Best acoustic guitars for beginners 2023: our pick of easy acoustic strummers for new players By Chris Corfield last updated 6 December 23 The best beginner acoustic guitars, featuring epic affordable six strings from Epiphone, Taylor, Fender, Yamaha and more
“I’m actually surprised we’re that well-remembered. I’m just a normal musician who doesn’t really think about the fame side of it”: In his final interview, Denny Laine looks back on the breakthrough success and enduring legacy of Paul McCartney and Wings By Bill DeMain last updated 6 December 23 1973 was the year Paul McCartney’s ragtag group, Wings, first scored Beatles-sized success. As late guitarist Denny Laine recalled, they were no overnight success
“The guitar is such an interesting instrument; it can be a sound palette, create harmonies and be presented in endless ways”: Trevor Rabin breaks down the tales and tools behind some of his greatest guitar highlights By Andrew Daly published 5 December 23 The six-string wizard (and songwriter) behind Owner of a Lonely Heart shares the stories behind six classic Yes tracks and six tracks from his masterful new album, Rio
Jason Becker hailed his “stunning technique and explosive guitar tone” – now Jien Takahashi is building a unique brand of shred shaped by Ritchie Blackmore, Morbid Angel and a quest to prove “a guitar solo can be as persuasive as a singer's voice” By Andrew Daly published 5 December 23 The rising Japanese virtuoso has an undying love for the shred heroics of Becker and Marty Friedman, but also uses his Ibanez, PRS and occasionally his $50 Legend Strat copy to traverse much wider melodic ground
“I tend to brutalize electric guitars, so anything I have in my personal stash stays away from the live stage these days”: John Cale opens up about AI, amp exploration and the emotional potential of effects By Bruce Fagerstrom published 5 December 23 The Velvet Underground co-founder returns with Mercy, a new solo album featuring Weyes Blood, Actress and Animal Collective – and Cale's typically restless search for new sounds
“McCartney was fantastic. Mind you, I tried one of those Hofner basses and I thought it was crap”: Judas Priest’s heavy metal veteran Ian Hill picks his top 5 bass albums By Joel McIver published 5 December 23 From the Beatles to the Bluesbreakers, we asked Ian Hill to name five albums that helped him along the righteous path to metal glory with Judas Priest
“I thought to myself, ‘Nobody’s done anything with that for at least 25 years. It looks like a piece of medieval torture instrumentation’”: How G7th revolutionized the guitar capo By David Mead published 5 December 23 The British company has sought to give the humble capo a player-friendly future. As with many great ideas, it evolved from a simple question that designer Nick Campling asked himself while playing an acoustic guitar…
Best travel guitars 2023: top acoustic and electric travel guitars for portability and performance By Rob Laing last updated 5 December 23 Top travel guitar choices and buying advice for musicians on the move
“The ‘tone stars’ of tomorrow are going to be the ones who can do the most creative programming”: Why digital modeling and AI will be more important than big-name players in shaping the future of guitar tone By Justin Sandercoe published 5 December 23 Justin Sandercoe is an old-school tube lover, but he's exploring both sides of the tone universe, analog and digital – and he's excited about whatever tonal evolution comes our way
“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 4 December 23 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...
“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 4 December 23 David Davidson of Well Strung Guitars explains what makes this uniquely preserved vintage Strat so unique – starting with control pots from a TV set
“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 4 December 23 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
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 1 December 23 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
“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 1 December 23 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
“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 1 December 23 Johnson used a Music Man StingRay (which he helped design), and strung it with new D’Addario roundwounds
“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 1 December 23 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
“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 30 November 23 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”
“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 30 November 23 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
“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 29 November 23 After stints with Miles Davis, Madonna, and Sting, Darryl Jones found a home on The Rolling Stones’ Voodoo Lounge
Not changing your amp settings when you leave your rehearsal space for the stage? You're doing EQ wrong By Huw Price published 29 November 23 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
