Blink-182 drummer and pop punk production whizz Travis Barker is the latest subject of Reverb's ongoing My Career Through Gear video series, and while chatting with the online retailer, has revealed that he is come to rely on a bass gifted to him by none other than Green Day’s Mike Dirnt in almost every session he’s produced.

Barker built his Waiting Studio to provide a one-stop shop for all of the band's needs; they can record albums, rehearse for tours, shoot videos, play basketball, and ride BMXs all under one roof.

But the fun isn't just for his band: everyone from Willow, Machine Gun Kelly, and Avril Lavigne has recorded with Barker, and there's one bass guitar that is used on virtually every track he works on, despite the fact it’s not been seen much for over 20 years.

“It’s called the star bass,” he says, admitting that it has “a pretty generic name”. But comes from far less generic circumstances.

As Barker explains in Reverb’s clip, it dates back to Blink-182’s 2002 Pop Disaster tour, which they co-headlined with Green Day, supported by the likes of Jimmy Eat World and Simple Plan.

“Me, Mike [Dirnt, bass], and Billy Joe [Amstrong, guitar] from Green Day would jam all the time,” Barker relays.

“At the end of the tour Mike was like, ‘Dude, I want to give you this bass!’ It was so cool. Who knew it was going to be something that's used every day in the studio?

“I gave him a snare drum in return. Anything – besides pretty much a Blink album because Mark has so many basses that he's really in love with – was recorded with this bass.”

So what makes the bass so special?

“We've only changed the strings one time and we go to it ‘case it's kind of dead-sounding, in a great way,” he reveals. “It doesn't poke through too much, it's not too bright.”

One of Tom DeLonge's signature Gibson ES-335 models, with its striking brown and cream colorway, is his go-to recording guitar – although it like has its strings changed at least a little more often.

“I’ve had it [since] forever, since when these came [in 2006], out he gave me it. I've used it on a bunch of stuff,” he smiles. It doesn’t look like he’s been gifted one of DeLonge’s standout Fender Starcaster guitars, though. Perhaps he’ll have to wait until Christmas...

Over in the Blink gear camp, last year Tom DeLonge revived a super-rare prototype that predates the original Fender Tom DeLonge signature Stratocaster.

While on the bass front, there has been some Fender love for Mark Hoppus too, who has combined Jaguar, Precision, and Jazz Bass parts on his new Fender signature model.

Blink-182 reunited with Matt Skiba last Thursday (February 13) during an LA Wildfires benefit show, which saw the band's former guitarist/vocalist perform alongside Tom DeLonge for the first time.

Skiba filled in DeLonge’s spot in blink-182 for a few years after 2015 while the Starcaster-wielding guitarist focused on other projects. After Skiba's recruitment, Bored To Death was the band’s first single sans DeLonge.

Skiba, best known elsewhere as the frontman of Alkaline Trio, was a key player in the creation of the song, which has remained part of the band’s live setlist since DeLonge rejoined in 2022.

Fittingly, blink-182 ushered in the reprisal of the band’s classic lineup as Skiba, DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker performed Bored To Death during the gig.

There's clearly no bad blood between Skiba and the man he replaced – and was then replaced by – as they locked in together, before DeLonge put his guitar down to place an arm around his peer mid-performance. The pair embraced at the end of the song, before DeLonge joked that there was “so much sexual tension” in the air.

“The moment everyone came to the @hollywoodpalladium to see: Matt Skiba playing Bored to Death with Tom DeLonge,” one attendee wrote on Instagram. “In 2016, the song was the first single that Blink 182 released featuring Alkaline Trio singer/songwriter Skiba, following the indefinite departure of founding guitarist DeLonge.

“The biggest pop from the crowd tonight was from the moment they hugged after the song.”

Skiba had said he was “truly happy” to see the band’s classic line-up return, even if it came at his expense, adding that he was “truly grateful” for his time in the band.

All money raised from the show will go towards the Pasadena Humane Society, California Fire Department, LAFD Foundation, and ARC Firefighter Fund at the Hollywood Palladium.

“Los Angeles this is a show meant for you,” bass player and vocalist Mark Hoppus said during the show. “Give it up for the firefighters, first responders, the volunteers, and everyone who’s been working so hard to put this city back together – we love you all.”

The LA Wildfires have affected countless musicians, with Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith and Primus’ Larry LeLonde among those to have lost their homes during the disaster.

Gibson, Fender, Guitar Center, and Spiritbox’s Mike Stringer are among those to have launched initiatives for players affected by the fires, or made donations to various charities, while a host of other benefit shows have made headlines.

There was a female-fronted Nirvana reunion, with St. Vincent and Joan Jett two of the four frontwomen starring, and a John Mayer and Dave Mathews duo performance.

Fender has officially announced a new ‘Padre’ version of Tom DeLonge’s sought-after signature Strat years after the elusive original was first built.

It continues Fender’s current theme of blink-182 revival electric guitars, having brought back DeLonge’s ultra-minimalist signature Strat last summer.

Now the collaborative partnership has gone one step further to bring back the Padre, which predates the OG TD Strat. As the story goes, Fender’s Custom Shop had built the pop-punk icon several prototypes before his signature guitar proper, and among them was an especially eye-catching brown and orange model.

Now, that elusive Padre variant, arguably the most iconic of those prototypes, is getting a limited-edition run “for the first time ever”. Only 300 will be made exclusively for DeLonge’s To The Stars enterprise.

Yours for $1,749.99 – if you’re quick enough – it features a ’69 Strat neck with a modern C-profile for a nifty blend of old and new.

Its 9.5” radius rosewood fingerboard has 21 medium jumbo frets, with other appointments coming in the form of Fender deluxe locking tuners and locking strap buttons to keep guitar straps secure.

The guitar pairs a black Seymour Duncan JB humbucker in the bridge with a single volume control for no-nonsense electronics and “all the tones you need”.

Each of the 300 guitars boasts stamped and serialized neck plates. They all come with a signed and numbered certificate of authenticity, and a hardshell guitar case inspired by the orange-clad beauty that carries DeLonge’s six-string from show to show.

DeLonge’s signature Strat got a (nearly) all-black makeover late last year, while the Indonesian-made version of his Starcaster, which broke cover in April, represents one of 2024’s most anticipated releases.

The bar has been set high for the Padre, after DeLonge’s standard Strat was described as a “powerful, straightforward tool for pounding away on heavily distorted power chords” in GW’s comprehensive review of the axe.

The Fender TSS Padre Stratocaster is available to pre-order now and costs $1,749.99.

Mark Hoppus doesn’t do a lot of interviews. And he definitely doesn’t do a lot of interviews about bass.

But the blink-182 bassist, co-frontman and sole consistent member has a lot to say in that regard. His tone – produced by reversing the classic P-Bass split-coil configuration – is about as perfect as pop-punk rumble gets, while his basslines are hooky and deceptively deep, incorporating chunky chords and neat passing lines.

With the return of fellow founding member Tom DeLonge in 2022, blink has been riding a wave that’s as big as anything in their Warped Tour-headlining heyday, with sold-out arena tours across the globe. And it’s not pure nostalgia, either – the band released new album, One More Time…, last year, and an expanded edition followed last month.

With the rekindled friendships, monster tours and smash albums comes fresh instruments. And while DeLonge grabbed the guitar headlines with his single-pickup Fender Starcaster, his bandmate has his own eagerly awaited signature model, the Fender Limited Edition Mark Hoppus Jaguar Bass.

These are the exact models the bassist has been using live, having switched to the offset body shape to match Matt Skiba’s Jaguar guitars during his tenure with the group. But Hoppus has stuck with the outline upon DeLonge’s return, equipping it with his signature flipped Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickups and a Jazz Bass neck.

Other highlights include a single volume knob and a neat Hi My Name Is Mark octopus logo on the neck plate. And don’t even get us started about the matching headstock on the Sea Foam Green-finished model. We want one, and we want one now.

When Fender let us in on the deets, they disclosed that Hoppus would be willing to answer some questions via email, exclusively for Bass Player/Guitar World.

And boy, did we have questions: why the Jazz Bass neck? How did bass chords become your trademark? And when you record guitar, what are you using?

What follows is our complete Q&A with Mark Hoppus.

Hi Mark, my name is Mike. Let’s start at the beginning: what are your earliest memories of playing bass? And what made you want to pick it up in the first place?

“I saw the music video for the Cure’s Just Like Heaven and knew right then that bass was the instrument I wanted to play. I had to paint my stepmom’s condo to earn the money.

“Dad took me to a local music shop and I bought the first bass I saw on the wall [a black Mako P-Bass]. I took it home and practiced playing along to all my favorite songs.”

What was the first moment where you felt you had found your ‘sound’ on bass?

“By the time we recorded Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, [producer] Jerry Finn and I had refined the tone to what I’ve tried to stick with ever since. Boosted mids, punchy bass, roll off a bit of the treble.”

You played Ernie Ball basses in blink’s earlier days – what made you switch to Fender, and why have you stuck with them all this time?

“During the Enema of the State recording, I wanted to get a different tone on some of the songs. Jerry Finn and I left the studio and drove to a Guitar Center nearby, ran in just before closing and bought a Fender P-Bass, took it back to the studio and cut one track with it. Then another… then we re-tracked almost every song with it. Just a random P-Bass from Guitar Center. Fender has always been my dream bass.”

Your signature models are famed for their reversed pickups. What inspired you to flip them around?

“The E and A strings sounded a bit wooly compared to the D and G strings, which sounded doinky. Inverting the pickups puts the one under the E and A strings closer to the bridge, which gives them a bit more bite and punch, while the pickup under the D and G strings is closer to the neck, allowing it to catch more of the swing in those strings, giving them a bit deeper, fuller tone. It gives a more even tone across the four strings.”

Your previous Fender signature bass featured a P-Bass neck. Your latest has a Jazz Bass neck – what do you prefer about the Jazz neck these days?

“I think it started by accident. One of my basses got built with a thinner neck, and I liked the way it felt and played. Playing a standard P-Bass neck is like playing a baseball bat to me now. Still love them, but the Jazz neck is where I am today.”

Of all the basses you have played throughout your career, is there one that means more to you than the rest?

“Pinky. It’s a customized bass with skulls inlaid in the fretboard. The Fender Custom Shop found this old forgotten hot pink paint in the back of their shop and went to town on it. That was more than 20 years ago. It’s been to hell and back. Toured, dropped, played, loved. It has a crack in the body now, so he’s been taken out of the touring rotation but it’s still probably my favorite bass.”

There’s an entire community of fans who obsess over your bass tone – what do you make of the fervor surrounding your sound?

“My tone rules! It cuts through without being clanky, has a great low-end, isn’t brash or sizzly. Just a great rock tone. When I do noodly bits on the high strings it sounds full and when I’m deep in the track keeping the rhythm and melody going, it fits right in the pocket.”

You’re using Kempers onstage now with blink. Why did you make the switch, and what advantages does it offer you?

“I used Kempers for years and recently switched to a Neural Quad Cortex. Once the modelers caught up to tube amps in their tone, it was all over for me.

“We were in Conway Studios in LA tracking, with my full cabinet/head setup on one channel and my Kemper tone on another channel, and no-one in the room could tell the difference between the two.

“At that point, why pay to freight hundreds of pounds of gear around the world? My whole live rig fits in one rack now.”

Who are your bass heroes?

“Simon Gallup from the Cure, Tony Lombardo from Descendents.”

Chords are a trademark of your bass parts – can you remember a particular moment where you first started exploring that style?

“The first time I heard [cult English rock band] Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, who had two bass players – one sticking to the root notes, and another playing the high strings doing chords – it blew my mind. For me, it all started there.”

You’ve played guitar on blink records, too – are there any standout parts that you recorded, and what guitars did you use?

“I tracked about half the guitars on [2011’s] Neighborhoods using my Tele Jr, which rules. I think it was made in ’92. Jerry Finn told me to buy it and I haven’t regretted it once. [Editor’s note: the dual-P-90 Telecaster Junior was a favorite of Finn’s, and rumored to have featured heavily on several classic blink-182 recordings, including Enema of the State.]”

What’s the bassline you’re most proud of in blink?

“Carousel’s intro I love. It was a mistake I made while trying to learn [Beethoven banger] Für Elise, and I liked how it sounded so I kept it. The first day I met Tom I showed him that bassline and he’d been working on something similar on guitar. It was the first song we wrote together and we still play it today.”

What’s the hardest blink song to play on bass?

“The intro to Carousel. I still fuck it up all the time.”

12 years ago, you delivered a lecture called Bassists Look Too Bored, in a bid to inspire bass players to move more on stage. Have you seen any improvement over the past decade?

“We just toured with Pierce the Veil and their bassist Jaime [Preciado] goes nuts onstage like no-one I've seen before. At Lollapalooza, he jumped into his amps like Kurt Cobain jumping into Dave Grohl’s drum kit.”

For more information on the Limited Edition Mark Hoppus Jaguar Bass, head to Fender.com.

Mark Hoppus has become the latest high-profile artist to sing the praises of amp modelers, as he revealed he recently switched to the Neural DSP Quad Cortex for blink-182’s run of arena shows.

In an exclusive interview with Guitar World/Bass Player to celebrate the release of his new signature Jaguar Bass, Hoppus says he changed up his rig after conducting exhaustive tone tests in the studio.

“I used Kempers for years and recently switched to a Neural Quad Cortex,” he tells Guitar World. “Once the modelers caught up to tube amps in their tone, it was all over for me.

“We were in Conway Studios in LA tracking, with my full cabinet/head setup on one channel and my Kemper tone on another channel, and no-one in the room could tell the difference between the two.

“At that point, why pay to freight hundreds of pounds of gear around the world? My whole live rig fits in one rack now.”

Prior to his digital amp conversion, Hoppus had been a die-hard tube user, employing Ampeg SVT heads and 8x10 bass cabs for blink’s early noughties heyday, before picking up an Undertow 300 from Minnesota boutique co New Vintage Amps for their first reunion. He made the switch to Kemper in 2016.

Hoppus joins the growing ranks of big-name players making the switch to Kemper, Quad Cortex and Axe-Fx units. Guitarists as diverse as Dave Mustaine, Mark Knopfler and Jimmy Eat World have upended their rigs, while bass pros including Aerosmith’s Tom Hamilton, Slipknot’s Alessandro ‘Vman’ Venturella and Dirty Loops’ Henrik Linder have also made the jump.

The other essential ingredient in Hoppus’ tone is his unique reversed pickup configuration, which features on the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound split-coil P-Bass pickups in his new signature model. He reckons that swapping them around “gives a more even tone across the four strings”.

“The E and A strings sounded a bit wooly compared to the D and G strings, which sounded doinky,” he says of the regular P-Bass orientation.

“Inverting the pickups puts the one under the E and A strings closer to the bridge, which gives them a bit more bite and punch, while the pickup under the D and G strings is closer to the neck, allowing it to catch more of the swing in those strings, giving them a bit deeper, fuller tone.”

For more information on the Limited Edition Mark Hoppus Jaguar Bass, head to Fender.com.

Fender has partnered with Mark Hoppus for its second blink-182 signature model of the year, the Limited Edition Mark Hoppus Jaguar Bass.

Following his bandmate’s Tom DeLonge Starcaster, the Jag Bass features the same specs as the basses Hoppus has been playing on blink-182’s sold-out reunion shows.

While the bass is a Jaguar in name, it combines Hoppus’ favorite features from the Fender bass portfolio, bolting a custom C profile, 34” Jazz Bass maple neck with slab rosewood fingerboard onto an alder Jaguar body.

A pair of Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound split-coil P Bass pickups provide the bassist’s much sought-after secret sauce via a reverse-mounted configuration that yields a brighter tone from the lower strings. As Fender proudly proclaims, the bass “will enable players to produce the blink-182 bass tone they crave”.

The bass comes in a choice of two finishes: 3-Color Sunburst and Sea Foam Green, the latter of which comes with a matching headstock – although both feature the stripped back ‘Fender Jag’ decal.

There are some other neat spec touches, including a treble-bleed circuit on the solitary master volume control, which retains high-end when rolling back the volume, while the HiMass Vintage bridge can be strung up through the body or top-loaded.

Aesthetic touches include the 4-ply white pearloid pickguard and Hoppus’ 'Hi My Name is Mark' logo on the neck plate and included gig bag.

The bass is similar to the designs Hoppus has been selling direct via his own website, although those now-sold-out designs featured different headstocks, block rather than dot inlays, and came in Hot Pink and Daphne Blue finishes.

The price of the new model may be something of a sticking point. At $1,399, the Hoppus signature is over double the seemingly discontinued Player Jaguar Bass, which is also built in Mexico. On that basis, it’s one for hardcore blink-182 fans – which may explain the limited-edition designation.

In an amusingly straightlaced contribution to the PR, Hoppus says of his new signature bass: “It has a Jaguar body; it has a Jazz bass neck – C style, Rosewood fretboard, pearloid pickguard, 1 volume knob because I don’t need a tone knob, my tone comes from the wood, which in this case is alder, the Maple neck, and of course, it comes from my pickups.

“I've used Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickups that are mounted inverted so that the lower strings are closer to the bridge and give them a little more brightness. This bass is really nice, and I hope players enjoy it.”

“Mark knew what he wanted when ideating this bass,” adds Justin Norvell, EVP of Product at FMIC. “In turn, that is what fans of blink-182 fans want, too. It’s been a true joy to work with Hoppus and help create this signature Jaguar bass.

“Hoppus’ use of this bass on stages worldwide showcases its exceptional sonic capabilities. By incorporating Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickups in a reverse position, he’s enabled fans to achieve the iconic blink-182 tone they've always dreamed of. I can't wait to see how musicians worldwide will bring their creativity to this instrument.”

It’s been 22 years since Fender launched its first signature model for the blink-182 bassist – a signature Jazz Bass, which featured a P-Bass neck and pickup set. In 2006, after the band’s first breakup, a new version reversed the pickups at Hoppus’ request.

Hoppus first began using Jaguar Basses when Matt Skiba – who played Jaguar guitars – replaced DeLonge in the group. Hoppus has continued playing the offset design since DeLonge rejoined in 2022.

The Mark Hoppus Jazz Bass is available now – see Fender.com for more info.

Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox have returned to the '90s for the latest madcap installment of their Sunday Lunch YouTube series via an “elderly edition” of Blink 182's Dammit (often subtitled Growing Up).

The King Crimson man and his pop star wife have continued their weekly dose of musical insanity, but this cover notably marks the first time Fripp has played electric guitar in one of the videos for a few weeks, after some rather unusual (even for them) offerings. 

Following a more literal take on Metallica's Master of Puppets and a Led Zeppelin mashup played in a prison cell with a whip (just a normal day in the Fripp/Toyah household), the pair have returned to their usual format, with Fripp’s Fernandes goldtop making its return. 

“It's time for a BRAND NEW Sunday Lunch, and this BLINK 182 classic is a belter!” the pair write on YouTube.

Playing with a chorus-wavered clean tone, Fripp gets off to a traditionally false start as, off-screen, he’s heard shouting, “1, 2, 3, 4… bollocks,” as he stumbles over the track’s bouncy opening lines. 

Their normal-yet-bonkers service quickly resumes as Fripp stabs at the song's classic pop-punk motif. Yet, there’s still something in the pick attack that sounds resolutely Fripp.

Even though he takes a back seat for Toyah’s high-energy performance for most of the short clip, he still certainly leaves a memorable mark on a teenage anthem that’s all about growing up… not that it’s a topic the pair know much about. 

Fripp has previously spoken to Guitar World at length about his Sunday Lunch covers and the lengths he goes to to learn the tracks.

“When we engage with any of the music on Sunday Lunch, it is always with respect,” he explained. “We’re not taking the piss, playing silly rock riffs… I work hard to honor the original player or players on the famous recordings.”

As well as causing chaos in his kitchen, Fripp has recently been helping Steve Vai prepare for his tour with the new Beat supergroup, which is set to perform King Crimson's '80s material this fall.

Having received Fripp’s blessing, Vai later discussed the most difficult part of emulating Fripp’s playing. His new Beat bandmate, Adrian Belew, has also ruminated on what his guitar partnership with Vai will be like.

In related news, Fripp recently recalled the time he met Jimi Hendrix, who apparently called King Crimson “the best band in the world” after seeing the band in ‘69. 

I was part of the generation that took their first steps on electric guitar by learning blink-182 songs.

All the Small Things taught me power chords. What’s My Age Again? was my first frustrating encounter with string skipping. I learned the catalog front to back – M+M’s’ whip-fast pull-offs and Carousel’s frenetic scale runs – before, 20 years ago, blink-182 became one of the first bands I ever saw live… although by that stage DeLonge had switched to his new beau, a signature Gibson ES-333.

And that’s why writing about Tom DeLonge’s return to Fender in late 2022 gave me such a heady rush of nostalgia. This was the hero of my foundational guitar-playing years, returning to the company whose instruments accompanied him for blink’s biggest moments.

More exciting still was the fact that DeLonge hadn’t just revisited his signature Strat of yesteryear for his homecoming. Instead, he’d sought to reinvent one of Fender’s most unloved instruments, the Starcaster, with his own take on the design finally landing earlier this week for a cool $1,199.

When it was first released in 1976, the Starcaster was Fender’s attempt to take a slice of the semi-hollowbody guitar market – which was, at the time, considered very much Gibson’s domain.

Yet the model’s appearance was out of keeping with the altogether classier ES-335, and guitarists didn’t take to the offset maple body and black fin headstock. There were other specs that deviated from convention, too: the hardtail bridge, CBS-era three-bolt neck joint and five closely spaced control knobs, including a master volume. It was a step too far for traditionalists, and the guitar was discontinued after just four years.

In the decades since, the Starcaster has achieved cult status at the hands of Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and The Killers’ Dave Keuning. Limited production runs of the instrument have come and gone, and Squier still makes a trio of distinctive Starcaster models. But, as I discovered upon getting my hands on an early review model, none of these are as successful as DeLonge’s take.

DeLonge and winding road

DeLonge may have agreed to the Starcaster shape purely because of its name – as if UFOs ever don’t factor into his decision-making – but it does neatly marry the best parts of his two previous signature guitars.

So, you get the semi-hollow body – offset for extra cool points – paired with bolt-on Fender playability, and a single bridge humbucker: Seymour Duncan’s overwound PAF-inspired SH-5 Custom.

There are some aesthetic considerations, too, with the Adjusto-Matic bridge and tailpiece offering a classier appearance, while the oversized ’70s-style Fender headstock will be a relief to naysayers of the Starcaster’s OG black fin, topped off by a very welcome set of locking tuners.

Perhaps most importantly, it all looks right. While previous models have been decent guitars, this is the first time a Starcaster has felt desirable. It helps that DeLonge picked out four delectable satin finishes for the model: Surf Green, Shell Pink, Shoreline Gold and Olympic White.

Having long harbored hopes for the flagship pink, I was a little disappointed when I pulled my review model out of the box: Shoreline Gold. Dammit (heh). But the white binding does make it pop in person. It’s spoiled only slightly by the out-of-place white control knob.

Its modern C-shaped neck is the kind of roasted maple appendage that wouldn’t feel out of place on your average Strat, especially paired with the 12”-radius rosewood fingerboard. Compared with the neck on the other big semi-hollow du jour, Epiphone’s long-awaited Dave Grohl DG-335, it’s a slinkier playing experience that rewards faster left-hand acrobatics than this model has any right to host. However, like the Grohl model, the neck is gloss-finished, which feels a little incongruous here given the sleekness of the body’s satin.

While I fully expected to be inspired to launch straight into the blink back catalog, the contemporary neck shape and feel had me playing like, well, me – which mostly means lots of legato noodling and moody drone notes. This isn’t always the case with a lot of guitars I pick up for review: give me a Strat, and I’m in dangerously Hendrixian territory. A Les Paul will always conjure Page first. A 335 is situated in blues or big-chord town. This felt like more of a blank canvas.

That lonely Seymour Duncan pickup lets you paint with your own palette, too – especially compared with the TD Strat’s gratuitously high-output Invader. With a vintage hot output, distorted palm-muting is immensely satisfying, but the inclusion of a treble bleed circuit – which prevents the tone from darkening when the volume knob is wound down – aids its flexibility (even if the knob itself is positioned a little too far out of the way for easy volume swells).

This guitar could cope in any hard-rock scenario you can throw at it – you need only look to Wolfgang Van Halen to hear what a semi-hollow is capable of in heavier settings. Granted, there’s not quite the ‘grab-a-sandwich-and-come-back’ sustain of a set-neck, but the bolt-on joint yields a lighter, punchier tone that’s a big plus for recording, particularly if your bass player likes their tone on the treblier end of the EQ spectrum (we’re looking at you, Mark Hoppus).

To the Stars

Tom DeLonge was wise to keep his signature off his Starcaster’s headstock – there’s only that custom neckplate and rear-headstock graphic to signify his association. Combined with the guitar’s inarguably impressive Indonesian build – coming out of the same factory as Squier’s current-production Starcasters – it points not only towards a new future for the Starcaster, but Fender’s signature line in general.

It’s indicative of the new concept of ‘premium offshore’ – a topic my esteemed colleague Matt Parker has written about at length – as evidenced by this year’s most hyped Fender being produced in Indonesia, and the hottest Epiphone being manufactured in China. As build quality across the world goes up, the location of manufacture matters less to consumers – and the success of this model will be a fascinating test case.

This is a significant release in other ways, too: Tom DeLonge’s reimagining of the Starcaster has finally given Fender’s also-ran semi-hollow its own identity. Unlike the shape’s original ’60s launch, the TD Starcaster isn’t trying to steal away market share – it certainly doesn’t look like the semi-hollows of yore. Instead, it taps neatly into the ongoing offset guitar boom – and those pastel finishes could not be more on trend.

Given the year-and-a-half of fervor surrounding the model, it could even lead to a Starcaster renaissance. Just imagine a dual-humbucker version without the DeLonge branding – the semi-hollow for guitarists who don’t like semi-hollows. The semi-hollow for offset fanatics. And with Fender’s Indonesian factory ramping up production for this signature model, it would be a logical next step.

Whatever happens, the Tom DeLonge Starcaster’s potential reach extends far beyond Blink-182 fans. It’s a streamlined, unashamedly modern electric guitar – and DeLonge’s decision to throw out the traditional spec rulebook is key to its success.

As the guitarist muses in Fender’s promo video for the new model, “This guitar shows my evolution as a player but also has the hallmarks of where I came from and what I’m about.” And those sentiments apply to the Starcaster as a whole – I guess this is growing up…

• For more information on the Tom DeLonge Starcaster, head to Fender.com.

Fender has announced the arrival of the Tom DeLonge signature Starcaster, coming – as predicted by fans – right on cue after the Blink-182 guitarist dropped an Instagram teaser post last week.

As GW speculated at the time, the single pickup semi-hollow electric guitar is indeed Indonesian-made, and features a single Seymour Duncan SH-5 humbucker, a single volume control, over-sized ’70s-style Fender headstock and black hardware.

Fender has also confirmed the inclusion of DeLonge’s favored treble bleed circuit, which is incorporated to the master volume control and, as the firm describes, “preserves the guitar's natural high-end, ensuring sparkly cleans and chime-y edge-of-breakup tones” as the volume is rolled off.

The neck has a modern C profile, then there’s a 12” radius rosewood fingerboard (with dot inlays), Fender locking tuners and an adjustable bridge with a stop tailpiece. DeLonge has chosen to keep his name off the headstock, but there is a small graphic on the rear and his name is on the neck plate.

Finish options include Surf Green, Shell Pink, Shoreline Gold and Olympic White – all of which are satin.

The Blink man’s original signature Stratocaster was released in 2002 and built a cult following for its utilitarian, single-pickup take on Fender’s iconic electric. A later move to Gibson saw DeLonge offer a similarly stripped-down reimagining of the ES-333 outline. 

His third signature design brings in elements of both of its predecessors – the Strat’s stripped-back electronics, and the Gibson’s semi-hollow body and classic humbucker.

“I love this guitar, I really do. It’s the coolest guitar ever made,” enthuses DeLonge. “Firstly, it is called a Starcaster. That’s the most important thing. It goes to space and expands your mind.

“This guitar shows my evolution as a player but also has the hallmarks of where I came from and what I'm about.”

The model also represents the latest step in Fender – and the wider industry’s – shift towards premium offshore builds. At $1,199, the price would once have been unthinkable for an Indonesian build, but this is a high-spec model and Fender has seen fit to place its own logo on it, despite its origins from a facility more commonly associated with Squier builds.

Jimmy Eat World guitarist Jim Adkins’ signature Fender Telecaster Thinline was relaunched as an Indonesian production, with a price point of $1,099 last year, and there have been other limited edition Fenders from the facility, so the precedent is there. 

However, if previous DeLonge signatures are anything to go by, the Starcaster will comfortably outsell those.

It’s also notable that the price point places it in direct competition with that other big semi-hollow signature model of recent months, Epiphone’s Chinese-made Dave Grohl signature DG-335 ($1,299) .

“At its simplest level… people have just, over time, improved,” Fender’s EVP of Product, Justin Norvell explained when Guitar World asked about the continued shift to ‘premium offshore’ models earlier this year.

“[There’s been] continuous improvement of the process of the craftsmanship, using similar machinery. Good wood and a CNC machine – and the right finishing and setup – has democratized some of that.”

For more information on the Tom DeLonge signature Starcaster, head to Fender.

Tom DeLonge has sign-posted the seemingly imminent arrival of his new signature guitar, the Fender Tom DeLonge signature Starcaster. 

The Blink-182 guitarist took to Instagram to share a new shot of himself looking down the neck of what looks a lot like a dot-necked Starcaster model, alongside the legend “10,9,8,7…” 

The inlays are significant because his previous Fender Custom Shop builds have featured custom Blink-182 logo inlays, created by the careful hand of one of the firm’s leading luthiers, Ron Thorn.

Obviously, a production-line signature model will be produced in much vaster numbers and the complicated inlays appear to have been sacrificed in the name of economy.

It’s probably a savvy move, both in terms of price point (along with its likely origins as an offshore build) and in terms of widening its appeal beyond non-Blink fans, too.

Rumors are now abounding of an April 16 launch date and the guitar being produced in the firm's Indonesian facility.

It’s definitely a Fender logo on that headstock, but the current Squier Starcaster models – the only ones in the Fender family’s line-up at present – are Indonesian-made and the black hardware (found on many Indonesian builds) also makes us think there might be something in this rumor.

What’s more, Fender previously badged its Chinese-made Modern Player Starcasters with its own logo (rather than Squier) and Jimmy Eat World guitarist Jim Adkins’ signature Fender JA-90 Telecaster Thinline is also now produced in Indonesia.

The overarching concept of the build seems to be about hitting a sweet spot between DeLonge’s initial Fender signature model, the Tom DeLonge Stratocaster (reissued last year) and his later Gibson build, the Tom DeLonge ES-330.

We’re fairly sure of the specs at this point. Having peered over the Custom Shop model, we reckon it will pair an overwound PAF-style Seymour Duncan SH-5 humbucker and semi-hollow construction, with the oversized ’70s Strat headstock and single volume control of his first Fender signature.

The Custom Shop build also features a Gotoh tune-o-matic bridge and Grover tuners, though we’d question whether we’ll see that level of branded hardware on the production-line model.

As for the date, well April 16 would tally with DeLonge’s countdown, so we guess all will be revealed then.

While we wait to find out, we suggest occupying yourself with DeLonge’s previous Custom Shop one-offs, which, er, really put the ‘Star’ in Starcaster – including a Roswell-inspired build and a guitar that incorporates actual meteorite dust into the finish.

For more information on the Tom DeLonge Starcaster, keep an eye on Fender.

Fender reprised the much-loved Tom DeLonge signature Stratocaster back in July, offering the electric guitar in four finishes. Now the blink-182 guitarist has taken to Instagram to announce a super-limited offering of a fifth finish, created as a Black Friday exclusive for his brand ToTheStars.

The TTS model boasts what appears to be a satin-style black body, black scratchplate, black Seymour Duncan Invader pickup, black hardtail block bridge with block saddles, black output jack and black tuners. 

The blackout theme is offset by a distinctive red Knurled Flat-Top volume control, which pops nicely against the shining black scratchplate. 

The maple neck (finished in satin urethane) keeps its clear finish as does the over-sized ’70s headstock. Some Instagram comments have suggested Fender has missed a trick in not offering a matching headstock, but there’s a certain charm in the contrast of the black tuners on the maple. 

Overall, the effect is somewhat evocative of the breed of metal’d-up Fenders first sparked by the arrival of the Jim Root signature Telecaster back in 2007, with one Instsagram commenter dubbing it the “Jim Root 182”.

Though the full details have been kept under wraps thus far, we’re assuming that the tweaks are purely cosmetic, and therefore that it also comes with the usual treble bleed circuit on the volume control. 

While we’ve seen a raft of products that stretch the definition of ‘limited edition’ somewhat in recent years, this one is going to be a genuine rarity, with just 300 guitars being produced.

As such, you’ll need to be on your A-game to secure one, with orders going live at 9am PST on Friday November 24 over on DeLonge’s ToTheStars site. 

There’s no word on price yet, but the reissued Tom DeLonge Stratocaster costs $1,299. 

As some commented at the time of the reissue, that is arguably a lot for a stripped-down Mexican-made Strat, but with the original commanding prices upwards of $2,000 on the used market, Fender had some room to demand a premium – and seems to have done just that.

At the time of the reissue, DeLonge paid tribute to his first signature guitar and the straightforward design that – more than 20 years on – has gained something of a cult following.

“I try to write music that is accessible and easy to play and enjoy, so that people can come along for the ride,” DeLonge said. 

“This simplicity really inspired this new signature Stratocaster. It just has one knob and one pickup, which just makes it easy to turn it up, play and sound great, especially important when you’re in front of a crowd and already have plenty to think about… we’ve created something that really stands the test of time – like I strive to do with my music.”

Finally, if you're in the market for a new Fender guitar (black, or otherwise), check out our roundup of this year’s best Fender Black Friday deals.

Hello, and welcome to Essential Guitar Tracks. As you may well know, every seven days (or thereabouts), we endeavor to bring you a selection of songs from across the guitar universe, all with one thing in common: our favorite instrument plays a starring role.

Our goal is to give you an overview of the biggest tracks, our editor’s picks and anything you may have missed. We’re pushing horizons and taking you out of your comfort zone – because, as guitarists, that’s something we should all be striving for in our playing. 

So, here are our highlights from the past seven days – now with a Spotify playlist…

blink-182 – More Than You Know

Released alongside Box Car Racer-esque ballad One More Time, More Than You Know strikes the opposite tone to the feelgood pop-punk of Edging – Tom DeLonge’s first song of his second reunion with blink-182 – and taps right into the band’s ‘serious’ eras.

The track ranks among blink’s heaviest offerings thanks to Travis Barker’s relentless kick drum work in the chorus, but more importantly, Tom DeLonge’s knack for an irresistible moving octave shape riff shows no sign of abating.

All of which bodes well for the reunited trio’s first album since 2011, One More Time…, which drops next month. (MAB)

Joanne Shaw Taylor – Sweet ’Lil Lies 

No, this isn’t a blues-y rerun of Fleetwood Mac’s Little Lies – it’s the latest track from Telecaster titan Joanne Shaw Taylor, who brings her A-game (both in terms of tone and phrasing) for more than five minutes of top-notch noodling.

Seriously, if you’re looking for examples of flawless blues guitar tone, look no further. Taylor tightens things up for a compressed, just-over-the-edge-of-breakup lead tone that she channels into not one, but two of the finest blues solos you’ll hear this week. (MO)

The Breeders – Divine Mascis (feat. J Mascis)

Two giants of alt-rock unite for this previously unreleased alternative joyride through The Breeder’s 1993 song Divine Hammer. Reportedly, it was sent to “guitar god” J Mascis for his input, only to be returned with an alternate vocal. The brass baubles on that guy…

Still, it’s all worked out and Mascis’ crackling vocal sounds superb over the real Deal backing, laden as it is, with colorful distortions and vocal harmony. (MP)

The National – Crumble (feat. Rosanne Cash) 

We sure weren’t expecting – less than five months after they returned with First Two Pages of Frankenstein – another new record from America’s favorite sad indie dads, and yet, this week the quintet surprised us with yet another new LP, Laugh Track.

The album finds the band pushing themselves in some refreshing ways, no more so than on Crumble, on which the Dessner boys put their cowboy hats on, throwing in some tasty, appropriately bend-y country fills to accompany Rosanne Cash’s sterling guest vocals. (JM)

Chelsea Wolfe – Dusk

The queen of gothic industrial guitar returns after her blockbuster 2021 collaboration with Converge. Dusk is typically brooding, but it’s less chaotic than Wolfe’s usual electric fare, easing off on the distortion pedals and upping the atmosphere. But all hell breaks loose for the outro as an arsenal of direct fuzz tones add an explosive edge to wiry riffs that would otherwise border on blues territory. (MAB)

The Vaccines – Heartbreak Kid 

British indie rock stalwarts The Vaccines ushered in news of their sixth album this week by dropping their first single of 2023. With the cavernous reverb soundscapes that hark back to early years Vaccines – especially their cult classic debut album – Heartbreak Kid has everything you’d want from a Vaccines song: a catchy chorus, infectious melodies, and searing guitar licks that test the band’s indie rock resolve. (MO)

Squirrel Flower – Intheskatepark

Imagine Wavves recontextualised away from the ocean in an overcast city and you’re getting somewhere near the super-chunky tonal touchpoints for Squirrel Flower’s new single Intheskatepark. That fuzz is thick, but it’s all juxtaposed with a wispy vocal that drifts over the top like smoke. (MP)

Johnny Marr – Somewhere

It may not feature his 9-pickup Fender Stratocaster, but alt-rock guitar hero Johnny Marr’s new tune, Somewhere, has pretty much everything else you’d want from the man. By that, we mean – from literally the first downbeat – arpeggios that sound as if they’ve descended from the heavens themselves, and ringing motifs that’ll stick in your head for hours. And just what is that Lipstick-pickup Jag? (JM)

Steven Wilson – What Life Brings

The first tastes of The Harmony Codex, the Porcupine Tree mastermind’s forthcoming seventh solo album, haven’t been especially heavy in the six-string department, but What Life Brings is a rich tapestry of gentle acoustics, shimmering tremolo’d electrics and an epic, exquisitely delivered guitar solo that is pure Gilmour. (MAB)

Yasmin Williams – Dawning 

Virginia native Yasmin Williams is nothing less than one of the most innovative and exciting acoustic guitar players in the game right now, and her new single, a fingerpicking masterclass titled Dawning, may just be her most dazzling composition yet.

While it’s technically airtight, the real riches of Dawning are its sense of melody and its rewarding small details – just listen to the harmonics that close out the intro, and the song as a whole. (JM) 

Art of Anarchy – Vilified

This hard-rock supergroup have gone through an enviable roster of singers, all of whom feature ‘Scott’ in their name: first Scott Weiland, then Scott Stapp, and now Jeff Scott Soto, who appears on their first new material since 2017.

For all the lineup shifts, the guitar heroics of Jon Votta and Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal have remained intact, and if you like your solos with plenty of aching bends and pentatonic runs, you won’t be disappointed. Oh, and hi, Cuba Gooding Jr.! (MAB)

Bleachers – Modern Girl

Recording extraordinaire Jack Antonoff has quickly become The Big Name in pop production in recent years, helming the desk for the likes of Taylor Swift, The 1975, Pink, Lana Del Ray, St. Vincent and many, many others. It’s no wonder that an artist with such a talented ear for crafting records would also be able to make exemplary music of his own, which he does through the Bleachers medium.

His latest track, Modern Girl, is Antonoff with the chains off, loaded with awe-inspiring Springsteenisms aplenty and copious amounts of jangling, chorus-coated guitars. (MO)

Malina Moye – Courage

Back in March, Moye singled out Courage as one of her favorite tracks from her latest album, Dirty. “It has delicious chords,” noted the guitarist and singer. “It’s full sonically and has layers.” Several of those layers consist of beautifully melancholic blues leads that deftly probe through lush, soulful chord work. Call us crazy but we even detect hints of Gary Moore in the overdriven solo tone and hangdog sustain. (MP)

Also on this week's playlist...

• Bad Nerves – USA (Live)
• Eliza McLamb – Glitter
• Hannah Wicklund – Lost Love
• HotWax – Phone Machine
• Pretenders – Losing My Sense Of Taste
• Crawlers – Would You Come to My Funeral
• Being As An Ocean – Death Can Wait
• The Beaches – Kismet

Fender’s artist range reads like a who’s who of rock royalty, and whether it’s the flamboyant Jimmy Page Tele, the metal-ready Jim Root Jazzmaster or Kurt Cobain’s southpaw Jag, there’s always been something for every type of player – a fact exemplified by the Californian giant’s latest releases.

And this one is arguably the most hotly anticipated guitar of the year – well, certainly among pop-punk fans – the Tom DeLonge Signature Stratocaster. The streamlined punk powerhouse is back with a vengeance. 

The Blink-182 guitarist’s original run was discontinued in 2004 when DeLonge was enticed over to Gibson with his own ES-333, but luckily the re-released Strat is just as you remember it, albeit with a couple of tweaks.

Featuring the unaccompanied Seymour Duncan Invader humbucker that helped DeLonge craft his trademark sound, a solitary volume control and a slew of colourful finish options, this Strat is as simple as it gets, and that’s what we love about it. 

It feels like a lifetime since the original run of DeLonge Strats hit the scene, but that doesn’t mean their popularity has faded. Instead, they’ve developed a cult following, with second-hand prices reaching new heights once it was announced Tom had reunited with his former Blink-182 bandmates.

Naturally, the rumour mill started turning immediately, with speculation of a signature Starcaster in the works and, eventually, the return of the stripped-back Strat.

In stark contrast to signature models like the recent fuzz-equipped Steve Lacy Strat, DeLonge has forgone all extras in favour of the bare essentials – a single pickup and volume control, as well as a hardtail construction.

Just like the original, the new 2023 model boasts a solo Seymour Duncan Invader humbucker, which is precisely what’s needed for hard-hitting punk rock. The tone is aggressive, defiant – and dammit, we love it. 

That’s not to say that Tom’s basic Strat is entirely devoid of features, though. The lone master control is equipped with a treble bleed circuit which helps preserve the high-end when you roll off the volume – ideal for when you want to get a little cleaner. 

The neck here is wide, flat and super-comfortable, and the addition of a slab rosewood fingerboard is a nice touch. The modern medium jumbo frets lend themselves perfectly to lead work, with bends ringing out as clear as a bell. 

Okay, so Fender isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel here, and nor do they need to. For us, this pared-back Strat is the ultimate pop-punk machine, with stunning finish options, superb build quality and a tone to die for.

The DeLonge is a finely-tuned instrument that is designed with one thing in mind, and it absolutely nails it. From the treble bleed circuit to its oversized headstock and array of finish options, we love the care and attention that has gone into this signature axe – because, as we know, all the small things matter. 

Specs

• PRICE: $/£1,299
• BODY: Alder 
• NECK: Maple, Modern C profile
• FINGERBOARD: Rosewood
• FINGERBOARD RADIUS: 9.5”
• FRETS: Medium Jumbo 
• PICKUPS: Seymour Duncan Invader 
• CONTROLS: Master Volume with Treble Bleed 
• FINISH OPTIONS: Surf Green, Daphne Blue, Black, Graffiti Yellow
• CONTACT: Fender

After weeks of keen anticipation and speculation, Fender has finally brought back Tom DeLonge’s cult classic Stratocaster signature – which has been revived in four gorgeous colorways.

Fans first caught wind of a potential return for the heralded single-humbucker Strat earlier this month, when the Blink-182 guitarist posted a series of snaps that all but confirmed the guitar was on its way.

Such rumors were finally put to bed yesterday (July 24), when Fender officially announced a limited-edition run of DeLonge’s no-nonsense workhorse signature guitar.

And, while Fender divulged it would arrive with a neat neck back plate to differentiate it from the original iteration, it didn’t mention four colorways would also be available: Daphne Blue, Sea Foam Green, Black and the Jeff Beck-pioneered Graffiti Yellow.

As we had already speculated, DeLonge’s latest signature Strat stays true to its original blueprint, utilizing a lone Seymour Duncan Invader humbucker – wired to a sole volume control, naturally – for tones.

It’s also worth noting the volume pot also offers a treble bleed circuit, which aims to preserve the guitar’s natural high-end, while delivering edge-of-breakup tones.

Other returning DeLonge quirks include the oversized ‘70s-style headstock, pearloid pickguard and hardtail bridge, with the previously mentioned customized neck plate flashing some neat alien-themed artwork.

A deeper dive into the specs unearths a C-profile maple neck, as well as a 9.5” radius rosewood fingerboard, which in turn accommodates medium jumbo frets. Other appointments include vintage-style tuners.

“I try to write music that is accessible and easy to play and enjoy, so that people can come along for the ride,” DeLonge reflected. “This simplicity really inspired this new signature Stratocaster. It just has one knob and one pickup, which just makes it easy to turn it up, play and sound great, especially important when you’re in front of a crowd and already have plenty to think about. 

“On top of that, the bright colors give it a timeless, California feel that stands out on any stage,” he went on. “Together with Fender, a brand that is deeply rooted in my musical identity, we’ve created something that really stands the test of time – like I strive to do with my music.”

Since the original DeLonge Strat got discontinued back in 2004, prices for the sought-after six-string have steadily increased over the years, with some used models going for upwards of $2,000.

This limited-edition re-run, meanwhile, is more affordable, weighing in at $1,299.

Accompanying the single pup Strat is a DeLonge-themed accessories capsule, which comprises To The Stars-themed strap, guitar cable and guitar picks. These are available for $32, up to $34 and $8, respectively.

Head over to Fender to find out more.

Earlier this month, Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge posted a series of photos with what looked suspiciously like a new version of his sought-after signature Stratocaster, sending the rumor mill into overdrive. Now, we can confirm the Tom DeLonge Stratocaster is definitely making a comeback – and it will be available very soon indeed.

A new video posted to both DeLonge and Fender’s social media accounts depicts the guitarist holding a gleaming new version of his signature Stratocaster, as he speaks to camera, “Doing something super-special with Fender and the Stratocaster – stay tuned for more information”.

Fender’s accompanying caption is more forthright: “You heard @tomdelonge: the Strat is coming BACK! Head to the link in bio for a first look and sign up for a chance to win your own Tom Delonge Stratocaster.”

Heading to said link reveals the sought-after Strat will be back soon – so soon, in fact, it’s available from tomorrow (July 25) as a limited-edition release. Fender is inviting keen DeLonge followers to sign up to its mailing list to get the lowdown and be in with a chance of winning one.

The webpage also reveals one neat difference between the original model and the reissue: a ‘tom’ neckplate, with a lil’ alien dude as the ‘o’ (check it out at the top of the page). The original simply read ‘Tom DeLonge’ in block capitals.

Discontinued in 2004 when DeLonge jumped ship to Gibson, the TD Stratocaster has since become something of a cult classic, with used prices soaring to $2,000 on Reverb.

The guitar’s no-nonsense spec includes a single Seymour Duncan Invader humbucker, hardtail bridge and oversized ’70s Strat headstock, and it looks as the new model stays true to that keep-it-simple-stupid configuration.

We’re hoping the reissue paves the way for a full release of DeLonge’s single-pickup Starcaster design, which has been his main guitar since returning to the Blink-182 fold.

For now, pop back tomorrow and we’ll bring you the full lowdown on the Tom DeLonge Stratocaster’s triumphant return…

Since Tom DeLonge returned to the Fender fold back in December, all eyes have been on the company releasing a production version of the new highly customized Starcaster design that has accompanied the guitarist on Blink-182’s mammoth world tour. And while that could still be in the pipeline, we’re wondering if there’s another collaboration coming.

Yesterday (July 13), DeLonge shared a photo of himself holding his signature Fender Stratocaster – a guitar that has been out of production for nearly 20 years – accompanied by a sunglasses emoji.

The Daphne Blue model in his hands is remarkably clean – a little too clean for a guitar produced between 1999 to 2004, unless it’s new old stock. And the fact the guitar is color-coordinated to DeLonge’s backwards cap… Well, it certainly smells of a professional photoshoot.

Given DeLonge has been relying on Starcasters for Blink-182’s entire run and has rarely, if ever, been photographed with his old Strats since he left Fender for Gibson in 2003, the photo has already got fans salivating.

Excited cries of “it’s back!” and “shut up and take my money!” dominate the comments section, and a quick scan of used prices reveals why.

Famed for its no-nonsense setup – comprising a single Seymour Duncan Invader humbucker, hardtail bridge and oversized ’70s Strat headstock – the made-in-Mexico model was first launched around the $500 mark in 1999 (one of GW’s own writers bought his for the princely sum of £577), and current used examples now sell for around $2,000, according to Reverb.

Indeed, the DeLonge Stratocaster’s cult status has grown in the decades since it was discontinued, more recently giving rise to a budget single-humbucker Squier Sonic Stratocaster and even a PRS Silver Sky mod dubbed the John DeLonge.

It would be a smart move on Fender’s part to revive the model – although given the cheapest made-in-Mexico Strat is currently $849, we’d imagine a price tag around the $1,000 mark (which would still weigh in at half the price of current used examples).

A Stratocaster reissue would be a nice way to tee up a signature Starcaster release down the line, too – even if a production model is unlikely to feature actual meteorite dust in its finish.

That’s all the info we have to go on so far, but we’ll bring you any further developments on new Tom DeLonge models as they happen.

Just when we thought Tom DeLonge’s new custom Fender Starcasters couldn’t get any more extraterrestrial, luthier Brian Thrasher has gone and unveiled a dazzling version of the semi-hollow electric guitar featuring actual meteorite dust.

In a new Instagram post, Thrasher – who has been behind all of the UFO-keen Blink-182 guitarist’s custom semi-hollows thus far – has shared photos of the mind-blowing build, revealing, “We mixed actual ‘star dust’ aka meteorite dust into the finish. Probably a first in guitars.”

“I collect meteorites and saved the dust when facing them,” he continued. “The dust has Lunar, Martian and Carbonaceous meteorites. The sides and back were torched like a meteor coming through the atmosphere.”

It’s a jaw-dropping finish, and one we’re unlikely to see replicated anytime soon. That said, we would bet serious money on a Tom DeLonge Starcaster becoming a full-time production model, given Fender’s official Instagram account also shared a behind-the-scenes look at the guitar – the first time DeLonge’s new signatures have appeared on the account.

Intriguingly, in a post from DeLonge himself, he reveals that the design was originally drawn up for his old Gibson ES-333, before Fender brought it to life on the Starcaster.

After more than two decades with Gibson, DeLonge announced his return to Fender guitars in December 2022, revealing a fleet of single-humbucker Starcasters, which have since been bolstered by several custom designs, including a Roswell flying saucer newsprint finish.

The guitars are all spec’d with an oversized ’70s Strat headstock, Seymour Duncan SH-5 overwound PAF-style humbucker and Gotoh tune-o-matic bridge, while Fender Custom Shop Master Builder Ron Thorn is behind the Blink-182 smiley inlays.

Eight custom designs will be produced, along with the initial run of Shoreline Gold, Flat White, Shell Pink and Surf Green-finished guitars, resulting in 12 in total.

The semi-hollow made its official debut at Blink-182’s surprise Coachella set last month, and is set to feature throughout the band’s headline US dates, starting tomorrow (May 4) in St. Paul, Minneapolis.

Blink-182 made their long-awaited reunited return to the live stage with a surprise set at Coachella on Friday (April 14) – and with it Tom DeLonge’s first outing with his new reunion-era custom Fender Starcaster electric guitars.

Setting the tone with foul-mouthed fan favorite Family Reunion, DeLonge took to the stage brandishing what appears to be his main Starcaster for the reunion: a Shell Pink model covered in stickers representing his punk-rock heroes, including Descendents, Fugazi and T.S.O.L.

Judging from an Instagram story shared by Fender luthier Brian Thrasher, DeLonge’s guitar rack featured six Starcasters in total – including unstickered Shell Pink, Shoreline Gold and Seafoam Green versions, plus two custom designs – some of which saw outings for detuned material from Blink-182’s 2003 self-titled album, while the Sam Larson-decorated UFO/Blink-182 smiley model got use during What’s My Age Again? and new single Edging.

The band’s setlist for the show, which was only announced late last week, focused on Blink-182’s ‘fun’ era, drawing heavily from pop-punk landmarks Enema of the State and Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, and ignoring 2011’s first reunion record, Neighborhoods, entirely.

In many instances, the trio sound tighter than at the tail end of their initial tenure – and certainly when compared with their last reunion in the early 2010s. The tempos are less frantic, and DeLonge’s vocals more consistent – it helps to hear a little more gain on the classic distorted moments, too.

Fueling that gain is the Starcaster’s Seymour Duncan SH-5 humbucker, an overwound take on the PAF, which appears alongside the guitar’s other standout features: an oversized ’70s Stratocaster headstock, single Strat-style volume control and those distinctive Blink-182 smiley inlays, installed by Fender Custom Shop Master Builder Ron Thorn.

Other specs include a Gotoh tune-o-matic bridge, glow-in-the-dark side dots, Ernie Ball 11-52 strings and Grover tuners.

Since the initial unveiling of DeLonge’s Starcaster design back in December, 12 custom graphic versions have been in the works, led by Thrasher in the Fender Custom Shop. A wild Roswell flying saucer-themed model was revealed last month, but has yet to make a live appearance.

Tom DeLonge’s previous Fender signature Stratocaster was discontinued in 2004, but the instrument remains popular: used examples command up to $2,000, while the new Squier Sonic series features a Stratocaster with a sole humbucker, seemingly in tribute to the Blink-182 guitarist. And let’s not forget the John DeLonge – a viral guitar build that combined John Mayer’s PRS Silver Sky and DeLonge’s single-pickup Strat.

With all that in mind, not to mention the positive reviews of the Coachella performance and the ongoing hype surrounding Blink’s reunion, the smart money is on Fender making the Starcaster a production-line signature guitar.

Fortunately, Fender EVP Justin Norvell has indicated an official Tom DeLonge Starcaster is a ‘watch this space’ development (per MusicRadar), so Blink-182 fans’ fervour could translate into the guitar eventually hitting stores.

Blink-182 were due to be on their South America and Mexico reunion tour throughout March and April, but the trek was delayed due to Travis Barker’s (now clearly fully healed) finger surgery, which allowed them to perform their surprise set at Coachella. The band begin their US dates proper on May 4 in St. Paul, Minneapolis.

A German punk guitarist has combined two iconic signature guitars by modding John Mayer’s PRS SE Silver Sky with the circuitry of the Fender Tom Delonge signature Stratocaster. He calls it – what else? – the ‘John DeLonge’.

The instrument was conceived and built by Jannik Köhler, guitarist and frontman for Stuttgart, Germany pop-punkers The Journey Back. Köhler is a longtime fan of the original Fender Artist Series Tom DeLonge Strat – a hardtail, single-humbucker take on the Stratocaster – that debuted in 1999, and has owned a Graffiti Yellow model since 2015. 

“I always loved the looks, simplicity and flashy color of it and thought it would be just the right thing for the music I play,” says Köhler, recalling his first encounter with the Tom DeLonge Strat.

“I then discovered afterwards that it’s quite sought after and hard to get a hold of now, especially in Germany. After a while, I ordered one from Chicago Music Exchange – all the way to Germany – and kept it ever since.”

Köhler knew he liked PRS guitars and had even previously modded a single-pickup Single Cut, in tribute to Dave Baksh from Sum 41 (pictured above). Melding John Mayer’s Strat-inspired Silver Sky with Tom DeLonge’s signature model seemed like a logical next step.

“When they first announced the Silver Sky I said to myself: if there will ever be an SE version, I’ll combine the Tom DeLonge Strat and Silver Sky,” he recalls. “After they finally announced it, I just went for it. Now that I see how many people liked it, it seems that it was a great idea!”

The build was “pretty simple”, he says, befitting the ultimate utilitarian guitar that inspired it.

“I ordered a few custom Silver Sky pickguards with only one pickup and volume route through a german custom seller,” says Köhler. “But ended up using the pearl one to stick with the original TD look.

“The most difficult part was probably routing the body to fit a humbucker in the bridge position. I routed it with a pretty unconventional tool – as you can see in the pictures – so it took a while, but it was the best I had.”

Once the routing was sorted, Köhler blocked off the Silver Sky’s stock tremolo to emulate the hardtail found on the original Tom DeLonge Strat.

“I'm not a fan of [tremolo systems] for live use, in general,” notes the guitarist. “They always mess with tuning stability and make quick string changes to drop C more or less impossible.”

Finally, Köhler copied the wiring from his Tom DeLonge Strat. His only detour from the original circuit was a push-pull volume control, enabling him to split the coils of the distinctive Seymour Duncan Invader humbucker.

“This was something I always wanted to try to see how it sounds,” says Köhler. “But I couldn’t bring myself to do it to my original Fender, given the crazy prices they go for these days.”

Speaking of prices, Köhler estimates the full cost of the project to have come in under €900 (approx. $955), with the pre-owned SE Silver Sky having accounted for €650 (approx. $690) of that.

“After playing it in its original form for quite a while before modding it, it took some getting used to,” reflects the guitarist. “But it works just like I intended it to. Sound-wise, it gets very close to the original given the electronics are more or less 90 percent identical.

“The addition of the coil-split was also great. I didn’t think I’d get such nice clean sounds out of the very high-output Invader, even when splitting it.”

Köhler says his original Tom DeLonge Strat has a slightly different feel, as you’d expect. “The Fender has one of the best neck profiles on any guitar I’ve ever played,” he adds. “But the Silver Sky neck works very well with the whole concept – and it adds that 22nd fret to the Fender that I always missed.”

No doubt some Mayer devotees will be horrified to see a Silver Sky torn up, but Köhler says he’s pretty relaxed about it. He notes it’s an easy switch to put the original pickguard back in and the ‘John DeLonge’ has already become one of his main touring guitars.

Overall, he reckons the SE Silver Sky is a pretty effective base for mods.

“It’s is a very nice guitar in general, with great potential,” says Köhler. “But even if you don’t go as extreme with the mods and keep it in SSS configuration, I’d suggest swapping the tuners for the USA locking ones and swap the plastic knobs for something a bit more durable. All three cracked on my SE after only a few months of owning/playing it.”

Köhler’s still puzzling out his next step on the mod front, but says he has a few ideas. “I’m tempted to refinish it in yellow, like my Fender in the future,” he says. “Or maybe even try it on the USA Silver Sky!”

While we wait to see the results of his next experiment, you can check out Köhler’s band, The Journey Back, over on Spotify and Instagram.

At the tail end of 2022, Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge delighted fans with the news that he’d returned to Fender for the pop-punk icons’ reunion, spec’ing up a radically different single-pickup take on the semi-hollow Starcaster design. Now, new social media posts reveal he has made the model even more his own.

In a new Instagram snap from DeLonge, he showcases a fresh graphic finish for the model, which recreates a 1947 newspaper article from the Roswell Daily Record, complete with the text ‘Flying Saucer’ and ‘Roswell’ on the headstock.

The article, headlined ‘RAAF Captures Flying Saucer On Ranch in Roswell Region’ gave birth to one of the quintessential UFO legends – you can get a closer look over on Wired.com.

Besides his musical endeavors, DeLonge is actively involved in UFO research, and knows, well, too much – as he told Guitar World: “The US government is super-active when it comes to UFOs – they have been since the mid-’40s, maybe even a few years earlier… As far as videos, data and evidence, there is so much you wouldn’t be able to understand.”

OK, that’s the finish backstory out of the way; let’s get onto the guitar. Fender luthier Brian Thrasher – who was also behind the initial run of Shoreline Gold, Flat White, Shell Pink and Surf Green-finished guitars – has revealed the latest ‘Roswell’ model is the first of eight new custom designs. Whether they’ll all be UFO-themed remains to be seen, but Thrasher notes on his own Instagram post, “These are starting to get fun and we’ve had a bit of creative freedom on a few of them.”

Thrasher also reveals a few more of the guitar’s specifications in the comments. That single humbucker is a Seymour Duncan SH-5 overwound PAF-a-like, while a Gotoh tune-o-matic bridge anchors a set of Ernie Ball 11-52 electric guitar strings.

Otherwise, these look to be spec’d as per DeLonge’s initial batch, with an oversized ’70s Strat headstock and single volume control.

The custom Blink-182 smiley inlays were previously laid by Fender Custom Shop Master Builder Ron Thorn, so it’s safe to assume he’s returning for this run of eight custom designs.

Before you ask, there’s still no confirmation of a signature guitar production run, but given the fan fervor surrounding these guitars, we wouldn’t be surprised to see models hitting shelves within the next year or two.

Blink-182’s South America and Mexico tour dates were due to get underway this month, but were delayed by drummer Travis Barker’s recent finger surgery. All of which means the first outing for the reunited band – and DeLonge’s new Starcaster – looks set to take place on May in St. Paul, Minneapolis. We can’t wait to see what finishes he has in store…

After two decades with Gibson, Tom DeLonge looks to be returning to Fender as he unveils a radical new Starcaster electric guitar from the California guitar giant.

In a new post on Instagram, DeLonge shared a picture of a sticker-plastered single-pickup Starcaster semi-hollow design, heralding it as “blink-182 guitar 2.0” and a work in progress.

The Starcaster is a kind of middle ground between DeLonge’s previous Gibson ES-333 and Fender Stratocaster models, so makes perfect sense for the pop-punk hero’s next signature guitar.

Further digging around Instagram reveals a wealth of information further to DeLonge’s initial post. Blink engineer Aaron Rubin, who worked on the new guitars, posted his own photo of DeLonge, which shows the guitar in four finishes – we’re guessing Shoreline Gold, Flat White, Shell Pink and Surf Green – and reveals the headstock is of the oversized ’70s Strat variety as opposed to the traditional Starcaster design.

Comments on Rubin’s post also confirm that rather than the Seymour Duncan Invader found in DeLonge’s signature Strat, the Starcaster will feature a Duncan Custom pickup – we’d wager this will be in some way inspired by the Gibson Dirty Fingers humbucker that featured on the guitarist’s ES-333.

Luthier Brian Thrasher was behind much of the build, and offers a closer look at the guitar’s four finishes in his own post, as well as a comprehensive tour of the guitar’s assembly in an Instagram story posted on December 9.

Of particular note is a close-up look at the custom Blink-182 smiley face logo inlays, which were installed by Fender Custom Shop Master Builder Ron Thorn.

Other features on the new guitar include glow-in-the-dark stage dots, a single volume control, Adjusto-Matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece and – unusually for Fender – Grover tuners.

There’s no confirmation on whether these guitars will be available as a production-line signature model, but Thrasher certainly hopes so. Either way, we’ll see the Starcasters make their live debut during Blink-182’s upcoming reunion world tour, which kicks off on March 11 in Tijuana, Mexico.

The Tom DeLonge Stratocaster was produced by Fender from 1999 to 2004. The guitarist was first seen playing a Gibson ES-333 with side-project Box Car Racer in 2002, and signed on as a Gibson signature artist the following year. The Tom DeLonge ES-333 was discontinued in 2012.

Last week, after months of speculation, Blink-182 officially announced their reunion with Tom DeLonge, and dropped Edging, their first song as a trio in 10 years.

Shortly after the announcement, DeLonge penned a statement on social media thanking Alkaline Trio frontman Matt Skiba for playing guitar with Blink in his absence.

“I wanted to take a minute and say thank you for all that you have done to keep the band alive and thriving in my absence,” he wrote. “I think you are enormously talented (I still love to listen to your band to this day).

“You have always been so kind to me, not only in the press, but also to others. I really noticed.”

He continued: “Emotions between the three of us in Blink have always been complicated, but Mark’s cancer really put things in perspective. But to be honest, the band would not even be here today if it were not for your ability to jump in and save the day. So from my heart to yours, thank you for being a member of our band.”

And it seems there’s no animosity from Skiba’s side, either. In a new statement on social media, the guitarist congratulates his “homies” Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker on their “triumphant” reunion.

“I’m sure there’s a joke in here about releases and happy endings I’m missing but I am truly grateful for my time with Blink and I am truly happy you guys are a band and a family again. Thanks to the band and all the Blink fans for having me.”

Matt Skiba played with Blink-182 for seven years since 2015 when DeLonge departed due to contention within the band, and recorded two albums with Hoppus and Barker: California (2016) and Nine (2019).

But despite the conflict they once shared, DeLonge reached out last year when Hoppus was diagnosed with cancer. 

“When he came out with cancer, it was like nothing else mattered,” he told Guitar World. “I just wanted to be there, human-to-human.”

“I just wanted to be there as a friend, honestly, like a brother. Yeah, we’ve argued over the years and stuff, but right now who the fuck cares about any of that? All I want to do is ask him, ‘What do you need and how can I help your journey right now?’”

Blink-182’s forthcoming global tour will commence in March 2023 and run until February 2024, with legs in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South America. Support will come from Turnstile, Rise Against, The Story So Far and Wallows.

The band will also release a new album next year, though its title and release date are yet to be confirmed.

Welcome to Guitar World’s weekly roundup of the musical highlights from the, erm, world of guitar. Every seven days (or thereabouts), we endeavor to bring you a selection of songs from across the guitar universe, all with one thing in common: our favorite instrument plays a starring role.

Blink-182 – Edging

What is it? It’s only the first new material from Blink-182 with Tom DeLonge back in the fold for nearly a decade – and arrives ahead of a mammoth world tour. Edging is a mid-tempo bop oddly reminiscent of early noughties UK indie, but with the classic DeLonge/Hoppus vocal pairing and a grab bag of Gibson 335-fueled powerchords.

Standout guitar moment: Those sliding octaves are textbook DeLonge – and it’s a textbook that inspired countless players to pick up the guitar in the first place. It’s good to have him back.

For fans of: Green Day, Jimmy Eat World, Angels & Airwaves

– Michael Astley-Brown

Architects – a new moral low ground

What is it? A punishing new single from the British metal heavyweights’ upcoming tenth album, The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit. In the same blistering style as the album’s previously released singles deep fake, tear gas and when we were young, a new moral low ground is brimming with brutal high-gain riffing courtesy of Josh Middleton and Adam Christianson, and Sam Carter’s trademark visceral-yet-uber-catchy vocals.

Standout guitar moment: Middleton’s guitar solo from the 2:47 mark is heavily processed, yet slots itself perfectly into an otherwise chock-a-block arrangement.

For fans of: While She Sleeps, Parkway Drive, Bury Tomorrow

– Sam Roche

Rival Sons – Nobody Wants to Die 

What is it? It’s been three long years since Long Beach five-piece Rival Sons released their last album, Feral Roots, but now the Grammy-nominated rock outfit have made their eagerly awaited return with not just news of a new album, but a scorching single to usher in the announcement. It would be cliche to say it's been worth the wait, but the phrase applies: Nobody Wants to Die has enough high-gain riffage and classic rock fretboard throwdowns to more than make up for Rival Sons’ absence.

Standout guitar moment: The instrumental breakdown at the 2:19 mark is a highlight – ushered in via some neat drum fills, the section is crammed with dual guitar lead lines and harmonized action that leads right back into the hair-rising chorus.

For fans of: Led Zeppelin, Greta Van Fleet, Royal Blood.

– Matt Owen

The Arcs – Keep On Dreamin’

What is it? The somewhat surprising return of Black Keys singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach’s garage/psychedelic soul side project. Now a quartet (following the sad, premature passing of multi-instrumentalist Richard Swift in 2018), the band are seemingly primed to deliver another collection of beguiling, eccentric and catchy tunes with their forthcoming album, Electrophonic Chronic, if lead single Keep On Dreamin’ is anything to go by.

Standout guitar moment: Keep On Dreamin' isn’t blues by any means, but even through the song’s trippy gauze and the many effects Auerbach uses to obfuscate his guitar work, you can hear the genre’s influence in his closing solo. The way he makes each note sing, telling a clear, emotional story without taking up too much of your time? You know just where he learned those lessons.

For fans of: The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys, The Shins 

– Jackson Maxwell

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Carry Me Home

What is it? Eddie may take the crown for guitar standout on Return of the Dream Canteen, but Frusciante’s take on the blues is a close second. Carry Me Home is a rootsy stomper in the vein of early Hendrix – and there are few guitarists better placed to carry Jimi’s torch.

Standout guitar moment: All of Frusciante’s leads are a treat in this context, but that stomping pentatonic riff is simultaneously one of the bluesiest and heaviest Chili Peppers moments committed to tape.

For fans of: Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Albert King

– Michael Astley-Brown

Wunderhorse – Purple 

What is it? After bursting onto the scene with their debut single Teal last September, and amassing a loyal fan base through veritable indie rock belters Leader of the Pack and Butterflies, Wunderhorse quickly made their way onto the radar of many. In fact, their debut album, Cub, has been one of the UK scene’s most anticipated albums of 2022 – a level of hype the three-piece have not just met, but marvelously exceeded. 

Purple is the perfect entry point to the Wunderhorse sonic universe – swimming pools of deliciously dialed-up guitars, infectious lyrics and an overall arrangement that will no doubt be filling arena speakers in the very near future.

Standout guitar moment: That intro riff is what Purple is all about – glass-like arpeggios that teeter on the edge of breaking up, which return throughout the track to instill more dynamic urgency and give listener’s a greater need to sway your head.

For fans of: Circa Waves, The Snuts, Sam Fender

– Matt Owen

Lionheart – Live By The Gun (feat. Ice-T)

What is it? For their latest single, a punchy mid-tempo stomper named Live By The Gun, beatdown hardcore stalwarts Lionheart have recruited Body Count’s Ice-T. The track is driven principally by Walle Etzel and Nik Warner’s gargantuan powerchord-centric riffs, while over the top Ice-T and Lionheart leader Rob Watson trade energetic and rabble-rousing vocal lines.

Standout guitar moment: Lead guitar is shown a little love from the 2:08 mark, when a melodic solo permeates the mix, granting a brief period of respite from the sonic madness.

For fans of: Rise of the Northstar, First Blood, Hatebreed

– Sam Roche

Tigercub – The Perfume of Decay 

What is it? Not only does The Perfume of Decay mark Tigercub’s first single of 2022, it also marks their debut track with Loosegroove Records – the same label co-founded by Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard – and what a debut it is. Sounding like Royal Blood if they had been given more guitars and a shot of adrenaline, The Perfume of Decay delivers a riff-a-thon worthy of its title. Those bruising chugs are brutal, with the only reprieve coming from the razor-like leads that scythe their way through the thick wall of gain.

Standout guitar moment: That quirky, fuzzed-up melody that serves as a sonic punctuation mark between phrases and sections is mighty effective – the perfect companion to the wall-rumbling raucous riffs that bubble at the bottom of the mix.

For fans of: Royal Blood, Cleopatrick, Bad Nerves

– Matt Owen

Wild Pink – The Grass Widow In The Glass Window (featuring Yasmin Williams)

What is it? A sprawling, contemplative piano ballad that serves as the latest single from the New York band's new album, ILYSM. With singer/guitarist John Ross busy on piano, he largely outsources guitar duties to none other than on-the-rise acoustic guitar ace Yasmin Williams.

Standout guitar moment: Williams' guitar work – defined, as always, by fleet fingerpicking and bright, beautiful melodies – enters at around the 4 minute mark, and really serves as this song's key ingredient. Williams is phenomenal as a solo, unaccompanied artist, but this charming jam makes us want to hear more of what her enthralling compositions would sound like with the backing of a rhythm section... 

For fans of: The Antlers, Iron & Wine, Bon Iver

– Jackson Maxwell

Dry Cleaning – No Decent Shoes for Rain

What is it? No Decent Shoes for Rain shows a more melancholy side to the UK post-punks, with a distinct slacker aesthetic. The heavy vibrato on Tom Dowse’s woozy SG riffs gives the track an uneasy edge, while its contemplative breakdowns traverse previously unexplored territory for the group.

Standout guitar moment: Dowse’s delicate picking and exquisite voicings are most apparent during that lush phased intro, but really come into their own when the overdrive kicks in. Addictive stuff.

For fans of: Pavement, Sonic Youth, IDLES

– Michael Astley-Brown

Tallah – For The Recognition

What is it? Tallah announced their sophomore album, The Generation of Danger, over seven months ago, and after a long wait, it’s very nearly here. There’s a mere month to go – the record is set to drop November 18 – but here’s another sonic tidbit to sink your teeth into in the meantime.

For The Recognition's brutally chaotic Slipknot-style arrangements are loaded with a seemingly never-ending supply of stellar metal guitar riffs, cacophonous rhythm sections and a spine-tingling vocal performance from frontman Justin Bonitz.

Standout guitar moment: To be honest, the entire track is a masterclass in modern metal riffing.

For fans of: Slipknot, Tetrarch, Death Blooms

Billy Strings & Terry Barber – Long Journey Home

What is it? One half of the two-sided lead single from ME/AND/DAD, the forthcoming collaborative album by Strings and his father, fellow guitarist Terry Barber. Long Journey Home is one of the great bluegrass standards, and Strings and Barber couldn’t sound any more at home with it, imbuing the lonesome, melancholy song with the warmth of family and unspoken musical chemistry.

Standout guitar moment: Strings’ first guitar break, starting at 1:07. It’s a bit surprising to not see flames near the soundhole of Strings’ guitar, from the sheer speed of the pickin’.

For fans of: Flatt and Scruggs, Molly Tuttle, Johnny Cash

– Jackson Maxwell

The Backseat Lovers – Slowing Down 

What is it? A captivating, five-minute sonic slow-burn from The Backseat Lovers, who are getting ready to drop their second studio album, Waiting To Spill, on October 28. Sometimes, similarly structured songs fail to hold on to listeners’ attention, though Slowing Down has no such issues, with its delicate assembly of twangy background licks, one-time-only ambient soundscapes and reverb-soaked six-string constructions leading to the hair-rising pay off.

Standout guitar moment: Many guitar parts – some subtle, some more apparent – were thrown together for the making of Slowing Down, but when the dynamics reach their boiling point near the endm and the guitar strums start becoming a little more unhinged, Slowing Down really comes into its own.

For fans of: Del Water Gap, Djo, Total Life Forever-era Foals

– Matt Owen

Gojira – Our Time is Now

What is it? A monstrous standalone single from French heavy metallers, Gojira. Political in sentiment, the four-and-a-half-minute track is, as frontman Joe Duplantier explains, aimed at “all the fighters out there sparking a light in a dark world”.

In a statement accompanying the song’s release, Duplantier praises those “in a war defending your inherent rights” – likely referencing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine – as well as those fighting against deforestation. He also stands in solidarity with those protesting for women’s rights in Iran.

The song itself is driven by a weighty electric guitar riff, and true-to-form verse and chorus sections that bear a sense of chaotic grandeur.

Standout guitar moment: Christian Andreu’s solo from the 2:40 mark offers a pleasing injection of lead guitar, with a series of melodic runs and slick pull-off motifs.

For fans of: Meshuggah, Lamb of God, Mastodon

– Sam Roche

Blink-182 have released Edging, their first new song with guitarist Tom DeLonge in 10 years.

The track arrives just days after the trio announced their hotly-rumored reunion – which will see DeLonge, bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker set off on a mammoth global tour – and release a brand-new album – in 2023.

Produced by Barker, Edging is a mid-tempo bouncy number loaded with Blink’s tried-and-tested stylistic devices, including punchy powerchords, a stellar drum performance and a light-hearted tongue-in-cheek set of lyrics. Take a listen below.

“I wanted to imagine as a listener what I wanted to experience, and at the same time as a band member we wanted to make it how it should sound production-wise in 2022,” says Barker.

“I’m so happy to be back in the studio creating new music and looking forward to a giant world tour,” adds Hoppus.

Blink’s forthcoming global tour will run from March 2023 until February 2024, with legs in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South America. Support acts include Turnstile, Rise Against, The Story So Far and Wallows.

The band’s last reunion ended in 2015 after contention with DeLonge, whereafter Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker and DeLonge’s replacement, Alkaline Trio leader Matt Skiba, recorded two albums, California (2016) and Nine (2019).

But when Hoppus was diagnosed with cancer last year, DeLonge reached out. “When he came out with cancer, it was like nothing else mattered,” he told Guitar World. “I just wanted to be there, human-to-human.”

“I just wanted to be there as a friend, honestly, like a brother. Yeah, we’ve argued over the years and stuff, but right now who the fuck cares about any of that? All I want to do is ask him, ‘What do you need and how can I help your journey right now?’”

Rumors began to swirl regarding the reunion of Blink-182’s classic lineup earlier this year, when clues on Tom DeLonge’s Instagram suggested his imminent return.

But Mark Hoppus dispelled the rumors temporarily, writing: “If and when Blink has any announcement about anything, you will hear it from the official Blink-182 outlets.”

Blink-182’s yet-to-be-titled new album is available now for preorder. For more info, head to the band’s official website.

After months of rumors, Blink-182’s classic lineup of Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker have announced their reunion, heralding the news with new music and a mammoth global tour.

The band will hit North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South America, beginning March 2023 and running through February 2024, with support acts including Turnstile, Rise Against, The Story So Far and Wallows.

A new single, Edging, drops this Friday (October 14), with a new album set to follow next year. It marks the first new music from the band since 2011’s Neighborhoods.

You can hear a snippet of the new track in Blink’s typically tongue-in-cheek teaser, which is potentially NSFW, depending on your colleagues’ sense of humor.

Blink-182’s last reunion ended acrimoniously in 2015 following friction with DeLonge, and two albums with his replacement, Alkaline Trio frontman Matt Skiba, followed: 2016’s California and 2019’s Nine.

The course of Blink’s career changed once again when DeLonge reconnected with Hoppus last year, following the bass player’s cancer diagnosis.

“Mark and I have a long history,” DeLonge told Guitar World in 2021. “When he came out with cancer, it was like nothing else mattered. I just wanted to be there, human-to-human.

“I just wanted to be there as a friend, honestly, like a brother. Yeah, we’ve argued over the years and stuff, but right now who the fuck cares about any of that? All I want to do is ask him, ‘What do you need and how can I help your journey right now?’”

Tickets for Blink-182’s reunion shows go on sale Monday, October 17 at 10am at blink182.com. The extensive full run of shows is listed below.

Latin America (+ with support from Wallows)

• March 11 – Tijuana, MX – Imperial GNP (Festival)
• March 14 – Lima, Peru – Estadio San Marcos+
• March 17-19 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Lollapalooza Argentina (Festival)
• March 17-19 – Santiago, Chile – Lollapalooza Chile (Festival)
• March 21-22 – Asuncion, Paraguay – Venue TBA
• March 23-26 – Bogotá, Colombia – Estereo Picnic (Festival)
• March 24-26 – São Paulo, Brazil – Lollapalooza Brasil (Festival)
• March 28 – Mexico City, MX – Palacio de los Deportes+
• April 1-2 – Monterrey, MX – Venue TBA

North America (* with support from Turnstile)

• May 4 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center*
• May 6 – Chicago, IL – United Center*
• May 9 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena*
• May 11 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena*
• May 12 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre*
• May 16 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse*
• May 17 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena*
• May 19 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden*
• May 20 – Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena*
• May 21 – Boston, MA – TD Garden*
• May 23 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena*
• May 24 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center*
• May 26 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Arena*
• May 27 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium*
• Jun 14 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center*
• Jun 16 – Los Angeles, CA – Banc of California Stadium*
• Jun 20 – San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena*
• Jun 22 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center*
• Jun 23 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center*
• Jun 25 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena*
• Jun 27 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena*
• Jun 29 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place*
• Jun 30 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome*
• Jul 3 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena*
• Jul 5 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center*
• Jul 7 – Austin, TX – Moody Center*
• Jul 8 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center*
• Jul 10 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena*
• Jul 11 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – FLA Live Arena*
• Jul 13 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena*
• Jul 14 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center*
• Jul 16 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena*

Europe (with support from The Story So Far)

• Sep 2 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro^
• Sep 4 – Belfast, UK – SSE Arena^
• Sep 5 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena^
• Sep 8 – Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis^
• Sep 9 – Cologne, Germany – Lanxess Arena^
• Sep 12 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena^
• Sep 13 – Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena^
• Sep 14 – Oslo, Norway – Spektrum^
• Sep 16 – Berlin, Germany – Mercedes-Benz Arena^
• Sep 17 – Hamburg, Germany – Barclays Arena^
• Sep 19 – Prague, Czech Republic – O2 Arena^
• Sep 20 – Vienna, Austria – Stadthalle^
• Oct 2– Lisbon, Portugal – Altice Arena^
• Oct 3 – Madrid, Spain – Wizink Centre^
• Oct 4 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau Sant Jordi^
• Oct 6 – Bologna, Italy – Unipol Arena^
• Oct 8 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome^
• Oct 9 – Paris, France – Accor Arena^
• Oct 11 – London, UK – The O2^
• Oct 14 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena^
• Oct 15 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena^
• Oct 21 – Las Vegas, NV – When We Were Young Festival

2024 Australia/New Zealand (! with support from Rise Against)

• Feb 9 – Perth, Western Australia – RAC Arena!
• Feb 11 – Adelaide, South Australia – Entertainment Centre!
• Feb 13 – Melbourne, Victoria – Rod Laver Arena!
• Feb 16 – Sydney, New South Wales – Qudos Bank Arena!
• Feb 19 – Brisbane, Queensland – Entertainment Centre!
• Feb 23 – Auckland, NZ – Spark Arena!
• Feb 26 – Christchurch, NZ – Christchurch Arena!

Mark Hoppus has once again discussed Tom DeLonge’s rumored return to Blink-182, with the bass guitar hero refusing to rule out the possibility that Blink’s founding guitarist may reunite with his former bandmates in the future.

Rumors of DeLonge’s return gathered steam earlier this month, when the electric guitar star posted a photo of himself alongside his classic era Blink-182 bandmates,  Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker.

The photo was accompanied by a profile bio update, too, in which DeLonge stated, “I make music [in] Blink-182 and Angels & Airwaves”. Pretty convincing evidence, if you ask us, and it’s no surprise that fans quickly got excited.

Alas, such excitement was short-lived, when Hoppus came out and shot down the speculation. “There is no news to share. There is no announcement,” he said. “If and when Blink has any announcement about anything, you will hear it from the official Blink-182 outlets.

“Tom tagged Mark in a photo from two decades ago.”

However, Hoppus has now seemingly left the door to a DeLonge return wide open, revealing he is “open to whatever the next phase of Blink is”.

Speaking to People earlier this week, Hoppus once again denied DeLonge had returned to the lineup, but revealed he and Barker recently met up with the guitarist while Hoppus was battling cancer.

In fact, according to Hoppus, the trio’s meeting was “actually better than it used to be.”

“It was the first time that all three of us were in the same room in like five years,” he commented. “There was no agenda. There were no lingering grudges. It felt very back to what it should be: three friends sitting in a room.”

To this end, Hoppus revealed he is “hopeful” for what the future holds, and has left the door open for a potential reunion.

“I keep writing music, and I’m open to whatever the next phase of Blink is,” Hoppus continued. “I’m hopeful for the future. I’m just damn glad to be here.”

Hoppus and DeLonge aren’t the only ones who have fueled rumors of a return of the classic Blink-182 lineup, which split up in 2015 after DeLonge left to spend more time with his family, focus on his other band Angels & Airwaves, and “to change the world” for his kids.

Matt Skiba was recruited to fill DeLonge’s spot, though the guitarist recently voiced his own confusion over whether he was actually still part of the band.

After a commenter on Instagram pointed out that Skiba had stopped posting Blink-182 content – thus suggesting he may have left the group – the guitarist replied, “Your guess is as good as mine. Regardless, I am very proud of and thankful for my time with Blink-182. We shall see…”

Skiba was also absent for Blink-182’s recent performance at Travis Barker’s House of Horrors broadcast – Escape The Fate’s Kevin Gruft temporarily took his place.

DeLonge himself has never hid his belief that he will one day rekindle his musical relationship with Hoppus and Barker. In 2019, the guitarist told Rolling Stone , “We all love each other and care about each other. We don’t always see eye to eye. I think people see the differences in our art. 

“I love seeing how they’ve evolved and what they’re doing,” he continued, “I think when people look at Angels & Airwaves and what I’m doing, they can tell the differences. And sometimes it’s hard when you’re all trying to paint the same painting.”

He concluded by saying “there will be a time, absolutely, that we play together”. So, is a Blink-182 reunion right around the corner? Only time will tell...

Mark Hoppus has dispelled rumors that Tom DeLonge is rejoining Blink-182.

Said rumors began circulating when DeLonge earlier this week posted a ‘90s-era photo of Blink-182 on Instagram – with him alongside his then-bandmates Hoppus and Travis Barker – and updated his bio to read: “I make music [in] Blink-182 and Angels & Airwaves.”

To further give credence to the rumors of a reunion of Blink’s classic lineup, Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba – who has played with Blink since 2015 – said on Instagram last month that he was unsure whether he was still a member of the band.

Responding to a fan who commented on one of his posts: “You guys think he is still in Blink? No Blink content here and the Blink guys don’t post pictures [with] Matt,” Skiba wrote, “Your guess is as good as mine. Regardless, I am very proud of and thankful for my time with Blink-182. We shall see…”

But now, Mark Hoppus has addressed the rumors on his Discord server, writing: “There is no news to share. There is no announcement. Today is thirty years of Blink-182!”

He continues: “If and when Blink has any announcement about anything, you will hear it from the official Blink-182 outlets. Not teased on a radio station like, ‘Tune in for a major announcement… Tom tagged Mark in a photo from two decades ago.”

He adds that Blink-182 “will tour again and when it’s booked and confirmed we’ll announce it.”

So while Hoppus hasn’t definitively stated that a Hoppus/DeLonge/Barker Blink reunion will never happen, it’s safe to assume that it isn’t on the cards, at least for now.

Back in 2019, DeLonge told Rolling Stone [per Blabbermouth] that he believes “there will be a time, absolutely, that we play together”.

“We all love each other and care about each other,” he said. “We don’t always see eye to eye. I think people see the differences in our art. I love seeing how they’ve evolved and what they’re doing. I think when people look at Angels & Airwaves and what I’m doing, they can tell the differences.

“And sometimes it’s hard when you’re all trying to paint the same painting. And every once in a while, I like to see what the painting will be if I do it a different way. Off to the side. I think there’s a healthy respect for everyone to be able to paint their own paintings.”

Tom DeLonge departed pop-punk icons Blink-182 in 2015 in order to spend more time with his family, focus on his other band Angels & Airwaves, and “to change the world” for his kids.

But clues on the guitarist’s Instagram page strongly suggest that he’s made a return to the band.

The first is a new post published on July 31, which shows a ‘90s-era Blink-182 photo – with DeLonge alongside his then-bandmates Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker. With this, and the fact his Instagram bio now reads: “I make music [in] Blink-182 and Angels & Airwaves”, we’d say the evidence is strong that a reunion of some kind might be on the cards.

DeLonge’s bio is notable as he doesn’t list his previous projects including Box Car Racer – his side project with Travis Barker – suggesting the band names featured are only those he’s currently active with.

To further build the case of an imminent Blink-182 reunion, Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba – who has served with Blink since 2015, appearing on 2016’s California and 2019’s Nine – wrote on Instagram last month that he wasn’t sure whether he was still part of the band.

In response to a fan who commented on one of his posts: “You guys think he is still in Blink? No Blink content here and the Blink guys don’t post pictures [with] Matt,” Skiba replied, “Your guess is as good as mine. Regardless, I am very proud of and thankful for my time with Blink-182. We shall see…”

DeLonge’s return is also hinted at by the band’s upcoming Funko Pop! collaboration celebrating their 30th anniversary – which features the guitarist as one of three collectible figures.

And in 2019, DeLonge told Kerrang! that reuniting with his former bandmates would never be off the table.

“Trust me – I love Blink and it’s given me everything in my life,” he said. “And, you know, I plan on doing it in the future.”

Mark Hoppus took to the stage over the weekend for the first time since announcing he’s cancer-free to perform a handful of Blink-182 tracks.

Playing in the company of fellow Blink-182 bandmate Travis Barker as part of the drummer’s mammoth ‘House of Horrors’ special event, Hoppus picked up his bass guitar for run-outs of The Rock Show, Family Reunion and What’s My Age Again?

The pair were joined by Gibson ES-335-wielding guitarist Kevin “Thrasher” Gruft for the trio of tracks, with each instrumentalist performing in suitable Halloween-themed attire. Hoppus, who supplied the gain-tinged low-ends, also took up lead vocal duties.

Prior to the performance, Barker said that Hoppus’s recovery was “the biggest, best news all year”, and commented, “That’s my brother. Mark doing this, and us playing a few songs, is just incredible.

“I’ve been with him through this whole process,” he added, “and he’s just been so strong and resilient and tough. It’s awesome.”

Earlier this year, Hoppus revealed that he had been diagnosed with cancer, which was later revealed to be 4-A diffuse large B-Cell lymphoma – the same type his mother had once battled and beaten.

In September, Hoppus shared a follow-up update and announced that he had been declared cancer-free by his oncologist after undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

“Just saw my oncologist and I’m cancer free!” Hoppus wrote in a statement. “Thank you God and universe and friends and family and everyone who sent support and kindness and love.

“Today is an amazing day and I feel so blessed,” added the bassist, who confirmed he would continue to have routine scans “every six months”.

Barker’s show, which was produced by NoCap available to stream until midnight on Sunday (October 31), also featured guest appearances from Jasiah, jxdn and Iann Dior, as well as headline performances from Avril Lavigne and Machine Gun Kelly.

Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus has announced he’s beaten cancer after undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

Earlier this year, Hoppus gave an update on his ongoing battle with cancer – which he revealed to be stage 4 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma – and previously said he had at least three more rounds of chemo to go.

Now, the bass guitar rocker has shared the good news, and said he has been deemed “cancer free” by his oncologist.

Posting to Twitter on September 29, Hoppus wrote, “Just saw my oncologist and I’m cancer free! Thank you God and universe and friends and family and everyone who sent support and kindness and love.”

Hoppus went on to say he will continue having routine scans “every six months” and that things won’t get back to normal until the end of the year, though added, “Today is an amazing day and I feel so blessed.”

The Blink-182 bassist announced his cancer diagnosis in June this year, though already had three months of treatment under his belt at that time. Through social media, he’s posted regular updates – one of which saw him play bass for the first time during his battle.

Prior to breaking the good news yesterday, Hoppus had previously issued the promising news that the “chemo was working”, and that “the poison doctors pump into me and the kind thoughts and wishes of people around me are destroying this cancer”.

The most recent update came last week via Instagram, which saw Hoppus share a photo of his hair that appeared to be growing back white.

“Is my hair growing back white?” he wrote. “If it does I wonder if I’ll look more like George Clooney or Doc Brown? It’s so strange to have hair growing back more on my head while my leg hair continues to fall out further down, now at the bottom of my shins.”

Mark Hoppus recently sat down to play his bass guitar for the first time since being diagnosed with cancer during an online Twitch stream.

In the stream, the Blink-182 bassist stated, “Not only is this the first time that I’ve tried to play these songs in well over a year, this is the first time that I’ve felt well enough to play my bass since I was diagnosed.

“So, this is the first time I’ve picked up my bass in a few months,” he continues, before using his recently unveiled custom-made bass built by David Celis and Allan Corona to reel off the rapid-fire low-end notes of Not Now, taken from sessions for the band's 2003 self-titled record.

Recently, Hoppus gave an update on his ongoing battle with cancer, confirming to fans during a Q&A that he has stage 4 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma – the same type of cancer that his mother once battled and beat.

At the time of the online Q&A, Hoppus revealed he was recording in anticipation of a test that would reveal whether his chemotherapy was working or not.

The Blink-182 member has since announced to fans via social media that the test had led to the “best possible news”, and that his treatment was indeed working.

In the post, Hoppus wrote, “Scans indicate that the chemo is working! I still have months of treatment ahead, but it’s the best possible news.

“I’m so grateful and confused and also sick from last week’s chemo,” he continued. “But the poison the doctors pump into me and the kind thoughts and wishes of people around me are destroying this cancer. Just gonna keep fighting…”

In his Twitch Q&A, Hoppus revealed that, “no matter what” the results of the test were, he would still be undergoing at least three more rounds of his chemotherapy “just to make sure”.

“Ideally, I go in tomorrow and they say, ‘Congratulations! Your chemotherapy has worked and you are all done, and you’ll never have to think about this cancer ever again for the rest of your life,'" he said at the time. 

“If that happens, no matter what, even if the cancer is totally gone from my whole body, they give me three more rounds of chemo just to make sure.”

Mark Hoppus has shared an update on his ongoing battle with cancer, confirming to fans during a Twitch stream that he has stage 4 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

It is the same type of cancer that Hoppus’ mother once battled and beat, with the Blink-182 bassist revealing he has received words of advice and encouragement from the person who has beaten cancer on three separate occasions.

Speaking during an online Q&A, Hoppus revealed, “My official classification is diffuse large B-cell lymphoma stage 4-A. As I understand it, it’s entered enough parts of my body that I’m stage four, which is, I think, the highest that it goes.”

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, as explained by Cancer Research, is a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which is a cancer of the lymphatic system that aggressively targets the body’s white blood cells. The Lymphoma Research Foundation reports that more than 18,000 people are diagnosed with it each year.

During the Q&A, Hoppus also revealed that he has at least three more rounds of chemotherapy to go, in anticipation of a test that will reveal how successful his experience with the therapy has been so far.

“Tomorrow’s test is to find out if my chemotherapy is working at all,” commented Hoppus. “If it is, then I go back for at least three more rounds.

“Ideally, I go in tomorrow and they say, ‘Congratulations! Your chemotherapy has worked and you are all done, and you’ll never have to think about this cancer ever again for the rest of your life,'" he continued.

“If that happens, no matter what, even if the cancer is totally gone from my whole body, they give me three more rounds of chemo just to make sure.

“If I go in tomorrow and they say, ‘It’s kind of working, we think it’s working,’ then I’ll still do three more rounds, I think. If they say, ‘Well it’s not really working like we hoped,’ then I have to go and talk about other options.

“I’m remaining positive,” asserted Hoppus. “We’re beating this cancer. It’s just a matter of time.”

Hoppus initially revealed his cancer diagnosis on June 23 via social media, when he announced that he had already been undergoing chemotherapy for three months.

His Blink-182 bandmates Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker both shared their support for Hoppus, with DeLonge writing, “I would also like to say that he is strong, and a super-human who is pushing through this difficult obstacle with a wide-open heart.” 

Blink-182 co-founder Mark Hoppus has revealed that he is battling cancer.

Announcing the news on social media yesterday (June 23), the 49-year-old bassist said he's been undergoing chemotherapy for the last three months.

“It sucks and I'm scared,” the post reads, “and at the same time I'm blessed with incredible doctors and family and friends to get me through this. I still have months of treatment ahead of me but I'm trying to remain hopeful and positive. Can't wait to be cancer-free and see you all at a concert in the near future.”

In a more recent Instagram story, Hoppus shared a photo of himself at a medical center with the light-hearted caption: “Yes hello. One cancer treatment, please.”

Both Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and former guitarist Tom DeLonge have shared their support for Hoppus on social media.

Taking to Twitter shortly after the news broke, DeLonge wrote: “[I’ve] been aware of Mark Hoppus’ cancer diagnosis for a while now. And to add to his own words that he used today, I would also like to say that he is strong, and a super-human who is pushing through this difficult obstacle with a wide-open heart.”

Barker posted an Instagram story of himself and Hoppus, simply writing: “Love you Mark Hoppus.”

Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus has partnered up with Reverb to sell gear from throughout his career.

The Official Mark Hoppus Reverb Shop will feature amps, drum machines, keyboards and other equipment Hoppus has used with Blink-182 and +44.

Among the items up for sale include:

• A Marshall JTM45 amp head with a 4x12 cabinet that was used throughout the early ‘00s on Blink-182, +44 and Motion City Soundtrack albums. “It’s a great guitar amplifier,” Hoppus said.
• An Orange amp head with a 4x12 cabinet that is “basically the main lead guitar tone across the entire +44 album,” according to Hoppus.
• A Bogner Uberschall amp head with a 4x12 cabinet. “If you want a dope heavy guitar sound, the Bogner Uberschall is amazing,” said Hoppus. “It cuts through like a werewolf, it has a beautiful clean channel, and its distorted channel is all kinds of hell unleashed on the world.”
• A Native Instruments Traktor Kontrol S8-DJ control deck. “If you're into DJing, this DJ control deck is incredible,” said Hoppus. “I used it at Emo Nites, I used it at Taste of Chaos in 2016, I used it in my studio, and right here in my bedroom… actually, not my bedroom, my wife would never allow that. But check it out, because it's a great DJ controller.”
• Two sE electronics SPACE Reflection Filters, which Hoppus recommends for small studio spaces or for on-the-go recording of vocals or demos. “You can set one up in a dressing room or in a small studio space – it is perfect for isolating that voice,” said Hoppus.

Last month, Hoppus’s former Blink-182 bandmate Tom DeLonge launched his own Reverb shop, which also featured equipment used with the band.

To preview the gear that will be available in the Official Mark Hoppus Reverb Shop and to sign up to be notified when the shop goes live on April 21, head to Reverb.

One thing has remained constant throughout this strange period we find ourselves in: artists have continued releasing killer music. And at Guitar World HQ, we've been on the lookout for the crème de la crème, selecting only the hottest six- (and seven-) string tracks for our loyal readers.

Whether you're feeling some cathartic, topical pop-punk from one of the masters of the genre, heavy riffs that'll get stuck in your head for days or an unexpected prog-metal reunion, we've got you covered!

So sit back, and absorb some of the tastiest tracks guitardom has to offer.

John Petrucci - Terminal Velocity

It’s been more than a decade since we last heard John Petrucci play with his one-time Dream Theater partner in crime, drummer Mike Portnoy. Petrucci’s new solo album however, has unexpectedly brought the two back together, and from the sounds of it, the reunion is an oh-so-sweet one.

Terminal Velocity - the title track and lead single from the new solo effort, Petrucci’s first in 15 years - is rife with everything that makes Petrucci one of the best guitarists in the world today.

Brick-wall riffs? Check! Technically dazzling, light-speed lead runs? Check! Ever-changing tempos and time signatures? You betcha! What makes the track really stand out though is that - even in the absence of vocals and with all of this technical wizardry - Petrucci never loses sight of the song’s strong melodic underpinning, the element that really makes the track one of the more impressive entries in his recent catalog. (JM)

Avatar - A Secret Door

Returning with their latest full-length Hunter Gatherer, the Swedish subgenre-fluid five-piece have unleashed what you might concur is their most ambitious effort to date, voyaging through ferocious heavy metal and more delicate arrangements alike.

A Secret Door - the record’s third track - puts the band's ability to traverse styles on full display, with everything from heavy metal screaming to stripped-back, clean-guitar-driven sections to theatrical whistling melodies. Avatar are back, and stronger than ever. (SR)

blink-182 - Quarantine 

Leave it to one of America’s favorite pop-punk trios to channel all of the country’s collective frustrations about a ruthless pandemic and its cataclysmic effects into a sardonic, hilarious, sub-two-minute rush of guitar-packed sing-along goodness. 

“Quarantine, f*ck this disease,” goes the chorus. “I’d rather be on Star Tours or stuck at the DMV.” I mean come on, who doesn’t want to scream, or play air power chords, along to that? (JM)

Gojira - Another World

When a new Gojira track drops, it’s a must-listen for any heavy-inclined guitarist. Guitarists Joe Duplantier and Christian Andreu deploy driving guitar lines with full effect on the group’s latest standalone single, Another World - which deals lyrically with the prospect of humanity’s future.

The track’s main guitar riff is a true earworm, so prepare to have it join you for the rest of your day upon listening for merely 5 seconds. But you’ll enjoy it. (SR)

Bully - Hours and Hours

Bully, the project of Tennessee-based singer/guitarist Alicia Bognanno, have been crafting some truly awesome rock songs for a few years now, so naturally we’re quite psyched for their upcoming third album, SUGAREGG. This week, we were treated to the record’s third single, Hours and Hours.

With its deeply personal lyrics and grungy loud-quiet-loud structure - complete with a hurricane of distorted guitars in the chorus that would make even Billy Corgan blush - Hours and Hours is a perfect fit for just about any alt-rock playlist. (JM)

Equilibrium - One Folk

Equilibrium’s latest effort is a grandiose, orchestrally-infused power-metal freight train with pounding guitar riffs aplenty, and therefore essential listening as a guitarist. 

With straight-up metal section arrangements, digital drum processing and synth lines, huge-sounding orchestral parts and thought-provoking lyrics, One Folk is a symphonic metal masterpiece and well worth a spot on this week’s list. (SR)

PUP - A.M. 180

One of the most most exciting punk bands to emerge anywhere in the last few years, PUP are back with a delightfully tuneful gem of a take on one of their favorite songs, Grandaddy’s A.M. 180.

Just as they do with their own material, co-guitarists Stefan Babcock and Steve Sladkowski approach this beloved song with a delectable cocktail of dissonance, unpredictability and go-for-the-throat attitude - all the while giving the song's hooks plenty of room to shine. (JM)

Black Stone Cherry - Again

Earlier this week, the Kentucky rockers announced their new studio album The Human Condition, and dropped its first single, Again. With a bedrock of distorted guitar and hard-rock songwriting, acoustic guitar is written tastefully into the verses, leading to a wonderfully diverse listening experience.

The track’s awesome guitar solo will surely have you whipping out your air guitar. Okay, perhaps not, but it does round off this track as one of this week’s most essential listening experiences for six-stringers. (SR)

We recently reported that the PlayStation game The Last of Us Part II incorporates a special feature that allows players to use a touchpad to have the main character, Ellie, strum and fingerpick various chords on an acoustic guitar.

As gamers quickly figured out, it’s also possible to play real-world classics on the virtual guitar from the likes of the Beatles, Metallica, the Eagles and more.

As it turns out, one of those gamers is Blink-182 bassist and singer Mark Hoppus, who recently used the in-game guitar to play his own band’s 1997 breakthrough hit, Dammit (now if he could have only figured out a way to get Ellie to help him out on the lyrics…)

You can check out the video, streamed on Hoppus’s Twitch channel, above.

In other The Last of Us Part II guitar news, the game’s merch line also includes two genuine Taylor acoustics – a special edition 314ce and a GS Mini.

We’ve seen a lot of unusual collaborations during the coronavirus quarantine, but Post Malone and Blink-182’s Travis Barker pairing up for a 15-song Nirvana set has got to be up there as one of the oddest.

With Post sporting a Les Paul electric guitar (no Mustang?) and a floral-pattern dress, and Barker on drums, the two – aided by second guitarist Nick Mack and bassist (and fellow floral-pattern dress aficionado) Brian Lee – blasted through a song list that spanned Nirvana’s three studio albums and leaned heavily on their 1991 breakthrough, Nevermind.

Filming the performance at the “Posty Estate,” which apparently has its own wet bar, Malone opened the show by stating, ““Thank you to the gentleman who wrote these beautiful songs. Let’s try to kick some ass.” 

And kick ass they did, tearing into the In Utero track Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle.

Additional highlights of the set included blistering run-throughs of Breed, On A Plain and Heart-Shaped Box. Of course, Post and Co. also pulled out Stay Away, given that Malone has the title tattooed on his face.

The concert raised close to three-million dollars for the United Nations Foundation COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization and garnered praise from high places.

Courtney Love wrote on Instagram, "GOOSEBUMPS! FUCK YES. Go have a margarita Post Malone. Nothing but love from here. Congratulations. 2.6 million bucks for COVID-19 relief.”

Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, meanwhile, tweeted about the performance repeatedly, writing at various points, “Post Malone and crew are killing it!” and "I don't think these fellows can play any better. They are on fire!"

Ernie Ball recently premiered the latest episode of String Theory, starring Tom DeLonge, which you can watch above.

A web series created by Ernie Ball, String Theory explores the sonic origins of influential and innovative musicians. In the episode, DeLonge discusses early inspirations, his creative process, how he gets his signature tone with Ernie Ball electric guitar strings, and much more. 

Here are five facts revealed in the episode.

1. DeLonge’s guitar style was developed in large part from being the only guitar player in Blink-182 (2:00): “I try to incorporate riffs that have resonating notes and things that are happening behind the riff because I wanted it to sound like a rhythm guitar.” 

2. Angels & Airwaves might sound much different from Blink-182, but DeLonge’s playing hasn’t changed much (3:06): “When I created Angels & Airwaves, I didn’t change the style of guitar I was playing. Literally I played the same way but I was adding effects to it that made those riffs sound different. Because I all I wanted was something that sounded like it was echoing over a large place. So I put echoes on everything.”

3. The songs, however, have (3:40): “The songs have changed because guitar isn’t always the only featured thing in it. Like I’ll listen to Sigur Ros and I’ll say that’s a cool world. That song lives in a world, and what the drums are doing and what the synthesizers are doing and what the vocals are doing creates this kind of planet and I want to create a song like that planet."

4. He puts being a musician into two categories (4:57): “You create the art, and the second category is you communicate the art. And they’re both difficult to do because creating the art is a year-long process in the studio and the big kind of win at the end is when you get to play it. The second part of it is, okay, now you’ve gotta go communicate it. Now you’ve gotta get onstage and play it. You have to show people how you mean it. Like if you just go up there and look at the floor and play it then that’s telling people that’s how you feel about your own song. I think it’s a big deal to go out there and give it everything you’ve got.”

5. He really, really likes space (10:53): When I did the space thing I think people were like, ‘Okay that’s his thing, He’s into space, he’s going to make a space-punk band.’ But then I left to go create a real aerospace company and I think people were like, ‘Wow, he really does like space!’ ”

For the latest on Ernie Ball, visit ernieball.com.

If you've been following the news over the past week, you might have heard about the uncovering of a certain government program, one seemingly straight out of a Hollywood script.

Politico and The New York Times simultaneously published extensive reports detailing the Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program, a secret Pentagon project with the stated purpose of looking into the national security implications of reports of unidentified flying objects, known popularly as UFOs.

The program—which was begun by former Nevada Senator Harry Reid and given bi-partisan blessing by former Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye and former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens—was confirmed by the Pentagon to have existed between 2007 and "in the 2012 time frame."

The initiative was run by a career intelligence officer by the name of Luis Elizondo, who raised a few eyebrows when he resigned from the government in October, claiming that the project was not being taken seriously. Upon his return to the private sector, Elizondo took up employment with a company called To The Stars Academy of Arts & Sciences. The co-founder of this company? Former Blink-182 frontman Tom DeLonge.

DeLonge, who left Blink-182 in 2015, has long been noted for his interest in all things extraterrestrial. An interview—from sometime in the early oughts, and recently uncovered by Billboard—shows DeLonge passionately discussing a friend who supposedly spent years talking to government employees who had UFO encounters. He also shows the (unidentified) interviewer his personal collection of videotaped UFO testimonies.

In a February 2015 interview with Papermag, DeLonge seemed to imply that he had made contact with aliens himself.

Now, the connection between him and the Pentagon isn't merely a case of "Six Degrees of former Blink-182 frontman Tom DeLonge." To The Stars says it has "mobilized a team of the most experienced, connected and passionately curious minds from the US intelligence community, including the CIA and Department of Defense, that have been operating under the shadows of top-secrecy for decades."

These team members, the mission statement posits, "All share a common thread of frustration and determination to disrupt the status quo, wanting to use their expertise and credibility to bring transformative science and engineering out of the shadows and collaborate with global citizens to apply that knowledge in a way that benefits humanity."

A bit of a step up from asking "is it cool if I hold your hand?," eh?

Both the Politico and New York Times reports went on to cite To The Stars' analysis of one of the report's most attention-grabbing finds, a video—released by the Department of Defense and taken from the cockpit of a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet—that shows an unidentified flying object.

DeLonge, for his part, remained focused on the future upon the publication of the reports and the video.

“All the things (people have) heard about and seen are the first step of 20," DeLonge told The New York Daily News. “There's a lot more shit coming.”

Ernie Ball: The Pursuit of Tone, a fascinating new AT&T original documentary series, has featured a lineup of iconic rock and roll songwriters and guitarists including Buddy Guy, Mike Ness, Billy Duffy and Hunter Hayes.

Tom DeLonge was recently announced as the focus of the series’ next episode, and you can watch the trailer below to get a preview of what’s in store.

Recognized as one of alternative rock’s most influential guitarists and songwriters, DeLonge is an award-winning musician, producer and director, best known as the lead vocalist and songwriter for the platinum-selling bands Blink-182, Box Car Racer and Angels & Airwaves.

Over more than two decades and 25 million albums, DeLonge’s guitar tone and riff-driven style has become one of the genre’s most identifiable, combining melodic and intricate riffs and roaring overdrive with ambient soundscapes and soaring delays to craft explosive anthemic soundtracks that are undeniably the sound of California punk and alternative rock.

Watch Ernie Ball: The Pursuit of Tone featuring Tom DeLonge August 19 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on DirecTV channel 239 / AT&T U-Verse channel 114.

Blink-182 have announced the cancellation of several tour dates so that drummer Travis Barker can recover from an emergency tonsillectomy.

Among the cancelled shows is a headlining performance at the Bamboozle Festival, which takes place May 19 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. However, festival organizers have announced a replacement: New Jersey's own My Chemical Romance.

Blink-182's May 10 and 11 shows in Oklahoma have been rescheduled for mid-September.

The following shows have been cancelled and won't be rescheduled:

• 5/15 Blue Cross Arena – Rochester, NY
• 5/17 Verizon Wireless Arena – Manchester, NH
• 5/18 Mohegan Sun – Uncasville, CT
• 5/19 Bamboozle Festival – Asbury Park, NJ
• 5/20 Sands Bethlehem Event Center – Bethlehem, PA
• 5/22 Colisee Pepsi Arena – Quebec City, Quebec

Blink-182 have announced the track listing for their upcoming studio album, Neighborhoods. You can view it below.

Neighborhoods marks Blink's seventh studio album and first since 2003's self-titled effort.

Speaking to Jam Showbiz about the band's new album, Neighborhoods, Tom Delonge made sure fans knew that they could expect a very diverse record.

"There’s a lot of new elements," said Delonge. "We have these songs that are total throwbacks, exactly what people would know of what Blink is. But then we have these songs that are madly different and experimental. And then we have songs that are like prog- rock Blink. So I really think that we have a tremendous, diverse palette on this."

You can read the full interview here.

Neighborhoods Track Listing:

• 'Ghost On The Dance Floor'
• 'A La Mode'
• 'This is Home'
• 'Snake Charmer'
• 'MH 4.18.2011'
• 'Even If She Falls'
• 'You Too'
• 'Up All Night'
• 'After Midnight'
• 'Natives'

Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks:

'Kaleidoscope'
'Fighting The Gravity'
'Heart's All Gone'

Blink-182 probably isn't the first band to come to mind when you hear the term 'prog-rock,' but the band have said they may have entered those waters on their new record.

Speaking to Jam Showbiz about the band's new album, Neighborhoods, Tom Delonge made sure fans knew that they could expect a very diverse record.

"There’s a lot of new elements," said Delonge. "We have these songs that are total throwbacks, exactly what people would know of what Blink is. But then we have these songs that are madly different and experimental. And then we have songs that are like prog- rock Blink. So I really think that we have a tremendous, diverse palette on this."

You can read the full interview here.

Neighborhoods, the band's first album since their 2003 self-titled effort, is due out on September 27.

Fresh from revealing the album art for their new album, Neighborhoods AND a fan-made video for their first single in 8 years, "Up All Night," Blink 182 have just posted a brand new song, titled "Heart's All Gone." You can stream the song below.

The song of course is taken from Neighborhoods, the follow-up to 2003's self-titled effort. The album will be released on September 27.

You can also check out the video for "Up All Night" along with the album art for Neighborhoods at this location.

Pop-punk vets Blink 182 have just unveiled the cover art for their forthcoming new album, Neighborhoods, which will be out next month on September 27. You can check out the album art below.

Also below you'll find a special fan-compiled video for the band's new single, "Up All Night." The video was created from fan videos made using the band's music on YouTube.

"To help us launch our first single in eight years, AT&T (US telephone operator) helped us search YouTube for every instance of fans using our music without our permission and rewarded them for it. The following is made out of clips from all those videos," said the band of the video for their new single.

Neighborhoods is the band's first album in eight years, with the last being 2003's self-titled effort.

Pop-punk veterans Blink-182 have debuted a new song this morning, titled "Up All Night." The track is the first single from the band's forthcoming new album, which will be the group's first since 2003's self-titled effort. You can hear the track below.

The track "Up All Night" has reportedly been in existence since the band re-united in 2009, however the band held back from performing it live for fear fans would hear it as a poor-quality YouTube video.

Blink-182 will be hitting the road later this summer with My Chemical Romance.

Via his Facebook page, Blink 182 bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus revealed that the band are nearing completion of their as-yet-untitled sixth studio album.

"I'm very excited," Hoppus wrote on Facebook. "We're getting to the point of the album where we talk about mixers and finishing up the songs. We deliver the album to the label on July 31, so it will be coming out during the tour. The most recent batch of songs are some of the best of the entire record. Very happy it's all coming together."

No firm release date has been set for what will be the band's first album since 2003's Blink-182.