Welcome to Guitar World’s weekly gear round-up, your one-stop-shop for keeping up to date with what’s been happening in the big wide world of guitar gear over the past seven days.

From new electric guitars to amp modeler updates, the guitar industry is never short of fresh releases, and it can sometimes be hard to stay in the loop with every new launch.

To make things a little easier, we’ve put together an essential must-read guide that will cover the major releases, the boutique drops, and everything in between.

Below you'll find my personal highlights from the week, along with plenty of honorable mentions for the new gear you might have missed. Agree with my picks? Have a highlight of your own? Let us know in the comments.

Marshall Billie Joe Armstrong 1959BJA

At a time when the whole world is going digital there is something reassuringly punk rock about putting your name to a signature 100-watt tube amp that is the descendent of a ‘60s design – especially one that was originally intended as a form of public address.

But then Billie Joe Armstrong plays big venues – like the Super Bowl, where he debuted this signature Marshall amp – and this particular amp is elemental to the Green Day sound.

The 1959BJA is a hand-wired heavyweight with a gang of four EL34s in the power amp that ships out from Marshall’s Milton Keynes factory pre-modded with the so-called ‘Dookie Mod’.

In other words, master volume has been added to the control panel, and we have cascading gain stages under the hood for extra crunch and tighter low end to make hand grenades of your power chords.

Don’t be fooled by the baby blue vinyl covering, the white piping giving it a slight baby’s-first-tube-head vibe. This is a hostile animal. It’ll give you that Dookie tone. So of course, it’s essential for Green Day superfans (the colorway, the nameplate on the front et cetera adds up to what is a very attractive package for fans), but this be used in service to all kinds of different styles, anything where you think a hot-rodded Marshall might come in handy. Check out our demo video above.

I am yet to get my hands on this but this might be a great candidate for replicating Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All tone, for all manner of high-gain hi-jinks. It's an amp for when you feel the need to give the FOH sound engineer a nervous breakdown or when you are in a band with a bona fide zoo creature on drums and it’s time to turn it up.

“I’m so overjoyed to have my own signature Marshall amp,” says Armstrong. “These amps have been a part of my musical life, from my heroes down to little old me. Turn it the f**k up!!”

For more: Marshall

Gibson Custom 1971 Flying V Medallion Reissue

This has to be in contention for the most hard rock guitar of this year so far, or of any other for that matter. Granted, I have a weakness for Flying Vs, especially those in cherry. But this really is a tip-top VOS job from the Gibson Custom Shop, a meticulous reproduction of one of the Nashville-based guitar brand’s earliest limited edition models.

Originally released to commemorate the 1972 Summer Olympics in Berlin, with a medallion embedded in the upper wing of each instrument, this became one of the most sought-after vintage guitars.

The fact that Michael Schenker played one just added to the allure (he is pictured on the back of UFO’s Force It with one of these Medallion Flying Vs). It certainly did for Kirk Hammett of Metallica. He grew up idolizing Schenker, and remarkably, now owns the very Flying V that Schenker had on the back cover of Force It, that had subsequently been refinished in black-and-white, and was recently given the deluxe Murphy Lab treatment for a super-limited release back in March.

So, do you paint it black and white? That’s on you. But with 1968 T-Top humbuckers, the mahogany body that’s shallower and lighter than its korina forebears, the super cool white pickguard against the cherry finish, black witch hat control knobs – and, of course, that medallion, Flying Vs don’t get much better.

Hey, it would go well with that Billie Joe Armstrong modded Super Lead above. And if you wanted to shove the V into your right arm and play it like Dave Davies of the Kinks then that’s cool, too. Just make sure your suit is back from the dry cleaners.

For more: Gibson

EHX Deluxe Big Muff Pi 2

The “final boss” of the Big Muff Pi 2 has arrived, with the “lost” Dual Op-Amp fuzz circuit expanded into a Electro-Harmonix’s Deluxe presentation, which means this noticeably more aggressive take on the classic Muff sound is not more versatile, with considerably more EQ’ing options at your disposal.

We’ll get to them in a second. But new to this release we have an onboard noise gate, all controllable via a single knob. We have a Blend control, which might not sound like the sexiest knob on the enclosure but is often the most useful, especially for an effect like a fuzz, where you might want some more of your unaffected signal in there for a bit more clarity. We also have the original three-knob controls of Volume, Sustain and Tone – and for many of us that is enough.

But lo, this is the Deluxe, and the NYC-based guitar effects pedal brand adds a three-way Wicker switch, for opening up the high-end bandwidth, and there are footswitchable mids. You can adjust the level and center frequency of those mids via the dedicated knobs, then set the Q switch to Hi or Lo to set the resonant bandwidth of the midrange. Hook up an expression pedal and you can sweep these mids with your foot.

For more: Electro-Harmonix

ALSO LAUNCHED THIS WEEK...

Tom Anderson Direwolf

Did someone say the B-word? Yes they did. Come on down, and bring some dog biscuits, because Tom Anderson has just unveiled the Direwolf. It's a descendent of the Wolfhound but has a thicker body and a flat neck angle, all of which allows it to be customizable with a greater range of bridge options (a Floyd Rose? Why not!?) and pickups and switching. It's a beauty.

For more: Anderson Guitar Works

D’Addario fret cleaner set

Because the last time we looked your frets were, frankly, unsanitary, and quite possibly a health-code violation waiting to happen... C'mon people, let's get 'em shiny again. Your feel, your tone, your self-esteem will thank you.

For more: D'Addario

Boss gig bags

We love Boss pedals. They sound great and can even save your life. But did you know the effects specialist also makes gig bags – and it has just refreshed the lineup, with thicker padding, and improved design to protect upper bouts, and there are options for acoustic guitars and bass guitars too.

For more: Boss

IK Multimedia Brown Panel signature collection

The latest Tonex collection from IK Multimedia collects the iconic sounds of nine F_____ a__, from a transitional period betwixt the Tweed and black panel eras. You know the drill. You know these tube amps sounds, and they've been recreated using IK Multimedia's Tonex V2 AI Machine Modeling technology.

For more: IK Multimedia

Behringer Real McCoy WahWah

Behringer's latest vintage-inspired effects pedal takes us back to the original wah pedals, and as per the demo video it reminds us that the wah was not originally designed for guitar players.

For more: Behringer

Blackstar Doug Aldrich DA5 Ruby

Doug Aldrich's signature Blackstar head is brilliant but it is loud. Can you really play it at home? Well, if you live on the farm, maybe. So this 5-watt combo might just be the solution. Aldrich says it nails the tone.

For more: Blackstar Amplification

Harley Benton Fusion-T II HH

This new T-style line is Harley Benton guitars doing that high-end, hotrodded thing, offering the choice of their flagship Tesla humbuckers or EMGs, and the choice of Babicz tremolos or hard-tails. The alter switch gives you more tone options. The Fusion T vibe is high-performance.

For more: Harley Benton

LCO Take Your Time

Got time for a new delay and reverb pedal twofer? This one launches on July 21, it's priced $275, has a five-knob control surface and allows you to cut the pedal in half, with both sides having thei own blend, three modes on the delay side, and you can open it up and reverse the order of the effects.

For more: LCO Industries

Catalinbread Crooner Console Preamp

One of the great things about this new golden age of effects pedals is that you can get the sounds of classic studio equipment in a compact stompbox. This is what Catalinbread is doing here with the Crooner inspired by the RCA mic preamp BA-31. Clean boost, drive, distortion, fuzz, console magic sauce.

For more: Catalinbread

D’Addario NYXL & XT HD: New High-Density Singles for Extended-Range Guitars

D'Addario has come through for all you sickos with extended-range guitars, with specially developed sets for electric and nylon-string guitars that optimize tension on those lower strings, promise better intonation and a more balanced tone.

For more: D'Addario

Dusky Proxima A

Let's finish up with a preview of coming attractions, a smart little boutique amp and cab that is now available to preorder through till October. It's a compact sibling to the D₂O, fitted out with 6V6GT power tubes, a lower but respectable 12-watt output, and it weighs just 18lbs.

For more: Dusky Electronics

• What's your favorite new gear release of the week? Let us know in the comments below.

IK Multimedia’s latest amp sim plugin dusts off nine rare-breed Fender amps for 80 new Tone Models based on elusive and oft-overlooked brown-panel amps.

The amps in question, built between 1959 and 1963, sit slap bang in the middle of Fender’s Tweed and black-panel eras, and tonally melded the warmth of the former with the latter's cleanliness and clarity.

They were built for and used on some classic surf, country, blues, and early rock records, offering a distinct tone unlike other Fender amps.

These are amps that have pushed air for everyone from Chris Stapleton and Billy Gibbons to Mark Knopfler. And as Fender Senior Product Manager, Rick Heins, told Guitarist last year, these amps are getting rarer by the day, and are “almost unobtainable at this point.”

So a digital recreation of nine of them is the next best thing. The collection takes in new Tone Models based on three 1960 amplifiers: A Concert combo, a Bandmaster, and a 1x10 Princeton combo.

There’s a Deluxe and a Pro Amp from 1961, a 1962 Vibrolux and Super Amp representing 1962, and a Vibroverb and Vibrasonic from 1963.

IK Multimedia says, “Together, they deliver a wide palette of authentic American tones, from expansive cleans and sparkling small-combo response to bold 1x15 authority, smooth breakup, and pedal-enhanced lead sounds.”

The real amps have been captured using the latest TONEX V2 AI Machine Modeling technology through an SSL 4000G console with “carefully selected dynamic, ribbon, and condenser microphones”.

A score of the Tone Models also pair the amps with choice pedals and signal chains, including a Klon Centaur, a TS9 Tube Screamer, and the preamp section of a Fender 6G15 Reverb unit.

The Tone Models can be used across the TONEX ecosystem, including in a DAW, a TONEX amp-in-a-box pedal, the TONEX Plug headphone amp, and beyond.

The new IK Multimedia Brown Panel Signature Collection priced at $/€99.99 pre-tax.

See IK Multimedia for more.

The news comes after Alex Lifeson revealed he’s been capturing the tones of classic Rush albums for the Fifty Something tour, with his signature TONEX pedal sitting at the heart of his updated live rig.

Fender has fired back at Thomann’s lawsuit against the guitar company by suing the musical instrument retailer for copyright infringement.

In a statement, Fender announced it had responded to the Declaration of Non-Infringement action by filing a formal infringement action against the Harley Benton owner.

Fender says its own infringement action is “the expected next step in the legal process” and a result of the legal proceedings instigated by Thomann.

Last month, Thomann sued Fender after it sent cease-and-desist letters to Harley Benton, Yamaha, PRS Guitars, LsL Instruments, and other firms it believed to be producing Stratocaster “copies”.

Thomann said it was acting on behalf of other prominent brands and smaller manufacturers, specifically naming companies including Tom Anderson, Suhr, Pensa and Maybach.

Fender argues that Thomann’s in-house Harley Benton guitars copy the Stratocaster, and that Thomann initiated litigation in a bid to obtain legal protection to continue selling such designs.

Fender says it attempted and failed to “discuss practical ways to differentiate products while respecting Fender’s intellectual property” with Thomann, leading to the legal filing and Fender’s subsequent countersuit.

“Thomann isn't a small independent guitar builder,” Fender argues in response to Thomann’s claim it’s suing Fender for the good of the industry.

“It is one of the world's largest musical instrument retailers, one of Fender's largest retail partners, and the owner of Harley Benton, one of Europe's largest guitar brands.

“Our preference has always been dialogue and practical solutions – not litigation. Unfortunately, Thomann chose a different path.

“Rather than continuing that dialogue, it initiated legal proceedings asking the court to determine that it can continue selling guitar body designs that Fender believes copies the iconic Stratocaster. Today's filing is Fender's response and the expected next step in the legal process.”

In its own statement issued alongside its Declaration of Non-Infringement, Thomann asserted it had sued Fender “for the many manufacturers, dealers and guitar makers who have shaped our industry for decades and continue to shape it”.

“We urge Fender to stop issuing cease and desist demands against manufacturers, distributors and dealers and to return to a fair, cooperative partnership,” the retailer said.

However, Fender continues to argue that cooperative partnership is at the heart of its legal strategy, previously seeking to frame its actions as “working directly with companies to find practical paths forward”.

The company now says it has already experienced success in working with other builders to differentiate certain designs from the Stratocaster.

“Our preference has always been to resolve these matters through direct dialogue rather than litigation,” Fender continues. “In many instances, companies have chosen to work collaboratively with us to explore practical solutions, including design modifications that clearly differentiate their products while continuing to serve musicians. This matter is different.”

It’s the latest development in the ongoing copyright dispute surrounding the Stratocaster. Events were set in motion when Fender scored a default ruling in German court, which granted “enforceable rights against any guitars using the Stratocaster body shape” in the EU.

Thomann has been approached for comment.

You can read Fender’s full statement below:

Fender's statement in full

Following Thomann's recent Declaration of Non-Infringement action, Fender today filed its infringement action in the Regional Court of Düsseldorf in response to the litigation Thomann chose to initiate.

Earlier this year, the Regional Court of Düsseldorf recognized copyright protection for the Fender Stratocaster® body shape as a work of applied art under European law. Following that decision, Fender engaged manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and online marketplaces across Europe whose products feature body designs that Fender believes are confusingly similar to the protected Stratocaster design. Our objective has been straightforward: protect Fender's intellectual property, reduce consumer confusion, and explore practical solutions—including modifications that clearly differentiate products from the Stratocaster.

Those conversations continue today, and our preference has always been to resolve these matters through direct dialogue rather than litigation. In many instances, companies have chosen to work collaboratively with us to explore practical solutions, including design modifications that clearly differentiate their products while continuing to serve musicians.

This matter is different.

Thomann isn't a small independent guitar builder. It is one of the world's largest musical instrument retailers, one of Fender's largest retail partners, and the owner of Harley Benton, one of Europe's largest guitar brands.

From the beginning, our goal was simple: have a conversation. Like many other companies across Europe, we reached out to Thomann to discuss practical ways to differentiate products while respecting Fender's intellectual property. Our preference has always been dialogue and practical solutions—not litigation.

Unfortunately, Thomann chose a different path. Rather than continuing that dialogue, it initiated legal proceedings asking the court to determine that it can continue selling guitar body designs that Fender believes copies the iconic Stratocaster. Today's filing is Fender's response and the expected next step in the legal process.

For more than 70 years, the Stratocaster has been one of the most influential and recognizable guitar designs in history. It has inspired generations of musicians, helped shape modern music, and become an enduring symbol of creativity around the world.

Fender has proudly served as the steward of one of the most iconic instrument designs in music history. We don't take lightly our responsibility to protect that legacy. We believe that responsibility extends beyond Fender itself—to the artists, players, dealers, builders, partners, employees, shareholders, and the broader music community who have made the Stratocaster an enduring part of music history.

Let's be clear: competition isn't the issue. Fender has competed—and thrived—for nearly 80 years because musicians have choices. We welcome companies that challenge convention, develop new technologies, and create original instruments that inspire players. That's how this industry grows.

What doesn't move the industry forward is copying someone else's iconic design instead of creating the next iconic design. We believe the guitar industry is strongest when innovation flourishes, musicians have meaningful choices, and companies compete by bringing new ideas to players around the world.

We're proud of what the Stratocaster has meant to generations of musicians, and we believe it's worth protecting. At the same time, we believe the future of the guitar industry depends on original thinking, bold ideas, and the next generation of great instruments. That's the future Fender has always believed in—and it's the future we'll continue to support.

When Eric Clapton reached out to Derek Trucks to invite him onto to his collaborative record with JJ Cale, the slide guitar master thought he was being prank-called.

In 2006, Cale and Slowhand teamed up for The Road to Escondido, a star-studded blues album that also featured contributions from John Mayer, Billy Preston, Taj Mahal, Steve Jordan, Pino Palladino, and more.

Clapton also tried to approach Derek Trucks for the album, but it was a rocky recruitment phase. Not only did Trucks ignore the call, he was skeptical whether the real Slowhand had phoned him.

“I was here at home playing poker with my grandfather and dad and brother and a bunch of friends, and I remember just getting a call on my cellphone,” Trucks remembers of the project in an interview with Alan Paul.

“This is early days, where you had to have a specific international plan or you couldn’t call them back. I just didn’t recognize the number so I let it go to voicemail.

“It was like, ‘Hello. This is a message for Derek Trucks. This is Eric Clapton. This may sound like a hoax but it’s not.’”

Trucks had missed the call, and because of his cellphone plan, couldn’t get hold of Clapton straight away.

“It was amazing,” Trucks adds. “I was like, ‘What is going on?’ [The message said], ‘When you get a chance, call me back.’ So I had to go down to the Verizon store the next day and get an international plan so I could call him back.

“Then he invited me out for the JJ Cale record, which I think in hindsight was more of a ‘make sure we could hang and make sure you’re not a total knucklehead’ situation.”

The pair got on, and Trucks ended up contributing to The Road to Escondido, later joining Clapton’s touring band and hitting the road with him in 2007.

A regular contributor to the Crossroads Festival, Trucks also partnered with Clapton and a whole host of other guitar greats for the Cale tribute record, The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale, in 2014.

In more recent Trucks news, the guitar hero recently made headlines when he played Jerry Garcia's $11m Tiger guitar mere hours after it was sold at auction.

For all the discussion of Mastodon’s latest album, Marrow Deep – their first since the passing of guitarist Brent Hinds – Troy Sanders is quick to point out that the album’s biggest bass guitar moment doesn’t actually belong to him. Instead, it comes courtesy of one of his lifelong heroes.

“There’s definitely a bass highlight on this record,” Sanders tells Bass Player. “But it isn’t me.”

Following their appearance at Black Sabbath’s 2025 farewell celebration, the band decided to take a chance.

“We’d just played the Back to the Beginning show and I thought, ‘What’s the worst that can happen if we ask Geezer to guest on our album? He could say no?’

“We knew he was aware of us because he’d mentioned Mastodon in his autobiography as a band he enjoyed listening to. That blew our minds.”

Rather than asking for anything specific, the band sent Butler a handful of songs.

“We wanted him to hear where the record was going and see if anything inspired him, and he sent back this incredible bass solo that became the introduction to a song called The Vanishing. It’s a very Sabbath-inspired track. It’s definitely the bass highlight of the album. And I’m completely happy saying that.

“Everything went through management. We’ve never actually met face to face. At the Sabbath show at Villa Park, it was a madhouse in the Sabbath area, so the idea of trying to go back there just didn’t feel right.

“We’re hoping to finally meet when we’re touring the States later this year because he’ll be near one of our days off. If we can actually sit down together, that’ll complete the whole circle.”

Ask Sanders where any aspiring rock bass player should begin and his answer comes without hesitation.

“Black Sabbath. Everything we do traces back to those four guys. They created the genre that we call home.

“I tell my son the same thing. He’s started playing bass, so I said, ‘Just learn any Sabbath songs.’ They’re challenging enough to train your ears, and your fingers.”

For all the anticipation surrounding the new album, not to mention the accolades Mastodon have already accumulated – including a 2018 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance – Sanders remains sceptical about buying into the mythology of rock stardom.

“You work incredibly hard to make records and tour the world, so when somebody genuinely connects with what you’ve created, that’s validating. So it’s okay to give yourself a little pat on the back occasionally, but it’s dangerous to start believing your own hype.

“When Mastodon started back in 2000, none of us sat around waiting for somebody to discover us. We got in a van and made things happen ourselves. That mentality has never changed.”

For his first three years as a superstar, David Bowie found his partner in crime in Mick Ronson.

The guitarist’s expressive playing style never shied away from different sonic territories, lending itself to Bowie’s genre-blending songwriting style on classic early albums including The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) and Aladdin Sane (1973).

It set the stage for the caliber of six-string talent that accompanied Bowie throughout his career.

Adrian Belew was one such talent. On the recommendation of producer extraordinaire Brian Eno, Belew graduated from the Frank Zappa Band right around the time Bowie was looking for a new guitarist.

“We first met when he appeared at a concert in Berlin, when I was playing with Frank Zappa,” recalls Belew in the new issue of Guitar World.

“Two nights before that, Brian Eno had come to the show in Cologne, and Brian knew David was looking for a fresh guitar player, so he told him, ‘We’ve got to go see this guy that’s with Zappa.’”

And, turns out, Zappa’s onstage theatrics helped Belew land his next gig.

“There was a part of the show where Frank took an extended 10-minute solo, leaving just Terry Bozzio (drummer) and Patrick O’Hearn (bassist) on stage, and the rest of us were supposed to walk off the stage at that point.

“As I was doing that, I looked over at the monitor guy, and there was David Bowie and Iggy Pop standing there.”

Belew wasted no time. “I walked over and shook David’s hand and said, ‘I just want to really thank you for all your music.’ I didn’t even have time to say anything to Iggy before David said, ‘Well, good. How’d you like to be in my band?’”

To this day, it remains a standout moment in Belew’s career and still gives him shivers. “Two weeks later, I was in David’s rehearsal.”

Belew ended up serving as Bowie’s lead guitarist on his Low / Heroes World Tour in 1978 – documented on the live album Stage. On the recording front, he lent his chops to his 13th studio album, Lodger – the final release of his Berlin trilogy.

However, his tenure with Bowie didn’t quite end there. 12 years later, he returned as Bowie's musical director on his mammoth Sound+Vision Tour.

“That was a whole other level; it took me months of preparation,” says Belew.

“One of the main difficulties was that he wanted just a four-piece band, and yet he was doing a retrospective of all his career.” Fortunately, this coincided with the arrival of the first-ever sampler on the market, prototypes of which Roland had sent to Belew, making all the instrumental layers possible.

“Me and my engineer and the keyboard player, Rick Fox, sat for hours and tried to sample all this stuff. We kept buying more samplers, so in the end we had two huge racks of samplers!”

For more from Belew, plus interviews with some of Bowie’s other key guitarists, pick up issue 607 of Guitar World from Magazines Direct.

The Edge’s unique mirror-tiled Gibson Les Paul has re-emerged at auction, 27 years after it was last sold.

The reflective Gibson featured in the music video for 1997 U2’s track, Discothèque, lifted from their Platinum-rated album, Pop, which marked an experimental stylistic departure from their earlier work.

All four members had signed the back of the guitar before it was auctioned off for charity in 1999. While the figure it went for nearly three decades ago hasn’t been publicized, the guitar’s second time under the hammer could see it sell for as much as $150,000.

A close look at the guitar shows that the individual tiles look pretty thick, meaning the guitar likely weighs a considerable amount – it’s more of a wall piece (or playable disco ball) than it is a workhorse in waiting.

Gotta Have Rock and Roll is handling the auction, with the bidding sitting at $80,000 at the time of writing.

The band’s Pop album, the auction house states, “marked a significant phase in the band’s evolution, incorporating dance and electronic elements into their music.”

It’s not the only one of the Edge’s Les Pauls to have been auctioned off. His ‘75 Alpine White model sold for $228,000 in the early 2000s. Soon after, Gibson surprised him with a virtually identical replica. The replica would go on to feature on No Line on the Horizon.

Oddball guitars have been the Edge’s bread and butter throughout his career, with an ultra-rare modded Fender the secret weapon behind some of the band’s biggest hits.

The guitar’s auction runs until Friday, July 17.

See Gotta Have Rock and Roll for more.

Kiss have announced that their upcoming Kiss Kruise: Land-locked in Vegas, taking place between November 13 and 15 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, will feature a historic Ace Frehley All-Star Tribute.

The one-night-only celebration will see Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer, and Eric Singer come together with special guests to honor the memory and legacy of the late Frehley, their founding lead guitarist.

These guitarists and artists – whose names have not been announced yet – were personally handpicked by the band and will be supported by the Ace Frehley Band. Furthermore, each current member of Kiss has personally selected and will individually perform a song from the Spaceman’s vast repertoire as part of the tribute.

“Another year of the Kiss Kruise experience and the best one yet is on the way. Everything we’ve learned at sea and on land over the past years is going into making this the ultimate weekend with us,” comments Stanley.

“We can’t wait to be back together with the Kiss Army and Navy from around the world for more killer performances, incredible artists, events, and exclusive experiences you won’t find anywhere else.”

In addition to the Ace Frehley All-Star Tribute, fans can expect two unmasked Kiss sets – one acoustic and one electric – and ’80s nostalgia galore, with performances from the likes of Bruce Kulick, Slaughter, and Night Ranger.

Frehley had previously joined his former bandmates during the Kiss Kruises, most notably in 2018, when he performed four songs with the band – 2000 Man, New York Groove, Nothin' to Lose, and Rock and Roll All Nite, with Kulick also on guitar.

Following his death on October 16 last year, Kiss also paid tribute to their late guitarist during an “unmasked” show at last year’s Kiss Kruise. It also happened to be their first live performance in nearly two years, following the final show of their 2023 farewell tour.

For more information about this year’s Kiss Kruise, head to its official website.

Kiesel is back with an all-new guitar shape, which is set to serve as the spiritual sibling to its flagship Aries range.

The Kiesel Antares takes its name from Ancient Greek, and essentially means “rival to Ares”, the god of war. That, then, should tell you what you need to know about this guitar: it’s a weaponized metal guitar ready to step into battle.

It continues the ongoing movement to keep the electric guitar fresh, which in recent years has been spearheaded by brands such as Eastman, Abasi Concepts, Ernie Ball Music Man, Powers Electric and more.

The push to release new body shapes seems to be gathering serious momentum. More variety in metal guitars, especially when it comes to the S-type-dominated extended range market, is always welcome.

Visually, the Antares has a chiseled offset body akin to other popular modern metal guitars, while its scythe-like headstock is taken from the Kiesel Kyber.

This being a Keisel, its specs are extremely customizable, with seven different body woods on offer including alder, mahogany, walnut, and regular or roasted swamp ash. There are also 15 top and fingerboard woods to choose from.

It’s available in 25.5” and 26.5” scale lengths for six-string variants, 25.5” and 27” for seven-string, and 27” for eight-string, with multi-scale options available for all three string counts.

As standard, there are 24 frets, but Kiesel is also debuting its first-ever 27 fret fingerboards here, because more is most certainly more.

There are four bridge options: an Ever-Tune, Floyd Rose, Hipshot trem, and Hipshot fixed. For electronics, choose from active Fishman Fluence humbuckers or passive Kiesel Lithium, Thorium, and Vantium ‘buckers.

Kiesel also believes the new body shape, via a purposeful bevel, is as comfy as it gets, which isn’t always something that guitars with such wild silhouettes can say.

“In 2015, the Aries marked a notable turning point for the Kiesel brand, shifting from classic, soft shapes to an aggressive, metal-leaning design,” says Kiesel. “Now, with over a decade cemented in the scene and partnerships with industry legends, Kiesel Guitars takes the next step.”

“It’s got a more aggressive, totally ground-up styling,” adds founder Jeff Kiesel. “It’s more angular, and I’m excited about this guitar”

The Antares’ wildly varying specs mean prices vary, but the starting price is $1,699 with a deposit of $340 deposit.

See Kiesel for more.

Phoebe Bridgers just gave a surprise performance of her new song Lost Boys on The Tonight Show – and her band was made up of viral kid musicians.

Armed with a custom Gibson acoustic guitar, Bridgers performed the lead single from her forthcoming album, Lost Weekend, with help from her unexpected backing band.

That ensemble included a number of rising child music stars, including 11-year-old Bay Melnick Virgolino on 12-string guitar. The pocket-sized shredder has been mentored by ex-Megadeth virtuoso Kiko Loureiro, starred on America’s Got Talent, and stole the show when he performed with Slash and Joe Bonamassa.

Also spotted on the studio stage was YouTuber EllenPlaysBass, who has over 700,000 subscribers, and 10-year-old drummer Ryder B, who has more than 270,000 followers on Instagram.

14-year-old Saxon Weiss, who has been championed by Norman Harris and Joe Bonamassa, completed the three-strong guitar lineup.

Commenting on the YouTube video, EllenPlaysBass wrote, “It was an honor to be a part of this amazing show, thank you all.”

Rolling Stone reports that Bridgers’ bandmates are aged between eight and 14.

There’s no official word on what prompted the move, but considering the song is about lost boys “who never grow up, never go home, and never spend their lunch money”, it seems to be a pertinent reminder of the fleetingness of youth.

The song is Bridgers’ first new slice of music since The Record, her sophomore release with supergroup boygenius, for which Bridgers teamed up with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus.

The band released a signature Gretsch for under $700 in 2024, but it’s Bridgers’ use of metal guitars like the B.C. Rich Warbeast that has arguably turned the most heads.

Lost Weekend releases on August 14 and will be supported with a tour of the US.

Gibson is revived a totem of 1970s rock with the limited edition 1971 Flying V Medallion Reissue.

The '71 Flying V Medallion has been described by its maker as "one of the most sought-after and historically significant guitars ever produced by Gibson" – and for good reason.

It was a standout in the early hard rock era. Michael Schenker, with his black and white Medallion, quickly became the guitar’s poster boy. Kirk Hammett also has close ties to the model.

The reissues’s recipe is, of course, an echo of the past, with a two-piece mahogany body, three-piece mahogany neck with volute, and a 22 medium jumbo fret rosewood fingerboard and corian nut.

But there’s a touch of premium exclusivity to boot: the guitars each feature individually numbered 1.5” gold medallions.

Tonally, it has a pair of authentic unpotted 1968 T-Top humbuckers with Alnico 5 magnets. They’re flanked with two Volume and one Tone knob, and a three-way selector.

Hardware specs, meanwhile, include an ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge with Stop Bar, Kluson Deluxe tuners, and Black Witch Hat control knobs. Its pickup covers are chrome.

Handcrafted in Nashville, the body features a thinner two-piece mahogany design to mirror the original. The guitar is said to simultaneously deliver reduced weight and premium resonance and sustain.

The Flying V Medallion was originally created to commemorate the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, with an estimated run of 350 models produced. That makes it one of the rarest Gibsons around town, which only added to the mythos of Schenker’s monochrome companion.

“The 1971 Flying V Medallion holds a special place in Gibson history,” says Mat Koehler, Vice President of Product at Gibson.

“As one of Gibson’s earliest limited-edition instruments, it helped establish a lasting legacy within hard rock guitar culture. This reissue brings back the details, feel, and sound of the original, giving players the opportunity to experience an iconic instrument.”

Speaking to Gibson Gazette, Kirk Hammett, who now owns Schenker’s #56 V, likened it to a “religious relic.”

“I spent so much time as a teenager just staring at this guitar on the back of UFO’s Force It album,” he says. “There’s a picture of Michael Schenker playing this very guitar – it’s red, you can see the medallion – and I used to stare at the guitar and go, ‘I need to get a Flying V.’ Little did I know that, decades later, I would have the very Flying V that I was staring at.”

The Gibson Custom 1971 Flying V Medallion Reissue is priced at $4,999/£4,399.

See Gibson for more.

Robbie McIntosh has reflected on his trial by fire when officially joined the Pretenders in the 1980s.

McIntosh big shoes to fill when he helped the Pretenders reform for 1984’s Learning to Crawl, two years after their cofounding guitarist James Honeyman-Scott died from a drug overdose.

Chrissie Hynde led their revival, with McIntosh – who had already been in talks with Honeyman-Scott about bolstering the band’s line-up – as their new lead guitarist. It was a vital hire for Hynde, but the press weren’t too kind about his first record with the band.

“Some people called me ‘the guy who ruined the Pretenders,’” McIntosh tells Guitar World. “But you can’t take reviews seriously, good or bad ones. The album did extremely well; it went double platinum in America. I was young and confident, so I just plowed on.”

Although Honeyman-Scott is rightfully remembered as a talisman of the British new wave movement, the band continued to have great success in the wake of his passing.

Part of that was thanks to McIntosh and the immediate impact he made. Fans might have taken a while to warm to him, but the influence his own style had on the band is undeniable.

“I’m extremely proud of the album,” McIntosh adds. “It was a big jump for me, working with a famous band and with Chris Thomas, an established producer.

His audition process had been no frills. He says they “just jammed” for around 20 minutes. He thought he’d lost the gig.

“Martin [Chambers] was playing drums. Chrissie and Dave Hill, the manager, sat in front of the stage,” he recalls. “A few days later, I got the call from Chrissie. I didn’t have a clue that I’d passed the audition.”

He feels the fact that he, like Honeyman-Scott, wasn’t a punk guitarist perhaps made him the ideal counterweight to Hynde’s angst and attitude. There was a contrast to their musical personalities.

“I remember she played quite loud,” he notes. “But that didn’t worry me. I was more concerned with how I could complement her and play off what she did.”

McIntosh would also feature on 1986’s Get Close, before departing a year later. He would go on to work with the Who’s enigmatic vocalist, Roger Daltrey, and Paul McCartney, among others across a glittering session career.

Hynde, meanwhile, has paid tribute to Honeyman-Scott, calling him the sound of the Pretenders.

McIntosh’s full interview features in the latest issue of Guitar World, which includes new interviews with David Bowie’s guitarists, Alice Cooper’s new hire, and Stray Cats' great, Brian Setzer.

Copies can be ordered from Magazines Direct.

Yamaha has been confirmed as one of the companies to have been targeted by a cease-and-desist letter from Fender as the copyright dispute surrounding the Stratocaster continues.

Since scoring a default copyright ruling in German courts in March, Fender has sought to police its legal rights to protect the Strat body shape by issuing a wave of cease-and-desists to US and EU guitar builders.

LsL Instruments and PRS Guitars were among the first to be publicly confirmed as recipients of such orders. Now, Yamaha has confirmed to Reuters that it’s also been hit.

Yamaha says it received the letter in May. No specific model names were named in the comment, but Yamaha said it was “reviewing the notice and weighing how to respond”.

Despite no confirmation from Yamaha, there can be no doubt that the letter formally drags the Pacifica S-type into the dispute. Alongside John Mayer’s PRS Silver Sky, it becomes the most significant guitar to be targeted by Fender’s ongoing legal campaign.

First launched for LA session players in 1991, the Pacifica was pitched as Yamaha’s entry into the Superstrat world and a direct response to the heavy metal and hard rock scene.

“That was a big thing around that time,” Yamaha’s Electric Guitar Product Manager Yusuke Ota told Guitar World earlier this year. “We wanted to create something that was ultra-versatile and able to cover just about any kind of sound and genre.”

35 years on from its launch, the Pacifica is widely recognized as one of the most popular, best and beloved beginner guitars on the market. The 112V variant has become a household name. In 2024, the Pacifica received a premium update in the form of the Yamaha Pacifica Pro – again, one of the best guitars in its price range.

In taking on Yamaha, Fender is going up against the largest music instrument maker in the world. Pair that with the fact Fender has also been sued by the largest music instrument retailer in the world, it raises the stakes of the Big F’s legal strategy considerably.

Fender has maintained it wants to work “work directly with companies to find practical paths forward”, and CEO, Bud Cole, has downplayed some of the more draconian measures referenced in the letters.

That said, the company has attracted widespread backlash from the guitar community, receiving criticism from Guitar World readers and prominent YouTubers.

Yamaha has been approached for comment.

22-year-old guitar ace Anna Cara has looked back on how she landed the gig of a lifetime in Alice Cooper's band.

When Cara was hand-picked by shred veteran Nita Strauss to fill in during her maternity leave from her long-standing tenure with Cooper, the young guitarist wasn't just stepping into Strauss' shoes – she was also carrying forward a guitar legacy that included Dick Wagner, Steve Hunter, Kane Roberts, Vinnie Moore, and Orianthi.

“You’ve got to be adept at learning a whole spectrum of music,” longtime Cooper guitarist Ryan Roxie says of the gig in the latest issue of Guitar World.

“When I heard Anna play, I knew right from the get-go that she’s cut from a different cloth. She can play mechanical shredder stuff with ease but also can slip into classic rock mode at the drop of a hat.”

It was Tommy Henriksen, Cooper’s other guitarist, who discovered Cara, likening her tone and style to the late Gary Moore as soon as he spotted her on social media.

Henrikson tells Guitar World, “I kept telling Ryan, ‘You’ve got to see this kid play, man.’ She’s got that thing. I can’t explain it. There’s not many people who have it, but she’s got it.”

Henrikson initially scouted Cara for his own band, Crossbow Skully, after scouring YouTube and Instagram for promising musicians.

“She never showed her face, just her playing guitar,” he remembers. “She wasn’t doing all that stupid stuff – not posing or anything. I sent her a message and said, ‘I love what you’re doing. You’ve got great vibrato and feel. Can I call you and your parents?’

“I didn’t know how old she was,” Henrikson adds. “I FaceTimed with them and said, ‘I like your daughter’s playing. She’s a natural. She plays like Gary Moore. She’s got the vibrato of a 55-year-old man.’”

“I said, ‘I’m putting together a band. I’m going to call you. Be show-ready. You’re going to be going on a plane to L.A.’”

As soon as she landed at LAX, Henriksen (casually) drove her to a Hollywood star's home studio.

He continues, “This kid has never been out of Newcastle, and now she’s at Johnny Depp’s house. Johnny goes, ‘Let her play any guitar she wants,’ so I handed her Johnny’s guitar. That’s how she wound up working with me.”

Cara explains that she was discovered when she was just 19, and, as she herself puts it, “There have been years of development, and I’ve become a better musician and live player.”

Therefore, when Strauss announced that she needed a maternity cover, Henrikson knew who to put forward for the gig.

“Alice was looking for a guitar player, and I said, ‘Do you want a girl or a guy? I’ve got either/or,’” says Henriksen. “But the first thing I did was send Anna’s stuff to Ryan because I wanted him to see her. Ryan heard her play and said, ‘I see it. I hear it.’

“Next thing you know, he’s [Cooper] like, “Let’s bring her to Vegas to watch the show and get her familiar with everything.”

Strauss has not yet announced a specific return date to the band, so those hoping to catch a glimpse of Cara’s talent can do so during Alice Cooper’s upcoming fall run.

Head to Alice Cooper for a full list of dates.

For more from the Alice Cooper guitar triumvirate, plus new interviews with Ziggy Marley and Brian Setzer, pick up issue 607 of Guitar World from Magazines Direct.

Teenage blues prodigy Rhys John Stygal has been reunited with his electric guitar after it was stolen in Austin, Texas, last month.

Stygal, who has been hailed as the next Stevie Ray Vaughan for his uncanny ability to channel the late blues legend, reported the theft of his guitar and pedalboard in an Instagram post. It was also confirmed his bandmate Nico Little had also had a guitar stolen.

He received support from Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Gary Clark Jr. and Jared James Nichols, with Joe Bonamassa issuing a public plea for the gear to be found and returned.

Now, a follow-up post from Texas Rebels, a band based in Austin, has confirmed the safe return of Stygal’s prized Fender Stevia Ray Vaughan Stratocaster.

“Shoutout to the community, we got them back,” the band’s guitarist, Jacob West, said. “Especially shout out to James Levin with Elmore Pedals. None of this would have been able to be done without you.”

Details surrounding the guitar’s recovery have not been shared, but West did add in the caption: “We’re not gonna put the person who returned them on blast.

“Whether the long story he gave was real or not, doesn’t matter, the instruments are returned to their homes where they belong.”

“I cannot believe I am so lucky, to be surrounded by the best community in Austin,” Stygal wrote in the comments. “Thank you so much to everyone who helped bring our treasures home. You’re the best ever.”

It’s not been confirmed whether Stygal’s pedalboard has also been recovered.

Stygal burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old prodigy, winning over a legion of fans thanks to his beastly blues chops that pay homage to his hero, SRV.

He has previously credited music and the guitar with saving his life, using the blues to help cope with extreme anxiety that was brought about by his autism. The return of his Number One guitar, which has been by his side for the whole time, is fantastic news indeed.

Visit Stygal's Instagram page to keep up to date with his playing journey.

Periphery’s Jake Bowen has left Ibanez after signing as a Strandberg signature artist.

The prog heavyweight becomes the latest high-profile player to join the headless guitar specialist, following the likes of Plini, Jacob Collier, Jordan Rudess, Sarah Longfield, Liso Lee and more.

Bowen has already incorporated a number of Strandbergs into his live setup – something that had been noticed by Periphery fans – and a potential signature model has already been teased.

It marks a significant move in the metal guitar world. Prior to the switch, Bowen had worked with Ibanez since 2014, releasing a handful of signature guitars over the years – most recently the JBM9999 in 2022.

However, Periphery fans have been speculating about a switch for some time, after Bowen was spotted playing a Strandberg on tour last year.

That switch has now been made official and, while we’ve seen artists adopt multi-brand partnerships in the past, it looks like Bowen will be exclusively Team Strandberg going forward. His Ibanez artist page is still live at the time of writing, but Bowen’s Instagram account only makes reference to Strandberg.

It paves the way for a potential signature Strandberg for Bowen. Here’s hoping for an extended scale headless guitar in the near future.

“A great guitar should be inspiring the moment you pick it up - they almost beckon you from across the room to play them, and when I picked up a Strandberg for the first time I knew it was going to be special,” Bowen says.

“As a guitarist for 34 years, I’ve had a lot of time to discover what works in the studio and on the road. Strandberg guitars offer a lightweight, ergonomic solution without giving up tone, playability, and most importantly that instant source of inspiration.”

Keep your eyes peeled on Strandberg for more info.

L7 bassist Jennifer Finch has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer.

The news was shared publicly by her bandmates on social media yesterday (July 13), only two months after the band announced The Last Hurrah Tour – their farewell tour – which will be kicking off on October 6 in San Diego, California.

“Following multiple surgeries and serious complications, Jennifer now requires extensive medical care, rehabilitation and professional in-home support,” reads the statement.

“The Last Hurrah Tour was planned along with Jennifer when all four of us were in good health and spirits.” The band confirmed that, as per Finch’s wishes, the tour will continue as planned “while making her care and well-being our immediate priority.”

They also announced that her friends and family, along with the L7 members, have launched a GoFundMe to cover urgent medical expenses, professional in-home nursing care, physical and speech therapy, medical equipment, and legal fees.

As the GoFundMe page explains, “The cancer and everything that comes with it have left her with significant physical limitations, so she’s handling this the only way she knows how: one day at a time.”

The money raised will also help preserve Finch’s legacy by creating an archive of her artistic and creative work, as well as completing a “significant creative project” originally scheduled for release next year.

As of the time of writing, around $220,400 has been raised toward the fundraising goal of $350,000.

Garbage and R.E.M‘s Michael Stipe are among the fellow musicians supporting the GoFundMe effort, with Stipe posting on Bluesky, “Punk rock and alternative music would not be what it is or where it is without Jennifer Finch. We send loving energy to her. Please – if you can – every contribution helps.”

In an interview with Bass Player last year, Finch spoke about her and the pioneering band’s legacy, and insisted that “L7 ain’t over yet”.

“I’m in my 50s now, and we still get to be examples,” she said. “But also we get to fail publicly in a way that we couldn’t do in our 20s. I’ve never felt directly responsible for anyone picking up a guitar – pick up your own fucking guitar! It’s a thing you gotta do or do not.

“I’m very heart-warmed when particularly women say, ‘Because of you, I got into politics’ or ‘I got my medical degree because of you.’ You know, fighting for housing rights – that’s awesome.”

Head to GoFundMe to donate.

Brian Setzer has looked back on the time he went on tour with Stevie Ray Vaughan – and got the rare opportunity to play the blues legend’s electric guitar.

In one of the more oft-overlooked footnotes in Stray Cats history, Setzer and his rockabilly group hit the road with SRV back in 1989. It was a tricky time, to say the least, blighted with tough crowds.

There was one highlight experience for Setzer, though: on one date, he got the chance to play Vaughan’s Strat.

“I recall that the crowds hated us. [Laughs] They hated us! They were only there to see Stevie Ray, and they didn’t give us a chance,” Setzer says of the tour. “It wasn’t an easy tour for us, I can tell you that.”

Nonetheless, being on the road with SRV had its perks.

“I loved listening to him,” he says. “I remember thinking, ‘How does he get that sound?’ Only he could get a Strat to sound like that.

“One night he called me on stage, and he handed me a Strat and put it over me. I thought, ‘Oh, great! I’m finally going to see what this is all about.’”

SRV’s Strats are up there as some of blues guitar’s most iconic instruments, famously strung with ultra-heavy 13-58 strings. The thought of playing such a heavy-strung Strat, especially one that belonged to Vaughan, is intimidating.

However, Setzer wasn’t all that surprised. If anything, he notes, it felt rather familiar. And it cemented an important lesson: tone is in the hands.

“There were rumors that he had amps underneath the stage and he had them miked up in the basement – all sorts of stuff,” Setzer adds. “So I played it… and it sounded like me. I didn’t sound like Stevie Ray. I mean, his guitar even felt like mine.

“The action was the same, the volume he played at, the amp he played through. I was like, ‘Well, this is interesting. Stevie sounds like he does because it’s all in his hands.’ He was phenomenal.

“He was so fluid, and he played the blues differently every night. Besides us getting booed off the stage, it was a great show.”

To read the full interview with Brian Setzer, in which he gives an update on his ongoing health issues, pick up the new issue of Guitar World at Magazines Direct.

Your dream guitar can show up in your life in a myriad of ways, and for virtuoso Sophie Burrell, an early presence on social media – coupled with a Facebook group of PRS aficionados – led her to hers: a 2014 PRS Custom 24 Wood Library, which has since become her go-to instrument.

“The back story as to how I acquired this guitar is actually very special and quite unique,” Burrell tells Guitar World.

“I've been playing guitar for a very long time, since I was like nine years old, and I started creating content when I was about 14. I was a member of this group on Facebook called PRS Guitar Owners Worldwide, and I used to post little videos of me playing in there.”

Turns out, someone had spotted her videos and instantly saw her potential. “I was just playing an SE and [he] said, ‘I want to support you. You're great. I think you deserve to be playing on a USA model, not just an SE.’”

The guitarist-turned-patron, Al, gave her the choice of several models from his own collection before ultimately deciding to give her the very guitar she still owns today.

“I was like, ‘Whatever you want, I'll take it. It sounds good.’ I could not believe my eyes when it actually showed up. I'm endlessly grateful to Al, who gifted this guitar to me, and I believe I would not be the player I am today without that.”

Burrell notes that the PRS now feels like an “extension” of her – as soon as she picked it up for the first time, she “immediately clicked with it.

“I come up with my best ideas on this guitar,” she explains. “At this point, it kind of feels like it's part of my soul.”

“If [and] when I get a signature guitar, it would be this [one] in a different color.”

Controversially – or perhaps not so controversially – Burrell refuses to name her guitars. “I've never done that, and I probably never will. I'm just not much of a name-your-guitars type of person,” she admits.

“I name motorbikes, but not guitars.”

Mastodon will release their next album, Marrow Deep, on August 28, and have dropped a new single, Snakes for Dinner, which features Josh Homme.

Marrow Deep is the band’s ninth album, and first without former guitarist Brent Hinds, who left the group in March last year, and was killed in a motorcycle accident last August.

It will also be the first with new guitarist Nick Johnston and keyboardist João Nogueira, who has been added as an official member of the band. It makes for a new-look Mastodon.

The band has already released Your Ghost Again, which saw them face Hinds’ loss head-on, and last week released a short film that celebrated his life and legacy.

Homme, who previously featured on Colony of Birchmen, returns to the fore with some harmonized vocals, while Bill Kelliher and Johnston's riffs propel the track forward. Some fierce fretboard runs nod to the band’s Leviathan and Blood Mountain eras.

Marrow Deep is inspired by the Three Fates of Greek mythology. Life, loss, and destiny are three interconnected themes throughout, as the band prepares to release yet another album dominated by grieving.

Emperor of Sand found Bill Kelliher writing by his dying mother’s bedside, while its follow-up, Hushed & Grim, was underscored by the death of their manager, Nick John.

The album was recorded at West End Sound in Atlanta with Patrik Berger, who has worked with Lana Del Rey, and Kurt Ballou (High On Fire, Converge). The album is said to feature “a staggering roster of guests”, which will be revealed in due course.

Having wrapped summer dates with Loathe, Mastodon will embark on the Poisonous Weapons Tour, which starts in Orlando on September 16 and concludes on October 24 at Sick New World Dallas.

Marrow Deep is available to pre-order now.

Bob Dylan has hired yet another new guitarist as the folk great's ever-rotating cast of guest players gets its third name in as many weeks.

Jad Tariq follows Joel Patterson and Julian Lage into Dylan's band, which has been operating with a flexible assortment of guitarists over the past month.

Lage was a surprise addition to the band in late June, replacing the outgoing Doug Lancio. And, after Bob Britt abruptly left the tour, Joel Patterson was also hired.

But Lage has been in and out of the tour as he juggles other commitments, seemingly leading to Tariq's appointment.

Tariq debuted at the PNC Pavilion in Cincinnati on July 10, forming a tandem with Patterson. Given Lage’s absences, which have now been attributed to his busy solo schedule, it’s unclear if Tariq is deputizing in the short term or will become a more permanent appointment.

Often found playing Gibson hollow-body guitars, the Memphis-based guitarist blends swinging jazz with traditional 1950s-era rhythm and blues.

With Lage set for a string of North American shows in October, when Dylan is in Europe, Tariq may become a recurring figure in Dylan’s ever-changing live band throughout the rest of 2026.

Dylan is set to play Philadelphia’s Leader Bank Pavilion on July 14, before hitting Gilford, New Hampshire, two days later, and the Hartford HealthCare Ampitheater in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on July 19. Who will join him on those dates remains to be seen.

The folk musician, who famously stunned the music world when he went electric with Mike Bloomfield at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, has never been afraid to keep his fans on their toes. His latest guitarist shake-up is just another example of that.

Marshall has partnered with Billie Joe Armstrong for the 1959BJA – a baby-blue signature head that pays tribute to the Green Day leader’s first guitar.

The amp received a soft launch at the 2026 Super Bowl five months ago, when the punk icons performed at the opening ceremony on February 8.

Eagle-eyed viewers were drawn to what Armstrong had plugged his Gibson Les Paul Junior into. A signature amp was speculated. Now it’s been confirmed.

The 1959BJA, “Marshall’s first signature amp in 14 years”, is inspired by one of punk rock’s most recognizable guitar tones, serving up a 100-watt head that features three ECC83 pre-amp valves and EL34 power amps.

Specifically, the amp draws from Armstrong’s 1959HW head, which boasts a custom “Dookie Mod” in a bid to recreate the sound of the record of the same name. The 1994 album introduced hits like Welcome to Paradise and Basket Case, and proved a breakthrough moment for the now-stadium-filling power trio.

The amp features a three-band EQ, Presence, Master Volume, and Gain, while there are High- and Low-gain inputs and two speaker outs for 16Ω, 8Ω and 4Ω impedences.

As for the color, which strays from Marshall’s usual black-and-gold chic, it's a nod to Armstrong’s first-ever electric guitar, a Fernandes S-type nicknamed “Blue”. Vitally, the amp ramps up the gain, and injects extra body and more low-end punch to its character.

“I’m so overjoyed to have my own signature Marshall amp,” Armstrong delights. “These amps have been a part of my musical life, from my heroes down to little old me. Turn it the f**k up!”

“From the moment you hear those opening chords on Dookie, you know exactly who it is,” adds Steph Carter, Culture Marketing Director at Marshall. “Working with Billie to create an amp that captures that punch, aggression, and clarity was an incredible project for our team.”

The Marshall 1959BJA Billie Joe Armstrong Artist Signature is priced at $3,999.99 / £3,099.99 / €3,699.

The amp is also tied to Marshall’s new Amplify loyalty program, which commits 1% of member purchases to support grassroots music, starting with independent music venues.

See Marshall for more.

Dave Davies has spoken out against a new Kinks book, saying he cannot endorse it because it contains “misinformation”.

All Day and All of the Night: The Day-By-Day Story Pt 1: 1940-1971, written by Andrew Sandoval and Doug Hinman, was published earlier this year. It’s blurbed as an exhaustive, chronological account of the British band’s history.

But Davies, who co-founded the band with his brother, Ray, has taken issue with some of its content – namely, the rumored involvement of Jimmy Page.

Writing on X, Davies said: “I cannot endorse the new Kinks book by Doug Hinman and Andrew Sandoval because there’s misinformation in it about our early recording sessions. I signed some copies for charity before I had read the errors.”

He later added that he was “optimistic that a correction or two will be issued in due course,” while flagging concerns over the book’s mentions of Page.

In two other tweets, Davies fact-checked the book, saying: “Jimmy Page did not play rhythm guitar on All Day and All the Night.” He also states that Page did not “put distortion on I Need You either.”

He did, however, respond to someone else’s tweet that confirmed Page’s actual involvement on early Kinks records, including playing 12-string acoustic guitar on I’m a Lover Not a Fighter, and I’ve Been Driving on Bald Mountain.

Davies called it a “beautiful book,” but bemoans not being given the chance to proofread it before its publication.

The rumors over Jimmy Page's supposed involvement in early Kinks material has been debunked many times over the years, by Davies and others.

In the past, both the Kinks producer Shel Talmy and Jimmy Page have dismissed rumors that Page appeared on the sessions for All Day and All the Night. Rumors that he played on You Really Got Me have also been shot down.

Indeed, Davies has previously called the rumors of Page playing on You Really Got Me as “ridiculous.” At the time of writing, Sandoval has not made a public response to Davies’ tweets.

Fender has issued a cease and desist letter to an Australian guitar store over alleged trademark infringements.

On Instagram, vintage and used guitar store Cool Old Guitars revealed it had received a cease-and-desist letter over its apparent use of Fender terminology across its website and product descriptions.

As a store, Cool Old Guitars specializes in 1970s and 1980s “lawsuit era” guitars, stocking brands such as Fernandes, Greco, ESP and Tokai, all of which built their own Strat and Tele clones.

In its site taxonomy and product descriptions, Cool Old Guitar employed terms such as “Stratocaster” and “Telecaster” to collectively describe such instruments – for instance, using the phrase ‘Fernandes Stratocaster’.

It’s a practice that has drawn the ire of Fender’s legal team, which has issued Cool Old Guitars a cease-and-desist (excerpts of which were shared by KDH) that calls out the store for infringing on Fender’s trademarks.

“Fender is concerned that the manner in which COG is presenting and offering for sale its second-hand stock infringes Fender’s trade mark rights and is likely to mislead, deceive or otherwise confuse Australian guitarists into thinking they are buying Fender instruments when in fact they are purchasing instruments manufactured by unauthorised third parties,” the letter reads.

“This seems to be because of how COG presents Fender instruments alongside third parties instruments that mimic our client’s distinctive guitars and parts thereof including but not limited to body shapes, headstocks, and other distinctive attributes.”

Fender’s efforts to enforce its long-standing trademarks here are not part of the same legal campaign that has attempted to police a default copyright ruling concerning the Stratocaster body shape.

In May, Fender sent cease-and-desist letters to a number of EU and US-based guitar makers, as part of a high-profile Stratocaster copyright dispute that targeted PRS, LsL Instruments and Harley Benton, among others. Thomann, the world's largest music retailer, is now suing Fender in response.

That case is a separate legal matter, concerned with trademark infringement rather than copyright protection. Fender owns the trademarks for "Stratocaster" and "Telecaster", and as per the cease-and-desist issued to Cool Old Guitars, has taken issue with them being incorrectly applied.

The letter adds, “Given COG is not an Authorised Fender Distributor and our client does not have a relationship with and has never authorised or licensed COG’s use or sale of goods under or by reference to Fender’s trade marks, one can only conclude that COG have deliberately and wilfully engaged in the above action with a view to leveraging Fender’s significant reputation and valuable intellectual property rights.”

Cool Old Guitars has been approached for comment. Fender declined to comment.

Keith Richards has reflected on the Rolling Stones' latest collaboration with Paul McCartney, revealing why he thinks it meant so much to the legendary Beatle.

Macca guested on the Stones’ rip-roaring 2023 track, Bite My Head Off, from Hackney Diamonds. And, on their latest album, Foreign Tongues, which releases today (July 10), McCartney guested on Covered In You.

Richards thinks he knows why McCartney, who has largely gone solo since the end of the Beatles, was so willing to get his hands dirty with the Stones.

“I’ve realized that Paul really misses being in a band,” he tells Zane Lowe for Apple Music. “His joy of just being in that context is great. So if there’s any more songs to do, I’ll let you know, Paul.

“I’ve known Paul for well, basically, since The Beatles started, since we started, but only on the periphery,” Richards continues. “John [Lennon] and Paul did a couple of backup vocals for us way back when on We Love You and Dandelion, I think way back in 1967.

“But otherwise, it’s also great to have somebody from your own era, from way back when. He’s a lovely player, and I’d like to do more with him.”

McCartney himself has spoken about the fun he had in the studio with Richards and the Stones for Foreign Tongues.

Speaking to the BBC for the release of his own latest solo album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, McCartney confirms that recording with the Rolling Stones was the chance of a lifetime. And he loved every second of it.

“I showed up as a session player,” Macca said. “It was a really good feeling, because I wasn’t a star, I was just the bass player. I’m standing there playing, and I’m thinking, ‘I’m playing with the Stones!’ I should be blasé and say, ‘I’ve known them for years,’ but it was special.

“You better believe when I got home that evening, I said, ‘I’ve just played with the Stones. I loved it!’”

Though McCartney jumped at the opportunity, not all artists approached by the Stones were as forthcoming. Jeff Beck famously turned the band down, for instance.

But other music icons have readily accepted, and Foreign Tongues is proof. It's credits list includes the Cure’s Robert Smith and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Bruno Mars, and more. It’s quite the cast list.

Foreign Tongues is out today via Polydor Records.

John 5 has paid tribute to one of his favorite Squier Telecasters, which he says comfortably rivals a more premium Fender version.

As the budget-friendly branch of the Fender family tree, Squier guitars are sometimes viewed as inferior to more expensive US-made models. That is not always the case, though, and several players have proved their quality over the years.

John 5, a Telecaster fanatic like no other, is top of that list. The Mötley Crüe guitarist owns over 100 Teles. He launched his own signature model in 2023, and loved it so much that he wrote a song about it.

But there’s a Squier within his triple-figure collection of Teles, and he reckons it goes toe-to-toe with the best of them. It’s modeled after his 2003 Custom Shop J5.

“I had this black Tele with a chrome pickguard for so long, 13 or 14 years. I used it forever,” he says, speaking in the new issue of Guitar World. “It was just that amazing connection you have with an instrument. I really enjoyed playing that guitar, and it’s when I knew I wanted a beefed-up Telecaster.

“I was thinking of a beautiful Harley-Davidson motorcycle that’d shine up strong. I would see chrome and black and think they look just gorgeous together. This was before the kill switch, so it was an early Tele for me. I played it on everything, a lot with Marilyn Mason and Rob Zombie.”

Given the guitar’s ability to nail both sides of his juxtaposing sound, Fender turned to him for a special reissue.

“It was a monster guitar that could also do jazz and country [as well as metal],” he beams. “Squier did a version of that guitar and Goldie [the model he played so much that doctors feared for his health].

The Squier-ified Harley-Davidson model had a bolt-on maple neck, laurel fingerboard, and Artist Series humbuckers, complete with a chrome pickguard. Despite its affordable price, John 5 couldn’t believe how good the Squier version was. And it got an extended release.

“They were closing their doors, and I’m proud of the fact that they kept open for another year because they had so many orders for those two guitars,” he recalls.

“You couldn’t tell the difference between the Squier and the Fender. I played the Squiers live, and I couldn’t tell because they were so well done. If you find one, grab it!”

John 5’s full interview features in the latest issue of Guitar World, which celebrates the Tele’s 75th birthday. Print and digital copies can be ordered from Magazines Direct.

Welcome to Guitar World’s weekly gear round-up, your one-stop-shop for keeping up to date with what’s been happening in the big wide world of guitar gear over the past seven days.

From new electric guitars to amp modeler updates, the guitar industry is never short of fresh releases, and it can sometimes be hard to stay in the loop with every new launch.

To make things a little easier, we’ve put together an essential must-read guide that will cover the major releases, the boutique drops, and everything in between.

Below you'll find my personal highlights from the week, along with plenty of honorable mentions for the new gear you might have missed. Agree with my picks? Have a highlight of your own? Let us know in the comments.

Strymon TimeLine MX Multi Delay

I am not going to sit here and pretend to be too precious about delays. I have an always-on short repeat tape for texture, a longer digital ping-pong for space, and that’s about it. I do not need anything else. So why can’t I stop thinking about the $679 TimeLine MX Multi Delay?

It’s probably the price – that’s more expensive than most multi-effects pedals – but you’ve also got to give credit for Strymon’s ambition here. It could quite possibly be the most advanced and powerful delay pedal currently on the planet.

Sure, it’s also the most expensive by quite some margin, but those who love delay pedals – and we mean really love them – this could be the only work station they’ll ever need, and then some. Too advanced for many players, but in the right hands this would be very special indeed.

Gotoh / Babicz FCH510G

What? A tremolo bridge as a highlight? Has it really been that quiet this week? Well, not quite. See, this isn’t any ol’ bridge. This was designed by the brains behind both Gotoh and Babicz, two of the biggest names in guitar hardware, to put a new spin on the humble tremolo.

Simply, it pools together two of the respective firm’s standout innovations. You’ve got the foundation of the Gotoh 510 with Babicz’s Contact Hardware saddles. Put them together and you get a bridge that optimizes tuning stability, tonal enhancement, and unmatched playability. You see? Not just a bridge. Looks pretty cool.

ALSO LAUNCHED THIS WEEK...

Walrus Audio Lüm Texture Engine

Walrus Audio has made the Lüm Texture Engine a permanent part of its Core Series for the first time. That’s right, the ambient granular reverb powerhouse is here to stay.

For more: Walrus Audio

Seymour Duncan Dave Mustaine Thrash Factor

Some new-look versions of the Megadeth leader’s signature pickup set, now available in matte black, gold, black nickel and more.

For more: Seymour Duncan

Fender Jim Root Shoreline Gold Telecaster

A new look version of Jim Root’s much-loved Telecaster, which put a heavy metal spin on the classic design. John Mayer loves it. So do we. Especially this new Shoreline Gold model.

For more: Fender

Epiphone Eric Church Dark Hummingbird

A new acoustic signature for Eric Church, which comes with the perfect chaser: whiskey made using offcuts from Gibson guitar production.

For more: Epiphone

Martin x Shawn Mendes 000-28 and Road Series 000-10E

The latest collaboration between Martin and Shawn Mendes. This time, the two have recreated a vintage 1920s gem that the pop superstar has been playing. Two guitars have been launched: 000-28 Shawn Mendes and Road Series 000-10E Shawn Mendes.

For more: Martin

Kiesel Antares

An all-new line from Kiesel, which debuts a daring offset double-cut body shape that feels in keeping with metal guitar trends we’ve seen in recent years.

For more: Kiesel

Dame Relic stickers

Don’t want to wait around for your guitar to get the used-and-abused look? These stickers, which started out as a joke from Chibson USA, will do the trick.

For more: Dame

Bourgeois Hogtop 0014 and Soloist OMCE

Bourgeois has introduced two stand-out models to players in North America, bringing the Hogtop 0014 and Soloist OMCE to more players than ever before.

For more: Bourgeois Guitars

• What's your favorite new gear release of the week? Let us know in the comments below.

I've been writing and editing news stories for guitarworld.com for nine years now. If I had a dollar for every one I've written or seen about one band, artist or another who's had their guitar or another part of their rig smashed, lost, or otherwise mishandled while in air transit, I'd be able to comfortably retire (I'm 31).

Ask GA-20 what happened to one of their guitar cases in a TSA inspection, or Vernon Reid about what TSA did to his pedalboard. Ask Emily Wolfe about what happened to one of her Epiphone signature models on a flight to Las Vegas, or Madi Diaz about the fate of her beloved Martin (that was in a heavy-duty case with a “Fragile” sticker) while on a Delta flight. And just a few months ago, there was that viral video of a baggage handler carelessly throwing guitars on the ground at LAX.

As we all know, unless you exclusively fly by private jet (cheers to you, I guess), airport baggage and security rules and procedures change seemingly by day, and are enforced on a depends-on-which-side-of-the-bed-someone-woke-up-on basis. So, touring musicians, has your gear ever fallen victim to the pitfalls of air transit?

We want to hear about the gear that went on the wrong connecting flight and was halfway across the world when you need it (or disappeared entirely en route, never to be seen again), broken guitars, upturned pedalboards... and anything and everything in between.

Let us know your stories in the comments below.

There comes a time in every guitarist’s life when you realise that no amount of new gear is going to make you a better player. Sure, buying a new pedal or upgrading your guitar can be creatively inspiring, but that will only take you so far if your technique is lacking or you’re not practising the right things.

And now, with the popularity and prevalence of online guitar lessons, quality tuition has never been cheaper or more accessible. So, if you’ve been on the fence about signing up, this Summer Black Friday deal on a year of Guitar Tricks should change your mind. For only $8.25 per month (from a one-off payment of $99), you’ll get a full subscription which gains you access to thousands of lessons - literally over 11,000 technique, song and style lessons - alongside a range of other features designed to make you a more accomplished guitarist.

We scored Guitar Tricks 5-stars (out of 5) in our review. It’s also the number one choice in our guide to the best online guitar lessons. In our review we said: “If you’re serious about learning guitar, then it doesn’t come much better than this. There’s so much here for beginners, intermediate and advanced players across a range of genres.” We still stand by this.

It’s not just a basic subscription that you get for your 99 bucks, either. The bundle includes so much more, including a new Ultimate Beginner Bundle, loaded with newbie-friendly material such as power drills, the 100 Essential Licks Series, a guitar goal planner and more. Every subscriber also gets four bonus gifts, including jam tracks and songwriting guidance.

You won’t find a more comprehensive or better value range of tuition content online right now and, having tried it for ourselves, we can vouch for the quality.

You have until August 7th to take advantage of this deal. If you want a taster before you commit, you can try Guitar Tricks for one month for $1 with this exclusive Guitar World deal.

16-year-old guitarist and singer Nene Royal just stunned judges on America's Got Talent with an explosive cover of The Cranberries hit, Zombie.

The young Thai guitarist was already making quite a name for herself on social media before her audition. Royal’s renditions of Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit and System Of A Down’s Sugar and Chop Suey went viral, helping her amass over three million followers.

Royal took to the 3,000-capacity Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California for the America's Got Talent audition, and her take on Zombie has already racked up over two million views.

The young guitarist opted for a Fender Deluxe Reverb amp and an Ibanez Musician Series electric guitar for a heavier-than-usual version of Zombie, complete with a dash of two-hand tapping.

“Nene, that was spectacular,” raves judge Sofia Vergara. “You have a very big chance to do well in this competition.”

“You are such a surprise… and the energy, and the rock ’n’ roll. You are a rock star, young lady,” added one of the other judges, Howie Mandel.

Safe to say, the guitarist sailed through to the next round after receiving four nods of approval.

A self-taught guitarist since the age of six, Royal is now looking beyond AGT. According to her official website, she is also currently “recording original music and preparing her debut EP.”

As for the track she decided to cover on AGT, The Cranberries’ guitarist Noel Hogan spoke to Guitar World in 2025 about how Zombie came about.

Those hoping to catch Royal before she hits the big time can still see her perform at Naka Weekend Market in Phuket every Saturday – at least for the time being.

Strymon may have just unveiled the pinnacle of delay pedal design with the TimeLine MX Multi Delay – an astonishingly feature-packed workstation that looks to blow the competition out of the water.

However, all that innovation comes at a cost: the TimeLine MX will cost you $679. So, not only is it perhaps the most advanced delay pedal of all time, it could also be the most expensive.

To put that into perspective, its predecessor, the TimeLine Multi Delay, weighed in at $449.

Elsewhere on the market, the Meris LVS Modular Delay costs around $599, the Line 6 DL4 MKII is priced at $299, and the Boss DD-500 will set you back $399.

But make no mistake – the TimeLine MX Multi Delay isn’t your average delay pedal. This isn’t for your standard slapbacks or springs (though, at $649, you can bet it would do those effects just fine).

Instead, this is for the delay connoisseurs out there – the pedal aficionados who make delay experimentation and layered echoes a core part of their playing style. For many players, it will be simply too much. In the right hands, though, it could be the only delay pedal you’ll ever need – and then some.

“And then some” is accurate, because this thing is jammed with features. It has 12 delay engines, two of which can be run at once for the first time. A new OLED display has been updated. Three footswitches. Nine control knobs. Did we mention the five-minute stereo looper? Yeah, it’s got one of those.

It’s a dizzying spec sheet to scroll through. Elsewhere, there are new sounds in the form of Oil Can and Drum Echo, and Spectral. The latter is a glitchy granular delay for oddball textures, while the former are vintage-y delays.

There’s also more power under the hood, courtesy of a tri-core MHz ARM processor, to keep everything ticking over, and fully expansive series, parallel, and split routing options with full stereo and MIDI support.

“It’s taken a long time, but the day is finally here”, says Gregg Stock, Strymon’s CEO and analog guru. “I’m really proud of the entire group that worked on this project and what they’ve accomplished.

“It takes a diverse collection of talented folk to create a product like this, and everyone brought their ‘A’ game to work every day.”

It’s a delay pedal built for professionals and one that has likely raised the bar for the market. But with a price tag that reaches into multi-effects territory, it's likely to pique the interest of only the most ardent delay fans.

The TimeLine MX Multi Delay is available now for $679.

Head over to Strymon for more.

If you're the sort of player who loves all things heavy, then you need to check this one out. Partnering up with Schecter Guitars, the latest sale at Guitar Center is offering up to 25% off a selection of guitars, amps, and pedals. It's a long-running sale that you can keep saving on until August 5th.

With it being a metal-guitar-themed sale, brands like Schecter, Jackson, and Ibanez are well represented. It’s not just for metal players, though; I’ve spied some more traditional Fender and Gibson guitars in the sale too, so there’s something for everyone here.

As something of a heavy guitar player myself, I was curious to see what’s available in the sale. One of the first deals to catch my eye was the Jackson JS Series Dinky Arch Top JS22-7 DKA HT 7-String, which has a massive 25% reduction at the moment. Already a relatively cheap guitar, it’s down to just $262.49 in the sale, which is great value for an extended-range guitar.

In my Jackson JS22-7 DKA Dinky 7-string review, I gave it four stars out of five. The playability of this thing is really quite good, even with the additional string and wider neck to accommodate it. The stock pickups do a good job despite not being incredible, but at this price, this guitar has some serious modding potential, and whacking a pair of higher-priced humbuckers into it would make it a serious bit of kit indeed.

If you want something more premium, this Schecter C-1 Platinum has got a humongous $288 reduction, making it one of the best value guitars in the whole sale. It's got an EMG humbucker in the bridge position, the absolutely epic Sustainiac pickup in the neck for infinitely sustaining notes, and a Floyd Rose locking tremolo for all your guitar acrobatics.

Finally, the Roland Jazz Chorus JC-120 has a mega $300 discount. As a perennial favorite of guitar players across the globe and a general legend of guitar amps, it’s super rare to see a discount on this amp, never mind one this big. As you may know, it’s the ultimate pedal platform, providing a clean base with bags of headroom, making it ideal for pedalboard players to build their tone henge upon.

Nearly one year after Brent Hinds’ tragic death, Mastodon members are opening up about their complicated 25-year-relationship with the former lead guitarist – and the brain injury that nearly spelled the end of the band.

In an infamous accident that happened right after the 2007 MTV Video Awards, Hinds was involved in an altercation that resulted in a significant head injury that, for years, was rumored to have involved System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian – one that multiple sources have since dispelled.

“He, I guess, was kind of running around this casino and ended up just pissing off the wrong person,” says Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor.

“In his very drunken states, he would be a habitual line stepper. He crossed the line with somebody, from what I was told. This person said, ‘Don't do that to me,’ and he did it and got punched, and I think he fell over and hit his head, and I think that was what did the most damage.

“It was really, really, really scary, and we thought we might lose him then.”

“Yeah, we thought the band was over,” adds co-guitarist Bill Kelliher. “He's crossed the line; he's gone too far. He was really fucked up for a long time.” Hinds’ fellow band members even thought that the brain damage was going to be “irreversible” and “substantial.”

However, it also seemed like his recovery served as an intense period of inspiration for Hinds, who, according to Kelliher, was “playing acoustic guitar a lot” and had written an impressive number of songs.

“[We were thinking], man, maybe this is a good thing. Then, Crack the Skye happened, and it was like, wow – he came [up] with all these songs and riffs and ideas, and it was like this rebirth.”

“Every riff and song and composition that he brought in at that time, I was in absolute awe of it,” continues bassist Troy Sanders.

“It was next-level Brent; it was peak Brent, and if someone like Brent was really excited about something, it was on. All three of us, we [were] glued to him. That led to this magical, spiritual-like moment that became Crack the Skye.”

Released in 2009, Mastodon’s fourth studio album became one of their highest-selling albums to date – and marked a significant sonic shift for the band that many consider their masterwork.

“It was a very exciting time, looking back on it,” reflects Kelliher.

“It was a big jump for our band to go from Blood Mountain to Crack the Skye. I remember all of us saying we want to make a classic album that you can pull off the shelf in 20 years from now, 30 years from now, and go, ‘This record stands the test of time.’”

Mastodon recently released Your Ghost Again, their first song without Hinds. The track introduces new guitarist Nick Johnston, and serves as a taster of the band's album, slated for release later this year.

The group's The Poisonous Weapons Tour kicks off on September 16 in Orlando, Florida.

A judge has granted Boss’ motion to dismiss after Behringer hit the company with a lawsuit over the use of polyphonic tuning technology.

In March, Empower Tribe, the owner of Behringer and TC Electronic, filed a lawsuit against Boss parent company, Roland, claiming the latter had produced a “knock off” version of its patented polyphonic tuner.

At the time, Boss removed the polyphonic tuner function from many of its flagship modeler pedals, including the GT-1000, GT-1000CORE, GX-100 and GX-10, pending litigation.

Boss filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that Behringer’s original patent for polyphonic tuning – first used in the TC Electronic PolyTune pedal in 2011 – fell short on key criteria.

Specifically, Boss’ motion stated that the polyphonic tuning failed to adequately show the “inventive concept”, which is required for patents.

The judge residing over the case agreed. In court documents, it was asserted that Empower Tribe had failed to justify its patent despite attempts to protect its existence. Roland therefore could not be penalized as the patent was unenforceable in the eyes of the court.

“The Court agrees that nothing in the claim limitations, considered individually and together as a whole, is sufficient to transform the Asserted Claims into a patent-eligible invention,” the court says.

“Because the Court finds that the Asserted Claims are directed to an abstract idea and lack an inventive concept to transform the Asserted Claims, the Court grants the Motion.”

The court has also said it would be “futile” to allow Empower Tribe to amend its complaint, owing to the fact that patent-ineligibility is a “defect which cannot be cured through amendment”.

As such, Behringer’s Complaint has been dismissed with prejudice, and in doing so may have just set a precedent for the open use of polyphonic tuners elsewhere. Now that the polyphonic tuning patent is unenforceable, Empower Tribe seemingly no longer holds a monopoly on multi-string tuning.

It’s the latest legal tangle for Behringer, which was sued by Klon creator Bill Finnegan last year over its $69 Centaur Overdrive Klon copy. The lawsuit was dismissed after Behringer introduced a number of name and stylistic changes to the pedal.

Boss has been contacted for comment.

Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong is set to front a new punk rock supergroup to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Ramones’ first album.

The play-it-fast-and-simple icons are widely considered the world’s first true punk band, with the MC5 and the Stooges laying the groundwork before them. Their 1976 self-titled LP, which included stonewall classics like Blitzkrieg Bop and I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend, kick-started America’s powerful punk scene.

Armstrong, who performed Blitzkrieg Bop at the band’s 2002 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, will be joined by Rancid guitarist/vocalist Tim Armstrong, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, and C.J. Ramone on bass. Ramone played in the group between 1989 and 1996, when the band retired. His audition, however, got him sent to a naval prison.

Their one-off performance is slated to take place on August 30 at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, which, apart from being a very rock n’ roll location for a gig, is where Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone were laid to rest. The show will raise funds for Dr. David Agus’s cancer research at the Ellison Institute Research Foundation.

John Travolta will host the event, which will also feature screenings of the supernatural horror film Carrie and Travolta's new film, Propeller One-Way Night Coach.

“The spirit of the Ramones is alive in every backyard punk show, punk club, and festival,” Armstrong enthuses (via Rolling Stone). “Generation after generation of cretins and weirdos become Ramones lovers. Kids are influenced by the Ramones, and they don’t even know it yet.”

Incredibly, Tommy Ramone was originally meant to be the band's manager, but after countless drummer auditions, it became clear he was the only sticksman capable of complementing Johnny Ramone’s buzzsaw guitar style.

And while the Ramones influenced a slew of next-gen punk bands like Green Day, the power trio have in turn inspired 21st century artists like Yungblud – it’s the cycle of punk. Yet Smashing Pumpkins man Billy Corgan believes Green Day have gone on to eclipse the Ramones.

The announcement coincides with the release of Green Day’s new single, I’m Never Gonna R.I.P, after Armstrong rekindled his love of guitar solos on their 2024 album, Saviors.

Babicz and Gotoh, two huge names in guitar hardware, have pooled together their genius to deliver a new take on the electric guitar tremolo.

The FCH510G is a new guitar tremolo bridge system that Frankenstein’s the patented Babicz Contact Hardware saddles with Gotoh’s 510 six-pivot-point system.

In other words, it merges two key bridge innovations for a new trem that promises “exceptional tuning stability, tonal enhancement, and unmatched playability.”

It’s very much a best-of-both-worlds scenario, with the two competitors working together to advance trem technology. Here, Gotoh’s tremolo block bolsters sustain and resonance, while its clean design makes it a fitting upgrade to a wide range of guitars.

Add in Babicz’s Full Contact design – which replaces traditional two-point saddle height adjustment with a cam-based mechanism to maintain complete contact with the bridge plate – and it looks like a very interesting prospect.

The Full Contact design also means that energy transfer from strings to the body is maximized. This adds to the trem’s sustain for “fuller note bloom, and more consistent resonance across all strings”.

Additionally, the stable saddle design is in place to eliminate unwanted movement, which tightens the low-end and improves note definition across the fretboard, with string height adjustment that is both easy and precise. And there’s a whammy bar, too, which is always a plus.

The FCH510G is available now for $349.

See Full Contact Hardware for more.

Ernie Ball has made a major play in the effects pedal market by announcing the acquisition of Source Audio.

It’s a significant move from the string maker, which is set to take control of one of the most innovative effects specialists of the past few years.

The acquisition also marks the first time Ernie Ball has branched into the world of premium effects, expanding its scope well beyond its own in-house roster of volume pedals.

Founded in 2006, Source Audio has become a key player in the premium effects market, releasing a broad array of innovative drive, delay, reverb and modulation effects.

Highlights include the Artifakt Lo-Fi Elements, Encounter, ZIO Analog Front End + Boost, and Collider Delay+Reverb.

Source Audio has also earned multiple product and innovation awards over the past two decades, and as per Source Audio's website its pedals can be heard on recordings from the likes of U2, David Gilmour, John Mayer, Aerosmith and more.

“Source Audio has built one of the most creative and respected effects platforms in our industry,” says Brian Ball, CEO of Ernie Ball. “What excites me isn’t just the technology; it’s the way their pedals inspire musicians to find sounds they didn’t know they were looking for.

“Ernie Ball has always existed to help artists create, and Source Audio gives us a powerful new way to do exactly that.”

Ernie Ball’s acquisition could have a knock-on effect for the rest of the market. Source Audio’s credentials have never been in doubt. But if Ernie Ball’s connections can help put its pedals into the hands of more players, then competing premium effects firms such as Strymon, Eventide and Keeley could be faced with a rejuvenated competitor.

Going forward, it will largely be business as usual for Source Audio. It will continue operating under its own brand, but with the backing of Ernie Ball, which will look to scale the company’s profile and appeal.

Existing Source Audio pedals are expected to remain available, with an eye on developing future products and pedals mooted. Don’t expect any Ernie Ball pedals, either. This move will be about increasing Source Audio’s exposure and putting them in the hands of more players.

Roger Smith, CEO and Co-Founder of Source Audio, comments, “Ernie Ball understands musicians, artists, and the culture of guitar in a way very few companies do, and that alignment is what makes this such an exciting next chapter.

“Ernie Ball gives Source Audio the scale, support, and reach to keep growing while preserving the spirit of what we built. I am confident this is the right home for the brand, the products, the technology, and the community of musicians who have supported us from the start.”

Visit Ernie Ball and Source Audio for more.

Following in the footsteps of Randy Rhoads is no easy feat. While now-veteran guitarist Robert Sarzo was hired and immediately fired by Ozzy Osbourne’s team in favor of Irish rocker Bernie Tormé, he holds no grudges.

“For me, it wasn’t a gig to get,” Sarzo tells Guitar World in a new interview.

“They just had a tragedy,” he says. “And Randy [Rhoads] was a very close friend of my brother [Ozzy Osbourne bassist Rudy Sarzo]. They were all having a difficult time, having lost a bandmate and a good friend. It was a dark moment, and I was in the middle of it.”

Sarzo had initially landed the spot after visiting the Ozzy circus a couple of times whenever they were in the New Jersey area. This, coupled with the fact that he was already touring with an artist signed to the prestigious Arista Records, made him an attractive proposition, especially in the face of immense tragedy.

“I got a call from my brother, and he said, ‘Ozzy wants to talk to you.’ And then Ozzy tells me that Randy died and asks if I’m available and interested in coming to Los Angeles to rehearse with the band. I told him I was and would go to L.A.”

And while Sarzo felt “a deep sense of validation” from the moment he got the call to his initial rehearsals, it turned out that, “Either Sharon’s dad [Don Arden] or brother David – I don’t remember which – had sent a guitar player from England with all his equipment. He’d already been paid for the tour, so they had to use him.”

True to his word, Sarzo showed up at a post-show gathering in New York celebrating Rhoads, even after he was fired.

“The atmosphere that evening felt less like a celebration and more like a memorial for Randy Rhoads,” he recalls. “At one point, keyboardist Don Airey sat down at the grand piano in the living room and began playing Goodbye to Romance.

“We all gathered around to sing along in Randy's memory. Even with our voices filling the room, there was a profound, heavy silence hanging in the air – a collective mourning for his absence.”

During the gathering, Ozzy took the time to apologize for his team’s snafu. “He explained that he had genuinely wanted me to join the band,” Sarzo says.

“However, the record company had already finalized arrangements and flown in another guitarist without his knowledge. Regrettably, that evening marked the last time I ever spoke with Ozzy and Sharon.”

Guitar World’s full interview with Robert Sarzo will be published in the coming weeks.

Gibson and country rock singer-songwriter Eric Church have united for an Epiphone signature acoustic guitar – and it’s been launched with a whiskey.

The Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Eric Church Hummingbird Dark is a square-shouldered electric-acoustic based on his signature Gibson Hummingbird, bringing it down to a more affordable price point.

The Cobra Burst finish and custom Hummingbird Dark pickguard are pretty striking, and the black binding is also a lovely touch. As an instrument, it promises a “crisp articulation and dynamic headroom.”

Build wise there's a solid Sitka spruce top with layered mahogany back and sides, and a rounded C-profile mahogany neck with a tapered dovetail joint. Its rosewood fingerboard has grey pearloid parallelogram inlays.

It’s built to a 24.75” scale length with 20 frets, a 12” fingerboard radius, and a Graph Tech nut.

For hardware, there's a belly-down rosewood bridge, Grover Rotomatic tuners, and a Fishman Sonicore pickup, with a Fishman Presys VT preamp. It comes in at $799 and ships with a hardshell case.

What's most notable about this release, however, is what the guitar has been paired with: a signature blend Tonewood whiskey.

It comes from JYPSI, a distillery co-owned by Church, and is said to “bring together guitar craftsmanship and whiskey-making in an organic, innovative way.”

It’s certainly not every day that a guitar gets a signature brew. The catch is that maple tonewood offcuts sourced from Gibson guitar production were repurposed for the whiskey’s finishing.

Two whiskeys are being produced. Tonewood: Vol. 1 (109 proof) uses toasted Gibson maple offcuts for a whiskey with mature oak, vanilla, and honey-like flavors, while Tonewood: The Collective (103 proof) has a smokier, graham cracker taste.

“For me, a great guitar is about expression – finding something honest and putting it out into the world,” Church says of the guitar. “We’ve been working on this Epiphone Hummingbird Dark, and it’s been with me out on the road for the past two years. It’s where songs take shape, where ideas turn into something real.

“I’m excited for other players to get their hands on it and see where it leads them, because that’s what this is all about – finding your voice and having the right partner to help you say it.”

The Epiphone Eric Church Hummingbird Dark, Cobra Burst is available now for $799.

See Gibson for more.

When a session guitarist’s vintage Gretsch was lost by FedEx, “guitar Batman” Johnny Marr came in to save the day to help discover it over 1,000 miles away.

Ella Feingold, who has worked with Bruno Mars and auditioned for Prince, bought a 1960s Gretsch 6105 online, only for it to disappear just minutes from her doorstep on delivery day.

It was only after Marr intervened that the guitar was found in the strangest of places.

“So, I got some tea,” Feingold says in an Instagram post. “For those that don’t know, about two weeks ago, FedEx lost my guitar. I got this vintage 1960s Gretsch, and it was supposed to show up in my house, but it just completely disappeared.

“It was scanned on the truck; it was like 30 minutes away from my house. Then nothing.”

Feingold reached out to FedEx, only to find herself contending with “useless” AI chatbots. The situation needed a hero – and it was Johnny Marr who sprang to action.

“My friend Johnny Marr put a post on his Twitter about what had happened, and today I got hit up by a guitar store in Memphis, Tennessee,” Feingold continues. “And they’re like, ‘Hey, a random Gretsch guitar that just showed up at our store. We don’t know where it came from, but we saw Johnny Marr's post, and we’re wondering if it’s possible that this is your guitar.’”

Pictures quickly confirmed it: FedEx had missed the delivery location by several states. It’s hardly ‘deliver to a neighbor’, is it?

“Don’t ask me how a guitar that was coming to Western Massachusetts somehow ends up in Memphis, Tennessee, of all places,” Feingold says, a look of bemusement on her face. “I mean, I have to thank Johnny Marr, who’s like guitar Batman, for finding it.

It’s not the only lost guitar to have made a miraculous recovery in recent weeks. A few days ago, Eric Clapton’s obscure Summersburst Les Paul re-emerged after six decades. Before that, Misha Mansoor recalled how he was reunited with his original signature Jackson in a surprising way.

Ever wondered why there seems to be an unspoken rule not to play Led Zeppelin’s opus, Stairway to Heaven, at your local guitar store? All roads – or, ahem, stairways – lead to the 1992 movie Wayne’s World. Specifically, the scene that’s forever cemented in pop culture and guitar lore.

“I think this whole thing started with Wayne's World making fun of Stairway,” Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto tells Guitar World, referring to the iconic “No Stairway, Denied” scene.

Perhaps frustrated by the sheer number of players attempting to emulate Jimmy Page, Guitar Center employees did in fact, at some point, “Put signs up in the stores [saying], ‘No Stairway.’

“And then I think people got scared to play Stairway… and so almost nobody played Stairway anymore,” Dalporto admits.

Fast-forward to 2025, and Lithuanian multi-instrumentalist and content creator Døvydas decided to test the waters and bring badly played renditions of the Led Zeppelin classic back to stores nationwide.

Dalportpo continues, “He's like, ‘Hey, I want to come in and shoot in Guitar Center.’ So I went down and met with him, and we're like, ‘I think it's time, let's lift the ban.’ And so we did a version of Stairway. We're just kind of jamming and playing back and forth… and we officially lifted the ban.”

And while Stairway to Heaven is finally back on the cards, there are a couple of songs that Guitar Center staff members would rather not hear again.

“We went and did a survey – the top 10 most overplayed songs and most hated songs in Guitar Center – [and] the number one song was [Metallica’s] Master of Puppets,” Dalporto reveals, referring to the company's recently published list of the 10 most-played guitar riffs in its stores.

In a seperate interview with Guitar World’, Dalporto addressed the skepticism surrounding Guitar Center's new in-house brand.

Mike Campbell and Tom Petty only had two guitars during the band’s first two album cycles.

Despite their limitations, the dynamic duo managed to co-write some pretty timeless hits, including the sultry slow-rocker, Breakdown – the first single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' self-titled debut album, released in 1976, and their first Top 40 hit in the States.

As Campbell looks back on the songs that his trusty companion – the 1951 Fender Broadcaster he bought for $600 in 1975 – helped shape, Breakdown is a clear standout.

“Tom had been playing bass up until then, so I let him borrow my ’64 Strat, and that was his guitar for the first few years,” he tells Guitar World. “Then I got the Broadcaster and, eventually, a Les Paul. But with Breakdown, all we had was my Strat and the Broadcaster.”

The limitation worked in their favor, however, as it pushed him to come up with a throwaway lick that became the song’s main hook.

“It was about a six-minute take one night at Shelter Studios in Hollywood,” he explains. “I said, ‘Let me put some guitar on it.’ It didn’t have the lick; it was just the chords, so I noodled for six minutes – and then I got bored. I couldn’t think of anything, so I picked up a slide and played that lick.”

He continues, “I didn’t think much about it and went home. An hour later, the phone rang. Tom said, ‘You’ve got to come back. We want to put that lick you played at the end at the front of the song.’”

Campbell made the effort to get up and drive back to the studio – and even had to listen back to the recording to remember what he had originally played.

“I ended up playing it without the slide, but I played that melody. That became the hook of the song,” he concludes.

And, speaking of classic gear and more throwaway hooks, Campbell recently talked about how American Girl came to be – and how the song was originally supposed to have a 12-string.

For more from Campbell, plus fresh interviews with John 5 and John Osborne, pick up issue 606 of Guitar World from Magazines Direct.

Jim Root’s signature Fender Telecaster is back with a stunning new Shoreline Gold finish.

Root’s signature single-cut is up there with the most beloved Telecasters ever created. First launched in 2010, it flipped the traditional Tele on its head, streamlining the design into a no-nonsense metal machine.

Up until that point, Telecasters weren’t generally associated with heavy metal. Nor had the standard blueprint been radically changed. Nevertheless, Root put his own stamp on the Tele, and it quickly won over a legion of fans.

John Mayer called what “every Tele should look like in this day and age”, saying, “It’s smart. It’s awake. It’s doing something completely new.”

It was even included in Guitar World’s roundup of the greatest guitar gear of the 21st century.

Now, the Root Telecaster has returned, this time with a swanky Shoreline Gold colorway. It’s a very tasty cosmetic overhaul indeed, which otherwise retains the specs of the original.

That means a mahogany body, 12”-radius ebony fingerboard, and six-saddle hardtail bridge, as well as a pair of EMG 60 and 81 active humbuckers wired to a single volume control and three-way blade switch.

There’s also black hardware, 22 jumbo frets, and a one-ply black pickguard to go with the Shoreline Gold finish. It is, in essence, another Root classic – but with a gold finish.

“Fender guitars have been a cornerstone of my rig since the earliest days of Slipknot and continue to be today,” Root says of his new-look signature. “Seeing my signature model in Shoreline Gold gives it a completely fresh character.

“It’s the same guitar I’ve relied on for more than two decades, but this new finish makes it feel exciting all over again.”

Speaking to Guitar World last year, Root recalled the creation of his flagship Tele, and discussed how his radical reimaging updated a Fender mainstay for the 21st century.

“I think Fender, at the time, needed something to, not erase the stigma of being an iconic, older company, but bring them into more modern times,” he said. “It made sense, and Fender was down. I got lucky. The stars aligned!”

The Shoreline Gold Jim Root Telecaster is available now for $2,099.

Visit Fender for more info.

Fender has opened its first standalone cafe location in Tokyo, and its menu is extremely on-brand.

Situated in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, a neighborhood known for its indie music scene, it builds on the Big F’s burgeoning coffee-fueled cafe portfolio. Its flagship Tokyo store, which opened in 2023, includes an in-shop cafe.

Fender Cafe Shimokitazawa opened on July 3, marking the brand's first standalone cafe location. Yet, while you can’t get a side of Stratocaster with your flat white, there are plenty of nods to all-things-guitar across the location.

From plectrum-shaped stools that lean into urban coffee-house chic to a wall-mounted 1969 rosewood Telecaster hanging off the wall – a model George Harrison and Josh Homme have both played – and a menu that nods to Fender’s 80-year history, subtlety has been left at the door.

In fact, the inclusion of the left-field rosewood electric guitar nods to the very genesis of the store's design.

“The new store adopts a space design inspired by the 1969 Rosewood Telecaster that has left its name in music history,” says Fender Japan, via The Japan Times. “Fender combines the spirit of rock and roll with California coffee culture with Japanese sensibilities, craftsmanship, and subtle hospitality.”

The menu continues the trend. Customers can quench their thirst with a Stratocaster rose latte or Telecaster maple latte, for instance, and it has a signature coffee blend called First Set. Meanwhile, hungry bellies can be satiated with a Six Strings Burger or Chicken Overdrive Rice.

If it’s looking for more puns to expand its menu with in the future, Guitar World humbly suggests the Mustang Macchiato, Early Grey Tweed, and Deluxe Decaffe. 'Capo-cino' has a nice ring to it, too.

“Fender Cafe Shimokitazawa aims to blend in with nature’s daily routine in this city and create a community place where music-loving people can connect at ease,” Fender Japan expands. “Musicians, community people, live house attendees, and musicians.”

“Set in Shimokitazawa, where the culture of live music is particularly breathed in Tokyo, with the concept of ‘Good Coffee, Good Vibes’, we propose a new music lifestyle where music fits everyday life.”

From bonkers finishes to reviving unconventional classics, Fender Japan has proved time and again that it does things differently.

There’s an enviable creative freedom at play that left GW gobsmacked when it made the journey over to the Japanese capital last year.

For more, head over to the Fender Cafe Instagram page.

Kirk Hammett has expanded his guitar collection by adding Gojira guitarist Christian Andreu's brand-new Pro Plus Series signature model to his touring arsenal.

He debuted his new addition during Metallica’s triumphant return to London this past weekend for two back-to-back shows at the London Stadium – which wrapped up their mammoth M72 World Tour.

“London, you fought fire with fire!” posted Andreu on Instagram, alongside a photo of Hammett posing with his signature guitar. “Thank you Kirk for using my custom Jackson Rhoads guitar on Seek!” Gojira, as well as Knocked Loose, served as Metallica’s opening acts.

The Jackson Pro Plus Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RR24 EVTN6 debuted in March.

Featuring a three-piece maple neck with neck-through-body construction, a graphite-reinforced truss rod, 24 jumbo stainless steel frets on an ebony fingerboard, a single Fishman humbucker, and an Evertune F6 bridge, it's safe to say this signature model’s built for modern metal… which includes stadium shows.

And, considering that Hammett is one of Andreu's ultimate guitar heroes and the player who inspired him to pick up the Rhoads design, seeing the Metallica icon wield his signature guitar while playing Seek & Destroy, from 1983's Kill 'Em All, was a true full-circle moment for the Gojira guitarist.

“Dreams come true,” concluded Andreu in his social media post.

Last year, the Gojira riffer made another player's dreams come true after he took Diamond Rowe's signature model out on tour.

Last year, the AI-generated band The Velvet Sundown went viral, with the “band” racking up millions of streams in mere months.

Their three albums, Floating On Echoes, Dust And Silence, and Paper Sun Rebellion – complete with AI-generated album covers – sounded so uncannily real that they left music fans scratching their heads and questioning whether they were fully AI-generated.

According to an investigation by The Guardian, it’s still unclear what music The Velvet Sundown’s albums were trained on.

Furthermore, when an alleged spokesperson for the band, operating under the pseudonym Andrew Frelon, spoke to Rolling Stone, claiming that the music was created using the AI tool Suno, a Velvet Sundown X account clarified that, “We understand the intrigue our project inspires – and we’re not here to dispel mystery.

“But we are here to correct the record….The Velvet Sundown is a multidisciplinary artistic project blending music, analog aesthetics, and speculative storytelling. While we embrace ambiguity as part of our narrative design, we ask that reporting on us be based on verifiable sources – not fabricated accounts or synthetic media.”

Now, a real, human band is attempting to fight back against AI-generated music by forming a Velvet Sundown tribute band – aptly named Bootleg Velvet Sundown.

“I formed a tribute band of the most famous AI group of all, Velvet Sundown,” says Simon Balch, the progenitor of this project.

“Instead of giving any money to the Velvet Sundown, I’m giving all the profits to real musicians, whose work AI [has] stolen in the first place. This is humans versus machines, and today, the humans are rising.”

So what’s Balch’s master plan? “First up, we're re-recording some of their tracks in studios [featuring “real musicians” Leo Walrus, Enzo Allen, Milo Garland and Luke McQueen],” he details. “I want to be the first tribute band to get more streams than the original band.

“I've not heard a whisper from The Velvet Sundown themselves, but if you are listening, here's a message to you: I'm not giving you a penny,” he insists.

“All the profits that we make will be going to real musicians. Am I a musical Robin Hood?... But in this case, my arrows are tribute bands, and my target, AI music.”

And while we’re all waiting to see what Balch and co.'s next step is, you can follow the “real” tribute band’s exploits on Bootleg Velvet Sundown’s official Instagram.

In more recent news, influential players, including Sophie Burrell and Sophie Lloyd, have spoken about how their work is being manipulated by bad actors who are using AI to defraud guitar fans.

Nuno Bettencourt’s love for Eddie Van Halen is well known, but at a recent Extreme show, he shone a light on his very first guitar hero – his brother, “King Luis the 1st.”

The super shredder has often spoken about his love and admiration for Van Halen, but it turns out his brother inspired him long before that obsession began. That’s why Nuno brought him out to tackle the leads on Extreme’s Get the Funk Out at Ormeau Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland, on June 26.

Posting a clip of the properly heartwarming performance on his socials, Bettencourt declared: “Long before King Edward, there was King Luis the 1st.”

“Yes, Edward, [Jimmy] Page, [Brian] May, and many more have influenced me as a player,” he says. But it was his brother – “My first true guitar hero” – who “created me as a player.”

“Without his presence and mind-blowing talent, I wouldn’t have picked up the instrument in the first place,” Bettencourt writes.

Playing a Nuno Guitars S-type – what else? – the other Bettencourt Brother shows some serious chops across the performance, with the tapping passage at the end particularly tasty. We aren't surprised, though. Luis Bettencourt is a virtuoso in his own right, with a number of solo records under his belt.

It turns out that it was Luis’ 70th birthday, and what a way to celebrate it was.

After recently raving about an up-and-coming guitarist that everyone needs to hear, Nuno has turned his praise to his brother.

“His fire, passion, speed, singing, and his compositions shaped me and molded me from the ground up,” Bettencourt purrs. “I wanted to be like him and play like him.

“He set the stage for me in a way that no matter what influences came along later, they were all built on his foundation and DNA.”

The younger Bettencourt sibling has also recently taken to socials to pay tribute to Yngwie Malmsteen’s playing, and reflected on the Extreme song that changed his life overnight.

American punk band Alkaline Trio has been forced to cancel their UK tour at the last minute as guitarist/vocalist Matt Skiba fights a medical condition that has left him unable to walk.

Former blink-182 guitarist Skiba says his condition has left him unable to “walk, talk, play, or sing” properly, forcing the cancellation of five UK shows and a headline appearance at the 2000 Trees festival.

The band has not revealed the specifics of Skiba’s condition, but the tour has been canceled after the band arrived in the UK. They have now returned to the States for treatment.

“We are immensely sorry, but we must cancel our dates in England… due to medical issues Matt has been suffering from that have worsened,” the band’s statement reads.

“He’s gonna be okay, but needs to be treated stateside as soon as possible. We will be back healthier and stronger.”

The reluctant but necessary cancellation, announced on the day of their first show in Birmingham, has been met with an outpouring of love from their fans. That prompted Skiba to address the issue directly via a video posted to Instagram.

“Thank you for all the love and support,” he says. “It means the world to me. You guys deserve a better show than I can throw right now. I've got numbness in my feet, numbness in my hands, and as you can tell, I’m losing my voice. I can’t really talk, walk, play, or sing.

“I’m gonna go home and get looked at. I love all of you so much, and we’ll be back ASAP to make these shows up to you.”

Shows in Birmingham, London, Newcastle, Leeds, and Manchester are affected and are expected to be rearranged in due course. Beloved UK alt-rockers, Don Broco, will take their place at the Gloucestershire, UK, gathering, which was meant to conclude their tour.

Guitar World wishes Skiba a speedy recovery.

Relic’d guitars have seen a huge rise in popularity in recent years. So, when Chibson USA joked about relic decal stickers as a budget-friendly hack, Dame Guitars took matters into its own hands.

Everyone from Charvel to Solar has jumped on the trend in recent years, as more and more players crave road worn-looking electric guitars straight off the shelf. Elsewhere, Gibson’s Murphy Lab has been making new guitars look like vintage gems in genius ways, and the Fender Custom Shop has seen a surge in relic’d requests.

And so, in true Chibson USA fashion, the meme machine made a spoof social media post about the relic decal sticker concept. A good chuckle was had by all, except by Korean-based Dame Guitars, which took it upon itself to bring the idea to life.

Under its post announcing the decals, Chibson commented, “When we came up with this idea, it was only supposed to be a joke.”

They look surprisingly effective. The stickers – which make it look like the wood beneath a guitar’s finish has been exposed – are certainly giving the S-type seen in the video a little more character.

Applied around the edges of the body, they look effective on screen, and their imperfect shapes mean that application should be a doddle; you don’t need precision.

Speaking to Guitar World about the the rising popularity of relic'g guitars last year, Fender Masterbuilders Andy Hicks and Austin MacNutt dismissed the naysayers who believe players must earn their relics, detailing that a growing number of players simply want brand-new, old-looking axes.

Originally, though, relic’ing work was a little less scientific and a little more... well, brutal. Adrian Belew famously went to savage lengths to relic his Strat in the late 1970s – making it one of the first purposefully relic’d guitars ever.

These stickers might not be for everyone, and they're sure to attract some doubters, but there's no denying they look like a harmless relicing ‘mod’ for those who don’t want to beat up their beloved guitars, or spend a few grand on a pre-worn instrument. Better still, they're completely reversible.

The decals are priced at 9,500 won, which is approximately $6.20.

Keep your eyes on Dame Gutiars for more.

There is this whole thing in popular culture right now about relatability. Oh, would you look at them, they’re just like us. He likes pastrami on rye, too! And so on. Blame social media.

But sometimes, oftentimes, our pop-cultural heroes are more spectacular when they appear to have been wired to a different power grid – that there’s a little bit of Planet Krypton to them.

Reassuringly, Chuck Berry is like that, and in a recent interview with Rob Cass for the dopeYEAH talk YouTube show, session great Marc Ribot reminded us of the magic of the Godfather of Rock ’N’ Roll – and he did not disappoint.

Ribot got the privilege of playing alongside Berry when he was playing with the Realtones, the band fronted by Brenda Bergman. Bergman had to take some time out for “a drug problem”.

Thereafter, the Realtones – who were latterly known as The Uptown Hordes – would become a renowned backup band in the late ’80s, playing out of Tramps, in NYC, playing with a rotating cast of R&B greats, including the likes of Rufus Thomas, Solomon Burke and Carla Thomas.

“Because of that, we got to back up Chuck Berry whenever he’d come to town,” says Ribot. “And we took it super-seriously, as well we should have.”

Ribot says when Berry played, something magical happened. He didn’t need too many notes to do it either.

“The thing was that Chuck Berry’s power as a guitarist was such that when he’d play one note, you could see a ripple go out in the audience,” says Ribot. “It was like an electric charge. He had such an amazing economy of play, and an amazing power of playing, and what [Spanish poet, Federico] Garcia Lorca would have called Duende – just this attitude.”

But Berry was notoriously difficult. He was exacting on the guitarists he played with. Just ask Keith Richards. Berry punched him right in the kisser.

Ribot says backing Berry was a test of a player’s nerves, but more than that, it was a test of their dedication to their craft. Every player should know Berry’s guitar parts, front to back.

“It’s like if you’re a preacher, you should know the Bible, and if you’re a rock guitarist, you should know every Chuck Berry solo,” says Ribot. “It’s amazing. We would back him up, and we wrote out all the horn parts. We learned all the horn parts.”

Berry would not always turn up ahead of the show. If he did, the band could run things through with him. If not, they just had to be as prepared as they could be.

“If we're lucky he made it to part of a soundcheck. If we weren't, otherwise he’d just show up at the beginning of the gig, and he would call his tunes in whatever keys he felt like,” says Ribot. “But we were ready. We transposed them.”

The hard work paid off. Berry would haze guitarists who overplayed, who underplayed, who came somewhere in between but still fell short of moving him.

“I was very proud because Chuck was notoriously hard on guitarists,” says Ribot. “He was famous for featuring them, having them stand out front, and saying, ‘Isn’t he fabulous, ladies and gentlemen?’ You know, they clap him. ‘Now get the fuck out of here!’ [Laughs] Happily, I didn’t meet that fate.

“Its a thin line, because a lot of guitarists would go and either be so worshipful that they would want to imitate him exactly, which he didn't like, or they would be saying, ‘Hey, man, I’m gonna show everybody that I can play better than Chuck Berry.’ So they’d do some kind of bullshit hot-dog solo, and he’d say, ‘Get the fuck out of here!’”

Ribot was different. He actually got praise.

“He had kind words to say about my blues playing, which I never forgot,” he says. “So, yeah, it was great.”

You can check out the full interview above and subscribe to the dopeYEAH talk here. And if you think Chuck Berry sounds nuts, then Ribot has some fun stories about Wilson Pickett.

Who would have thought the soul star would be such a riot starter, but there you go. It's like the man said, take your pleasure where you find it.