Latest articles by Jonathan Horsley
The Harmony Stratotone that Brian Jones used to teach Keith Richards and played on the Rolling Stones debut single fetches $150,000 at auction
It is a lot of dough for an entry-level instrument – but given the Stratotone's provenance, the auctioneers were estimating it would go for more than twice that
How Ritchie Blackmore came across an obscure string mod that introduced him to a whole new sound – and why it didn’t work for him
Burton proved it was possible to use banjo strings on guitar, but Blackmore’s early adventures with the hack got mixed results
Tommy Emmanuel names the emerging players who are flying the flag for a new era of Americana and bluegrass
Asked for his guitarist of the year, the Aussie maestro replied with the names of four players who are lifting us all out of our "comfort zones"
A long-lost Beach Boys Dumble that has spent the past 35 years in Hawaii has surfaced – and Jason Momoa is using it on his new album
This early 1980s holy grail took a decade to hunt down – and there's another one out there in the wild
Sheryl Crow says Don Henley told her to stop giving her songs away after she wrote a song for Eric Clapton that never got released
Will Slowhand ever release this song? It has been sitting "on hold" for him since the ’90s
Tommy Emmanuel on the time Les Paul baited him into bringing his A-game to a jam
The Aussie acoustic guitar maestro found out the hard way that Les Paul had a wicked sense of humor
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs launch Christmas appeal for unused gear to give to musicians who can’t afford their own
The English metal band have launched an initiative in their hometown asking for gear donations that will be given away at Christmas
Lucy Dacus joins John Mayer in singing the praises of this emerging guitar genius
Forget sweep-picking and next-gen percussive acoustic fingerstyle guitar, Dacus says it's all about the bravery to play something different
Jack White just lit up the NFL halftime show at Ford Field with White Stripes classics and bringing Eminem out from nowhere
Jack White is a man who knows how to make full use of his time onstage – and during this Thanksgiving set, he put on a seven-and-a-half-minute rock 'n' roll masterclass (with some bonus hip-hop)
Gary Moore’s red Stratocaster sells at auction for more than $330,000
This was the Strat that Moore played during his legendary 2004 performance of Red House – when people dared say it was better than Hendrix
The art of relic’ing a Fender guitar – and why it’s harder than you think
Fender’s Chief Product Officer explains the science behind a relic job, and why for many players it’s the best chance they’ll get to own a lived-in guitar
“I made a critical mistake 35 years ago, and I try to walk away from it, but I end up coming back”: Why George Lynch is back with his band
Just when he thought he was out, they pulled him back in. Or something like that, as new album Dancing with the Devil finds the former Dokken alpha-shredder chasing lightning in bottle
Eric Bibb pays tribute to blues pioneer Muddy Waters in new single – taken from upcoming album with John Mayer and Paul McCartney collaborator
The second single from Bibb's forthcoming album is named after Muddy Waters, and he and guitarist Robbie McIntosh put on a rootsy blues masterclass atop an irresistible groove
The Tube Screamer is one of the most iconic overdrives ever. It’s just been reinvented by the pedal pioneer who first developed it
The TWA Source Code is a "next-gen" TS-style drive that looks to level up the original design
Martin is making replicas of the finest acoustic guitars it’s ever made – at $150,000 apiece
Martin has launched Project 91, a series of acoustics based on individual classic pieces from its archive, meticulously recreated and built to the original spec – and it has unveiled the first four models in the run
Marcin fights ‘fake playing’ claims with new music video – but it doesn’t quite go according to plan
The percussive acoustic virtuoso responded to the naysayers with a video to show he is the real deal
Best beginner bass guitars 2025: top starter basses for beginners
The best beginner basses for young players, newcomers, and the budget-conscious, picked by our experts – featuring Yamaha, Squier, Ibanez and more
Stevie Salas on being asked to join David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar’s bands – and why he turned them down
For a “Van Halen nut” like Salas, it was all too weird
Yungblud, Dream Theater, Wet Leg, Turnstile among guitar’s heavy hitters at the 2026 Grammy nominations
There are no guitar-led artists in the AOTY shortlist but there's no shortage of guitar talent here, including Joe Bonamassa, Billy Strings, Buddy Guy, Larkin Poe, and Deftones
Rick Beato was offered the chance to play guitars from Eric Johnson, Peter Frampton and Larry Carlton – here’s why he turned them down
What would you do if Frampton handed you his black Les Paul? Beato? He handed it right back
Wolfgang Van Halen on the panic attack he suffered on the way to his Metallica support – and how it inspired his new album
Flying out to Mexico City, Wolfgang felt his body betray him – a terrifying experience that turned out kinda useful when writing The End
Best bass strings 2025: Optimize tone, feel and lifespan
Our expert pick of strings to bring the low-end thunder from Ernie Ball, D’Addario, Rotosound and more
Scotland’s Kenny’s Music is the latest guitar shop chain to close its doors – despite strong sales figures
Kenny’s had a physical presence in Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Dunfermline and its closure continues a worrying trend that has seen UK gear heavyweights GAK and PMT go to the wall
Manson Guitar Works' debut fuzz pedal is here, but will Matt Bellamy’s high-end boutique stompbox be worth the wait?
Co-designed by the Muse frontman, designed to go into your amp or direct to desk, and built in partnership with Thorpy FX, the Supermassive Black Fuzz is a lot of pedal – and it ain't cheap
![Dave Mustaine of Megadeth [left] plays his signature Gibson Flying V live. On the right, an archive pic of Metallica frontman James Hetfield playing his white V copy, in his element circa 1984](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZsDUCbn7ybdedwDKg7VxW6-840-80.jpg.webp)
