The Who | Guitar World

Photo of James HETFIELD and METALLICA and Jason NEWSTEAD and Lars ULRICH and Kirk HAMMETT; L-R: Jason Newstead, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield performing live onstage.

The greatest rock concerts in music history

By Richard Bienstock last updated 11 January 23

From Metallica's Damaged Justice to Ozzy Osbourne's Diary of a Madman tour, Guitar World presents the most incredible concerts and roadshows in rock and metal history

Michael Anthony onstage next to an image of the Who album Live At Leeds

Michael Anthony: Why Live At Leeds is one of the best live albums of all time

By Nick Wells published 8 November 22

Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony pays tribute to John Entwistle and The Who's Live at Leeds

Tony Iommi, Jimmy Page and Pete Townshend took rock further, with big volume, big ideas, and ever more ambitious songwriting

The greatest guitar albums of the ‘70s: Getting the Led out with Sabbath, the Who, Pink Floyd and more

By Jenna Scaramanga published 19 August 22

Punk was a revolution, disco a global phenomenon, but the guitar music of the '70s was dominated by the giants of rock. Here are the decade's top 10 guitar albums, as chosen by you...

Watch and listen to John Entwistle's isolated bass on The Who's Won't Get Fooled Again

By Damian Fanelli last updated 29 June 22

The Who's John Entwistle died 20 years ago. Listen to this thunderous example of his talent…

Pete Townshend performs with The Who in Buffalo, New York on July 18, 1989

Pete Townshend: "I was at an art school where the course was dedicated to breaking the rules, and I just drafted that into my work as a guitar player"

By Alan di Perna published 19 May 22

In this candid 1994 GW interview, The Who's six-string creative mastermind discusses his time with Page and Hendrix, Marshall stacks, his aggressive playing style, and more

Pete Townshend says he was planning to quit The Who before Keith Moon died

By Matt Owen last updated 9 May 22

The revelation comes in a Guitar World-exclusive excerpt from Townshend’s Audible Original, Somebody Saved Me, which arrives today (May 6)

Pete Townshend (left) and John Entwistle

Pete Townshend says the death of John Entwistle forced him to become a better guitarist

By Matt Owen published 15 February 22

The loss of Entwistle's nontraditional bass sound saw Townshend branch into new sonic territory with The Who, and put greater emphasis on soloing and practicing

The Who announce 29-date The Who Hits Back North American tour

By Matt Owen published 7 February 22

The comprehensive tour will be divided into two legs, and see the iconic rock outfit visit Madison Square Garden, Hard Rock Live and the New Orleans Jazz Festival

10 essential Gibson SG albums

By Glenn Kimpton published 19 November 21

The solidbody double-cut with the instantly recognizable silhoeutte has graced some of the greatest recordings of all time

The Who bassist Jon Button talks stepping into the shoes of John Entwistle and Pino Palladino

By Bass Player Staff published 2 August 21

The touring bass player for the British rock legends – not to mention Sheryl Crow and Shakira – on the evolution of his playing and his onstage rig

The Who Amazing Journey documentary artwork

The Who’s definitive documentary, Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who, can now be streamed for the first time on The Coda Collection

By Matt Owen published 13 July 21

A Guitar World exclusive clip ushers in the news, and sees Townshend and Daltrey recall the early gigs that contributed to the band's famed gear-smashing reputation

Pete Townshend of The Who performs on the opening night of the bands North American 2017 tour headlining Day 8 of the 50th Festival D'ete De Quebec (Quebec City Summer Festival) on the Main Stage at the Plaines D' Abraham on July 13, 2017 in Quebec City, Canada

Pete Townshend says he "invented the guitar tech"

By Richard Bienstock published 7 May 21

The Who legend talks finding the person to not only change his strings, but tune the guitar as well

Aclam has introduced the Pete Townshend-inspired Windmiller

Aclam recreates Pete Townshend’s “clear fuzz dirge” tone with the Windmiller Preamp

By Richard Bienstock published 21 January 21

Achieve maximum R&B with new pedal based on the Who guitarist’s vintage Grampian 636 unit

Pete Townshend performing live onstage, smashing guitar against amplifier

Those guitars Pete Townshend smashed onstage with the Who? He glued them back together in order to smash them again

By Richard Bienstock published 15 October 20

“As long as the neck didn’t break you could glue the body back,” frontman Roger Daltrey explains

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of the Who perform live at the SSE Arena Wembley on February 13, 2016 in London

The Who and YouTube launch Join Together @ Home, featuring free archival live performances

By Richard Bienstock published 7 August 20

Series kicks off with historic 1982 New York City set

The greatest 12-string guitar songs of all time

By Josh Hart and Damian Fanelli last updated 13 January 21

31 of the greatest moments of 12-string shimmer in guitar's storied history

Pete Townshend would smash a guitar again - but only for charity

By Richard Bienstock published 11 November 19

"I haven't smashed guitars for a long time - for me, it was an expression of youth,” the Who legend says

Pete Townshend: get the guitar sound and style

By Alex Bruce last updated 28 October 22

How to nail The Who icon's tone and playing approach

Guitar's biggest names tell us what really happened at Woodstock

By Alan di Perna published 1 October 19

Carlos Santana, Stephen Stills, Pete Townshend and more recall the trials and tribulations behind their era-defining performances

Pete Townshend: today's players have “literally exhausted the possibilities of the guitar”

By Michael Astley-Brown last updated 24 December 19

The Who legend claims that rock isn’t dying, but guitar-based rock is