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Jonathan Horsley
Jonathan Horsley

Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.

Articles by: Jonathan Horsley

Man shows child how to play something on an electric guitar

The best guitars for kids 2021: top electric and acoustic guitars for children

By Jonathan Horsley, Daryl Robertson

The top kid’s guitars available today and everything you need to know to get your child started with the guitar

An acoustic guitar next to an electric guitar

Acoustic vs electric guitar: which is better for beginner guitarists?

By Jonathan Horsley

For new guitarists this is one of the biggest questions. We’re here to help you choose the right path and find the right guitar for you

Wata with her new signature EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas pedal

Wata: “Even when I’m recording, I’m always imagining the live shows in my head when I’m playing”

By Jonathan Horsley

The Boris guitarist checks in to discuss her new signature EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas fuzz pedal, talk tone, and explain why her pedalboard is the launching pad for creativity

Close-up of Rockboard pedalboard on a concrete floor

10 best pedalboards 2021: organize your guitar effects with these budget-spanning pedalboards

By Jonathan Horsley, Daryl Robertson

Get the best from your effects with these 'boards from Voodoo Labs, Boss, Friedman and more

Best guitar wireless systems 2021: set your playing free, from the rehearsal room to the stage

Best guitar wireless systems 2021: set your playing free, from the rehearsal room to the stage

By Jonathan Horsley

Fed up with cumbersome cables? These are the 10 best wireless guitar systems for every budget

11 best metal guitars 2021: hell-raising electric guitars for shredders on any budget

11 best metal guitars 2021: hell-raising electric guitars for shredders on any budget

By Guitar World Staff, Jonathan Horsley

From 8-string guitars to Flying Vs, here's our pick of the best metal guitars from Jackson, ESP, Ibanez and more

Person plays bass guitar live on stage

Best beginner bass guitars in 2021: four-string bass guitars for beginners

By Jonathan Horsley

The best beginner basses for young players, newcomers and the budget-conscious – featuring Yamaha, Squier, Ibanez and more

Best bass amps 2021: killer low-end amplification options for bassists

Best bass amps 2021: killer low-end amplification options for bassists

By Jonathan Horsley

Give yourself the gift of thunder with the best bass guitar amps money can buy – featuring Trace Elliot, Hartke, Ampeg and more

Photo of a skeleton playing electric guitar

The 15 best Halloween guitar songs

By Jonathan Horsley

Spooky six-string classics you need to play (or at least listen to) this year

Best clip-on guitar tuners 2021: stay in tune with 10 of the best available today

Best clip-on guitar tuners 2021: stay in tune with 10 of the best available today

By Jonathan Horsley

The best clip-on guitar tuners offer a convenient, easy and affordable tuning solution. Here’s our recommendations for acoustic, electric and bass guitar

Great guitar players who play cheap guitars

18 pro guitarists who play cheap guitars

By Jonathan Horsley

Updated Because not every song requires a custom shop instrument to get the tone right

Best bass guitars 2021: top long and short-scale bass options for beginners to pros

Best bass guitars 2021: top long and short-scale bass options for beginners to pros

By Jonathan Horsley

Presenting the world’s finest low-end monsters, with the best bass guitars from Fender, EBMM, Yamaha and more…

Ghost Hounds

Ghost Hounds' Thomas Tull: “There's always a prodigy in town who can pick up the guitar and just play. That was not me – I had to really work at it!”

By Jonathan Horsley

The movie mogul talks touring with the Rolling Stones, why storytelling forms the basis of his songwriting and the unbeatable rig that fuels his guitar sound on the band's sophomore LP, A Little Calamity

Boss MT-2 Metal Zone

How the Boss MT-2 Metal Zone conquered the world and inspired a new generation of metal guitar players

By Jonathan Horsley

We celebrate 30 years of the million-selling distortion pedal with an in-depth look at its history, legacy and controversy

Yngwie Malmsteen

Yngwie Malmsteen: "I got all the Strats. Gibsons, too. But I just keep going back to the signature gear because that’s the sound I’m looking for"

By Henry Yates, Jonathan Horsley

The shred god on the passion, violence and Latin behind new album, Parabellum

Bogner Ecstasy Mini

Bogner's new Ecstasy Mini amp head is a $329 bundle of high-gain joy

By Jonathan Horsley

Get all that Red Channel drive from a compact, 30W solid-state head

Fender Twin Reverb against a wooden wall

Best Fender amps 2021: The Big F’s finest tube combo, digital modeling and headphones amp solutions

By Jonathan Horsley

Fender’s amp line-up has something for everyone. Our buyer’s guide will help you decide which is right for you

The 50 greatest guitar riffs of all time

The 50 greatest guitar riffs of all time

By Amit Sharma, Jonny Scaramanga, Ellie Rogers, Grant Moon, Jonathan Horsley, Sian Llewellyn, Henry Yates, Matt Frost, Joel McIver

From metal to rock, punk to grunge, these are the best guitar riffs ever recorded, as voted for by you

Gretsch G2655TG-P90_Limited_Edition_Streamliner_Center_Block_Jr

Gretsch G2655 Streamliner Center Block Jr Double-Cut P90 review

By Jonathan Horsley

Switching up the recipe with some P90 mischief, Gretsch hits another home run for affordable American cool

Girlschool's Kim McAuliffe performs on stage at the Relentless Garage on March 10, 2012 in London

Kim McAuliffe on the riotous story of Girlschool: “I got electrocuted onstage, nearly died, and the rest of them went back and had a massive party!”

By Jonathan Horsley

Pigs’ heads, electrocution, high volume – how Girlschool put a little danger into rock ’n’ roll

[L-R] David Gilmour, Eddie Van Halen, St. Vincent and Brian May

The greatest delay moments of all time: 25 classic guitar tracks elevated by echo

By Jonathan Horsley

The exemplars of echo, the doyens of digital and the analog innovators that made delay pedals a pedalboard perennial for guitar players

Buddy Guy

Buddy Guy: “When you pick up a guitar, you have something of your own even if you don’t realize it”

By Jonathan Horsley

With a new documentary about the great Buddy Guy soon to air on PBS, we spoke to the world’s greatest living bluesman about a life bending those strings and chasing people’s blues away

Paul Gilbert

Paul Gilbert: "My slide playing is a risky career move. There have been times when I've tried stuff on stage and people have walked out the door!"

By Jonathan Horsley

The shred pioneer, melody enthusiast and rock guitar sensei extraordinaire on making his guitar howl for his new album, Werewolves of Portland

Mike Campbell Reverb Store

Mike Campbell is having an epic vintage gear sale on Reverb.com

By Jonathan Horsley

Own a piece of Heartbreakers history as Campbell clears out some super-collectable guitars, amps and effects

PRS Music School

Paul Reed Smith and Maryland Hall's summer music school returns with John McLaughlin joining expanded program

By Jonathan Horsley

Tony McManus, Tyler Larson, Tim Pierce and more will teach guitar classes over the course of the four-day online event