Features
Latest Features

One of Davey Johnstone's favorite guitars was once a piece of upscale decor for his superstar bandmate
By Jackson Maxwell published
Johnstone did end up with the '50s-era beauty in the end, though not for a happy reason

How Dick Dale made the Stratocaster the ultimate surf-rock weapon
By Jackson Maxwell published
The surf guitar king was not only a Fender man to his bones – he had a close working relationship with Leo Fender himself

“There was that moment of, ‘My God! I’m recording with David Bowie!’” Bassist Tim Lefebvre on the making of David Bowie's Lazarus
By Chris Jisi published
The session for Bowie’s Blackstar album took place in early 2015 at the Magic Shop in New York

Yvette Young’s fretboard wizardry was a wake-up call for modern guitar playing – but with her latest pivot, she’s making music to help emo kids go to sleep
By Janelle Borg published
Young is in her musician-artist-producer era – leaning into soundtracks, generating ideas with her signature Qi pedal, and reclaiming control of her career, as epitomized by her latest collaboration with Hatch: a suite of Emo Sound Baths

How Joni Mitchell formed an unlikely partnership with Jaco Pastorius
By Nick Wells published
Although much of his fame stems from his time with Weather Report, Jaco’s recordings with Joni Mitchell yielded some of the finest bass playing of his career

Why Prince removed the bassline from When Doves Cry
By Nick Wells published
From the beginning, Prince had an inkling that Purple Rain’s landmark single would be better without bass guitar

For IDLES’ Lee Kiernan, modding guitars is a gateway to sonic chaos – and Fenders make the perfect platforms
By Jonathan Horsley published
The post-punk trailblazer is one of the faces of Fender’s new Player II Modified series. He explains why he’s not interested in perfection while making music – to the point of not wanting a guitar to sound like a guitar at all

With three Grammy wins and plaudits from John Mayer, Justus West is one of modern session guitar’s MVPs – but it hasn’t been an easy ride
By Jenna Scaramanga published
One of John Mayer’s favorite guitarists reveals the challenges of making a living from music, what modern studio sessions are like and why he uses plugins even though he prefers real amps

Norman Harris on the unlikely rise of Norman’s Rare Guitars and the birth of the vintage guitar market
By Andrew Daly published
Just in time for a new Netflix doc, GW sits down with Norman Harris – owner of Tarzana, California’s iconic Norman’s Rare Guitars – to discuss 50 years of sales, his kinship with Joe Bonamassa, and what the future holds for the guitar institution

Lee Malia’s Jackson signature completes a full circle 20 years in the making – and it redefines what a Jackson can be
By Phil Weller published
A Jackson Warrior played a key role in Bring Me The Horizon’s humble beginnings. Now Malia’s back with the brand where it all started with a stunning offset signature
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