
Phil Weller
A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.
Latest articles by Phil Weller

A Kurt Cobain MTV Unplugged plectrum is being raffled off
By Phil Weller published
The raffle will help raise funds for the Royal College of Music – and it offers the chance to own a slice of music history for just the price of a coffee

Here’s how you can still watch Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s last-ever live show
By Phil Weller published
The blockbuster event – which features a who’s who of the heavy metal elite – will be live streamed for fans who can’t attend in person

Joe Bonamassa on the one thing you should never do when buying a guitar
By Phil Weller published
Bonamassa says there are certain parameters a guitar should meet – and clear ones to be avoided

Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto is facing new competition from brands in the retail space – but it isn’t fazing him
By Phil Weller published
New Gibson and Fender stores on three continents present fresh challenges for the store, but Dalporto says “bring the competition on”

Scott Gorham may have passed his Thin Lizzy audition – but his budget Les Paul copy certainly didn’t
By Phil Weller published
The Irish rockers finally found their man after auditioning 24 hopefuls when Gorham turned up for his turn – but Phil Lynott was left underwhelmed by his choice of instrument

Kirk Hammett doesn’t want his guitars to go unplayed – so he’s been secretly selling them online
By Phil Weller published
Bought a used guitar online? It might – just might – have belonged to the Metallica guitarist

Wolfgang Van Halen says he’s stopped listening to his dad’s music
By Phil Weller published
The Mammoth multi-instrumentalist has discussed why he no longer listens to his late father’s Van Halen back catalog

Man arrested for Heart instrument theft – but the “one-of-a-kind” instruments are still missing
By Phil Weller published
The instruments were stolen before the band’s show at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City last week, and the police have issued a plea for their return

Strandberg is working on a headless acoustic guitar – and you may have already seen a prototype
By Phil Weller published
The firm unveiled what many believed to be a gag instrument a few years back – but it turns out it wasn’t just for laughs

Tetrarch's Diamond Rowe reveals the metal legend who asked her for guitar pointers
By Phil Weller published
She’s made history with her Jackson signature... Now, she’s trading tips with metal pioneers and gifting guitars to her biggest influence

Glen Matlock opens up about Sid Vicious replacing him in the Sex Pistols to become one of punk's most iconic figures
By Phil Weller published
Vicious’ bad-boy image may have underpinned the band’s legacy, but Matlock insists he’s no shrinking violet either

A pink Daisy Rock acoustic guitar, signed by Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, has just smashed its estimate as it sells for over $100,000 at auction
By Phil Weller published
Eddie Van Halen guitars also surpassed their estimates at Julien’s annual Music Icons event – but a Kurt Cobain acoustic remains unsold

Joe Bonamassa adds a ninth Dumble to his collection – and promises it will be his last
By Phil Weller published
After selling all his Dumbles in 2016, the bluesman is back with a vengeance – but insists he won’t be buying any more big amps from here on out

Why Josh Homme prefers to write his songs on acoustic guitar first
By Phil Weller published
Queens of the Stone Age have become the first band to play the Paris Catacombs for a new live film, and he says it shows how many of their biggest hits take their form

Snowy White tells the story of his 1994 collaboration with Gary Moore and David Gilmour
By Phil Weller published
The album is packed with notable players who offer solos, slide, and plenty more, but the former Thin Lizzy man would have happily pushed on without them

Michael J. Fox and others discuss the Back to the Future guitar – and a clue to its identity
By Phil Weller published
The Cherry Red ES-345 has become a cultural icon since the film was released in 1985, but it hasn’t been since since

Fontaines D.C.'s Carlos O'Connell reveals the secret weapon on his pedalboard – a plain box with one knob and oodles of gain
By Phil Weller published
Owning one doesn’t come cheap, but the left-field pedal has been at the center of the band’s monumental rise to fame

Rory Gallagher’s ‘Frankenstein’ Strat – gifted to its current owner by U2 – sells at auction for over $50K
By Phil Weller published
The guitar was his guinea pig for pickup tests and stood as his number two when his main Strat needed a reset

“Not just another clone but instead a blatant counterfeit”: Klon creator sues Behringer over the Centaur Overdrive
By Phil Weller published
Finnegan has accused Behringer's “counterfeit” pedal of using Klon’s trade dress and “exploiting” his firm's reputation

Dave Murray says Iron Maiden stuck out from the pack because because they have a bassist as the lead songwriter
By Phil Weller published
The guitarist has opened up on Harris’ songwriting lead and why he’s happy taking a back seat in one of the biggest metal bands in the world

Larry DiMarzio says his revolutionary bridge tweak pre-empted Van Halen’s own mods
By Phil Weller published
The guitar hero’s mods showed an intimate understanding of what makes a guitar sing, and they echoed thoughts DiMarzio was also having

Traffic co-founder and George Harrison session player Dave Mason cancels all of his 2025 tour dates after a health setback
By Phil Weller published
The tour, which was supposed to take place last year, was postponed to this year – and subsequently canceled – as the guitarist continues to battle a serious heart condition

From Paul McCartney’s Höfner to Dave Grohl’s Gibson – a 1:1 scale photography exhibition of famous guitars is heading to London
By Phil Weller published
Masterminded by Australian photographer Kane Hibberd, Scale invites attendees to see some of the most famous guitars in the world up close and personal like never before

Nancy Wilson says two “irreplaceable” instruments have been stolen ahead of Heart’s tour
By Phil Weller published
A custom-made baritone Tele and a vintage Gibson mandolin have been taken from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City – and the Heart camp is offering a reward for their return

PRS pays tribute to 1956 with the McCarty SC56 – a vintage Les Paul-alike single-cutaway with bags of charm
By Phil Weller published
The latest addition to its 40th-anniversary releases, the time-machine axe tips its hat to luthiery innovations from the year Paul Reed Smith was born
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