News archive
September 2024
Filter
86 articles
- September 17
-
- “Enhanced string-to-string balance with increased clarity and sustain”: Seymour Duncan’s Rail Series reimagines its most popular pickups for high-gain setups
- “A musical experience that transcends sound”: Martin’s 'Life is Good' LX1 has been built to “spread good vibes” – and it might be the ultimate campfire acoustic
- “It's by far the most affordable pedal we’ve ever made”: Beetronics introduces the Tuna Fuzz – a vintage-style fuzz pedal in a tuna can
- “We mixed innovation with history, and did something we think Leo Fender would be very proud of”: Jack White’s new Fender Signature Collection pushes the boundaries of guitar and amp design – and brings his wild custom Telecaster to the masses
- “If it were up to just him, he’d be back on tour… but it's not up to just him”: REO Speedwagon to stop touring due to “irreconcilable differences”
- “The essential Les Paul, reimagined and updated for today’s players”: Gibson has relaunched its Les Paul Studio – and given the gateway LP its best update yet
- “The gap wasn’t just a minor inconvenience – it was a fundamental disconnect between what was available and what I truly desired”: Balaguer is the progressive guitar expert leading the way in high-performance offsets
- “Andy’s passing left us all absolutely devastated. I’ve been wanting to celebrate his life and contribution to music”: The Smiths drummer Mike Joyce launches Crowdfunder for Andy Rourke tribute mural
- September 16
-
- “If you’re a country music fan, who doesn’t put these guys on their Mount Rushmore to record with?”: Vince Gill, John Osborne and Brent Mason tapped for a new single – and it's an all-star tribute to the Telecaster
- “We’re not even going to try to dabble in digital modeling. Everyone else can do it better”: Orange explains why it's not joining the amp modeling race
- “I’m so grateful for the strong American audience I’ve gained online. It’s about time I rock out with them in person”: Sophie Lloyd announces her debut solo US show – and marks the occasion with a shred reimagining of Alice Cooper’s Poison
- “The band have made the difficult decision to take some time away”: Jane’s Addiction cancel remaining tour dates as Dave Navarro says “goodnight” to the group following onstage altercation with Perry Farrell
- “You can rehearse until you're blue in the face, but once you hit the stage and the lights go out, all bets are off”: Steve Vai and Adrian Belew tackle King Crimson classics as their much-anticipated Beat tour kicks off
- Kick up your acoustic tone with FU-Tone’s high-performance titanium and brass bridge pins
- “I saw a kid holding that guitar out for me to sign it. But the train was already moving… I’m thinking, ‘Man, I gotta get the kid’s number to see if I could buy it back’”: Joe Perry on the one guitar he regrets selling
- “He continued to perform around the world throughout his career, carrying the torch for the Cash music legacy”: Tommy Cash, country artist and Johnny Cash's younger brother, dies at 84
- “The blues deserve a chance… My love really sits with that genre of music”: Jackson 5 guitarist and singer Tito Jackson has died aged 70
- September 15
- September 14
- September 13
-
- “Higher quality delay and reverb algorithms, and augmented looping engineered to withstand the rigors of touring”: Mooer has seriously upgraded Devin Townsend’s wild signature Ocean Machine pedal – with an expanded looper and superior ambient tones
- “Astonishingly, his continued non-acknowledgment as a near direct tonal descendant of Jimi Hendrix continues to this day”: Vernon Reid names the ’70s guitar hero who is still overlooked – despite playing with Hendrix
- Guitars make a comeback at this year's MTV VMAs – spearheaded by Lenny Kravitz, Halsey and Shawn Mendes
- “It must have taken two weeks of tweaking to wrestle that thing to the point where it would stay in tune”: Joe Satriani called on Eddie Van Halen’s techs to figure out how to make his Frankenstein playable
- “All of my favorite ones were huge. I wanted to have three-in-one in a smaller footprint”: Cory Wong’s new signature wah/expression/volume pedal might be the space-saving stompbox your pedalboard is crying out for
- “When Oasis recorded Supersonic, all he had was an Epiphone Les Paul Standard”: Oasis reunion hype reaches fever pitch as Noel Gallagher’s Definitely Maybe LP smashes its auction estimate
- “When Rihanna's team reached out to me, I said, ‘Why would you want to use me? Like, I do what I do’”: Nuno Bettencourt explains why he accepted the role of Rihanna's go-to guitarist
- “A truly outrageous Superstrat”: Justin Hawkins channels the spirit of Eddie Van Halen’s legendary Frankenstein with his new ridiculously relic’d Atkin signature guitar
- “They’ve basically solved all of the problems that existed here”: Line 6’s $179 POD Express just became a pedalboard must-have after “game-changing” new update
- September 12
-
- “You almost forget you’re playing a carbon fiber guitar… this is a lifestyle instrument that is ready for the stage, the studio and even the great outdoors”: KLOS Guitars’ Grand Cutaway Mini is made to go with you – wherever you want to play
- “When I was playing with Prince, I saw how he was using it and I just saw his swag with it, so I kind of adapted it”: MonoNeon reveals the one pedal Prince urged him to use, now a staple in his bass rig
- “I had a little too much Jack Daniels and went to sleep. Early the next morning, I woke up to Eric and George playing ukuleles at the foot of my bed”: Session pro George Terry recalls the first time he met a Beatle
- Stephen Carpenter reveals when he expects to return to live duties with Deftones
- “This guitar holds the magic of Malmsteen’s fast-paced, virtuosic playing”: One of Yngwie Malmsteen's main Fender Strats is up for grabs – and it comes with a free Ferrari
- “We got a bang on the door and it was Eric's security. That was embarrassing – he might have thought it was me making this racket”: That time Ritchie Blackmore disturbed Eric Clapton by cranking Marshalls in a hotel at 3am
- September 11
-
- “They brought Orange stacks to a Tiny Desk”: Mdou Moctar delivers scorching solos at the NPR offices – and even ditches his Strat for an Acoustasonic
- “I find it hard to believe we'll never play again. I refuse to consider it over”: Aerosmith may have retired from touring, but bassist Tom Hamilton says it might not be the end for the band
- “I think we changed him as much as he changed us – he was loving the guitar solo thing by the end”: David Gilmour on how he won over Luck and Strange’s solo-sceptic producer
- “Ed Van Halen was a lot more than his tapping solo. Unfortunately, all the other players in LA thought it was all tapping and dive bombs, and they became cartoon versions of Eddie”: Pat Travers recalls how EVH gave rise to caricature impersonators
- “He wants to come on stage and play Joey's guitar part with you guys to honor his friend. We'll do that”: Fan plays guitar onstage with King Gizzard in memory of his friend who died in an avalanche
- “There’s spite and aggression in the performance”: Unreleased Prince documentary suggests his iconic While My Guitar Gently Weeps solo was an “act of revenge” against Rolling Stone
- September 10
-
- “Pays homage to vintage legends while infusing innovative features”: Ashdown’s mid-priced SX range looks to put a modern spin on classic tube amp tones
- “I never liked the idea of getting lessons from a guitar player, and thought it would be more useful to learn from someone who didn’t play the guitar at all”: Lo-fi guitar hero Mk.gee on why he decided to learn guitar basics from an upright bassist
- “This bass is a reflection of everything I love about playing”: Fender honors viral bass sensation Blu DeTiger with a stunning Sky Burst Sparkle signature Jazz Bass – and it sounds as good as it looks
- “Created in response to player requests for the return of this ’80s-era cult favorite”: Gibson channels Superstrat and PRS vibes as it revives its Victory model for the first time in 40 years
- “You're going to come and upstage me? OK, great”: David Gilmour surprises pub-goers with acoustic rendition of Pink Floyd classic accompanied by daughter Romany
- "I’ve been a Steve Vai fan since I was 15, and never thought I’d ever get the chance to do something amazing with him": Slipknot's Corey Taylor collaborates with his hero Steve Vai on new Billy Morrison track
- September 9
-
- “People who buy million-dollar guitars are the same as people who buy Rolls-Royces. If you’re not going to use it, it doesn’t make any sense”: Slash on the benefits of affordable guitars – and why overspending on gear is “absolutely not worth it”
- “‘What are you still doing at home? You’re supposed to be on a flight going to Detroit to audition.’ That was my introduction to P-Funk”: DeWayne Blackbyrd McKnight on how he came to join George Clinton's legendary music collective
- “Over the years I’ve realized I thrive most when I’m actively working with my bandmates behind the scenes”: Linkin Park guitarist Brad Delson explains why he's decided to sit out the band’s comeback tour
- “He scoured the globe to find these guitars. I had given many away or sold them through the years, but he tracked them down”: A 1,000-page book showcasing Steve Vai’s iconic guitars has been announced – and it will be joined by a super-limited Ibanez JEM
- “I told Lou Reed, ‘Can I get the double bass out of the car? Because this song is a bit jazzy’”: British bass legend Herbie Flowers, best known for his work with David Bowie and Paul McCartney, dies aged 86
- “We may be able to make good-sounding instruments out of any material”: Yamaha’s Upcycling initiative turns scrap instrument offcuts into one-of-a-kind guitars – and it could transform the guitar-building industry
- “If you talk about rare unicorns, that's the amp. To have something that John Mayer himself couldn't distinguish from the real thing, that’s something we would love to do”: The Neural DSP team reveal the vintage amp they dream of one day modeling
- September 6
-
- “We feel really empowered with this new lineup, their world-class talents, and the vibrant new music we’ve made together”: Linkin Park unveil new-look lineup, drop new single The Emptiness Machine
- “I thought it was a bunch of noise. I left. Later, it almost felt like Jimi Hendrix was saying, ‘I'll make sure you never forget my name’”: Frank Marino on the time he left a Hendrix gig early – and the truth behind the bizarre Hendrix haunting story
- “There are a lot of guitars reaching the end of their playable lives – we want to make them useful again”: Re-Tuned turns old acoustic guitars into Bluetooth speakers
- “Delivering a resonance that speaks directly to the soul of your music”: The Hagstrom Megin is a double-cutaway guitar built for maximum tonal resonance to “unlock its tonal magic”
- “A fan-favorite packaged down without compromising on quality and tones”: Amp-modeling multi-FX for $82? Harley Benton has somehow made its flagship floor modeler even cheaper
- Guitar World deals of the week: save $200 on a Jackson, grab some bargain price Behringer pedals, plus a free Universal Audio plugin
- “In terms of electric guitars, I’ve never used anything other than Fender in my life”: UK post-punk band English Teacher just won one of the most prestigious prizes in music – and it all started with Fender
- “If somebody said there was a valve amp in the room, you wouldn’t contradict that”: Discover BOSS’ Katana Gen 3 range – an upgraded amp family that offers something for every player
- September 5
-
- “They asked Billy Gibbons, John Mayer and me. I wish this would make me sound like Jeff Beck, but it won’t”: Steve Lukather confirms Jeff Beck guitar tribute project as he wields his iconic White Strat to cover Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing
- “I didn’t know Corgan, but I knew he wasn’t the easiest person to work with. I thought, ‘This isn’t going to last but it’ll be interesting’”: Jane’s Addiction’s Eric Avery on his brief stint with the Smashing Pumpkins and what he learned from Billy Corgan
- “A significant leap forward in both technology and user experience”: Fender’s Mustang Micro Plus looks to fill the void left by the Boss Katana:GO by making the firm’s market-leading headphone amp better than ever before
- “I’d be playing the synth, thinking, ‘Peter, do you see this? Sting is playing that part – and you don’t mind when Sting does it!’” Tony Levin explains the origins of his Funk Fingers appendages – and the friendly rivalry they sparked with Peter Gabriel
- “We shared a depth of understanding that most people can only hope to achieve in a lifetime”: Hear Eddie Van Halen solo again in an unreleased preview of the last song he worked on with his brother
- “A staple for pro players revered for its rich hybrid sound": Boss brings back a legendary delay loved by Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and Steve Lukather in its most compact and affordable form yet
- September 4
-
- “When David Bowie and John Lennon came in, the whole place stopped. I stopped recording – and then it was just us”: Carlos Alomar recalls playing guitar on Fame with two rock icons – and why he turned down dinner with a Beatle
- “Imagine the dirtiest Les Paul on the planet, but even worse”: Jared James Nichols is reviving a storm-destroyed Gibson – a 1975 Custom that was being played when its original owner died
- “Someone dosed Eric Clapton with LSD, and I had to take over”: George Terry says he had to step up during Clapton's bad nights on the road in the ’70s – but it wasn’t always the guitar hero’s fault
- “A celebration of Dimebag’s timeless influence”: Dimebag Darrell’s Warhead amp has been revived as a compact lunchbox head – and it was tested during Pantera rehearsals
- “All of a sudden out of the blue I didn’t have any control of this arm”: Brian May recovering after suffering “minor stroke”
- “We got together in someone's apartment in the Village and were jamming, trying to see what we could come up with”: Andy Summers on his longstanding relationship with Robert Fripp – and their surprise new collab album
- September 3
-
- “It’s interesting how something so subtle can be so dramatic on the player’s end”: Seymour Duncan supercharges two classic Billy Gibbons guitar tones with new signature Tele and Les Paul pickups
- “The culmination of 45-plus years developing a sound that’s perfect in every possible way… Prepare to be amazed”: MXR’s new Yngwie Malmsteen signature overdrive pedal could be its most dynamic overdrive to date
- “A player who took the instrument to places no-one else had ever gone before”: Epiphone’s Jimi Hendrix ‘Love Drops’ Flying V recreates the guitar great’s most psychedelic model
- “The greatest fellowship one could imagine”: The Old Blood Noise Endeavors Western-themed Pardner is a fuzz that can ‘lasso’ to another pedal to shape its tones
- “Her number one piece of feedback is to be quieter. Sometimes, we bicker and maybe I win”: FINNEAS reveals his guitar technique debates with Billie Eilish
- September 2
-
- Did Tim Henson just tease the arrival of his first Japanese-made Ibanez signature guitars – and a new 8-string?
- “Finely tuned to replicate the rich and warm tones of a tube amp”: Ashdown is so convinced its new budget amp range offers killer tone, it’s literally called it Killer Tone
- “The idea is to be versatile, and nothing beats Engl for doing that exceptionally well – it's all tube all the time”: Steve Morse’s new signature amp stakes its claim as one of the most feature-packed 20W tube heads on the market
- “The strap came loose, the amp was up, the guitar was up, and the neck broke off. Bob turned around like, ‘What are you doing back there?’” Mike Campbell recalls breaking his guitar in front of a live audience – in the middle of a Bob Dylan show
- “A titan in the industry who helped shape the LA studio sound of the 1980s”: Renowned luthier and Superstrat pioneer James Tyler passes away, aged 72
- “We were at an EMI dinner, and David Gilmour was there. I said, ‘By far, you’re my favorite guitar player. How do you come up with those melodies?’” W.A.S.P.’s Blackie Lawless on the invaluable advice he received from the Pink Floyd icon
- “He plays five notes, and those five notes said more than any of these metal shredders could ever wish they could say”: Grace Bowers on how B.B. King completely changed her perspective on what makes a good guitar solo
- September 1
