
Janelle Borg
Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.
Latest articles by Janelle Borg

GAK has sold its stock and website to online retailer Gear4music for $3.2m – after weeks of speculation over its future
By Janelle Borg published
GAK, which stands for Guitar, Amp and Keyboard, has been closed since March 25, allegedly for maintenance, before confirmation that it has entered insolvency

Sammy Hagar set to release track inspired by a dream he had about Eddie Van Halen, co-written with Joe Satriani
By Janelle Borg published
Encore, Thank You, Goodnight also features Michael Anthony on bass and is meant to be a celebration of the unforgettable chapter they shared in Van Halen

David Gilmour and Roger Waters hit back at criticism of the band's over-reliance on gear and synths when crafting The Dark Side of The Moon in unearthed clip
By Janelle Borg published
The clip is featured in Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII, the newly restored version of the band's groundbreaking Live At Pompeii film

Yvette Young’s fretboard wizardry was a wake-up call for modern guitar playing – but with her latest pivot, she’s making music to help emo kids go to sleep
By Janelle Borg published
Young is in her musician-artist-producer era – leaning into soundtracks, generating ideas with her signature Qi pedal, and reclaiming control of her career, as epitomized by her latest collaboration with Hatch: a suite of Emo Sound Baths

Lenny Kravitz guitarist Craig Ross has been playing Jeff Beck’s $490,000 Yardburst Les Paul onstage for an entire tour
By Janelle Borg published
Keen-eyed attendees of the European leg of Kravitz's Blue Electric Light tour could spot one of the most iconic guitars in history

NAMM president responds to Trump's tariffs – urgently urging the administration to exempt the musical instrument market
By Janelle Borg published
NAMM president John Mlynczak warns that current tariff actions will lead U.S. musical instrument companies to lose their global competitive advantage

Eddie Van Halen's former wife, Valerie Bertinelli, rules out Van Halen biopic
By Janelle Borg published
Bertinelli reveals that she told her son, Wolfgang, to not approve any biopics until after she's dead

The Smithereens’ love affair with The Who goes way back – yet when guitarist Jim Babjak got the chance to meet Pete Townshend, he turned it down
By Janelle Borg published
The Smithereens even released a covers album that pays homage to The Who's 1969 record Tommy

Slash makes surprise appearance at former Hanoi Rocks singer Michael Monroe's show at the Whisky a Go Go
By Janelle Borg published
Just a few years ago, the Guns N' Roses guitarist lent his soloing chops to one of Monroe's tracks

The Byrds needed a hit or they’d be dropped. Releasing a cover of Bob Dylan's Mr. Tambourine Man as their first single was a gamble that paid off
By Janelle Borg published
Byrds guitarist Roger McGuinn was the third person to ever own a Rickenbacker 12-string, following George Harrison – and his timely purchase would completely transform the Dylan song, and the band's entire trajectory

Larkin Poe's Rebecca Lovell explains her “hunt and peck” approach to guitar solos – and how scales can make all the difference
By Janelle Borg published
The blues-rocker reveals her soloing goals – and they could help you hone your own leads

Celebrated jazz guitarist George Freeman, best known for his work with Charlie Parker and Gene Ammons, has died aged 97
By Janelle Borg published
Freeman was a staple of Chicago's jazz music scene – and played with contemporaries including Gene Ammons and Groove Holmes

“Tom would say, ‘Play your guitar with a car key’”: Little Feat's Fred Tackett recalls Tom Waits' left-field approach
By Janelle Borg published
Aside from his role in Little Feat, Tackett has recorded with a remarkable list of artists from Bob Dylan to Joan Baez and Cher

When Eric Clapton saw an up-and-coming Tommy Emmanuel play for the first time
By Janelle Borg published
When Emmanuel was still establishing himself as an artist, he supported Eric Clapton on the Australian leg of his 1990 Journeyman tour

Taylor Guitars just announced a guitar neck innovation that allows players to micro-adjust string height “in seconds” – without removing the neck or strings
By Janelle Borg published
The Action Control Neck is exclusive to Taylor's Gold Label Collection guitars, which the brand launched this past NAMM

Bootsy Collins is one of the all-time bass greats, but he started out on guitar. Here’s the sole reason why he switched
By Janelle Borg published
Before he became ‘the’ Bootsy Collins, William Collins was a young guitarist who desperately wanted to join his brother's band

Alex Lifeson on his complicated relationship with guitar solos – and why he cut down on leads in Rush's later years
By Janelle Borg published
Lifeson explains why solos aren't a priority for him anymore

Gary Clark Jr. dons a Strat to cover Stevie Ray Vaughan classics at Austin City Limits' 50th Anniversary televised special
By Janelle Borg published
As a nod to SRV, Clark Jr. and fellow blues guitarist Eve Monsees wielded Strats for the stirring performance

Eric Bell reveals the real reason why Gary Moore left Thin Lizzy
By Janelle Borg published
Moore's stints with Thin Lizzy continue to inform the band's legacy

Harley Benton seizes on the Polyphia-led nylon-string revival with a versatile acoustic-electric for under $300
By Janelle Borg published
The new model, which boasts a sleek look, an integrated piezo pickup system, and a “warm and resonant” tonal quality, is the latest addition to Harley Benton's budget-friendly acoustic line

Pete Townshend passes the torch to the next generation as he lends his guitar chops to emerging Dutch guitarist's latest record
By Janelle Borg published
Seems like the kids are alright after all

Huey Lewis and the News' Chris Hayes looks back on his friendship with Stevie Ray Vaughan – and the blues great's notorious guitar setup
By Janelle Borg published
SRV served as Huey Lewis and the News' opening act on their ’84 tour – an experience Hayes describes as, “Every night, it was like a guitar lesson for me”

From Raphael Saadiq to Mk.gee, Andrew Aged is on a quest for guitar reinvention – one guitar mod and off-kilter pedal at a time
By Janelle Borg published
After honing his craft studying jazz and improvisation, cutting his teeth sessioning for names like Robin Thicke and FKA Twigs, and creating alternative R&B with his brother under the moniker Inc. No World, Aged is currently making waves as Mk.gee's go-to guitarist – and is now more than ready to step out on his own
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