Latest Updates

Guitar Center continues its big-brand collaborative hot streak and takes Fender on a Moonlight Drive with a trio of limited-edition Player II models
By Phil Weller published
Tonal and comfort upgrades have been included as part of the glow-up – which introduces a striking new colorway

What happens when a guitar store goes bust? A former employee at one of the UK's biggest guitar stores tells all
By Janelle Borg published
GAK, based in the UK city of Brighton, opened in 1992 and has recently closed down after weeks of speculation – and employment uncertainty for its staff

One of the most iconic session players of all time has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
By Janelle Borg published
Oasis and Phish were notably snubbed from the Class of 2025

Though Pete Quaife gets credit for jumpstarting the Kinks bass chair, John Dalton and Jim Rodford pushed the band forward on many of their classic albums
By Chris Jisi published
From the powerful bass tone on You Really Got Me to 1979’s Low Budget, smart low-end was a key ingredient of the Kinks sound

Having earned lofty status in bass-hero circles, Marcus Miller lent his vocal chops to Hadrien Feraud’s take on Chick Corea’s India Town
By Chris Jisi published
Hadrien Feraud offers a track-by-track guide to his 2015 solo album, Born in the ’80s

These are the gear releases that have caught my eye this week – and the ones you might have missed
By Matt Owen published
An amp modeler update that players have been waiting months for, a sustainable build from Martin and a premium collaboration between Gibson and Serj Tankian headline this week's action

Bootsy Collins reflects on James Brown and George Clinton, and what he gets out of playing today
By Andrew Daly published
One of the world’s greatest bassists talks switching from guitar, how LSD helped him become a songwriter and why he’s finally embracing five-string bass

Original Alice Cooper lineup reunites after more than 50 years – and announces brand-new album
By Janelle Borg published
The Revenge of Alice Cooper – the lineup's first record since 1973's Muscle of Love – promises to deliver all the shock rock goods of the band's heyday

The Aristocrats' Bryan Beller recalls the moment he met Guthrie Govan and formed a new kind of supergroup
By Janelle Borg published
As per Aristocrats lore, the power trio formed right after an impromptu jam at NAMM 2011

Neural DSP’s Nano Cortex had one major drawback – but now it’s been addressed with a huge free firmware update
By Matt Owen published
An expanded utilities list with 47 new effects and improved control over the signal chain headline the free update

Reverb has been acquired by two new investors – and will once again become an independently operated company
By Janelle Borg published
The online musical instrument marketplace, best known for its vintage and second-hand music gear, has been sold by Etsy, which had acquired the company in 2019

Weezer’s first show was opening for Keanu Reeves’ band Dogstar. Now the John Wick star is set to play a villain in the Buddy Holly hitmakers’ forthcoming mockumentary
By Phil Weller published
The Matrix actor and whimsical alt-rock band have a storied history together, and now it's set for a blockbuster retelling

GAK has sold its stock and website to online retailer Gear4music for $3.2m – after weeks of speculation over its future
By Janelle Borg published
GAK, which stands for Guitar, Amp and Keyboard, has been closed since March 25, allegedly for maintenance, before confirmation that it has entered insolvency

Assembled on 24 hours' notice, this John Lennon-led supergroup marked the beginning of the end of the Beatles
By Jackson Maxwell published
Though the band's set at the 1969 Toronto Rock and Roll Revival was ragged, it confirmed in stone a hugely consequential decision Lennon had made just before the festival

“There was that moment of, ‘My God! I’m recording with David Bowie!’” Bassist Tim Lefebvre on the making of David Bowie's Lazarus
By Chris Jisi published
The session for Bowie’s Blackstar album took place in early 2015 at the Magic Shop in New York

How Joni Mitchell formed an unlikely partnership with Jaco Pastorius
By Nick Wells published
Although much of his fame stems from his time with Weather Report, Jaco’s recordings with Joni Mitchell yielded some of the finest bass playing of his career

Why Prince removed the bassline from When Doves Cry
By Nick Wells published
From the beginning, Prince had an inkling that Purple Rain’s landmark single would be better without bass guitar

Fender’s elevated Player II Modified line brings the firm’s most sought-after guitar upgrades to the masses
By Matt Owen published
Speedy satin necks, upgraded pickups, expansive electronics and Floyd Rose tremolos headline the drop, which lifts the humble Player II line to new heights

Bootsy Collins is one of the all-time bass greats, but he started out on guitar. Here’s the sole reason why he switched
By Janelle Borg published
Before he became ‘the’ Bootsy Collins, William Collins was a young guitarist who desperately wanted to join his brother's band

How Cro-Mags’ Harley Flanagan went from buying a Jaco Pastorius bass on the street to fronting one of hardcore’s most influential bands
By Andrew Daly published
The Cro-Mags founder on the reason he plays Fenders despite loving Rickenbackers, learning from Lemmy and the new documentary about his struggle for survival