Currently celebrating the 20th anniversary of their landmark 2006 album, Death of a Dead Day, Sikth are an extraordinary band.

Having grown up listening to the likes of Joe Satriani, Iron Maiden and, er, Level 42, the band's front line (guitarists Dan Weller and Pin, and bassist James Leach) shared a collective passion for full-on virtuoso musicianship.

When interviewed for Total Guitar back in 2004, Weller explained: “We like to create music that makes people go, ‘Fuck, where did that come from?’ There's no guaranteeing that we'll be successful, but if we do catch on we could start a whole new wave of more technical music.”

Confounding casual listeners with its scope, Death of a Dead Day was a scattershot fusion of metal, prog, punk, emo and performance poetry, all of which helped establish a fiercely loyal underground fanbase.

For one fan in particular, the album, along with their extravagantly titled debut, The Trees Are Dead And Dried Out – Wait For Something Wild, set in motion a chain of events that would lead to a burgeoning career as bassist and producer for contemporary metal outfit Periphery, working alongside guitarist Misha Mansoor.

“Sikth is a band that was very influential in terms of getting into a more mathy style of metal,” says Adam ‘Nolly’ Getood. “Even though I didn't have much of an interest in bass guitar at the time, I immediately noticed the bass that James Leach had played on both albums.

“Straight away I could hear he was doing something interesting, really bridging the gap between these guitars that were going off, and the drums, which are playing incredibly technical drum grooves.

“He found neat ways of bridging that gap using slap-and-pop, tapping, or just plucking interesting melodic lines. That was hugely influential for me.”

An expert producer for bands such as Animals as Leaders, Devin Townsend Project, and Sleep Token, Getgood is well versed in the speed, dynamics, sonic textures, and polyrhythmic complexity that progressive metal demands.

So when Leach became unavailable for the current run of anniversary shows, he was the natural choice to step in.

“I last played with Sikth for three songs at a festival called ArcTanGent back in 2023, but playing this album live is a completely different thing.

“It’s hard to overstate how influential this album was. It’s the connecting glue between me, Misha, and Periphery. I know it’s an overused term, but for me and the other guys in Periphery, it really was a game changer.”

How have you approached the gig with Sikth?

With Sikth, I’m emulating James’ bass style. On the early albums, he incorporated plenty of slapping and popping. There’s a bit of slap bass in the set, but it’s still mostly pick playing.

That all feels very natural to me, but I’m consciously aiming for a cleaner sound and not digging in as hard. It’s a deliberate choice to keep things more rounded.

Can you achieve that with a lighter pick or a change in technique?

I always use a light pick. I’m actually still using the original picks I had made when I was touring with Periphery. I don’t go through them that quickly, so it’s the same picks – more of a technique change than anything else.

I’m always very aware of my technique – especially on guitar, picking just from the wrist and keeping things consistent. A lot of people will practice slow, but they'll use completely different technique when they speed up. They're not really preparing themselves for speed.

You’re also using the latest version of your signature bass – what’s new?

I think the biggest change in feel is the addition of the neck binding. It also has a new bridge that’s really comfortable, and adds a little more solidity to the sound. Then there are other details like the matte black hardware and the smaller toggle switch.

Each iteration feels a little more solid, while still feeling very much like my bass. I love how it’s evolved over time.

Do you have a go-to pickup setting?

I spend most of the time using the bridge pickup, because it helps the bass blend better with distorted guitars. If you play distorted electric guitar, you’ll know most players stick to the bridge pickup – it just produces a different set of overtones in that position.

You do lose some low-end, but through heavy distortion it still sounds really tight, and you can always add more low-end after. So for me, it’s about giving the bass a character that sits closer to the guitars.

More recently, I’ve also been experimenting with the bridge and neck pickups wired in parallel. That gives a really nice balance as well.

How do you set the EQ?

In a live situation, I tend to leave the EQ flat, just because if it gets knocked, I don’t want to suddenly end up with loads of low-end or anything like that.

Are you using the Darkglass preamp?

An active preamp isn’t really part of the equation when I play with Sikth. The last thing I want is to rely heavily on the EQ, step onstage, and find the battery’s flat, especially given how infrequently I play live.

In the studio, I use the preamp all the time, but for live shows, the most foolproof option is to keep things in passive mode – which still sounds amazing.

What first drew you to this bass?

The Dingwall really filled a need and gave metal bassists an instrument they could rally around. For the first time, it was possible to tune low and still have a sound that remained coherent across all the different strings.

How does it feel to have solved that problem?

It was a problem Sheldon Dingwall had already solved with the Novax fanned-fret system he was using, so I don’t think I can take too much credit for it – though I may have helped popularise it. I think this model in particular has become something of an industry standard, and that’s a great feeling.

Jackson Guitars has finally answered the call for an eight-string version of Misha Mansoor’s Juggernaut signature guitar.

The Pro Plus Series Limited Edition Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut ET8 picks up where last year’s Juggernaut HT6 left off in uniting a fairly-priced guitar with stock pickups and an EverTune bridge. But, this time, you get two more strings for added djent factor.

Available exclusively in a gloss Nardo Gray finish, it features a poplar body blended with a bolt-on graphite-reinforced caramelized maple neck, oiled for speedy play. That, in turn, is capped with a 20”-radius ebony fingerboard with rolled edges, 24 jumbo stainless steel frets, and Luminlay side dots.

An EverTune F8 bridge is in place to keep tuning tighter than a corset on a sumo, with Jackson sealed die-cast tuners at the other end to help. It also ships with Dunlop dual-locking strap buttons.

Last year, Mansoor worked diligently with Jackson to craft the “phenomenal” MM1 humbucker pickups as a suitable and more affordable alternative to the Bare Knuckle Juggernaut 'buckers, without losing their cutthroat edge. Here, they’ve been reconfigured to have extra girth, physically and sonically.

“These super-charged humbuckers produce a balanced sonic landscape with plenty of dynamics,” says Jackson. “And by leaving them uncovered, there’s an added and distinct brightness that remains articulate under heavy picking.”

They’re paired with a five-way switch and volume and tone controls, the latter featuring a Push/Pull select. That means tone parameter changes only come into play once the knob has been engaged. It’s a clever way to avoid accidentally hitting and tweaking the dial while playing.

A black plastic nut has been employed as one of a few cost-cutting measures – the pickups being another obvious example – to offset the price the EverTune will add to the guitar’s sum total.

It does, however, feature an ever-handy heel-mount truss rod adjustment wheel and ships with a gig bag.

“I’m so excited to finally have an eight-string signature model, and it’s a special one, too,” Mansoor delights. “We have been working on the design for a while now, and I think the Evertune was the final piece of the puzzle.

“Periphery uses eight strings quite a bit, and both live and in the studio, the Evertune has made it so I can focus more on my performance and tone and let the bridge handle the tuning stability.”

The Jackson Pro Plus Series Limited Edition Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut ET8 is available now for $1,899/£1,699.

Visit Jackson for more.

Elsewhere, Mansoor recently recalled how he was reunited with his first Juggernaut guitar in unlikely circumstances.

Doomscrolling isn’t very good for one’s mental health, but every now and then it can come up trumps – like when it helped reunite Misha Mansoor with his long-lost Jackson Juggernaut.

Talking to Guitar Center about the release of Periphery's latest riff-rich album, A Pale White Dot, the guitarist explains that his very special Jackson USA Juggernaut HT7, his original signature guitar with the firm, was one he thought he'd lost forever.

“I parted with this guitar originally because I had the newer version coming out and I had too many guitars at home,” he details. That's perfectly understandable. We can't all have a vault of 300 guitars like Eagles' Don Felder.

“This is a very special guitar,” Mansoor develops. “Because, aside from being a rare combination of Silverburst, which we had to stop doing, and the very expensive [Periphery logo] inlay done by Ron Thorn [of the Fender Custom Shop], this guitar also had a lot of mojo.”

Early on, it got a love in the studio and on stage, and it was also the guitar he took to Bare Knuckle pickups ahead of crafting his second signature humbucker set, the Ragnarok.

That means the very first Ragnaroks ever made are housed in this guitar. “This is what determined the architecture of the pickups,” he says.

So, despite being “pretty bummed out” by its sale and the thought of never seeing it again, mindlessly perusing social media came to his rescue.

“I was on tour, doom scrolling on my bunk [on the tour bus],” Mansoor recalls. “I got a targeted ad from Guitar Center, and it showed a picture of this guitar. There's only one guitar that looks like this. Obviously, I clicked on it, saw that it was in a Guitar Center in Florida.”

Mansoor reached out to a friend who worked at the Hollywood branch, and soon his seller's remorse was traded for the joy of getting the guitar back in his hands.

“I immediately reached out to my buddy who works in the Guitar Center in Hollywood, and I was like, ‘Hey, that’s my guitar. I’ve been looking for that. Can we arrange something?’” he continues. “And Guitar Center very, very kindly reunited me with this guitar, which I never thought I would ever see.”

While Jackson Juggernauts remain a vital part of Mansoor’s arsenal, earlier this year he finally launched his jaw-dropping custom 30” baritone Surfacaster, which arrived in a limited batch.

Jackson has finally released Misha Mansoor’s hugely anticipated Surfcaster, which arrives in the form of an ultra-desirable, limited-edition Custom Shop model.

Mansoor was one of the leading figures in the emergence of the ‘metal offset’ trend and one of the earliest big-name players to champion the return of the cult-classic Surfcaster model, along with Mike Stringer.

In August 2024, Mansoor showed off a relic’d pink build that paired the offset body of the Charvel Surfcaster with the extended range of a baritone and a Strat-shaped headstock.

The early example was later followed by a green version – which Mansoor showed to Guitar World a few years ago – and, in summer 2025, the Periphery maestro shared snaps of a turquoise-finished model that came with an Evertune bridge.

All that is to say, fans – and Guitar World HQ – have been waiting patiently for an official release of Mansoor’s Surfcaster for quite some time.

Well, the day has finally come, and Jackson and Mansoor have proudly shared what can only be described as one of the most anticipated offset guitar releases of the modern era.

However, there’s a catch. It’s a limited-edition Custom Shop model, meaning it has a hefty $9k price tag. Not quite the accessible version most fans were hoping for, but a step in the right direction.

Plus, the Custom Shop route has always been the more likely outcome for this particular Surfcaster. Speaking to Guitar World in 2024, Mansoor discussed the potential rollout for the Surfcaster.

“Ever since I posted pictures of this, there’s certainly been enough interest to where it’s likely there will be a run of these made in the custom shop,” he said at the time. “And then from there, maybe there would be a justification for a production line. We’ll have to see.”

It is Mansoor’s green model that has been recreated here, right down to the heavily relic’c Army Drab Over White finish. Roasted ash has been used for the body, while caramelized flame maple features for the neck and fretboard.

Elsewhere, it features Bare Knuckle Juggernaut pickups, a Hipshot fixed bridge and Luminlay side dots, as well as stainless steel frets and a 30” scale length – an appointment inspired by Mansoor’s fondness for the Fender Bass VI.

It was put together by Jackson Master Builder Pat Campolattano, who was tasked with bringing Mansoor’s vision to life.

“An instrument like this didn't exist before, and I could not have fathomed how it would have interacted with my creativity,” Mansoor says in a launch video.

“I didn't quite know what I was gonna do with the guitar. I was definitely gonna play around with it. What I didn't expect was for it to inspire me so much.”

Head over to Jackson Guitars to find out more.

The new guitar dovetails nicely with Periphery's new album A Pale White Dot, which is released on May 15 via 3DOT Recordings.

Amp Week 2026: Misha Mansoor knows tone. With Periphery, he took djent (genre or not) into new realms of high-gain precision via painstakingly dialed Axe-Fx presets. His signature amp with Peavey, the Invective, was designed to be the greatest 5150 amp on the planet. Then there’s that industry-standard amp booster he designed, the Horizon Devices Precision Drive. Oh, and, ya know, his signature Neural DSP plugin.

Anyway, the point is: when Misha talks tone, we listen. In a new chat with GW, he revealed there’s one amp in particular that has taken his breath away recently. Which is, in itself, a big deal, given he’s played just about every permutation of high-gain head and realized just how many are really quite similar to each other…

“It's very rare for me to come across a new amp and really have it knock my socks off,” he tells GW. “I have so many amps; I'm good. And I also have this Ampete amp switcher which you can plug eight amps into and switch immediately. And then you can start to see, like, ‘Oh, even though these two amps are really different in my head, that’s just an EQ change there.’ It’s made me sell amps.

“But it'll also show you amps that have a very different character. And I've been playing around with the Zuta GBG120, and man, that thing is unbelievable. That is probably one of the most impressive new amps I've tried.”

Hailing from Sweden, the GBG120 packs four channels into a compact rackmount head, and features all the tubes: 12AX7s in the preamp section, and the ability to mix and match KT88, KT77, 6550, 6L6 and EL34 in any combination for the power amp.

Typically, Mansoor prefers amps that do one thing really, really well (“Most of the time you'll end up with three channels, of which one is good and the other two you should have just left off”) – his prized Omega Granophyre being the best example of that simplicity. But the Zuta’s versatility has blown his mind.

“I don't think I've played an amp that's got as much natural breadth of actually good tones.

“The clean channel is genuinely sick. The second channel is a crunch, Plexi vibe if you want. Third is modern high gain. And then four is the most pissed-off channel I've ever heard on an amp, even without a boost.

“I've done all sorts of recording tests with it, because that's what actually matters to me. And it's shocking how tight it sounds recorded – just amp into the DAW, just through a load box.”

Crucially, the amp sounds markedly different from the rest of Mansoor’s collection – this is no mere EQ tweak.

Given the Zuta Amps story, the amp’s individuality should come as no surprise. The firm’s roots lie in the Gothenburg, Sweden metal scene – Baskim Zuta, who established the company in 2019, is something of a low-key industry legend, having engineered albums by Arch Enemy, Highlander and Slipknot, and studied at the hands of amp legends Reinhold Bogner, Steve Fryette and Mike Soldano.

The firm’s slogan is ‘from clean to extreme’, which pretty much covers it.

For more info on the GBG120, head to Zuta Group.

In other Misha Mansoor news, the Periphery guitar wizard recently named his favorite new guitar player who is pushing the instrument forwards.

For more stories, tips and insights on all things amplified, check out the rest of our Amp Week coverage.

Few bands have influenced the modern metal landscape quite like Meshuggah, both in terms of sound and gear. Now, guitarist Mårten Hagström has reflected on how the band changed the face of metal guitar – and blew Tosin Abasi’s mind in the process.

There’s a whole generation of metal and prog-adjacent virtuosos currently changing the guitar game that get woozy when it comes to the Swedish heavyweights. Periphery’s Misha Mansoor, Polyphia duo Tim Henson and Scott LePage, and Plini, who “grew up” on Meshuggah, are all big fans.

But Meshuggah's impact wasn't felt overnight, nor was it immediately accepted by the wider metal world.

“Sometimes we still see ourselves as the upstart oddball band that we were as kids when everybody was side-eyeing us and going, ‘What are you guys doing?’” guitarist Mårten Hagström tells the ProgCast (via Blabbermouth). “Even in the progressive genre, it was, like, ‘Dude, what are you up to? What's going on?’”

The band's vicious polyrhythms soon became the foundation for djent, thall and beyond. After being met with some skepticism from the wider metal scene, Meshuggah finally earned their flowers, cementing their reputation as the band who changed the face of metal guitar.

“Tosin [Abasi, Animals as Leaders] told me once, the first time he heard us, he said, ‘This music is broken,’” Hagström adds.

It was Meshuggah that introduced Abasi to the wonders of the eight-string guitar – something he’s since made his signature weapon. They were experimenting with the twice-extended range guitars as far back as 2002, and it redefined their sound.

“We quickly figured out that powerchord chugging and riffing didn’t really work; it wasn’t as simple as transposing ideas down to the eighth string,” Hagström once told Guitar World of their early experiments. “The tone of the instrument lent itself better to the single-string stuff we’re known for. It was like, ‘Wow, this is a new tool that makes us sound different!’”

Abasi's own adventures saw him launch the high-end Abasi Concepts in 2019. They are builds designed to “encourage people to play complex things” and write their own 'broken music'. Everyone from Spiro Dussias to Dante Swan have been doing exactly that, pushing boundaries and developing freakish new techniques as they go.

In modern metal, down-tuning to eight-string depths in such a way has helped usher in key changes to the sound of the genre. And, without Meshuggah’s influence, who knows what the modern metal landscape would look like today.

Wolfgang Van Halen has once again sung the praises of Intervals virtuoso Aaron Marshall, highlighting what it is about his playing that sets him apart from some of his contemporary metal guitar peers.

From the titillating tandems of Polyphia and Animals As Leaders to the “alien” techniques of Spiro Dussias, the future of modern metal guitar is in safe, and highly virtuosic, hands. Yet, in conversation with Guitarist, Wolfgang Van Halen has praised Marshall for one skill in particular, which he believes distinguishes him from the pack.

“Aaron Marshall from Intervals is one of the few modern metal hero guys who isn't afraid to throw in a bluesy riff every now and then,” he reckons.

“You have all these modern players, people like Tim Henson from Polyphia who are amazing musicians playing crazy stuff that sounds incredible, though they very rarely choose to bend anything.

“That's why Aaron is my favourite. He has this iconic and recognisable voice on guitar.”

That’s not to say Henson’s melodious touch isn’t instantly recognizable, though. His G.O.A.T. riff is undeniably unique, and quickly earned its place among the greatest guitar riffs ever written.

But he has often distanced himself from what he calls “boomer bends.” He wants there to be a degree of separation between different generations of guitar playing, even if Kirk Hammett hit back at his comments.

Wolfgang, however, champions Marshall’s ability to bridge those generations and genres with a playing style that is certainly modern, but not severed from his predecessors.

“His melodic sensibility is something I really appreciate, especially considering he's making instrumental music,” Wolfgang purrs. “He's practically the singer in the band as well as the guitarist. He has this ability to find the hooks and shred balls at the same time, and it's always very tasteful. I can’t get enough of it.”

The pair have developed a strong connection over the years, with Wolfgang even shipping Marshall one of his new EVH SA-126 signature guitars in February. Marshall has also said that “Wolfgang knows more Intervals songs at any given moment than I do.”

Having said that, Marshall isn't the only guitarist who, in Wolfgang's opinion, steps out from the pack.

“I also think what Misha Mansoor has done with Periphery is amazing. He has his own sound and it's very iconic,” he says. “I love how he's able to merge his unabashed love for Meshuggah with his other influences. I don't think people give Misha enough credit.”

Head to Magazines Direct to pick up a copy of Guitarist to read WVH's interview in full.

Meanwhile, Wolfgang has discussed how the “gamble” of playing Van Halen songs live paid off, reflected on the time his dad asked Paul Gilbert to give him a guitar lesson, and revealed that he looked to a Nirvana classic when writing one of The End's most memorable guitar solos.

Spiro Dussias may be touted as shred guitar's next big thing – and tipped to be one of the guitar world's biggest disruptors by heavyweights such as Tim Henson and Tosin Abasi.

However, Dussias admits that he's secretly – or not so secretly – a “classic-guitar nerd,” and even has his heart set on releasing a blues album.

“I jam to Joe Bonamassa, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and John Mayer all day long, going into a Plexi-style thing,” he discloses in the latest issue of Guitar World.

“It sounds like I’m joking, but there’s definitely a blues album in me, and it’ll come out before I turn 30. I might be doing hyper-modern stuff – maybe I’m playing into the hate I get from how cold it can be – but I will do a 180 at some point and make people cry with a version of Stormy Monday.”

Dussias is quick to note the division between more traditional guitar players and those committed to challenging the very boundaries of the instrument.

“There’s this whole narrative where you are either real-as-fuck and old-school or hyper-produced,” he observes. “I’m trying to push the envelope in both respects.”

As for what we can expect next, the virtuoso reveals that he's well into the process of launching his own “project” – and is knee-deep in studio sessions for what we assume to be a brand-new band.

“Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be in my own band. I’ve also been in the studio with Polyphia, working on their next record, but my dream is to tour my own music and get this band off the ground.”

At Guitar Summit last month, Misha Mansoor joined Henson and Abasi in showering praise on Dussias, even going as far as to call his playing “alien stuff.”

For more from Spiro, plus new interviews with Henson and Jim Root, pick up issue 598 of Guitar World from Magazines Direct.

When people think 'Strandberg', chances are they think 'Plini' at the same time. After all, the Australian virtuoso is the brand's poster boy. After one fateful day when first discovered a headless Boden 7-string backstage after an Intervals show, he has since gone on to add a few tasty Strandbergs to his lineup – not to mention a raft of signature models under his belt.

He’s one of the most avid proponents of headless guitars, even telling Guitar World at NAMM why he finds such designs so appealing.

Now, in a more recent conversation about his Strandberg origins with Lee Anderton from Andertons Music Co., Plini reflects, “I'd been playing Ibanez for years and years and recorded music with it, and thought, ‘Okay, it's time to get an even better guitar.’

“And I'd narrowed it down to a John Petrucci signature. I [also] really like the look of Parker Flys, but I don't think I could find one to even try in Australia. And then I saw that Misha [Mansoor] and Tosin [Abasi] and this band, Scale the Summit, were all using Strandbergs. I was like, ‘Oh, this whack-looking thing must be good if all these guys are using it.’”

As for the Mansoor influence, Plini mentions a specific period where the Periphery guitarist “would just have every guitar under the sun and play them and talk about them”. The similarities between the pair's expansive styles meant the Strandberg concept was a no-brainer for Plini.

“And so at the time, Ola [Strandberg] was doing them in his garage, like one by one, and then had just started to do production, so I emailed him and lied about how good I was,” Plini quips. “I was like, ‘I need to skip the waiting list to get a Strandberg.’ And he was tricked. They did two at the same time – one went to Misha, from an old US factory, which they don't use anymore.”

Summing up his relationship with the Strandberg guitars and brand, Plini is quick to say that, “Anytime I come across someone who's not married to a guitar company, I'm like, ‘Try this,’ and pretty much everyone who has tried it is used to it within a couple of minutes.”

In more recent Strandberg news, the brain behind the brand, Ola, discussed the headless guitar revolution and how he managed to change the concept of guitar design in the process.

Misha Mansoor has named the emerging electric guitar player who he thinks is taking the instrument to all-new heights – and it’s a player who’s already been singled out for praise from some of this generation’s biggest names.

At Guitar Summit last month, Mansoor was on hand to take Guitar World through his new stable of Jackson Juggernaut signature guitars. During the conversation, the Periphery pioneer was asked if there were any up-and-coming players who have caught his eye in recent times – and a familiar name cropped up.

“Have you heard of Spiro Dussias?” he said. “He's doing some alien stuff, man. It's very rare to see a guitarist where I'm just like, ‘How are you doing what you're doing?’

“He's definitely up there. He's doing some pretty great [stuff]. I feel like he's definitely trying to push what a guitar could be. I’m interested to see where that goes.”

Spiro is one of the fastest-rising virtuosos of recent years, revered for his mind-altering picking precision, head-bending speed, and downright absurd fretboard vocabulary. Widely regarded as “shred’s next great hope”, he’s an Abasi Concepts artist, starred in Jackson’s American Series Soloist promo campaign, and ended up giving Dream Theatre guitar lessons.

Mansoor is by no means the first player to ring the Spiro klaxon. At NAMM earlier this year, Guitar World asked both Tim Henson and Tosin Abasi the same question – and they provided the same answer.

“Dude, there’s that guy – Spiro – you know what I’m talking about,” Henson told Guitar World. “I don’t know how to say his last name. I just recognize the Instagram handle, but that guy is fucking crazy.”

“There’s this guy, Spiro,” Abasi echoed. “Alien levels of precision. It’s like, you can’t believe it until you sit in front of him and you’re like, ‘Whoa.’”

Earlier this year, Guitar World caught up with Spiro to discuss his whirlwind rise to the upper echelons of the shred guitar scene, during which he shared the secrets of his otherworldly economic picking technique.

Head over to the Guitar World YouTube channel to watch the full interview with Misha Mansoor.

What is it?

Finnish tone fiends Neural DSP have been empowering bedroom guitarists for years now, with a suite of amp sim plugins growing exponentially since Fortin Nameless digitized the Meshuggah signature amp in 2018.

A slew of signature plugins for everyone from Plini and Mateus Asato to Gojira and Cory Wong have followed, all powered by TINA, its unique digital modelling software. And they’ve followed a familiar recipe: three amps, pre- and post-amp effects, a graphic EQ, cab sims, impulse responses, and heaps of tone. They, too, have typically offered a secret weapon each time – the Gojira added a Whammy-style effect and octaver to the game, Tim Henson’s a pitch-shifting Multivoicer.

But what makes these plugins different is that they don’t just copy well-loved amps. They always alter the recipe, such as adding a Presence dial to a Marshall that doesn’t usually have one.

Teaming up with Periphery and Jackson signature artist Misha Mansoor for its latest, things are no different.

Chief among its toys is the one-two of its Laser pedal, inspired by the DigiTech Whammy and delivering 19 pitch-shifting and ring-modulating modes, and the Glitch pedal. Built on granular processing, it takes a guitar signal, chops it, and shuffles it around for mad, very rhythmic chaos.

For pre-FX, two pedals from his brand, Horizon Devices – the Compressor and Precision Drive – sit in pride of place in the plugin's virtual pedalboard. They're joined by a Tape Echo, Dual Octaver, and Chaos pedal, a distortion pedal designed to imitate a chainsaw.

Amp-wise, there's a Mesa/Boogie-style clean, a Rhythm amp that’s a hybrid of an EVH 5150 and an Omega Ampworks Granophyre, and a Lead amp that focuses on hot-rodded British tones.

Post-FX fun comes from a Modulator pedal for chorus and flanger flavors, a Stereo Delay, and Reverb, complete with an ethereal Shimmer mode that Neural users will recognize from its other plugins. There are also the universal features, including in/output dials, a Noise Gate, Transpose, and Doubler.

It’s one of the most feature-packed Neural DSP plugins, and arguably its most anticipated in years. So does it live up to expectations?

Specs

• Launch price: €125
• Type: Plugin - 64-bit VST2 / VST3 / AU / AAX / Standalone
• Formats: Mac/PC
• System requirements (minimum): macOS® 13 Ventura (or higher), Intel Core i3 Processor (i3-4130 / i5-2500 or higher), Apple Silicon (M1 or higher), 8GB of RAM or more. Windows 10 (or higher), Intel Core i3 Processor (i3-4130 / i5-2500 or higher), AMD Quad-Core Processor (R5 2200G or higher), 8GB of RAM or more.
• Contact: Neural DSP

Usability

Those accustomed to Neural DSP’s amp sims will find this offering instantly recognizable. For those who aren’t, everything is well signposted and easy to find, with ample space left to make the plugin visually stimulating. The not-so-metal pastel colour scheme is a welcome touch, too.

Where this plugin asserts itself, however, is with its extended arsenal of effects. If anything, it’s a little overwhelming knowing where to start, given how extensive its toy collection is.

Looking at the traditional pre-FX, the Clarity Compressor offers a huge scope of tightening and detail accenting options, vastly outshining the compressor of Archetype: Henson, my previous go-to.

The Precision Drive, meanwhile, makes tones a little more animalistic, but does have a tendency to get a little fizzy around the edges. I’ve learned to handle it diligently, and the Drive dial itself is more often than not backed off entirely. The Attack and Bright controls do the necessary work.

The Tape Echo is a novel addition, but I found myself turning on the Stereo Delay far more often, unless I wanted things to get really psychedelic, and the modulations are quite on-the-nose. They’re nothing remarkable, but useful bits of seasoning nevertheless.

The most fun can be had with the rest of its effects. The Chaos pedal is everything the Insane mode of a Line 6 Spider wishes it was, adding a buzzing, feral hiss to heavy rhythm tones, and the Glitch and Laser pedals are a whole other world unto themselves.

As its name suggests, the Laser is built to go pew pew, delivering sci-fi tones across 13 pitch-shifting presets and six ring-mod options.

The Trigger mini-switch is handy for instantaneous and momentary application, but the expression pedal is what I abused the most.

In Pedal mode, plugging an expression pedal in allows me to control its sweeps manually, while Envelope Mode reacts to my playing.

Here, the Sensitivity dial reacts to signal hum when cranked. It is better behaved when rolled back, but it isn't perfect. Using an expression pedal or MIDI automation for full dominion makes it far more usable, and a very fun tool to have, especially considering how wild it can get, with everything from Star Wars battle scene sounds to subtle detunes and inverted whammy sounds.

Doing a convincing Car Bomb impression has never been easier.

The ace up this plugin's sleeve is the Glitch, and it's definitely wild. While the Laser fares better when kept on a leash, this is all about randomness. Sure, there are parameters to set, such as defining the glitch loop length, character of the grain produced, and mix controls, but the randomness should still be embraced.

Of its four modes, Sequence is the most controlled, with notes played back in the order I played them, but with glitching strangeness injected in, with Interfere doing likewise, but with shorter grains that are far more random; it's the hyperactive little brother.

Pitch Delay is as I expected, with warped versions of my playing spat back out while Texturizer reverses the grains, for some really luscious sounds, especially on clean and edge-of-breakup tones, and was the one I frequented the most. It's certainly the easiest to get musical results from.

The pedal also reacts to pre-recorded parts, making it a fun post-production tool for adding unusual sounds in ambient breaks and outros, for instance.

In truth, I feel I’ve only just scratched the surface of what it can do, which is a plus and a minus – it’s not the easiest to master, but its wild antics are well worth exploring.

Sounds

Notably here, Mansoor has taken creative license when designing its trio of virtual heads, with the Clean amp inspired by his love for high-end watches, while the tiny, portable, and very modern-looking head offers a visage in huge contrast to the British, Celestion Creamback sounds of the Marshall amp it is based on. It’s important, then, to do your reading before diving in; otherwise, you may find yourself sculpting an amp for the wrong intended purpose.

The Clean amp certainly lives up to its billing via crystalline tones with a little edge, like a clean channel on a high-gain metal amp, as opposed to the gentle charm of a blackface Fender. Sprinkle in a little reverb, and you've got a clear, if not a little vanilla, clean amp that is prone to breaking up when I play with a little more force.

Use it as a tonal base for way more mileage. Leafing through the in-built presets, it has been transformed into a pretty convincing organ by utilizing the Dual Whammy function and Glitch for some trippy reverse delays. And it can also go heavy with the Dual Octaver, Drive, and Chaos pedals, combining for stank face-inducing fuzz anarchy, and trippy ethereal to boot. And as Haken's Rich Henshall proves with his presets, it can handle solos too, with the Drive's attack dial giving it enough of a push. It's not a one-trick pony.

The rhythm amp, conversely, is a little less transformable. It comes loaded with two voices offering different EQ voicings, with voice one more like the snarling 5150 tones most metal players are quick to gravitate to, and voice two bringing a more saggy saturation to the fore. Both handle the octaves well, performing with grit and clarity even in downtuned eight-string depths.

The Lead amp is warmer still, really leaning into hot-rodded Marshall territory with the bit between its teeth. There's an altogether more vintage feel to it, albeit with plenty of punch, meaning that it takes a little more taming for tighter sounds. But do so, and you have a feisty rhythm amp here which can be brought to contemporary speed, meaning if this were the only plugin you own, there are two solid-sounding amps for double-tracking metal. Maybe less so for jazz, although I did coax some fusion-y sounds out of it

Its lead tones are buttery smooth with clarity, even when the gain is pushed. That being said, its limited employment as a lead amp in the extensive bank of presets is surprising. I found it incredibly easy to craft a powerful but clear lead tone within a couple of minutes, leaning into what it's meant for. But as is the case with the Clean, there is more to the amp than meets the eye, and as a rhythm machine, it outstrips its stablemates. There’s a greater bite for me, with a heat that can be whipped into shape for those tight, gated riffs.

Verdict

Verdict: ★★★★☆

Expectations should be tempered before diving in, because Archetype: Misha Mansoor X doesn’t exactly behave like Neural DSP’s other plugins, and that is both its potential weakness and saving grace. I may have found the Lead amp far better at Rhythm tones than the Rhythm amp itself, and that the Clean amp can do way more than chime, but with that understood, I was able to manipulate the amp in far more ways.

As an avid Neural DSP user, I’m not so sure it quite dethrones Nameless and Gojira outright. Instead, it can be one of the gang – it’s not better or worse, just different. Different enough to want to blend with other amps, even if it isn’t necessarily the first one I load up every time.

It has enough features to make me content solely in its ecosystem, and, after hours of exploring, there are still way more wonders to be found. As a toolkit to aid my creative process, there’s always something to get inspired by.

Guitar World verdict: Two of its three amps are the most versatile and manipulable amp plugins I’ve ever come across, and its ridiculous roster of accoutrements has proved to be inspiration on tap. Navigating it is a piece of cake, choosing how to play with it is less so.

Hands-on videos

Neural DSP

• Best Neural DSP plugins 2025: 10 Neural plugins tested with sound samples

Misha Mansoor’s long-awaited Surfcaster signature guitar is perhaps one of the most anticipated electric guitar launches of recent years – but, thanks to a new post from Mansoor himself, it seems we might be finally edging towards an inevitable release date.

The Periphery guitar titan helped to start the Surfcaster revival last year when he showed off a custom Jackson build that transformed the shape of Charvel’s oddball offset model into an all-out metal guitar.

Mansoor wasn’t alone in bringing back the Surfcaster through a metal medium, though: before then, Spiritbox guitarist Mike Stringer had also posted pictures of two stunning custom builds.

Since that point, fans have been patiently waiting for a Mansoor signature Surfcaster to land, and while we’ve all been slightly appeased by the recently revived standard-run Surfcaster and Lee Malia’s own signature model, the pastel hues and artful relic’ing of Mansoor’s own guitars are still highly sought after.

Now, Mansoor has a third Surfcaster to add to his collection – a turquoise-finished, Evertune-equipped baritone model that he declares “might be the one”.

“Been enjoying my custom shop Jackson Surfcaster 30 Baritones so much I asked them to make me one with an Evertune,” Mansoor writes. “This time finished in Taos Turquoise because of course I need a blue variant.

“Sounds SO good. Might be the best sounding of the 3? I’m gonna do some tests, but god I love it. These are weird niche instruments, but they are so inspiring to me in the smooth brain tuning I have them in, which the Evertune is working its magic with.”

This latest variation comes packing Bare Knuckle Juggernaut pickups, a color-matched headstock, white pickguard, and roasted maple neck and fretboard. It’s a close call between this one, the original green model, and the heavy aged pink beauty, but we’re inclined to agree with Mansoor here: this looks like the real deal.

The fact this has been labeled as “the one” suggests Mansoor has reached the peak of his Surfaster experiments. Now, if Jackson could just get moving on a signature version – especially one that recreates this stunning blue model – that would be great.

During a conversation with Guitar World last year, Mansoor offered some heavy hints regarding the future of his Surfcaster experiments, conceding that a signature run may materialize at some point owing to the sheer amount of interest his builds are getting.

“We’re sort of at the beginning stages of this. This is just for me right now,” he said. “But I will say that ever since I posted pictures of this, there’s certainly been enough interest both from people and dealers to where it’s likely there will be a run of these made in the Custom Shop.

“And then from there, maybe there would be a justification for a production line. We’ll have to see, these things take time. It would be nice to get a production version of this going.”

Elsewhere in his Guitar World interview, Mansoor reflected on the rise of offset guitars in metal music.

What is it?

Coming from one-third of Periphery’s triumvirate guitar attack, the Jackson Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut ET6 is a forward-thinking metal guitar from a progressive-minded guitarist. There’s no vintage tone or period-correct appointments here, just a futuristic approach to design that’s all about performance and playability.

The poplar body of the Juggernaut ET6 features ultra-thin, carved horns that prioritize upper fret access, with a sculpted neck heel to ensure you can reach all 24 frets with ease. A caramelized maple neck with a thin profile gives stability and encourages fleet-fingered playing across the two-octave, stainless steel-equipped ebony fingerboard with luminous side dots.

In terms of hardware, the centerpiece is the EverTune F6 bridge, which offers a fresh approach to guitar bridge design. It’s paired with a set of Jackson locking tuners in an offset 3x3 mounting on the headstock I’ve heard referred to as the ‘Smurf hat’, but it gives me more chipped ancient spear vibes.

The pickups are Jackson’s own brand, but have been designed with a lot of input from Misha, presumably to keep the cost down because Misha’s own signature Bare Knuckles would add a lot to the overall price. There’s a push-pull knob on the tone control to unlock extra tone options alongside a 5-way blade switch, so there are plenty of sounds available for the progressive part of prog metal. The guitar also comes with a Jackson Soloist/Dinky gig bag.

Specs

• Launch price: $1,469.99/£1,399/€1,499
• Made: Indonesia
• Type: Six-string electric guitar
• Body: Poplar
• Neck: Caramelized maple
• Fingerboard: Ebony
• Scale length: 25.5" (64.77 cm)
• Nut/width: Black plastic, 42.86mm
• Frets: 24, jumbo stainless steel
• Hardware: Jackson sealed die-cast locking tuners, EverTune F6 Model bridge
• String spacing at bridge: 50mm
• Electrics: 2x Jackson Uncovered MM1 humbuckers, volume, tone controls with push/pull, 5-position blade switch
• Weight: 7.71lbs/3.5kg
• Options: N/A
• Left-handed options: No
• Finishes: Riviera Blue (as reviewed)
• Cases: Jackson soft gig bag
• Contact: Jackson

Build quality

Build quality rating: ★★★★½

Unboxing the Jackson Pro Plus Juggernaut I'm immediately struck by the Riviera Blue finish which looks more than a little pop-punk to my eye. Examining the guitar in detail I can see it's been immaculately applied everywhere, apart from some small bits of wood showing through the holes where the neck bolts are.

The fretwork is superb, with the fingerboard edges nicely rolled and feeling smooth across both sides and it's a similar story with the inlays and side dots which are applied to perfection. There's no slack in the neck join with the sculpted heel meeting the neck perfectly, although a very close look did show some slight roughness on the treble side, only visible with my face right up to it.

The hardware is all solidly applied, with the big block of the EverTune bridge sitting perfectly straight, the switches and knurled knobs all feel rock-solidly installed, with no hint of movement. Overall, it's really well put together, and apart from some tiny cosmetic blemishes I find nothing else to complain about.

Playability

Playability rating: ★★★★½

Sitting down to do an initial playtest, the guitar is out of tune, and for the first time ever, I have to read the manual for a guitar to find out how to get it where I need it. Handily Jackson includes an EverTune-specific manual in the box, which explains clearly how to get it up and running.

EverTune bridges are design to hold your guitar in tune no matter what the atmospheric conditions, no matter how hard you bend or fret the strings, nor how long you play it. It's entirely passive too, so once set you don’t need to do anything else to it. There are two modes, one that keeps the strings perfectly tuned, even if you bend them, and a second mode that allows you to bend and use vibrato, but returns the strings to perfect pitch.

I start by returning the guitar to its factory tuning of Drop C via the included hex key, much as you would tune a Floyd Rose with the micro-tuners at the bridge end. With the guitar in ‘zone 2,’ I can play as hard as I want without the strings ever sounding like they’re even a smidge off perfect pitch. It’s an unfamiliar feeling, one that takes me a little while to get used to.

My usual arsenal of prog metal licks become surgical in their precision, perfectly in tune even as I dig in as hard as possible with my right hand. It almost feels like cheating it sounds so good, and it’s a similar feel when I play barre chords or dig into some power chords with my thick gauge pick. My playing style features a heavy right hand, so much so, that I typically tune my strings ever so slightly flat so they sound in tune when I play, but that’s not required here.

It’s not often I get a guitar that completely blows me away with how it plays, but using the EverTune bridge is quite unlike anything else I’ve ever tried. It’s much simpler to set up than a Floyd Rose and stays in tune way better than any locking tremolo system I’ve come across. Once I get over the initial weirdness of all my licks being perfectly intonated, I can see how good of a tool it would be for any player, let alone regularly recording and gigging musicians like myself.

Moving the EverTune into bending mode however, is a much less smooth task. Here I need to take the string outside of ‘zone 2’, which involves turning the tuning machine until it starts to go sharp (called ‘zone 3’), before moving it back into ‘zone 2’. The idea here is you can bend and vibrato as normal, but the string always returns to perfect pitch.

I follow the instructions the manual presents, but I can’t get it to feel the same as my regular guitar. I play with moving the guitar between ‘zone 2’ and ‘zone 3’ over the course of an hour or so to try and find the right balance, but it always feels slightly alien. I find I can adjust my playing style to compensate, as I might do moving from guitars with different string gauges, but particularly with vibrato, I need a lot more time to get accustomed to how it reacts.

The overall playability of the guitar is fantastic in terms of fingerboard and neck feel. As you might expect coming from Misha Mansoor it's absolutely rapid, feeling to my hand like a ‘D’ profile shape. Combined with the fact that it's difficult to pull the string out of tune I can really lay into it, switching between chugging and fast lead work without ever feeling like I’m pushing it too hard – a really amazing experience.

Sounds

Sounds rating: ★★★★½

As I expect, the pickups are seriously hot when I play through the gain channel of my Orange tube amp. It’s modern metal through and through, with a rich saturation that's articulate and has a nice bit of low-end oomph to it. It stays clear even when I play open chords and open up the gain knob, and sounds great as I switch between chunky riffs and chord stabs with open strings higher up the neck.

Moving to the bridge position it's a similar tale, but slightly backs off the gain for a warmer tone. It’s not exactly a vintage humbucker though. I find a searing sound that’s a little woolier with open chords in the lower strings, but still retains a nice clarity on the treble side of the spectrum. Lead licks sound thick and warm but still give plenty of ability to cut through a dense mix.

The in-between positions surprise me a little with just how spanky they sound. They’re very Strat-esque and great for that overly compressed modern prog metal clean tone. Paired with some of my tapping licks I get a really percussive sound in position 2, and something slightly warmer in position 4, which quickly becomes my favorite of the in-between positions. There’s a nice volume jump from these voices to the main humbucker too, which I find really useful for moving from a clean verse to something more rip-roaring in the chorus.

Unusually, the push-pull tone knob doesn’t access any coil splitting or tapping, instead, it removes - or rather engages - the tone knob from the circuit entirely. That's because by default, the tone control is bypassed, so pulling the control out engages the tone circuit.

It’s a subtle difference, and I have to repeatedly switch between the two positions to really notice the change, but with the tone knob removed from the circuit, it sounds brighter and to my ear, a little harsher. I end up preferring having the tone knob in the circuit on my clean amp sound, but I find I can get some cool tonal changes by dialing the tone knob back and swapping between the two different positions, bringing the guitar from a duller tone to something more direct.

Verdict

I’ve reviewed a lot of guitars over the past few years and the Jackson Juggernaut ET6 is something that really is quite different from the rest. I love the player-centric features like the unusual push-pull tone control, great selection of pickup sounds, ergonomic body feel, and super fast playing neck, but it’s the EverTune bridge that really makes it special.

I can totally see how once set up properly this guitar can be an incredibly powerful instrument for studio and live playing thanks to the bridge. It makes it a precision tool for modern metal, a well-honed surgical blade for the studio, and a guitar that can get the average player closer to the pristine sounds of modern production without needing a boatload of takes and editing to get there.

Guitar World verdict: If you want a guitar to cover all the sounds of modern and progressive metal with the clinical accuracy of a djent breakdown, the Jackson Pro Plus Series Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut ET6 is totally worth the money. It delivers a superb array of tones for heavy playing and the lighter stuff, and the tuning stability and intonation of the EverTune bridge really needs to be played to be believed.

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Hands-on videos

Peavey Invective .112 combo: What is it?

Amp-modeling apps, pedals and processors may offer guitarists compelling alternatives to a traditional tube guitar amp, but as long as products like the Peavey Invective .112 that offer distinctive tonal character and versatile features continue to be developed, traditional guitar amps will never be obsolete.

This latest addition to the Peavey Invective line sits nicely in between the full-size Invective .120 and mini Invective .MH guitar amp heads, adding a 1x12 combo to the lineup.

Like the Invective .MH, the Invective .112 is a 20-watt amp driven by a pair of EL84 power tubes and three 12AX7 preamp tubes.

However, it is much more than a combo version of the MH thanks to the clean channel’s expanded EQ control section that includes a separate midrange knob in addition to low and high, the front panel’s Gate threshold control and a built-in reverb effect, plus a Celestion Vintage 30 12-inch speaker housed in a ported open-back premium birch and poplar cabinet.

These additional features are well worth the additional $400 investment above the MH head’s price.

The Invective .112 features two fully independent channels (Clean and Lead) each with their own separate Low, Mid and High EQ controls. The Clean channel also has a Gain (volume) knob, while the Lead channel provides Pre Gain, Post Gain and Gate Threshold knobs and push-switches for engaging Boost, Tight and Gate functions.

A Master section offers Presence, Resonance and Reverb controls for both channels. A pair of output Tube Status Indication (TSI) LEDs located below the standby switch allow players to monitor power tube faults.

Rear panel features consist of a 20-/5-/1-watt power output selector switch, 16-/8-ohm speaker impedance toggle, speaker enable/defeat switch (with built-in dummy load to prevent damage when the speaker is bypassed), 1/8-inch headphone jack, Mic Simulated Direct Interface (MSDI) via the XLR or USB jacks, a Ground Lift switch, mono ¼-inch effect send and return jacks, individual ¼-inch footswitch jacks for channel select/Tight and reverb/Boost + Gate functions.

A single Peavey multi-purpose two-button footswitch controller is included, but you’ll need to buy a second footswitch controller if you want to control all of the footswitch functions at once.

Peavey Invective .112 combo: Specs

Launch price: $1,199/£1,019
Type: Tube combo
Origin: China
Output: 20 Watts RMS (switchable to 5W/1W)
Speaker: 12", Celestion Vintage 30
Tubes: 3 x 12AX7/ECC83 (preamp),
Channels: 2
Controls: Presence, Master, Reverb; (Lead channel) Post Gain, High, Mid, Low, Pre Gain, Gate/Threshold, Boost switch, Tight switch, Gate switch, Channel switch; (Clean channel) High, Mid, Low, Gain
Connectivity: 1/4" input, MSDI (Mic Simulated Direct Interface) XLR output, 1/8" headphones output, effects loop, footswitch input, 1/4" speaker output (8, 16 ohms), mic-simulated USB output,
Footswitch: Yes
Weight: 17kg
Contact: Peavey

Peavey Invective .112 combo: Usability and sounds

Perhaps the most appealing feature of the Invective .112 is how well it delivers big amp tones and performance in a compact all-in-one package that weighs less than 40 pounds. The Clean channel remains crystal clear up until just below 5 on the Gain when using PAF-style humbuckers, and above that it transitions to subtle, chunky overdrive with just a hint of grit.

This channel’s attack is instantaneous and may sound a little stiff to players used to tube rectifier sag, but it’s perfect for modern guitarists who prefer more precise dynamics that pair well with pedal effects. This channel also provides attractive ambient textures with the built-in reverb effect dialed in.

The Lead channel summons similar super-saturated high-gain tones as the full-size Invective .120 head developed with help from the discriminating ears of Misha Mansoor.

This is full-on modern metal distortion with super-deep bass that is enhanced by the awesome Resonance control, which can be employed in conjunction with the Tight function to dial absolutely huge-sounding yet articulately defined bottom-end. The Presence control similarly provides versatile shaping of treble frequencies for added sizzle or sparkle.

The Boost function provides a slight amount of extra midrange emphasis in addition to increasing the output by a few decibels. Being able to dial in the threshold for the Gate function is worth the price of the upgrade from the MH head alone.

The amp’s MSDI feature is highly useful for live performance applications, providing natural-sounding tones directly to a mixing console. It also works well for direct recording applications, particularly when paired with good IR cabinet/room emulation.

Peavey Invective .112 combo: Verdict

Like the MH head, the Invective .112 combo goes above and beyond in providing a well thought-out and comprehensive configuration of gig-worthy, pro features like independent EQ for each channel, numerous footswitchable functions and excellent DI capabilities.

It does have its own distinct sonic personality that you’ll want to try before you buy, but that’s a major bonus in a world where so many amp models are designed to provide the “same old” classic sounds.

Peavey Invective .112 combo : Hands-on videos

Peavey

Sweetwater and Misha Mansoor

• Peavey Invective MH head review

Of all the electric guitar trends to have emerged over the past few years – from the proliferation of digital amp modelers to the rise of the rubber bridge guitar – one of the most notable is the soaring popularity of offset guitars in the progressive and heavy metal realms.

After Jim Root recalibrated the Fender Jazzmaster for a game-changing signature guitar a few years ago, many of his peers have since followed suit. Mike Stringer, for example, recently worked with Jackson to transform the Charvel Surfcaster into an extended range metal machine.

Misha Mansoor is another big-name player who has put his own distinct, heavy-minded spin on Charvel’s long-lost offset template, having worked with the Jackson Custom Shop to produce a pair of heavy relic’d models earlier this year.

These are but a few examples of metal players hopping on the high-performance offset trend in recent years, and in an upcoming interview with Guitar World, Mansoor offered his own two cents on why such guitars are experiencing a rapid renaissance.

On the one hand, the Periphery virtuoso believes it could be a naturally occurring phenomenon that is a result of general movements in the vintage guitar market.

“I think these things move in cycles. Maybe it's a reflection of the vintage market,” he tells Guitar World. “Like, over the pandemic, prices of vintage Strats and Teles just went nuts.

“My business partner at Horizon Devices, Brian Gilmanov, used to trade a lot of vintages. He knows vintage guitars inside out. I was like, ‘Alright, what's the guitar I could get, let's call it an inflation hedge?’ And he was like, ‘You should get a Jazzmaster.’

“He was showing me some stuff for six or seven or eight grand. I was like, ‘That's a lot of money. I don’t really want to spend that much on a Jazzmaster.’ It just didn't seem right. And then now, some of these are going for 15 to 20 grand. I should have listened to him.

“But it just seems like that was the next thing, because the Strats had already gone. And then he [said], ‘It'll probably be the Jaguars [next].’ So I think maybe it’s a reflection and an extension of that.”

Another, more straightforward theory that Mansoor offers concerns the fact that, at the end of the day, offsets just look cool. And who doesn’t love a cool-looking guitar?

“It's kind of trendy and it goes in cycles,” he goes on. “But as much as it may be a trend, I wouldn't get a guitar I don't like. I like the look of an offset.

“Maybe it's just something the whole community was feeling. It's like, alright, but you know, I've done my Strat, maybe I should have done a Tele – and maybe I will do a Tele – but you know what, I don't have is an offset.

“Maybe a lot of people are feeling the same way. They're like, ‘Yeah, [I’m] covered with Superstrats and Strats and whatnot, but I don't have an offset. And hey, now I'm seeing it in this light…’ [It’s a] very attractive offset, you know?

“People may do the same thing with the Les Paul, where they're just like, ‘Oh, yeah, I don't have a Les Paul. Maybe I should get a Les Paul,’ you know?

“So maybe it's a little bit of that. People hadn't been thinking about them, they see some pretty ones, and obviously start thinking about them. I'm sure that fad will fade a little bit, but I'll still love this guitar after that.”

Keep your eyes peeled on GuitarWorld.com for the full interview with Misha Mansoor, in which the Periphery guitarist takes a deep dive into his new Jackson Surfcasters – and teases a potential signature run.

Periphery guitarist Misha Mansoor has taken to social media to show off his latest electric guitar – and it's a beauty.

A custom shop build that merges a Charvel Surfcaster body and a Fender headstock with the kind of appointments found on his brutal Jackson signature guitars, this particular axe looks strikingly similar to Mike Stringer’s very own recent Jackson Custom Shop acquisitions.

Both Stringer and Mansoor's builds marry ultra-desirable retro aesthetics and relic’d finishes with modern-minded metal-ready hardware, continuing a trend that sees metal guitars increasingly embraced by the mainstream and metal guitarists turning to vintage guitars.

With both high-profile players now using variations of these classic-silhouetted metal machines – and having their fanbases drool over them – could a full production run be next?

As the djent guitarist details, his new guitar sports an extended 30” scale to cater for its hellishly low tuning, with a roasted ash body paired with a roasted maple bolt-on neck and a flame maple fretboard.

Its fretboard has been curated with a 20” radius, delivering 22 Jumbo stainless steel frets, while its electronics are headlined by a pair of Misha’s signature Bare Knuckle Ragnarock humbuckers.

Other appointments include Gotoh locking tuners and his go-to Hipshot fixed bridge. There are also Dunlop Dual Design strap locks and Luminlay side dots, while it’s strung with a Horizon Devices eight-string set of strings, tuned to drop E.

“Jesus Christ, this is so sick,” Mansoor says as he opens up its hardshell case in a video posted to Instagram. “I've been waiting a year and a half for this. I've never ordered anything like this before.

“This is my version of a Jazzmaster using a Charvel Surfcaster body with a modified pickguard shape so that Fender would be happy me having the Jackson logo on the headstock,” he continues.

“I don't know exactly what kind of music I'm gonna make with this but I'm excited. It's gonna be heavy.”

He later returned to Instagram to showcase how the guitar sounds, and you won't be surprised to hear just how gnarly this build gets, its low-end tight and aggressive but gleaming with clarity.

Mike Stringer was equally as impressed with his builds, which also paired a Surfcaster body with a Fender headstock and a raft of modern fittings, such as an Evertune bridge.

“I’ve always been obsessed with classic vintage looking guitars, (offsets specifically) and wanted to do a modern take based on [Jackson's] classic Surfcaster model,” he said at the time.

“The team at Jackson were super down with the idea, and I got the opportunity to spec out two offset customs. The end result is mind blowing!”

Although it must be reiterated that both guitarists custom-ordered their axes, the commonality between their specs points to a wider growing desire for heavy offsets that we hope Jackson capitalizes on.

With Jackson and Charvel both standing as part of the Fender family brand, there’s a freedom to meld headstocks and body shapes together without falling foul of lawsuits. And when the results are this good, a production run would surely be an open goal.

In their current states, like-for-like reproductions of Mansoor and Stringer’s guitars won’t come cheap, but there is clearly an appetite for these instruments. Watch this space.

Peavey has debuted a combo amp version of its Misha Mansoor-designed Invective 120 amp head, which promises to place the original’s tones into a package that operates at a “neighborhood-friendly” capacity.

For this project, the Periphery virtuoso was once again brought onboard to help create a downsized, 20-watt variant of his flagship amp – a head that is widely regarded as one of the most versatile high-gainers currently available.

Mansoor had a few requirements for his original Invective 120, which was launched in 2017. As a fan of digital amps, the Periphery djent specialist wanted versatile tonal options, easy switching and “superior high-gain tones” that could outperform digital alternatives.

The result was an 120-watt amp head that went big on versatility, supposedly suitable for everything from rock and metal to country, jazz and blues. It also had a “pristine clean channel” that helped lay the foundations for a premier pedal platform.

All of the above – aside from the massive wattage – has returned for the Invective 112. Under the hood, there are two EL84 power tubes and three 12AX7/ECC83 preamp tubes that were cherry-picked by Mansoor.

There are both Clean and Lead channels, selected via a small switch that sits next to the Lead channel’s Boost, Tight and Gate buttons. That former channel is frills-free clean mode, with just a three-band EQ and Gain control to its name.

Lead, meanwhile, offers some more sound-sculpting options in the form of Pre– and Post-Gain controls, a three-band EQ, and a threshold knob that works with the built-in noise gate. There’s also a Master section in charge of Presence, Resonance and a one-size-fits-all Reverb parameter.

There are a few modern tweaks to really make this tube combo stand out, though. There’s a USB Record Output for recording directly from the amp, with Peavey’s MSDI circuit – which simulates the sound of a mic’d up speaker – providing the tones.

“This is one of the most versatile amps we’ve made so far,” Peavey says in a demo video, adding in a caption that “the invective.112 delivers the versatility modern medal players need to shape their own signature tone”.

“The invective series was designed in collaboration with Misha Mansoor of Periphery to redefine the modern metal tone,” the firm concludes.

We imagine fans of Peavey, Periphery and versatile high-gain amps alike will all be pleased to see the Invective finally get a combo rebirth. It also begs the question: could higher-wattage combos be in store for the future? Only time will tell.

The Invective 112 weighs in at under 40lbs, and is available for $1,199.

Head over to Peavey to find out more.

Horizon Devices has just launched the Clarity Compressor, which it claims will be the “most transparent compressor you’ve ever played”.  However, its first batch is in limited production, so you’ll have to be quick to get your hands on one.

The compression pedal is designed for ease of use and, as Horizon Devices put it, “take the guesswork out of compressors.” To that end, you should be able to stick it in front of your signal chain and, even with everything dialled at noon, hear a noticeable difference.

Its simplicity is echoed in its minimal design and subtly sparkling silver finish. There are four control knobs for clarity, mix, volume and compression and a bright on/off light. A dotted LED display showcases the amount of compression applied in that moment. There’s also a light which displays the compressor’s intensity.  

“I am so excited to share the Clarity Compressor with you,” says Horizon founder and Periphery guitarist Misha Mansoor. “It's the only pedal that I never turn off and it's an essential part of my sound. We set out to make a pedal that's like your favourite hot sauce; you'll want to put it on everything.

“We wanted to take the guesswork out of compressors so it's simple to set up and gives your guitar a chimey character,” he continues. “You can leave it on forever because it always works.”

Sonically, the compact pedal sets out to give your tone an extra sparkle when used with high gains, and extra glue when digging in deep with palm mutes. As displayed by Mansoor in the product demo, all your notes will cut through when playing tapping licks, helping tidy up an imbalance of velocity between your fingers. When played with clean tones, it will provide extra sustain, clarity and a gentle sprinkling of gain.

“It was used all over [latest album] P5,” Mansoor continues. “The Horizon Devices Precision Drive was in front of every amp, but so was this guy!”

Furthering the hot sauce analogy, it isn’t a pedal limited to guitars either. Whether you’re putting it in front of tube and solid state amps, modeling amps, plugins or even synths, Horizon Devices has endeavored to make this a hugely versatile pedal.

The Clarity Compressor becomes Horizon's sixth pedal, following the Precision Drive, Apex Preamp, Flux Echo and Nano Attack gain/boost pedal. The company also manufactures strings and Jazz III picks.

The first batch is expected to start shipping in two-three weeks, and costs $160. Pre-orders are now available direct from the Horizon website.

For more info, jump on over to HorizonDevices.com. 

Jackson went from humble beginnings as a small Californian repair shop to taking over the world of heavy metal instruments in a relatively short amount of time. Today, the best Jackson guitars can be seen slung around the shoulders of the biggest names in metal, with the brand being the weapon of choice for everyone from Misha Mansoor to Mark Heylmun, Chris Broderick, Rob Caggiano and many more. 

With beloved models such as the Dinky, Rhoads, Soloist and Kelly, the Jackson catalog is packed to the brim with unique instruments that offer players a plethora of sonic characteristics – and better yet, there are featured-packed options at every price point. So whether you're riffing, soloing, or raising hell, there's a Jackson model to help you do it with style. 

So, without further ado, strap in, tune up and allow us to guide you through the wild world of the very best Jackson guitars.

Best Jackson guitars: Quick list

Want to cut to the chase and find out exactly what we think are the best Jackson guitars on the market right now? Below, you’ll find a round-up of our top choices. You can jump to a more detailed review of every pick and our clever price comparison tool will help you find the best deals online today.

The best Jackson guitars available today

Best Jackson on a budget

For those seeking a metal monster on a budget, the beloved JS Series is most definitely the place to start – and one of our favorites is the regal JS32T King V. With its poplar body, bolt-on graphite-reinforced maple neck, lightning-fast 12"-16" compound radius fingerboard and high-output humbuckers, this guitar doesn't look, sound or feel like a budget guitar. 

Other features include an adjustable string-through-body compensated bridge, die-cast tuners and those iconic sharkfin inlays. As far as finishes go, this spikey axe is available in the understated Gloss Black or the bold Ferrari Red Gloss.

Okay, so the V shape may be a little awkward to sit down with and we certainly don't recommend it for absolute beginners, but if you're looking for a wallet-friendly doom machine that is choc-full of modern appointments, then this is the best Jackson for you. 

Best Jackson overall

The Dinky is one of Jackson's most popular and recognizable electric guitars in their vast lineup. This Superstrat is quintessentially Jackson. From its lightweight poplar body with sculpted heel contour, shredder-friendly 12 " - 16" compound radius fingerboard and thin maple neck, this guitar makes short work of those fast legato licks. 

Loaded with a trio of Jackson pickups, the Dinky DK3XR is tonally versatile, too. The ceramic high-output humbucker is fierce and with the right amp setting could melt a face from 100 yards away. That said, it's more than high-gain shredding this guitar can do. The single-coil middle and neck pickups deliver the mellow Strat sounds we all crave when we want things to get a little lighter. 

Now, it wouldn't be a proper Superstrat without a tremolo unit, and luckily, the Dinky comes loaded with the Jackson-branded Floyd Rose double-locking tremolo bridge system. So you'll be able to perform those guitar acrobatics that plagued the '80s. 

Best Jackson for leadwork

We've always been huge fans of the Jackson Soloist here at Guitar World – so you can imagine how excited we were to get our hands on the new American Series Soloist SL3. This contemporary version of the Jackson classic is built to the exacting standards of the original model, but there are a few subtle upgrades that modern players will welcome.

In our glowing 5-star review, we praised the guitar's superb build quality and outstanding playability, saying, "when playing the American Series Soloist, 40 years of guitar-making experience and refinement is evident compared to the original model. Here, the fretboard edges are smoothly rounded off to provide silky comfort and the slim, flat C-shape neck profile facilitates lightning-fast runs. A deep-routed cavity allows players to raise the pitch significantly with the Floyd Rose. Playability, comfort, and performance are all simply top-notch".

If you're in the market for a premium shredder that is loaded with all the modern features today's guitarists need, then look no further than the stunning Jackson American Series Soloist SL3. 

Read our full Jackson American Series Soloist SL3 review

Best for Periphery fans

On the surface, this signature collaboration with Periphery's Misha Mansoor may look like a retro-inspired Stratocaster, but have a quick glance at its impressive spec sheet and you'll notice it's anything but a traditional Fender. 

From its lightweight basswood body and caramelized maple neck with rock-solid graphite reinforcement to its 22 jumbo stainless steel frets, glow-in-the-dark Luminlay side dots and a trio of Bare Knuckle pickups, this S-Type has been specifically designed with high performance in mind – and trust us when we say, this is one of the most inspiring signature models we've ever played. 

From off-the-wall progressive metal to classic vintage single-coil sounds, the So-Cal 2PT can do it all – and it looks effortlessly cool while doing it. 

Best for '80s metal

If there was one artist who is synonymous with Jackson, it's the virtuoso extraordinaire, Randy Rhoads. In 1980, Ozzy Osbourne's talented new guitar player had a hand in creating the first-ever guitar that proudly displayed the "Jackson" moniker on the headstock. Now, while his Concorde V would evolve into what we now think of as the Jackson Rhoads, the guitarist would meet his untimely death before he could see just how popular his creation would become. 

The Jackson Pro Series Rhoads takes what the original V started and brings it bang up to date – with a focus on a more aggressive contemporary tone. The mahogany body with its graphite-reinforced through-body maple neck looks every bit as good as it did in the '80s, but a duo of Seymour Duncan Distortion pickups makes sure it can satisfy the needs of a modern shredder. 

This guitar has plenty of output for driving your amp into bold new territories while also providing the clarity needed to hear every single note of your gravity-defying legato runs. So, all aboard the Crazy Train for a guitar that proves You Can't Kill Rock and Roll. 

Best Jackson 7-string guitar

Looking for an earth-shaking guitar that has enough low-end to level a city? Well, look no further than the Jackson Pro Plus Dinky DK Modern HT7 MS. This tangerine doom machine is easily one of the best 7-string guitars available right now and is our pick for the best Jackson guitar for those seeking a multi-scale instrument.  

If you've ever down-tuned your guitar in the hope of playing some seriously heavy riffs, you'll know the pitfalls associated with low-tuned, heavily distorted guitars. Tuning stability and intonation are often affected, and string tension can be a real problem. That's where a multi-scale design comes in. The neck of the Jackson Pro Plus Dinky DK Modern HT7 MS accommodates two scale lengths on one fingerboard – 27" on the lower strings and the more traditional 25.5" on the higher strings. This ensures the guitar has the optimal tension across all strings and that the tuning and intonation are as solid as can be. 

Couple the multi-scale design with the Fishman Fluence Modern PRF-MH8 ceramic bridge and alnico neck humbucking pickups and you get a guitar that sounds as good as it looks and feels. 

Read our full Jackson Pro Plus Dinky DK Modern HT7 review

Best for standing out

For us, the Jackson X Series houses some of the brand's best-value guitars. Coming loaded with premium features while maintaining a wallet-friendly price tag, this is the place to go for a workhorse guitar that will never give up. 

Now, while the X Series is home to a slew of models from the Dinky to the Soloist, King V and many more, the guitar that gets our pick is the Kelly KEX. For us, this guitar is the perfect balance of form and function – and it sounds pretty great, too! 

Even though the shape may resemble a Gibson Explorer, the guitar's design shares more in common with the Firebird. The Kelly is constructed with a through-neck that then has the "body-wings" attached; in this case, they are made of lightweight poplar. This design makes the guitar incredibly resonant. 

Like any of the other guitars in the X Series, the Kelly comes equipped with a pair of Jackson high-output humbucking pickups, single volume and tone controls, a three-way toggle switch and a Floyd Rose Special double-locking tremolo system. 

Best premium model

Stunning walnut top, jet-black ebony fingerboard, glow-in-the-dark Luminlay side dots, Seymour Duncan Full Shred SH-10B bridge pickup and Seymour Duncan Custom Flat Strat SSL-6 neck pickup, these are features you'd expect on a Custom Shop instrument, but they are actually available as part of Jackson's Concept Series. 

In this series, Jackson takes their beloved instruments and revamps them with commonly asked-for spec changes and wild new finishes – and we think the results are simply breathtaking. 

This mahogany and walnut Soloist is easily one of the most beautiful examples we've ever seen – and luckily it has the playability and sound to boot. 

The gorgeous three-piece maple/wenge/maple neck is absolutely effortless to play, while the Luminlay side dots mean you'll never get lost on those dark stages. Pair that with the outrageous Seymour Duncan pickups – which are mounted directly to the body for improved vibration transfer – and you get a guitar that sounds every bit as good as it looks and feels. 

Best 8-string Jackson guitar

In our guide to the best 8-string guitars, the instrument that tops our list is the Jackson X Series Soloist Arch Top SLAT8 MS. We love the Soloist in its standard form, and we think it translates very well to the extended range format. 

Now, as you can imagine, there's a lot of extra tension on an 8-string neck, but luckily the SLAT8's scarf joint and two graphite rods mean there's no movement in this neck at all – it's as solid as a rock! One thing to keep in mind, though, is the nut width is rather wide at 53.85mm, so if you're a fan of thin necks, maybe this isn't the guitar for you. 

The tonal heart of this metal monster is a set of EMG 909 humbuckers. You don't need us to tell you that this fierce set of active pickups is sure to bring the power – but what's more important is their clarity and low-end definition. These pickups sound absolutely brilliant, regardless of how low you tune!

Best Jackson guitars: Buying advice

How we choose products

At Guitar World, our writing team consists of seasoned musicians deeply immersed in the world of guitar gear. With years of playing and rigorous product testing under our belts, we bring a practical understanding derived from real-world experience with musical equipment. Our dedication covers every aspect of the musical journey, from live gigs to studio sessions, forming the foundation for our carefully curated recommendations across various categories.

When it comes to finding the best Jackson guitars on the market, our approach is meticulous. We blend practical experience, insights from user reviews, and extensive discussions within our editorial team. This down-to-earth method ensures a thorough evaluation, offering a reliable guide for your next guitar purchase.

As passionate guitarists ourselves, our main aim is to help fellow players discover gear that perfectly fits their needs. We consider factors like budget constraints, features, and the pedal's usability, creating a list that straightforwardly represents the best Jackson guitars in today's musical landscape.

Read more about how we test products and services and how we make our recommendations.

Jackson launched its latest American Series model the Virtuoso last week. The electric guitar itself might have arrived in an attention-grabbing Shell Pink, but the thing that really caught our eye was the accompanying star-studded promo video. 

Dubbed The Virtuoso Mega Shred, the clip features Periphery guitarist Misha Mansoor, Marty Friedman, Revocation’s Dave Davidson and next-gen players –Heriot’s Debbie Gough and Erra’s Clint Tustin – taking solo turns across a single evolving track. In the process, they showcase a killer selection of monstrous, yet highly individual, lead guitar styles.

Initially, we were just impressed that in an era of virtual trade shows and Instagram teasers in the place of product launches, a guitar company had both the nerve and the budget to commission an original track , particularly given it’s composed by Mansoor himself, no less.

However, the Virtuoso clip represents a wider change – not just in the way that guitars are being marketed, or Jackson’s confidence levels (which are apparently sitting on an 11/10 right now) – but for metal guitar itself. 

Firstly, the lineup is stellar. It whips through a breathless cross-section of metal guitar talent past and present and offers a sort of ‘show don’t tell’ acknowledgement of the robust health of the genre in 2023.

Friedman takes the limelight. As a forward-thinking virtuoso with bonafide classic metal credentials, he has the precision chops to compete with the new brand of YouTube hyper-shredder. He does not go easy on the kids, either, finishing his building levelling solo with a casual pick toss (the shredder’s mic drop).

Davidson brings an underlying hint of death metal menace and classic rock sleaze to proceedings; Gough wrangles an entire menagerie of animalist wails over sludge riffs and Tustin brings the metalcore pace with some lightning-fast runs, interspersed with colorful, unexpected bends.

Against that backdrop, Mansoor is the ideal composer and fifth soloist – a player who helped shape the present state and popularity of contemporary metal. 

He’s also comfortably sandwiched between a strange blend of Meshuggah might, Dream Theater’s prog technicality and the gargantuan tones (and experimentalism) of the new generation. 

“It was a very different challenge from what I have to do normally,” Mansoor recently said during Jackson’s Shop Talk press conference.  “Being an instrumental song, you want it to be interesting enough to where it doesn't sort of overstay its welcome…

“But mainly I wanted to write sections for each of the artists that would show that like, ‘Hey, I've done my homework. I think that you would have fun with this,’ and then try to make that all flow from beginning to end.”

At its simplest level, that’s the song’s greatest success: it is fun, it is memorable and, most importantly, it inspires you to play guitar.

Jackson is pitching the Virtuoso as a do-it-all tool for a metal scene that both looks and sounds more diverse than ever before. It’s palpably aware that the once high barriers that confined the genre are falling and that presents a big opportunity for the firm’s profits.

However, that very fact – that we’re at a new high water mark in metal’s popularity and variety in 2023 – is genuinely worth celebrating in itself. 

This is probably why The Virtuoso Mega Shred resonates so strongly right now – and, yes, we’re aware how crazy that sentence sounds.

We’re at a strange crossroads, where shred guitar is cool again. Where Steve Vai can drop in on a Polyphia single and it somehow just works, where Marty Friedman can jam next to Heriot’s Debbie Gough and look awesome doing so. 

Even outside of the genre, a distinctly non-metal musician like Phoebe Bridgers can don a B.C. Rich Warlock and sing a melancholic folk tune with a straight face. This is the world we live in now.

We’re still unsure if The Virtuoso Mega Shred is the worst title we’ve ever heard, or the best one. Regardless, it’s an awesome time capsule of the state of metal guitar in 2023. 

Now, can anyone cover the whole thing? We’d do it ourselves, obviously, but we lent Marty Friedman our last pick...

Periphery’s trio of guitarists – Misha Mansoor, Jake Bowen and Mark Holcomb – have been blazing trails and melting faces together since Holcomb joined the band back in 2011. “The big joke back in the day,” Misha recalls, “was that the reason we have three guitarists was because we can’t have four!”

Over the years, their distinct musical personalities, exemplary technical abilities and unwaveringly high creative standards have propelled the band to progressively more innovative territories with each album. But following the release of the critically acclaimed Periphery IV: Hail Stan in 2019, the usually prolific outfit hit something of a wall for the first time in their history.

They’d teased fans with the promise of fresh material as early as March of 2021 with a (since deleted) Instagram post using the following hashtags: #periphery #djent #newalbum. But, as the months wore on, speculative online excitement teetered towards impatience as progress on Periphery V seemed to grind to a halt. 

In the meantime, Misha and Mark released new music under their Haunted Shores moniker with 2022’s Void LP, Misha unleashed a tsunami of tracks from the Bulb archives, and Jake channelled his creativity into electronic solo effort, The Daily Sun.

Concurrently, increased levels of self-criticism, geographical separation, exhaustion, false starts and time constraints all featured on the extensive list of challenges that were to be overcome if ambitions for a new Periphery record were to become reality. As Misha puts it: “We’ve written a lot of stuff and the bar gets raised. We’d like to elevate that every time. I was very personally proud of Periphery IV, so much so that I didn’t know how we were going to beat that.”

A mantra that “good was not good enough” led to a period of brutal material scrappage, which Mark describes as “a big setback” and “pretty demoralising from a personal standpoint” during the album’s early stages. 

But, testament to a determined process, as well as a solid-as-a-rock friendship that underpins contemporary guitar music’s most revered threesome, the prog-metal titans have emerged with an album that is not only worth the wait, but which doubles as the ultimate put-down to pundits who have never quite “got” the complexity of the band’s ambitious sound. Cue Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre, out now via the band’s own 3DOT Recordings label. 

With a wry smile, Misha professes to having had “a very tongue-in-cheek relationship” with the term that has beleaguered the band since the early days, and which has become something of a catch-all descriptor for seven- or eight-string progressive metal in general.

“It’s just a way to categorise, but we’re going to have some fun, too,” he laughs – and anyone who has been following the band for some time may recall that they’ve been doing just that since 2011’s playfully titled League Of Extraordinary Djentlemen Tour.

But the new album takes a hammer to more critic-bestowed categorisations than even its titular witticism suggests. “We don’t approach things like we’re going to write a certain style of music,” Jake says. “We’ll start with a riff or section and that will inform what happens in the song, and if we take it to a new territory that’s just because that’s what the song needs.”

As such, the album packs as many twists and turns as a ‘choose your own adventure’ novel as it blazes through brutal riffage and smooth jazz on Wildfire through to the dextrous open-tuned mastery of Wax Wings and the eardrum-pummeller that is Everything Is Fine! 

The electro-pop track Silhouette serves as a palette cleanser at the album’s midway point, before things get loud again with Zagreus and the bowel-busting eight-string chug of Dracul Gras – aka “Fat Dracula”. The album closes out in suitably epic style with Thanks Nobuo, 11 minutes of effects-laden drop-C inventiveness.

The most explicitly experimental excursion – when the tectonic plates of metal and jazz rub together on Wildfire – is something that Jake credits to “sleep deprivation on Misha’s part”. But Misha has a few words in defence of this methodology. 

“Being up late seems to switch off your prefrontal cortex and just lets the other parts of your brain operate,” he explains. “You’ll just approach things in a different way when you get loopy and you’re overtired. It doesn’t always work, but I have found that there have been some very strong post-2am ideas that have ended up as memorable Periphery sections.” 

He says that initially he had worried the segment would be cut in the cold light of morning. Instead, it became what Mark describes as “the first real complete idea for Periphery V,” and a “pillar song,” that stood strong, while many other technically impressive ideas ended up on the burn pile. 

As Misha says, “Mark wrote some of the most insane riffs I’ve ever heard and they straight up just got cut. If you heard these in a vacuum, guitarists would be like, ‘Why did you cut that? That’s incredible!’ But, really, it didn’t do anything for the song.”

Far from causing arguments or bruised egos, such seemingly harsh decisions reinforced a shared goal. “We’re trying to make the song as awesome as possible, as concisely as possible,” Misha adds.

A Holcomb special that did make the cut came in the form of the fleet-fingered Wax Wings, which he devised after finding fresh inspiration in the “wacky tuning” of D F# A E A C#.          

“It sounds like something you’d hear someone like Mike Dawes play,” he says. “It’s a very pretty tuning and it’s also hard to make it not sound pretty. Sometimes the pitfall with these things – and we ran into this with Scarlet from Periphery II as well – is that it’s hard to have a riff have a different sort of vibe and energy, and to have it switch from this pretty, open, flowery riff to building tension.”

Testament to the power of their three-brains-are-better-than-one ethos, it was through collaboration that Wax Wings became the album highlight that it is. “Jake contributed this awesome ending section that seemed to change the momentum of that song, and Misha added a bunch of really awesome riffs,” Mark recalls. “I’m proud of what it symbolises as far as our working culture.” 

Adds Jake: “It’s a hallmark of all of us coming together and there’s a lot of love from each member in this song.” He is also quick to champion the ”ridiculous solo” that Mark composed in a tuning that he jokes: “none of us have any business playing in.”

“It took me about three days to mock up any semblance of licks that made sense,” explains Mark, who had to re-visualise the fretboard after relinquishing all the familiar landmarks of standard tuning – or indeed any other Periphery staples such as drop C (C G C F A D) when using six-string guitars, or drop Ab (Ab Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb) when using seven-strings.

“Jake was in the room and helped me map out a couple of cool patterns, but it was like learning to play the guitar over again because none of the relationships between strings made any sense anymore. You have to recreate a vocabulary.” 

The exacting demands of each song, each tuning and each player’s individual preferences has long necessitated the need for bespoke gear, and Misha, Mark and Jake have been flying the flags respectively for Jackson, PRS and Ibanez for almost a decade – each with an ever-growing range of signature guitars to their name. 

For the album, Jake played his new Ibanez JBM9999, which pays homage to the arched top body style and double-cut aesthetic of the Ibanez RGA, which he says he’s “always kind of had a thing for,” but with the addition of his all new DiMarzio Mirage pickups.

Despite what appears to be an HS configuration, the guitar has a standard-sized ceramic humbucker in the bridge and a single-coil-sized humbucker in the neck, giving Jake a wide range of tones – from warm to full sear. With 27 frets, a set of Gotoh locking tuners, and Luminlay side dots, it’s a bright blue shredding machine. 

The album writing process also gave Mark the opportunity to workshop his latest PRS SE six-string signature guitar, which was released earlier this year. Simultaneously, he prototyped his new Seymour Duncan Scarlet and Scourge humbuckers, which have now usurped his long-favoured signature Alpha and Omega pair. “

The Scourge is a bridge pickup that has Alnico 8 magnets,” he explains. “I used to use ceramic for the Omega bridge pickups that I’ve been using for almost a decade, but I switched to Alnico 8, which I really loved, and we revoiced the pickups. It was cool to learn about what I was liking in the new iterations of the gear as the album went on.”

Possibly the owner of the most expansive collection of all, Misha reels off a list of “regular heavy hitters” that lent their tones to the record, including his Daphne Blue Jackson USA Juggernaut HT 7, which he had retrofitted with an EverTune bridge, and his extremely limited-edition HT 8 – a guitar he describes as having “so much mojo”, as epitomised by the dark and chewy eight-string tones of Dracul Gras. 

To complete the holy trinity of Misha Mansoor signature Jacksons, he also used his Laguna Burst six-string model, fitted with Bare Knuckle Juggernaut humbuckers. “This is kind of going all-out if money were no object how I’d spec a guitar,” he enthuses. “It’s a fantastic instrument.”

In the department of less likely suspects, Misha’s new(ish) signature Jackson MJ Series So-Cal PT also made an appearance. Openly described by its creator as a “sleeper Strat”, it more than pays tribute to the classic Fender aesthetic, swerving legal hot water by virtue of Jackson having been adopted into the Fender family of brands two decades ago. 

“It looks just like a regular HSS Strat,” he says, “but it sort of plays like my signature guitars because it’s got a roasted maple neck, a 20-inch radius, jumbo stainless steel frets, and Gotoh locking tuners.” 

Also boasting a “fairly aggressive” Bare Knuckle Ragnarok humbucker and “EQ-appropriate” Bare Knuckle Trilogy Suite single coils, the versatile guitar is more than capable of unleashing its vicious potential when required. “It doesn’t look the part, and I love how you can get away with that,” he smiles.

Mark’s latest PRS also leans less towards the brutal side of life, and more towards a classic feel that could find applications across a broad cross-section of styles.

“One thing that you can count on with us being old farts, and becoming older farts every year, is that we fall more in love with Strats and Teles,” he laughs.

“It’s funny how we started out with traditional gear,” Misha says, “and then the Axe-Fx came out and revolutionised everything, and then we started to find a love for analogue gear again. I’m using this EP-2 Echoplex from the ’60s or ’70s on a bunch of recordings, and now we’re sort of in the middle ground where we appreciate the digital, we appreciate the analogue and we use it appropriately.”

They cite Djent Is Not A Genre as being “the first Periphery record where there’s a bunch of amps,” with a Peavey Invective and an Omega Granophyre getting heavy combined usage throughout. Others that made the cut included a Carstens Grace, a Mesa/Boogie Lone Star for cleans and a lightly modded EVH 5150. 

Re-amping DIs also played a huge role in the recording process, with many early demo take DIs making it all the way through to final song iterations. “This is actually something we did with intent,” says Misha, who steered the entire process at his apartment studio.

“I pushed these guys and myself to try to get our takes to be as good as possible so we wouldn’t have to go about re-recording them. They’re not perfect, and I think it gives it more character. That just got re-amped to make it sound the way that we wanted.”

Another secret weapon for Periphery’s characteristically destructive tones is the Horizon Devices Precision Drive – a unit designed by Misha himself after a decade of experimenting with other overdrive pedals. “Unless it’s a clean channel that’s pristine clean, that is on all the time,” he stresses. “Just like Meshuggah!”

• Periphery V: Djent Is Not a Genre is out now via 3Dot Recordings.

Periphery guitarist Misha Mansoor is teaming-up with online retail giant Reverb to sell-off a section of his sizeable gear haul. 

The store is announced today, alongside a preview of the key items, and officially opens on August 3, whereupon there will be up to 48 pieces available to buy.

“Over the years, I’ve collected a number of rare guitars and interesting pieces of gear,” said Mansoor. “Some of these pieces have been used on the upcoming Periphery album, most of them have been used on previous albums, but all of this gear has mojo. 

“These are the pieces I kept for myself. Now I’m hoping other players can be inspired by, and create with this gear.”

Perhaps the most notable item in the sale is Mansoor’s Blackmachine B6, designed and built by UK luthier Doug Campbell – an electric guitar which proved highly influential on the djent pioneers. 

“Those who know understand the significance of this guitar: it’s the one that started the whole Blackmachine adventure for me,” said Mansoor. 

“This guitar is a proof of concept for the B6 lightweight philosophy. There isn't, nor will there ever be, another B6 quite like this one – this guitar was used to write and record many songs on Periphery II, and it was used live during that era as well. If there is one guitar here I was genuinely torn on selling, it's this one.”

Also up for sale is the first prototype of Mansoor’s USA Series Jackson Juggernaut HT6 signature guitar. 

“This is a very special, one-of-a-kind guitar,” comments the guitarist and songwriter. “It was used on Juggernaut live tours as well as in the studio for Periphery III and Periphery IV. It became a studio workhorse because of how good it sounded and how relatively rare it was.”

Mansoor is also selling a prototype of his limited-run eight-string Jackson custom shop Juggernaut HT8, of which only 30 were produced. The guitarist notes that he leant on the instrument heavily throughout the Juggernaut recording sessions and tours. 

“This guitar became a live workhorse,” adds Mansoor. “It was my best playing and sounding 8-string, and anytime I was playing an eight live in that era, I'd be using this.”

We also like the look of the one-of-a-kind custom-built Floyd HT7, which Jackson made for Mansoor to play the track Motormouth from Periphery III. 

Mansoor claims it has been used in every performance of the track, including the studio recording, and notes that he probably should have had a backup made.

Elsewhere, there is another signature model, though it’s not one of Mansoor’s. Rather it’s an original run model of Music Man’s JP7 John Petrucci Signature, finished in Mystic Dream. It was one of the first seven-string guitars the Periphery man owned and saw a lot of use in the band’s early years.

“I saved up like crazy for this,” comments Mansoor. “And then I used it to write and record all of the seven-string songs on Periphery I and it was also used on Periphery II. 

“I also used this on tours around that era, though I was paranoid about taking this guitar out on the road. It's so special that I feel a bit worried playing it so now it sits in the case – maybe someone else can put it to good use.”

Some of the gear – namely a gnarly custom Fano build and a futuristic Teuffel Tesla – goes back even further, to Mansoor’s pre-Periphery project, Bulb. 

The Fano is described as having a “unique but very sweet voicing”, while Mansoor says he loves Teuffels as “they are funky, unique and actually phenomenal instruments. This Tesla is so easy to play and sounds so good, it puts a lot of competitors to shame. Such an ergonomically considerate design as well.”

Both guitars saw use on the Bulb album, before finding their way back into Mansoor’s recording line-up during sessions for Periphery III and IV.

All of the items will be available for sale at a fixed price (so you pay what you see, no bids, no auction) from August 3. 

In the meantime, you can preview the gear and sign-up for launch notifications over on the catchily-titled Official Misha Mansoor of Periphery Reverb Shop.

While the punishing, progressive djent-thrash of Haunted Shores’ Void (3Dot Recordings) marks the first new music from the instrumental duo since 2015, guitarists Mark Holcomb and Misha Mansoor haven’t been passively resting their wrists this whole time – of course, both members also shred heavy with beloved D.C. prog metal unit Periphery. 

Though it seemed as if they’d ghosted on Haunted Shores, the pair were quietly hanging onto some especially harrowing riffs before rematerializing with this latest full-length.  

“We’re not one of those bands that just sits on our hands for years and then decides to write over a week; we always stockpile [riffs],” Holcomb says. “The fact that [Haunted Shores] has been dormant for six or seven years sucks, [but] it’s the nature of the beast with how demanding Periphery can be.”

That said, downtime arose for the guitarists in the spring of 2020 when the pandemic left Periphery’s tour plans in limbo. To combat the Covid blues, Holcomb dug into a strict work schedule at his Austin home, loading up on coffee and riffing for hours.

Between the java coursing through his veins and the existential mindfuck of the pandemic, much of what came pouring out of Holcomb during Void’s pre-production period was palpably perturbed.

“It’s a very pissed-off, dark, pessimistic record,” Holcomb confirms. “It sounds like a panic attack, and that word, Void, has always carried that energy for me.”

For proof, take the quixotic, Escher staircase-spiraling of OnlyFangs, which also modded a drop-C tuning in an ominously inkier direction by further dropping the fourth string to E minor.

Mansoor also polished Holcomb’s piece with its achingly melancholic chorus trill, the pair’s longtime, ego-less relationship fostering those kinds of gut-checks.

“If Mark comes to me with really sick riffs – which he does – but if they don’t necessarily fit the song, I can say that and no-one gets hurt,” Mansoor says of the swap, adding, “Arrangements are so sacred to me; everything has to flow.”

Compared to Periphery, both guitarists allude to the overall freeing aspect of not having to adapt Void’s wildest, knuckle-busting moments live, instead embracing the unfiltered zaniness they pulled out of the abyss.

Holcomb puts it best: “[Haunted Shores is] just me and Misha in a room passing a guitar back and forth and seeing what makes us laugh – like, ‘Holy shit, that’s ridiculous; let’s go with it’ – and then signing off. That’s it.”

• Void is out via 3Dot Recordings.

Haunted Shores – the instrumental side project of Periphery guitarists Misha Mansoor and Mark Holcomb – have dropped OnlyFangs, the third single from their forthcoming album, Void.

Following previously released singles, the thrash-y and hectic Hellfire and the expansive, Opeth-inspired Nocturnal Hours, OnlyFangs is a near-six-minute barrage of frantic drop-tuned riffage and complex instrumental arrangements.

You can see its guitar parts in action below, as Mansoor and Holcomb have filmed a mind-bending playthrough, featuring their signature Jackson So-Cal 2PT and PRS models, respectively.

“OnlyFangs was one of the earlier ideas I demoed during the writing process for Void,” Holcomb says. “It was pretty different in its initial stage as a full-on, blast beat riff-fest, front to back – just non-stop. But when I brought the song to Misha he really steered it into this area where it actually breathed – it had dynamics and it took you on more of a journey, namely that big middle section that anchors the song, and that down-tuned grimy mess of an ending. 

“That kind of synergy between Misha and I actually highlights why it’s [been] so much fun for us to write together in Haunted Shores and Periphery over the years.”

On creating their upcoming album, Void – which arrives March 11 via 3DOT Recordings – Holcomb says that Haunted Shores is an “escape ladder from Periphery in every way”.

“Creatively, politically – Periphery takes a lot of time to get things done because we all have an equal say – and that's a wonderful thing,” he says. “But in Haunted Shores, when Misha and I push for something, it's instantly there... We don't have rules or restraints. The music flows freely.”

Void, the duo say, was formed around this concept, with Holcomb and Mansoor co-writing, recording, and co-producing the entire album, including the drum programming. Misha Mansoor also mixed the record, though mastering duties were assumed by Ermin Hamidovic, who has worked with Plini and Protest the Hero.

“We went into the writing sessions with no expectations,” Mansoor says. “It’s easy to get carried away by all that – especially the mechanics of making music. We often remind ourselves that Haunted Shores needs to be fun. It’s not supposed to feel like work. If it does, then it doesn’t work.”

Void arrives March 11, and is available to preorder now via the 3DOT webstore.

Haunted Shores – the instrumental side project of Periphery guitarists Misha Mansoor and Mark Holcomb – have shared a playthrough of their new single Hellfire – their first material since 2015 EP, Viscera.

The track is the first single from second album Void, which is due March 11. Born out of the duo’s pandemic downtime, the record was produced across a combination of home studio sessions and in-person collaborations, where circumstances allowed.

Hellfire was reportedly the first track Holcomb wrote when the pandemic hit, and it's full of thrash-y frustration and hectic, entangled riffing – all played in drop-G on a six-string guitar. 

“Haunted Shores is an escape ladder from Periphery in every way,” says Mark Holcomb. “Creatively, politically – Periphery takes a lot of time to get things done because we all have an equal say – and that’s a wonderful thing. But in Haunted Shores, when Misha and I push for something, it’s instantly there… We don’t have rules or restraints. The music flows freely.”

Void was formed around this concept and has been assembled almost entirely by the two guitarists, who co-wrote, recorded and co-produced the album, including the drum programming. Mansoor then mixed the record, before it was mastered by Ermin Hamidovic, who has previously worked with Plini and Protest The Hero. 

“We went into the writing sessions with no expectations,” says Mansoor. “It’s easy to get carried away by all that – especially the mechanics of making music. We often remind ourselves that Haunted Shores needs to be fun. It’s not supposed to feel like work. If it does, then it doesn’t work.” 

If you like what you hear from the new single, you can pre-order or pre-save Void here and keep an eye out for more information via Haunted Shores' Facebook and Instagram.

One of music’s most beloved YouTubers and educators, Rick Beato, has shared a modern guitar summit with three of today’s most influential guitarists, Tosin Abasi, Tim Henson and Misha Mansoor.

The foursome’s 40-minute discussion – which you can watch below – is a fascinating overview of guitar’s position in modern music, but it contains one surprise admission in particular that really got the conversation flowing.

During an opening discussion of artists selling out, Metallica – and, naturally, their haircuts – comes up. Yet when Abasi brings up the subject of artists compromising their music to be more popular, Beato poses the question, “Did Metallica do that on the Black Album?”

Mansoor is quick to shoot down the suggestion, before Henson responds, “I’ve never heard it” – a revelation that results in sheer disbelief from his fellow conversationalists.

Upon further inquisition, Henson does admit to having heard Enter Sandman – although not Nothing Else Matters or Sad But True – and his favorite Metallica riff is… Some Kind of Monster. He even likes the St. Anger snare.

“My dad wasn’t a Metallica fan – that’s why I’ve never heard it,” Henson explains. “I started on playing the things that my dad showed me, so that’s what I fell in love with: Hendrix and Black Sabbath.”

Beato, Abasi and Mansoor do propose Henson puts out a reaction video to his first listen of the album, however, so there’s hope that he may yet experience Hetfield and Hammett’s chart-smashing masterpiece.

Henson is one of today’s most forward-thinking guitar players, not just in terms of playing and technique, but also tone and composition, and his idiosyncratic style eschews many traditional “boomer-ish” guitar conventions.

Given their supreme influence on the next generation of players, it’s a kinship you’d think all three players shared, but as it turns out, that’s not quite the case.

Later in the discussion, Abasi posits, “I think everyone in these chairs right now feels a sense of a need to contribute something new to the canon of music.”

“I disagree with you,” Mansoor responds. “I don’t care about being original. I’m chasing something much more selfish, which is abstract, but I know when I reach it. It’s just something that feels a certain way. Originality is a byproduct, and it was never a concern. I was ripping off Meshuggah before it was cool.”

We know we lured you in with the headline, but we would thoroughly recommend watching the 40-minute discussion in its entirety, as it spans a number of fascinating subjects, including fear of music theory, the democratization of music instrumentation and production, and Tosin Abasi’s first experience hearing Mansoor’s original Bulb material (on MySpace, natch).

Abasi Concepts – the company behind some of the most futuristic, ergonomic electric guitars currently around – has treated its celebrated range of Space T models to an array of new-for-2021 colorways.

Not only that, the brand – set up by Animals As Leaders guitarist Tosin Abasi – has introduced a collection of fresh wood choices new to the catalog, which will be used for the bodies, necks and fretboards.

Build-wise, the brand’s new-look guitars boast an assortment of okume and sugar pine bodies, which aim to achieve both a lightweight playability and a bright, resonant character. Other functional appointments found in the range include roasted maple necks, and a choice of either Richlite or birdseye maple fretboards.

Abasi Concepts has pulled no punches in the aesthetic department, either, and has introduced to the fold a handful of vintage-inspired pastel colors, as well as an array of bold, modern finishes.

Lining up alongside the more eye-catching Pink Sparkle and Champagne finishes are the elegant Violinburst, Miami Blue and Black Raven tones. Other colorways in the smartly stylized collection include Sapphire Red, Arctic White and Solarbeam Yellow.

Further features found on the spec sheet include a set of Greg Koch signature Fishman Fluence pickups, tweakable via a conventional Tele-esque control layout composed of a three-way switch, master volume and master tone knob, and a Wilkinson Three-Saddle T-style bridge.

Elsewhere, whereas the original Space Ts had nickel fretwire, all of the new-and-improved iterations will also come equipped with 22 stainless steel frets.

Turns out, these suave new six-strings sound just as good as they look, having been put through their paces by blues guitar icon Josh Smith and Periphery wizard Misha Mansoor.

In a pair of posts, the two guitar gurus can be seen wielding the Champagne and Miami Blue models, respectively, using them to maximum effect as they make their way up and down the fretboard.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen a modern blues player go to town on one of Abasi’s space-age instruments – Gary Clark Jr. tried a Cheddar Space T on for size at a gig last year. 

Unfortunately, the Abasi Concepts official website lists most of its new products as being out of stock. Not to worry, though, for there are still a number of Sapphire Red models, equipped with a Richlite fretboard, up for grabs.

These currently list for $3,499.

For more information, head over to Abasi Concepts.

When you're shopping for a Stratocaster, you're unlikely to find yourself exploring the ranges of traditionally metal-leaning electric guitar juggernaut Jackson. But players of a contemporary persuasion – with a keen eye for vintage aesthetic – might just have their G.A.S. ignited by Misha Mansoor's surprisingly traditional-looking new signature model.

Part of the just-launched, made-in-Japan MJ Series, the Misha Mansoor So-Cal 2PT may have Jackson on the headstock, but it's unquestionably a Stratocaster at its core. Mansoor goes so far as to dub it "my signature Strat – they want me to call it a So-Cal… but we know it's a Strat".

And the visual vibe certainly reinforces that definition, thanks to a Daphne Blue finish with white pickguard, parchment skirt-style control knobs and chrome hardware. Plus, Jackson being part of the Fender family of brands, it even comes with a color-matched licensed Fender Strat headstock.

Yet while the So-Cal offers a stealthily retro aesthetic, in many ways, its spec mirrors that of Mansoor's existing Juggernaut line.

So, there's a basswood body, teamed with a bolt-on caramelized maple neck, complete with graphite reinforcement and oiled back finish, not to mention a contoured heel around the rear.

While it may look like rosewood, the fingerboard is in fact caramelized maple, and comes with a 20” radius, rolled edges, 22 jumbo stainless steel frets and white dot inlays outlined in black, as well as Luminlay side dots.

Of course, Mansoor's signature high-output Bare Knuckle Ragnarok humbucker appears in the bridge position, but this time, it's complemented by two Bare Knuckle Trilogy Suite single coils in the neck and middle, all of which come in a parchment finish.

Controls come by way of a master volume and tone, along with a five-way blade selector switch – the layout has been shifted slightly further away from the pickups to prevent accidental tonal tweaks during more aggressive playing.

Those pickup switching options are intriguing, too: positions 1 to 5 cycle through full bridge; bridge inner coil and middle pickup; bridge outer coil and neck; middle and neck; and full neck. There's no coil-split here, but that's still plenty of versatility to be getting on with.

Rounding off the spec is Mansoor's favorite Strat bridge, the Gotoh Custom 510 Tremolo, along with Gotoh die-cast locking tuners, Dunlop Dual-Locking strap buttons and a Graph Tech TUSQ XL nut. Oh, and the truss rod adjuster is at the base of the neck, which is "where it belongs", according to Mansoor.

For anyone looking for a high-spec, contemporary-playing Strat – and who doesn't mind a different name on the headstock – this So-Cal could prove an enticing proposition.

The MJ Series Signature Misha Mansoor So-Cal 2PT is available now for $2,699. Head over to Jackson Guitars for more info.

Mansoor's new model coincides with the launch of Jackson's made-in-Japan MJ Series as a whole, which also includes a host of fresh Rhoads, Dinky and Soloist models.

Misha Mansoor is a visionary: his guitar and production work under both the Bulb and Periphery banners broke new ground in the metal scene. But one component of the genre he doesn't vibe with – even though it's often regarded as essential – is the guitar solo.

In a new interview with Jude Gold's No Guitar Is Safe podcast, the djent god reveals that he “hates” doing solos, saying they're his “least favorite part of a live show”.

“I don't particularly enjoy writing them,” he explains. “I don't think I'm a good soloist – it's more of a chore than anything. I'd rather just let someone else deal with that stress.

“But I'll probably not be able to pawn them all off. No-one wants the glory in the band, everyone just wants someone else to have it, so the guys are gonna fight me. And they're going to be like, ‘No, we've taken the solos on this one, so you need to do one on this one because we're not gonna do it.‘”

Mansoor's aversion to guitar solos is also due to the added pressure that comes with performing them, he explains.

“The spotlight's on you, and if you mess up, there's just more anxiety there. I don't love that. I'm much more of a rhythm player than I'm a lead player, so I think I'm just much more comfortable defaulting to that.

He continues: “I think when I do solos and when I write them, there's a part in the back of my mind that's just like, 'This is good for you, do it because it's gonna help and it's going to be good.' But I never love it, and I always just try to get out of doing it.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Mansoor is asked why he cites fusion master Allan Holdsworth as one of his favorite guitarists, despite not being keen on solos himself.

“You know,” he replies, “when I was working on my chops, I was trying to be John Petrucci, and I was trying to be Allan Holdsworth, then trying to be Guthrie [Govan]...

"All these guys that are just way beyond the level I'll ever be, even if I spend the rest of my life trying to understand that, but I just wanted to get in his head...

“It's like, ‘How are these the choices that he's making in the moment? How is this his instinct? How is he hearing this? What is he hearing that I'm not hearing that would make him approach it in such a way?’”

Misha Mansoor recently released Parabolica, the debut single from his first-ever solo album, Moderately Fast, Adequately Furious. 

Notably, and in line with his recent comments, the track is devoid of guitar solos in the traditional sense, but what it lacks in leads it more than makes up for in shifting time signatures, chunky drop-tuned riff work and silky textural cleans. 

Though the warmer weather (at least in our neck of the woods) has us ready to kick up our feet and rummage through our closets for beach towels, the guitar universe hasn’t been taking a break – far from it.

This week seemed to grace us with a particularly large amount of guitar greatness, from Christone “Kingfish” Ingram’s hot-rodded homage to his Delta roots, to Naia Izumi’s shimmering neo-neo-soul, a hypnotic meeting of the musical minds from Cory Wong and Dave Koz, and a wall-shaking slice of nu-metal from Nonpoint, this week had it all, guitar-wise.

Scroll down to check out those killer tracks, and a whole lot more.

Naia Izumi – Voodoo

In the wake of the Instagram guitar boom, neo-soul has become the buzzword in exemplary playing. But Naia Izumi – who rose to prominence after winning NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert in 2018 – has a guitar style so beyond many of his contemporaries, we can only describe it as neo-neo-soul.

Voodoo makes Izumi’s idiosyncratic approach plain to see. But as if his deft fingerpicking approach, lashings of shimmer reverb and outrageously tasty chord inversions weren’t enough, this choice cut from the LA-based guitar wizard traverses time signatures with astonishing ease.

The combination of math-rock-like elasticity and R&B-infused melodicism is utterly entrancing, and we have no doubt that his forthcoming debut on Sony Masterworks will ascend to even greater heights. (MAB)

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – 662

Only 22, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram has already made his mark as one of the best, and undoubtedly most exciting, blues guitarists in the world. On 662 though, Ingram takes things all the way back to the place that shaped him, his hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Anchoring the song with a hot-rodded, Delta–by-way-of-Chuck Berry riff, and punctuating the proceedings with sweet touches of high-gain, fleet-fingered blues guitar glory, Ingram gives a perfect tribute to the birthplace of the blues, showing all the while that the genre is still incredibly vital. (JM)

Mastodon – Forged By Neron

Arriving ahead of DC Comics’ new Dark Nights: Death Metal soundtrack, this new Mastodon cut sees the Atlanta quartet deliver a true-to-form volley of legendary riffs, earworm melodies and an out-of-this-world electric guitar solo, to boot.

Joining Brent Hinds and co on the wider release are the likes of Soccer Mommy, Chelsea Wolfe, Manchester Orchestra, HEALTH, IDLES and more, so it’s likely to be eclectic, to say the least.

“We are super excited and honored to be part of the Dark Nights: Death Metal soundtrack!” says Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor. “We’ve all been fans of DC Comics and the Batman universe since we were kids, so it really means a lot for us to be able to add something to that world.” (SR)

Yngwie Malmsteen – Wolves at the Door

Whatever you think of Yngwie – and opinions regarding the perpetually leather-panted neoclassical gun-slinger are reliably polarized – his original music carries several guarantees.

There will be sweep picking, and it will be delivered at dizzying speeds. The harmonic minor scale is going to get the workout of its life. And there will be a meticulous attention to articulation that, to this day, remains largely unparalleled on the instrument.

Wolves at the Door, the first taste of upcoming studio album Parabellum, delivers on all counts. Harking back to his all-conquering Rising Force heyday, Malmsteen’s latest is a thrash opus that – should bpm ever be measured in terms of sheer horsepower – reaches top speeds that would surely rival any of the shredding Swede’s five Ferraris.

The fretboard fireworks that light up the track’s opening 40 seconds are followed by a characteristically theatrical vocal performance, as the scallop-keen Strat-man declares his intention to defeat the devil. Which means, for a couple of minutes at least, Malmsteen’s leads take a backseat to his larynx, but the three-minute mark brings a Bach-on-steroids breakdown that soon erupts into a truly audacious display of sweeps and alternate picking.

It’s hardly going to convince unbelievers, but it’s further proof – as if any were required – that Malmsteen is still very much master of his domain. (MAB)

Cory Wong & Dave Koz – Today

In true Cory Wong fashion, the funk guitar god has wasted no time in diving headfirst into yet another collaborative project – shortly following the release of his most recent, talk show-turned-studio-album Cory and the Wongnotes – joining forces with sax legend Dave Koz for a smooth new single, Today.

Taken from the pair’s upcoming album The Golden Hour, Today sees Wong – who released a whopping eight albums last year – lock into a snappy Strat sound that hypnotically see-saws between chords while Koz curates a masterful melody on the curved soprano sax. 

Wong’s band is equally on top form, with Petar Janjic’s elite drumming maintaining a tight-knit show while the brass and woodwind session powerhouses weave a dreamy sonic soundscape for Koz to explore.

Dotted with unpredictable rhythmic pickups and some tasty call-and-response exchanges, there is no room for any fast right-hand rhythms or lead-line acrobatics – but that’s okay. Instead, Today slows things down to maximum effect, and will probably be the smoothest thing you’ll hear all week. (MO)

August Burns Red – Pangaea (feat. Misha “Bulb” Mansoor)

Appearing on a brand-new 10th Anniversary Edition of 2011’s Leveler, August Burns Red’s new take on Pangaea sees Periphery axe-slinger Misha “Bulb” Mansoor contribute a sweep-ridden, two-handed-taptastic guitar solo, infusing the classic cut with a refreshing dose of virtuosic lead playing.

“Pangaea has always been one of my favorite tracks on Leveler,” says guitarist JB Brubaker. "It may be the most progressive song on the album so it felt like a natural fit to have Misha from Periphery perform on the track. He delivered quite possibly the most head-spinning guitar solo that we’ve ever had on an ABR song.” (SR)

Sleater-Kinney – Worry With You 

Having pushed themselves musically in thrilling, unexpected ways – and, following the album’s completion, become a duo after the departure of drummer Janet Weiss – on 2019’s St. Vincent-produced The Center Won’t Hold, punk legends Sleater-Kinney are back with a new album, Path of Wellness.

For those who bristled at the decidedly 21st century production choices that defined the former album, the Path of Wellness’s first single, Worry With You, will likely come as a bit of a relief. 

Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein’s guitars stutter, strut and coil themselves around one another unobstructed, while their exuberant vocal harmonies – even on a track like this, which never quite puts the pedal to the metal – are as exhilarating as ever.

The loss of Weiss, and her incredible percussive power, is a significant one, but Worry With You shows that Brownstein and Tucker – now in their fourth decade as musical partners-in-crime – are still musically nimble and full of brilliant surprises. (JM)

Cardinal Black – Tell Me How It Feels

To celebrate the launch of his newly formed four-piece, Cardinal Black, Chris Buck has treated us to Tell Me How It Feels – the debut single from an upcoming EP, which will in turn pave the way for a debut full-length studio album further on down the line.

Buck, the Yamaha Revstar-wielding guitar sensation known for his slick Instagram clips and seriously popular YouTube videos, has joined forces with past collaborators Tom Hollister, Adam Roberts and Sam Williams for his latest project, resurrecting and rejuvenating a 10-year old trio that once caught the eye – and ear – of Steve Winwood.

Halfway through the track, after being treated to Hollister’s soulful vocals and some low-end chordal flourishes, Buck lets his Gold Revstar loose on a solo, using his trademark finger-and-thumb plucking technique to commute his way up and down the fingerboard to maximum effect. A sequel solo crops up later in the track, this time with Buck going to town on a series of awe-inspiring passages and wailing whole note bends.

If Tell Me How It Feels is anything to go by, Buck’s upcoming crop of tracks is going to feature a ton of tasty guitar work. We can’t wait. (MO)

Joe Hodgson – Till The Last Breath

Taken from his self-produced debut album Apparitions, Joe Hodgson’s most recent single Till The Last Breath sees the Northern Irish six-string slinger pay tribute to his late mother in an instrumental requiem filled with moving melodies and emotive slide passages.

Donning a Fender Marauder, Hodgson leaves no fret unexplored as he works his way up and down the fingerboard with elite accuracy, constructing exchanges that both create an “intimate, vulnerable mournful feel” and convey a “joy and thankfulness." 

As the music around Hodgson swells, so too does his playing, which channels his raw, unfiltered emotion in a series of slide-infused phrases and show-stopping licks.

Apparitions, which explores the theme of “how nothing ever stays the same” through a blend of rock, blues, Latin, jazz and funk, is out now. (MO)

Bicurious – Palapalapa

Not quite post-rock, not quite math-rock, this Dublin-by-way-of-Brest duo can be filed under the category of big-riffing instrumentalists à la And So I Watch You From Afar and Alpha Male Tea Party.

The first track to be taken from their upcoming debut is evidence of the pair’s imaginative approach to the two-piece format, flitting between quirky Battles-esque marches and monster Whammy-doubled fretboard-melters.

It’s technically impressive throughout – but the pair’s well-honed melodic and dynamic sensibilities ensure it’s catchy as hell, too. (MAB)

Dayglow – Balcony

Texas indie-rock phenom and Guitar World Sick Riffs alumni Dayglow – aka Sloan Struble – is gearing to release his sophomore album Harmony House, with his already released singles Close To You, Woah Man and Something all teasing a fierce follow up to his seriously impressive debut album, Fuzzybrain.

His latest offering, the ‘80s-infused, modulated-guitar-drenched number Balcony, sees Dayglow’s fine pre-album form continue in absolute spades, expertly layering everything from air-y synths, punchy drums, pumping bass stabs and decorative percussive trills over his catchy melodic hooks.

Ever the architect when it comes to lead licks, Dayglow slaps on the reverb and treats the track to a collection of ethereal melodic arpeggiated riffs, which give way to smooth double-stops and slick slides, reminding us that Struble is as much a well-versed guitarist as he is a generational songwriter. (MO)

Nonpoint – Ruthless

We’d wager this track takes the cake this week in terms of sheer energy. Kicking off with a killer guitar riff, Ruthless launches into an early-2000s-style, nu-metal-style ground-pounder, with enough attitude to get even the tamest of rockers moshing.

Among its six-string highlights is a dazzling solo around the 2:05 mark. Guitarist Jason Zeilstra delivers a wah-soaked lead passage, wrought with tasteful bends, rapid-fire alternate picking phrases and other melodic ear candy.

“Ruthless is more than just a song,” says vocalist Elias Soriano. “It’s a story with attitude and purpose. This is more than just an anthem, it’s heart pounding, high octane jet fuel and our most irresponsible music ever.” (SR)

Misha Mansoor has spent much of the past year compiling a 10-album collection of music documenting his pre-Periphery solo project, Bulb. But now the Periphery electric guitar master has announced his first solo album under the Bulb moniker, Moderately Fast, Adequately Furious.

You can check out the album’s first single, the heavily syncopated and – yes – djent-y instrumental Parabolica, above.

Said Mansoor, “I can’t tell you guys how excited I am and how cathartic it feels to finally be able to put out my first solo album. Moderately Fast, Adequately Furious has technically been about 15 years in the making, so your patience has been appreciated.

“It was important that I felt genuinely happy with this Bulb debut, but I can say that I finally put together something that I am proud of. This album represents something important to me, and that was both the impetus and the goal in its creation and completion. With that said, I do hope that you enjoy it too!”

Moderately Fast, Adequately Furious is out July 16 via Periphery’s 3DOT Recordings and available for preorder here.

August Burns Red recently issued the Guardians Sessions EP, which reimagined two songs from 2020’s Guardians album and tacked on a few other musical surprises, including a cover of System of a Down’s Chop Suey!.

Now the band has revisited an album from further in their past with Leveler: 10th Anniversary Edition, a re-recording of their 2011 fourth effort.

The new version features special guests, brand new electric guitar solos, alternate tunings and more, and to celebrate the effort, ABR have shared the re-recorded track Pangaea, now with a guitar solo from Periphery's Misha "Bulb" Mansoor. You can check it out below.

Said ABR guitarist JB Brubaker, “Pangaea has always been one of my favorite tracks on Leveler. It may be the most progressive song on the album so it felt like a natural fit to have Misha from Periphery perform on the track. He delivered quite possibly the most head-spinning guitar solo that we’ve ever had on an ABR song.”

Regarding the album, Brubaker continued, "Leveler is a record we've always been proud of, and we wanted to do something special for its ten-year anniversary. We've done some cool remix projects for previous albums when they've turned 10, but with Leveler, we decided to kick things up a notch. COVID has kept us off the road for such a long time that we found ourselves with a rare opportunity to take on this unique project.

“We dove into this record and dissected the songs, rewriting solos, changing the tunings, adding new textures and elements, and got a few of our friends to do some guest spots as well.

“Our longtime producers Carson Slovak and Grand McFarland handled the recording/mixing and helped us take Leveler to new sonic heights. I think this is the best-sounding ABR record we've ever made, and it's going to allow people to experience the record in a whole new way. I can't wait to share this with everyone."

Leveler: 10th Anniversary Edition will be available digitally May 21. It will also be self-released on ABR Records.

Additionally, ABR will perform Leveler in full, with an encore of songs from 2009's Constellations, during their next livestream on Saturday, May 22 at 8pm ET/5pm PT. 

You can purchase tickets, as well as pre-order the album, here.

Jim Dunlop has teamed up with Periphery guitar-slinger Misha Mansoor for a brand-new signature guitar pick, the Custom Delrin Flow.

Available in two gauges – .65mm and .73mm – the Custom Delrin Flow utilizes Dunlop's Flow pick shape, which has a wide angle and sharp tip for “exceptional handling and precision when things get fast and heavy”.

Built using Delrin – a material similar in feel to Tortex but designed to hold its shape for longer and to wear more evenly – the Custom Delrin Flow features a sculpted edge, which allows players to use their picking hand like a volume control, achieving different dynamics by changing the orientation of attack.

Visually, the pick sports Periphery's three-circle logo on one side and “Bulb” – Mansoor's nickname and the name of his solo side project – on the other.

Says Mansoor: “I do think that the pick is such a massive part of your tone and your sound. 

“I see people obsess over which NOS tube they should put in the V1 section of their tube amp, and spend hundreds of dollars on that, and [simultaneously] not even care about what picks are out there or what they could be using. If you play different picks, it will sound different.”

He continues: “I’m demanding and – dare I say – picky when it comes to what I need from picks. I told Dunlop I was only interested in this if we could engineer the perfect one for me. After a few years of hard work, here it is!”

Both .65mm and .73mm versions of the Custom Delrin Flow are available now at $10 for a bag of six. For more information, head over to Jim Dunlop.

Jackson's Pro Series signature guitar offerings in 2021 have been plentiful, with the Marty Friedman MF-1 Purple Mirror, Christian Andreu Rhoads model and single-pickup Brandon Ellis Kelly among the highlights. 

But the company doesn't look to be pumping the brakes on its artist model output any time soon, as it launches two new Misha Mansoor signatures, the EverTune-equipped Pro Juggernaut ET6 and ET7.

Build-wise, each model features a basswood body, caramelized maple neck with graphite reinforcement, 20"-flat radius caramelized maple fingerboard with rolled edges, 24 jumbo frets, offset dot inlays and an EverTune bridge.

“If you don't know what an EverTune is, it's a magical bridge that keeps your guitar in tune,” Mansoor explains. “It's kind of insane – some super-complicated-based tension system, but if you set up the guitar right, you can strike a string as hard as you want and it will never go sharp or flat.

He continues: “You can even set it up in this 'safe zone' as I call it, where you can still bend – you just give it a little more than you usually would. Anyone who records knows how much time is spent in the studio just tuning your guitar. It's a huge time-save when tracking and recording.”

Other features of the ET6 and ET7 include luminous side dots and a heel-mounted truss rod adjustment wheel.

Differences include scale length and finish – the ET6 features a 25.5" scale and Chalk Gray finish, while the ET7 boasts a 26.5" scale and a Gulf Blue finish. Both feature color-matched reverse Jackson AT-1 headstocks and black hardware.

Jackson/Misha Mansoor-designed MM1 humbuckers also appear on both models, controlled via a volume knob, five-way selector switch and tone control with push-pull functionality for added tonal variation.

“The MM1 pickups are super-versatile especially with the five-way switch,” Mansoor says. “We’ve got second position doing split inner coils, which is nice for spanky cleans and mid gain tones, and fourth position, which is split outer coils, which gives you that chime-y, almost Strat-like sound. Then you’ve got bridge (first), middle (third) and neck (fifth) with humbuckers.”

The Pro Juggernaut ET6 and ET7 are available now for $1,300 and $1,400, respectively.

For more information, head to Jackson.

NAMM 2021 isn't taking place in the physical realm this year, but you'll find all the hottest January gear launches in our guide to the biggest guitar, amp and pedal releases of 2021 so far.

Jackson Guitars is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary, and four decades in it’s clear the company is still going strong. For one example…well, actually, many examples, just check out its 2021 line of Artist Signature Series electric guitar offerings.

The range has been expanded with a host of new models, including the Pro Series Signature Brandon Ellis Kelly, the company’s first partnership with the Black Dahlia Murder guitarist. Other fresh looks include the Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT, Pro Series Signature Marty Friedman MF-1, MJ Series Signature Misha Mansoor So-Cal 2PT and Pro Series Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut ET6 and ET7.

For more info on each guitar, head below.

Pro Series Signature Marty Friedman MF-1

The new Pro Series signature model from the metal legend and former Megadeth shredder boasts a 24.75” scale length, mahogany body, mahogany set-neck with scarf joint and graphite-reinforcement rods and bound 12”-radius ebony fingerboard with 22 jumbo frets and pearloid block inlays.

There’s also dual passive EMG MF signature humbucking pickups with three-way toggle switching, two volume controls, two tone controls and a Jackson TOM-style adjustable bridge with anchored tailpiece.

The guitar sports a cracked Purple Mirror top, three-ply white/abalone/white body binding, all-black hardware and a reverse Jackson 3x3 (3 over, 3 under) AT-1 black headstock.

The Marty Friedman MF-1 is available in February for $1,199.

MJ Series Signature Misha Mansoor So-Cal 2PT

The Periphery mastermind has teamed with Jackson on the brand-new MJ Series Signature Misha Mansoor So-Cal 2PT, which comes in Daphne Blue with a color-matched licensed Fender Strat headstock, white pickguard, parchment skirt-style control knobs and chrome hardware.

Features include a basswood body, bolt-on caramelized maple neck with graphite reinforcement and oiled back finish and 20”-radius caramelized maple fingerboard with rolled edges, 22 jumbo stainless steel frets and white dot inlays outlined in black and Luminlay side dots.

Pickups are a Bare Knuckle Ragnarok humbucker at the bridge and Bare Knuckle Trilogy single-coil middle and neck pickups with parchment bobbins, five-position pickup blade switch, single volume control and single tone control.

The Misha Mansoor So-Cal 2PT will be available in May for $2,699.

Pro Series Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut ET6/ET7

Mansoor’s Pro Juggernaut models have also been updated with EverTune bridges for 2021.  

The Pro Series Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut ET6 comes in Chalk Gray with a color-matched reverse Jackson 3x3 AT-1 headstock and black hardware, while the Pro Series Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut ET7 is available in Gulf Blue with a color matched Jackson 4x3 AT-1 headstock and black hardware.

Other features include a basswood body, bolt-on caramelized maple neck with graphite reinforcement, scarf joint and oiled back finish, 20”-radius caramelized maple fingerboard with rolled edges, 24 jumbo frets and offset white dot inlays, uncovered direct-mount Jackson MM1 pickups, five-position pickup blade switch, single volume control and single tone control with push/pull select.

The guitars will be available in April, with the ET6 offered for $1,299 and the ET7 for $1,399.

Pro Series Signature Brandon Ellis Kelly

This metal-ready monster boasts a Green Crackle finish with a reverse pointed black headstock featuring a matching green Jackson logo, reverse pearloid sharkfin inlays and black hardware.

Tonewoods include poplar body wings, a through-body maple neck with graphite reinforcement and scarf joint and a 12”-16” compound radius bound ebony fingerboard with 24 jumbo frets. 

Other features include an over-wound Seymour Duncan Parallel Axis bridge humbucker for “bright, expressive high-end and endless sustain,” a single volume control, a Floyd Rose 1000 Series double-locking tremolo system, Dunlop dual-locking strap buttons and Jackson sealed die-cast tuners complete the package.

The Brandon Ellis Kelly will be available in April for $1,199.

Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu RRT

This collaboration with the Gojira guitarist is offered in a Natural finish with single-ply black pickguard, color matched pointed headstock and black hardware.

Features include a poplar body with flame maple top, through-body maple neck with graphite reinforcement, scarf joint and satin back finish, 12”-16” compound radius bound ebony fingerboard with 22 jumbo frets, single Jackson covered high-output humbucking bridge pickup, single volume control, Jackson TOM-style adjustable compensated string-through-body bridge and Jackson sealed die-cast locking tuners.

The Christian Andreu RRT will be available in February for $899.

For more information on all the new Artist Signature Series models, head to Jackson Guitars.

Before he hit the big leagues as the backbone of djent-pioneering mosh powerhouse Periphery, turning brains to liquid by the theatre-load with his breakneck-paced riffs and turbulent bends, Misha Mansoor was simply a seven-string-obsessed shredhead with more song ideas in his mind than hours in the day to make them a reality. It was the turn of a new decade, and forums were all the rage – so, under the moniker Bulb, he utilised them to share hours upon hours of his genre-bending fretwork. 

Nowadays, Mansoor’s formative work as Bulb has a devout cult following, re-uploads of his rarities garnering millions of views each. So, before he officially reignites his old spark with a proper solo album until the Bulb name (set to be released in 2021 via his own 3DOT Recordings label), Mansoor has decided to make his archive of old ideas readily available in the form of ten meticulously curated volumes – eight of which are solely comprised of the old guitar-based cuts, with one album of electronic remixes and one of orchestral interpretations.

With all ten volumes now available to stream (we recommend pacing yourself, though – there’s over six hours of delicious djent to chew through here), we got Mansoor on the line to run us through the whole shebang.

Did you update any of these old recordings, or are all of the LPs just pure, cut-and-dry collections of those snapshots in time? 
I didn’t – the main reason being that I wouldn’t even be able to open most of those projects if I tried [laughs]. I think the impetus for all of this was the fact that currently, if you wanted to listen to any of this stuff, you’d have to know about it – which would require knowing about the forums I used to be a part of, and maybe some of the stuff on my old Soundcloud, neither of which are very well-known or publicised. And then I see people passing around Dropbox links for the songs, posting them up on YouTube and circulating them in their own ways. And so I was like, “Maybe I should make this a little bit easier on everyone.” 

So that was kind of the main reason: I wanted it all to be easier to find and listen to. But it’s not about rediscovering or reimagining any of it. The only thing I did was I had some of the tracks remastered – but it’s a very light mastering job, just so everything would fit the same way if you were to listen to different volumes in sequence, or whatever – nothing would really jump out as being out of place. 

Of course, you’re listening to about a decade and a half of me progressively learning how to make and produce music, and not really knowing what I’m doing for a good chunk of it. So the quality definitely varies, without a doubt. 

So how do you feel about a lot of that early material, now that you’ve grown so much as a guitarist and producer? Do you kind of wish you could’ve updated some of it, or do you look back on it all super fondly? 
Well I’ll put it to you this way: the stuff I wish I could update, I will. There’s something very raw about those original demos, and it’s kind of nostalgic for me. I don’t look back at it like, “Wow, that sounds great” – it sounds rough, y’know? It brings back memories of the challenges I was facing at those points in time, whether it was with the mixing, or musically, or whatever. I can definitely hear how I’ve improved from then to now.

The plan is for these archival volumes to exist as a precursor to an official solo album – something that will be a very deliberate release, and that will have songs I’m recording, or re-recording, right now. And a lot of those will be songs from the archives, but sort of done properly – given the justice they deserve.

How do you differentiate between a proper song and a demo? 
Moving forward, there’s going to be two categories that a project will fall into. Because I write a lot of stuff and I write with a lot of different projects, there’s a lot of stuff out there that literally nobody has ever heard – and that nobody likely ever will hear. There are lots of demos that just never materialised into real songs, and maybe to some extent they’ll fit into a continuation of these archival volumes.

I’ve just been writing more stuff than ever lately, but I haven’t been uploading things because to some degree, I’ve been protecting the material – in case it ends up on a Periphery album or some other project, y’know? But it’s also a matter of there now being years and years worth of material like that. So the way I’m thinking about it is that, while for now Volume 8 is the last one, it’s far from the last archive album I’ve got ready to go. 

Volume 9 could very easily happen, and that would just be something along the same lines where it would be a compilation of either incomplete ideas, or complete ideas that just nothing ever made it onto a record. Rather than letting them fall into the ether, I’ll just put them out there for people to check out, if they feel like it. And maybe I’ll revisit them one day and parts of them will end up in a Periphery song or whatever – who knows, right? But at least it’s out there, and not just sitting in my Dropbox wasting storage. 

But then I also like the idea of having solo albums, which will be these very deliberate collections of songs that I’m especially proud of, and that I’m putting a lot of effort in to present to people. And those will get more formal releases with vinyl and merch and all of that good stuff.

When do you think we might start to hear some of the new-new Bulb stuff?
It’s all about strategic timing. There’s really nothing stopping me from just putting it all out right now, but I do think there should be some order to it all. I mean, even with these ten archival albums, I wanted to put them all out at once, but our manager was like, “Maybe you should separate them by at least a couple weeks.” 

I think that ended up being a good call, because it allows people to digest each volume on its own – but it’s all still coming out quick enough that there’s something to look forward to. Because I think if I just dropped 110 songs at once, the first ten or 20 would’ve gotten listened to, and then the other 90 would have just fallen into the abyss. 

I’ll put the solo album out this year if I can, and either leading up to that or after it, further archives will come out. And I might just keep updating those as I keep writing and demoing stuff, because I don’t think any of it is really sacred. If something from the archive ends up as a complete song on a Periphery album, that won’t really bother me. That’s always been kind of the ‘easter egg’ relationship we’ve had with our fans anyway – in a lot of the back catalogue, you can hear ideas or riffs, or even entire sections of songs, that started off as demos on my Soundcloud. Some musicians wouldn’t want that stuff to be out there, but I personally don’t care. 

Would it be safe to assume that Periphery V is on the cards as well? 
In theory, yes! The biggest logistical problem right now is just that we can’t easily meet up, and the whole point of Periphery is that we all write and collaborate together. I have all these ideas that would be cool for Periphery, but it doesn’t really start until we all meet up. But y’know, it’s looking like it’s going to be pretty difficult to move around the States for a while longer, so maybe we’ll have to get more creative and try some online sessions or something – which is honestly something I’m not thrilled about, but y’know, beggars can’t be choosers.

Picture this: Tosin Abasi and Misha Mansoor standing in a garage surrounded by old car parts with the smell of gas hanging heavy in the air, electric guitars in hand.

What are they playing, you ask? Perhaps they're trading lines on an Animals for Leaders song? Or maybe they're tearing through a Periphery track?

No. They're playing Jessica by The Allman Brothers.

If fan Devin Walker has anything to say about it, what we just described could become a reality, as he launches a petition to get the guitar gurus on as special guest hosts of motor show Top Gear.

Growing up as a fan of the original British series, Devin claims that its American counterpart failed to capture the charm that the original hosts brought to the show and that an overhaul is long overdue.

Who better to reinvigorate and rejuvenate the car show than two of the most influential progressive metal guitarists in the biz?

Tosin Abasi of Animals as Leaders and Periphery's Misha Mansoor have been put forward by Walker as suitable candidates for special guest hosts, claiming they would be pivotal in gaining a new audience and making things more interesting for current viewers.

It's not hard to imagine, either, especially given Mansoor's love for cars, evident from his Instagram page where he's partial to sharing a snap of a supercar or two.

If their driving is anything like their shredding skills, we'd be in for a treat.

Sign the petition if you want to make it happen.

We know some killer Black Friday guitar deals are on the horizon, but this astounding plugin bargain might just rank as the highest discount yet, as you can now get 84% off Joey Sturgis Tones’ Misha Mansoor Toneforge plugin at Plugin Boutique.

That means the price you pay is a mere $19, as opposed to the original asking price of $149. That is one seriously insane discount.

As you’d expect from an exacting tonehound like Misha Mansoor, his signature Toneforge amp sim plugin delivers mix-ready high-gain sounds.

The plugin’s three-channel amp features an incredible amount of detail, with an ‘Infinity‘ gain knob that morphs the tone stack in levels as you increase the gain, plus controls for Harmonics, Compression, Saturation and even ‘Purr’.

Add in a host of matched cabs, a built-in IR loader, three pedals – including a model of the Horizon Devices Drive – and onboard mixing tools, and you’ve got an all-in-one guitar tone machine.

You can grab it now from Plugin Boutique.

More great early-Black Friday sales live now

• Sweetwater | Save 60% off guitar gear ahead of Black Friday
• Guitar Center | Snap up time-limited weekly holiday deals
• Musician’s Friend | Up to 15% off qualifying gear with the code HOLIDAY
• Sam Ash | Check out the latest additions to the Black Friday Preshow
• Pro Audio Star | Get up to 15% off select guitar gear with the code NOV15
• Zzounds | Shop the latest early-Black Friday deals
• Amazon | Explore all their latest guitar gear deals!

When the Coronavirus pandemic started wreaking its havoc on the world and it became abundantly clear we’d all be spending a lot more time inside in 2020, we asked ourselves a question: how can we make Australian Guitar the biggest and best, most jam-packed magazine of fretboard fandom on the market? 

Because after all, more spare time not only means more time to play the guitar, but more time to learn new techniques, more time to find your next favourite bands and obsess over the ones you already love, and more time to up your knowledge on the world’s greatest instrument and its history. 

So with each new issue of AG we’ve put together in 2020, we’ve aimed to go bigger and bolder – if you’ve been reading our plug posts for all of them thus far, you’re probably tired of us constantly bragging about how “this is the biggest issue of Australian Guitar yet!” But we just keep managing to one-up ourselves! We can’t help it! And we did it again with issue #140!

The big story this time around is a world-exclusive, one-on-one chat with the godfather of heavy metal himself, Tony Iommi. We talk about the chaotic origins of Black Sabbath, how they made a masterpiece in 1970’s Paranoid, and what lies around the corner for one of the world’s most revered guitarists. 

In addition, we’ve got another 23 interviews with world-class players to showcase – from stadium-stuffing legends like Nickelback, Corey Taylor and Deftones, to up-and-coming trailblazers like Cry Club, Tired Lion and Beabadoobee, and everyone in-between; we talk about the pop-influenced future of rock ’n’ roll with Nothing But Thieves, the value of catharsis with Fantastic Negrito, how dire times can breed inspiration with Seether, and why it’s okay to embrace high-fidelity sounds with Something For Kate. 

That’s all just scratching the surface of what you’ll find within the pages of Australian Guitar #140, of course.

We’ve also packed this issue full of special features, like our ranking of the 25 best acoustic rock songs of all time, an epic Telecaster shootout, a guide to mastering the iconic tones of Jimi Hendrix, and a tribute to the man, the myth and the legend himself, Eddie Van Halen. 

And for those keen to give their hands a workout, we’ve squeezed in the full tablature for Queen’s timeless “Now I’m Here”, five in-depth technique lessons, and a hands-on DIY guide for those keen to give their Strat a bit of extra oomph. If you’d rather just buy some new gear, though, don’t sweat it – we’ve got you covered with over 20 reviews of the latest and greatest guitars and equipment on the market.

Exclusive interviews in this issue:

• Deftones
• Corey Taylor
• Misha Mansoor
• Nickelback
• Something For Kate
• Biffy Clyro
• Sevendust
• Seether
• Nothing But Thieves
• The Lemon Twigs
• Beabadoobee
• Fantastic Negrito
• Josh Teskey & Ash Grunwald
• Tired Lion
• Alain Johannes (Producer Profile)
• The Front Bottoms
• PVRIS
• iDKHow
• Cry Club
• Danny Miller of Lewis Del Mar (Spotlight)
• Hendrik Wipprecht of A. Swayze & The Ghosts (Spotlight)
• Courtney Marie Andrews (Spotlight)
• David Potter of Stand Atlantic (Spotlight)

All the hottest gear reviews:

• Vox SDC-1 Mini Electric + Giulietta 3PS + Giulietta 3D
• JVB TMT 500 3-in-1 Metro Tuner + TMC 511 Clip-On Tuner/Metronome TMC 515 Mini Clip-on Tuner + JCT 615 Multi-Function Capo
• Danelectro Back Talk Reverse Delay Pedal
• Danelectro 3699 Fuzz Pedal
• Fender Reflecting Pool Delay/Reverb Pedal
• Fender Compugilist Pedal
• Fender Pour Over Envelope Filter Pedal
• Fender The Traper Dual Fuzz Pedal
• Fender CD-60S All-Mahogany Acoustic
• Fender Jim Root Jazzmaster V4
• Fender '64 Custom Princeton Reverb Amp
• Orange Crush Acoustic 30 Twin Channel Amp
• Epiphone SG Special P-90
• Ibanez Premium SR2405W Bass
• Aguilar DB925 Bass Preamp
• Zoom B3n Multi-Effects Processor
• Cort Gold-OC6 Acoustic
• Gretsch G5410T Electromtic "Rat Rod"
• Strymon Compadre Dual Voice Compressor And Boost Pedal
• Boss Waza-Air Over-Ear Amp-Phones

Subscribe to the print edition of Australian Guitar, and you'll enjoy each new issue on the day its published, delivered to your door. Check out Techmags for full details, including how to get 12 issues delivered to your door for under a hundred bucks. 

We were big fans of Horizon Devices’ first-ever pedal, the Precision Drive, and now the company co-founded by Periphery’s Misha Mansoor is back with a new offering, the Flux Echo.

The reverb and delay pedal, which Horizon says is the product of years of research and development, as well as Mansoor’s “extensive delay collection ranging from vintage tape echoes to modern crisp delays,” features controls for mix, tone, reverb/decay and delay/feedback.

A flux mode toggle switch, meanwhile, accesses three different voices, which Horizon defines as: warm, ambient reverb with clean analog delay repeats; lightly modulated reverb with a smooth reverse delay; and shimmer reverb with a tape-style echo.

Other features include mono and stereo I/Os, a tap/hold switch and a bypass/delay that also functions as a reverb trails switch when held down.

The Flux Echo runs on 9V power supply (not included) and is available now for $199.

For more information, head to Horizon Devices.

Misha Mansoor has long been credited (blamed?) for creating the style of progressive metal known as djent.

Recently, the Periphery electric guitar player appeared on DragonForce guitarist Herman Li’s Twitch channel to discuss how that came to be.

As Mansoor explains to Li, “I used to post on [guitar] forums because I’m a nerd.

"I would hang out on the Meshuggah forum, and on there they always used to talk about Meshuggah’s guitar sound being ‘djent’ or ‘djenty.’ ”

The whole "djent thing," Mansoor says, “was about chugging on the four lower strings – like a double power chord – in a drop tuning. It’s actually the onamonapia of that sound.

“That’s all it is. Then as a joke I used to always upload clips and songs [to the Meshuggah forum] and say, ‘New djenty clip.’ And then people thought that was a style of music.

“I learned not to argue with people. And now it’s a genre of music.”

Whether or not Mansoor actually created that genre – he points to Meshuggah’s Fredrik Thordendal as the founder – he also says, “at the end of the day I don’t care. I’m glad people are listening.”

That said, when Li asks him, “Can I call you djent master?,” Mansoor replies, “No, you can’t.”

Back in December 2019, Mansoor shared his thoughts with Guitar World on the future of djent.

“Djent was never a thing to begin with so it can never end. You can’t kill what’s already dead, right?” he mused.

“I always called myself progressive and I’m sure the other guys here do to some degree as well, because it allows us to get away with whatever.”

Beyond spending his quarantine time recording a major-key version of Stairway to Heaven, electric guitar player Misha Mansoor has been digging into his crates to compile a 10-album collection of music documenting his pre-Periphery solo project, Bulb.

For those not up on their Periphery history, Bulb was Mansoor’s online moniker back when he would share demos and playthroughs via fan forums, prior to his band’s rise to fame. In the years since, Bulb has become both Mansoor’s nickname as well as a reference to his solo work.

Said Mansoor, “Diving back into the Bulb archives is something that I’ve wanted to do for years. As I began working on what will be a new Bulb album I was reminded of this vast library of unreleased music, music that has only been previously available by seeking out bits and pieces on various forums and media channels.

“Presenting it in a context that both echoes my original intent with the songs grouped from the time period they were recorded in as well as making it easier for fans to find and enjoy was the driving motivation behind completing this massive undertaking.”

The 110-song, digitally released collection will be released over the next four months, with the first offering, Archives: Volume 8, arriving June 12 via 3DOT Recordings.

The 10 albums will be released bi-weekly in descending order, with the most recent of the Bulb archival material arriving first and subsequent releases leading back to the origin of the project.

For more information, head to 3DOT Recordings.

Let’s just admit it – all this self-distancing and quarantining-at-home has led to us losing our minds just a little bit.

Clearly, it’s even pushed Misha Mansoor to his limit, as the Periphery electric guitar maestro has delivered his own twisted version of Stairway to Heaven.

In a video uploaded to Instagram, Mansoor grabs a rather sweet-looking Fender Japan Modern Stratocaster HH to fingerpick the intro to the Led Zeppelin classic – with all the minor chords replaced with major chords.

The result? Mansoor calls it Escalator to Hell – although it sounds like quite a pleasant journey, really.

We suggest whipping this one out to get around the “No Stairway” rule the next time you’re in a Guitar Center – whenever that may be. And, as far as we know, there were no lawsuits involved in the making of this video.

Mansoor isn't the only guitarist to offer up his version of Stairway during the coronavirus lockdown, as Adam Sandler - of all people - played the song's climatic solo during a video-chat episode of Conan.

The Jackson Guitars Custom Shop is hitting the big 4-0 in 2020, and to celebrate this four-decade anniversary the company unleashed some truly mind-blowing new models at this year’s NAMM.

In addition to exotic woods, wild body shapes and eye-popping graphics and finishes, there’s also a 27-fret Randy Rhoads, a multi-scale seven-string and bass, several one-off artist electric guitars and, particularly cool, an Jackson/Charvel double neck.

As the company puts it, “There is no build too big or too nuts for the guys at the Jackson Custom Shop.”

We agree. Just check out some of the insane new builds below.

Jackson Custom Shop J0001 40th Anniversary

The original J0001 was entered into the Jackson Custom Shop’s log book as belonging to ex-Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing, although Downing reportedly never received or played the guitar.

Custom Shop Master Builder Mike Shannon says he had Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson “verify with Downing that he actually never had or played this guitar. How it got in the log books that way, I’m not sure. But the player, as far as I know who has it, is a guy named Jay Reynolds.” No word, however, if this is the same Jay Reynolds that played guitar for Malice and, for a brief time, Megadeth.

Specs on the J0001 include an alder body, quartersawn maple through-body neck, 12” radius rosewood fretboard, Seymour Duncan Custom Trembucker TB-5 humbucker in the bridge and Seymour Duncan ’59 humbucker in the neck and an iridescent Snow White Pearl finish.

Jackson Custom Shop Randy Rhoads

The Randy Rhoads boasts an alder body, quartersawn maple neck with a 12”-16” compound radius and a flame maple 22-fret fingerboard. Pickups are a Seymour Duncan TB-6 at the bridge and a Seymour Duncan SH1N at the neck, both with chrome covers. Other features include a White Sparkle finish with chrome hardware and pickguard, Floyd Rose Original tremolo system and Jackson-sealed die cast tuners.

Jackson/Charvel 40th Anniversary Double Neck Hot Rod Flame

This insane double-neck combines Jackson Soloist and Charvel San Dimas body styles. The Jackson half features a quartersawn maple neck-through-body design, 12”-16” compound radius ebony fingerboard with 24 jumbo frets and classic Jackson sharkfin inlays, There’s also a Seymour Duncan TB-4 at the bridge and SH-1 at the neck and a Floyd Rose Original tremolo system.

The Charvel half, meanwhile, features a bolt-on maple neck topped with a 12”-16” compound radius fingerboard and 22 jumbo frets, DiMarzio Super Distortion bridge pickup and a DiMarzio DP117 HS-3 neck pickup, Charvel brass tremolo and Gotoh tuners. It’s all topped by a custom Hot Rod Flames finish.

Jackson Custom Shop Limited Edition Signature Phil Collen PC1 Black Walnut

The PC1 sports a caramelized Dinky mahogany body capped with a 1/8” claro walnut top, a caramelized bolt-on maple neck and a 12”-16” compound radius 24-fret ebony fingerboard. Pickups are a DiMarzio Super 3 humbucker in the bridge, DiMarzio HS-2 single-coil in the middle and PC1 Sustainer Driver in the neck. Other features include a Floyd Rose Original double-locking tremolo system and Gotoh sealed die-cast tuners.

Jackson Custom Shop Limited Edition Signature Adrian Smith San Dimas

The limited edition Adrian Smith San Dimas features an alder body, bolt-on quartersawn maple neck and 12”-16” compound radius 22-fret fingerboard. There’s also a single DiMarzio DP100F Super Distortion pickup and a Floyd Rose Original bridge. The graphic, meanwhile, references Iron Maiden’s 1984 song, 2 Minute to Midnight. Said Smith about the model, “I call it my hooligan guitar because it is stripped down – no nonsense, one pickup. Sounds great, actually plays great. “I just love the guitar – apart from the fact that it looks really cool.”

Jackson Custom Shop Limited Edition Signature Mick Thomson Carbon Fiber Soloist

This limited edition Mick Thomson signature model recreates the carbon fiber finish of one of the Slipknot axman’s stage guitars. In addition to the finish, there’s a mahogany Soloist body, through-body maple neck and 12”-16” compound radius 24-fret ebony fingerboard with block side markers. Other features include Thomson’s signature Seymour Duncan EMTY Blackouts in the bridge and neck, a custom Jackson MTB HT6 bridge and a reverse pointed headstock.

Jackson Custom Shop Limited Edition Signature Misha Mansoor So-Cal HSS 2PT

Features on the Limited Edition Mansoor So-Cal include an ash body with a heavily relic’d Daphne Blue finish, caramelized flame maple bolt-on neck and 20” radius caramelized flame maple fingerboard with maple inlays outlined in ebony and 22 jumbo stainless steel frets.

There’s also a Bare Knuckle Ragnarock humbucker in the bridge and Misha Mansoor single-coils in the middle and neck, a Gotoh 510 2PT tremolo system, Luminlay side dots and white pickguard.

Jackson Custom Shop Limited Edition Signature Chris Broderick CB2 Diabolic

The Broderick CB2 Diabolic boasts a mahogany body with 1/8” flame maple cap in a Trans Black finish with flame maple binding and pinstripes. There’s also a quartersawn maple neck with a 12”-16” compound radius ebony fingerboard fitted with 24 jumbo stainless steel frets and boasting ziricote reverse sharkfin inlays.

Pickups are Broderick’s signature DiMarzio humbuckers, and there’s also a reverse Jackson AT1 headstock, seven-string Floyd Rose Pro tremolo system and D’Addario Planet Waves locking tuners.

Jackson Custom Shop RR27 HS FR Galaxy

This 27-fret behemoth boasts an alder Rhoads body with buckeye resin top, through-body quartersawn maple neck and 12”-16” compound radius ebony fingerboard. Pickups are a Bare Knuckle Aftermath humbucker in the bridge and Bare Knuckle Trilogy Suite single coil at the neck. There’s also a Floyd Rose Original bridge, Sperzel tuners and a magnetic truss rod cover to avoid the use of screws.

Jackson Custom Shop Warrior HT 7-String Multi-Scale

The seven-string Warrior Multi Scale HT sports an alder body, through-body quatersawn maple neck and 24-fret ebony fingerboard with pearl reverse sharkfin inlays. Oh yeah – it also comes in a retina-searing Neon Pink finish.

Other features include DiMarzio The Tone Zone 7 and DiMarzio Air Norton 7 pickups, Hipshot multi-scale fixed bridge, phenolic nut, Jackson sealed die-cast tuners, master volume and five-way toggle switching and reverse headstock.

Jackson Custom Shop Hellion Bass

The five-string, multi-scale Custom Shop Hellion boasts a reversed and elongated Demon shape and custom-carved ash body, through-body quartersawn maple neck and 16”-20” compound radius maple fingerboard with 24 jumbo stainless steel frets, classic black piranha teeth inlays and blue Luminlay side dots. Other features include a single Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Jazz Bass bridge pickup, Hipshot triple lock single saddle bridge and J Hipshot bass tuners. The bass comes in a Neon Yellow finish with reverse pointy headstock.

Jackson Custom Shop Soloist SL2 Exotic

The Custom Shop Soloist SL2 sports a cooked ash body with a ziricote top and titanium hardware. There’s also a flame maple set neck, ebony fretboard, Guitarmory Orion Pickups with curly maple bobbins and a Floyd Rose titanium bridge. Additional stylish touches include an inlaid maple Jackson logo on the headstock and ziricote reverse sharkin inlays on the fingerboard.

For more information, head to Jackson.

Upstairs at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town, a few hours before a sold-out show, we find Periphery guitarists Misha Mansoor and Jake Bowen sat opposite rising stars Plini and Jakub Zytecki [ex-Disperse] - who were chosen as main support for this European run.

The four musicians each have their own unique take on writing and recording, with differing areas of expertise and experience, though Mansoor is quick to point out the common thread…

“We may have different levels of intellect when it comes to music and theory; the one thing that unites us all is that we act on instinct,” he asserts. “Regardless of knowledge, instinct comes first. Knowledge may come in later to temper, inform or educate but instinct is something we all trust. It’s our first go-to. 

"Through our sets you see various permutations of that, based on skill, influences and how we want to express ourselves. I know that’s a bit abstract but that’s the main thing that ties us together and why we respect each other, in a game-recognize-game kinda way. I understand the choices these guys make, I relate to it and that’s why I think they’re awesome.”

For Australian virtuoso Plini, whose debut album was described by Steve Vai as “one of the finest, forward-thinking, melodic, rhythmically and harmonically deep instrumental guitar records I have ever heard,” Periphery’s meteoric rise within metal’s ranks as leaders of the djent upsurge has been very much a source of inspiration.

“It was a huge deal,” he says, handing this Guitar World correspondent a cup of cinnamon tea to ward off the winter chill. “It was Misha’s demoes on sevenstring.org that made me think I could record music and put it on the Internet. 

I didn’t need a record label or massive studio. I could just buy a guitar and a computer, try it that way. It made me think it was possible and okay to succeed without all that label infrastructure.”

When did you start to notice tech-metal was becoming more popular?

Jake: “I have to say one thing: I don’t think we intentionally spearheaded anything. We just wrote the stuff that we wanted to write and if people were digging it we’d go in that direction. We don’t feel like we’re masterminds of anything at all, it was really all by accident. Wouldn’t you agree, Mish?”

Misha: “You don’t choose what people like. It makes no sense. I still don’t understand why anyone likes our band! I get why they like Plini… I can understand that. But not so much with our band. Maybe it’s something that happened over the last 20 years, I’m sure that has something to do with it. 

"Everything kinda flows… if it wasn’t me posting on those forums, it would have been someone else. Who knows why these things happen?!”

Is there a kind of person this style of music tends to attract?

Jake: “Yeah, it definitely resonates with a very specific type. If you talk to a lot of the people at the show tonight, you’ll find they're either musicians, students or professionals in some sort of field - I guess we tend to draw intellectuals. 

"I think that’s interesting, though it wasn’t intentional, you don’t get to pick your fanbase. If you make music with a lot of detail, it can draw in a lot of those kinds of people. It’s give and take, we’re all feeding off each other.

Misha: “Basically, nerds like us. It’s okay to be a nerd. I remember growing up when it wasn’t okay to be a nerd. Everyone would say you suck and had no friends. Being a nerd is cool now, it’s more accepted.”

How much of a part has technology played for the tech-metal movement?

Misha: “I think a lot of it comes down to exposure from Spotify and streaming services. Look at Plini, he comes from Australia but now he can come out here and crush it because everyone has access. It’s cool to be into nerdy stuff and find the subgenre that defines you. Now there are tools to help you find what you want.”

Jake: “There are algorithms that follow our listening habits. If someone listens to Plini or Jakub, there’s a very good chance they’ll be directed to Periphery, Animals As Leaders and Tesseract. The machine is listening, so to speak… that’s how we’re able to spread further.”

What would you say are the main differences between you all as players?

Plini: “I just rip Jakub off but I’m always two years late. He was using EDM with Disperse ages and then two years later I finally understood how to do it. So whatever he’s up to now, you can expect from me in a few years (laughs)!”

Misha: “Jakub’s on some crazy shit, man!”

Jake: “He’s found a way to bridge the gap between very textural and melodic electronica with guitar worked into it in a way that engages with guitar players. Does that sound right?”

Jakub: “Yes, I like to make it feel more easy-listening than it might actually be.” 

Misha: “The guitar isn’t even a focal instrument, which I love. There will be a layer or texture and then occasionally that little flurry that happens that makes you think, ‘Oh, he’s sick!’ But for the most part, it’s integrated in other ways.”

Jake: “Me and Misha play guitar and compose things, but these guys are on totally different level in terms of playing. They can improvise and are so locked in. I don’t want to discount what we are doing, I enjoy what we do, but both of us look up to these guys. We can compose and perform live but these guys can play guitar in a way that we never could.”

Yet still manage to keep things very musical…

Misha: “Exactly. Jakub has superpowers. He’s got the whole cheat code and god mode going on with his guitar but he has the maturity to use it responsibly. Using his powers for good - seriously, that’s a phrase I like to use a lot. 

"There are a lot of people that can shred all day long, but who can actually use it to create music that makes you feel something. Restraint is incredible. Some people might listen to a song and have no idea of what he can really do, and it doesn’t matter.

"The same goes for Plini, it’s about the emotion of the song and the flow. That’s the beauty of what he does. He keeps it simple and also uses his powers for good. People might not realize how hard he can shred until they see him live. That’s what’s so awesome about them.”

Jakub: “I guess both me and Plini work to serve the song. That always comes first and everything else is secondary. We both want to tell the story, that’s always the most important thing.”

How different is your live gear - are you all using an Axe-FX somewhere in the rig?

Plini: “Me and Jakub are actually sharing one Axe-FX!”

Misha: “That’s the smart way to do it. For us, it’s a mix. I don’t think any of us shun anything, it’s just about whatever works best. We usually use Peavey Invectives but we don’t have them out here, so we have the 6505s. We use Axe-FX just as a power amp for stage sound.”

Jake: “We got a little creative with the effects loop out, bypassing the preamp stage of the head, with a separate block that diverts off the Axe-FX before any cab simulation. That signal goes into the amp which is powering the cabs, so we get that for our stage volume. Then the one with the cab simulation is going to the front of house fully direct.”

Jakub: “I’m not super-techy when it comes to gear. I do it more through trying different things that might sound good. I don’t even know exactly what I used and where, I’m more blindly trying to see what works and what doesn’t.”

What do you think lies in the future for tech-metal? 

Misha: “It will be some 10 year-old kid that will be watching Jakub and outshredding him on YouTube. It’s like, ‘Oh my god, they’re getting younger!’ When I first saw Jakub, he was only 16 or so. It made me think, ‘What’s the point, why even try beating that?!’ They’re just getting younger and better now. That’s the future right there.”

Jakub: “I think the boundaries between guitar or metal-driven music and electronica or dance will disappear. That feels like the future to me.”

Will it be still called djent? Is it still called djent now, even?

Misha: “Djent was never a thing to begin with so it can never end. You can’t kill what’s already dead, right? I always called myself progressive and I’m sure the other guys here do to some degree as well, because it allows us to get away with whatever.

“It’s like a removal of limitation. I kept on meeting people that said we were too heavy for rock or too metal… which were stupid comments. It should be whatever you want it to be. Write whatever you feel like writing, that should never be a problem. Forget about what other people think and make sure it’s genuine. 

"Sure, some people stumble upon a hit or a formula or something. But to be consistent, it has to come from somewhere genuine. I have no idea what will happen next, probably someone that mixes things together, not because they’re in their room trying to figure out the next big hit, but rather it’s the music they want to hear themselves.”

Jake: “There’s also the technology to follow. Think about when rock and roll first started, the equipment used was very different to what it is now. Now there’s more electronica and synthesizers in the genre because people can work easily inside the box through home recording. 

"As long as technology keeps progressing, we’ll figure out new ways to evolve music and sound. There’s always going to be talented people out there, it’s just up to them to figure out what to do with the technology. 

"That’s why djent came out, Misha was able to start recording at home with sampled drums, POD XTs and it eventually got easier and easier. Now you can surgically design whatever you want. It got cheaper and quicker, which is why people take advantage of it.”

What’s the last piece of gear that blew your mind?

Misha: “Jakub isn’t human, he’s pretty much a plug-in so I’ll say him (laughs)!”

Plini: “I’m going to give an unashamed plug for my signature plug-in with Neural DSP, the Archetype. For me it’s an unfaultable digital guitar amp. What Neural do really well is that feeling of going into a guitar store and trying the most expensive thing… you just know it’s going to be good.

"You don’t need to EQ everything to make it sound good. I think everything they do is amazing… they did one with Nolly [Getgood, ex-Periphery], too.”

Jakub: “It’s so simple and minimalistic too, which really helps… I use it too and love the fact it works straight away and very easily. I was using Amplitube for a while, to be honest I’m not even sure why. The Archteype feels like the next big thing for recording. It’s so convenient, you can always re-amp it all later too.”

Misha: “They do great work and Plini’s plug-in is sick. I have a pedal company and drum software company. But I’m going to take this in a different direction, I got this EP-2 Echoplex, an original tape delay. 

I love delays and that thing is just a mojo machine. I used it on the album, it inspired different ideas like the beginning and end of Satellites right before Jake says, ‘Suck my balls!’”

Jake: “I did say that…”

Misha: “The Echoplex is so amazing when it comes to inspiration. Out of all the delay units out there emulating tape stuff, I never thought it could be that sick… but it is and especially the EP-2. 

"I’d like to do some modulation and delays with my company in the future, that would feel like the logical next step. The Strymon Volante is one of the best delays out there but it’s still not the same, nothing beats the real thing.”

Jake: “There’s one thing that I know will inspire entire songs after I start it up. It’s this plug-in called Omnisphere 2 made by Spectrasonics. It’s this freak plug-in where every sound is already amazing. The moment you hit a note if feels like a song. You don’t have to do much to make it sound good.

"Me and Misha were working on an electronic track together and I’d say a good chunk of it started with that. There’s a lot of guitar on the album but not in a metal or djent way. It’s a very great way of laying foundations and textures for music.”

Misha: “It just ruins all the others value-for-money-wise. Everyone’s always talking about all these orchestral plug-ins but I always tell them the first one you should get is Omnisphere. You’ll get more out of that per dollar spent than anything else.

Sounds like we’re getting paid off by them, we should be… Spectrasonics, send me free shit!”

Jake: “We’re not Jan Hammer or anything so they probably won’t talk to us. I’d put fuckin’ money it… if you look at every one of our projects for every Periphery song, there will be at least one per song.”

What are the common mistakes you see people making when it comes to home recording?

Jake: “What I’ve noticed when I’m looking at the general scope of players online posting demoes or performances, a lot of the time they’re trying to emulate something too closely rather than trying to figure out what makes them unique. 

“You hear these songs that really go for the Periphery production but kind of miss the point completely. There’s something really sterile about it. I wish people would get more experimental and not chase specific things that have already been done. I guess that happens in every generation, everyone’s just trying to emulate who they look up to…”

Misha: “True, our band is just a Meshuggah rip-off. We listen to them and Dream Theater.”

Jake: “But what sets us apart is - sure, you hear polyrhythms, djenty guitars and heavy drums - but you also hear big melodies. Spencer [Sotelo, vocals] writes incredible choruses that can resonate with more than just metal fans.”

Is there a secret to counting and writing in odd time signatures?

Misha: “None of us count. If we counted… we wouldn’t feel it. Not even our drummer counts… if you’re counting, you're not playing music. You should internalize everything to the point where you’re not even playing it, you're performing it and enjoying it. 

You shouldn’t ever worry about it and if you do, then maybe it’s not what you should be playing or you're not well enough practiced. Nobodies counting. It’s all feel. It has to be feel.

Jakub: If you practice anything enough, the muscle memory will start to kick in. That’s when you can really start enjoying it.”

Plini: “I only ever notice I’m in an odd-time is when I’m laughing about and choose to do something different just for fun, but staying in time and key. That’s the only time. You have to get to comfortable levels of muscle memory so you can really enjoy it. If you’re thinking too much you’re not going to be able to.

Misha: “You wouldn’t be performing, you’d be rehearsing. My younger brother was exposed to a lot of music I love, stuff like Dream Theater and SikTh, I noticed when he started to play guitar he was writing in odd-time signatures. He didn’t even understand it was odd, he didn’t know the first thing about music theory. 

"But he didn’t think of 4/4 as a limitation, the count is however many notes the riff needs. Exposure is the main thing. If you listen to this style, it’ll be in there somewhere.

"I took an electronic music class in high school and one of the assignments was writing in an odd-time signature. And I failed, I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t understand or wrap my head around it. I hadn’t been exposed to much of that type of music at that point. If you want to get better at this style, try to understand and play along, eventually it will work its way into your musical lexicon.”

So what happens when one of your bandmates comes up something that doesn’t quite sink in?

Jake: “I just sing along to it. Whenever there’s a time signature tripping me out, I’ll just hum it to hear where it starts over. We don’t have too many songs that are crazy. We mess with seven a bit and there’s some in five, a few that are pretty weird, but most of the time we begin and end songs in four. 

"Another thing to note is that people will hear accents like where the snare lands, which might be somewhere unconventional not just the two and four, and assume it’s all an odd-meter but really the section is still in four.”

Plini: “The perfect example of this was the other night, there was a part in our set where I start clapping while Jakub played chords with weird accents. The audience just couldn’t follow it. 

"For Periphery it’s different, we were in Germany and they were playing Lune, which has this part where Jake’s playing in seven and Spencer’s getting the crowd to chant his name in four over the top… and it all went totally fine!”

Misha: “Maybe in Germany they are counting the whole time. So the lesson is don’t count unless you’re German, in which case keep on doing what you’re doing!”

"You know, if you’d asked me early on in the process what I thought our new album was going to sound like, I would’ve told you 'artsy and experimental,'" says Periphery guitarist Misha Mansoor about the recently released Periphery IV: Hail Stan. "But I guess we were in a heavy mood."

You could say that again. Because while Periphery - Mansoor and his two co-guitarists, Mark Holcomb and Jake Bowen, as well as singer Spencer Sotelo and drummer Matt Halpern - are no strangers to creating heavy, incredibly technical and wildly whipsawing seven-string and eight-string instrumental mayhem.

It’s been something of their calling card since they busted onto the prog-metal scene roughly 10 years ago - Hail Stan is quite possibly the band’s most intense and aggressive ride yet. Take the first three tracks alone - the mammoth 16-minute-plus opener, Reptile, the crushing and dissonant first single, Blood Eagle, and the heavy-as-its-title-would-suggest Chvrch Burner - are packed with enough musical twists and turns and all-out guitar pandemonium to satisfy even the most demanding shred-metal heads.

That said, those who delve further into Hail Stan will, in time, also be met with the sort of "artsy and experimental" music that Mansoor initially believed would characterize the entire album - the bright-toned, if not downright poppy, It’s Only Smiles, for one, and also the atmospheric and celestial closer, Satellites and, most prominently, the electro-throbbing, heavily orchestrated Crush.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if people were like, ‘This sucks, you suck, you’re sell-outs,” says Holcomb about that last track. “But it’s still very much a Periphery song, despite how different it is.”

In fact, the notion of bringing a variety of styles into the Periphery sound has been part of their musical makeup since day one - in particular because, as Bowen points out, everyone in the band contributes to the songwriting.

“I don’t know many other bands where every member is a huge contributor, and we all bring something different to the music,” he says. “And because of that, if any one of us was missing from the equation our records would sound a lot different.”

In the following interview, Mansoor, Bowen and Holcomb discuss the unique musical chemistry that combines to create the Periphery sound. They also talk about the guitars and gear they used to record the new album, how Periphery “not really making money” has in some ways had a positive effect on their music, and, most importantly, just what exactly Hail Stan means.

“I knew that was coming!” says Holcomb with a laugh. “Like, ‘How long will it take to ask about our stupid album title?’”

How did you put the new album Periphery IV: Hail Stan together?

Misha Mansoor: "Every Periphery album comes together pretty much in the same way. It’s just, 'Let’s write some songs and see what happens.' That’s really it. But one thing I will say is that every time we get together, it’s at a point where we’re sort of itching to write again.

"And we always have all sorts of wild ideas as to what the album is going to sound like, but it’s almost entirely irrelevant, because when we sit down, whatever happens, happens. We’ve learned not to fight the process but to just embrace it. And that’s evidenced by the fact that the first thing we wrote this time is the first song on the album, Reptile."

Reptile is the longest and one of the heaviest songs you’ve ever recorded…

Mark Holcomb: "That song actually came out of this tuning I had, we call it drop G. It’s so dirty! From low to high it’s G G C F A D. We were so inspired by that tuning that we ended up writing the whole song in a couple of days.

"I had the first two riffs for the song, and from there it was just a matter of passing the guitar from one to the other. Before we knew it, we had 10-plus minutes of music. Then I think it ballooned to 15 or 16 minutes."

Jake Bowen: "We just kind of went down the rabbit hole. We kept tacking on riffs, packing on sections, toying with the arrangement. And it came together relatively fast. It was about a two-day project. And that kind of set the pace and set the bar for what the rest of the songs would have to be."

Straight off the bat, we would say that this is one of the band’s heavier records, overall…

Bowen: "It is. And it’s tonally and melodically darker, too. But that was never the intention. We had a ton of demos that we were looking over to see what would inspire us and what we would want to flesh out into fully finished songs. And I guess a lot of the darker side of Periphery was chosen for these sessions. But it was by accident, really."

Holcomb: "In fact, the first couple of working ideas we had for the album were not heavy. We were more drawn to softer ideas. I think one of the first songs we started working on was It’s Only Smiles, which is sort of the ballad on the record. Or one of the ballads, at least, but we were really into that one and because of that I had this thought in my head, like, 'Wow, maybe this album is going to be a little bit more melodic than the last one…' But then we start writing in that drop-G tuning. [Laughs]"

Let’s talk about some of the lighter material, in particular Crush, which is quite different from your usual material.

Mansoor: "I’ll tell you this - I’m expecting a lot of people to hate Crush. I didn’t even think that was going to be a Periphery song. It was just something I did for fun one day and threw it up on my YouTube. And Spencer, I guess he was just inspired by it and he added some vocals to it. And then when we heard that we were like, 'This is really cool. Maybe we should make this a song…' That’s how it works sometimes. But that one is kind of a weird one, especially next to songs like Reptile and Blood Eagle and Chvrch Burner.

Holcomb: "There are no seven-strings on it, there’s no low tunings, there’s no heavy riffs. Crush is driven by synth and by Spencer’s vocal. However, it’s a fun song. And what it does, it sort of cleanses the palate after hearing all this heavy stuff."

Mansoor: "I don’t know why, but I think maybe knowing that certain people will really hate it made me want to put it on the album even more! It’s kind of screwed up to admit that."

How did you guys go about recording guitars in the studio?

Mansoor: "I tracked and engineered all the guitars for the album, which was kind of a pain in the ass. I probably shouldn’t ever do that again because it was really stressful! [Laughs] But the way I did it was I basically captured a DI signal in case we wanted to re-amp stuff later on. Which was good, because we ended up needing to do that for certain things.

"As far as gear, we used a [Fractal Audio] Axe-Fx III as our main writing and recording tool. It’s fantastic. There’s the big debate over whether real amps are better, and we did all sorts of shootouts between different things in the studio. But when it came to actually tracking, the Axe-Fx III just made it very easy because we had all our sounds ready to go. There was no need to overthink it. So that was pretty much the only amp we used on the album.

"We put pedals in front of it sometimes, and we used post-effects in the DAW. And we used these proprietary cabs - actually, you can buy them - called the ML Sound Lab. They’re in the Fractal store. That’s the one sort of 'non-stock' thing about the amp sound.

What guitars did you choose to use on this album and why?

Mansoor: "I have my signature guitar with Jackson, the Juggernaut, and I have two variations of that - one has Bare Knuckle Juggernaut pickups and one has Bare Knuckle Ragnarok pickups. The guitar with the Ragnaroks is slightly more aggressive. And I think due to the heavier nature of this album that one ended up being used a bit more.

"And I also have a Fender Custom Shop Strat and a Custom Shop Tele that I absolutely adore, and those found their way onto the album wherever possible. Then Jake and Mark brought their signature guitars as well."

Holcomb: "I brought my PRS Private Stock seven-string and a couple of my signature SE models. I also had my PRS eight-string, but that didn’t actually get any use because we didn’t end up writing any eight-string songs!"

Bowen: "I have three models with Ibanez. My main model, the JBM100, is kind of the flagship for the signature line. And then I recently had a new one come out called the JBM10FX which is basically a fixed-bridge version of the 100. It’s a way more affordable price point and it’s actually one of my main guitars now because I wanted a workhorse guitar that I wouldn’t be so bummed about if it got broken onstage, because all my JBM100s are messed up in one way or another just from me running around onstage like an idiot. [Laughs] So I had those, and then I also had my JBM27, which is a seven-string model with a floating bridge.

"And actually, one thing that’s worth mentioning is Misha also had one of his Jacksons outfitted with an EverTune bridge, and we did the bulk of the rhythm work with that guitar, just because we didn’t have to stop and tune all the time. It really makes for a consistent and pleasurable recording experience."

Holcomb: "That Jackson with the EverTune was definitely the MVP. And that brings up a good point: what people might not realize is that even though we all have our own signature guitars, when we record we like to pass our guitars around quite a bit.

"I notice that when there’s videos online of me tracking with Misha’s guitar or Jake tracking with my guitar or me tracking with Jake’s guitar, someone will always be like, 'Wow, Jake doesn’t like his Ibanez!' Or, 'Mark doesn’t like his PRS!' It’s not that at all. It’s just about the momentum of the track, and deciding what guitar will get the best sound at that particular moment."

Misha, you’ve been quoted quite a few times in recent interviews discussing the fact that there’s no money to be made these days in the sort of music that Periphery plays.

Mansoor: "Yeah. I’m almost apprehensive discussing this, because every time I do it ends up getting cited by another website that didn’t do the interview and turned into some clickbait article. Like, 'Oh, Misha’s complaining that there’s no money in the industry!' Actually, I’m not complaining.

"Periphery not really making money, and just kind of becoming a passion project is maybe one of the most rejuvenating things that has happened to the band for me, because that’s made it all about the music. And don’t get me wrong, we make a little bit of money - enough to be solvent. And that’s great.

"But this band is not the main source of income for each of us. And I think that realization and acceptance has been positive. Because money is not why we’re doing this; we’re doing this because this is something we love doing.

As far as having the freedom to pursue your music as you see fit, the band also recently started its own label, 3Dot Recordings, to release your albums. How has that been going?

Holcomb: "It’s great. We don’t have to worry about satisfying anybody else beyond the people in this immediate Periphery circle. We have this vehicle to put out our music without any restrictions whatsoever, and we have complete control over it."

Bowen: "I think the creative side was always untouched by our label, maybe with a few exceptions where we entertained the suggestion of doing a radio edit or going on a festival tour that was geared toward the rock-radio market or something like that. But really we’ve never really listened to anybody but ourselves.

"Now, I think the biggest change is that we’re in full control of timetables and logistics and distribution and all this stuff. That’s why we were able to work on this album for a year - there was no other party involved besides our management, and they are always super-supportive of us anyway. We’re in control of all the decisions."

Well, given that fact, how did you come to the decision to title the album Hail Stan?

Mansoor: "I heard there was a misspelling. There should be an extra 'a' in Stan."

Holcomb: "I think we actually did it on a T-shirt a few years back. The shirt had this big satanic looking figure on it, like a Baphomet. And on the back was a big pentagram and below the pentagram it had the words 'Hail Stan', instead of 'Hail Satan'. Just a joke-y sort of thing. And I think it was Misha who texted it to all of us some months back: Periphery IV: Hail Stan. And we all just laughed. I was like, 'That’s the stupidest thing ever!'"

Bowen: "Our manager hates us for naming our album that. But you know our humor… we’re really weird guys!"

Mansoor: "It’s a pretty embarrassing typo. I’m going to have some words about it with the guys at the label, which is us. But, I’ll tell you, someone’s getting fired over this!"

Summer NAMM 2019: Jackson has announced new signature models for Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith, Periphery’s Misha Mansoor and Megadeth’s David Ellefson.

The USA Signature Adrian Smith San Dimas SDQM is now available in a new Transparent Green Burst finish, while the X Series Adrian Smith San Dimas SDXM is now offered with a Snow White finish and a white pickguard option.

Smith’s USA Signature SDQM features a lightweight alder body with a quilt maple top, a bolt-on quartersawn maple neck, a compound radius maple fingerboard, Seymour Duncan JB TB-4 and Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Single-Coil Strat pickups and a Floyd Rose Original double-locking tremolo.

The more affordable X Series Signature SDXM features a basswood San Dimas body, a bolt-on maple neck, a compound radius maple fingerboard, a Jackson high-output humbucker and single-coil pickups, plus a Floyd Rose Special double-locking tremolo.

Misha Mansoor’s line of Juggernaut guitars now includes the Pro Series Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut HT7P seven-string. The new model boasts a basswood body with a poplar burl top and a 26.5” scale length. There’s also a bolt-on caramelized maple neck and a 20” flat radius caramelized maple fingerboard with rolled edges, 24 jumbo frets and offset dot inlays. Pickups are a pair of direct-mount MM1 pickups, developed by Jackson in conjunction with Mansoor.

The guitar comes in a new Black Burst Burl finish with a matching Jackson 4x3 AT-1 headstock and black hardware.

Finally, David Ellefson’s signature Jackson line has been bolstered with the addition of the new four-string X Series Signature David Ellefson Concert Bass CBXM IV and five-string X Series Signature David Ellefson Concert Bass CBXM V.

Both models feature a poplar body, a graphite-reinforced bolt-on quartersawn maple neck and a 12”-16” compound radius maple fingerboard.

The two basses are loaded with active EMG J bridge and EMG P neck pickups. There’s also an active three-band EQ and blend knob. Other features include a Jackson HiMass bridge, an all-new Jackson paddle headstock and 34” (the CBXM IV) and 35” (the CBXM V) scale lengths.

For more information, head to Jackson Guitars.

Periphery have announced the release of their fifth album, Periphery IV: Hail Stan, on April 5 via their own 3DOT Recordings.

Yesterday, the album’s first single, “Blood Eagle,” was premiered on Sirius XM Liquid Metal. Said Periphery guitarist Mark Holcomb about the song: “We’ve known since the late stages of P4 writing sessions that ‘Blood Eagle’ would be the first song we released. It’s an unrelenting song that, even while we were writing it, we would say to ourselves: ‘We NEED to play this live.’ The original demo was vastly different, and through the songwriting process, it took on this kind of violent, explosive nature that is always hard to synthesize. That energy excited us and we knew it’d be the first thing we’d let you all hear.”

Regarding the new album, guitar player/programmer Jake Bowen said; “We finally spent a year on a record. We’ve never been able to do that. The quality and pacing of the work show we took our time with this one. That’s an important note about this. We really got to do everything we wanted to do in the space we had to do it.”

Added Holcomb, “I think you can hear the adventurous intent behind much of this material as a result. We’re all the happiest we’ve ever been with a release, and it’s no coincidence. Can’t wait for you all to hear it.”

Periphery IV: Hail Stan is available for pre-order in limited-edition vinyl and merch bundles at 3DOT Recordings. The album can also be pre-ordered digitally via iTunes. Digital pre-orders include an immediate download of “Blood Eagle,” which can be streamed now via Spotify.

Periphery IV: Hail Stan track list:

• Reptile
• Blood Eagle
• CHVRCH BVRNER
• Garden In The Bones
• It’s Only Smiles
• Follow Your Ghost
• Crush
• Sentient Glow
• Satellites

Why aren't six strings enough? This was the question we posed to one of guitar's all-time greats a few years ago.

Steve Vai, in his infinite, sage-like wisdom, responded, "Six is enough, and eight is enough too. Whatever you want. Four can be enough. One can be enough, if you’ve got the imagination for it."

And that's really what it came down to when whittling down our list of 15 of the best seven-string and eight-string players in guitarville right now: Who has the imagination to take that extra string or two and do something with them that couldn't be replicated simply by down-tuning or pitch-shifting?

• The 10 best 7-string guitars right now

It would have been very easy for seven- or 8-string guitars to be sitting in a museum somewhere as novelty items—you know, Spinal Tap-esque relics of an age when guitarists went "one lower." But these 15 names are a testament to the myriad ways in which the seven- and eight-string guitar has evolved over the years, in ways that even its modern progenitor couldn't have foreseen.

"When I was [playing seven-strings], I had a feeling there was going to be a group of kids who were really gonna take that low string and do something with it that I wasn’t doing," Vai said. "I also felt that maybe some jazz and classical players would take it up. I had no idea that they were going to do what they did."

STEPHEN CARPENTER | DEFTONES

Whether utilizing seven strings or eight, Deftones have packed some serious subsonics into their music over the years. "Hexagram" off the band's 2003 self-titled effort is the epitome of their haunting take on alternative metal, with Chino Moreno screaming maniacally over Stephen Carpenter's off-kilter seven-string riffing.

JEFF LOOMIS

A true guitarist’s guitarist, Jeff Loomis is no stranger to readers of this magazine for his work as a solo artist and with Nevermore and Arch Enemy. Loomis' seven-string skills are put to great use on a monster track called "Jato Unit." Big octave melody lines, low palm-muted riffage, wide arpeggios, whammy bar dives, syncopated rhythms—this one is a great song to sharpen your skills, and, if you're a proficient six-string player making the transition to seven for the first time, it's a great one to cut your teeth on. Make it to the end and you can truly call yourself a seven-string guitarist.

TOSIN ABASI | ANIMALS AS LEADERS

When Tosin Abasi recorded what was essentially a solo album under the name Animals as Leaders, his goal was to expand the pallet of heavy, progressive music into something that was more compositionally challenging for him and more accessible to linsteners. “I wanted to make music that was more universal,” he told Guitar World in 2009. Tosin may be better known for rocking the eight-string these days, but "CAFO" from Animals as Leaders' eponymous debut is as fine an example of seven-string mastery as you'll come across in the modern metal-scape.

OLA ENGLUND | THE HAUNTED, FEARED

If you're even slightly familiar with music driven by electric seven-string guitars, Sweden's Ola Englund needs no introduction. He's played a seven-stringer for years with the Haunted and—especially—Feared and has an ever-evolving line of signature models through Washburn (plus his own line of axes). And then there's his popular YouTube channel, which features his trademark gear demos, many of which have appeared on GuitarWorld.com over the years. "By constantly putting out material/videos/tutorials, I’ve been able to maintain a steady growth in followers," he told iMusician. "It’s not that hard actually, just work your ass off and don’t be an asshole and you’ll be fine."

CHRIS LETCHFORD | SCALE THE SUMMIT

In a genre that's often put down for self-indulgence, instrumental-prog-rockers Scale The Summit have found that perfect niche between musicality and technical fireworks. In other words, the band, which features seven-string guitarsts Chris Letchford and Travis Levrier, puts the focus squarely on the songs. “The most compliments we get are that we’re not just a guitar wizardy band,” Chris Letchford told theaquarian.com. “Yeah, our stuff is really complex, technical music, but it’s still not over-the-top, shred-based. That would push a lot of people away.” Below, check out the official video for "Blue Sun" from the band's 2015 album, V.

MISHA MANSOOR | PERIPHERY

Misha Mansoor has become a guitar hero in his own right. Since 2005, he has played guitar (and often produced) with his band, Periphery, a groundbreaking progressive-rock unit that fuses soaring vocal melodies and complex instrumental interludes into polished, compact, space age–sounding metal. With their distinctive three-guitar sound, glitch electronic overlays and throaty chug provided by the lower strings of their seven-string guitars, Periphery have spawned a whole underground industry of imitators.

SARAH LONGFIELD

Keep an eye or two out for Wisconsin-based (or is it Boston?), Strandberg Guitars-playing Sarah Longfield. The guitarist, who posted an extra-popular cover of Meshuggah's "Pravus" to YouTube a few years ago, formed the Fine Constant as an outlet for her innovative—and pleasing-to-the-ear—original music. Longfield also records under her own name, and her latest album, 2017's Collapse // Expand, has been burning up the interwebs. You can check it out here and sample a wee bit of it below.

ADAM "NERGAL" DARSKI | BEHEMOTH

Nergal is the lead guitarist, vocalist and mastermind behind Polish metal warrirors Behemoth. Over their lengthy career, they've been putting out some of the most technical and inspired metal to ever be exported from their country. Nergal has his own signature model through ESP Guitars, the HEX-7. "ESP made the perfect axe for me," Nergal says. "It kills, it slays."

MARTEN HAGSTROM & FREDRIK THORDENDAL | MESHUGGAH

While you won't find any extra strings on Meshuggah's 1991 debut, Contradictions Collapse, guitarist Fredrik Thordendal knew from the very beginning that six strings just wouldn't suffice to contain the breadth of his band's music. "For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to have a seven-string guitar so that I’d be able to play those really low notes," Thordendal told Guitar World, "and then Ibanez finally came out with one." By the time of the band's follow-up effort, the aptly named Destroy Erase Improve, the band had added an additional guitarist in Marten Hagstrom, and upped the ante with a retooled brand of progressive metal that has proven immensely influential to the new breed of metal musicians.

IHSAHN

For the past few years, founding Emperor guitarist (and former Guitar World columnist) Ihsahn has been pushing musical boundaries on his solo albums, revealing a vision beyond what few listeners could ever imagine—from his inventive rhythmic structures to his rough-and-ready riffs. The progressive black metaller also just released a pair of new playthrough videos, one of which, "Frozen Lakes on Mars" (below), is the first-ever demo of Aristedes' new 080s eight-string guitar.

STEVE VAI

You knew it was coming. It would be impossible to leave out Steve Vai, the man who brought the seven-string guitar to prominence. In fact, the first mass-produced seven-string guitar was Vai's signature Ibanez UV7. Sure, there are other Vai songs that make use of the seven-string, sometimes obviously ("The Audience Is Listening," "The Riddle," "Ya Yo Gakk") and sometimes subtly ("For the Love of God"). But "I Would Love To" was the most radio-friendly, MTV-visible track from Vai's breakthrough solo album, Passion and Warfare, and the song makes a great case for the seven-string's use as a wide-range guitar—instead of simply an excuse to play really low notes.

As Vai told Mixdown magazine in 2013, he feels a sense of gratitude in seeing where new players have taken the seven-string guitar. "When it first came out, I was the only one playing one aside from Uli Jon Roth. They weren't available commercially. And once it became available I think there were some people that gravitated toward it because they were fans, and some people gravitated toward it because they saw the potential in it for something new. And they sure did do it. When Passion and Warfare and the Whitesnake albums came out, there was a surge in sales."

RELATED: Hear Steve Vai's "Lovely Elixir" from Passion and Warfare 25th Anniversary Edition

DAVID DAVIDSON | REVOCATION

One of guitarist David Davidson's primary objectives when writing music for his band, Revocation, is to try to push the envelope and come up with sounds, ideas, chord patterns, progressions and riffs that have been rarely explored within the thrash metal genre. Davidson developed his technique at the Berklee College of Music, where he focused on polyrhythm for jazz; the atonal aspects of jazz have afforded him a different perspective on composing and soloing.

JAMES MONTEITH | TESSERACT

The U.K.'s James Monteith and Acle Kahney are highly respected practitioners of djent—an onomatopoeic label for that subset of progressive metal characterized by weighty, palm-muted riffing, typically on instruments with seven or more strings. TesseracT juxtaposes that steadfast staccato underpinning with trippy atmospheric textures. “When TesseracT performs live, Acle and I generally trade off between playing riffs and the more atmospheric stuff, as well as taking turns soloing,” Monteith told Guitar Player. “Keeping the parts distinct helps to assure that things don’t get overly hectic, and also helps us leave more space in the music."

ALEX WADE | WHITECHAPEL

No list of top seven- and eight-stringers would be complete without deathcore heavyweights Whitechapel. Alex Wade, a guitarist for the Tennessee-based band, helps write the band's imposing, bruising and buoyant music—music that has struck a chord across the globe. In 2014, guitarplanet.eu asked Wade what makes a great guitarist: "Someone who can write well-composed, catchy music. I've been fascinated with guys who just shred. Sure it's impressive, but no one wants to listen to that over and over. My favorite guitarist is Stephen Carpenter from Deftones and he's a good example of a guy that just writes great songs with catchy hooks and doesn't try to impress people."

SCOTT CARSTAIRS & BRIAN JAMES | FALLUJAH

“A guitar player should aspire to be a virtuoso,” says Scott Carstairs, who spearheads the San Francisco Bay Area-based and politically charged band Fallujah. “It takes the whole package: proficient technique, tasteful notes and phrases and a solid tone.” Carstairs possesses that package at an age when most people are happy to be able to rent a car. He and gravel-voiced screamer Alex Hofmann started formulating their progressive metal in 2006, and along with second guitarist Brian James, Carstairs & Co. throw down the guitar gauntlet with every performance.

BERNARD REVEL

Yep, they make seven-string acoustic guitars too. Check out the impressive sounds of Bernard Revel and his Lowden Guitars seven-string, below.

AND SINCE WE'RE ON THE TOPIC:

Be sure to check out the fretwork of Per Nilsson ...

... Yvette Young ...

... and the guys in Beyond Creation.

Damian Fanelli, Alan Di Perna and Peter Hodgson contributed to this story.

Misha Mansoor, one of the most influential guitarists to emerge over the last decade, has played an important role in shaping the sound of modern, progressive metal as a guitarist in his djent band Periphery and in the studio as a producer and engineer for Periphery and other bands, including Animals As Leaders, Veil of Maya and the Volumes.

Thanks to his reputation, it makes perfect sense that he’s collaborated with Peavey on a signature-model amp, the new invective .120 head and complementary invective .212 speaker cabinet with one Celestion Vintage 30 paired with one Celestion Creamback H 12-inch speaker. Unlike most signature amps bearing the names of relative newcomers, the invective .120 is not a slightly modified version of a pre-existing model but rather an entirely new guitar amp designed from the ground up with Mansoor’s input and including features not found elsewhere. As a result, the invective .120 offers guitarists exciting new tonal and performance possibilities that are as bold and visionary as Mansoor’s playing.

FEATURES
The Peavey invective .120 features a power amp section driven by four JJ 6L6 tubes to provide 120 watts of output (as suggested by its name). The 6L6s can be swapped for EL34, 6CA7, 6550, KT66 or KT88 tubes for different tonal personalities and performance, and the bias is easily adjusted by removing the rear panel cover and using the bias test points and bias adjustment pot top loaded on the chassis. Six 12AX7A tubes provide gain for the clean channel and crunch/lead channels (with six gain stages for crunch/lead) and phase inverter and loop driver functions.

The invective has a three-channel design, but that doesn’t mean it’s limited to three basic overall tones. The Clean channel section consists of Pre Gain and Post Gain controls, low, mid and high EQ (passive) and a Boost function with an on/off switch and tone and drive controls. The Crunch and Lead channels are configured in a separate section that provides individual Pre Gain and Post Gain controls for each channel, shared passive EQ controls (low, mid, high), a Boost function also with on/off switch and tone and drive knobs and a noise gate with on/off switch and Threshold control. The amp’s Master section features Resonance, Presence and Volume controls. A single ¼-inch input jack, manual channel select switch and standby switch round out the invective .120’s front panel features.

The rear panel is loaded with useful features, including a full/half power switch, speaker output impedance switch and a pair of ¼-inch parallel speaker output jacks. The MSDI (Microphone Simulated Direct Interface) section provides a balanced XLR output, ground/lift switch and tone and level controls for dialing in optimal direct output tones for recording or connection to a mixing console. There’s a Master Boost Level control, two effects loops with individual ¼-inch send and return jacks, a pair of 9VDC @ 500mA jacks for powering effect pedals and MIDI Out/Thru and MIDI Footswitch In jacks.

One of the invective .120’s coolest features is the included MIDI controller with 10 footswitches that provides access to nine user-programmable presets or individual features like effects loop 1 and 2, Gate, Drive Boost (channel), channel 1, 2 and 3 and Master Boost, plus MIDI control change 4 that enables the controller to control external MIDI devices.

PERFORMANCE
As anyone familiar with Mansoor’s playing might expect, the invective .120’s tones are familiar but refined in exquisite detail, providing a range from the cleanest cleans to densely layered high-gain harmonic overtones with percussive attack and tight decay. The Clean channel is exactly that, remaining absolutely clean even with the Pre and Post Gain cranked all the way up. If you want overdrive crunch, engage the Clean channel’s Boost section, which is tonally and texturally flexible enough to almost be a separate channel.

The Crunch and Lead channels are aggressive, but even with the Pre gain maxed, individual notes in chords retain definition and clarity. The noise gate section is essential for replicating the machine-like blasts of Mansoor’s rhythm playing, and for this application or just killing unwanted hum it works like a charm. The amp can push high-gain distortion to extreme levels, yet the sound never turns to mush or becomes overly compressed into a flabby, mushy mess.

LIST PRICE: invective .120, $1,899.99; invective .212, $750
MANUFACTURER: Peavey Electronics, peavey.com

● Four 6L6 power amp tubes provide 120 watts of output while six 12AX7 preamp tubes provide up to six stages of gain.

● The Clean channel remains clean even at the highest gain settings, while its Boost function can dial in varying levels of overdrive.

● The Crunch and Lead channels feature a noise gate function for dialing in tight, noise-free decay for playing responsive, percussive rhythm patterns and riffs.

● The included footswitch can control individual channels and functions, provide instant access to nine user-programmable presets or control an external MIDI device.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Packed with an outrageous variety of tones, from the cleanest cleans to impressively dense distortion textures and providing extremely versatile functions and performance features, the Peavey invective .120 truly satisfies the needs and desires of today’s modern progressive metal guitarist.

• Explore more of the best amps for metal