Latest articles by Janelle Borg
Timothée Chalamet on playing guitar in the Bob Dylan biopic – and the song that made it all click
Chalamet discusses the nuances of Dylan’s guitar playing and the moment his portrayal of the legendary songwriter came together
Session bassist Sean Hurley on taking inspiration from Paul McCartney for a John Mayer session
Hurley aimed to build his Queen of California bass line around “the roots and flat sevenths” – taking a page from Macca's book
How Ella Feingold got working with Bruno Mars – and how it differed from her Prince audition
Feingold had already worked with Janet Jackson, Jay-Z, Erykah Badu and Queen Latifah when she got the call from Bruno Mars
How George Benson helped take Ibanez to the next level in the late-’70s
With multiple Ibanez signature guitars under his belt, the Breezin' guitarist shares the story of how his relationship with the Japanese guitar brand came about
Mk.Gee and his Fender Jaguar take center stage on SNL – alongside a mysteriously spec'd Charvel
The fast-rising guitarist performed the recently-released Rockman, and Alesis., from his critically-acclaimed debut, Two Star & the Dream Police
Leslie West on giving his Gibson Les Paul Junior to Pete Townshend after tracking three songs with The Who
West met Townshend when The Who recruited him to play lead guitar on several tracks for their 1971 album Who’s Next
Pat Metheny tells the story of how he met Jaco Pastorius – and their formative years in Miami
Pastorius notably played on Metheny's debut album, Bright Size Life, and the two even joined Joni Mitchell on her Shadows and Light tour
Orianthi and Orange team up to create the 20RT, a portable, versatile amp with high gain tones aplenty
The 15.9 lb Orange Crush 20RT comes fully equipped with an 8-inch, custom-designed ‘Voice Of The World’ speaker, a 3-band EQ, chromatic tuner, and “spring-inspired” reverb
David Gilmour on why the guitar is still a vehicle for giving “birth to new tunes” – decades deep into his career
Gilmour talks about how limitations and “getting discomfited” are crucial to his songwriting process – and to keeping things sounding fresh
George Benson on how he got the Gibson that shaped his 1976 chart-topping record, Breezin’
Benson recalls how he bought his Breezin' Gibson Johnny Smith from someone he calls “one of the bravest guys I’d ever met”
Ernie Isley on the time he met Paul McCartney – and jammed on Twist and Shout
The Isley Brothers and The Beatles both found career-making hits in Twist and Shout – and the two groups would prove pivotal for each other's musical trajectories
Fender reveals its most successful modern finishes – and why it was worth the struggle to create them
Fender's Director of Product Management takes us behind the considerations that go into creating a brand-new colorway – and names the legacy brand's most popular finishes
Kenny Wayne Shepherd on why playing through a Dumble doesn't guarantee a great sound
While Shepherd is a proud proponent (and owner) of Dumble amps, he admits that if your technique is not up to scratch, using one of the legendary amps can be a humbling experience
Ozzy Osbourne bassist Bob Daisley on why he decided to bet on the Prince of Darkness’ post-Sabbath career
Daisley had just been unceremoniously replaced in Ritchie Blackmore’s band, Rainbow, when the opportunity to join Osbourne in his new venture came about
Dolly Parton recalls writing Jolene’s iconic guitar parts and pushing the boundaries of her playing (before the long fingernails)
Jolene’s guitar parts were eventually recorded by Nashville session players Wayne Moss and Chip Young
Olivia Rodrigo on how ’90s alt-rock and riot grrrl inspired her record-breaking GUTS tour
Rodrigo cites The Breeders, Hole, Sleater-Kinney, L7 and Babes in Toyland as some of the key bands that shaped her guitar-leaning musical taste and career trajectory
“The sonic equivalent of a fist-fight between James Hetfield and Alex Lifeson”: October 2024 Guitar World editors’ picks
The hot new tracks and deep cuts GW editors have been listening to this month
Justin Vernon, aka Bon Iver, on why he put pedal steel guitar front and center on his latest release
Vernon reunited with pedal steel guitar master Greg Leisz – who previously worked with Eric Clapton, David Crosby, and Sheryl Crow – for his 2024 release SABLE
Ritchie Blackmore recalls buying his first Gibson from amp pioneer Jim Marshall's music store
Blackmore used the Gibson ES-335 all throughout the '60s, from The Outlaws to Deep Purple’s 1970 breakthrough album, In Rock
Elvis Costello explains why he never sued Olivia Rodrigo's team for interpolating one of his guitar riffs
Rodrigo credited Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, Hayley Williams, and Josh Farro as co-writers after fans noted similarities between tracks on her debut album, SOUR, and songs and riffs by those artists
Jack White's Third Man Hardware teams up with Eventide on Knife Drop – a sub-octave fuzz and analog synth powerhouse of a pedal
The Jack White-certified pedal is all about extreme experimentation – with dual octave control, precise filtering options, flexible expression pedal integration and an intuitive preset system
Why Brian May and Queen were unhappy with their debut album – and how the newly revamped version fixes the “very dry” guitar parts
Queen just released a remixed version of their iconic 1973 debut, and Brian May reveals that “every instrument has been re-examined from the bottom up”
Ernie Isley on growing up with Jimi Hendrix and witnessing his fast-developing guitar playing in his living room
Hendrix lived with the Isley family from the spring of '63 through Thanksgiving of '65 – a period that was pivotal in shaping young Ernie Isley's musical taste
