Latest articles by Jonathan Horsley
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)
Dave Mustaine reveals why Megadeth are covering Metallica on their final album
Megadeth's new album will find Mustaine and co playing a Metallica classic, co-written by Mustaine in the early days, and MegaDave promises us we've never heard Ride the Lightning like this before
Putting the HSS into SRV? Ibanez’s new AZ signature model is like the voodoo child of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s #1 Strat
Ibanez teams up Chinese guitar virtuoso Gaofunk for a classy MIJ Prestige series S-style that's giving us GAS big-time
How Rudy Sarzo said no to Sharon Osbourne and still got the Ozzy gig – with a little help from Randy Rhoads
The former Quiet Riot and Ozzy bassist recalls how he turned down the offer of an audition, immediately regretted it, and got the second chance of all second chances
Best clip-on guitar tuners 2025: 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
Mark Knopfler looks back on Brothers in Arms – Dire Straits’ “sheer fluke” that made him a reluctant superstar
Brothers In Arms reinvented Knopfler and gave him more fame than he could handle. 40 years on, in a rare interview, the band look back on the biggest rock album of the '80s
The guitar world pays tribute to the late Ace Frehley – the Spaceman who took Kiss into orbit
Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons lead tributes to the Kiss co-founder and larger-than-life former lead guitarist, who has died, aged 74
Gene Simmons rushed to hospital after reportedly losing consciousness and crashing his SUV into a parked vehicle
The God of Thunder is doing okay now
“Ibanez has broken the rules of conventional guitar design. Pick it up and break the rules of guitar playing”: Ibanez Q54W review
It's like all the cool kids are saying, if you want to get ahead, get a headless guitar
Buckethead reflects on his time in Guns N’ Roses as Slash pays tribute to the elusive virtuoso
The man with the bucket on his head and magic in his fingers says an emotional thank you to Slash after the rock icon described his guitar playing as “next level”
Scott Reeder on the time he auditioned for Metallica – after Lars Ulrich cold-called him
Reeder didn't get the Metallica gig but the stoner-rock bass icon got a helluva story out of it – and the silver medal in the metal Olympics
Dweezil Zappa finally gets his hands on the viral cardboard Strat and cooks up a crazy psych-rock rager for the occasion
The Cardboard Sessions come to Dweezil’s Hikari Studios and he cooks up a track on the spot with his band on cardboard instruments
All the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week, featuring Manson, Martin, Ibanez, Positive Grid, and more
PRS, Boss, a trio of sweet, sweet fuzz boxes, and the guitar plugin that gets AI to do the tone seeking for you? It's just another week in gear
“We’ve had some progression in the case, thanks to all the tips you guys have been sending in”: Gibson has found an ES-345 that Michael J. Fox played in Back to the Future – but it’s not the one they’re really looking for
Gibson's Mark Agnesi says they have found the ES-345 from the Back to the Future Part Two, but that is helping them eliminate false leads in the hunt for the O.G. McFly guitar
Ibanez and Bernth team up for a classy high-performance signature electric that makes you play “faster” and “cleaner”
Is this the guitar that makes you a better player? The Austrian virtuoso believes it will, and it’s got multi-voice signature Fishmans that give you more core tones than you have days in the week
Remembering the night tres hombres by the name of John Mayer, Slash and Billy Gibbons gave ZZ Top’s La Grange a triple-guitar glow-up
Iconic headgear, iconic players, a gnarly Texan blues-rock groove and a legendary all-star guitar jam came to Hollywood’s House of Blues in 2009
Daron Malakian on the time his prized Gibson was swiped from the stage – while System of a Down were headlining Ozzfest
It’s a lesson that your gear isn’t safe anywhere – even when it is onstage with you and you’re at the top of the bill
Jacob Collier’s new album is a love letter to the guitar – and alternate tunings
When tuned to DAEAD, the songs just fall out of the guitar for the musical super-genius – and his new album The Light For Days is a vehicle for showing what the instrument can do
Would you keep your loved one’s cremated remains in an acoustic guitar?
KapSoul has unveiled an urn that you mount inside an acoustic guitar and is backed by an “Eternal Warranty”
![1991, a historic moment for electric guitar as Joe Satriani [pictured in a ball cap] jammed onstage with Spinal Tap, who are pictured here with Nigel Tufnel on the far left with a T-style, Derek Smalls in a yellow T-shirt with a headless bass, while a pouting David St. Hubbins cradles a Les Paul.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9jG3kJPyDZPNsUVv7e3CYP-840-80.jpg.webp)
