Alexi Laiho Discusses His Writing Process and Touring

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Guitar World Editors

Since 1980, Guitar World has brought guitarists the best in-depth interviews with great players, along with exclusive lessons, informative gear reviews and insightful columns that help guitarists grow and excel on their instrument. Whether you want to learn the techniques employed by your guitar heroes, read about their latest projects or simply need to know which guitar is the right one to buy, Guitar World is your guide.

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(L-R) John Mayer and Jay Lane of Dead & Company, and Honorees Bob Weir and Mickey Hart of Dead & Company and of the Grateful Dead perform onstage during the 2025 MusiCares Persons of the Year Honoring The Grateful Dead at Los Angeles Convention Center on January 31, 2025 in Los Angeles, California

“That’s changed my playing a lot. I feel like the two of us now have almost like a telepathic relationship”: After a decade playing together in Dead & Company, John Mayer and Bob Weir reveal the invaluable lessons they’ve learned from each other
Mike Stringer wear a black hoodie and stands in a field of straw-colored long grass with trees in the background. He is holding an Aristides seven-string guitar.

“People think we were manufactured by the music industry to make them loads of money. That would be one of the worst investments ever”: How Spiritbox’s Mike Stringer went from reluctant hometown hero to metal’s new seven-string phenomenon
Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones performs on stage at Johan Cruijff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands 7 July 2022

“It was a complete and utter shock to my system – when his tech came in, he was like, ‘Keith’s using your rig!’” The night Keith Richards rocked up unannounced to an LA jam night
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Mike Stringer wear a black hoodie and stands in a field of straw-colored long grass with trees in the background. He is holding an Aristides seven-string guitar.
“People think we were manufactured by the music industry to make them loads of money. That would be one of the worst investments ever”: How Spiritbox’s Mike Stringer went from reluctant hometown hero to metal’s new seven-string phenomenon
Bill Kelliher
“My lead skills are decent enough – but whoever we get is going to be light years ahead of me”: Brent Hinds’ exit left Mastodon at a crossroads. But for Bill Kelliher, it’s an opportunity for a fresh start with a new guitar wingman
Singer/bassist Thundercat performs at the 65th edition of the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, August 2, 2019.
“It’s got this Pink Floyd-ish tone that’s really open. I used it with Michael McDonald at the Hollywood Bowl”: Created by the Ibanez Custom Shop in L.A., Thundercat’s double-neck bass guitar has a 6-string on top and an 8-string on the bottom
Ozzy Osbourne (left) and Randy Rhoads perform at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York on August 14, 1981
“It's a dummy solo I laid down – I was supposed to put down a real one later. But I never got time”: Ozzy Osbourne's Diary of a Madman is a landmark guitar album, but some of its final parts made Randy Rhoads “cringe”
TV Jones
“I played Brian Setzer’s personal guitars – the pickups give you more dynamic control. I thought, ‘I have to recreate this!’” How TV Jones revived That Great Gretsch Sound – despite being an underdog in the pickup world
Charlie Cunningham
“I used to give myself a hard time about imperfections – the challenge now is finding out what makes it human”: Guitarists need to change their approach in the face of AI. Just ask Charlie Cunningham, the acoustic virtuoso fusing Meshuggah and fingerstyle
Buck Dharma of Blue Öyster Cult plays his white Gibson SG onstage. He wears all white. The image is black-and-white.
“I was this short guy playing through a full stack, and the speakers were five feet from my head. It’s a miracle I can hear anything”: Buck Dharma on the Blue Öyster Cult story, his Gibson SG heroes, and what he really thinks of that SNL sketch
Bilmuri
“Country players don’t get as much credit as the prog guys. Shining a light on how cool country guitar can be was important to me”: Bilmuri are fusing metalcore and country using Strats, ‘fighter jet’ solos and tone tips from Sleep Token
Captain Beefheart performs onstage with The Magic Band at The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam on April 8, 1972
“He would beat the crap out of the guitar. The result can best be described as Jackson Pollock trying to play like John Lee Hooker”: Aggressively bizarre, Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica remains one of the craziest guitar-driven albums ever made
Randy Resnick
“In the end, I did it too much – I was a one-trick pony! EVH brought that fire to the guitar”: He was an early two-hand tapping pioneer and one of John Mayall’s favorite guitarists, but Randy Resnick doesn’t consider himself an influential figure