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Matt Reynolds of Haggard Cat

Haggard Cat's Matt Reynolds: “Riffs are the most joyful thing about playing guitar – there should be more of them, all the time”

By Matt Parker

The guitarist for the UK hardcore innovators on how the Flying V shapes his personality as a player, his monstrous triple-amp rig, and the “joyful exorcism” of new EP, Cheer Up

Great guitar players who play cheap guitars

18 pro guitarists who play cheap guitars

By Jonathan Horsley

Updated Because not every song requires a custom shop instrument to get the tone right

Carlos Santana

Carlos Santana: “When I found the guitar, it was like seeing flying saucers and Moby Dick and discovering the spiritual orgasm all at once”

By Jacob Uitti

The legendary six-stringer on how working as a busboy influenced his guitar playing, his memories of Woodstock, and recording with Metallica's Kirk Hammett on his star-studded new album, Blessings and Miracles

Every Time I Die

Every Time I Die on their tag-team guitar approach, no-holds-barred songwriting philosophy and tweeting fans for gear

By Gregory Adams

Guitarists Andy Williams and Jordan Buckley wax lyrical on their multi-faceted new album, Radical

Tony Iommi (left) and Eddie Van Halen

Tony Iommi and Eddie Van Halen discuss their careers, friendship and the evolution of their guitar playing in this classic 2010 interview

By Chris Gill

Two of hard-rock's greatest guitar-slingers talk technique, career highs and lows, and how they influenced one another over the years

James Taylor

James Taylor: “All music is reiteration... We just pick stuff up and use it again. I mean, there are just 12 notes”

By Alan Paul

The fingerpicking maestro discusses auditioning for George Harrison and Paul McCartney as an unknown 20-year-old – and working with jazz master John Pizzarelli on his latest release

Gus G

Gus G on his first-ever all-instrumental solo record: “I wanted to avoid making a boring album that’s 45 minutes of ‘widdly widdly’!”

By Greg Prato

The Firewind guitarist on his forthcoming solo effort Quantum Leap, what sets his signature Jackson guitars apart, and how he entered (and exited) his gig with Ozzy Osbourne

Des Rocs

Des Rocs: “A whole generation of people are concerned about recording guitars properly – and that's something that needs to go immediately!”

By Chris Schwarten

The New York songwriter blends classic rock 'n' roll showmanship with uber modern electronic stylings on his fierce debut LP, A Real Good Person in a Real Bad Place

Zoe McVeigh of LIINES

LIINES' Zoe McVeigh: “I play a Fender Kurt Cobain Jag-Stang – people come up to me at gigs to take pictures with it!”

By Cheri Amour

Guitarist McVeigh and drummer Leila Sullivan on Paul Tipler’s production prowess, the North’s unwavering indie scene and Kurt Cobain’s inimitable Fender Jag-Stang

Buckethead

22 of the best guitarist stage names of all time

By Guitar World Staff

We chart some of the greatest stage monikers from the artists originally known as Saul Hudson, Lars Johann Yngwie Lannerback, Aleksandar Zivojinovic, plus many more…

Ghost Hounds

Ghost Hounds' Thomas Tull: “There's always a prodigy in town who can pick up the guitar and just play. That was not me – I had to really work at it!”

By Jonathan Horsley

The movie mogul talks touring with the Rolling Stones, why storytelling forms the basis of his songwriting and the unbeatable rig that fuels his guitar sound on the band's sophomore LP, A Little Calamity

Adia Victoria

Adia Victoria: “The guitar is an outlet for me, a safe space to express a range of emotions that women – especially black women – aren't able to openly exhibit”

By Jacob Uitti

The gothic blues singer-songwriter on finding a friend in the guitar, the “unfettered connection” of an acoustic, and the lasting influence of Skip James on her new album, A Southern Gothic

José González

José González: "For this album, I didn't buy any new gear. I decided if I'm going to put time into something, it would be on rehearsing guitars and refining the songs"

By Matt Parker

On fourth album Local Valley, the Swedish songwriter channels a wealth of guitar styles from around the world to focus on the big picture issues facing our existence on this ‘Pale Blue Dot’

Rock singer Kurt Cobain (1967 - 1994) performs on stage with Nirvana at the MTV Video Music Awards, September 10, 1992..

Kurt Cobain's final Guitar World interview: “We play so hard that we can’t tune our guitars fast enough. People can relate to that”

By Jeff Gilbert

The Nirvana icon discusses his love for the Fender Mustang and why he wouldn't endorse Gibson in his last conversation with GW, which took place during the week of Nevermind's release

Brody Uttley of Rivers of Nihil

Rivers of Nihil's Brody Uttley: “If you're building a solo, really consider what you're playing over, because it's just as important as what you're playing”

By Amit Sharma

The Pennsylvania guitarist on his approach to constructing leads, the challenges of playing slide, and why simplicity is key on the band's new outing, The Work

LP

LP: “The ukulele is a serious instrument and it has range – It doesn’t have to be cutesy”

By Jacob Uitti

The veteran New York singer-songwriter on why the ukulele is rock 'n' roll, the “life-affirming” nature of playing guitar, and the writing process behind her forthcoming sixth album, Churches

Metallica's 1991 Guitar World cover

Metallica's James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett reveal The Black Album's deepest, darkest secrets in this classic 1991 Guitar World interview

By Jeff Gilbert

Shortly before their seminal self-titled LP went stratospheric, the metal titans tell all: arguing over guitar solos, shaking up their gear, fighting with Bob Rock, and the mystery behind ...And Justice For All's missing bass

Dave Keuning

Dave Keuning: “The second I get a pedal, I write a song with it right then and there, because it’s some fun, new sound that inspires me”

By Greg Prato

The Killers guitarist explains why he took a break from the indie-rock giants, how he ended up returning to record Pressure Machine, and his most recent solo album, A Mild Case of Everything

Paul Thorn

Paul Thorn: “Half the songs on this album were recorded on a Gibson Hummingbird with three-year-old strings!”

By Alison Richter

The Americana singer-songwriter talks cutting out drinking, how a Mississippi-shaped electric became his main guitar, and paying tribute to late family members on his new LP, Never Too Late to Call

Julia Kugel

Julia Kugel: “When you’re a musician, there's no separation between work and self. That’s why criticism is so gnarly, because they’re criticizing you as a human”

By Jacob Uitti

The Coathangers guitarist on growing up in the Atlanta punk rock scene, her “plug and play” attitude towards gear, and why she's so inspired by simplicity