Latest Features
Acclaimed filmmaker Robert Rodriguez lifts the lid on his amazing guitar collection
The filmmaker takes us through his extensive guitar collection, including gifts from the likes of Billy Gibbons and Kirk Hammett, and reveals why he needs 24 frets to perform with his cinematic Latin-rock band
How a Fender Strat anniversary event led to Queen’s first world tour since Freddie Mercury’s death
From The Archive May shared the Strat Pack stage with a singer whose performance convinced him to get the Queen machine up and running again
How Mike McCready overcame his addictions to form a grunge supergroup
Emerging from rehab in 1994 gave McCready a sense of purpose and clarity, and a newfound creativity as he put together Mad Season with Layne Staley on vocals
How a chance family connection brought Raphael Saadiq a lesson with one of the greatest bass players of all time
Since breaking through as the frontman of Tony! Toni! Toné!, Raphael Saadiq has forged a career alongside A Tribe Called Quest, Snoop Dogg and Q-Tip, while playing a key role in the sound of D’Angelo’s acclaimed neo-soul albums
The enduring allure of the O.G. Stratocaster – and how drastically different two first-year Strats can be
We take a closer look at a pair of Strats that might share a birthday but have quite different sounds and specs, as Fender was evolving the design in real-time when it launched in ’54
Dan Hawkins says it’s a miracle The Darkness have survived so long
Goes to 11 His most prized Gibson was made for Jimmy Page and contains an Angus Young pickup. He knows the difference between opening for Metallica and Iron Maiden. He knows kids hate AI. And there’s one thing that he can’t tell you for legal reasons
How a $20 box designed for cheap speakers became the secret weapon behind Metallica’s massive Black Album guitar sounds
How the SRS WOW Thing became an unlikely studio must-have, proving that how tools are used is more important than what tools are used
“Frank who? They were like, ‘Frank Ocean!’” How Cashier’s DIY alt-rock sound is winning them fans in high places
Kylie Gaspard and Jo Perillo discuss the nuanced differences between shoegaze and alt-rock, and the borrowed J. Mascis Jazzmaster that holds the key to it all
