Latest Updates

Joe Bonamassa on the one thing you should never do when buying a guitar
By Phil Weller published
Bonamassa says there are certain parameters a guitar should meet – and clear ones to be avoided

Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto is facing new competition from brands in the retail space – but it isn’t fazing him
By Phil Weller published
New Gibson and Fender stores on three continents present fresh challenges for the store, but Dalporto says “bring the competition on”

Scott Gorham may have passed his Thin Lizzy audition – but his budget Les Paul copy certainly didn’t
By Phil Weller published
The Irish rockers finally found their man after auditioning 24 hopefuls when Gorham turned up for his turn – but Phil Lynott was left underwhelmed by his choice of instrument

Kirk Hammett doesn’t want his guitars to go unplayed – so he’s been secretly selling them online
By Phil Weller published
Bought a used guitar online? It might – just might – have belonged to the Metallica guitarist

Wolfgang Van Halen says he’s stopped listening to his dad’s music
By Phil Weller published
The Mammoth multi-instrumentalist has discussed why he no longer listens to his late father’s Van Halen back catalog

Man arrested for Heart instrument theft – but the “one-of-a-kind” instruments are still missing
By Phil Weller published
The instruments were stolen before the band’s show at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City last week, and the police have issued a plea for their return

Strandberg is working on a headless acoustic guitar – and you may have already seen a prototype
By Phil Weller published
The firm unveiled what many believed to be a gag instrument a few years back – but it turns out it wasn’t just for laughs

Tetrarch's Diamond Rowe reveals the metal legend who asked her for guitar pointers
By Phil Weller published
She’s made history with her Jackson signature... Now, she’s trading tips with metal pioneers and gifting guitars to her biggest influence
![Joe Satriani [left] fistbumps Steve Vai onstage as the pair perform together onstage with their Ibanez signature guitars](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bhz6U9AcPqgD7rUUDdUWFf.jpg)
Joe Satriani reveals how Satch/Vai’s onstage chemistry works – and why sometimes some songs are best left to Steve Vai
By Jonathan Horsley published
Satch says playing with Steve Vai is an opportunity to expand each other's material, but says maintaining one clear voice for melodies and solos is key

Watch Indian band Girish and the Chronicles deliver a searing hard rock take on an Adele classic on America's Got Talent
By Janelle Borg published
With sixteen years and a solid repertoire under their belt, the hard-hitting band have also shared stages with Guns N' Roses and TesseracT

Clem Clempson on returning to Colosseum, jamming with Jack Bruce, and his crazy Deep Purple audition
By Andrew Daly published
Clempson looks back on an epic career that has seen him replace Peter Frampton in Humble Pie, nearly replace Ritchie Blackmore, and tells us he's having more fun than ever with Colosseum

Fanny's June Millington recalls the band's first encounter with David Bowie, who would become one of their biggest fans
By Janelle Borg published
Bowie would later hail Fanny as “one of the finest rock bands of their time”

A pink Daisy Rock acoustic guitar, signed by Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, has just smashed its estimate as it sells for over $100,000 at auction
By Phil Weller published
Eddie Van Halen guitars also surpassed their estimates at Julien’s annual Music Icons event – but a Kurt Cobain acoustic remains unsold

Brian May on how astronomy, the Everly Brothers and Freddie Mercury influenced his Gibson SJ-200
By Neville Marten published
The Queen guitarist's signature model is a super-rare example of a 12-string Gibson jumbo, replete with May's own aesthetic flourishes. But why is it strung like a Ricky? Here, May explains all

Joe Bonamassa adds a ninth Dumble to his collection – and promises it will be his last
By Phil Weller published
After selling all his Dumbles in 2016, the bluesman is back with a vengeance – but insists he won’t be buying any more big amps from here on out

Why Josh Homme prefers to write his songs on acoustic guitar first
By Phil Weller published
Queens of the Stone Age have become the first band to play the Paris Catacombs for a new live film, and he says it shows how many of their biggest hits take their form

The moment that Andrew Watt dived into production – after starting out his career as a recording musician
By Naomi Baker published
From shredder to super producer, Watts looks back on the car-crash that forced him into production

Snowy White tells the story of his 1994 collaboration with Gary Moore and David Gilmour
By Phil Weller published
The album is packed with notable players who offer solos, slide, and plenty more, but the former Thin Lizzy man would have happily pushed on without them