
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

Why Eddie Van Halen didn’t double-track his guitars
By Phil Weller published
Recording engineer Ross Hogarth recalls working with the late guitar icon and helping him broaden his sound on A Different Kind of Truth

What gives a Fender guitar its spirit? For the Custom Shop's Senior Master Builder, there’s only one answer
By Phil Weller published
Paul Waller has singled out what he believes to be the defining feature of a Fender guitar – and it might surprise you

How Kurt Cobain brought a more aggressive edge to Nevermind with the help of Slayer’s producer
By Phil Weller published
Cobain sought out Slayer collaborator Andy Wallace to help give Nevermind an extra edge

Jason Richardson leaves All That Remains after 7 years
By Phil Weller published
The guitarist leaves after seven years and has some currently unspecified projects lined up

How guitarist and YouTube sensation Rob Scallon manages to write – and record – a full album in one day
By Janelle Borg published
Together with fellow mega YouTuber and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Huang, Scallon has made this challenge a yearly tradition

Skunk Baxter is a session legend – and his cutting-edge guitar rig probably isn’t what you expect
By Phil Weller published
Baxter has settled on a Roland/Fender Stratocaster, which he uses alongside some other off-the-shelf Roland gear

D’Angelico celebrates Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary with 3 special-edition guitars
By Phil Weller published
Two electrics and an orchestra acoustic from D’Angelico bring back a special-edition Grateful Dead finish that pays homage to the pair’s first collaborative model

Neural DSP answers players’ prayers with new Nano Cortex update
By Phil Weller published
The modeler has been made fully gig-proof with a new update that introduces perhaps its most highly requested feature yet

Line 6 has finally shared what the Helix Stadium’s potentially game-changing tones actually sound like
By Phil Weller published
Weeks after the Helix Stadium was unveiled, we finally have a brief taste of what the new Agoura modeling tech is capable of

Guitar trends come and go – but these are the Fender finishes that will never disappear
By Phil Weller published
Changing fashions keep the Fender Custom Shop Master Builders busy, but a few staple models and colorways will always be on the menu

Dimebag Darrell’s Dean From Hell guitar makes a surprise comeback with Pantera
By Phil Weller published
The iconic Dean ML was presented to Phil Anselmo by surprise during a recent concert

Randy Rhoads’ Quiet Riot Les Paul expected to sell for up to $200,000 at auction
By Phil Weller published
His heavily worn pre-Ozzy axe is expected to fetch $200K when it sells next month

Slash’s famed B.C. Rich Warlock – which once went missing for 30 years – is going up for auction (again)
By Phil Weller published
The guitar, which was one of Slash’s most-used axes in the band’s early days, is expected to fetch $200K

Why Skunk Baxter chose to buy a beginner guitar over a “bazillion” dollar vintage Telecaster
By Phil Weller published
Baxter pitted the two guitars against each other during a trip to Guitar Center – and there was a clear winner

Jake E. Lee shares the last text message he received from Ozzy Osbourne
By Phil Weller published
The Prince of Darkness, who passed away this week, reached out to his former guitarist after the historic Back to Beginning farewell show

George Kooymans, Golden Earring guitarist and driving force of Europe’s hard rock evolution, dies aged 77
By Phil Weller published
One of the Netherlands’ most prominent guitarists, he leaves behind hits including the driving anthem Radar Love and The Twilight Zone

Brendon Small says a studio break-in prompted him to downsize his gear collection – so he’s set up a Reverb shop
By Phil Weller published
After his studio was broken into in 2022, the Metalocalypse creator is now parting ways with bizarre prototypes and oddball modded guitars

Wolfgang Van Halen honors Ozzy Osbourne with emotional cover of Mama, I’m Coming Home
By Phil Weller published
Wolfgang and his Mammoth bandmates heard of Ozzy’s passing during soundcheck – and knew that “just mentioning it wasn’t enough”

Tony Iommi opens up on Ozzy Osbourne’s passing – and his Back to the Beginning farewell show
By Phil Weller published
Iommi says the legendary singer was determined to grace the stage one last time to say goodbye to his fans

Jimmy Rip remembers recording Jimmy Page, B.B. King, Buddy Guy and more for one of the greatest all-star albums of all time
By Phil Weller published
The project saw the producer and guitarist travel the world and record legendary players in unusual locations

Wolfgang Van Halen on why not every song needs a guitar solo
By Phil Weller published
Shredding does feature on Mammoth’s third album, The End, but guitar solos aren’t always a given

Warren Haynes on why the theft of a Custom Shop Strat convinced him to change to Gibson Les Pauls
By Phil Weller published
The loss of the guitar broke his heart, so Haynes decided to venture into new realms

Ozzy Osbourne’s Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward pay tribute to the Prince of Darkness
By Phil Weller published
Iommi, Butler and Ward reflect on the passing of their Black Sabbath bandmate, who has died aged 76
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