Latest articles by Matt Owen
How Adrian Belew ended up working with Nine Inch Nails – and why their plans for a tour never came to be
The King Crimson legend worked on The Downward Spiral with Reznor, but a planned tour never took place
Fender’s John Osborne Telecaster brings the B-Bender back to its ranks for the first time in over 20 years
Fender’s first-ever in-house B-Bender mechanism makes its debut on one of the firm’s most eye-popping Telecasters
Fender secures legal ruling to protect the Stratocaster body design
Fender says the ruling creates enforceable rights against any guitars using the Stratocaster body shape that are manufactured, sold or distributed into Germany or other countries of the European Union
Why Kim Gordon has stopped playing the bass – despite being an icon of the instrument
Gordon's work with Sonic Youth cemented her reputation as a modern pioneer of the bass guitar – but she hasn't picked one up in over 10 years
All the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including the angriest fuzz pedal you will ever come across
Plenty of new pedals, amps and more from the likes of Epiphone, IK Multimedia, Fender, Laney, Mesa/Boogie and beyond...
Her manager didn’t like him. But Doug Pettibone grinded to land his dream gig with Lucinda Williams
Pettibone cut his teeth playing with Jewel and Tracy Chapman – but when he heard Williams was looking for a new guitarist, he knew he had to get the spot
Joe Bonamassa leads tributes for musical troubadour John Hammond, who has died aged 83
The prolific blues great once had Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton both sit in with his band
Joe Satriani on the guitar ace he recommended for the Guns N’ Roses gig
Axl Rose was on the lookout for a player who could match Buckethead's ability and eccentricity – and Satch knew just who to call
Marshall pledges to donate a percentage of gear sales to support grassroots venues
Amplify is a new, free-to-join membership scheme that continues Marshall's work of supporting grassroots venues and local music communities
The hottest new guitar gear releases of February 2026 – according to Guitar World readers
GW readers have been voting for their favorite gear drops of the month – this is what you picked
Joe Bonamassa is cutting back on his gear collecting habit
Bonamassa was forced to rethink his collection following the LA wildfires last year
Eric Clapton announces US tour – and he’s bringing another blues guitar hero on the road with him
Nathan East and Doyle Bramhall II will make up Slowhand's band for the short run later this year
That time Joe Perry had to rescue a broken guitar from Steven Tyler in the middle of an Aerosmith gig
The guitar almost met a gruesome end before Perry stepped in
February 2026 Guitar World Editors’ Picks
Two generations of virtuosos – Steve Vai and Matteo Mancuso – join forces, Midwest Emo GOATs American Football return, Anna Calvi works wonders with her Telecaster, Mateus Asato gives us long-awaited instrumental bliss, and Angine de Poitrine deliver, uh, “Dada-Pythago-Cubist Mantra-rock” – all this and much, much more
All the guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including a firm-first from my favorite pedal brand
New drops from Gibson, Ernie Ball Music Man, JHS Pedals and more
"A successful first foray into amp and effects modeler floorboards for the firm, which has a really bright future in the space": Blackstar ID:X Floor One review
Blackstar becomes the latest in a long line of companies to develop a floorboard-based amp modeler rig solution – and it's gone about it in the perfect way
Michael Anthony on how the new Van Halen album should be finished
The former VH bassist has had his say on the upcoming record, which is being worked on by Alex Van Halen and Steve Lukather
Iron Maiden, Oasis, Jeff Buckley and Melissa Etheridge lead Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2026 nominations
Billy Idol, INXS, Joy Division and Shakira are also up for induction
Metallica announces Sphere residency – and they’ll be spared from the issues all other guitar bands have faced so far
John Mayer, Bob Weir, Trey Anastasio and The Edge have all been confronted the same issue when playing at the Sphere – but it should be a smoother ride for Metallica
All the guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including the most metal Jackson out there
A full-circle signature for Gary Clark Jr., as well as a potentially game-changing innovation from 3rd Power, headline this week's round-up
Alex Van Halen says a new Van Halen record was virtually finished before Eddie passed away
The Van Halen drummer has also shed more light on Steve Lukather's involvement in the project
Why Nile Rodgers and John Mayer’s collaboration was derailed – because of a Rolling Stones album
Rodgers and Mayer swapped albums ahead of a potential partnership – but their differing tastes at the time meant it all fell apart
John Mayer opens up on his early Dead & Company insecurities
The Grateful Dead icon, who passed away in January, became one of Mayer's closest collaborators during the latter years of his career
"A triumphant first all-analog pedal from Strymon, which will inject your rig with some impressively usable and versatile drive tones": Strymon Fairfax Class A Output Stage Drive pedal review
Strymon's unexpected departure from its usual DSP-led design is a recreation of Randy Bachman's Garnet Herzog – and the result is something rather stellar
Joe Satriani’s amp builder has released a potentially game-changing pickup system – which gives players the power to choose where their gain is created
3rd Power's MagFRAG system has been channeled into two new pickup lines that could give players unprecedented tonal control
