Matt Owen
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
Latest articles by Matt Owen
Fender partners with video game franchise Monster Hunter for a wild Telecaster that glows red in the dark – and has a literal scratchplate
By Matt Owen published
Fender's latest foray into the world of video games has resulted in one its most striking special-edition Teles yet
Epiphone has brought back its quirky cult classic 1970s Grabber bass beloved by Gene Simmons, Krist Novoselic and Mike Dirnt
By Matt Owen published
The double-cut four-string was a hit back in the 1970s, and finally makes a triumphant return in the form of a more affordable Inspired by Gibson Epiphone reissue
Keith Urban on what it’s like to play through the Dumble that John Mayer used during his blues trio days
By Matt Owen published
Urban is in possession of the Overdrive Reverb that helped Mayer launch his blues trio project back in the early ’00s
New Eddie Van Halen documentary traces the guitar journey that led him to create the Frankenstein – and it's narrated by the man himself
By Matt Owen published
From Van Halen's first $40 Teisco Del Ray to the Univox 12-string that featured Eddie's first successful mod, The Journey to Frankenstein tells the story of the instruments that came before one of the most legendary guitars of all time
Keeley spent three years crafting the Octa PSI – a crazy 3-in-1 octave/pitch shifting/fuzz pedal
By Matt Owen published
With versatile switching, a wealth of voices and some smart functionality, the Octa Psi could be the only pitch/octave/fuzz pedal your ’board could ever need
Gibson honors one of B.B. King’s greatest live performances with knockout ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ ES-355
By Matt Owen published
Before Gibson officially launched its Lucille model in 1980, King favored a 1974 Walnut ES-355, which was by his side during his iconic ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ set
Jimi Hendrix’s iconic ‘Izabella’ Woodstock Strat is going on the Experience Hendrix tour
By Matt Owen published
Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Eric Johnson have both already played the iconic Strat, which was one of the last guitars Hendrix played before his death in 1970
Universal Audio’s Enigmatic ’82 is now the Dumble pedal amp to beat
By Matt Owen published
The latest UAFX pedal was made after the firm closely inspected a host of Overdrive Special amps, and offers in-app tweakability for a Dumble replica like no other
Megadeth fire back at Peter Frampton – who claimed the band damaged a stage during their soundcheck
By Matt Owen published
After Megadeth and Frampton were both forced to cancel live dates at the same venue, Dave Mustaine has issued a strongly worded response to Frampton's claim it was the heavy metal group's fault
John Mayer shouts out top-tier lead effort from young Berklee grad as one of this year’s best guitar solos
By Matt Owen published
Mayer used his SiriusXM radio show to highlight the guitar talents of a British Berklee graduate, who's currently working as a session player in Nashville
How Ibanez is flipping the script on everything you think you know about acoustic guitar design
By Matt Owen published
In association with Ibanez
A commitment to innovation and a forward-thinking philosophy have helped Ibanez lead the way in a new era of high-performance mainstream acoustics
Vernon Reid’s eagerly awaited Reverend signature series is finally here – and a new Greg Koch S-style
By Matt Owen published
Reid has been teasing the existence of his wild new signature for months, and now three distinct versions of the Living Colour legend's latest Reverend have been unveiled
Body Count and David Gilmour release radical reimagining of Comfortably Numb in 2024’s most surprising crossover
By Matt Owen published
The Pink Floyd legend revisits one of his greatest guitar tracks in a completely new light with the help of the heavy metal institution
Harley Benton brings an elusive Gibson-inspired finish back for the masses in latest sub-$350 335-a-like
By Matt Owen published
The champion of cheap guitar gear is back with an EB-2-inspired bass and perhaps its finest-looking semi-hollow stunner yet
Dave Navarro looks to put Jane’s Addiction drama behind him by announcing his next gear venture – the Supreme Cry Baby wah pedal
By Matt Owen published
Navarro has collaborated with Dunlop and the New York fashion powerhouse to create a wah that has an “ungodly” amount of style
Why Chase Bliss has been forced to discontinue 5 of its finest pedals – and what it means for the firm going forward
By Matt Owen published
The forward-thinking effects specialist ran afoul of UK and EU legislation by using one particular component in five of its most popular pedals
Ed Sheeran grows his gear brand with the Sheeran Busker – a portable PA for aspiring street performers
By Matt Owen published
The singer-songwriter kick-started his career by busking on street corners, and now he's developed a purpose-built PA to help aspiring players follow in his footsteps
Neural DSP takes the fight to TONEX and Kemper Profiler Player by unveiling the Nano Cortex – its vision of the ultimate compact all-in-one rig solution
By Matt Owen published
The Quad Cortex's first sibling works as an amp modeler, effects processor and IR loader – and lets players model any amp, cab or drive pedal using Neural DSP's celebrated Capture tech
“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
By Matt Owen published
The follow-up to the game-changing Quad Cortex is here at last, and with its ultra-powerful Nano Cortex, Neural DSP has set its sights on challenging IK Multimedia and Kemper to offer the ultimate all-in-one rig solution
Keith Urban is working with PRS on a new Tele-style guitar – and he wants to break the company's rules
By Matt Owen published
The country rock great's go-to guitar since 1989 has been a Fender Telecaster called Clarence, but John Mayer has inspired him to join the PRS ranks – and he's working on a T-type like no other
Martin’s 'Life is Good' LX1 has been built to “spread good vibes” – and it might be the ultimate campfire acoustic
By Matt Owen published
Martin has once again partnered with Life is Good for a special-edition six-string, which gives the gold-standard travel acoustic a fitting makeover
Jack White’s new Fender Signature Collection pushes the boundaries of guitar and amp design – and brings his custom Telecaster to the masses
By Matt Owen published
The White Stripes tonal trailblazer has unveiled an entire range of signature Fender products, headlined by the madly spec'd TripleCaster Tele
Gibson has relaunched its Les Paul Studio – and given the gateway LP its best update yet
By Matt Owen published
New finishes, updated electronics and Standard-inspired finishes head up the latest edition of Gibson's $1.6k no-frills workhorse Les Paul
Balaguer is the progressive guitar expert leading the way in high-performance offsets
By Matt Owen published
Born from Joe Balaguer's personal quest to plug a glaring gap in the guitar market, Balaguer has curated a high-end line of S-type, T-stype and offset instruments that were well ahead of their time
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