Latest articles by Jonathan Horsley
“More aggressive, more physical, more raw and in tune with the animal kingdom”: Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi 2 Dual Op-Amp Fuzz review
A schematic, lost in the shuffle, resurfaces with the help of JHS Pedals supremo Josh Scott, and presents us with a fresh slice of Pi
All the guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including the megabucks Flying V that changed Kirk Hammett's life
Fresh new drops from Charvel, Fender, Gibson, Gretsch and more...
Alabama guitar legend Wayne Perkins – who played with the Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, and Joni Mitchell – dies at 74
Perkins made his name as a Muscle Shoals session ace and would go on to have a storied career playing with the greats
“We thought, ‘He’s a massively successful artist – what could possibly go wrong?’ We really didn’t like the results, so we didn’t give permission for it to be released”: The folk-rock album recorded with an ’80s mega-star that never saw the light of day
When Richard and Linda Thompson entered the studio with Gerry Rafferty they thought only good could come of it. But creative differences saw the songs shelved... At least for a time
When Bonnie Raitt took Melissa Etheridge guitar shopping – and convinced her to swap her Les Paul for a Strat
Proof that we should always listen to Bonnie Raitt's advice, Etheridge never looked back with the Strat
![The Jim Irsay Collection's three big stars of the night [L-R]: Kurt Cobain's 1969 Mustang, David Gilmour's record-breaking Black Strat, and Jerry Garcia's Tiger.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7b4qJRk85dSviaveTCjfAe-840-80.jpg.webp)
World record for most expensive guitar shattered three times in one night as Jim Irsay auction sees David Gilmour's Black Strat fetch $14.5m
On any other night, $6,907,000 for Kurt Cobain's Smells Like Teen Spirit Mustang and $11,560,000 for Jerry Garcia's “Tiger” would have been world records. But this wasn’t any other night...
![Rick Fenn of 10cc plays a Strat onstage [left]; Peter Green plays his Les Paul in the studio back in his Fleetwood Mac days.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gipBZrkR4mS5DdS2MEf8E6-840-80.jpg.webp)
Rick Fenn on the time he tried to help bring Peter Green back into the limelight
The late Fleetwood Mac guitarist was a hero of Fenn's, so when the call came in to help Green out, there was only one answer. But whatever happened to the music?
Blind guitarist couldn’t tune his guitar without help – now a vibrating tuner pedal has changed his life
Anthony Ferraro asked his Instagram followers if anyone could help, and some genius came through with a tuner modded with haptics
Mesa/Boogie brings back the fire-breathing Triple Rectifier
This limited edition drop puts the custom-order look back in style, presenting 150-watts of legendary high-gain performance – and a sound that shaped '90s rock and metal
“Surely the most vicious artist series model in the Gibson catalog”: Gibson Mark Morton Les Paul Modern Quilt review
Lamb of God riff-master Mark Morton's Les Paul has been years in the making, subject to brutal road-testing, featuring a hot custom-wound humbucker pairing, but it's finally here
![Dweezil Zappa [left] and Jeff Beck, both playing Strats. Zappa recently recounted a costume part at which both were dressed in chainmail, when Beck dinged a vintage Strat](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/z3iMpnjWcc3skeZpCVr5Ki-840-80.jpg.webp)
When Jeff Beck damaged an impossibly rare vintage Stratocaster – while he and Dweezil Zappa were at a party dressed as knights
This Fender once belonged to Steve Marriott or something… But Beck? He wasn’t too fussed. People pay for these dings nowadays!
Aaron Marshall of Intervals says the rig he played Blink-182 and Slipknot on as a teenager could more than hold its own today
Boss distortion, Fender amp, cheap Strat? Yeah, that checks out
How Jack White found his own voice by seeking out a different kind of guitar
Silvertone, Airline, Kay... Jack White's formative tastes in electric guitars gave him a sound that he wouldn't have found if he'd chosen a more orthodox instrument
A heated moment during soundcheck at Black Sabbath’s farewell show revealed everything about Tony Iommi and Ozzy’s relationship
Jack Osbourne says everyone needs a friend like Iommi was to Ozzy
William Shatner is making an all-star metal album – with an AI-generated Les Paul, apparently
The cast of players is yet to be announced – there is no title either – but Shatner says the whole thing was inspired by a guest turn on a Nuclear Messiah record with Chris Poland
![Michael Angelo Batio plays his double-neck electric guitar [left]; Billy Corgan performs with the Smashing Pumpkins, with an expression that suggests he is impressed by whatever he is seeing.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8KR8cnf59tzEbfqKYkG2jA-840-80.jpg.webp)
Michael Angelo Batio on the time Billy Corgan spared his blushes during a Smashing Pumpkins guest spot
The double-neck guitar shred icon once shared the stage with Smashing Pumpkins during their Riot Fest headline slot
The Newman Torn and Frayed Edition might be the Rolling Stones-inspired T-type we’ve been dreaming of
With vibe and mojo off the charts, this UK boutique build is a stunning example of what a little imagination can do with when applied to Blackguard inspiration
![Rick Parfitt [left] and Francis Rossi give their Telecasters a good thrashing during a 2010 live performance in Perth, Australia.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kUajqnE4SGm6cLFQRTgaEi-840-80.jpg.webp)
Francis Rossi opens up on the internal tensions between Status Quo’s two guitar greats
A decade on since Rick Parfitt's death, Rossi reveals how the Quo wasn't big enough for the both of them
The latest in Gibson and Leo Scala’s Master Artisan Collection is a love letter to the O.G. Explorer – and our addiction to rare guitars
The legendary LA-based luthier digs into his reserves of korina for the '58 Addiction Explorer, 10 totally unique takes on the iconic Gibson electric
Blues gold unearthed as rare Freddie King live performance surfaces after 50 years
In October 1975, the Texas Cannonball wowed a French audience with a blues masterclass, and the recordings have been restored
How Justin Lyons is channeling the King of the Blues in mgk's punk-rock band – and he even has his own Lucille
The mgk touring guitarist has been a superfan of the King of the Blues since he was five years old
How the Beastie Boys saved the day on Aerosmith and Run D.M.C.’s Walk This Way
The Def Jam community spirit was alive and well in NYC's Chung King Studios
He’s played with Lady Gaga and played on SNL – now Stu “Bassie” Brooks has officially joined Nine Inch Nails on bass
Brooks just played his first show with Trent Reznor and co. at the Smoothie King Center, New Orleans
