Latest articles by Matt Owen
The Rockman amp shaped the sound of 1980s rock – now MXR is bringing it back in a new pedal form
The original Rockman revolutionized guitar recording and is widely considered to be the forerunner to today's multi-effects pedals
Andy Fairweather Low was personally recruited by the Pink Floyd legend – but didn’t know who he was when he came calling
In the 1980s, the rhythm guitar hero was sounded out by Waters for a new band, but there was a clumsy first introduction…
Monica Barbaro played Joan Baez alongside Timothée Chalamet’s Bob Dylan – and Edward Norton encouraged her to take the 1929 Martin she used onscreen
Barbaro had used a vintage Martin 00-45 during her performance as the folk legend
Angus and Malcolm Young’s childhood home has been demolished – despite being on the National Trust Register of Historic Houses
The property was demolished to make way for a multi-million dollar residential development
Jerry Cantrell and James Hetfield have talked about making an album together
The two guitar heroes have recorded together in the past, and collaborated at a number of benefit concerts. Could a fully fledged album be next?
A Rory Gallagher statue has finally been unveiled in Belfast – but some fans aren’t too happy with it
The statue was green-lit in 2016, and recreates one of the late guitar great’s most famous poses from a 1972 Melody Maker cover
Kirk Hammett sent Jack White his signature Gibson Les Paul – and received the White Stripes legend’s wild Fender Triplecaster in return
The Metallica guitarist, who sent White one of his Greeny Les Pauls, seemingly can’t put down the innovative Telecaster revamp
Wayne Osmond, guitarist and singer of The Osmonds, dies aged 73
Osmond helped the influential family band reach success in the 1970s, performing hits such as Crazy Horse and One Bad Apple
How did Mesa get its iconic Boogie name? Founder Randall Smith explains
The famed Boogie began life as a modded Princeton, but a chance encounter with one of its biggest champions was what gave it its now-legendary title
Study names the electric guitar as the UK’s most popular instrument of 2024 – and it’s because of a Netflix show from 2 years ago
Gear4Music crunched the numbers to see which instrument came out on top last year, and it has some interesting theories to explain the results
How Jason Becker and Marty Friedman made one of shred music’s most celebrated albums with a little help from their pupils
When the two virtuosos went into the studio to record under the Cacophony name, they brought a bunch of gear that had been lent to them by students
Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman opens up on his role in one of the world’s biggest bands – and how he’s adapting his playing style
Berryman has discussed how he helps translate Coldplay’s studio sound to the stage, and why that lets him experiment with his technique
“I was literally in tears”: Rex Brown on the Dimebag Darrell guitar solo he fought to keep on record
The Pantera bassist picked his favorite Dimebag guitar solo, and recalled how it brought him to tears
The best guitar albums of 2024
The guitar albums that had the biggest impact in the guitar world and beyond, as chosen by GW editors and pro players
When cult guitar hero Rob Fetters went to pick Adrian Belew up from a Zappa rehearsal – and ended up giving his idol a lift
In the late 1970s, Fetters swung by the studio to pick up Belew, but ended up picking up a rather famous plus one for the journey home
That time one of the fastest shredders in guitar history auditioned to join Ozzy Osbourne’s band
When the Osbourne camp began searching for Jake E. Lee’s replacement, a neo-classical speed shredder featured high up on their list
Fender Japan and J-Pop guitar hero Rei have launched one of the most inventive Strats in recent years
The bold reimagining is a curious mash-up of classic and contemporary specs, resulting in a Strat like no other
Jimmie Vaughan on the only album he and Stevie Ray Vaughan ever made together
In 1990, the Vaughan brothers linked up in the studio to record Family Style, which was released weeks after SRV died
A Norman’s Rare Guitars documentary is launching on Netflix – and some huge names are set to feature
The film will tell the tale of the legendary vintage and rare guitar store, with the help of some big-name guitar players
Gibson’s mystery Metallica-inspired Explorer hasn’t gone to James Hetfield – it’s been gifted to a Hollywood superstar
It was theorized that Gibson was crafting a Custom Shop Explorer inspired by Hetfield’s “So What” model ahead of some signature models, but that wasn't the case...
That time Eddie Van Halen promised Dimebag Darrell a collectible EVH inspired by his beloved Bumblebee
Dimebag had designs on getting his name down for a limited-edition Charvel EVH Art Series guitar, but when Van Halen himself found out, he promised to go one step further
Isaiah Sharkey names his favorite guitar player of all time – and reveals he’s bought one of his most iconic guitars
The revered session player has paid tribute to his favorite guitar player of all time, having recently purchased one of his personal Gibson Johnny Smith models
When rhythm guitar hero Andy Fairweather Low was recruited by a Beatle to play slide – even though he’d never played slide before
Harrison and Fairweather Low had a mutual love for Ry Cooder’s slide guitar playing, and the Beatle convinced the Eric Clapton rhythm guitarist to develop his own slide chops for a Japanese tour
