“If detuned modern rock and metal is your thing, it’s definitely one to check out”: Victory VX The Kraken MKII Lunch Box Head review By Nick Guppy published 18 March 24 Victory’s compact high-gain monster is back, revamped and improved, and with a new Clean mode
“I’m now running a dual rig – it’s like hearing Queens of the Stone Age and Guy Ritchie movies mixed together!” Meet Kid Kapichi – the UK beat-punks busting out Chuck Berry moves and opening for Liam Gallagher By Amit Sharma published 17 March 24 Ben Beetham is a pedalboard thrill-seeker whose tones make Kid Kapichi one of the most vital bands on the UK rock scene
Kings of Leon are one of the biggest rock bands on the planet – learn the twin-guitar style that took them from club stalwarts to stadium royalty By Martin Cooper published 15 March 24 The Followill brothers went from Nashville to global stardom via the UK pub circuit on the back of a sound referencing classic, garage and southern rock, and here we give it the tab and audio treatment
“If the mini-humbucker had remained exclusive to Epiphone, it may have been a mere footnote. It developed a following because they ended up in Gibson guitars”: The mini-humbucker’s surprising history – and why it deserves more love By Huw Price published 15 March 24 Often passed over in conversations about the greatest electric guitar pickups, the mini-humbucker has a unique tone of its own, its story inextricably linked to Epiphone and Gibson
“Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Ry Cooder, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Healey and Buddy Guy... I naturally gravitated towards a Strat because my main influences were all playing them”: Philip Sayce on why the best studio magic is live By David Mead published 15 March 24 Returning with new solo LP The Wolves Are Coming, the blues ace discusses big studio energy during downtime for the world, his enduring guitar heroes, and his exacting standards for the Strat
“This slant on the Bluesbreaker offers real flexibility at a manageable price point”: Electro-Harmonix Spruce Goose review By Trevor Curwen published 14 March 24 We have a gander as Electro-Harmonix debuts its enhanced take on Marshall’s Bluesbreaker overdrive sounds
“We lived on a train for 15 days and played 65 shows. The boxcar was a stage, and we would pull into towns that don’t get live music very often”: How Tenille Townes is taking her country sound to the people By Glenn Kimpton published 14 March 24 The Canadian country star's latest EP is a journey in every sense, written on the road as she toured the country, playing boxcar gigs and raising money for a good cause
“I aim to paint myself into a musical corner and then try to find an interesting way out”: Introducing the ‘handcuffs’ approach to soloing – a simple way to improve your lead guitar playing By Josh Smith published 14 March 24 Josh Smith shows you an arresting approach for establishing a melodic narrative in your blues solos
“Django stretched the guitar imagination to its limit. He was the fastest, the most creative”: What Django Reinhardt can teach today’s blues players By John Wheatcroft published 14 March 24 Idolized by B.B. King and George Benson, Django Reinhardt was gypsy jazz guitar’s most legendary player. Improve your jazz vocabulary with this primer in his pyrotechnic style
Albert Collins wasn’t just the ‘Master of the Telecaster’. His ferocious attack and tone also earned him the nickname ‘The Iceman’ – and with licks like this, it’s not hard to see why By David Gerrish published 14 March 24 Put a cold shot into your playing with the ultra-cool licks from the one of the most vital guitarists in blues history
“While many contemporary offsets simply borrow the outline, there’s a lot more to these original recipes”: Fender Vintera II ’50s Jazzmaster, ’70s Jaguar and ’70s Competition Mustang review By Dave Burrluck published 13 March 24 Can’t afford a vintage Fender? Neither can we. So until we win the lottery, the Vintera range aims to satisfy our lust. Let’s jump on the offset train and go back in time…
“I was gonna have a year off after Knebworth, but when John rang up saying, ‘Look, I’ve got these tunes,’ I thought, ‘I’m in, mate’”: Liam Gallagher on why John Squire is like Hendrix and the best guitarist of his generation By Henry Yates published 13 March 24 The former Oasis frontman talks Gallagher/Squire and pays tribute to the Stone Roses guitar legend in an interview that is 100 percent gold
“I must admit, it looked and sounded phenomenal, but the poor girl was crushed to smithereens… I was totally heartbroken”: How Ted Nugent accidentally destroyed his first Gibson Byrdland By Phil Gajewski published 13 March 24 An archtop jazz box was a strange choice for a young rocker like Nugent, but as he explains here, it was the making of him, and it was all about the tone
“I have the heaviest boost pedal in existence – it’s a Marshall half-stack that I switch on when the sound needs to be bigger”: DeWolff’s Pablo Van De Poel on his life in gear – and a rig that is not to be trifled with By David Mead published 12 March 24 The DeWolff guitarist recalls a Les Paul that broke his heart and a spectacular deal on a vintage bass
“My tone is already destroyed by the time it gets to the amp”: Yard Act are redefining post-punk guitar with plugins and ‘cheapo’ gear – and they reckon a Squier Bullet Tele sounds great DI’d By Jonathan Horsley published 12 March 24 In a radical new album, Yard Act are blurring the lines between post-punk and hip-hop. Guitarist Sam Shipstone reveals how it was made – with sampling, budget gear and an experimental approach to tone
“This is the earliest known black Strat in existence. I first saw it when I was 11 years old – Guitar World featured it as the centerfold poster. I fell completely in love”: Joe Bonamassa on the guitar that represents his journey above all others By Joe Bonamassa published 12 March 24 JoBo tells the story of the legendary 1955 Howard A. Reed Strat as he shares his favorite licks by blues great Ronnie Earl
“It’s one of Boss’ most eagerly anticipated pedals ever – but is this featured-packed reverb worth the wait?” Boss RV-200 Reverb review By Michael Astley-Brown published 12 March 24 The long-awaited twin-footswitch reverb pedal has taken the flagship RV-500 format and downsized it to pedalboard-friendly proportions, all while adding an all-new Arpverb algorithm
“Freddie was a good riffmeister! He was a devotee of Jimi Hendrix. People think he was just concerned with the lighter stuff but it’s not true. He did enjoy the heavy stuff”: Brian May reveals the inside stories behind 13 classic Queen tracks By Chris Bird published 12 March 24 In a world-exclusive interview, Brian May takes you behind the scenes of the making of 13 iconic Queen cuts, and reveals what inspired his magical guitar playing in Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen, Don’t Stop Me Now and many more
The Eagles are the undisputed masters of harmony lines blending country and rock – this video masterclass unpacks their signature guitar style By Jamie Humphries published 11 March 24 If you've ever promised yourself that, one of these nights you're gonna play like the Eagles, take it easy... This video and tab lesson has everything you need to take your playing to the limit one more time
“Poverty accounted for many of my choices – I had this knockoff, fake Tele I used on Rain Dogs… It was awful but also beautiful”: Marc Ribot on recording Tom Waits classics with cheap gear, and why ‘How can I destroy it?’ is one of his session mantras By Andrew Daly published 11 March 24 A session legend who has recorded with Tom Waits, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and many more, Ribot returns with a new solo album, Connection, and, musically, anything goes