Motley Crue

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“I had to step away from the pointy era. I chose the Strat because I like the way they look and the way they sound… everything about them is me”: Mick Mars on how he found his thrill with the Fender Stratocaster – and the 1954 unicorn that broke his heart

By Andrew Daly published 16 July 24

The former Mötley Crüe guitarist pays tribute to the most important Strats in his life, the mods they have had, and why he had to step away from the pointy guitars crazy of the '80s

“Keep Rude Dude”: Mick Mars’ ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ Kramer appears in Motley Crüe’s You’re All I Need video, features NSFW rear artwork and has just gone up for auction

By Phil Weller published 8 May 24

The guitar was used extensively during Motley Crüe’s 1987-88 Girls, Girls, Girls world tour

“A mechanical riff so crushingly heavy that it will give you the bends”: April 2024 Guitar World editors' picks

By Michael Astley-Brown published 30 April 24

From fast-rising indie rock acts and heavy playing pioneers to Beyoncé and beyond – here are our standout guitar tracks from the past 30 days

“The start of a brand new chapter”: Mötley Crüe share their first new single with John 5 – and as promised, it marks a heavy return

By Matt Owen published 26 April 24

Headlined by a blistering solo from John 5, Dogs of War is the band's first new single since 2019, and the first to be released since their split with former guitarist Mick Mars

“Mötley Crüe was a whole different animal from what I’m doing. Writing the anthems was what the band was all about. Then it got a little sideways…” Mick Mars opens up on the highs and lows of life in Mötley Crüe – and his solo rebirth

By Joe Bosso published 20 March 24

The legendary Crüe guitarist looks back on the good times and bad times with the world’s most outrageous band, how he knew it was time to retire from the road (but not the group), and why his hard-hitting new solo album is and isn’t a blues record

Cole Parsons playing a Jackson electric guitar at his school

“This is like an intro to something Metallica wrote in the 1980s”: 11-year-old guitar hero breaks the internet with his original metal riffs – performed in front of his fellow fifth-graders

By Phil Weller published 28 February 24

Cole Parsons has shot to online stardom with his original, Randy Rhoads-channeling song, which even won the approval of Mötley Crüe

Mick Mars: “I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Mötley Crüe. I don't regret anything we've ever done – good, bad or ugly” – only in the new Guitar World

By Damian Fanelli published 22 February 24

Plus! Eddie Kramer, Marco Pirroni, Stone Mecca, Adrian Belew, Yard Act, DragonForce, history of the MXR Phase 90, Drop Nineteens, Blondie's Frank Infante, the Darkness and more!

“I would say it’s past… impossible”: Mick Mars has opened up about his relationship with Mötley Crüe – and a reconciliation is off the table

By Matt Owen published 20 February 24

The band's former guitarist has discussed the ongoing Mars/Mötley Crüe dispute, and it looks like we're passed the point of no return for any potential reunion

“People are hearing my sound – I might gain some fans, I might lose some fans, but what they’re hearing is all me”: Mick Mars reveals second track from his debut solo album

By Phil Weller published 13 December 23

After 40 years of Mötley Crue, the guitarist is exploring different sides of his personality, with Right Side of Wrong showcasing a darker side to the glam rock legend

“I’ve been wanting to do this solo thing for a very long time. I had to do stuff with Mötley… now it’s my time”: Mick Mars opens up about his surprisingly heavy solo debut and life after the Crüe

By Amit Sharma published 31 October 23

As he releases the first single from his first-ever solo record, The Other Side of Mars, Mick Mars reflects on his guitar legacy, growing up with Eddie Van Halen and why he thinks Mötley Crüe made a “very, very wise choice” in hiring John 5

Original Mötley Crüe guitarist Greg Leon

“I wanted to put a great band together like Rainbow, Deep Purple or Humble Pie. Nikki Sixx simply was not capable. So I told Tommy, ‘If this is the guy you want, I’m leaving’”: Before Mick Mars, Greg Leon was Mötley Crüe’s original guitarist

By Andrew Daly published 24 October 23

Leon replaced Randy Rhoads in Quiet Riot and toured with Dokken before he formed Mötley Crüe with Tommy Lee. But when the band’s wild-man rhythm section took shape, things quickly fell apart

“Buckethead made me want to explore the idea of using a kill switch. I love how creative you can get”: How John 5 revolutionized one of Fender’s oldest guitar designs with the Ghost Telecaster

By Amit Sharma published 2 October 23

The Mötley Crüe gunslinger explains how fashion brand Supreme inspired his latest signature guitar, what makes his favorite pickups ideal for everything from country to metal – and why no-one is a bigger Buckethead fan than he is

“It was obvious: John was the guy... we didn’t choose this, but since we had to be put in this position, we’re very happy with where we’re at”: Nikki Sixx opens up on the crisis talks to replace Mick Mars and how John 5 has re-energized Mötley Crüe

By Joe Bosso published 14 September 23

The Mötley Crüe bassist offers his own insight into the “horrible situation” that faced the Los Angeles rock stalwarts upon Mars’ departure, and how they rebuilt the band with the help of their hot-shot new guitarist

“Just like the Beatles or the Stones were for a lot of people, these songs have been in my head for as long as I can remember”: John 5 shares his Mötley Crüe story so far – and why he still can’t believe he’s landed his dream gig

By Joe Bosso published 7 September 23

He’s a top-billing guitar gun-for-hire who knew the entire Crüe catalog front to back – and that was before he got the call to replace Mick Mars. In this exclusive interview, John 5 reveals how it all went down, and what to expect from his future with the glam-metal mainstays

“It’s like you’re looking at Mozart and you’re like, ‘I’m gonna improvise over this part.’ No. That’s how those songs should be performed”: John 5 shares his approach to learning Mötley Crüe’s back catalog

By Matt Owen published 11 August 23

The band's new guitarist said he wanted to show the songs ultimate respect – but has been given permission to go “berserk” on the fretboard every now and then

“We never saw it coming that Mick wasn’t going to be able to tour and was going to have to quit the band”: Nikki Sixx offers his own take on the Mötley Crüe drama

By Matt Owen published 9 August 23

“We didn’t choose this, but since we had to be put in this position, we’re very happy with where we’re at right now,” the bassist said in an exclusive new Guitar World interview

Mick Mars (right) performs onstage with Mötley Crüe

Mick Mars says he never wants to speak to Mötley Crüe again: “I think all of us would be okay with that”

By Matt Owen published 6 July 23

Mars has opened up on the relationship between himself and the band, saying the last time they properly spoke was back in 2019

Mick Mars' 10 best Mötley Crüe guitar solos

By Andrew Daly published 4 July 23

10 times the hair-metal linchpin elevated the band's hard-rock anthems with lead guitar fury

Mick Mars opens up on Mötley Crüe legal battle: “They’re trying to take my legacy away. I’m not going to let them”

By Matt Owen published 26 June 23

In a new interview, the guitarist claimed he was “sabotaged musically so they’d have an excuse to get rid of me”

Bob Rock clarifies comments about Nikki Sixx’s recordings: “At no time did I ever actually think Nikki didn’t play bass on Mötley Crüe’s records”

By Matt Parker published 30 May 23

The producer says Sixx was being “self-deprecating” at the time he made the reported comments to Rock

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