
Richard Bienstock
Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.
Latest articles by Richard Bienstock

Billy Gibbons gets atmospheric on new spoken-word-and-guitar single, Desert High
By Richard Bienstock published
The ZZ Top legend’s third solo album, Hardware, is out in June

Watch Dave Mustaine shred on a Les Paul at a Nashville SC Major League Soccer game
By Richard Bienstock published
The Megadeth leader is the latest signature artist to perform the “Gibson Guitar Riff”

Watch Jay Leonard J explore the new, “fully featured” Eventide UltraTap pedal
By Richard Bienstock published
Newest addition to the dot9 series promises a "multiverse of tone" via delays, reverbs, volume swells, modulations and more

Spector joins with La Bella Strings for custom line of electric bass strings
By Richard Bienstock published
New nickel round-wound long-scale strings available in four, five and six-string sets

Opeth announce 20th anniversary deluxe reissue of seminal progressive death metal effort Blackwater Park
By Richard Bienstock published
The landmark album “was the stepping stone into professionalism for us,” says Opeth leader Mikael Åkerfeldt

Brian May plays Beethoven’s Ode to Joy for new single “uniting the Spanish music industry”
By Richard Bienstock published
“A stupendous event,” the Queen guitarist says of Himno a la Alegría

Washburn launches luxurious-looking, affordably-priced Deep Forest Ebony Collection of acoustics
By Richard Bienstock published
New models boast striped ebony tops and okoume backs and sides for “warm and bold” tone

Listen to Gary Moore’s scorching, previously unreleased live take on Freddie King’s blues classic, I’m Tore Down
By Richard Bienstock published
The track hails from new compilation, How Blue Can You Get, featuring Moore deep cuts and alternate versions

Iced Earth’s Jon Schaffer pleads guilty to two felonies for role in US Capitol insurrection
By Richard Bienstock published
The guitarist is the first rioter to enter a guilty plea following the January 6 violence

Find the PRS that's just right for you with the company’s new one-minute guitar quiz
By Richard Bienstock published
You’re just 60 seconds away from the perfect PRS pairing

Positive Grid’s Spark Pearl updates the revolutionary smart amp and app with eye-popping white-and-gold style
By Richard Bienstock published
Special edition version features new looks, same unrivaled feature set for unparalleled practice, jamming and recording experiences

Nancy Wilson shares acoustic Eddie Van Halen tribute, 4 Edward
By Richard Bienstock published
The instrumental will appear on her forthcoming solo debut, You and Me

Sammy Hagar would have been “embarrassed” if Van Halen had adopted proposed Van Hagar name change
By Richard Bienstock published
Fortunately, Eddie Van Halen nixed the idea immediately

Rick Beato's signature Gibson Les Paul Special is officially in production
By Richard Bienstock published
The YouTube personality and musician shares a sneak peek at the first Pelham Blue model off the assembly line

Poco co-founder, guitarist and pedal steel great Rusty Young dies aged 75
By Richard Bienstock published
The musician and songwriter helped to pioneer country-rock in the late ‘60s and ‘70s

Watch Stephanie Bradley shred on the “completely mind-blowing” ESP LTD EC-1000 Gold Andromeda guitar
By Richard Bienstock published
New mid-priced model boasts Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers, stainless steel frets and a stunning light-reflective finish

A brief history of the Foo Fighters' remarkable quarter-century career
By Richard Bienstock published
Okay, it's been 26 years, but who's counting? Dave Grohl unpacks the unlikely mega-stardom of the drummer turned frontman

Power up your Profiler with Kemper’s new Power Kabinet monitoring solution
By Richard Bienstock published
New offering boasts Kemper Kone with 19 speaker imprints and more

Mark Hoppus partners with Reverb to sell Blink-182 and +44 album and tour-used gear
By Richard Bienstock published
The bassist is unloading Marshall, Orange and Bogner amps, drum machines and more

José González announces first album in six years, shares new song, Visions
By Richard Bienstock published
Local Valley is out September 17

A guitarist spent 22 years learning to play King Crimson’s Fracture, and wrote a book about it
By Richard Bienstock published
Anthony Garone chronicles his very long journey to conquer Robert Fripp’s 1974 “moto perpetuo” masterpiece

Chibson USA is now offering NFTs of its ingenious ad campaigns
By Richard Bienstock published
The company that brought us the Durst Burst and the Dual Retinafier gets in on the Non-Fungible Token game – and tech mogul Cameron Winklevoss is already a fan

Watch Tool’s Justin Chancellor and Danny Carey play Ænema for a class of college students
By Richard Bienstock published
Let’s hope there wasn’t a pop quiz afterwards
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