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Donald "Duck" Dunn of Booker T. & the MGs

“Paul McCartney was one of my favorite bass players. I didn’t do him justice”: Paying tribute to the Beatles turned out to be a humbling experience for Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn

By Nick Wells published

As a member of Booker T. and the MGs, Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn cut an instrumental version of the Beatles’ Abbey Road. But the experience wasn't all that satisfying...

1954 Fender Stratocaster

“I had to drive several hours through snow to get to him. He told me this was one of the first Stratocasters, and there were some things I noticed immediately”: This 1954 Fender Stratocaster is one of the most unusual Fender builds in history

By David Davidson published

David Davidson of Well Strung Guitars explains what makes this uniquely preserved vintage Strat so unique – starting with control pots from a TV set

Kyle Seely of Sheer Mag performs live

“I do this thing where I literally black out, and then the song’s over. I’m not even registering what I’m doing – it’s beyond muscle memory”: Kyle Seely has been playing the same Telecaster since he was a teen – but Sheer Mag keep evolving

By Gregory Adams published

The acclaimed Philly outfit enter their 10th year with a sound that’s more defined than ever, via their lead guitarist’s accidental journey into a side-project he could barely control

Cat Stevens

How the 1960s Gibson J-200 upset acoustic purists but remained King of the flat-tops in the eyes of the Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Yusuf/Cat Stevens

By Chris Gill published

The bridge was the one thing the purists just couldn't cross, but those who did found an acoustic bursting with songs and a tone that could not be matched

Steve Lukather

“Eddie Van Halen changed the game. I remember him telling me once, ‘Man, I didn’t mean to start all this madness’”: Steve Lukather on why he’s always championed melody above all else, and how that philosophy informed his new “unabashedly ‘80s” solo album

By Andrew Daly published

Returning with the triumphant new album Bridges, Steve Lukather reflects on the madness of shred, why Luke III is his Excalibur and why the melody and the song is all that counts

George Johnson (L) and Louis Johnson (R) from the Brothers Johnson perform live at Madison Square Garden in New York in 1976

“We had it in about two takes. The funk was there as soon as we hit it”: Watch Louis 'thunder thumbs' Johnson slap a classic bass solo on the Brothers Johnson’s Stomp!

By Chris Jisi published

Johnson used a Music Man StingRay (which he helped design), and strung it with new D’Addario roundwounds 

(from left to right) Kiss's Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Paul Stanley perform onstage

“People don’t talk about Ace doing his pick-tapping thing. Considering this was ’77, before Eddie Van Halen did Eruption, it's even more mind-blowing”: Eric Johnson, Nuno Bettencourt, and 40 other guitar legends share their favorite Kiss guitar moments

By Andrew Daly published

Ahead of their very last show, an all-star cast of rock guitar luminaries reveal how they were influenced by the Hottest Band in the Land

Tom G Warrior, of Swiss band Triptikon, performs during the second day of VII Mexico Metal Fest at Parque Fundidora on November 11, 2023 in Monterrey, Mexico.

“He took the Ibanez Iceman off the wall and said, ‘I’ll buy it for you... If you promise me Celtic Frost is going to be a fantastic band.’ And I said, ‘OK. Deal.’” For Tom G. Warrior, the equation has always been Ibanez + attitude = murderous riffs

By Greg Prato published

The black metal guitar icon inspired a generation of heavy players, including Dave Grohl and Mark Tremonti. Thomas Gabriel Fischer reveals what kindled his unending love of Ibanez, the benefits of writing bloodthirsty riffs on tiny practice amps, and the “absolutely crucial thing that people completely underestimate in achieving a guitar sound”

Clive Carroll

“It’s hard to deliver a gig to a chest of drawers in your bedroom. You worry about technique, then the recording can sound clinical”: How British acoustic great Clive Carroll tackled John Renbourn classics – and the psychological hurdles of home recording

By David Mead published

Carroll’s new double-album, The Abbott, sees him perform the late John Renbourn’s work – he explains why and how he did it, and offers an in-depth guide to performing Renbourn’s masterpieces

American jazz trumpet player Miles Davis and bass player Darryl Jones perform at North Sea Jazz festival, The Hague, Netherlands, 13 July 1985.

“I introduced Sting to Miles Davis, and that blew Sting’s mind!” Darryl Jones on providing the punch for Sting, Madonna, and the Rolling Stones

By Chris Jisi published

After stints with Miles Davis, Madonna, and Sting, Darryl Jones found a home on The Rolling Stones’ Voodoo Lounge

Fender amp control panel

Not changing your amp settings when you leave your rehearsal space for the stage? You're doing EQ wrong

By Huw Price published

It's called equalization for a reason: adjustments keep your sound consistent from venue to venue. These are the tweaks you need to keep in mind for top-quality guitar tone

Christopher Libertino

“When I want to know what I’m doing, I play the keyboard. And if I don’t want to know what I’m doing, I play the guitar”: Christopher Libertino on film scoring, music journeys and taking the leap into the great instrumental unknown

By Glenn Kimpton published

Libertino is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and academic, and his latest album, Cartography, finds him chasing new musical horizons and facing the biggest challenge of his career

Peter Baron (left) and Leslie West perform onstage

“My friend came to my taco stand, telling me Leslie West wanted to jam. I was like, ‘What kind of drugs are you on? I’ve never even played a club before’”: At 17, Peter Baron went from street food vendor to playing with a rock guitar icon overnight

By Andrew Daly published

Peter Baron spent decades touring with Leslie West. He reveals what the Mountain guitar legend taught him (and vice-versa), and the one-of-a-kind guitar quirk West got from watching Porky Pig…

Kurt Cobain

10 essential live rock and metal albums from the ’90s

By Andrew Daly published

The ’90s were a golden era for box office productions from Page & Plant and AC/DC, not to mention a certain era-defining acoustic set from Nirvana

Blake Lee and Lana Del Rey perform during the 2016 Outside Lands Music And Arts Festival at Golden Gate Park on August 7, 2016 in San Francisco, California.

“I showed the Strymon BigSky to Lana, and she was like, ‘Oh, we need that.’ I plugged into a 100-watt Marshall, and the riff came out in 10 seconds”: Lana Del Rey guitarist Blake Lee thrives on making his Strat sound like anything but a guitar

By Andrew Daly published

The boundary-breaking guitarist – aka Blake Stranathan – had an unlikely route to session guitar success. He reveals how gear shaped his collaborations with one of the biggest singer-songwriters of our age, his theory on how “the less paint or lacquer on the guitar, the better it will sound” and why the tone of a real Klon can’t be replicated

A group portrait of Simple Minds, near Edinburgh, Scotland, 27th August 1981. L-R Derek Forbes, Charlie Burchill, Kenny Hyslop, Mick MacNeil and Jim Kerr.

“My playing was a response to whoever said, ‘Bass should be felt and not heard’. To me, bass should be like warfare!” Derek Forbes, founder member of Simple Minds, on his five best basslines

By Joel McIver published

Derek Forbes was Simple Minds’ bassist from 1978 to 1985. Here he explains how he was inspired by Andy Fraser and Stanley Clarke, why he prefers Precision to Jazz, and the influence of magic mushrooms...

Legendary pianist and keyboardist Herbie Hancock performs 2 tracks from his 1973 album "Head Hunters" on Soul Train episode 110, aired 9/28/1974. Directly behind Herbie in a red shirt is jazz bassist Paul Jackson.

“I really liked the concept, but it was a bit impractical. My bass playing tends to rely more on my hands than any kind of trick”: Listen to Paul Jackson’s double-stop funk on Herbie Hancock’s Watermelon Man

By Nick Wells published

Paul Jackson’s big-bottomed stank came courtesy of his modified Fender Telecaster Bass, Geraldine

Ampeg Dan Armstrong

How the Ampeg Dan Armstrong may well have become a footnote in guitar history had the 'See-Through' electric not ended up in the hands of Keith Richards

By Dave Burrluck published

Ronnie Wood, Joe Perry and Dave Grohl all played Dan Armstrongs over the years – here's why it's one of the coolest guitars ever

Black Stone Cherry

“I wanted to be Paul Kossoff – a Les Paul with a wah into a Marshall and nothing else. I’d be telling myself off for dialing too much gain!” Black Stone Cherry share their gear epiphanies – and why we’re hearing Misha Mansoor’s Peavey on their new album

By Amit Sharma published

Ben Wells and Chris Robertson on the gear and the tones behind one of hard rock's most engaging guitar double acts – and why it all goes back to Leo Fender

Danny Bryant

“Tone is in the fingers. That’s not to say you can’t get close. Some YouTube players can get so close to Stevie Ray Vaughan, it’s frightening!” Danny Bryant is one of modern British blues’ finest players – ignore his tone wisdom at your peril

By Amit Sharma published

Give Bryant a Strat and he'll give you the blues straight, no chaser. He reveals the ‘death metal’ lessons Walter Trout taught him, and how to get the best out of your Strat