario, the star-studded event will give viewers an early look and listen to the already-lauded amp
“I was determined to avoid hailing him as the future of shred, but I simply cannot do it”: July 2024 Guitar World editor's picks
From an eight-string chug-a-thon with blues licks to make Eric Johnson blush, to a baritone turn from the hottest guitar player on the planet right now, this month was soundtracked by some top-tier guitar action
The Beatles on their struggles to be heard over the screams of Beatlemania – and the toll it took on their performances
Technology has advanced light years in the six decades since the frenzy of Beatlemania, and the world of onstage guitar amplification is no exception
“Big riff energy is in this kid’s blood – and he might even solo better than his dad…” June 2024 Guitar World editor’s picks
From all-star offspring to returning noise-rock icons, a punk trailblazer’s first album in 53 years and the future of blues, this month had it all
The unsung guitarist who transformed James Brown’s music, and laid a funky path for Nile Rodgers, John Frusciante, Cory Wong and countless others
Overshadowed by the flamboyant frontman for whom he worked, Jimmy Nolen created a singular rhythm style that can still be heard all over pop and rock radio today
Prince’s Cloud 3, which went for less than $10,000 in 2005, sells at auction for $900,000 more – and breaks a world record
The distinctively-shaped, extensively-used six-string eclipsed its initial estimated value by hundreds of thousands of dollars
“There can be no more fitting sendoff to this uncompromising sonic innovator”: May 2024 Guitar World editors’ picks
From acoustic wizards to bedroom pop mainstays, prog-metal masters and fallen heroes – here are our standout guitar tracks from the past 31 days
Steve Albini, punk guitar icon, dies at 61
Guitarist and frontman for hard-edged alt-rock titans Big Black and Shellac, Albini was also a famed producer, most famously manning the boards for Nirvana's In Utero
Duane Eddy, rock guitar pioneer, dies at 86
Hugely influential to the likes of George Harrison, Bruce Springsteen and John Fogerty, the Gretsch-wielding legend was known for his unmistakable, twanging tone and smash instrumental hits like Rebel Rouser
April 2024 Guitar World editors' picks
From fast-rising indie rock acts and heavy playing pioneers to Beyoncé and beyond – here are our standout guitar tracks from the past 30 days
“Connecting with Joe on this track is perhaps the most rewarding musical collaboration I’ve ever engaged in”: Joe Satriani and Steve Vai reveal their first ever collaborative song – a track 50 years in the making
The Sea of Emotion is the first of a three-part musical journey that features just about everything a guitar lover could dream of
“Is it just me, or is that Stone Gossard and/or Mike McCready doing The Gojira Pick Scrape™?” March 2024 Guitar World editors’ picks
From indie folk, full-throttle blues rock and flamenco-meets-fusion to the guitar crossover episode you never knew you needed – here are our standout guitar tracks from the past 30 days
“His music was determinedly and insistently unconventional”: Steve Harley, Cockney Rebel singer and guitarist, dies at 73
Harley wrote and sang the glam-rock band's mid-'70s smash, Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)
“One of the finest musicians I've ever known”: Karl Wallinger, guitarist and singer of World Party, dies at 66
A highly-regarded multi-instrumentalist and arranger, Wallinger was also a key early member of the Waterboys
“An important piece of the low end theory”: T.M. Stevens, bass legend and session pro who performed and recorded with the likes of Steve Vai, James Brown, Bootsy Collins, and the Pretenders, dies at 72
Stevens manned the low-end on Vai's Sex & Religion album, and played on James Brown's latter-day hit, Living in America
“Let's do that again!” This compilation of fiery Sister Rosetta Tharpe guitar solos shows how her revolutionary playing inspired blues-rock greats like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck and the Rolling Stones
Though she passed away five decades ago, footage of Tharpe's aggressive, virtuosic and precise fretwork, thankfully, remains
“This song presents a kind of revisionist history where guitar solos were cool after all in the early noughties”: February 2024 Guitar World editors' picks
From neoclassical tapping clinics to cosmic, spaghetti western-esque guitar soundscapes, this month has provided an embarrassment of six-string riches
“The Bulls loved it immediately. Michael Jordan loved it”: He appeared on smash hits by Kate Bush and Paul McCartney, but this unsung session guitar hero's most popular solo can be heard in one of the most iconic sports anthems of all time
The late Ian Bairnson spent decades as a first-call session man, but his most famous turn came on the Alan Parsons Project tune Sirius
Wayne Kramer, influential MC5 guitarist, dies at 75
With his six-string brother-in-arms, the late Fred “Sonic” Smith, Kramer was the architect of the MC5's tough, years-ahead-of-its-time sound, best exemplified on their legendary 1969 debut album, Kick Out the Jams
