Articles by: Michael Astley-Brown

Michael Astley-Brown

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He's spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, and a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.

Articles by: Michael Astley-Brown

The 10 best budget guitar amps under $500 for 2021: affordable amps for new players and home practice

By Michael Astley-Brown, Guitar World Staff

Get great sounds and features without blowing your budget – from affordable tube amps to wallet-friendly digital modeling amps and everything in between

Andrew Savage of Parquet Courts performs during 2019 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival on June 14, 2019 in Manchester, Tennessee.

From certified ragers to haunting, meditative fretboard excursions: here are this week's essential guitar tracks

By Michael Astley-Brown, Jackson Maxwell, Sam Roche, Matt Owen

Breathe some life into your fall playlist with new songs from Parquet Courts, Tom Morello and Bring Me The Horizon, Volbeat, Weakened Friends, Ariel Posen, Alt-J, Unprocessed and more

Petit St. Vincent acoustic guitar retreat

I didn’t touch an acoustic guitar during the pandemic. Could a private island retreat with one of the world’s biggest guitar tutors help me reconnect?

By Michael Astley-Brown

A chance work trip to an acoustic guitar workshop with Justin 'JustinGuitar' Sandercoe on the tiny Caribbean island of Petit St. Vincent gave me the opportunity to unplug – in more ways than one

Thrice's Dustin Kensrue and Teppei Teranishi

Thrice reveal how challenging their songwriting and transforming the Fibonacci sequence into a guitar riff shaped bold new album, Horizons/East

By Michael Astley-Brown

Dustin Kensrue and Teppei Teranishi detail the experimental guitar approach that led to their darkest, most cinematic album yet – and why they’re already halfway through its follow-up

My Morning Jacket perform at Forest Hills Stadium on September 10, 2021 in New York City

From riff-tastic sledgehammers to serene acoustic beauty: here are this week's essential guitar tracks

By Michael Astley-Brown, Jackson Maxwell, Sam Roche, Matt Owen

Enjoy a playlist of guitar greatness from My Morning Jacket, MUNA featuring Phoebe Bridgers, Eric Bibb, Bullet for My Valentine, Biffy Clyro and more

Photo of Rick WAKEMAN, Roger Newell and Rick Wakeman performing on stage

Roger Newell, bassist for Rick Wakeman and Marty Wilde, dies aged 73

By Michael Astley-Brown

Newell performed on Wakeman’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth and played the world’s first triple-neck bass

Taran Plouzané, guitarist for Bicurious, names 10 math/post-rock riffs you need to hear

By Michael Astley-Brown

Riffs that will expand your definition of what instrumental rock can be, picked by one of the freshest talents on the scene

Guitar Gabby premieres new video for grungy single The Dead Pool

By Michael Astley-Brown

The new PRS endorsee and TxLips Band leader showcases her ’90s-influenced sound in the fresh clip

Walrus Audio seeks to usher in whole new Eras of high gain with versatile new distortion pedal

By Michael Astley-Brown

Equipped with a blend knob and five-position rotary switch, the Eras promises a smorgasbord of hard-clipping options

From electro-soul anthems to go-for-the-throat garage rock: here are this week's essential guitar tracks

By Michael Astley-Brown, Jackson Maxwell, Sam Roche, Matt Owen

Usher in a new month and season with colorful new guitar-heavy songs from Animals As Leaders, Black Label Society, Buffalo Nichols, The Velveteers, Dragged Under, Marissa Nadler and more

Squier Paranormal Series electric guitars and basses

Hear Squier's newly revived Paranormal Series guitars in action

By Michael Astley-Brown

This year's relaunch marks the re-return of the Toronado, Cyclone, Super-Sonic, Offset Telecaster, Baritone Cabronita and more

Rick Beato, Tosin Abasi, Tim Henson and Misha Mansoor

Tim Henson reveals he's never heard Metallica's Black Album – much to the amazement of Tosin Abasi and Misha Mansoor

By Michael Astley-Brown

Rick Beato hosts a modern guitar summit, complete with a number of surprise revelations from the Polyphia, Animals as Leaders and Periphery guitar heroes

Charlie Watts performs with The Rolling Stones on 9 October 2017 in Esprit-Arena Düsseldorf

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts dies aged 80

By Michael Astley-Brown

Publicist confirms Watts died peacefully in a London hospital surrounded by family

Sleep Token perform at Trinity Centre on January 23, 2020 in Bristol, England

From feasts of heavy metal fire to folk-rock perfection: here are this week's essential guitar tracks

By Sam Roche, Jackson Maxwell, Michael Astley-Brown, Matt Owen

Indulge yourself in guitar-heavy goodness from Trivium, Sleep Token, Big Thief, Slow Crush, Machine Gun Kelly, Yasmin Williams and more

Dustin Kensrue of Thrice performs at Concord Pavilion on July 6, 2017 in Concord, California.

Thrice channel Radiohead with expansive new single Robot Soft Exorcism

By Michael Astley-Brown

The mercurial track is built around Dustin Kensrue and Teppei Teranishi’s hypnotic 7/8 arpeggios

Best chorus pedals 2021: 11 top-rated chorus effects for your pedalboard

By Michael Astley-Brown, Alex Lynham

From analog to digital, and shimmery to subtle, we let you in on the best chorus pedals you can buy today

Investigating Gibson’s ‘lost’ Jimi Hendrix model – the electric guitar based on what Hendrix would have played in 2009 had he been alive

By Michael Astley-Brown

Previously unseen factory photos offer a glimpse at the cancelled imaginary signature model

ZEAL & ARDOR, performing on June, 07, 2017, Zitadelle, Berlin, Germany

From classic soul to hellishly heavy extreme metal: here are this week's essential guitar tracks

By Michael Astley-Brown, Jackson Maxwell, Sam Roche, Matt Owen

Cool off with killer new songs from Cradle of Filth, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Jerry Cantrell, Zeal & Ardor, Grouper, Finneas, Meet Me @ The Altar and more

From "solo insanity" to gossamer funk guitar bliss: here are this week's essential guitar tracks

By Michael Astley-Brown, Jackson Maxwell, Sam Roche, Matt Owen

Check out some fresh-off-the-presses guitar greatness from Samantha Fish, Thrice, Keb Mo,' Iron Maiden, George Lynch and more

Thrice announce 11th album, Horizons/East, unveil time signature-shifting new single Scavengers

By Michael Astley-Brown

The self-produced effort finds Dustin Kensrue and Teppei Teranishi turning to jazz progressions and the Fibonacci sequence as inspiration for their guitar parts

PRS officially launches Roxy Pink finish for John Mayer’s signature Silver Sky

By Michael Astley-Brown

Now you too can adopt the ’80s look showcased on Mayer’s new material

Courtney Barnett performs live in London on February 12, 2014

From infectious grooves to white-hot metalcore: here are this week's essential guitar tracks

By Michael Astley-Brown, Jackson Maxwell, Sam Roche, Matt Owen

Beat the heat with cool new tracks from Courtney Barnett, Painted Shield, Employed to Serve, Sam Fender, Leprous, Chicano Batman and more

Fender Dual Marine Layer Reverb and Duel Pugilist Distortion

Fender doubles up with new Dual Marine Layer Reverb and Duel Pugilist Distortion pedals

By Michael Astley-Brown

Two new triple-footswitched stompboxes offer advanced gain stacking and infinite sustain options

Watch Empty Trail spark a fuzz-heavy ’90s riff-rock revival with this guitar/bass playthrough of Transcend

By Michael Astley-Brown

Rick Lambert and Shane Wallin dial up the gain and drop the low E for the gnarly quarantine cut

This $89 cab sim pedal could be the cheapest way to get impulse responses on your pedalboard

By Michael Astley-Brown

The FS07 from Chinese pedal co Flamma offers space for seven third-party IRs and can send different cab sims to each stereo output

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