Jamie Dickson
Jamie Dickson is Editor-in-Chief of Guitarist magazine, Britain's best-selling and longest-running monthly for guitar players. He started his career at the Daily Telegraph in London, where his first assignment was interviewing blue-eyed soul legend Robert Palmer, going on to become a full-time author on music, writing for benchmark references such as 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die and Dorling Kindersley's How To Play Guitar Step By Step. He joined Guitarist in 2011 and since then it has been his privilege to interview everyone from B.B. King to St. Vincent for Guitarist's readers, while sharing insights into scores of historic guitars, from Rory Gallagher's '61 Strat to the first Martin D-28 ever made.
Latest articles by Jamie Dickson

5 things to check when buying a vintage guitar
By Jamie Dickson published
Matt Gleeson of setup and maintenance wizards Monty’s Guitars on what to look for in an older guitar before buying

Competition: Are You The UK's Best Amateur Guitar Builder?
By Jamie Dickson published
Guitarist magazine and top lutherie parts supplier StewMac join forces to launch competition to find UK's top home guitar maker

25 years of the Z.Vex Fuzz Factory: how the iconic fuzz pedal was conceived during a single, feverish night in the '90s
By Jamie Dickson published
Maverick effects maker Zachary Vex recalls how tragedy led to triumph in the creation of his most famous pedal

What makes a great-sounding acoustic guitar?
By David Mead, Jamie Dickson, Dave Burrluck published
Some of the world's finest acoustic builders discuss what goes into making a guitar sing

Want to squeeze a little more tone from your guitar? Try new wiring
By Jamie Dickson published
Tone expert Matt Gleeson of Monty’s Guitars explains why a new wiring loom can turn a good guitar into a great one

What makes a good pickup?
By Jamie Dickson published
Revered boutique pickup maker Jason Lollar on what to look for when you are upgrading pickups – and what 'low-wind' humbuckers actually do for your tone

Paul Kossoff's 'Stripped Top' 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard up close and personal
By Jamie Dickson published
Steve Clarke walks us through the features of the guitar used to wax All Right Now

Larkin Poe: “Be tenacious. If you really want to learn how to write good songs, you gotta do it and do it again“
By Henry Yates, Jamie Dickson published
Megan and Rebecca Lovell on the roots scene, the importance of writing bad songs and rock ’n’ roll’s post-pandemic fightback

How Barefaced Audio revolutionized the guitar cab
By Jamie Dickson published
A British company is producing huge sounds from small, featherweight guitar cabs – thanks to the appliance of science

The story of Paul Kossoff's 'Stripped Top' 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard
By Jamie Dickson published
The life and times of the guitar used to cut Free's legendary All Right Now

Billy F Gibbons discusses his extensive collection of hot rod-inspired guitars
By Jamie Dickson published
We joined the ZZ Top man for a personal tour of his garage, which naturally includes a few classic cars...

How to set up a Strat: 4 essential tips
By Jamie Dickson published
Setup maestro Matt Gleeson of Monty’s Guitars tells us how he sets up Leo’s masterpiece

Khruangbin discuss their musical process, uniting styles and cultures, and their favorite guitarists from around the world
By Jamie Dickson published
The Texas three-piece return with an album replete with impeccable funk and richly embroidered guitar sounds from around the globe

How to set up a Les Paul: 7 essential tips
By Jamie Dickson published
Master luthier Jim DeCola tells us how to set a Gibson Les Paul up to perfection

Behind the scenes at Gretsch's awe-inspiring Custom Shop
By Jamie Dickson published
Master Builder Stephen Stern gives us the lowdown on what it takes to build the legendary company's high-end guitars

The secrets behind Tony Iommi's classic Black Sabbath guitar tone
By Jamie Dickson published
How a Laney amp and treble booster contributed to the riff-master's iconic tone....

Jonathon Long: "I love Teles because they're virtually indestructible - if a boat broke down I'd use mine as a paddle!"
By Jamie Dickson published
We join the slick but soulful guitarist from Baton Rouge to talk his electrifying fusion of jazz, blues and country

Cesar Gueikian reveals the inside story behind Gibson's exhaustive Tony Iommi 'Monkey' SG replica
By Jamie Dickson published
Gibson's chief merchant officer on Black Sabbath's heavy metal icon and the guitar that got him playing in the first place
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