Latest articles by Matt Owen
John McLaughlin remembers gifting Jeff Beck the white Strat that featured on his seminal Wired record
The iconic Strat was reportedly stolen at a later date
Perry Bamonte, guitarist for The Cure, dies aged 65
Bamonte served two stints with the gothic rock institution, and can be heard on some of their biggest hits
How a woman's dress caused Buddy Guy to accidentally stumble upon guitar feedback
The blues veteran’s approach to playing was changed forever after a random occurrence during an unassuming gig at a Chicago jam night
The Guitar World reviews team's gear of the year 2025
Platinum Award-winners, forward-thinkers and new classics from our favourite guitars, amps, effects, plugins, bass gear and more
Chris Rea, Driving Home For Christmas singer and slide guitar maestro, dies aged 74
The underrated guitar star blended blues, gospel, soul and more across 25 solo albums
Megadeth shares new single ahead of farewell record – and it’s a shred guitar celebration
Let There Be Shred finds Teemu Mäntysaari playing like a man possessed – and Dave Mustaine doing karate in the music video
All the guitar gear that caught my eye this week – including a watershed plugin that the internet can’t stop talking about
Who needs a Dumble when you have Archetype: John Mayer X?
25 reasons why 2025 was a great year for guitar
Historic shows, a once-in-a-lifetime reunion, generational guitar talents, tonal revolutions, watershed gear drops… we won’t spoil it at all here, but a lot has happened
Höfner, the famed instrument maker behind Paul McCartney’s iconic Violin Bass, reportedly files for bankruptcy
The firm was founded in 1887, and designed the legendary Violin Bass that became Macca’s go-to in the Beatles and beyond
Nuno Bettencourt gave his new guitar brand its debut at Back to the Beginning – but Washburn had no idea it existed
The Extreme icon took to the stage at Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell show with a guitar that no-one – not even the brand he had played for 35 years – knew about
Neural DSP unveils Archetype: John Mayer X – a landmark signature plugin that brings the guitar great’s tones to the masses
In a milestone moment for modeling, the new plugin offers models of Mayer's go-to amps, pedals and effects – Dumbles, Two Rocks and Klons included
Biffy Clyro bassist James Johnston steps back from band to address mental health and addiction issues
The band's founding bassist will take some time away to receive professional help when the Scottish alt-rock giants go on tour next year
“As a compact amp modeler/cab simulator/Capture device, this is perhaps the best option out there, screen or no screen”: Neural DSP Nano Cortex review
Review update: includes NanOS 2.2.0 firmware update and long-term live testing
Rob Reiner and wife found dead at their LA home
Authorities have opened a homicide investigation after the couple were found dead in their home on Sunday
All the guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including a follow-up to the internet-breaking Bad Monkey story
It's pedal mania this week, with new drops from Strymon, JHS Pedals, and DigiTech – but a long-awaited replica of Tom Morello's legendary Rage Against the Machine guitar steals the spotlight
Gretsch Streamliner Jet 1 Pickup
An affordable, uber-cool workhorse guitar that packs a lot of punch despite its streamlined spec sheet
Raul Malo – genre-blending frontman for The Mavericks – dies aged 60
The history-making Malo – who merged together a huge body of influences to produce a truly singular sound – leaves behind a formidable legacy
This late rock guitar legend doesn’t get the credit he fully deserves, according to Paul Rodgers
The two guitar greats shared stages and studios, but Rodgers believes his former bandmate’s multi-faceted guitar chops are oft-overlooked
A forgotten design for the Big Muff 2 spent 50 years buried in dust – JHS Pedals and Electro-Harmonix unearthed it and turned it into a reality
During a research trip for his new book, Josh Scott stumbled upon a never-before-seen circuit drawing that offered an alternate take on the Op-Amp Big Muff concept
Modelers out-sold traditional amps and combos in 2025 – but the war between the two might not be over just yet
Reverb's end-of-year sales stats make for interesting reading with regard to the current state of the amp modeler vs. tube amp debate
The DigiTech Bad Monkey broke the internet with its Klon-aping antics – now it’s back and badder than ever before
The unassuming budget overdrive sent the gear world into a frenzy when JHS Pedals' Josh Scott pitted it against a Klon Centaur – and the differences were borderline indistinguishable
John Mayer names his favorite solo with Dead & Company – and plays it live on air
Mayer was asked the question during his Life with John Mayer SiriusXM show, and he just so happened to have a Silver Sky in hand to answer it
All the guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including the onset of a new digital era for EVH
A landmark update for the Tone Master Pro, a new digital 5150III combo, and a signature capsule for Iron Maiden all landed this week
