Janelle Borg

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.

Articles by: Janelle Borg

Roger Daltrey )L) and Pete Townshend (R) leads The Who in concert at Firenze Rocks 2023 at Visarno Arena on June 17, 2023 in Florence, Italy

“A lot of dedicated Who fans come to every show in order to see Roger hit me in the face again, for me to smash him over the head with a guitar”: Pete Townshend sets the record straight about Roger Daltrey's comments on The Who's retirement

By Janelle Borg published

Roger Daltrey had recently mentioned that he was “happy” that “that part of my life is over”

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Ann Wilson of Heart performs onstage during the Jim Irsay Collection Exhibit and Concert at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on January 11, 2024 in Los Angeles, California

“Please know that I absolutely plan to be back on stage in 2025”: Heart postpone 2024 tour after Ann Wilson reveals she is undergoing cancer treatment

By Janelle Borg published

Ann Wilson is currently undergoing “a course of preventative chemotherapy” and hopes to be back on stage next year

Left-Chris Shiflett performs on Day 1 of BottleRock Napa Valley at Napa Valley Expo on May 24, 2024 in Napa, California; Right-Joe Bonamassa performs in concert at ACL Live on October 29, 2023 in Austin, Texas

“It was a half-hearted effort. I knew he would clock it”: Foo Fighters' Chris Shiflett once tried (and failed) to trick Joe Bonamassa into believing he had bought a genuine '59 Les Paul Burst

By Janelle Borg published

Chris Shiflett defied country guitar expectations and used the Les Paul on his latest country-tinged EP

teve Van Zandt performs on stage at Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano on June 12, 2024 in Madrid, Spain

“All my life I’ve carried with me this guilt and feeling of, ‘Jeez, if only I could have stayed in the band and yet done all these other things’”: Steven Van Zandt reflects on leaving Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band just before their breakthrough

By Janelle Borg published

During his initial tenure in the E Street band, Van Zandt was partially responsible for the iconic Born to Run guitar riff

Lord Phobos playing a strat guitar on stage

“That song has a pretty epic solo. I remember scratching my head a bit trying to figure out the harmonizer effects he was using”: This is one of the hardest guitar songs you could attempt to cover, according to cover pro Lord Phobos

By Janelle Borg published

With a hefty repertoire of covers under his belt, TWRP guitarist Lord Phobos pinpoints the song that he admits was “quite a tough one” to learn

Slash (left) with Grace Bowers, with guitars in the background

“Met my guitar hero last night”: Grace Bowers finally meets Slash – whose Welcome to the Jungle solo inspired her to pick up guitar

By Janelle Borg published

The encounter served as a full-circle moment for Bowers, who started playing guitar after wanting to emulate Slash's effortless cool

Chris Shiflett from the Foo Fighters performs on The Pyramid Stage at Day 3 of Glastonbury Festival 2023 on June 23, 2023 in Glastonbury, England

“I think it sounds very close to vintage amps. If I hadn’t told you that, you probably wouldn’t have guessed, right?”: Foo Fighters' Chris Shiflett explains why he opted for a digital modeler over tube amps on his latest EP

By Janelle Borg published

Chris Shiflett discloses the reasons why he didn't use a single amp in studio

Left-Joe Preston of Thrones performs on stage at Roseland during Musicfest NW on September 8, 2011 in Portland, United States; Right-Nirvana, group portrait, backstage at Nakano Sunplaza, Tokyo, Japan, 19th December 1992

“I had just moved to Olympia, and I heard some ruckus in the street, and then on my porch... it was Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl”: Bassist Joe Preston on how he joined the Melvins – with a little help from Nirvana

By Janelle Borg published

Joe Preston recalls finding Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl on his porch with a message from Buzz Osborne

Tom Morello (left) and Roman Morello

“Big riff energy is in this kid’s blood – and he might even solo better than his dad…” June 2024 Guitar World editor’s picks

By Michael Astley-Brown published

From all-star offspring to returning noise-rock icons, a punk trailblazer’s first album in 53 years and the future of blues, this month had it all

A photo of the Guild M-260E Deluxe Archback acoustic guitar against a white background in a room setting

“The M Concert body shape has stood the test of time for nearly 70 years”: Guild’s M-260E Deluxe brings one of acoustic guitar’s most iconic designs – and USA features – to a new $599 model

By Janelle Borg published

The Guild M-260E's body design was crafted with fingerstyle guitarists in mind

Krist Novoselic playing a Gibson bass on stage

“I stuck with Gibson basses because they’re so dense”: Krist Novoselic dons a Thunderbird as he debuts his new band in Kurt Cobain's hometown – and pays tribute with a rendition of Nirvana's debut single

By Janelle Borg published

Krist Novoselic and his new band, The Bona Fide Band, gave a nod to Kurt Cobain and Nirvana with their own rendition of Love Buzz

3 guitars from the ESP LTD 200DX Series

“A high-quality yet affordable introduction to the ESP playing experience”: ESP makes a serious play for the budget guitar market with new $399 LTD 200DX models

By Janelle Borg published

With blue burst, charcoal burst and purple burst finishes, the new ESP LTD models promise to deliver high-class features at an affordable price point

Melissa Auf der Maur and Courtney Love of Hole during Hole Concert '99 at The Palace in Los Angeles, California, United States

“With Courtney, it enhanced my commitment as a woman to keep on rocking”: Courtney Love and bassist Melissa Auf der Maur have reunited in the studio – what this means for a possible Hole reunion

By Janelle Borg published

Courtney Love teased a Hole reunion in February – is it finally happening?

Susan Tedeschi performs at Tedeschi Trucks Band's "Garden Party" at Madison Square Garden on September 29, 2023 in New York City

“She’s a badass guitar player who always played a Pink Paisley Telecaster – they should have made a signature model 20 years ago”: Susan Tedeschi names the guitarist who deserved a signature model but never got one

By Janelle Borg published

The newly crowned Fender signature artist underscores the importance of representation in the guitar world – and gives a special shoutout to the women working behind the scenes

Yvette Young playing her pink guitar with a pick on stage

“Picks always felt like a weird, artificial extension of my hand”: Yvette Young just played with a pick live for the first time ever

By Janelle Borg published

The fingerstyle master debuted her picking technique and emo guitar chops at Bonnaroo's Emo Superjam

oanne Shaw Taylor performs on stage at Newark Castle and Gardens on 8 July 2016 in Newark, United Kingdom. She is playing a Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar

“It helped tidy up a lot of my playing and helped me grow as a player”: Joanne Shaw Taylor briefly switched to Les Pauls – and it dramatically improved her guitar playing

By Janelle Borg published

Joanna Shaw Taylor is a self-confessed Fender Tele aficionado, but switching to Les Pauls taught her a valuable lesson

Billie Joe Armstrong playing Steve Jones' Les Paul on a stage in Paris

“One of his guitar geek dreams was to play this guitar”: Billie Joe Armstrong just played Steve Jones’ iconic Sex Pistols Les Paul – which recently sold for $390,000 – with Green Day in Paris

By Janelle Borg published

Armstrong used Steve Jones’ 1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom to play Green Day protest song Know Your Enemy

Left - Vocalist / guitarist Page Hamilton of Helmet performs at The Viper Room on May 4, 2013 in West Hollywood, California; Right- Singer David Bowie performs onstage at the Astoria on December 05, 1999 in LONDON, England

“He told me he was a fan the first time I met him in '97. And then I got the call from him a couple of years later”: Helmet’s Page Hamilton is one of heavy music’s most influential riffers – but he was once handpicked by David Bowie to be his guitarist

By Janelle Borg published

David Bowie was such a big Helmet fan that he recruited Page Hamilton as his touring guitarist

Ted Nugent (L) and Jason Hartless perform during his Adios Mofo 2023 Tour at Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre on August 11, 2023 in Sterling Heights, Michigan

“Beck, Clapton and Page are okay. But they’re no better than Jim McCarty from Cactus and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels”: Ted Nugent weighs in on top guitarist lists and the unsung heroes who deserve more recognition

By Janelle Borg published

Ted Nugent names the guitarists he thinks deserve to be championed as much as Beck, Clapton and Page

Guthrie Govan, a member of Hans Zimmer's band, performs on stage at Pala Alpitour on May 01, 2023 in Turin, Italy

“The entire audience in the room could hear the tonal difference”: Guthrie Govan has held tonewood tone tests in guitar clinics – and the results were unanimous

By Janelle Borg published

To prove his point, The Aristocrats' Guthrie Govan has two different models of his signature Charvel, identical in every way except for the tonewood

Michael Schenker performs on stage at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on October 31, 2021 in London, England

“I’d always said to the Scorpions, ‘If any band from England asks me to join, no matter who it is, I’m doing it’”: Michael Schenker celebrates his tenure with UFO with a new reimagined greatest hits record – and it features Slash

By Janelle Borg published

Michael Schenker's new album, My Years with UFO, marks the 50th anniversary of the guitarist's tenure with the British classic rock band

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Mike Mills, bass player of R.E.M., performs onstage during the Jim Irsay Collection Exhibit and Concert at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on January 11, 2024 in Los Angeles, California

“If I don't like the bassline, then I'm probably not gonna enjoy playing the song”: Mike Mills on his “selfish” R.E.M. basslines – and their long-awaited reunion

By Janelle Borg published

Mike Mills has recalled writing the famous bassline that anchored R.E.M.'s career-defining Losing My Religion

bassist Glenn Hughes and guitarist Tommy Bolin (1951-1976) from English rock band Deep Purple perform live on stage at the Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island, USA on 19th January 1976

“Bowie drove me down to the audition to meet Tommy… I saw this guy with green and purple hair”: Glenn Hughes recalls meeting Tommy Bolin at his tense Deep Purple audition

By Janelle Borg published

Glenn Hughes might not be on the best of terms with Deep Purple, but he fondly remembers his friendship with guitarist Tommy Bolin

Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters performs at the Power to the Patients concert at The Anthem on March 05, 2024 in Washington, DC

“That's the saddest thing that's ever happened in my life!” Dave Grohl's guitar stops working nine seconds into Everlong – in front of 50,000 people

By Janelle Borg published

Even after living out every guitarist's worst nightmare, Dave Grohl delivered a searing rendition of Everlong

Slash performing live

“If I didn’t show the video, he wouldn’t contribute his solo”: Slash channels a whale-like guitar tone in new song highlighting environmental destruction

By Janelle Borg published

Slash shows off his range and commitment to environmental awareness on a new track by Canadian survival expert Les Stroud