
Matt Owen
Matt is the GuitarWorld.com News Editor, and has been writing and editing for the site for five years. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 19 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. During his GW career, he’s interviewed Peter Frampton, Zakk Wylde, Tosin Abasi, Matteo Mancuso and more, and has profiled the CEOs of Guitar Center and Fender.
When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt performs with indie rock duo Esme Emerson, and has previously opened for the likes of Ed Sheeran, Keane, Japanese House and Good Neighbours.
Latest articles by Matt Owen

First images of a Gary Moore tribute statue have been released
By Matt Owen published
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
By Matt Owen published
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
By Matt Owen published
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
By Matt Owen published
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
By Matt Owen published
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
By Matt Owen published
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
By Matt Owen published
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
By Matt Owen published
Dale Wilson attempts to solve the mystery of why vintage Fenders played by big-name artists have so much gnarly wear

The hardest part of building a Gibson guitar from scratch, according to CEO Cesar Gueikian
By Matt Owen published
Gueikian has spent around three years learning and building guitars under the CEO Series – and one of his most recent builds was played by Kirk Hammett at Back to the Beginning

Universal Audio just gave its UAFX pedals a major upgrade – and it gives players exactly what they’ve been asking for
By Matt Owen published
All UAFX pedals have now been bolstered by some key tweaks that take them to a whole new level

Marshall has launched Spinal Tap amps that go to Infinity – here’s how ‘the loudest amp ever made’ came together
By Matt Owen published
After starring in Spinal Tap II, the special-edition JVM410H brings a 40-year collaboration in the making full circle

Jacob Collier's 5-string revolution continues with the arrival of 2 new Taylor signature guitars
By Matt Owen published
The multi-instrumentalist has added to his stock of signatures with new GS Mini and Academy acoustics

Jim Carrey remembers Chris Cornell and Soundgarden’s generous guitar gift as he inducts them into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
By Matt Owen published
Soundgarden played on the night with Mike McCready and Jerry Cantrell, while Olivia Rodrigo honored The White Stripes, the Tedeschi Trucks Band covered The Beatles, and Flea performed with Stevie Wonder

All the guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including the crown jewel of PRS’ 40th Anniversary year
By Matt Owen published
Wylde Audio's most metal guitar ever, a new contender for Boss and Fender in the headphone amp space, and GNR bass tones in a pickup set. All that and more landed this week

IK Multimedia takes on Fender and Boss with the TONEX Plug – its first-ever headphone amp
By Matt Owen published
The pocket-sized headphone amp looks to win the hearts of players by offering more than 40,000 tones propped up by the same AI Machine Modeling behind the entire TONEX ecosystem

How Jim Root’s radical signature Telecaster updated a Fender mainstay for the 21st century
By Matt Owen published
The Slipknot guitarist was originally pushed towards Charvel, but he had his sights set on reinventing a Fender classic

The unexpected discovery in John Mayer’s iconic ’64 Fender Strat that helped shape the sound of the Silver Sky
By Matt Owen published
It took more than 2 years to retool and redesign the classic S-type template – and PRS made a significant discovery along the way

When Eddie Van Halen crash-tested one of EVH’s most iconic guitar amps – and risked 5150 Studios in the process
By Matt Owen published
Before Eddie Van Halen could sign off on the EVH 5150 III, he had to make sure it was borderline indestructible

Former G&L employee speaks out following quiet closure of company – as Fender purchases the 'Leo Fender' trademark
By Matt Owen published
Steve Araujo, who worked with G&L for nearly a decade, has shed light on the fate of the company following weeks of speculation

The one thing stopping headless guitars being embraced by traditional players, according to Ola Strandberg
By Matt Owen published
Strandberg instruments have been pigeonholed as metal guitars, but the company wants guitarists to realize they aren't just for prog players

All the guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including the Hummingbird’s evil twin
By Matt Owen published
A host of highly anticipated signatures, some surprising company-firsts, and the evil twin of the classic Hummingbird all landed this week

October 2025 Guitar World Editors' Picks
By Michael Astley-Brown, Jackson Maxwell, Matt Owen, Matt Parker published
Liven up your Halloween with six-string (and five-string) sorcery from Alter Bridge, Mei Semones, Whitney, Karma Sheen, Jacob Collier, Unprocessed, and many more

Bonehead and Gem Archer both get signature Epiphones – and they’re recreations of 2 classic Oasis guitars
By Matt Owen published
A gift from Noel Gallagher and a legendary 1984 Riviera helped shape the Oasis sound. Now, both are back as new signatures for the band's two loyal guitarists

Jim Irsay’s billion-dollar guitar collection is going to auction, with legendary instruments from Kurt Cobain, Eric Clapton and David Gilmour up for grabs
By Matt Owen published
With a wealth of record-breaking guitars among the collection, it promises to be the biggest guitar auction event of all time
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