Best metal guitars 2024: hell-raising electrics for shredders on any budget By Jonathan Horsley last updated 15 October 24 From extended-range guitars to Flying Vs, here's our pick of killer metal guitars from Jackson, ESP, Ibanez, and more
How the Martin D-18 and D-28 changed the world – and became the definitive acoustic guitars By Chris Gill published 15 October 24 Loved by the likes of Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Mark Knopfler and more, these Martin dreadnoughts are arguably the most successful guitar designs in history. Here's everything you need to know about this steel-string icon
Wunderhorse turned up to Nirvana's In Utero studio, borrowed guitars – and made one of 2024’s best alt rock records By Mark McStea published 15 October 24 What started out as a solo project is now a proper band with ties that go back to childhood, and Midas is the sound of an indie collaboration in full bloom
Jontavious Willis has become one of acoustic blues’ most exciting voices – just don’t says he’s the future of the art form By Mark McStea published 14 October 24 Straight out of West Georgia with stories to tell and songs to sing, Willis tells us why he the time is now for acoustic blues and how the British Invasion brought good and bad for the art form
Fender Mustang Micro vs Mustang Micro Plus: is it worth upgrading? By Matt McCracken published 14 October 24 We put Fender’s two headphone amps for guitar in a room together to duke it out
Ian Moore on Dumble's legacy, the “snake oil” around them, and his quest to design the perfect amp By Tracy Anne Hart published 14 October 24 If the perfect tone doesn't exist then why are we still search for it? As Austin powerhouse Ian Moore sees it, "the journey is the destination"
Cream were one of the loudest rock bands of their time – that excessive volume helped tear the band apart By Jackson Maxwell published 13 October 24 During Cream's late '60s heyday, and again during their brief reunion in 2005, drummer Ginger Baker felt that both his – and even Eric Clapton's – contributions were often drowned out by bandmate Jack Bruce's
Berry Oakley set the template for the Allman Brothers Band with a modified ’72 Jazz, known as ‘The Tractor’ By Nick Wells published 12 October 24 Oakley added a Hagstrom Bi-Sonic pickup to his 1972 Jazz Bass, giving him a total of three pickups and five control knobs
“Somebody said, ‘Why don't you try slap bass?’” Chris Wolstenholme switched up his tone and technique on Muse’s The Resistance By Nick Wells published 12 October 24 Monstrous tones (and a massive signal chain) are just part of Chris Wolstenholme’s bass evolution with Muse
Session bassist Gordon Edwards laid it down on this classic John Lennon ballad By Nick Wells published 12 October 24 A close connection with John Lennon's musical arranger put Gordon Edwards in the studio for 1973’s Mind Games
Robin Guthrie on how he conjured the haunting (and monstrous) tones of Cocteau Twins By Mark McStea published 11 October 24 With The Moon and the Melodies remastered and reissued, the architect of the lushest sounds committed to tape reflects on the effects experimentation and accidental magic of the quintessential 4AD band
How Neige’s ascent from the creative abyss led to Alcest’s most ethereal and life-affirming album By Jon Wiederhorn published 11 October 24 The French black metal institution has always let the light in, embracing shoegaze and post-rock experimentalism. Les Chants de l’Aurore is the sound of Neige on the other side of writer’s block, answering “the magic” and finding solace in sound
Best acoustic guitars for beginners 2024: top picks for new players, reviewed and demoed by experts By Daryl Robertson last updated 11 October 24 We've played epic affordable six-strings from Epiphone, Taylor, Fender, Yamaha and more – read on for our best beginner acoustic guitar recommendations and watch our video demos
Yvette Young almost quit making music before taking a radical solo turn – but she’s not done with Covet By Andrew Daly published 10 October 24 Getting over her thoughts of quitting, Young has developed a glitchy sound “like a dying battery,” and moved away from technique-focused shredding to dream pop. However, don’t write off her math rock days just yet...
Larry Graham explains how his unorthodox six-string style invented slap bass By Nick Wells published 10 October 24 How the father of slap bass drove the world’s grooviest band
“This can’t be about brute physicality”: Karl Sanders on technical epiphanies – and why Nile needs three guitarists By Jon Wiederhorn published 10 October 24 Sanders might be one of death metal's most ferocious and technical players but he tells us you're never too good to stop improving, and a lesson from one of his students transformed his technique, making it more vicious and controlled than ever
Richie Kotzen explains why he ditched a regular pedalboard for an all-in-one pedal from the creator of the SansAmp By Andrew Daly published 10 October 24 Once upon a time, Kotzen went into Home Depot and made this bespoke ’board for his effects, but with a little help from Andrew Barta, it is now a very pro all-enclosed unit, and it's pretty much everything he needs
Diamond Rowe is bringing lead guitar to nu-metal – complete with a history-making signature Jackson By Phil Weller published 9 October 24 The Tetrarch shredder discusses the challenge she set Jackson in designing her own Pro Series model, securing nu-metal tones and blasting out uncomfortable-sounding solos
Why the ’70s was a time of innovation and folly for guitar gear By Chris Gill published 9 October 24 The ’70s gets a bad rep from some guitarists but it's too easy to say this was a bad time for Gibson and Fender and that's the story. There were some real treasures and technological breakthroughs
Meet Asymmetric Universe, the Italian brothers who graduated from theme park music and video game scores to world-beating jazz-djent By Gregory Adams published 9 October 24 Introducing Frederico and Nicolò Vese, two brothers who traffic in progressive djent, elevator jazz and mercury-dripping guitar and bass runs
