Latest articles by Matt Owen
Fender’s credit rating downgraded by Moody’s – with operating costs speculated to rise by $20 million
A new report from the credit rating analyst has found Fender to be at risk from increased operational costs that have been brought on by new tariffs
D’Wayne Wiggins, influential Tony! Toni! Toné! guitarist who helped pioneer neo soul, dies aged 64
Wiggins founded Tony! Toni! Toné! with his brother Raphael Saadiq, and later established a label that worked to support emerging artists
We finally have our first official look at the first Dime Guitarz model
The Dime Guitarz project has been teased for years, but the arrival of the new firm’s debut model seems imminent
Morgan Amps says new tariffs will add up to $1,000 to the price of its amp heads
A lengthy social media post from the US firm’s founder highlights how the increased cost of materials will impact production and consumer costs of Morgan Amps
Amanda Seyfried shows off her dulcimer chops as she covers a Joni Mitchell classic on Jimmy Fallon
The Mamma Mia star learned the dulcimer during the pandemic, and paid homage to one of her heroes with a cover of California
Jacob Collier’s five-string Strandberg is proving the doubters wrong – it’s outselling the six-string version
The headless five-string certainly turned a few heads when it first emerged last year, but it’s proven to be an absolute hit
How Guitar Center plans to beat its online competitors and safeguard the future of its physical stores
Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto has laid out the retailer’s plans to win the trust of prospective customers in the face of unprecedented online competition
Phil X on playing Livin’ on a Prayer with Richie Sambora – and how his predecessor plays the Bon Jovi classic differently
Two eras of Bon Jovi combined during a recent LA benefit concert, when Phil X and Sambora shared the stage with Orianthi and Matt Sorum for a rendition of the classic hit
Gibson’s new Acoustic Specials series brings hand-crafted examples of its most beloved acoustic designs to lower price points
Newly minted takes on the Hummingbird, L-00 and J-45 templates look to offer USA Gibson acoustics at more accessible prices
Nita Strauss on the Swedish melodic death metal group she considers her “Beatles”
The guitar hero selected one of the band’s tracks while running through the five riffs that changed her life
Fender has announced its latest surprise brand collab – a St. Patrick’s Day Telecaster created with Jameson Irish Whiskey
The extra-green Telecaster has been served with an ideal pairing in the form of a celebratory St. Patrick’s Day Tone Master Princeton Reverb
Tom Morello is honoring one of Ozzy’s greatest collaborators at the Sabbath legend’s final show
Osbourne’s last show will take place later this year, and Morello – the event’s musical director – will take the opportunity to pay tribute to one of the finest guitar players of all time
Before Andy Fairweather Low joined George Harrison’s band, the Beatle was eyeing up Gary Moore and Alvin Lee
The prolific session player joined Harrison for his 1991 tour of Japan, but it turns out he was rather low on the pecking order when the Beatles legend came to assembling his band
February 2025 Guitar World Editors’ Picks
A round-up of the best new guitar releases from the month of Feb, with new cuts from Sam Fender, Tash Sultana, Los Pirañas, and... Buddy Guy and Switchfoot?
“We’re guitar players. The reason we’re designing gear is we’re making things that we wish existed”: Tosin Abasi is pushing the boundaries of progressive music and guitar gear on multiple fronts – and he’s got no plans to slow down
The Animals As Leaders and Abasi Concepts mastermind on upcoming music, his favorite new players, switching from modelers to tube amps, and why he might not be ready to record a blues album just yet
Steve Vai, Eric Johnson and Joe Satriani share the secrets behind 3 instrumental epics in these exclusive Guitar World lessons
The three G3 virtuosos break down hits both classic and modern to celebrate the release of the G3 Reunion Live album
Tommy Thayer emerged in a scene of shredders and guitar heroes – but the style they pioneered never appealed to him
The Kiss guitar player was surrounded by shredders in an era of evolution for guitar music, but felt a stronger affinity for what came before
Lost chords that George Harrison wrote down before his passing have been turned into a new song
For the Love of George is taken from a new George Harrison tribute album, which was recorded using the late Beatle’s own guitars
Gibson’s latest Certified Vintage drop offers a fascinating insight into the firm’s forgotten Superstrat era
A host of experimental builds – constructed against the backdrop of the supercharged guitar evolution that defined the 1980s – headline the latest collection of archive finds
Joe Bonamassa, Gibson’s Tom Murphy and all-star gear specialists reveal how to spot a fake Les Paul
YouTuber Robert Baker put a fake Les Paul on the workbench, and let the guitar experts have their say
Strymon’s new EC-1 was modeled after an iconic tape echo unit
Strymon got its hands on an Echoplex EP-2 that had been modded by Stevie Ray Vaughan's old tech, and used it to mastermind its latest compact stompbox
Orangewood comes under fire for its Juniper rubber bridge guitars
The firm has been accused of “ripping off” the instruments pioneered by Reuben Cox of Old Style Guitar Shop
Fender outlines the future of Squier after the launch of its new Standard Series – which is built in the same factory
The Standard Series further closed the gap between Fender and Squier – but would Fender ever put its name on the entire production line, from entry level to Custom Shop?
Matteo Mancuso has played with Joe Bonamassa and Steve Vai, but he’s already got his eye on his next dream collaborator – and a signature Revstar
Mancuso took the guitar world by storm when he first burst onto the scene in 2023, but now he's looking forward to a new album, even more high-profile collaborations, and maybe even his first-ever signature guitar…
