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February 2026
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130 articles
- February 28
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- “It’s like a no-holds-barred riff throwdown between nu-metal and grunge. It. Does. Not. Let. Up.”: February 2026 Guitar World Editors’ Picks
- “It’s about time this unsung guitar great received the recognition he deserves”: All the guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including a firm-first from my favorite pedal brand
- February 27
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- “If you play blues right all the time, you’re wrong”: Buddy Guy and his Sinners co-star play Tiny Desk concert
- “It was like, ‘Congratulations, you just bought Leo Fender’s company. Now you gotta learn how to make guitars’”: The origins of Ernie Ball Music Man – and how it all started with a bass
- “We’re raising the bar on what we believe a rhythm game can be”: Guitar Hero producers have announced a new game – and it’s got the backing of Gibson
- “I wanted to take old garbage octaves from our past and make my version”: JHS Pedals’ first-ever octaver is imperfect and unpredictable – and that’s the whole point
- February 26
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- “For me, it seemed better with Firebirds”: The tuning change that lead to Warren Haynes retiring his Gibson SG
- “In music videos, we all know it’s just miming. But social media videos? That is extreme dishonesty”: We asked what constitutes “fake” guitar playing – here’s what you had to say
- “Finish it up as a great instrumental nod to Eddie”: Michael Anthony has his own thoughts on how the “new” Van Halen album should be completed
- “They created the blueprint for how heavy metal bands should look, sound, and tour”: Iron Maiden, Oasis, Jeff Buckley and Melissa Etheridge lead Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2026 nominations
- “I found out some of my favorite star players didn’t actually know much at all”: The realization that ended Jason Richardson’s obsession with music theory
- “12 seconds into the opening night with U2, I thought, ‘We have to do this’”: Metallica announces Sphere residency – and they’ll be spared from the issues all other guitar bands have faced so far
- February 25
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- “A flamboyant guitar suited to a flamboyant performer”: T-Bone Walker’s Gibson ES-5N helped give rise to electric blues – and it’s been listed for $2 million
- “In ’73 it was listed in Melody Maker for £400. Glad you enjoyed it”: Phil Manzanera finally finds out the real story behind his iconic Firebird – 50 years after he bought it
- “We played at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert with the Foo Fighters. After we finished our set, everyone was encouraging us to go back on tour”: Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee look back on the moment that sparked the idea for a Rush reunion
- “Charlie Watts said, ‘We wonder what happened to them fantastic girls. We never heard of them again in England’”: They were one of the world's first “all-female” rock bands – then they disappeared. But the Rolling Stones and the Beatles never forgot them
- “We hope that this project advances the broader recognition he so richly deserves”: Gibson honors Mick Ronson with limited-edition recreation of his iconic David Bowie Les Paul
- “Have I held Frankenstein? Was it a total, Excalibur-level experience? I don't even know how to articulate that, but I got emotional”: Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti on recording at Eddie Van Halen's legendary 5150 Studios
- February 24
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- “A historically significant instrument directly tied to the evolution of modern funk”: The bass Bootsy Collins used to record a James Brown anthem has been listed on eBay
- “I got up on stage and my guitar tech goes, ‘Slash wanted me to give you this.’ It was the ’59. It was dead silent in the room”: Joe Perry on the painful memory of selling his ’Burst – and why he’ll never forget the moment it came back to him
- “He picks it up, hits the corner of a stone table and puts a huge ding in it”: When Jeff Beck damaged an impossibly rare vintage Stratocaster – while he and Dweezil Zappa were at a party dressed as knights
- “It took me forever to commit. Once I got there, I went, ‘I should have been doing this for a very long time’”: Joel Hoekstra was late to the Les Paul party – now he’s making up for lost time
- “I was two years out of college, bought it and just felt like, ‘Oh, this is what it’s supposed to sound like.’ It makes me sound better than I am”: Why the Fender Telecaster is Sheryl Crow's long-time guitar “sidekick”
- February 23
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- “I can sing better; I can’t play guitar better”: Lucinda Williams on how her stroke has affected her guitar playing
- Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen rolled out an Iron Maiden classic at their London show, with a very special guest
- “His raw honesty and blues-soaked power permanently reshaped American music”: A new Gregg Allman documentary is coming to cinemas in Summer 2026
- “I am in my acoustic, zen phase of life”: Why Paul Rodgers declined an offer to front the new Van Halen album
- “I was going for Jag-Stang vibes”: How Spiritbox's Mike Stringer and Aristides channeled Kurt Cobain for one of modern metal’s most desirable signatures
- February 22
- February 21
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- “I just had decidedly hated Stratocasters, Les Pauls, any of the common instruments that you see everybody use”: How Jack White found his own voice by seeking out a different kind of guitar
- “This could be one of the biggest steps forward in passive pickup design in years”: All the guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including the most metal Jackson yet
- February 20
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- “Joe Satriani said, ‘Every time I do an album, I feel like the first song I have to prove that I can play guitar’”: Why Paul Gilbert thinks it’s important to practice restraint when it comes to shredding
- “This is a bass guitar that’s going to stir up quite a lot of interest among fans and collectors”: The bass used to record The Specials' gloomy political anthem, Ghost Town, is headed to auction
- “Tony said, ‘Hey, you’re singing flat.’ My dad got really pissed off”: Jack Osbourne says a heated moment during soundcheck before Black Sabbath’s farewell show revealed everything about Tony Iommi and Ozzy’s relationship
- “It sounded perfect, man… like a gift from on high”: Is Slash's no. 1 Les Paul – which isn’t a Gibson – set for a Gibson reboot?
- “It made me want to go all the way in, bring in the best metal players I could find, and create something fearless”: Zakk Wylde gifted William Shatner a guitar. Now Shatner is making an album with 35 metal icons – and an AI-generated Les Paul, apparently
- “We've finally ‘put a ring on it’”: Volbeat confirm new lead guitarist nearly three years after Rob Caggiano’s departure
- As Arch Enemy announce their new singer, Alissa White-Gluz has revealed her new guitarists – and the lineup has already impressed some heavy-hitters
- February 19
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- “By the time we met the Beatles, they were thrilled to meet us. They liked us in part because we were women who could play”: The pioneering ’70s band beloved by the Beatles – who recorded with Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper’s sonic architect
- “The drums, the guitar and the bass are already in there. What we didn’t have is a vocalist”: Alex Van Halen says a new Van Halen record was virtually finished before Eddie passed away
- What constitutes “fake” guitar playing?
- “They said, ‘You're playing heavy metal.’ I said, ‘Heavy metal… what's that?’” Why Tony Iommi shunned the heavy metal tag during Black Sabbath's early days
- “It went totally sour. After we did the album thing, it was like, ‘This isn’t happening’”: Why Nile Rodgers and John Mayer’s collaboration was derailed – because of a Rolling Stones album
- February 18
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- “You do feel violated, and it was really sad and disturbing to watch the video”: Police in search of robbers who stole $15,000 vintage Martin D-28 from Maryland music store
- “We’ve been writing music together”: The Red Hot Chili Peppers are working on their next project, Flea says – and they’re recording at John Frusciante’s house
- “The best-sounding, most powerful, and most flexible processing Line 6 has ever offered”: Line 6’s Helix Stadium Floor is finally shipping – 8 months after it was first unveiled
- “I had a poster on my wall of B.B. King playing Lucille. I always wanted one of those guitars”: Gary Clark Jr. comes full circle with a new signature Gibson ES-355 that pays homage to his hero
- “I showed it to John Paul Jones. He laughed. And then he played it. He went from giggling to joy”: When Josh Homme introduced a Led Zeppelin legend to his secret-weapon amp
- “I spent a lot of shows in the beginning wondering if he was upset”: John Mayer opens up on his early Dead & Company insecurities – and learning to share the stage with his hero, Bob Weir
- “My main memory is thinking if I stood still for too long, I’d get hit with a beer can”: Thundercat on getting his start with hardcore punk legends Suicidal Tendencies – and how that developed his bass chops
- February 17
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- “Gene and Paul came back to the studio with their jaws on the floor. Gene said, ‘No-one has ever turned down Kiss’“: The glam-rock guitarist who accidentally turned down Kiss
- “I’ve had great luck doing the exact opposite of what the internet tells me”: Joe Bonamassa on the ‘unorthodox’ Marshall hack he nicked from Zakk Wylde
- Joe Satriani’s amp builder has released a potentially game-changing pickup system – which gives players the power to choose where their gain is created
- “He exemplified how top instrumentalists can adapt to a remarkable range of styles and settings”: Steel guitarist Pete Finney – who performed with Vince Gill, Reba McEntire and the Monkees – dies aged 70
- February 16
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- “I thought my computer actually broke”: Bass phenom Kinga Głyk recalls the moment her rendition of an Eric Clapton classic went viral – and made her career
- “Even if no-one’s applauding, this is still going”: Mark Speer was so afraid the audience wouldn’t applaud at early Khruangbin shows, he figured out how to do it on guitar
- I didn’t think the Amazon Presidents’ Day sale would be any good for guitarists, but I’m happy to admit I’m wrong – here's 6 stellar savings on great guitar gear, including Boss, Fender, D'Addario, and more
- “I would sneak off with her guitar. She’d get really p***ed off at me”: Nancy Wilson’s first guitar was unplayable – so she kept stealing her sister’s
- With over $1,000 off PRS Core guitars and amps, I think I just found the most tempting sale around this Presidents' Day
- Score a vintage spec Fender with $600 off this Presidents' Day thanks to some gigantic Vintera II discounts over at the official Fender store
- These are the 5 guitar sales that get our vote this Presidents' Day – score up to 60% off a whole host of guitars, amps, pedals and accessories
- “To my ears, it’s not very usable”: The main problems with Telecasters, according to Paul Reed Smith
- “Cutting-edge Fluence technology meets world-class artistry”: Fishman brings Herman Li’s PRS Chleo Fluence pickups to the masses – but there’s a catch
- “It was an extremely agile move. It was so smooth, it was like we had choreographed it”: Michael Angelo Batio on the time Billy Corgan spared his blushes during a Smashing Pumpkins guest spot
- February 14
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- “He was like, ‘No, I want the other position.’ That’s where it became so acrimonious between us”: Francis Rossi opens up on the internal tensions between Status Quo’s two guitar greats
- “I saw these at Guitar Summit last year and came away with one thought: this might be the guitar of my dreams”: All the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including a long-awaited Lamb of God Les Paul
- February 13
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- D’Addario just launched a glove to clean your guitar
- “Blends performance and aesthetics into a single, uncompromising musical tool”: Harley Benton’s well-specced $285 eight-string finally gets a left-handed version
- “It didn’t work well at the time. Then it just became one of the most popular guitars ever made”: The latest in Gibson and Leo Scala’s Master Artisan Collection is a love letter to the O.G. Explorer – and our addiction to rare guitars
- “A piece as collectible as it is playable”: Prince’s signature Taylor is back for the first time in 15 years – but you’ll have to go to Paisley Park to get it
- “These performances present him at his very best – and they’re thrilling to hear”: Blues gold unearthed as rare Freddie King live performance surfaces after 50 years
- “I hadn’t even had a chance to play this guitar before it was ripped off from our gig”: Nancy Wilson on the story of her stolen baritone – which made its debut at a Chappell Roan gig
- February 12
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- “I don’t know why I’m so late to the game. I am kicking myself”: Yvette Young shares a closer look at her next signature guitar – which features her latest gear revelation
- “The most significant guitar in the career of the Muse guitarist”: Manson releases like-for-like recreation of Matt Bellamy’s main guitar – complete with all the onboard effects
- “I took Gem Archer’s job when he joined Oasis. Brian Robertson from Thin Lizzy came in on Saturdays and we’d just play”: How a job in the “party guitar shop” gave Pretenders guitarist James Walbourne his start in the industry
- “Honoring a century of music, storytelling, and unforgettable moments on country’s most iconic stage”: Martin teams up with the Grand Ole Opry on a one-of-a-kind, limited-edition acoustic
- “The concept is simple. Capture a performance in a single take”: Ichika Nito shares unedited one-take performance – as ‘fake playing’ accusations spread on social media
- “More than anything, I wanted to go, but I just froze”: Warren Haynes on the time he missed the chance to play with B.B. King
- “His creative contributions were immense”: Greg Brown, co-founder and guitarist of Cake and songwriter of the hit The Distance, dies at 56
- $500 off a jaw-dropping Gibson Les Paul Standard is just the tip of the iceberg in Guitar Center's unbeatable Presidents' Day sale – here's more of my expert picks
- February 11
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- “He wanted $200 for it. Now it’s worth millions”: Andy Summers was skeptical of Telecasters at first – until he found one that would become one of his main Police guitars
- “The world has lost a giant. A colossus of African music”: Ebo Taylor, celebrated Ghanaian guitarist and highlife music pioneer, dies at 90
- Painted Neck Stratocasters? These Fender Custom Shop models put a distinct – and divisive – twist on the traditional template
- There's no need to wait for the weekend to find your dream guitar – Musician's Friend just slashed prices by up to 60% off in their early Presidents' Day sale
- “The door cracks open and I hear, ‘Who the hell are you? Play that again!‘” Steven Tyler gatecrashed Jared James Nichols’ jam and invited him to hang out with Aerosmith – and he kept coming back
- February 10
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- “It's the biggest show on the planet... I'm like, ‘Oh you gotta be kidding me right?’” Zakk Wylde recalls his “Spinal Tap moment” during Back to the Beginning
- “Chino said, ‘Guitar?’ He looked over at his bandmates and smiled”: Deftones invite superfan onstage to play in front of sold-out arena crowd
- “He’s a weapon. He came back with that over a couple of nights. He really tortured himself”: How Guthrie Govan ended up on prog masters Karnivool’s latest album – which was in the works for 13 years
- “He had definite ideas about how he wanted to do certain songs. I’m similar, so we clashed”: Brian Robertson sets the record straight on his Thin Lizzy exit
- “It crushes me not to be able to play guitar”: Manowar founding guitarist Ross ‘The Boss’ Friedman diagnosed with ALS
- “At this point, we’re even being emulated by other companies”: Tosin Abasi never planned to be a guitar designer – he explains how Abasi Concepts became one of the biggest names in progressive guitars
- “I never thought I would release a guitar with my own logo”: Epiphone teams up with Chinese pop icon WoWkie Da on a bold new J‑180 signature acoustic
- “There’s nothing that impressive about being able to play the guitar at a decently high level anymore”: Why Billy Corgan changed the way he plays guitar solos
- “Everything you need to create truly iconic tones”: Fractal goes up against Neural DSP and IK Multimedia with ICONS – its first-ever plugin
- February 9
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- “You could go to school on what Fred created so effortlessly”: Fred Smith, influential Television and former Blondie bassist, dies at 77
- “Green Day showing the world how to keep it loud!” Billie Joe Armstrong shows off mysterious new Marshall as Green Day rock the Super Bowl – could a signature amp finally be on the cards?
- “He told him to keep playing and never stop”: The heartwarming moment James Hetfield met a 10-year-old superfan
- Ex-Turnstile guitarist fired from new band after accusing Turnstile of misusing benefit show funds
- “I have to give credit to him… I was telling him that I was in a quandary about what to do about the band”: How Don Henley got the Eagles back on track after Glenn Frey’s death – with some help from Bono
- What was the guitar-like instrument played during Bad Bunny’s history-making 2026 Super Bowl halftime show?
- “The beginning of an exciting new chapter for the storied brand”: One of Scotland’s most popular guitar retailers set to return under new ownership
- “To place Anthony within a tribute centered on Ozzy Osbourne was a grave miscalculation of his musical identity”: Grammy Awards criticized over Anthony Jackson’s inclusion in rock/metal In Memorium section
- February 8
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- “I think about him, ‘What would B.B. King do?’” How Justin Lyons is channeling the King of the Blues in mgk's punk-rock band – and he even has his own Lucille
- “Maybe I didn’t expand on it to the extent that I should have”: Chris Buck responds to the backlash against his “Strat baggage” comments
- “Especially with what’s going on in this world, it just doesn’t seem worth it anymore”: The maker of the cult classic King of Tone pedal is thinking of hanging up his soldering iron
- February 7
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- “Rick said, ‘I think we need to put a bass on it’. One of the kids said, ‘My apartment ain’t too far, I got a bass there’”: How the Beastie Boys saved the day on Aerosmith and Run D.M.C.’s Walk This Way
- “B.B. asked to try a few licks on my guitar. He smiled and asked, ‘Why you working so hard?’” How B.B. King changed Billy Gibbons’ approach to guitar strings
- February 6
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- He’s played with Lady Gaga, played on SNL, and co-founded Dub Trio – now Stu “Bassie” Brooks has officially joined Nine Inch Nails on bass
- “There’s nothing they did for me that other amps hadn’t done before”: Eric Gales says he doesn’t understand all the fuss about Dumble amps
- “I was too young to get in. Then T-Bone Walker walked by and said, ‘Let me talk to ’em, son’”: When a 13-year-old Jimmie Vaughan was stopped from watching B.B. King play, another blues great came to his aid
- “Always ready to ribbit”: The Frog Pedal is a surprisingly versatile octaver that makes your guitar sound like, erm, a frog
- “It's not that I don't want to stay, it's that my hands are betraying me”: Dave Mustaine says his hand problems are forcing him to end Megadeth
- “The jazz people were laughing when they saw me at the audition with my Telecaster”: Steve Morse says the music school jazz snobs were not impressed by his choice of guitar
- February 5
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- “I kept it as quiet as I could”: Eric Gales tried to keep his guitar playing a secret – but Carlos Santana spoiled the surprise
- “It was the best career move I ever made”: Why Marty Friedman has no regrets leaving Megadeth
- “More than the return of an iconic instrument”: Mosrite Guitars – the underdog firm loved by Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, and Johnny Ramone – is back
- “I was nervous playing in front of my mom and dad. I would avoid playing live at all costs”: How Sophie Lloyd got over her performance anxiety – thanks to an arena show with mgk
- February 4
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- “He snuck in without people realizing. The only giveaway was the white feather tail in his hat”: How Stevie Ray Vaughan surprised the son of blues royalty at his 16th birthday
- “The Silver Burst is synonymous with the band. We were talking about how cool it would be to continue that tradition”: Nick Johnston embraces his Mastodon turn with his most metal signature Schecter yet
- “I’ve gone after three Soldanos. Eric Clapton’s, Mark Knopfler’s... and finally Gary’s came up”: Joe Bonamassa test drives Gary Moore’s iconic Soldano amp – which has been unplayed for 20 years
- February 3
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- “He is the funkiest bass player that ever lived. Every note a mighty oak, a bull elephant, a bomb”: William ‘Billy Bass’ Nelson, Funkadelic bassist who coined the band’s name, dies aged 75
- “It’s such an important piece of music history. For me to be associated with it is one of the greatest honors of my career”: Mark Morton’s signature Gibson Les Paul has been in the making for more than 3 years – now it’s finally here
- “There is a strong possibility the guitar is sitting unrecognized in someone’s attic”: Search launched for Boston guitarist Brad Delp’s long-lost Taylor 12-string
- February 2
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- “I wrote the music before Oz passed away… I wrote the lyrics after we laid Ozzy to rest”: How Zakk Wylde wrote his tribute song to Ozzy Osbourne
- “I walked into a Guitar Center one day and took it off the wall. It launched 1,000 ships of people chasing that sound”: The guitar that changed Billy Corgan’s life
- “I want to dedicate it to everyone in the guitar shop I grew up in and everyone in a bedroom with a dream”: Guitar at the Grammys 2026 – Slash and Andrew Watt pay tribute to Ozzy, Bruno Mars takes a solo, but Brent Hinds excluded from In Memoriam segment
- “If you have a 16-bar guitar solo, please don’t turn into Yngwie Malmsteen or Joe Satriani”: Ian Anderson had some soloing advice for Jethro Tull’s new guitarist
- “I couldn't believe I was playing a guitar where the strings were not attached to anything”: YouTuber builds experimental guitar with floating strings – and it changed the way he played
- February 1
