Features

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

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

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

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

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…

Top travel guitar choices and buying advice for musicians on the move

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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”

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

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

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

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 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…