* The Sounds That Shook the World: Chris Gill selects 11 guitar-heavy songs from every corner of the Fabs’ catalog and breaks down the gear that was used, musing on exactly how George Harrison, John Lennon and Paul McCartney produced their now-legendary guitar and bass tones.
* Top Gear: If you want to imitate the sound of the Beatles by acquiring the exact same models and vintages of gear that they used, good luck! Chris Gill tells you how to replicate the band’s classic tones using today’s affordable instruments and effects.
* Wigs, Rigs and Gigs: When it comes to recreating the Beatles' guitar sounds on stage, the right pedals can make all the difference. The Fab Four, the Bootleg Beatles and the Analogues walk us through their effects units.
* The Wing Man: With Red Rose Speedway, Band on the Run and Live and Let Die, 1973 was the year when Paul McCartney's ragtag group, Wings, first scored Beatles-sized success. As founding member and guitarist Denny Laine recalls, “It took a little while.”
* Beatles transcribed: We have a new, three-page transcription of Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown), a standout Lennon track from Rubber Soul.
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(Image credit: Terrence Spencer/Popperfoto via Getty Images)
This issue also features...
* With the release of Pawns & Kings, Alter Bridge grandmasters Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy discuss the band’s place in the stadium-rock pantheon (and give us the inside scoop on some new PRS gear).
* Marcus King casts his bid for arena-rock glory on his crankin’ new power-trio album, Young Blood.
* Hey, where’s your head at? GW’s guide to eight of the coolest headless guitars available today.
We also have interviews with Laura Cox, Ruby the Hatchet, Bob Mould (who explains the secrets of his pedalboard), Starcrawler, “Captain” Kirk Douglas, Tyler Bryant, the Interrupters and Talas (yes, Talas!), plus a tribute to the late, great Wilko Johnson, the Introducing and Playlist columns and the photo/quote/flashback of the month.
Meanwhile, Joe Bonamassa shows you how to incorporate volume swells into solos, Josh Smith elaborates on the wonders of Danny Gatton’s playing style, Andy Aledort shows you how to use one- and two-string melodies with drones — and there’s a new column by Andy Timmons. Besides the Beatles tune (mentioned above), this month’s song transcriptions are 662 by Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) by Journey.
We have reviews of all three new headline-grabbing pedals by Paul Reed Smith, the new Taylor Guitars Urban Ironbark 514CE, the Gretsch G5232T Electromatic Double Jet FT with Bigsby and the MXR Duke of Tone overdrive pedal. In Power Tools, Chris Gill continues the Beatles theme (sort of) and explores the history and applications of the Coral/Danelectro Electric Sitar.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
