Latest Updates

Lenny Kravitz on the time he blew Prince’s mind with his guitar tone
By Matt Owen published
Kravitz's straight-into-the-amp setup – which has been at the core of his sound for most of his career – left pedal fan Prince with his jaw on the floor

Guitar tone gourmand Ariel Posen spills the secrets to his sound
By David Mead published
The sonic adventurist’s latest album used a treasure trove of guitar, amp and pedal exotica, resulting in his best recording yet

The $330,200 Fender Telecaster that connects Danny Gatton to Lou Reed
By Jamie Dickson published
Lou Reed's ‘Goldie’ Tele is an early ’90s gem that went under the hammer at the record-breaking Jim Irsay auction

What makes this 1957 Les Paul Special such a smokeshow?
By Jamie Dickson published
This gorgeous and striking late-’50s Special turned out to have freakishly good pickups, says Sunbear Pickups founder Stu Robson – and he can't explain why

Glenn Tilbrook on the sounds that gave Squeeze a push, and the resurrection of the band's early recordings
By Neville Marten published
The Squeeze frontman, songwriter, and guitarist shares the story behind Trixies, a new album that unearths demos from decades ago, and brings them gloriously back to life

The best guitar bargains on Reverb – and how to get more for your old gear
By Jamie Dickson published
Cyril Nigg, data science leader at Reverb, shares some tips for buying and selling online and discusses some of the trends shaping the used market

The life and times of Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell
By Henry Yates published
Motörhead’s longest-serving guitarist was the perfect fit for a band whose bludgeoning sound and appetite for excess eclipsed all others

Bruce Watson on the gear behind Big Country’s sound
By Scott Rowley published
The Big Country guitarist pulls some choice guitars and amps out of the vault, and explains why the Esquire beats the Tele

What two 1967 prototypes tell us about the evolution of the Telecaster Thinline
By Dave Davidson published
Dave Davidson of Well Strung Guitars describes how, during 1967, Fender got busy developing an alternative to heavy ash Telecaster bodies

Why being an acoustic guitarist doesn't necessarily make you an electric player – according to Eric Bibb
By Janelle Borg published
Bibb admits he won't be calling himself an electric guitar player anytime soon

Billy Duffy on the one guitar he wish he never sold
By Phil Weller published
Duffy’s timing could hardly have been worse

Slash took his new favorite amp brand on the Guns N’ Roses tour without telling anyone
By Phil Weller published
Slash pivoted from Marshall to Magnatone in a high profile move back in 2023

Bruce Watson on the story of Big Country frontman Stuart Adamson’s ‘Peace in Our Time’ Les Paul
By Scott Rowley published
Bruce Watson shares the story of a guitar that encapsulates the time Big Country tried to break America – before they took their Scot rock sound to Moscow

Amps and pedals that sound great with Fender Telecasters
By Jamie Dickson published
The world's first mass-produced electric inspired overdrive pedals, brought the best out of Fender's black-panel combos and pairs very nicely with a splash of some spring reverb

The mystery of Gibson’s first Patent Applied For humbuckers
By Jamie Dickson published
Stuart Robson of Sunbear Pickups has spent countless days obsessing over the secrets of the O.G. Gibson humbucker. He says there's something special about the 1957 variant

Meet Spencer Mackenzie, the Canadian blues-rock maestro covering Rory Gallagher and learning when to unleash his “ginormous” lead tone
By Amit Sharma published
Mackenzie says he’s learning all the time to control the dynamic between sweet and acoustic and "rip-your-face-off" drive sounds – and you can hear it on new album, Empty Chairs

Bruce Watson on the birth of Big Country, Stuart Adamson’s legacy and the secret to bagpipe guitar
By Scott Rowley published
Bruce Watson shares the guitar story of the Scottish rock stalwarts, the "Itch and Itch" amps so crucial to his tone, and how “Scotland’s answer to Jimi Hendrix” was the heart of Big Country's sound

Joe Bonamassa tells the story of the strangest guitar deal he ever did
By Matt Parker published
The Bolin ’Burst is famed for its association with Deep Purple guitarist Tommy Bolin – but its route to Bonamassa was considerably less direct

How Rory Gallagher grabbed his iconic 1963 Gretsch Corvette for the princely sum of $150
By Jamie Dickson published
Can you judge a guitar by its case? Not usually, but when Donal Gallagher was shopping for cases for brother Rory, he found one with a very special guitar inside, and there was a deal to be made

In the court of the Master Builders – Fender’s Custom Shop gurus spill the secrets of their trade
By Jamie Dickson published
With Fender’s Custom Shop nearing its 40th anniversary, we catch up with two of its most sought-after Master Builders, Austin MacNutt and Andy Hicks, to talk Teles, Jazzmasters, mods and more