Latest articles by Jonathan Horsley
Why Billy Gibbons started using a peso as a guitar pick
From the Archive It pays to keep some change in your pocket. You never know when your tone will need it
Why Lenny Kaye only needs one under-appreciated pickup position
The legendary Patti Smith guitarist has a simple reason for why he wants a simple setup on his Strat
Ex-Fender Master Builder John Cruz has joined Chinese guitar builder Farida – this is his first guitar (and it's a Strat knock-off)
The JC-1 was 273 days in the making and is a vintage-modern S-style with five-way switching and a blend control for combining the bridge and neck pickups
Mastodon are being sued by Brent Hinds’ estate
The estate files complaint over his $80,000 buy-out and use of his image after his death
The 21st century guitar innovations that never caught on
Including robot tuners and the multi-effects pedals that invited us to stomp on iPads
"It does not feel like a budget guitar": Harley Benton Fusion-T II EMG MN HT SBK review
The German budget gear brand's latest go-faster T-style is a shred machine with pro-quality appointments at a beginner's price point
How Justin Broadrick ended up playing 8-string guitar on a Phoebe Bridgers record
No, it has nothing to do with Godflesh but everything to do with how the eight-stringer gave melancholy music a super-heavy spin as Jesu
“I’m responsible for him being what he is today”: The man who transformed B.B. King from “terrible” to legendary
How the stepson of Robert Johnson took B.B. King under his wing as he workshopped his chops in Memphis
Tony Iommi reveals his final phone call with Ozzy Osbourne
Iommi says he is still in shock after Ozzy’s death and that the late metal icon was determined to put on a show at Black Sabbath’s triumphant farewell
Best baritone guitars 2026: extended-range guitars for all styles and budgets
Get low with my expert pick of the best baritone guitars from PRS, Gretsch, Jackson, and more
![Angus Young wears his school uniform as AC/DC play Donington Monsters of Rock [left]; Eric Clapton is suited and playing a pale blue Strat in the mid '80s.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QgAfKvcwAsJVc5suVA6JUK-840-80.jpg.webp)
Angus Young’s thoughts on Eric Clapton – and the players he prefers
When the AC/DC guitarist was coming up, Clapton was the player blowing everyone's mind but his
![Joe Satriani plays his Paisley Pattern JS signature Ibanez; Kirk Hammett [right] plays his ESP Mummy.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/w4FRgR6B5Pv4bVmgRR4KYU-840-80.jpg.webp)
“They were the weirdest things. He was asking me, ‘What do you think I should play over this stuff?’” When Joe Satriani got an exclusive preview of new Metallica material during lessons with his student Kirk Hammett
When Joe Satriani got an exclusive preview of new Metallica material during lessons with his student Kirk Hammett
My pick of the best new guitar gear launched this week – including Sleep Token’s debut signatures
All the big new drops from PRS Guitars, Charvel, Jackson, Gibson, Friedman Amplification and much more
Jimmy Page on how a ‘lost guitar track’ almost derailed Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti
A miraculous salvage job rescued The Rover after an overdub ruined an original take
The Alice in Chains guitar solo that Jerry Cantrell hated – and the one he wished he re-recorded
Cantrell explains why he never saw himself as a hot-shot soloist and had to be convinced by his producer that his solo was “perfect” for the song
My pick of the best new guitar gear launched this week – including an all-new species of pedal
All the big new drops from Epiphone, Death By Audio, Gretsch, Charvel, and much more
![Stevie Ray Vaughan [left] slings his guitar over his shoulder and gives us a thumbs up; [right] an action shot of Albert King playing on Midnight Special](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2o58fDyAtadeYeUPxHv54J-840-80.jpg.webp)
The night Stevie Ray Vaughan walked out of his own show to go watch his blues hero
From the Archive SRV was playing a ‘pass-the-hat’ gig at one of Austin’s most notorious dive bars – until he found out Albert King was playing across town
Best clip-on guitar tuners 2026: hit the right note with my top pick of cost-effective tuners
Whether you play acoustic, electric, or bass, these clip-on tuners offer a quick, easy, and affordable way to achieve concert pitch every time you pick up your instrument
How Mike McCready overcame his addictions to form a grunge supergroup
Emerging from rehab in 1994 gave McCready a sense of purpose and clarity, and a newfound creativity as he put together Mad Season with Layne Staley on vocals
Nils Lofgren on how the Bruce Springsteen gig saved his life at his lowest point
From the Archive Lofgren was broke, living back home in D.C. with his folks, when a call to jam turned his life around
10 classic Yngwie Malmsteen quotes – the maestro in his own words
The man who introduced Paganini to electric guitar, fired a gun in the studio, has a rig that can be seen from space… There is only one Yngwie Malmsteen
Joe Bonamassa says “armchair quarterbacks” have turned guitar culture toxic
Endless vitriol for flubbed notes, seeing every performance as some kind of competition. Where does this stop? As Bonamassa says, it put one artist in therapy
Steve Hackett says he would be up for a Genesis reunion tour with Phil Collins – but could it happen?
There would be some serious obstacles in getting the ’70 to ’75 classic Genesis lineup back together
