Features

How Laney brought volume and best-in-class tone for digital rigs with the world’s loudest active guitar cabinet

By Jonathan Horsley published 17 September 24

Developed with a little help from Devin Townsend and Guthrie Govan, the LFR-412 is the first active 4x12 for digital rigs, giving players old-school power and volume to make their amp modeler sing

How Dana Bourgeois led the OM-style guitar renaissance and turned Bourgeois Guitars into a guitar craftsmanship powerhouse

By Janelle Borg published 17 September 24

From earning the Bluegrass Hall of Famer's approval in his early days, to producing 500 intimately crafted guitars a year and landing an innovative partnership with Eastman, the experienced luthier is decades deep into the business – but still has an intense “infatuation with guitars”

Beloved by Pat Travers and Adrian Belew, the A/DA Flanger was one of the greatest guitar effects of the ’70s

By Chris Gill published 17 September 24

An original pedalboard classic, the A/DA Flanger was the first to sound like true tape flanging – with sounds ranging from the conventional to the esoteric

How to Get Your Music on Spotify with Distrokid

By Guitar World Staff published 16 September 24

Harness the power of Spotify with the right distributor - DistroKid

How Neural DSP changed the digital guitar gear game with the help of a robot called TINA

By Matt Owen published 16 September 24

Since its inception, Neural DSP has innovated a new approach to amp modeling and produced a game-changing multi-effects floorboard in record time – they explain how TINA has helped them do it

“The guitar has got a life of its own and it’s got to move on”: Inside the Rory Gallagher auction

By Jamie Dickson published 16 September 24

Nearly 30 years after Rory Gallagher’s death, we join Rory’s brother Donal to find out why it’s time to let go of his legendary 1961 Fender Stratocaster as it heads to auction

How Eastman realized its vision for the future of the electric guitar with the D’Ambrosio range

By Matt Owen published 16 September 24

Reclaimed tonewoods recovered from wildfires, hand-wound electronics and an innovative new neck joint highlight the new D’Ambrosio guitars – which also look absolutely sensational

The story behind the Gibson ES-330T – the single-pickup “runt of the litter” with mojo to burn

By Bob Wootton published 16 September 24

This single-P-90 variant walked in the shadows of the humbucker-toting 335 and its late-’50s ES siblings, yet its straightforward charm continues to endure some 65 years on

Trey Anastasio’s tech, Justin Stabler, reveals all about the Phish frontman’s live rig

By Alan Paul published 16 September 24

What do you use when you are playing the most tech advanced venue in the world? As Stabler explains, this is a rig less ordinary, custom-tailored for one of the most challenging sets in live music

Did Paul McCartney fumble a note on this classic Beatles bassline?

By Nick Wells published 16 September 24

Recorded at Abbey Road Studios on October 16th, 1965, see if you can hear the bass glitch where McCartney “breaks” the main riff

“It was like an insult”: Paul McCartney turned down George Harrison's proposed guitar parts for Hey Jude

By Jackson Maxwell published 14 September 24

Harrison suggested answering each of McCartney's lines with a guitar phrase, an addition McCartney saw as unnecessary

Viral bass hero Blu DeTiger just gave the Fender Jazz Bass a radical revamp – but she started on a Gretsch she left in a taxi

By Nick Wells published 14 September 24

We talk to the bassist with 1.4 million fans on TikTok about how DJing influenced her bass playing, and sending her new signature Jazz Bass to Flea

“He taught me that it was OK to play the music you wanted to play”: Why John Mayall was the godfather of British blues guitar

By Glenn Kimpton published 13 September 24

Best known for his Bluesbreakers band, which launched the careers of Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor, Mayall was a gifted pianist, guitarist and harmonica player

Phil Collen on Def Leppard x RATM, his favorite Jacksons – and why Pyromania still blows him away

By Andrew Daly published 13 September 24

Taking five between packing out stadiums, Collen shares his philosophy on digital amps, what Mutt Lange taught him, and how Tom Morello found himself on a Def Leppard track

Alex Skolnick on Criss Oliva's favorite guitar, “the Gargoyle” – the ESP Superstrat he likens to Billy Gibbons’ Pearly Gates Les Paul Standard

By Clay Marshall published 13 September 24

Skolnick got up close and personal with this one-of-one Mirage when he stepped up to replace the late Oliva in Savatage. Like the ZZ Top man's Burst, it has a tone that's all its own

Fender Player 1 vs Player 2: should you upgrade?

By Matt McCracken published 12 September 24

We put Fender’s most popular model head to head with its successor and find out whether or not the sequel really is superior to the original

“I knew that Free Bird was going to be my lead”: Rickey Medlocke unpacks his history with Lynyrd Skynyrd

By Andrew Daly published 12 September 24

Veteran guitarist (and former drummer) reveals how essential Damon Johnson has become, the secret to sounding like the late original guitarists, and the unfinished songs co-written with Gary Rossington

From fixing Lennon’s Framus to giving Cloud III a CAT scan – it's all in the life of an A-list guitar appraiser

By Matt Parker published 11 September 24

In his work for the prestigious LA auction house, Julien’s, Mike Adams has gone from guitar tech to guitar detective

Acoustic guitars FAQ: from understanding tonewoods to the different sizes available, get to know your acoustic with these common questions answered

By Daryl Robertson published 11 September 24

From shape to tone, classical to steel-strung, we answer some of the most commonly asked questions surrounding the wonderful world of acoustic guitars

Blackie Lawless on touring, talking solos with David Gilmour – and that time W.A.S.P. bought 52 Marshall heads

By Andrew Daly published 11 September 24

He recalls scavenging Marshalls from Ted Nugent, explains why he still records to tape, and reveals what he’s discovered about his band’s early days that he didn’t know at the time