Latest articles by Janelle Borg
Billy Corgan on the first time he met future Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur
The pair reflect on how a heckler at an early Pumpkins gig led to a decades-long friendship
Jake E. Lee has added Yungblud’s signature guitar to his collection
The former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist has been playing the affordable Epiphone – and he's impressed
How Robben Ford helped Fender design their short-lived answer to the Gibson ES-335
The short-lived build aimed to compete with one of Gibson's flagship models
Pat Metheny asks Ibanez to send him “cheap” versions of his own signature guitar – to turn them into artworks
Between launching a new music label and studio album, Metheny spends his downtime transforming his Ibanez signatures into sculptures
Grammy-nominated Malian changemaker Fatoumata Diawara reveals her biggest guitar hero
Diawara recently made history herself by becoming the first woman of color to collaborate with Epiphone on a signature guitar
Samantha Fish reveals the “cheat” she uses to emulate a pedal steel guitar
Despite calling it a “hot mess,” Samantha Fish says a volume pedal is her tried-and-tested approach to creating volume swells
The Beatles made the Leslie speaker an iconic guitar tone. But a pioneering “all-female” rock band were one of the first to take it out on the road
June Millington, one of the co-founders of the 1970s LA-based band Fanny, heard the Let It Be demo and was set on incorporating a Leslie speaker into her rig
Melissa Auf der Maur reveals the biggest lesson she learned from Billy Corgan and The Smashing Pumpkins
Auf der Maur joined the Pumpkins in October 1999 following a five-year stint with Hole
Janelle Monáe’s new guitar of choice is the cheapest Epiphone Les Paul ever released
The multi-instrumentalist donned one of the most budget-friendly guitars Epiphone has ever released when teasing her new era
Witch Fever’s Alisha Yarwood on superhero stompboxes, dream tours with IDLES, and why ‘That Great Gretsch Sound’ was doom-punk all along
Raw, feminist, fiercely unrelenting, Witch Fever have taken their sound from clubs to arenas. Here, Yarwood talks tonal epiphanies, starting on drums, and finding freedom on bigger stages
Melissa Etheridge reveals the most important lesson she learned from her “scary” first guitar teacher
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee takes us back to her roots – and pays homage to the guitar teacher who started it all...
Stephen Carpenter sheds light on the health struggles that have impacted his playing
The Deftones guitarist opens up about how his undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes impacted the writing and recording of Private Music
Sideman to the stars Doug Rappoport reveals the classic rock icon who persuaded him to up his gear game
Rappoport was clocked for his budget gear – which didn’t quite fit the modus operandi of the ’70s legend
Vince Gill on the importance of versatility – and how the Eagles enabled him to flex his hidden rock chops
Gill shocked everyone – including Henley – when he proved himself to be capable of playing bona fide rock riffs
Cult Japanese guitar hero Masayoshi Takanaka gave away his iconic surfboard guitar. Now he’s got it back for his first-ever world tour at 72 years old
Japan's jazz fusion pioneer is riding a global wave after blowing up on streaming – and he's bringing his bright red surfboard guitar along with him
Joan Jett on defying stereotypes and teaching herself guitar by playing along to Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath records
The Godmother of Punk recalls being told by her guitar teacher that she could only play folk music on acoustic guitar – and that rock was strictly out of bounds
Kiki Wong on how a cheap Yamaha and a Metallica classic changed her musical trajectory
Wong went from playing piano and classical music – to shredding, metal and Metallica
February 2026 Guitar World Editors’ Picks
Two generations of virtuosos – Steve Vai and Matteo Mancuso – join forces, Midwest Emo GOATs American Football return, Anna Calvi works wonders with her Telecaster, Mateus Asato gives us long-awaited instrumental bliss, and Angine de Poitrine deliver, uh, “Dada-Pythago-Cubist Mantra-rock” – all this and much, much more
Rush's Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee look back on the moment that sparked the idea for a reunion tour
Rush have just announced an extension to their Fifty Something Tour, with new dates in the UK, Europe and South America
They were one of the world's first “all-female” rock bands – then they disappeared. But the Rolling Stones and the Beatles never forgot them
The ’60s saw the emergence of the Liverbirds, the pioneering Liverpudlian band that toured relentlessly across Europe and beyond, even gaining a residency at the legendary Star-Club in Hamburg – but never quite got the recognition they deserved
Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti on recording at Eddie Van Halen's legendary 5150 Studios
The guitar duo recall the surreal experience of going into the “sacred” studio – and how that impacted the DNA of their latest record
Joe Perry on the painful memory of selling his ’Burst – and why he’ll never forget the moment it came back to him
The Aerosmith guitarist was forced to sell his most cherished guitar in the late-’70s and spent years trying to get it back, until Slash made the ultimate guitar collector sacrifice
Why the Fender Telecaster is Sheryl Crow's long-time guitar “sidekick”
The celebrated singer-songwriter says she can “play the heck out of my piano” but gravitated toward the Tele due to the staying power of a great guitar riff
