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May 2025

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148 articles

May 31
- “Any fan of Geordie Walker or Billy Duffy will be won over in seconds by this imperious, gothic riff”: May 2025 Guitar World Editors' Picks
May 30
- “The perfect choice for anyone seeking an affordable amp for practice, recording, and performance”: Laney rolls out the LF-Supertop – a 120W solid-state powerhouse with a classy design and tricks up its sleeve
- “It’s a joy to play”: Reverend’s newest signature for Bob Balch is a hot-rodded rock machine fit for a fuzz metal pioneer – and it comes fitted with a Floyd Rose
- I’ve been watching acoustic guitar prices all year and Guitar Center's up to 35% off sale is the best I’ve seen – especially if you want an A-list model
- Former Red Hot Chili Pepper guitarist Josh Klinghoffer avoids jail term after accepting plea deal in vehicular manslaughter case
- Andertons just shaved a massive £456 off one of the best-looking PRS guitars I've ever seen – and yes, the sale also includes the Custom 24 Floyd
- Harley Benton’s latest affordable build is a sub-$230 solid top dreadnought that looks destined to become a key player in the beginner budget acoustic market
- “Noel said, ‘What’s that tone?’ He started fiddling with the controls on the amp, and I thought, ‘Will I tell him to stuff his band now, or will I stick around?’”: Eric Bell recalls his very first rehearsal with Noel Redding – who hated his guitar sound
- Gretsch glow-up: One of our favorite parlor guitars just got a limited-edition makeover – and at $249, it’s still irresistibly affordable
- “If you’ve seen any of this stuff, please let us and the authorities know”: A shipment of Reverend guitars has been stolen in transit – and the firm is appealing for help
- “I had 30 days left on my visa or they’re gonna throw me out of the country. I didn’t know they’d already auditioned 24 guitarists”: Scott Gorham recalls his nerve-racking Thin Lizzy audition – and his first impressions of Brian Robertson
May 29
- “Everyone who met him will carry Chris’ enthusiasm and love for music of all kinds. It was impossible not to be affected by it”: Chris Bird, Guitar World Lessons Editor and former Total Guitar Editor, has died aged 48
- “Gilby had left the band. Axl called me up and said, ‘Do you want to get together and jam?’” Zakk Wylde on the time he almost joined Slash and co in Guns N’ Roses
- “The guitar player got caught in a snowstorm and couldn’t get down for the gig. They were looking for somebody and I said, ‘I know all that stuff’”: Jeff “Skunk” Baxter went to a James Brown gig – and had to step in as his sideman at the last minute
- “My pickups melted!” Guns N’ Roses’ show in Saudi Arabia was so hot that Richard Fortus’ guitar pickups started to melt
- “I remember thinking, ‘Don’t panic, maybe he’ll come over’”: How a chance encounter at a guitar store led to Leo Abrahams becoming Brian Eno’s right-hand guitar man
- “The cops saved the show”: Busker nails a Brian May solo as officers take down a suspect behind him – and he doesn’t miss a note
May 28
- “Not forgetting this one anytime soon”: Grace Bowers taps into her inner shredder with surprise All-American Rejects guest spot
- “I’m not thinking about an epitaph with, ‘Look, it’s Yngwie, the man who conceived classical metal through guitar!’ I don’t care”: Why Yngwie Malmsteen isn’t too bothered about his legacy
- “I always dreamed of playing Whole Lotta Love! I took 20 different fuzzboxes in with me. Finally, I get to play some metal”: Marc Ribot went into a session with Robert Plant equipped with Zeppelin-esque gear – only to find out it was a folk record
- “His passing leaves a void in the music world, and he will be deeply missed”: Rick Derringer, legendary rock pioneer who played with Johnny Winter and Kiss, dies aged 77
- “More like a complete rig than ever before”: Kemper gives its Profiler lineup a much-anticipated upgrade – can the MK 2 range fend off fierce competition from Line 6 and Neural DSP?
- “We had a remote control at home for my TV. I was messing around with that…”: The unlikely origins of Strandberg’s innovative EndurNeck – which was partly inspired by a humble household object
May 27
- “I was bartending, and I was like, ‘Hey, Mom, can you just watch the bar for half an hour? I have an audition across the street’”: Mars Volta bassist Eva Gardner recalls her audition with one of the world's biggest pop stars
- “I had turned everything to 10, as there was no 11 back then. The engineers asked me to turn it down because it was too distorted”: How the then 18-year-old Steppenwolf guitarist recorded the solo that came to define the band's career
- “Ever imagined running an entire gig with just one pedal?” Valeton’s $80 GP-5 looks to take the TONEX One’s crown – and makes a serious play to become the all-in-one mini rig solution to beat
- “I was like, ‘What’s the story with this guitar because it is god ugly’”: Bon Iver swapped an expensive 1960s Martin for a “hideous” budget Ibanez that had been rejected by a rehab center for his new album
- “I realized I made a huge mistake”: JHS Pedals’ Notadümblë has been discontinued after two weeks – because it was accidentally fitted with an even rarer Dumble circuit
May 26
- Don't sleep on these massive second-hand bargains in Reverb's Memorial Day sale – save up to 66% on used, B-stock, and new gear
- Memorial Day might be over, but one of the best guitars I've reviewed this year still has a whopping $130 off at Guitar Center
- “I not only learned the set, I learned a whole new style of guitar playing”: John McCurry had only been playing guitar for five years when he joined Cyndi Lauper’s band – and featured on one of her biggest records
- “He was a huge fan. He could identify, ‘No, that’s not ’78 because Jerry’s playing through this pedal’”: John Mayer was a Grateful Dead fanatic – before he landed the Dead & Company gig
- Memorial Day is over, but here are 5 heavily discounted pieces of guitar gear that are still available at Guitar Center – starting from $129
- “It all started with Ozzy. He and Sharon were the first ones to believe that I could make them a great rock album”: How super-producer Andrew Watt pivoted from Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes to The Rolling Stones, Ozzy Osbourne and Iggy Pop
May 25
- “They looked at me like they had seen a ghost. They were like, ‘We’ve got to make this for people’”: Brad Paisley’s new signature Telecaster is based on a vintage gem so rare Fender couldn’t believe he had one
May 24
- “I talk a lot about ‘the serious musician,’ and that's our opportunity to create the next generation of serious musicians”: Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto lays out one of the store's next biggest priorities for 2025 – and it isn’t selling gear
May 23
- “This guitar offers a one-of-a kind connection to the legacy of Joel, Ellie and the enduring spirit of survival”: Taylor capitalizes on The Last Of Us hype with a custom replica of the acoustic played by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey on the hit HBO series
- I couldn’t believe there was no Sweetwater Memorial Day sale this year – until I saw up to 50% off guitar pedals and amps
- Fender’s Memorial Day sale has up to 20% off 132 items – here are 5 sweet guitar and accessory deals I’d grab
- “The dragon that came up was spitting real fire at me while I was doing the solo. I could feel the heat”: Yngwie Malmsteen filmed the music video for one of his most iconic tracks on the Conan The Barbarian set
- “The surgeon said I actually died on the operating table”: Thin Lizzy’s Scott Gorham recovering after suffering near-fatal health scare last year
- “I saw Jimmy Page using a violin bow on his guitar, and it clicked. What if I could do this on an acoustic guitar?”: Plectrums, move over – this inventor created a mini bow tailor-made for acoustics
May 22
- “Horsemeat sounds a lot like a good amp": PRS redefines transparent overdrives with its Horsemeat pedal – packing three essential, performance-ready functions in one
- “There are more guitars than usual”: Tony Iommi lends his hellfire riffwork for his most obscure collaboration yet – a new single with the pop icon whose biopic starred a CGI monkey
- “I don’t have the words right now to express the loss of such a special man”: Jim Irsay, billionaire philanthropist and owner of the world’s greatest guitar collection, dies aged 65
- Guitar Center's Memorial Day sale has landed with up to 35% off a host of guitar gear – including $419 off one of the most unique Gibson Les Pauls you'll ever see!
May 21
- Jack White gifted Vernon Reid his wild signature Telecaster after a random airport encounter – and now the Living Color legend is playing the Triplecaster on stage
- “The event organizer said, ‘You know that little fellow who followed you around with his briefcase? He’s Bob Dylan.’ I said, ‘Who’s Bob Dylan?’” Peggy Seeger on the first time she unknowingly met a future folk icon
- “If your idea works on an acoustic guitar, you can change the world”: John Mayer and Ernie Ball’s string experiments continue with the launch of the firm’s “most sonically complex” acoustic set yet
- “I’m getting arm cramps just watching this”: The brutal shred-fest that has quietly become one of our biggest playthrough videos
- “World-class recording, editing, and production capabilities”: Fender Studio is a free recording app that comes loaded with official Fender amp and effects models
- “The tone of a great-sounding single-coil and the positive characteristics of a humbucker”: PRS doubles down on its next-gen Narrowfield innovations and rolls out newly configured 3-pickup S2 and SE models
- “My employees are so valuable to me. They have this institutional knowledge and rely on their income from this job to support their families”: EarthQuaker Devices CEO reveals the Ohio-based business is at risk of going bankrupt amidst tariff uncertainty
May 20
- “We'll see each other on tour. Or rather, you'll see me – I'll hardly be able to see you in the audience”: Former Oasis bassist reportedly confirms his involvement in the band's highly-anticipated reunion tour
- “Used for the creation of the greatest recordings of all time”: Boss has brought 8 iconic effects pedals to the digital realm for the first time – and more are set to follow
- “Transcends nostalgia”: Kramer draws inspiration from its 1980s shredder heydays for the Volante – an all-new modern-minded Superstrat
- “It was so secretive that I, as a curator of the Met, had no idea what was actually there”: One of the world’s finest guitar collections has been kept under wraps for decades – now it’s been donated in full to the Met
- “Everywhere I went with the picture, I would show it to ’em, and they was like, it was something evil”: Bootsy Collins’ Space Bass design was turned down everywhere he went – his ‘last straw’ proved the winner
- “Dive deeper into the depths of ambience”: Electro-Harmonix launches the Oceans Abyss – taking on the likes of Strymon and Meris with an immersive ambient reverb
May 19
- Thomann has acquired Hughes & Kettner – and is promising a bright future for the German amp giant championed by Alex Lifeson and Tommy Thayer
- “We were informed at the end of Jackson Browne’s set that we were no longer welcome”: Session veteran Tim Pierce opened for The Eagles at one of the biggest gigs in history – and was banned from the concert halfway through
- There’s no need to wait for Memorial Day because Musician’s Friend is already offering over $1,000 off a Taylor acoustic, $450 off a Gibson Les Paul and up to 50% off elsewhere
- “It all came to a screeching halt and forever destroyed the band’s life”: Dave Navarro says there’s “no chance” that Jane’s Addiction will ever play again
- “He once made a chicken walk on varnish, to transfer the prints of its feet onto the guitar's body”: The bizarre vintage guitar used in Italy's Eurovision entry has caught eyes all over the world
- “No reason was given. I’m not angry, just a bit shocked and disappointed”: Foo Fighters have parted ways with Josh Freese – and will explore “a different direction” with their next drummer
- “Mayer on guitar, Grohl on drums. A lot of fun making this”: Ed Sheeran forms an unlikely hard rock power trio with John Mayer and Dave Grohl – and they've written a song for a Brad Pitt movie
May 18
- “My first love was always acoustic guitar. That was the element that I brought, the idea of embracing electric and acoustic sounds”: Nancy Wilson says she felt pressured to ditch the acoustics as Heart went for the mainstream in 1985
- “Geffen thought we were too young to write our own songs. Bob Dylan wrote a song, Bruce Springsteen had a song”: Ryan Hedgecock on Lone Justice's brief but fierce ’80s run – and how Tom Petty and Mike Campbell ended up penning a song on their debut
May 17
- “Connect with your heart and with just a few notes, you can do magic”: The Last of Us composer Gustavo Santaolalla shows off his “Guitarocko” Strat – a 1-of-1 Fender designed to mimic the ronroco
- “Our guitars were so bad, we couldn’t make them work for us. Glenn came over to my apartment with six guitars, three under each arm, and threw them onto the futon”: Sonic Youth are now alternate tunings icons – but the band opted for them out of necessity
May 16
- “Eric had sweated through the paint job – not long after that the headstock snapped off”: Also owned by George Harrison, Eric Clapton's “Fool” SG was already legendary by the time it ended up in Todd Rundgren's hands – but that journey had taken its toll
- "We wrote a song based on a riff I had. The idea was to be Mahavishnu Orchestra with vocals": After Deep Purple decided not to hire him after Ritchie Blackmore's departure, Clem Clempson almost formed a wild supergroup with Glenn Hughes and David Bowie
- “A rare and culturally critical guitar directly tied to the end of the Beatles and Cream”: A 1913 Gibson acoustic – played and owned by George Harrison and Eric Clapton – has been listed on Reverb
- “If Bobby and Mickey want to do it, I want to do it”: Dead & Company’s Sphere residency is drawing to a close – but is new music from John Mayer and Bob Weir on the cards?
May 15
- “The first emotion was abject fear. Pick your poison, Michael Jackson, or Quincy Jones”: Session guitar great Dann Huff recalls his first time recording with the King of Pop
- “It’s really weird, being a teacher at Berklee College of Music: 400 students asking questions – I’m the instructor, and I’m the only one there who can’t read”: How Tommy Emmanuel deals with his lack of music theory – and when it lets him down
- “I rarely do straight down strokes. I haven't played Metallica in a while”: Tosin Abasi and Plini give a masterclass in virtuosity after writing and recording a song in a day
- I wasn’t expecting Fender’s Memorial Day sale to drop this early – here are 5 sweet guitar and accessory deals I’d grab with up to 20% off
- “I could imagine blues players like Joe Bonamassa getting their hands on one of these and shredding it. It's not for metal only”: Scott Ian is in his “Bruce Lee era” and giving his signature King V a solid makeover – complete with the classic Jackson logo
- “Compact and handcrafted charm with concert-ready charisma”: Gibson’s Parlor Rosewood EC offers a downsized, single-cut take on the SJ-200 shape beloved by Brian May and Johnny Cash
May 14
- “A welcomed relief for our industry”: NAMM President reacts to the de-escalation of tariffs on Chinese goods – and discusses its impact on the musical instrument sector
- “I’m not going to die with a lot of money. I’m going to die happy”: This Kiss superfan just paid $12k to be Gene Simmons’ roadie for a day
- “Al Di Meola was at one of the John Petrucci camps and he said, ‘Learn as much theory as you possibly can and then forget it!’” Progressive virtuoso Jason Richardson gives his take on the timeless ‘music theory versus ear training’ debate
- “When my first band was playing, I needed an amp. I traded this guitar and $60 to my drummer's sister, who had a Super Reverb”: Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo is selling his first-ever electric guitar on the band's relaunched Reverb store
- Fender Japan celebrates the ’60s with the return of its Traditional Collection – which features a rare Competition Jazzmaster
- “Alice really wanted a signature riff. When I played it for him, he just smiled and patted me on the back”: The iconic Alice Cooper Poison riff started out as John McCurry’s warm-up routine – and it lives a double life
- “Fender has standards. I don’t”: Brad Paisley will personally build 19 of his new signature Lost Telecasters – and he plans to get experimental
- “Epiphone has a few things they want to release...”: Alex Lifeson's iconic ‘Whitey’ Gibson ES-355 featured on almost every Rush album – and an affordable signature version could be in the works
May 13
- “I got a call: ‘Can you be on a plane tomorrow to go to New Orleans to play one song with Paul McCartney?’” Brian Ray’s audition to join Paul McCartney’s band was a last-minute live performance – at the Super Bowl
- “When we did the final Slayer show for 60,000 people, Scott Ian used it as his primary tone”: Gary Holt's favorite budget pedal emulates Eddie Van Halen's iconic “Brown Sound” – and it retails for less than a $100
- “He gave the CD to George. The next thing I know he calls to ask if we’d play at their Christmas party”: How Robin Nolan went from busking on the streets of Amsterdam to collaborating with George Harrison – and hanging out with Paul McCartney
- “This gentleman was someone we looked up to. He was right up there”: Peter Frampton joins Pearl Jam and trades solos with Mike McCready over Black during Nashville performance
- “His prized possession was a 1972 D-35 that he played for all those years. Shortly before he passed away, he gave it to me”: Rockie Lynne was abandoned as an infant – years later, his birth father left him his most important legacy
- “I didn’t care if it succeeded or not. I just wanted to make fun of Bruce Springsteen”: Todd Rundgren reveals the real reason why he decided to produce Meat Loaf's off-kilter debut Bat Out of Hell
May 12
- “I was advised not to do the show. I had to tape myself into this giant bulletproof vest”: When Suzanne Vega was warned against headlining Glastonbury, she took drastic measures to ensure she made history
- “My upbeat moment is, I'm alive”: Robert Fripp reveals he’s recovering from a heart attack
- “What better way to honor the past than by letting the YardBurst, once played by Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, live on through today's artists?”: Marcus King follows in Craig Ross’ footsteps to wield Jeff Beck’s iconic Les Paul on stage
- “I’m pretty sure that statement was not meant to be a compliment”: Gary Clark Jr. on the time he bumped into Eric Clapton at a show – and what Slowhand said about his tone
- “An avatar of the purest spirit of rock and roll”: Lemmy honored with a towering bronze statue unveiled in the Motörhead legend’s hometown
- Mastodon recruit prog fusion virtuoso Nick Johnston as surprise new stand-in guitarist following Brent Hinds’ departure
May 11
- “We shouldn’t have touched her music when she wasn’t around. I thought I would never see her again”: Knox Chandler on the less-than-ideal recording session that flourished into a decade-long working relationship with Cyndi Lauper
May 10
- “Tom listened to it and said, ‘It sounds kind of jazzy.’ I went back and changed the chorus, and that’s the version I played for Don”: Mike Campbell on writing The Boys of Summer with Don Henley – after Tom Petty passed on it
May 9
- “Some of the most ambitious custom shop guitars I’ve ever seen”: These are the gear releases that have caught my eye this week – and the essential launches you might have missed
- “Going on the road just got easer”: Gator’s Icon Take Two gig bag series offers a secure, comfortable and convenient solution for transporting 2 of your prized guitars
- “I’ve only seen it that once and just for about two hours. It was a piece of crap”: Steely Dan’s Denny Dias says his iconic Do It Again electric sitar solo was recorded on a lousy rental model
- “I was able to find three of them in the world. I wrote almost the entire score on this guitar”: Sinners composer Ludwig Göransson used vintage 1932 Dobros to write the movie’s music – and he scoured the globe to find them
- “Although the road has not always been enjoyable for me, it is usually easy. The best job I could ever have had”: Pete Townshend looks back at life on the road as The Who announce farewell North American tour
- Kurt Cobain's 1989 Takamine expected to fetch up to $500,000 at auction – alongside guitars played by the likes of Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen, David Bowie, Joe Perry and Melissa Etheridge
- “Bob is fearless. He’s always willing to take chances with music of any kind”: Bob Weir joins Joe Satriani and Sammy Hagar for Best of All Worlds guest spot – and plays Hagar’s Gibson Explorer
May 8
- “It would be a great gift to the fans, and I don’t know how strange this sounds, but I feel like it’s a gift to Chris too”: Soundgarden's Kim Thayil gives an update on whether unreleased band material featuring Chris Cornell will see the light of day
- Eddie Vedder uses one of Jack White’s signature guitars to play a Pearl Jam deep cut – after receiving it as a gift from the White Stripes legend
- “I didn’t know him or trust him. But I gave him all of that money in the hope he would bring me a Strat. I had no idea if I’d see him again”: Rammstein’s Richard ZK on the coffee shop rendezvous in East Germany that got him his first Fender
- “I said, ‘You can’t make a guitar as good as my old one.’ They tried and it wasn’t great”: Vince Gill’s 1953 Telecaster is one of the most coveted Teles of all time – but the Eagles guitarist turned down Fender’s offer to make a signature recreation
- “What started out as an instrumental album quickly changed”: Stone Temple Pilots’ Dean DeLeo announces One More Satellite – a new collaborative project that stars a host of special guests
- “It's the unpredictability and suddenness of the tariffs. Companies do not have the time to plan, adapt or evolve”: NAMM CEO John Mlynczak on the impact of Trump’s tariffs in the guitar industry
- “Tom thought I was trying to make myself look like the guy who was behind Boston. After that, he said he wasn’t going to work with me anymore”: Barry Goudreau opens up on his bitter parting with Tom Scholz
- “A little thunder and lightning”: Slash dons a Gibson SG as Guns N’ Roses pay tribute to John Sykes with rampant cover of a Thin Lizzy classic
May 7
- “Prince writes, ‘Luka is the most compelling piece of music I’ve heard in a long time’”: Suzanne Vega on the time Prince sent her a handwritten letter to praise one of her most iconic tracks
- “I hear the promoter got a phone call from Eddie, who said, ‘If Yngwie Malmsteen is playing, I'm not playing’”: Yngwie Malmsteen claims Eddie Van Halen felt “threatened” by him
- Joe Perry announces his first big post-Aerosmith tour – and he’ll be playing with members of Aerosmith, Black Crowes and Stone Temple Pilots
- “A huge Achilles heel with the non-traditionals”: What’s the hardest part about designing a fresh guitar? According to Novo Guitars, it’s probably not one you’d expect
- “It’s a $20 plugin. It makes it sound like it’s coming off a tape that’s been recorded over three or four times”: Steven Wilson reveals his go-to guitar plugin – and why digital can successfully coexist with analog
- “How many weddings can you jam I'm Eighteen, Enter Sandman, and Cowboys From Hell?”: Nita Strauss shreds an Alice Cooper classic at her own wedding in newly shared clips
- “We haven’t broken a string on a Les Paul for more than three years”: Joe Bonamassa swears by this easy string-saving hack – which was inspired by Jimmy Page and Billy Gibbons
May 6
- “This song depicts all of the things Joe and I loved about pounding rock ‘n’ roll and the glorious guitar”: The SatchVai Band's second single is an ode to the instrument that made them famous – and it features Glenn Hughes on vocals
- “It’s unreal that my own name is one of the coolest finishes I think Fender has ever done”: Fender teams up with country superstar Brad Paisley on a signature Telecaster that brings back a cult classic finish from the 1960s
- “I realized he couldn't play well enough to put the video out”: Rick Beato weighs in on the Giacomo Turra controversy – and discusses their ill-fated collaboration
- Philip Sayce has some of the most potent guitar tones in modern blues rock – and now Seymour Duncan has recreated them with a signature single-coil set inspired by his go-to vintage Strat
- “We were trying to make the best guitar that ever happened in world history”: ESP’s latest Richard ZK ESP and LTD signature guitars are heavy rock riff machines of the highest order
- “Save yourself a few hundred thousand dollars and experience the magic for yourself”: JHS Pedals has unveiled its latest DIY pedal kit – a $119 Dumble-style overdrive partly inspired by a one-off John Mayer stompbox
- “That was the infamous moment of my life when Dazed and Confused fell into the loving arms and hands of Jimmy Page”: Original Dazed and Confused songwriter revives copyright lawsuit against Jimmy Page
- “B.B. King was in a wheelchair for maybe four or five years before he died, and I’m not on crutches yet”: Fresh off his cameo in Michael B. Jordan’s Sinners, Buddy Guy confirms he’s not done with performing just yet
- “Makes me feel closer to Pop every time I record”: Wolfgang Van Halen used Eddie’s legendary Frankenstein to track the slap riff – and the wild two-hand tapping sequence – in his new single
May 5
- “There's something really magical about it”: Bon Jovi's Phil X on why he prefers single-pickup guitars – and his one-of-a-kind neck pickup 'mods'
- “I will miss laughing with her about sports and crying with her about politics”: Tom Morello leads tributes to groundbreaking singer-songwriter Jill Sobule
- “A true musician’s musician whose guitar spoke volumes”: Blues guitar great Joe Louis Walker dies at 75
May 4
- Free Eddie Van Halen mini-documentary explores the origins of Eruption and his two-hand tapping technique – and it’s partly narrated by the man himself
May 2
- “At first, I honestly thought it was a joke. Even now, it hasn’t quite sunk in”: Eric Clapton recently named Toshiki Soejima as one of his favorite contemporary Japanese players – now, the neo-soul guitarist has finally met his guitar hero
- “Vince Gill is probably the best guitarist of any of us on that stage, but he isn’t doing a ton of heavy-lifting guitar-wise”: Chris Holt on how he got the Eagles gig – and what fans can expect from the new-look guitar line-up
- “After reviewing thousands of submissions from across the globe…” Chaka Khan has chosen her new guitarist after hosting open auditions – and it’s a popular Instagram shredder
- “I switched to a Stratocaster, then Lowell George showed me his MXR compressor”: Bonnie Raitt on how she developed her celebrated slide sound – and why you can’t teach feel
- Wolfgang Van Halen goes big on the two-hand tapping in new Mammoth single – and recruits Slash and Myles Kennedy for a horror-inspired music video loaded with an Eddie Van Halen Easter egg
- “That required some right hand training. It was like a tongue twister for my hands”: Mike Dawes has transformed a Sleep Token song into a solo acoustic guitar masterclass – and the results are awe-inspiring
May 1
- Fender Japan assembles all-star group of elite Masterbuilders for its most ambitious builds yet – the Deck O’ Cards Stratocasters
- “I would always insist that you know every single note right from the beginning”: Joe Satriani responds to Cory Wong's controversial statement about what it takes to be an advanced guitarist – and why he agrees with him
- “We had accidentally stored the bass in Seattle and paid $2,500 in rental fees!” 32 years ago, Jeff Ament rented a ’61 Jazz Bass from Norman's Rare Guitars to record Pearl Jam’s iconic Vs. record – and now he’s been reunited with it
- “Eddie’s musicianship blossomed when I joined the band”: Sammy Hagar on his musical dynamic with Eddie Van Halen – and why the virtuoso stopped releasing music in the 2000s
- “That is called ‘playing the s**t out of the guitar!’”: Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt and Smokey Robinson join forces on their own rendition of a Motown classic at the 2025 American Music Honors