Why the 4x10 Bassman is considered the best-sounding Fender amp of all time By Chris Gill published 1 June 23 How this supersized combo played an integral role in the development of the modern guitar amp
Graham Nash: “The acoustic guitar touches the heart faster. It’s much more human and personal than electric guitar” By Henry Yates published 1 June 23 As the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young legend releases the “most personal record” of his half-century career, he tells us about speaking truth to power, selling his Woodstock Martin D-45, and making up with David Crosby
Celebrating 50 years of The Dark Side of the Moon: inside the magical guitar sounds of Pink Floyd’s masterpiece By David Mead published 1 June 23 How one of rock’s greatest studio albums came together onstage, and what David Gilmour used to craft some of the most sought-after guitar tones in music history
Snowy White: "It's funny that I used a Strat for Pigs on the Wing. I was so used to my Les Paul – I was surprised I felt as comfortable as I did. I still hated it, but I got through it" By Andrew Daly published 31 May 23 The rock guitar gun for hire reveals why he was initially hesitant to play with Pink Floyd, how he divvied up parts with David Gilmour, and what it was like navigating the tension between Gilmour and Roger Waters
Meet 'Sunny', a newly uncovered 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard from South Africa By Huw Price published 31 May 23 More and more holy grail Les Paul Standards are surfacing in recent years, but this exceptional specimen remains a thoroughbred unicorn by anyone's reckoning
Flea names the one bassline that he would “go back and fix” from the Red Hot Chili Pepper's 1995 album, One Hot Minute By Scott Malandrone published 31 May 23 Flea on the making of One Hot Minute: “I thought it sounded like another stupid white boy trying to be funky!”
Duff McKagan: “I discovered my acoustic guitar as a refuge during Covid. It lessens the panic attacks” By Alison Richter published 31 May 23 The Guns N’ Roses bassist and songwriter speaks candidly about how trading the bottle for playing acoustic has helped his panic attack and mental health struggles
Best humbucker pickups 2023: buck up your guitar with mellow lows and punchy mids By Richard Blenkinsop published 30 May 23 From PAF replicas to modern day active tone monsters, our experts pick the best humbucker pickups on offer right now
How Gibson developed the mini-humbucker, its underrated ‘other’ pickup By Jamie Dickson published 30 May 23 Small size, big tone, and maybe just the sound you were looking for all along. After all these years in the shadow of the PAF, we trace the history of the unsung hero of pickups
"Bewildering technique that went way beyond any standard root/5th ideas": Listen to John Entwistle’s isolated bass on My Generation By Nick Wells published 30 May 23 “You can’t talk about classic bass playing without mentioning The Who and Live at Leeds”
Zakk Wylde picks his 5 essential Lynyrd Skynyrd tracks By Dave Ling published 30 May 23 The Black Label Society frontman and Ozzy Osbourne guitarist has assembled a playlist to convert anyone to the most legendary band in Southern rock
Larry Carlton: "I believe my Sire line is better than anything Fender's Squier line is producing. These are great guitars, and I believe in them" By Andrew Daly published 30 May 23 The jazz great explains why he made the switch from Gibson to produce his own range of affordable guitars, based on his iconic vintage instruments
Samantha Fish: “I play other guitars, but I always go back to the SG because it fights me just enough. I need something to push back a little bit and she does” By David Mead published 29 May 23 The blues-rock ace on what draws her to both Gibson and Fender, why all guitar players should learn drums, and how she ended up using an elementary school PA system for her tones on her new album with Jesse Dayton, Death Wish Blues
The legend of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On is that James Jamerson was so drunk he played the bass lying down By Mike Brooks published 28 May 23 And yep, most of us can’t play those basslines standing up and completely sober
Tina Weymouth: “I know Bono used me to taunt Adam Clayton when U2 were starting out” By Gregory Isola published 26 May 23 One of the bass world’s most influential female figures talks gender stereotypes and why her small stature was “almost like a dare to boys”
Best resonator guitars 2023: our pick of the best dobro guitars for blues, bluegrass and country By Matt McCracken published 26 May 23 Release your inner hound dog with these super strummers from Gretsch, Epiphone, Fender and more
Robert Trujillo: “We have more riffs than we know what to do with. With every handful of riffs we get out of Kirk, there’s another 500 we didn’t hear” By Amit Sharma published 26 May 23 Now a 20-year veteran as Metallica bassist, Trujillo details the secret weapons that locked in with James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett's guitar tones on 72 Seasons, and the key to getting extra grit from fingerstyle bass
In 1965 Elvis Presley was playing bass guitar, with a little help from Paul McCartney By Nick Wells published 25 May 23 Paul McCartney: “He was trying to learn bass, so I was like, ‘sit down, let me show you a few things’”
7 ways playing guitar can benefit your mental health By Alison Richter published 25 May 23 Guitar is more than a hobby – here are 7 ways it can help you deal with the challenges life throws at you
Meet Xander & the Peace Pirates, the triple-guitar band discovered by an ex-Gibson CEO, featuring Liverpool's answer to Stevie Ray Vaughan By Glenn Kimpton published 25 May 23 Henry Juszkiewicz broke the UK blues-rock outfit – they explain how they balance three distinctly different guitar styles
