Latest articles by Matt Parker
NAMM 2024: “For all of the original mojo and magic craved by the true believers”: EHX’s Double Anniversary Big Muff Pi delivers its first ‘big box’ Ramshead circuit since the 1970s – and sells-out in hours. Will there be more big boxes on the way?
The firm’s extremely limited edition full-size reissue of the definitive ’70s fuzz circuit sold-out soon after its announcement
“Artfully aged by the Murphy Lab to match the look and feel of Kirk’s original”: Gibson’s Custom Shop takes on Kirk Hammett’s mod-heavy, “blacked-out” 1989 Les Paul Custom – and it’s safe to say it’s nothing like Greeny...
The Metallica guitar god debuts his latest signature Les Paul – and it’s a little different to his other recent custom shop build...
NAMM 2024: “Finally, an acoustic amp you can leave in your living room when company comes over”: Taylor debuts its own amp brand, Circa ’74 – complete with mid-century modern design, mahogany cabinets, and looks to kill
The brand's debut solid-state combo hides a modern feature set behind its beautifully retro form
NAMM 2024: “Hands-free control for the entire Spark family of smart amps” – Positive Grid’s colorful new Control X footswitch gives us expression pedal inputs – and serious Helix vibes. Could a Spark floor unit be in the offing?
It still doesn’t have a looper, but the Spark Control X points to an interesting new future for the dominant smart amp
NAMM 2024: “A groundbreaking fusion of hardware and software technologies”: Positive Grid’s Spark LIVE is a four channel, multi-instrument amp that aims to replace your band’s backline – and, possibly, your sound engineer
The ambitious new launch from the tech-savvy tone-makers is an all-in-one smart amp and PA system
“We are back!” Al Di Meola plays live for the first time since his onstage heart attack, returning to the songs – and the Gibson Les Paul – that first made his name
Fan-shot footage shows the fusion guitar icon appears to to have made a strong recovery, following his onstage health scare last fall
“The broken-in feel of an instrument with plenty of playing miles on it”: Charvel brings relic’d and nitro finishes to its standard range for the first time
New finishes, new techniques and a trio of new made-in-Japan HSS models, 2024 is set to be a year of firsts for the firm
“Distinctive and affordable”: Jackson’s new X Series Dinky DK1 guitars offer straightforward speed machines with complex finishes
The new electrics aim to dazzle on a budget, with a combination of streamlined spec and unignorable aesthetics
“Pro-level board control in a user-friendly package”: Fender’s Switchboard Effects Operator brings RJM’s sought-after switching magic to the masses
Want a pro-grade switching unit but can’t stretch to a GigRig or MasterMind? Fender has the answer
NAMM 2024: “Our homage to our legendary ’60s legacy”: The new Vox AC Hand-Wired Series promises to be the ultimate recreation of the iconic guitar amps used by everyone from Brian May to the Beatles
The new collection is the result of a detailed study into vintage Vox AC15 and AC30 amps, with each entry aiming to deliver “a sound that’s as faithful to the original as possible”
“When I hold her close to me, I immediately feel less anxious”: Epiphone’s signature WAXX Nighthawk Studio revives an underrated Gibson model, beloved by the French guitarist and producer
The firm’s latest signature guitar sees them join forces with WAXX to bring back 2011’s short-lived Studio ’Hawk
“The strings I put on it cost more than the actual guitar”: Portishead guitarist Adrian Utley explains why he used a $5 junk shop guitar and a $10,000 Martin – in the same session
The British guitarist – who has played with everyone from Jeff Beck to Mark Lanegan and Perfume Genius – has been discussing his esoteric gear philosophy
“Gibson is back in the amp business”: Gibson’s Falcon amps have landed – can the Mesa-made combos get their claws into the boutique amp market?
The firm’s first new tube amps since the late ’60s are hand-built in the USA and seem priced to compete
“I’m still looking for my original SG. If anyone out there knows anything about that, please call me. Seriously!” Robby Krieger is trying to track down his stolen Gibson SG Special used on Light My Fire and the Doors’ most iconic material
The guitarist has repeated his call for help in tracking down –and buying back – the early-’60s Gibson SG Special and is asking players to look for the serial number
Black Keys, Black Crowes and the next in line for Mastodon’s mind-expanding metal crown: this week’s essential guitar tracks
The must-hear licks, riffs, solos and six-string moments from BIG|BRAVE, Bring Me The Horizon, Dead Poet Society, Bodega, Slift, Waxahatchee, and more
NAMM 2024: “The first time in the history of guitar amplification”: Laney breaks new ground as its new BCC Ironheart tube amps are released alongside a matching plugin
The UK amp firm is erasing the lines between its physical and digital products with the Aurora DSP Ironheart digital plugin
“Do not try to play them like Edward – because you can’t”: Steve Vai says this is the secret to nailing Eddie Van Halen’s guitar parts in front of a live audience
Vai has been considering his experiences winning the hearts and minds of Van Halen fans back in the ’80s – as his friend Joe Satriani gets ready to do the same this summer
NAMM 2024: “Able to capture the essence of what we bring to music” – Neural DSP crushed it with Archetype: Gojira. Now the go-to metal plugin is about to become Quad Cortex compatible
The Gojira signature plugin is the latest addition to the firm’s updated line of overhauled X plugins
Magnum guitarist and founder Tony Clarkin dies aged 77
The songwriter wrote and performed on an astonishing 22 albums with the British hard rock band
“[We want] to recover the guitars and sell them to people who actually want to play them”: $80,000 worth of vintage guitars have been stolen from Guitar House of Tulsa. Now the owner – and Joe Bonamassa – are appealing for your help
15 vintage guitars – including ’50s/’60s Gibsons, PRS Private Stock models, and a ’61 Rickenbacker – have been taken
“NGL I thought this was a Chibson post at first”: Schecter’s utterly wild Machine Gun Kelly signature guitar, the Razor Blade, channels some familiar marketing – and the comedy brand is not taking it lying down
The pop-punk signature model comes across like a blend of the Tom DeLonge Strat and Gene Simmons’ axe bass. We’ll leave you to add your own sharp tuning gags, though...
“It's fun, it's loud, it's tricky in a few spots”: Guthrie Govan’s virtuosic trio the Aristocrats have just debuted their first new song in five years – and it’s about a duck going drinking
Listen to Hey, Where’s MY Drink Package? – the first taster from new concept album DUCK
Del Palmer, Kate Bush’s bassist, engineer and former partner, dies aged 71
The songwriter’s studio linchpin played and engineered everything from Hounds of Love to sessions with Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton
“When that first one came off the line, I grabbed it… and it was terrible”: The first Fender Stratocaster builds had to be junked due to their horrendous tremolos
Guitar historian Tony Bacon has told Reverb the story of the ill-fated first Strats to come off Fender’s production line
