Latest articles by Matt Owen
Ricky Byrd on the disastrous Joan Jett gig where they were wrongly accused of stealing gear – and the audience turned on them
Byrd and Jett were on the road with Scorpions at the time – and it’s not a gig that brings back fond memories
“A Katana killer? The jury’s still out, but one thing’s for sure – this is a great addition to the ID range”: Blackstar ID:X 50 review
Blackstar is gunning for the Katana crown and has launched a new modeling amp that it thinks will be worthy of the title
Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto is on a mission to win back guitar players’ trust
These are uncertain times for brick-and-mortar guitar stores, but Dalporto is leading the fight back against unprecedented competition for guitar stores – and he thinks he’s found a winning formula
“Thought the DIY pedal trend had run its course? Think again”: All the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week
A rival for Positive Grid, Walrus Audio's wild take on the looper pedal, an affordable build-it-yourself fuzz pedal and more...
How Ola Strandberg went from midlife crisis to revolutionizing headless guitars – and what he thinks could be next
When he burned out in the IT world, Strandberg rekindled his passion for guitar building via secret sessions in his employer’s workshop. The guitar industry hasn’t been the same since. He explains why it will keep changing
“Nuno Bettencourt isn’t the only one keeping Eddie Van Halen’s fire burning – the most underrated guitarist on the planet just gave him a run for his money”: July 2025 Guitar World Editors' Picks
New cuts from Deftones, Big Wreck, Wet Leg, Eric Gales and more...
Could PRS ever make a headless guitar?
Strandberg, Ibanez and Schecter have all been flying the flag for headless designs – could PRS be next?
Johnny Depp joins Alice Cooper onstage to cover Black Sabbath’s Paranoid in honor of Ozzy Osbourne
Depp and his Gibson Flying V lined up alongside Cooper and Nita Strauss for the performance
Fake Guitar Center websites set up to scam players are on the rise – here’s what you need to look out for
A player was recently scammed out of $1,000 after falling prey to a scam website – and the retailer’s CEO has shared the red flags you need to be mindful of
Pantera cancel tour dates to mourn Ozzy Osbourne
The Black Sabbath singer passed away earlier this month, weeks after completing his Back to the Beginning farewell show
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
Victor Wooten opens up on his battle with the health condition that he says is turning him into a beginner bass player again
The revered bassist is battling focal dystonia – a neurological movement disorder that causes his fretting fingers to curl up
This is all the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – and I think I've been convinced to finally go wireless
All-new drops from PRS, Furch, Victory and more
How Eurythmics legend Dave Stewart became friends with Bob Dylan – after what he thought was a prank call
Stewart was alone in the studio when he received a call from what he thought was prankster
Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarists through the years
The Black Sabbath frontman shared stage and studio with a pantheon of guitar greats, and made household names out of many of his six-string sideman
Ozzy Osbourne, 1948-2025 – the guitar world pays tribute
Zakk Wylde, Tom Morello, Yungblud, Slash, Ronnie Wood and more have all come out to remember the life and legacy of the legendary singer
Ozzy Osbourne has died aged 76
The legendary heavy metal singer has passed away just weeks after his Back to the Beginning farewell show
Zach Myers’ heavy relic’d PRS John Mayer Silver Sky has given him so much grief he might burn it
Myers got the jump on PRS when he started playing a relic'd pink Silver Sky – before the official Roxy Pink version came out
Paul McCartney gave Robbie McIntosh a guitar lesson on their first meeting – and showed him how to play a Beatles classic properly
The pair would come full circle and perform the song together years later during an MTV Unplugged session
Guitar Center introduces Rig Advisor, the guitar world’s first-ever AI shopping assistant
Rig Advisor leverages artificial intelligence in a bid to enhance the in-store shopping experience
Tommy Emmanuel knocked on the door of his biggest guitar hero – and ended up jamming with him
The acoustic virtuoso took a pilgrimage to Nashville and swung by the house of his hero, and came away having learned a lesson he still holds close to this day
PRS turned unwanted wood into some of its best guitar finishes – including the one found on Paul Reed Smith’s go-to guitar
Emerald Green and Charcoal – two of the firm’s most eye-popping offerings – were stumbled upon by accident
This is all the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – and there’s a dreamy Stratocaster/Jazzmaster hybrid
An Ariel Posen signature Strat, Jimmy Page’s latest Sundragon amp and a reissue of Metallica's hallowed IIC++ all dropped during a busy week for guitar gear
Mark Knopfler looks back on his jams with fellow fingerstyle legend Chet Atkins
The pair traded licks after the release of Brothers in Arms, and went on to release an album together
Mesa/Boogie’s Mark IIC++ was used by Metallica to shape the sound of 1980s metal – and now it’s been released for the first time ever
Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield's Crunch Berries amp, which was only ever made as an unofficial mod exclusive only to artists, gets its first-ever wide release
