Jonathan Horsley
Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to publications including Guitar World, MusicRadar and Total Guitar. 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.
Latest articles by Jonathan Horsley

“It’s like John Scofield took acid”: Steve Vai’s tech shares the story behind the virtuoso’s psychedelic semi-hollow
By Jonathan Horsley published
Scofield's signature model has had a radical makeover for Vai’s semi-hollow moment – and we're not just talking about that stunning swirled finish

D’Angelico has given its Premier semi-hollows a makeover for 2023 – and they look absolutely stunning
By Jonathan Horsley published
D’Angelico’s SS, DC and Mini DC are all refreshed for 2023 and sport the classic Art Deco features of the storied NY brand and some seriously tasty finishes

“It shows that you’re really smart when you do stuff that’s not 4/4”: Join George Lynch in the studio as he records Guitars at the End of the World
By Jonathan Horsley published
Mr. Scary fans, check out this behind-the-scenes studio doc, because A) The playing is ridiculous and B) a Lynch movie is always worth watching…

Is this the world’s most expensive guitar string? An Epiphone string Paul McCartney used to record the Beatles’ Rubber Soul is expected to fetch over $5,000 at auction
By Jonathan Horsley published
We often talk about the over-heated vintage guitar market, but the madness has come for secondhand strings now Macca’s is headed to the auction block

“We can do things with a Fractal that we can’t do with a real amp”: Kirk Hammett’s guitar tech reveals why Metallica converted to Axe-Fx
By Jonathan Horsley published
The Bay Area metal behemoths’ 2013 Freeze ‘Em All gig in Antarctica opened their eyes – and ears – to the potential of digital amp modeling

Boss releases its first noise suppressor pedal since 1987 – and it’s not just for high-gain metal and djent
By Jonathan Horsley published
The NS-1X uses Multi-Dimensional Processing to kill noise without killing dynamics, and has a trio of modes to suit your style

Tone King unveils the Royalist MkIII, promising a greatest hits of vintage non-master-volume Marshall tube amps
By Jonathan Horsley published
God save the Tone King, cry Marshall enthusiasts as the U.S. boutique builder goes all in with the search for reference-quality British tone

“I play the guitar every day. It’s where I go for solace”: Paul Simon shares the challenges of his unexpected hearing loss
By Jonathan Horsley published
The legendary songwriter said he was beginning to accept his condition but is actively investigating how he can tour and perform his new album, Seven Psalms, onstage

Blackstar just launched some of the most versatile mid-priced tube amps on the market
By Jonathan Horsley published
The HT Venue MKIII lineup borrows the recording-friendly features of the St. James and Amped range to make it a powerhouse option for stage or studio – and the new looks are pretty smart, too

“To embody Jimmy Page, I need the tone, the guitar performance and the emotions to come together”: Akio Sakurai aka Mr. Jimmy has spent 30 years honing the perfect Led Zeppelin guitar sound. As he explains, “tone is the most important thing”
By Jonathan Horsley published
In this exclusive clip from new documentary Mr. Jimmy, Sakurai’s lifelong dedication to mastering Jimmy Page’s tone, playing style and look is laid bare

Joe Bonamassa brings out his legendary Bolin ‘Burst to tear through Deep Purple classics with Glenn Hughes and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith
By Jonathan Horsley published
Fan-shot footage captures Bonamassa joining the Voice of Rock for an epic jam on Mistreated, with Smith’s rhythm powering them all through Burn and Highway Star

“The highly coveted Bourgeois tone is now within reach of more players than ever before”: The Country Boy is US boutique builder Bourgeois’ latest groundbreaking collab with Eastman Guitars in China
By Jonathan Horsley published
Bourgeois Guitars has added a mahogany-bodied orchestra model and dreadnought to its more attainable Touchstone Series

Eluveitie’s Jonas Wolf has a “lean and mean” signature Solar Type V – it’s called the Wolfmaster, has a kill switch, and a headstock to take your eye out
By Jonathan Horsley published
A workhorse in wolf’s clothing, this Type V is not playing around

Gibson SG Standard ’61 Ebony review – an all-time classic, back in black
By Jonathan Horsley published
A truly quintessential version of the guitar beloved by Angus Young, Tony Iommi and Derek Trucks

“I’m just going to keep going till I can’t”: Saxon co-founder and former guitarist Graham Oliver diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease
By Jonathan Horsley published
The NWOBHM pioneer’s guitar career has survived a severed finger and a mini-stroke, and he is not prepared to call time on it now

“I would have gotten bored, and that would have been dangerous”: Marc Ford explains why he turned down Guns N’ Roses in favor of the Black Crowes
By Jonathan Horsley published
Ford says even Slash agreed that it would not have suited him to simply play back-up in GNR when he was asked to replace Izzy Stradlin

Supro just made a 1x12 version of its bedroom, studio and vintage tone-friendly Amulet tube amp
By Jonathan Horsley published
It’s the Amulet you know and love – tube-driven reverb and tremolo, switchable power, mojo off the scale – but now it’s got a 12” Celestion Creamback

“A fully customizable amp-in-a-box experience”: Has Catalinbread’s Dirty Little Secret Deluxe just redefined amp-like overdrive pedals?
By Jonathan Horsley published
The Dirty Little Secret ain’t so little anymore as Catalinbread launches what it calls “the ultimate Marshall Plexi emulation”, complete with onboard boost and preamp tube sim

“115 effects and tools to ignite your imagination and shape your sound”: Native Instruments updates its flagship amp and effects plugin with Guitar Rig Pro 7
By Jonathan Horsley published
There are four new amps, five new pedals, an all-new loop station, and a heap of rackmounted hardware tools for shaping your sound

“What’s a Spark?!” Paul Gilbert was so blown away by his students’ guitar tone, he became a Positive Grid convert – despite his “limited brain power”
By Jonathan Horsley published
We have Gilbert’s army of aspiring shredders to thank for his new limited-edition signature Spark Mini – the super-collectible digital amp for Gilbert and Dio fans

“People were saying, ‘Oh, Led Zeppelin’s gone acoustic.’ Well, what happened to your ears on the first and second album?” How Jimmy Page redefined the role of acoustic guitar in rock
By Jonathan Horsley published
Led Zeppelin might have taken electric guitar to bold new places, but the acoustic was no second-stringer in their sound – and Page’s desire to unplug was there from the start

The Keith Richards riff machine is still in fine working order as the Rolling Stones return with new single Angry
By Jonathan Horsley published
The first single from long-awaited new studio album Hackney Diamonds proves that after all these years no-one does rock 'n' roll guitar quite like the Stones

A 150-year-old Martin acoustic is up for sale on Reverb – and it’s surprisingly attainable and 100 percent playable
By Jonathan Horsley published
The compact 1-21 must have some tales to tell, and it’s in such good condition that it’s got plenty more songs in it yet

“It’s just meant to be a rock machine”: YouTube star Ryan ‘Fluff’ Bruce hooks up with Ernie Ball Music Man for a StingRay signature model that’s more versatile than you might expect
By Jonathan Horsley published
Equipped with Fluff’s signature Fishman pickups, this limited-run StingRay comes in two finishes: Aqua Sparkle and, brilliantly, Tealy Dan

“The fact that Fender is so passionate about making the Hellcat still blows my mind”: Tim Armstrong's signature acoustic has a new Checkerboard look
By Jonathan Horsley published
Meet the new-look Tim Armstrong Hellcat – same as the old Tim Armstrong Hellcat, but with an all-new two-tone finish
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