Best guitar straps 2024: play in comfort and secure your guitar in style By Chris Corfield last updated 30 April 24 Our expert pick of straps for electric, acoustic and bass, covering all budgets and materials
Score a FREE Fender pedal when you buy two at full price with this insane Hammertone offer By Daryl Robertson published 26 April 24 Fender has gone hammertime for Hammertone discounts with this insane 3 for 2 offer – overdrive, distortion, delay and flanger pedals up for grabs
Best short-scale basses 2024: the ultimate guide to the greatest pint-sized bass guitars at all price points By Daryl Robertson last updated 25 April 24 From Fender to Gibson, Gretsch to Spector, here are our top picks for the best short-scale basses on the market right now
“People have always gravitated to guitars by Fender Japan because you get so much more choice… The build quality is the best Fender makes outside the Custom Shop”: How the Japanese Fender offset conquered the world By Jamie Dickson published 24 April 24 Fender Japan showed the world how radically offsets could be modified. We visited specialist Japanese guitar retailer Gas Station Guitars to chart the evolution of the MIJ offset
“Is it wrong in every possible way or do you dig it?” This guitarist transformed their John Mayer PRS signature guitar into a Stevie Ray Vaughan Number One Strat tribute – and now we really want a sunburst Silver Sky By Matt Owen published 23 April 24 John Mayer once asserted he’d never produce a sunburst version of his popular PRS signature guitar. Now we know what it would look like, and it's quite something
“Carlos Santana said, ‘I’ll play bass – you play guitar.’ I said I couldn’t, but he told me whatever I played belonged to me. I could own it”: Super-producer Raphael Saadiq on how he switched to guitar and earned his signature Fender Telecaster By Amit Sharma published 22 April 24 The Grammy-winning producer has worked with the biggest names in music. He explains why the Telecaster has appeared on every album he’s ever worked on – and shares what he learned from Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Barry Gibb and countless others
How to upgrade your Jazzmaster and Jaguar: modding tips and setup tricks for Fender offset guitars By Huw Price published 20 April 24 From bridges to tremolos to pickups, these DIY upgrades for the offset electric in your life will make them better than ever
“Going to see an all-girl rock group, one has to bring a mixture of condescension and paranoia. What if they are good?” New study reveals how female guitarists have been denied credibility in the music press for over 60 years By Janelle Borg published 19 April 24 A new research study examines the marginalization of female players in the music press
I played the Tom DeLonge Starcaster and expected to feel nostalgic – but this smartly designed signature has given one of Fender’s most unpopular guitars a new lease of life By Michael Astley-Brown published 19 April 24 blink-182 taught me how to play the electric guitar 20 years ago, but DeLonge’s long-awaited signature model is no throwback – it might just herald a bright future for the unloved semi-hollow
“A solid and luxurious look”: Fender Japan’s new Sandblast range is the firm’s tamest release in ages – but, thanks to a quirky finishing technique, also one of its most desirable By Matt Owen published 18 April 24 Limited-edition Stratocaster, Telecaster and Jazz Bass models have been unveiled, each of which are treated to a nifty sandblast finish
Best guitar picks 2024: recommended plectrums to upgrade your playing By Jonathan Horsley last updated 18 April 24 Our expert guide to the best picks for bass, acoustic and electric guitar
"This American institution has not only changed the face of the guitar forever but has shaped the course of popular music": 5 Fender innovations that changed the world of guitar By Daryl Robertson published 18 April 24 From the first commercially produced solidbody guitar to the invention of the electric bass, the landscape of guitar would look very different without Fender’s monumental influence
Fender's guitar models explained: we break down the entire Fender line-up from Player to Custom Shop, to help find the right one for you By Richard Blenkinsop published 17 April 24 Get to know your Jazzmasters from your Jags and your Players from your Performers with our breakdown of the vast Fender catalog
“It always hurts to see the poor instrument face the wrath of these wannabes”: After another destroyed guitar controversy at Coachella, is guitar smashing simply not cool anymore? By Janelle Borg published 16 April 24 After another destroyed guitar controversy at Coachella, is guitar smashing simply not cool anymore?
“It’s the coolest guitar ever made… It goes to space and expands your mind”: Fender’s much-anticipated Tom DeLonge signature Starcaster signals another big shift for the guitar giant By Matt Parker published 16 April 24 The Indonesian-made, Fender-badged Tom DeLonge signature guitar finally breaks cover
Antigua is back in the USA: Fender’s divisive finish has been revived for four limited-edition Squier ’70s Classic Vibe models – including the first ever Antigua Bass VI By Matt Parker published 16 April 24 The once-derided Antigua Burst is back for a limited run and is now available for preorder in the US
“He preferred what was readily available – and affordable. And when he measured responses, he didn’t really see differences between woods”: Leo Fender didn’t think tonewoods made much difference to solidbody guitar tone By Matt Owen published 15 April 24 The electric guitar pioneer used pine, alder, ash, poplar, mahogany and more, but apparently deemed the tonal differences negligible
“Like so many of Leo Fender’s products, these instruments ended up being wildly successful at producing sounds that ran contrary to his intentions”: The history of Fender offset guitars By Huw Price published 12 April 24 Only now, over 60 years on from their launch, are the Jazzmaster and Jaguar becoming recognised as guitars for all players. We trace the innovations that mapped the offset’s long journey from misunderstood outsider to contemporary king
“When I go onstage and have a guitar, I feel like no-one can touch me”: Why Amy Winehouse's passion for guitar was key to her distinctive songwriting style By Janelle Borg published 12 April 24 A little-known 2004 interview saw Amy Winehouse wax lyrical about all things guitar
“I heard Eruption by Van Halen and I was like, ‘What is that?!’ I love to push the boundaries, and I love when it sounds crazy”: Meet Emi Grace, the Trashy Tone Thursday pioneer tearing up the shred rulebook and taking on the haters By Cheri Amour published 10 April 24 The 21-year-old LA native had over 10-million views on her Fender TikTok showcase last year. She tells us how she came up with her jaw-dropping brand of electro-shred, the joys of upgrading Stratocasters and why she fell in love with trashy guitar tones