Latest articles by Jamie Dickson
Al Di Meola on how a legendary live session with Paco de Lucía and John McLaughlin came to light after 40 years
The sequel to a jazz-fusion guitar classic finally arrives as Saturday Night in San Francisco gets restored for an official release
John Scofield: “When you’re playing without a band, all kinds of subtleties in your playing come out, maybe good and bad… You really hear what you’re doing”
On his latest album, Solo, the jazz guitar luminary plays alone with just a looper for company, and it turned out to be a learning experience that was a lot of fun too
How Blackstar’s St. James series made tube amps lightweight without sacrificing tone
Tube amps are old hat, right? If so, Blackstar didn’t get the memo – the St. James series transforms 50 watts of classic tone into a tech-enabled tour de force
Andrew Gabbard: “My love for Firebirds comes from Neil Young because he had a Firebird pickup in his Goldtop and they just cut through”
The Black Keys sideman and songwriter says good things come in small packages: namely, mini-humbuckers and Fender amps
The magic of Fender Japan: how MIJ custom finishes and unorthodox builds dug a rabbit hole for collectors
Keith Anderson makes his livelihood bringing rare Fender Japan electrics into the UK and he’s seen thousands over the years. Here he explains the appeal
When should you change your guitar pickups?
The simple answer is whenever you want, but first you've got to know what sound you are after. Here, Tim Mills from Bare Knuckle offers some advice for undertaking this most popular mod
How ThorpyFX harnessed Syd Barrett’s signature Selmer tones for the Scarlet Tunic
British pedal maker ThorpyFX has teamed up with Lee Harris of Saucerful of Secrets to capture the sound of Syd’s Selmer, but as we find out, there is a lot more to the Scarlet Tunic besides nailing those early Pink Floyd guitar tones
Bill Frisell: “The limitations of the guitar invite their own solutions… so there are a lot of different ways people end up playing it”
Guitarist, composer and esotericist Bill Frisell is difficult to pin down to any one musical style. Even he learned something about himself in his new biography Beautiful Dreamer
Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder on reuniting after nearly 60 years to pay tribute to blues legends Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry
Get On Board finds two old friends and collaborators back in the studio for an album of Piedmont blues covers that might just happen to be their finest hour on record
Billy Bragg: “Most of my chord shapes are fists. It’s just the way I play – I’m hanging on for dear life”
Billy Bragg is a punk-powered agitator turned historian of early rock ’n’ roll. We joined him to talk about his new album and discuss why Lonnie Donegan ain’t no joke…
How to reduce guitar string noise
Banish the rattle and squeak with a little help from acoustic guitar master Martin Simpson
Steve Gunn: “I’ve played Fenders from the '50s, pre-CBS, and there’s an energy in the wood. There’s a lot of magic in older guitars”
Bought & Sold: The Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter spins the tale of a voyage into the world of classical guitars and how he let a Silvertone slip through his fingers
When Rivers Meet talk cigar-box electrics, playing blues on mandolin, and ditching Americana for gloves-off rock ’n’ roll
Aaron and Grace Bond's debut, We Fly Free, is one of the most soulful roots-rock albums you'll hear anywhere. They tell us how they put their galvanic sound together
Jim James: “I wanted to create a guitar where people could be like, ‘Who the f**k is Jim James? I don’t really care, I just love this guitar!’”
The My Morning Jacket frontman has a new signature Gibson ES-335 that harks back to an under-celebrated era in the model’s history. We join him to discover why it’s a guitar for all seasons
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
Cesar Gueikian: “Being at the forefront of innovation and evolution has been part of Gibson heritage for almost 128 years”
Under new leadership, Gibson has got its mojo back. We met up with brand president, Cesar Gueikian, to find out where guitar design is going next at the Nashville guitar giant
How Ola Strandberg redefined electric guitar ergonomics for a new generation
The guitars built by .strandberg may look unconventional, but they’re designed to be more ergonomic and playable than guitars of the past, says founder Ola Strandberg
Why guitar design is undergoing a renaissance in the wake of the pandemic
Supply chain issues and the drive for sustainable production are changing the way gear is made, but, as ever, it is ultimately the players who are steering where design is going next
Mike Rutherford: “The Strat can be anybody – it covers all kinds of moods. Other guitars like Gibsons have a sort of one-sound thing, I think”
The Genesis guitarist and bassist talks the gear that's powered the band's sound over the years – including a lowly £120 Strat – and reflects on touring for what may be the final time
Joachim Cooder on how his kids helped inspire his new album reimagining the folk-blues of Uncle Dave Macon
Joachim, son of slide-guitar legend Ry Cooder, enlisted the help of Vieux Farka Touré and others to accompany on a record that celebrates the greatness of the 1920s banjo king
![[L-R] Jeff “Skunk” Baxter and Les Paul](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EwGpUKsiFckuzw3S83UDuU-840-80.jpg.webp)
Jeff “Skunk” Baxter looks back on his experience playing alongside Les Paul
The Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers legend on the man he describes as the “personification of excellence”
Joe Robinson: “I definitely come from the same school as Tommy Emmanuel, which is influenced by Jerry Reed, Lenny Breau, Merle Travis and Chet Atkins”
Robinson’s Chet Atkins-style playing needs to be heard to be believed. Here, he explains how he cut his latest album, Borders
Phil Manzanera: “I didn’t really want an incredible technique: I thought that would impede my ability to enjoy music for the whole of my life”
The Roxy Music icon on home recording, the art of songwriting and the limits of technicality
The incredible story and decades of dedication that gave birth to Les Paul’s ‘Number One’ Goldtop – the solidbody guitar that changed the world
Les Paul’s son Gene explains how the story of Gibson's most famous electric guitar began in the 30s, with a mysterious hand-written note that changed the course of guitar history
