The 14 most expensive guitars of all time By Jenna Scaramanga published 20 November 23 Fenders owned by Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan, Martins belonging to Kurt Cobain and David Gilmour, and one independently made axe headline the list of most profitable guitars sold at auction
“The most expensive Clapton guitar ever sold at auction”: Eric Clapton’s iconic ‘Fool’ Gibson SG just sold for more than $1,000,000 – and it was bought by a world-renowned guitar collector By Matt Owen published 17 November 23 The record-breaking auction sees the uniquely finished double-cut – which Slowhand used to develop his trademark “woman tone” – comfortably join the list of the most expensive guitars sold at auction
“Owned by, played by, signed by and designed by some of the brightest lights in rock ‘n’ roll”: Eric Clapton launches 25th anniversary Crossroads Festival auction – and it includes some serious instruments By Matt Owen published 15 November 23 Slowhand's 'Crash' Fender Stratocaster and a unique PRS Silver Sky are among the guitars up for sale, and all proceeds will go towards supporting the Crossroads Centre in Antigua
“I knew Eric was going to put his guitar on later, so the bass fills were like telegraphed messages”: Listen to Nathan East’s fill-laden bassline on Eric Clapton’s Change the World By Chris Jisi published 14 November 23 Nathan East recorded with his Yamaha Signature 5-string direct through a custom DI box
“A must-have for guitarists in pursuit of those legendary Beatles tones”: Aclam unveils The Mocker, a Fab Four-inspired fuzz pedal By Jonathan Horsley published 9 November 23 All this Beatles talk got Aclam so excited it dug deep for some NOS Philips OA200 diodes for its take on the Vox UL730 series fuzz circuit – and it got a little weird with the AI on the demo video…
“One of the most influential sounds in rock history”: Eric Clapton’s iconic ‘Fool’ Gibson SG, which was key to his trademark ‘woman tone’, has emerged – and it’s going up for auction By Matt Owen published 9 October 23 The ’64 SG became an enduring symbol of the psychedelic era, Clapton's Cream career, and the harmonically rich ‘woman tone’ – and it could become one the most expensive guitars ever to sell at auction
“The doctor's in the house”: Watch Carlos Santana and Eric Clapton tip their caps to Peter Green with searing Black Magic Woman at the 2023 Crossroads Festival By Jackson Maxwell published 26 September 23 Guitar legends who had passed on since the last Crossroads gathering in 2019 were on the minds of audience members and performers alike at this year's festival
John Mayer trades solos with H.E.R., covers Grateful Dead with his blues trio, and reunites with the Fender Monterey Stratocaster (again) during jam-packed Crossroads 2023 concert By Matt Owen published 25 September 23 Mayer brought his rhythm, lead and tonal A-game to the star-studded festival, during which he had an especially busy itinerary
“To put it simply: no Beatles, no George, no me. I still feel very privileged to have called him a friend”: Bernie Marsden on the genius of George Harrison By Amit Sharma published 5 September 23 In this previously unpublished interview, the late Whitesnake guitar great recalls how the Beatles’ lead guitarist inspired him to pick up the instrument in the first place: “The word ‘lead’ grabbed my attention immediately – I liked the idea of being a leader very much...”
“Right then we knew: this guitar is going to be epic”: Ana Popovic’s Fender ‘Foggy’ Stratocaster is causing quite a stir – and its back story is as remarkable as its one-of-a-kind finish By Matt Owen published 4 September 23 Four years in the making and a victim of Covid-induced delays, ‘Foggy’ features an exclusive cloudy chrome colorway – and came to fruition as the Serbian blues ace went through the toughest period of her life
“We all loved Larry Carlton’s guitar, it was just magic… We were all looking for guitars with chunky necks, to try and get the sustain that he had”: Session legend Dean Parks reveals the secrets of his most iconic Steely Dan and Eric Clapton guitar parts By Jackson Maxwell published 28 August 23 You can hear Parks on Josie, Haitian Divorce, Change the World, Rikki Don’t Lose That Number and innumerable other songs – here, the guitarist unpacks the gear and recording sessions that forged them
“It needs a tune – but we’ll do that free of charge!”: Meet the Gibson Firebird that Jimmy Page lost in a drinking game with John Bonham By Jamie Dickson published 28 August 23 This heavily modified Non-Reverse Gibson Firebird III is a lost Led Zeppelin guitar with a fascinating history – we get the story behind the Page-owned beauty and the buoyant market for Gibson’s under-appreciated cult hero
John Mayer is one of the most lyrical soloists playing today – learn his tricks to crafting memorable leads By Andy G Jones published 28 August 23 Mayer is a player who wears his influences well but always brings his own twist – we take look at how he applies this to his solos, and how you can, too
Guitar Center honors Eric Clapton with 25th Anniversary Crossroads Collection – a selection of guitars inspired by the most iconic instruments throughout his career By Matt Owen published 25 August 23 Ahead of this year's Crossroads Guitar Festival, an assortment of limited-edition Fender, Martin and PRS models have been unveiled – watch Slowhand get hands-on with his new signatures
“I get the guitar solo and I immediately have to give it away to Robbie!”: Eric Clapton reveals the reason he’s not particularly proud of his Last Waltz performance By Matt Parker published 24 August 23 In a rare new interview, the guitar icon reflects on his onstage mishap, alongside the late Robbie Robertson’s remarkable playing and his experiences of The Band
Eric Clapton and Van Halen covered his songs, and he led Jimmy Page's favorite American band: Watch overlooked guitar genius Lowell George demonstrate his slide technique on German TV By Jackson Maxwell published 26 July 23 A guitarist for Frank Zappa before forming and taking the reins of Little Feat, George's influence has long overshadowed his recognition
Wait, is Fender about to revive Tom DeLonge’s highly sought-after Stratocaster? By Michael Astley-Brown published 14 July 23 As used examples of his signature model approach $2,000, the Blink-182 guitarist has offered a very strong hint that a reissue is on the cards – nearly two decades after his Strat was last produced
“I’ve put my life back together, but it’s all a growing process. If you stop growing, what good is it musically?” Stevie Ray Vaughan's In Step, and the new beginning that should have been By Tom Nolan published 10 July 23 In this 1988 conversation, SRV discusses his affinity for the Fender Strat, how he approached learning Clapton and Hendrix, and the healing powers of the guitar
Joe Bonamassa teaches you his favorite Fender Stratocaster blues licks By Joe Bonamassa published 3 July 23 The blues guitar superstar takes us on a tone tour on his 1954 Fender Strat, with licks inspired by Jimi Hendrix, Eric Johnson and more
“With those thicker strings he used, it was like he was in a battle, fighting them with his fingers”: How Stevie Ray Vaughan made Texas Flood By Amit Sharma published 26 June 23 Texas Flood is a touchstone of blues guitar and Double Trouble drummer Chris Layton witnessed the magic first hand. He looks back on how SRV's Popeye strength and god-like tone made for a classic