Brian May says a boxset for his Eddie Van Halen Star Fleet collaboration is coming next year – and it will be full of never-before-heard outtakes By Matt Parker published 21 November 22 “You’ll hear us in the studio, trading licks,” says May
Watch Ichika Nito take Tim Henson’s new nylon-string signature guitar on a test drive – and deliver the most technical 18 seconds you’ll hear all week By Matt Owen published 21 November 22 Ichika is the latest Ibanez signature artist to put the TOD10N through its paces, and did so in spectacular fashion
Watch Peter Frampton end his touring career with a final show-closing cover of The Beatles’ While My Guitar Gently Weeps By Matt Owen published 18 November 22 The guitar legend played his three-pickup Gibson Les Paul sat down, and brought the curtain down on his prolific live career at the last show of his farewell tour
“Bob Dylan knows my name?” Joe Satriani responds to alleged slight in the rock icon’s new book By Matt Parker published 18 November 22 The guitar virtuoso offered a masterfully diplomatic response to his mention in The Philosophy of Modern Song
Jared Dines' 5th “biggest shred collab song in the world” will have the most star-studded lineup of any guitar video ever By Sam Roche published 17 November 22 John Petrucci, Zakk Wylde, Synyster Gates, Nita Strauss, Steve Vai, Tim Henson, Ichika Nito and John 5 are all in the running to appear – and only the first wave of guitarists has been announced
Watch Julian Lage’s astonishing take on Charlie Christian’s Seven Come Eleven, using the jazz great’s own Gibson ES-250 By Matt Parker published 16 November 22 Phoenix’s Musical Instrument Museum handed Lage a very special loaner for his September show
Eddie Van Halen used to play this Nuno Bettencourt riff at “every single soundcheck” By Matt Owen published 15 November 22 The late guitar legend played the song so much that his guitar tech – then working with the Extreme guitarist – believed it to be a Van Halen riff that never got released
John Frusciante nearly abandoned his Eddie Van Halen-inspired guitar solo: “Doing that solo was a mind f**k” By Matt Owen published 15 November 22 Frusciante’s EVH-esque effort on Eddie was the last solo he recorded for Red Hot Chili Peppers' mammoth studio session, and the guitarist admitted he came close to cutting it altogether
Hear Ichika Nito and Marcin serve up gravity-defying licks galore in new 65-second single, Fall By Matt Owen published 14 November 22 The two Ibanez signature artists conducted their second electric versus acoustic duel this year, and the results were similarly breathtaking
The 17-string bass Elwood Francis played during a ZZ Top show was a cheap Chinese knockoff of Jared Dines' 18-string Ormsby By Sam Roche published 14 November 22 Dines called out the “ripoff” guitar on Instagram, to which Francis responded: “The joke’s on me ‘cause I have to play that bootleg POS!”
Zakk Wylde has been using YouTube guitar lessons to learn Dimebag's parts for Pantera's upcoming tour By Sam Roche published 14 November 22 The Black Label Society leader says he's received the setlist from Phil Anselmo, and has been putting work into learning a host of Dimebag Darrell classics
Watch Marcin put Tim Henson's new nylon-string signature model through its paces with a jaw-dropping Latin-inspired fingerstyle performance By Sam Roche published 11 November 22 The Polish acoustic guitar wunderkind takes the Polyphia man's new six-string for a spin – and even Henson himself is impressed
Jimmy Page recalls the time he played with Brian May, Iron Maiden and parody metallers Bad News By Matt Parker published 11 November 22 Page says his amp “mysteriously cut in and out” during his performance with the British comedy band
Jennifer Batten says being a woman prevented her landing an audition with Ozzy Osbourne in the ‘80s By Sam Roche published 11 November 22 “I know my audio got to the right people, and I didn’t even get a chance,” the Michael Jackson guitarist reflects in a new interview
Watch Jeff Beck play Link Wray’s once-banned Rumble using Fender’s American Vintage II ‘57 Stratocaster By Matt Owen published 11 November 22 The 1958 track – the only instrumental guitar song ever to be banned from the radio – was once played to Beck by Jimmy Page, and remains a key player in Beck's current live setlist
Steve Vai unveils lost classic rock-inspired track from the ‘90s, In the Wind By Sam Roche published 10 November 22 An album of previously unheard biker-friendly material recorded alongside late singer Johnny “Gash” Sombrotto is set to land in January
This brutal playthrough filmed in a church might be the most metal guitar video you've seen all year By Sam Roche published 9 November 22 Nishad George, of West Coast metallers The Offering, set his gear up in front of the altar of a church – before staff realized the kind of music he'd be playing
Steve Vai names his "greatest accomplishment on the guitar" By Jackson Maxwell published 8 November 22 And no, it's not For the Love of God, Teeth of The Hydra or Tender Surrender
Watch Michael Angelo Batio join The Smashing Pumpkins onstage in Milwaukee for a face-melting shred session By Sam Roche published 8 November 22 The alt-rock titans invited the guitarist to the stage for a lead spot during closing track, Silverfuck, and boy, did he deliver
Watch Dave Grohl join Lionel Richie and assume solo duties for a blinding performance of Easy at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame By Matt Owen published 7 November 22 The Foo Fighter delivered the track's solo from the 'board of his Gibson Trini Lopez model, and was later egged on by Richie for more action during the finale