Features

Pete Evick has played with Bret Michaels for 21 years. Here’s what he learned

By Andrew Daly published 5 February 26

He compares the Poison singer to Prince and Trent Reznor in terms of creativity, hails his boss for the freedom he’s given, recalls making early gear choices for the wrong reasons, and says he can only tolerate one Marshall amp – but it’s his all-time favorite

Meet Eric Steckel, the high-gain firebrand painting a new shade of blues guitar

By Amit Sharma published 5 February 26

The Knaggs signature artist has grown an international profile by importing heavy distortion into the blues and bending it to his will

Car Bomb’s Greg Kubacki is exploring new heavy frontiers – with help from Gojira’s Joe Duplantier

By Gregory Adams published 5 February 26

Technical wizardry plus atmospheric brutality equals explosive results according to the Vernon Reid-approved riff mathematician

Is this the holy grail of all holy grail Fender Stratocasters?

By Huw Price published 4 February 26

Only two features distinguished a Mary Kaye Stratocaster from any other Strat that might have rolled off Fender’s production line during the mid-to-late 1950s. So why are vintage examples so darn valuable?

I've spent 20 years as a touring guitarist. The live industry is broken – now it’s breaking musicians too

By Glen Phillips published 4 February 26

When an average gigging life includes permanent damage to financial, physical and mental wellbeing, it’s time to re-evaluate what the business is doing to the people who stand on stage

Top players and a gun-wielding Phil Spector: the wild story of John Lennon's rock 'n' roll covers album

By Jackson Maxwell published 3 February 26

Recorded under threat of a lawsuit, while in the midst of his infamous “Lost Weekend”, Rock 'n' Roll was the craziest ride of the Beatle's career – featuring top players and a gun-wielding Phil Spector

The Rolling Stones guitar tech on the secrets behind their onstage sound

By Amit Sharma published 3 February 26

Ryan Bullington has teched with everyone from the Stones to Paul McCartney and Keith Urban. He shares the joy of playing instruments he could never afford, the best amp he’s ever heard, and the invention that’s saved him years of pain

“Dave helped us understand how to make a good Megadeth album”: Teemu Mäntysaari on the making of Megadeth’s final album

By Andrew Daly published 3 February 26

Mäntysaari says Dave Mustaine's last hurrah was a very modern collaboration built upon the established principles of Megadeth's sound

Marcus Miller and Pino Palladino share the stage alongside Lauryn Hill at the 2026 Grammy Awards

By Nick Wells published 2 February 26

The two bass legends took to the biggest stage in music for a tribute to D’Angelo and Roberta Flack

How a Chicago alt-rock stalwart and Hollywood A-lister put together a supergroup to celebrate their favorite records

By Jon Wiederhorn published 2 February 26

You might know Jason Narducy from playing bass with Bob Mould. You might recognize Michael Shannon, too. He’s in the movies. But they are also in band, and are celebrating R.E.M.’s Lifes Rich Pageant in concert. Narducy tells GW how it all went down