Aerosmith

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“I was in the studio, and the phone rang. It was Lou Reed. I’d never met him. He called me, saying, ‘I saw a picture of you with this guitar…’” Joe Perry on Aerosmith’s roaring ’70s, writing Dream On – and being a B.C. Rich early adopter

By Andrew Daly published 1 October 24

It was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the ‘70s, the era of TV set defenestration, and Aerosmith got bigger, it began to fall apart. Here, Perry looks back on the decade that made them (and near broke them)

Tom Hamilton plays bass onstage with Steven Tyler

“We put out Rock in a Hard Place and went out on the road, which was the definition of the word ‘fiasco.’ Too many shows ended early due to the excessive use of chemicals”: Tom Hamilton on Aerosmith’s past challenges – and why they still have a future

By Andrew Daly published 24 September 24

Still finding inspiration, he explains how close the band came to missing out on Sweet Emotion, his near-grudge over Janie’s Got a Gun, why he was glad Joe Perry quit and the development of his video screen bass

Joe Perry of Hollywood Vampires performs live on stage at Wembley Arena on June 20, 2018 in London, England

“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

By Matt Owen published 16 September 24

It's not a rare vintage instrument by any means, but for Perry, the sentimental value of the long-gone guitar is priceless

Musician Tom Hamilton of Aerosmith performs on the Sunset Cliffs Stage during the 2016 KAABOO Del Mar at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on September 17, 2016 in Del Mar, California

“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

By Matt Owen published 11 September 24

The US rock icons announced they'd be retiring from the road following Steven Tyler's vocal injury

Joe Perry plays a Schecter doublecut electric guitar onstage in 2012

From boogie hooks to alternate tunings and experimental 10-string riffs, Joe Perry’s mastery of the fretboard is often taken for granted – here are 14 ways to incorporate his signature style into your own playing

By Jon Bishop published 18 August 24

Simply unbutton your shirt, wear your guitar low, and walk this way for a masterclass the Aerosmith guitarist's signature style

Joe Perry and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith perform live on stage at the Wells Fargo Center on September 02, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“We have made a heartbreaking and difficult, but necessary, decision”: Aerosmith retire from touring due to Steven Tyler’s vocal injury – and say a full recovery is “not possible”

By Michael Astley-Brown published 3 August 24

The American rock institution have canceled the remaining dates on their farewell tour following Tyler’s vocal injury last year

“Billy Gibbons pulls out this big-ass yellow 17-string bass and he’s like, ‘Okay, we’ll play it for a song, right?’” ZZ Top’s Elwood Francis on teching for Joe Perry, lying to Steve Vai – and the curse of playing that viral 17-string bass

By Andrew Daly published 24 July 24

The gear-trashing DIY enthusiast once had to choose between Vai and Joe Perry, before being fired and rehired by Guns N’ Roses – in a matter of days

“You can hear the influence of those riffs on Guns N’ Roses, but I’m sure it’s not a conscious thing. It’s in our subconscious, ingrained in our DNA”: Richard Fortus on how Aerosmith changed his life, and what he and Slash learned from Joe Perry

By Richard Fortus published 16 July 24

The GNR guitarist and Aerosmith super-fan explains what makes Joe Perry one of rock guitar's GOATs and the influence he and Brad Whitford had on him, sonically and sartorially

Joe Perry plays a red B.C. Rich Bitch live onstage

“I can put an amp up and 10 minutes into the show it’ll be on fire. It’s just how Joe rolls”: The secrets behind Joe Perry’s awe-inspiring guitar rig by our man on the inside, guitar tech Darren Hurst

By Jenna Scaramanga published 9 July 24

54 guitars. 8-gauge strings. A semi full of amps. Joe Perry's live rig is a changeable, often untameable beast, and Hurst has been in charge of it since 2019. With the Aerosmith juggernaut ready to pull in for good, he spills all of its secrets, from string gauge and intonation to a heck of a lot of gain stacking...

“I got food poisoning. When I’d stopped throwing up, the first thing we did was the solo for Love In An Elevator”: Joe Perry on the unlikely origins of Aerosmith’s greatest guitar moments – and the big regret of his 600-strong guitar collection

By Andrew Daly published 2 July 24

With the Peace Out Tour bringing the curtain down on America's greatest rock 'n' roll band, Joe Perry joins us to take us back to the start for a career-spanning interview

“When I left the band I took most of my Aerosmith guitars, put them in road boxes, and left them there”: Joe Perry on the lost golden-era Aerosmith guitar he misses the most

By Phil Weller published 4 June 24

The Aerosmith icon says he’s never been into collecting guitars, but there’s one particular Strat that he wishes he still had, and it was used to record a staple rock hit

Joe Perry live onstage with Aerosmith in 1987

“Rick Nielsen would come into my dressing room with a guitar and say, ‘Joe, you really should buy this one’”: Joe Perry on the ’57 Gretsch Duo Jet that recorded Dude (Looks Like a Lady)

By Andrew Daly published 28 April 24

On Guitar World’s December 1987 cover, Joe Perry – tagline “the Bad Boy who's badder than ever” – was rocking a ’57 Duo Jet. This is the story behind the guitar

“It was found in the trunk of a car. They had sanded it to make it look like it wasn’t mine”: Tyler Bryant's stolen Pinky One Strat was played by Jeff Beck, inscribed by Steven Tyler – and, miraculously, returned to him five years after it was taken

By Matt Parker published 8 April 24

The blues-rock guitarist recalls the loss – and remarkable recovery – of his most significant six-string

Tom Hamilton and Steve Tyler of Aerosmith

“The smallest element can be the basis of a cool riff. That’s pretty much how I wrote Sweet Emotion”: Tom Hamilton reveals the inspiration behind one of the most iconic bass riffs in rock

By Nick Wells published 19 December 23

How Sweet Emotion, from Aerosmith’s Toys in the Attic, was inspired by Jeff Beck’s Rough and Ready

Matt Smith, C.C. DeVille and Slash perform live

“It was down to Slash and C.C. DeVille – I don’t even think they even tried anybody else out. They wanted to go in a glammier direction, and C.C. fit that style”: Matt Smith was Poison’s original guitarist – and helped to choose his successor

By Andrew Daly published 18 December 23

Inspired to pick up the guitar by Aerosmith, Poison’s original Strat-wielder answered an ad that read, ‘Theatrical band looking for a guitar player.’ But after the group moved to L.A., things didn’t work out the way he planned

“I don’t know what it is, but something happens to Joe when he picks up the 10-string B.C. Rich Bich...”: Joe Perry tech Darren Hurst on helping the Aerosmith rock icon re-discover his tone

By Andrew Daly published 21 November 23

After five years working with Peter Frampton, Darren Hurst became Joe Perry’s tech. Here he talks the secrets behind the guitar great's sound, and why his favorite Perry guitar isn't a Les Paul or the famous “Burned Strat”...

“The Kings and Kings solo by Brad Whitford is one of the finest in rock history”: Brian May, Marty Friedman, Nita Strauss and 37 other legendary guitarists share their favorite Aerosmith guitar moments

By Andrew Daly published 14 November 23

An all-star cast of guitar greats pay tribute to a great American rock ’n’ roll institution

Brad Whitford Aerosmith in photo session at a hotel, Tokyo, September 19, 1990.

“My work was being compared to Jeff Beck, and they’re crediting Joe Perry. I was so upset. But people who actually listen can tell the difference”: Brad Whitford on the highs and lows of Aerosmith’s 50-year history, and his unique chemistry with Joe Perry

By Andrew Daly published 7 November 23

In an exclusive career-spanning interview, Whitford reflects on a tumultuous career in one of America’s great rock institutions, his frustrations at being labeled the rhythm player to Perry’s lead, and what stopped Aerosmith from following up their “piss-poor” final album

“In my mind, we could be like the Yardbirds in those rare times when you had Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck together. That’s what we wanted Aerosmith to be”: Joe Perry reflects on 50 years of America’s greatest rock band

By Andrew Daly published 31 October 23

In this exclusive interview, Perry looks back at every era of the rock institution: how their rapid rise ultimately took its toll, why Van Halen caused him to quit in the ’80s, how he and Steven Tyler reconciled their differences, and why he finds himself playing Strats more than Gibsons

Brad Whitford (left) and Joe Perry perform onstage

“It's always rubbed me the wrong way when people put Brad down and refer to me as the lead guitarist... Some of the best solos in our catalog are ones Brad did”: Joe Perry says it’s time to stop calling Brad Whitford a rhythm guitarist

By Matt Parker published 12 October 23

Whitford played leads on some of the band’s biggest hits, but rarely gets acknowledged for it, reckons Perry

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