“I remember thinking, ‘What would Paul McCartney do?’” How Justin Smolian channeled his inner Beatle with Dirty Honey By Nick Wells published 13 July 23 Dirty Honey's Justin Smolian opens up on touring with Guns N' Roses, and why Paul McCartney is still a bass playing genius
This shred-heavy documentary finally focuses on the fringes of LA’s hair metal scene – and it hits streaming next month By Matt Parker published 29 June 23 I Wanna Rock: The ’80s Metal Dream will talk to members of Skid Row, Winger, Twisted Sister, Vixen and The Scream and examine the fortunes and failures of the scene’s ’80s heyday
Slash and Tom Morello recreate their epic Guitar Hero duels in live shred-off By Michael Astley-Brown published 16 June 23 The pair unleashed solo fireworks aplenty as they gave their 2020 collaboration Interstate 80 its live debut
Duff McKagan: “I discovered my acoustic guitar as a refuge during Covid. It lessens the panic attacks” By Alison Richter published 31 May 23 The Guns N’ Roses bassist and songwriter speaks candidly about how trading the bottle for playing acoustic has helped his panic attack and mental health struggles
Larry Graham on when you really need to use a 5-string bass By Nick Wells published 11 May 23 The godfather of slap bass says “I actually love playing a 5-string for other artists, but not for live shows”
How a Slash superfan ended up trading guitars with his hero… three times: “I was wondering if it was real life or if I’d died” By Amit Sharma published 11 May 23 Guitar collector Todd Puma shares the surprising story of how he came to own a trio of the Guns N’ Roses legend’s personal Les Pauls – and why he bought two of Gibson’s ultra-limited Murphy Lab Greeny models
Seymour Duncan issues new version of Slash’s signature humbuckers with one key upgrade By Matt Owen published 19 April 23 The Slash 2.0 pickups are based on the GNR rocker's flagship APH-2 set – which he's used for nearly a decade – but make one essential tweak
Slash on his love of Les Pauls: “That Kris Derrig Les Paul came in the 11th hour when we were doing Appetite. It just sounded f**kin’ perfect – like a gift from on high” By Amit Sharma published 12 April 23 The Guns N' Roses guitarist and rock icon talks about the guitars he treasures most – including buying and returning Joe Perry's Dark Burst LP – and reveals how his love for Les Pauls has inspired and shaped him as a player...
“I don’t buy the idea that the bass player is the quiet one”: The 5 most notorious bass guitarists in rock By Nick Wells published 3 March 23 From Mötley Crüe hellraiser Nikki Sixx to GN‘R’s Duff McKagan
Slash once teamed up with the Black Eyed Peas for a Super Bowl halftime show that featured the most divisive Sweet Child O’ Mine performance ever By Matt Owen published 23 February 23 The infamous set took place in 2011, with the Guns N' Roses guitar legend's 90-second cameo part of a wider event that has since received some unfavorable accolades
Guns N’ Roses announce massive 2023 world tour By Matt Owen published 21 February 23 Slash and co will visit the Middle East, Europe and North America over a sprawling 38-date schedule, which is set to kick off in June
Watch Jeff Beck play Locomotive with Guns N' Roses at a 1992 soundcheck for a live collaboration that never happened By Jackson Maxwell published 17 February 23 Beck would ultimately pull out of his performance in Paris with the hard-rock giants – and, potentially, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry – leaving these rehearsal videos as a tantalizing 'what if'
How to play Welcome to the Jungle on guitar By Chris Bird published 3 February 23 Learn the legendary Guns N' Roses riff that introduced Slash to the world
Which is better: 4- or 5-string bass? By Nick Wells published 27 January 23 “Unless you’re Les Claypool, more than four is unnecessary!” Duff McKagan, Adam Blackstone and Glenn Hughes weigh in on the age-old debate
10 iconic guitarists who had surprising day jobs before they were famous By Sam Roche published 24 January 23 These players all had to pay the bills somehow before they hit the big time
Lessons you can learn from Slash‘s blues guitar solos By Phil Short published 23 December 22 Learn how to keep your solos fresh and memorable with this look at the Guns N‘ Roses icon‘s bluesier side
Slash reveals how he really came up with the Sweet Child O’ Mine riff By Matt Owen published 15 December 22 The Guns N' Roses guitarist explained that the iconic riff did not originate from a warm-up routine, contrary to popular belief
Opening for Guns N’ Roses, taking lessons from Randy Rhoads and trading licks with Steve Vai: what the Sunset Strip's golden era was really like By Gregory Adams published 8 November 22 As a new compilation album assembles some of the era's deepest cuts, Jaded Lady guitarist Danelle Kern and Romeo and Hellion alum Chet Thompson recall their fondest memories from the epicenter of shred guitar
How Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan recorded a bass classic with Sweet Child O’ Mine By Joel McIver published 28 October 22 McKagan reveals how a trip to Guitar Center and the search for a sound to complement Izzy and Slash helped him find his Appetite for Destruction bass tone
Slash once joined Nile Rodgers and Chic for a marathon Le Freak solo spot – but the show ended in tragedy By Michael Astley-Brown last updated 27 October 22 Watch the 1996 performance the Guns N’ Roses guitarist called “the biggest privilege of my life” – at the concert that would prove to be bass legend Bernard Edwards’ last