Latest articles by Matt Owen
The TONEX One is the best-selling amp modeler and you can bag it for $149 at Guitar Center – trust me, this is one deal you don’t want to miss
See what all the fuss is about and pick up the most popular new amp modeler for a steal at Guitar Center
“The perfect marriage of Aerosmith and the Cult. An Aerocult, if you will”: November 2025 Guitar World Editors’ Picks
The new guitar music that GW editors have been obsessed with this month: fresh names, old hands and trailblazing players
I played a John Mayer Silver Sky for the first time ever this year and it blew me away. With 20% of all PRS SE and Core guitars at Guitar Center for Black Friday, I’m *this close* to getting one of my own
Yes, the five-star SE NF 53 – already one of the best sub-$1k guitars on the market – is also included
My bandmate gigged this Walrus Audio amp simulator and his tone was better than mine. Now its upgraded successor is $90 off for Black Friday and I’m about to join him
You can also score an insane $200 off some of Walrus Audio's First Gen Mako Series pedals – including an R1 High-Fidelity Reverb for just $149.99
Steve Vai has reimagined Brian May’s Red Special in his own vision with the help of a UK boutique guitar builder
The 'Vai Special' puts a distinct spin on May's legendary guitar, and was meticulously spec'd by Vai himself – with a few Ibanez JEM inspirations to boot
All the guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including the unmissable Black Friday gear discounts I’m eyeing up
The Kilt celebrates its 10th birthday, Fractal goes up against IK Multimedia and Line 6, and Tom DeLonge reaches for the stars (literally)
Neural DSP just gave players 2 huge reasons to switch to the Nano and Quad Cortex
Neural V2 Capture ushers in a whole new era of amp modeling for the company
Fractal goes up against IK Multimedia and Line 6 with the AM4 – its most affordable and user-friendly amp modeler to date
With a new UI and Axe-Fx III at its core, the AM4 becomes the perfect entry point to the Fractal ecosystem
Joe Bonamassa’s new signature amp has landed – and it’s been built by a renowned disciple of Howard Dumble
The Fuchs JB-ODS was originally conceived as a go-to gigging combo for small club shows – but it developed into something more
Great White guitarist Mark Kendall reveals Stage 4 cancer diagnosis
Kendall says he's being treated by a world class team of doctors and early signs are positive
Wolfgang Van Halen names the 2 classic rock tracks he plays to test any electric guitar
Forget the forbidden riffs and the flashy taps. Wolfgang finds it's better to keep things simple...
All the guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including a reissue of one of Gibson’s most sought-after signature models
Mark Lettieri's irresistible Fiore gets an HH makeover, John Petrucci's baritone signature makes its long-awaited return, and the Line 6 Helix Stadium XL finally arrives...
Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian has spent 3 years learning how to build guitars – and his prized SG was played at metal’s most historic concert
Gueikian has juggled the demands of his CEO role with learning the art of guitar making, and his builds already have some high-profile admirers – including Jason Momoa, Kirk Hammett and Tony Iommi
Dave Grohl’s DG-335 is one of Gibson’s most in-demand signature models – and now it’s back in an elusive new finish
The wildly popular Trini Lopez/ES-335 hybrid is back – and it's styled after the model Grohl has been playing on stages since 2021
Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, legendary Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist, dies
The influential bassist, who helped shape the groove rock scene of the 1990s, had announced a tour days prior to his death
First images of a Gary Moore tribute statue have been released
The project, which has been in the works for the past few years, is nearing completion
Players have waited months for Line 6’s next-gen Helix Stadium Floor XL to be released – now, the next-gen amp modeler is finally shipping
Redesigned from the ground up with all-new modeling tech and UI upgrades, the Helix Stadium XL was first unveiled by Line 6 back in June
This insane Jaws guitar was made using thousands of tiny pieces of paper from Guitar World magazines – now it’s going up for auction
The intricately decorated Ibanez was featured in Guitar World back in 2013 after Trey Xavier spent hours putting it together
Jacob Collier taught me how to play his 5-string guitar – but I learned so much more than just new shapes and tunings
A crash course in Collier's eye-opening 5-string guitar doubled as a deep-dive into his playing philosophy
Ed Sheeran donates Lowden acoustics to UK school following surprise visit
The multi-Grammy winner visited a school in Belfast to support the musical education of its students
All the guitar gear that caught my eye this week – and the new launches you might have missed
Johnny Marr's latest reinvention of the Fender Jaguar, another pedal inspired by Mk.gee's oddball rig choices, the ultimate evolution of the Tube Screamer and so much more...
Sam Ryder reunites with his childhood guitar teacher after 20 years – and invites him to play at one of the most iconic music venues in the world
Ryder was reunited with his first and only guitar teacher by surprise
Why some of the most famous Fenders are so heavily worn, according to a Custom Shop Masterbuilder
Dale Wilson attempts to solve the mystery of why vintage Fenders played by big-name artists have so much gnarly wear
