Latest articles by Phil Weller
Jerry Cantrell’s Alice In Chains tone in a box for $110? Funny Little Boxes' Dirt distortion promises just that
Made in collaboration with YouTuber Let’s Play All, Dirt looks to harness 1990s hard rock and metal tones without breaking the bank
Tosin Abasi has released his own compressor pedal that promises to fix common compression complaints
Said to help deliver the dynamic response of a driven tube amp, the Micro-Aggressor becomes only the second stompbox of Abasi's gear firm
Balaguer ushers in a new era of progressive offsets with headless Growler line
Fully customizable and available in multi-scale and extended range formats, the Growler Headless sees the high-performance offset specialist double down on its headless activities
EarthQuaker Devices’ new utility pedals are built to last a lifetime – and could be the key to a smooth-operating rig
Featuring five handy utility boxes, the new collection promises to help players get the most out of their pedalboards and live rigs
Soldano revives two highly elusive rack units beloved by Steve Lukather and Vivian Campbell
The X88-IR and SLO-100R reboot two of Soldano's most profound innovations from the late 1980s, and give them improved control and usability for modern players
PRS upgrades its CE range with new tonewoods and an expansive pickup switch
Choose from Black Limba and Swamp Ash variants, as a PRS mainstay gets some choice cosmetic and tonal updates
EVH brings back Eddie’s daring Danelectro/Charvel hybrid – and gives it a unique hardware twist
With a single humbucker, kill switch, and fast-playing neck, the latest limited edition Star pays homage to Eddie’s early 1980s axe – but updates it for modern players
Meet Clayton King, the riff machine using EDM and nature shows to wring fresh savagery from his custom Ibanez monstrosity
The Nothing, Nowhere guitarist details his intriguingly tuned relic’d seven-string, and the riff-writing tricks he uses to get out of any creative rut in 15 minutes flat
Kenny Wayne Shepherd on why starting out with a budget guitar is the best way to go
Shepherd now plays some of the most desirable boutique gear money can buy, but his own personal guitar journey started with a cheap Yamaha
He’s jammed with Tony Iommi, recorded at Abbey Road, now he’s cooking up hairy stoner riffs with Torus – and Alfie Glass is just getting started
Torus’ self-titled debut album is a feast of mammoth riffs, gnarly energy and grooves that will stick in your brain, and one for all you fuzz freaks seeking “a bold, no B.S. rock sound”
Jerry Cantrell admits he can't help cursing when he’s recording solos
The Alice In Chains man says his explosively expletive approach is a necessary weapon in the “battle” of tracking his lead lines
Kerry King picks out the hardest Slayer song to play – and the greatest showcase of Jeff Hanneman’s talents
The thrash legend discussed the genius of the late Hanneman in a new fan-led Q&A
Eddie Van Halen recorded his Beat It solo in secret and his brother is still mad about it 42 years later
Alex Van Halen says Eddie’s legendary appearance on the pop smash was a waste of his finite talents – and the perfect excuse for David Lee Roth to leave the band
Ozzy Osbourne’s all-star Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony pays tribute to Randy Rhoads
An all-star band comprising Zakk Wylde, Andrew Watt and Chad Smith assembled to pay homage to the singer’s solo work during a star-studded celebration
Supro makes a play for the top gig-friendly combo by placing “the iconic Supro sound” into the go-anywhere Montauk
The conveniently sized 1x10 has been described as “a Swiss army knife for the studio and the stage”
Silktone has overhauled its germanium transistor fuzz pedal – and it’s got a ‘pickup simulator’
The popular Fuzz returns with increased tone tweaking choices and better pedalboard integration
Taylor's new Legacy Collection revamps the spirit of its earliest acoustic designs
Five acoustic electric guitars have been crafted, bringing together the old and new in order to celebrate half a century of craftsmanship
Jason Becker gifts guitar to viral 11-year-old metal star Maya Neelakantan following heartwarming meeting
The rising metal guitar phenom played one of Becker's own Telecasters and Danelectro sitar guitars during the emotional visit – and ended up taking the latter home with her
Xvive’s U8 clip-on wireless system could be a serious problem solver for acoustic players
Offering 90 feet of transmission and a five-hour battery life, the system aims to liberate acoustic players with cable-free mic'ing
Guild has given its retro DS-240 Memoir series a makeover for the first time in five years
The two new-look acoustics are crafted from solid Sitka spruce and mahogany, with the DS-240E offering a DeArmond Tone Boss soundhole pickup
Brian May reveals the off-the-wall Red Special mod from his pre-Queen days that he ended up removing
The wild electronics upgrade didn't last for very long, but it can be heard on some of May's earliest pre-Queen recordings
Jacob Collier’s five-string Taylor – which paved the way for his Strandberg – has been launched as a signature guitar
A six-string version of the uniquely shaped acoustic has also been made available for those wanting something a little more familiar
Harley Benton has made its absurdly affordable ST-Modern lineup even cheaper
Roasted maple necks, compound radius fingerboards, and contoured neck heels head up the new ST-Modern HSS models, some of which are priced as low as $197
