This year's top beginner acoustic guitar Black Friday deals are right here – including $60 off our favorite Yamaha F335 By Michael Astley-Brown published 24 November 23 There has never been a better time to start playing, with Epiphone, Guild and Fender deals starting from just $129
“The ultimate multi-tool for guitar players”? Taylor’s upgraded Beacon might just be the most versatile clip-on tuner ever made By Matt Owen published 15 November 23 Don't be fooled by its humble appearance – this five-in-one playing companion does so much more than just help keep your guitar in tune
The guitar played by gypsy jazz legend Django Reinhardt in his most iconic image is going up for auction By Matt Parker published 10 November 23 The Levin De Luxe was owned by Duke Ellington guitarist Fred Guy and was featured in William P. Gottlieb’s famed photograph of Reinhardt
Country icon Dolly Parton has written over 3,000 songs, but her trademark ‘thumb and flick’ playing style is essential learning for acoustic players By Stuart Ryan published 10 November 23 Develop your alternating bassline picking and bluegrass soloing techniques with this country rhythm workout
“When he signed his note, ‘Your friend,’ I truly felt like he meant it. I am really friends with John Mayer!” Meet Ryan Woodard – the 17-year-old artist who was gifted his dream guitar by John Mayer following a viral cover of Gravity By Matt Owen published 10 November 23 He shared the stage with Buddy Guy when he was just 11 years old and has already amassed a huge social media following through his rock-solid blues chops – but receiving a Martin OMJM from his biggest hero was the “greatest honor” of Ryan Woodard’s life
“Unlike any guitar we’ve released before”: Ed Sheeran has unveiled his latest limited-edition Lowden signature acoustic – and it’s a thing of beauty By Matt Owen published 7 November 23 Created to celebrate the chart-smashing singer-songwriter’s latest album, the Autumn Variations guitar introduces some new specs to the Sheeran by Lowden range
“Charles Manson actually stole one of my D-45s years ago”: One of Al Jardine’s prized Martin acoustics was once swiped by the notorious cult leader – and he “never, ever got it back” By Matt Owen published 3 November 23 The Beach Boys’ history with the Manson Family is well-documented – and it turns out Jardine’s Martin was one of the many items stolen from the band
“I was inspired to get away from the standard chordal structure we’ve all heard a thousand times”: Producer, luthier, songwriter like no other – Jonathan Wilson will take you on a strange trip By Glenn Kimpton published 31 October 23 He toured with Roger Waters, produced Roy Harper and Father John Misty, and built electric guitars that became highly sought-after. Now, new album Eat the Worm finds the Laurel Canyon experimentalist messing around with song form, “f**ked up” Stratocasters and songs about Joe Bonamassa
Turnstone TG review: the most expensive guitar we’ve ever reviewed – but is it worth it? By David Mead published 30 October 23 At £12,240 (nearly $15,000), this premium-level model from the renowned UK-based acoustic builder is the most expensive guitar we have reviewed, but it might also be one of the best. Want to know what a high-end acoustic plays like? Read on…
“We wanted to make something that was atmospheric and not mimicking anything else. But, really, this record is about coming out of grief”: Emma Tricca is finding redemption in vintage Martins and fingerstyle folk By Glenn Kimpton published 30 October 23 Her guitar approach may be shaped by Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and John Renbourn, but Aspirin Sun finds Emma Tricca chasing a folk sound that's all her own
"When you practice the skills enough, one day, just like magic, the skills turn into music": Tommy Emmanuel's thumbpicking masterclass By Tommy Emmanuel published 25 October 23 Video lesson: Tommy Emmanuel takes us through the basics of how to use a thumbpick so you can play your own version of Elizabeth Cotten’s Freight Train
“It’s a holy grail guitar”: Jason Momoa just bought the first Martin D-28 acoustic ever made By Matt Owen published 25 October 23 The Hollywood star and bass aficiando just expanded his enviable guitar collection with his most historically significant six-string yet
“People come up to me and say, ‘Man, you’re keeping the blues alive!’ I’m like, ‘You don’t even know that’s the worst thing you could say to me’”: Mixing Blind Willie Johnson covers with Slayer-inspired shred, Buffalo Nichols is no blues traditionalist By Ellie Rogers published 19 October 23 He avoids pentatonic cliches at all costs and thinks too many solos are “a problem in the blues” – now Buffalo Nichols is taking the genre in radical new directions with the help of heavily effected resonators and his “secret tuning”
She's a Grammy winner who's been writing songs since she was 8, but Kacey Musgraves also has a fingerstyle approach that will give your acoustic playing a real identity By Stuart Ryan published 18 October 23 Whether using a small-bodied acoustic or a J-45, Musgraves' playing has an abundance of melodic content that supports her vocals
“The tactile charm and unplugged resonance of acoustics twice their size”: with the “revolutionary” Highway Series, Fender is slimming down the big-body footprint By Matt Parker published 10 October 23 The innovative new acoustic guitar designs borrow some ideas from the Acoustasonics, but are altogether different beasts
“For me, Gibson and Epiphone are one and the same. But there is a richness within the Epiphone – you can get it and not be afraid to take it on the road”: Meet Abraham Alexander, Gibson’s first-ever Marquee Artist By Ellie Rogers published 10 October 23 The Texan singer-songwriter on collaborating with Gary Clark Jr., why he considers the guitar both a shield and a weapon, and how he found strength in vulnerability as he opens up on stellar debut album SEA/SONS
“Dad showed me three chords and then he was like, ‘There’s a million songs in those three chords, so knock yourself out.’ He wanted me to find my own connection”: Tommy Prine shares how music helped him cope with the loss of his father By Alison Richter published 5 October 23 The son of late country-folk legend John Prine never intended to be a singer-songwriter. But playing guitar and writing was instrumental in processing his grief. He shares the lessons his father taught him and how they set him up for a life in music
How rubber bridge guitars became the hottest trend for the next generation of players: 10 songs that tell the story of its unstoppable rise By Jackson Maxwell published 4 October 23 From its beginnings on tracks by alt-rockers like Phoebe Bridgers and Blake Mills, this fascinating mod made its way onto chart-topping albums by the likes of Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo
Corey Taylor unmasked and unplugged: The Slipknot frontman goes acoustic on Gibson’s ‘king of flat-tops’ in this Guitar World exclusive By Jonathan Horsley published 25 September 23 Taylor dropped by Guitar World Studios with his SJ-200 to perform Silverfish in this intimate video session
Ibanez at the Guitar Showcase 2023: The alternative acoustic brand By Guitar World published 25 September 23 At the forefront of innovation in the acoustic guitar industry