Latest articles by Michael Astley-Brown
Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell has died aged 64
The metal pioneers’ longest-serving guitar player has passed away after a major operation
Billy Corgan on what drives guitar heroes to change their tone – and how it led him to package his sound in a pedal
The Smashing Pumpkins guitar icon reflects on a tonal journey four decades in the making, what pushes him to make signature gear like the new Laney Supergrace affordable, and why he’s the most excited he’s been to make a guitar album in 25 years
Eddie Van Halen once asked Paul Gilbert to give Wolfgang a guitar lesson – here’s why it never happened
The Mr. Big virtuoso has been reflecting on his guitar teaching methods, and why he thinks it’s time to bring back the shred
February 2026 Guitar World Editors’ Picks
Two generations of virtuosos – Steve Vai and Matteo Mancuso – join forces, Midwest Emo GOATs American Football return, Anna Calvi works wonders with her Telecaster, Mateus Asato gives us long-awaited instrumental bliss, and Angine de Poitrine deliver, uh, “Dada-Pythago-Cubist Mantra-rock” – all this and much, much more
The realization that ended Jason Richardson’s obsession with music theory
The ex-All That Remains shredder shares his journey from marking his music theory classmates’ papers to realizing that sometimes you just need to play what sounds good
Tosin Abasi explains how Abasi Concepts became one of the biggest names in progressive guitars
The Animals as Leaders virtuoso charts his journey as an ergonomic guitar pioneer, from commissioning eight-strings to having his own designs imitated
Why Billy Corgan changed the way he plays guitar solos
Social media burnout has impacted the role of guitar solos in the Smashing Pumpkins’ live show
The guitar that changed Billy Corgan’s life
It soundtracked two of the biggest alt-rock albums of all time, but as the Smashing Pumpkins leader remembers, the guitar itself was far from expensive
January 2026 Guitar World Editors’ Picks
Featuring an onslaught of leviathan power chords from Sunn O))), a bruiser of a blues rock romp from Jared James Nichols, a beautiful, heartfelt piece of desert blues from Imarhan, a genre-obliterating piece of twisty guitar genius from Tim Henson, and a whole lot more
“A brand-new guitar shape from one of the world’s oldest guitar companies. Will wonders never cease?” 10 things we learned at NAMM 2026
We scoured every corner of the Anaheim Convention Center to scope out the latest and greatest gear – and there were some telling signs about the current state of the guitar world
NAMM 2026 live! The biggest guitar news as it happened
All the hottest news and biggest surprises from the world’s premier guitar gear trade show
NAMM 2026: rumors, predictions and breaking news from the world's biggest guitar gear show
All the latest and greatest gear drops coming out of the largest music trade show in the world – with new launches from Ibanez, Taylor, EVH, Marshall and more
![[Left] GuitarWorld.com Editor in Chief Mike, holding the Gibson Custom Shop Atomic Age offset, [right] a close-up of the guitar's body](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SjQVXqcdiQEau32rk5KYRf-840-80.jpg.webp)
Gibson had a secret offset prototype hidden in its private room at NAMM 2026 – meet the Atomic Age
We sat down with the unlikely retro-futuristic concept guitar and brand-new body shape
Billy Corgan has shrunk his Smashing Pumpkins rig into a Laney pedal amp – and he tested it in front of 60,000 MCR fans
When Corgan walked onstage with My Chemical Romance at Soldier Field stadium, he didn’t bring his guitar rig. He plugged into the Laney Supergrace and nothing else
Best reverb pedals: from spring to shimmer, these are our top picks for your pedalboard
Take a deep dive into the cavernous world of 'verb and explore the best reverb pedals for every budget
Best budget guitar amps under $500 2026: cost-cutting amplifiers for every player
Get great sounds and features without blowing your budget – from affordable tube amps to wallet-friendly digital modeling amps and everything in between
Fender has announced its new CEO – what does it mean for the future of the iconic guitar brand?
Fender’s new CEO pioneered the firm’s most talked-about projects. Now he’s taking his innovative Fender Japan ethos global
25 reasons why 2025 was a great year for guitar
Historic shows, a once-in-a-lifetime reunion, generational guitar talents, tonal revolutions, watershed gear drops… we won’t spoil it at all here, but a lot has happened
Arm the Homeless was a disaster, then it changed rock history. Tom Morello reveals how Fender replicated its misfit charms
Arm the Homeless is synonymous with the Rage Against the Machine firebrand and one of the most iconic electric guitars of all time. Morello explains why, after 30 years, he’s finally getting sentimental about his “artistic co-worker” – and the one thing that separates the Fender replica from the original
Tom Morello has been playing a Fender Arm the Homeless replica live and none of us noticed – now it’s available to buy
Five years in the making, the Rage Against the Machine guitar anti-hero’s most iconic instrument has been replicated by Fender – and even Morello admits he can’t tell the difference
Going wireless transformed my live performances and with 20% off the Xvive A58 for Cyber Monday, it's time to cut the cord
Delivering superb interference-free performance, the Xvive A58 is available with a nice discount – but it won't be around forever
Sweetwater Cyber Monday deals 2025: bag up to 50% off guitar gear
Cyber Monday is over, but Sweetwater just launched a fresh sale for Cyber Week
Cyber Monday Fender deals 2025: Last chance to save on a Fender
Cyber Monday is over, but you can save on iconic Fender gear
