Shrapnel veteran Michael Lee Firkins reflects on the final days of shred By Andrew Daly published 27 April 24 The former Shrapnel star discusses bringing bluesgrass to shred, working with the great Jason Becker and his pivotal role in establishing the Yamaha Pacifica
Europe’s John Norum on sacred Strats and what he learned from Don Dokken By Joe Matera published 27 April 24 As Norum gets ready to work on a new Europe album, the Swedish six-string maverick pops by to share his most embarrassing moment onstage and famous firsts
How Colin Greenwood came up with his deceptive stop-start bassline on Radiohead’s Airbag By Nick Wells published 27 April 24 Colin Greenwood’s bassline drives the opener of Radiohead’s OK Computer, even though it contains more rests than licks
Randy Bachman on how a broken string inspired his iconic American Woman guitar riff By Janelle Borg published 26 April 24 How one broken string on a ‘59 Les Paul changed Randy Bachman’s career
“It made me realize how grateful I am to have the guitar in my life”: I applied to be the new Smashing Pumpkins guitarist – I didn’t get the gig, but it was one of the most life-affirming experiences of my musical career By Michael Astley-Brown published 26 April 24 Kiki Wong deservedly landed the touring guitarist spot, but applying to join one of my all-time favorite bands reignited my teenage dreams – and Billy Corgan should be commended for offering the opportunity to so many players
The story of Van Halen’s 1984 – the Flying V, the synths and the end of the David Lee Roth era By Chris Gill published 26 April 24 Creative differences led to Roth’s departure the following year, but 1984 found the band firing on all cylinders, as Eddie Van Halen embraced his pop sensibilities while retaining the musical adventurism that made him the greatest of all time
Best guitar wireless systems 2024: set your playing free, from the rehearsal room to the stage By Jonathan Horsley last updated 26 April 24 Fed up with cumbersome cables? Here's our pick of the best wireless guitar systems for every budget
How Anna Calvi threw out the guitar rulebook to write the Peaky Blinders score By Amit Sharma published 26 April 24 The UK guitar great explains how she approached writing for a prestige TV show, and why she shares a Telecaster obsession with her hero Jeff Buckley
“John Sykes changed my world”: How Fozzy’s Rich Ward invented Stuck Mojo By Andrew Daly published 26 April 24 The Marshall fan explains what made him shut down the crossover band he loved, how he developed the perfect partnership with Fozzy bandmate Chris Jericho, and why mid-’70s Les Pauls are the best
10 legendary blues guitars, featuring Lucille, Lucy, Greeny – and the Loch Ness Monster of Les Pauls By Jonathan Horsley published 26 April 24 Named and famed! Behind every great blues player is a great guitar, and they don’t come more iconic than this...
Flatwound vs roundwound bass strings: What’s the difference? By Richard Blenkinsop published 25 April 24 Mellow and warm or bright and snappy? We look at the key differences between flatwound and roundwound bass strings
Best guitar capos: top choice capos for acoustic and electric guitar By Chris Bird last updated 25 April 24 A capo is a great way to boost your creativity on the instrument. Here’s our expert picks for electric and acoustic guitar, ukulele, 12-string and beyond
Best short-scale basses 2024: the ultimate guide to the greatest pint-sized bass guitars at all price points By Daryl Robertson last updated 25 April 24 From Fender to Gibson, Gretsch to Spector, here are our top picks for the best short-scale basses on the market right now
Rock City Machine Co. went from KISS Army to KISS collaborators. Now they're going it alone. By Andrew Daly published 25 April 24 Ryan Cook and Jeremy Asbrock have worked with Ace Frehley and Gene Simmons, but say it’s time for them to stand on their own, er, four feet...
Why a baritone Les Paul is the perfect prog metal weapon for Wheel’s James Lascelles By Phil Weller published 25 April 24 Upcoming third album, Charismatic Leaders, kickstarts a new era for the Finnish prog-metallers with a sound that’s stubbornly traditional but powerfully progressive
Meet Ava Mendoza the punk-reared jazz guitar maverick turning breath work to fretwork By Andrew Daly published 25 April 24 Echolocation is the sound of a player reared on punk taking what you might call jazz into a new place
Inside the sound and style of Motown master James Jamerson By Chris Jisi published 25 April 24 Five top low-enders with links to the bass great dissect the James Jamerson style
Why Squarepusher (aka Tom Jenkinson) is an artist in a vast left-field league of his own By Brian Fox published 25 April 24 You may or may not know Squarepusher (aka Tom Jenkinson), but chances are he doesn’t care to know you
“Stevie wasn’t a fluent songwriter”: The making of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Couldn’t Stand the Weather By Alan Paul published 24 April 24 In 1984, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble needed new tunes and needed them bad, and necessity became the mother of invention as they put together a bona fide blues classic
“You get so much more choice”: How the Japanese Fender offset conquered the world By Jamie Dickson published 24 April 24 Fender Japan showed the world how radically offsets could be modified. We visited specialist Japanese guitar retailer Gas Station Guitars to chart the evolution of the MIJ offset