ZZ Top

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Troy Van Leeuwen and Billy Gibbons

“Billy Gibbons brought some off-brand amp simulator to the studio. We heard him playing through this thing and it was like, ‘Wow! It sounds like f**kin’ Billy Gibbons!’” Troy Van Leeuwen might have just proven beyond doubt that tone truly is in the hands

By Matt Owen published

The Queens of the Stone Age guitarist recalls a studio visit from the ZZ Top icon, and in doing so provides yet more evidence in favor of the ‘tone is in the hands’ argument

Dusty Hill Wayne Charvel Eliminator Hot Rod car bass

“When they shot smoke, the crowd went wild!”: Dusty Hill’s Hot Rod car bass, custom built by Wayne Charvel for ZZ Top’s Eliminator tour, hides a few secrets beneath the hood – now it’s up for auction

By Matt Parker published

Check out the automobile-inspired build that powered some of the band’s most iconic appearances in the early-’80s

(from left) Dusty Hill, Frank Beard and Billy Gibbons in the music video for ZZ Top's Legs

"We were still gluing the fur on the tuning keys when the FedEx driver showed up to pick up the guitars": the iconic fur-covered spinning bass from ZZ Top's Legs video is going up for auction

By Jackson Maxwell published

Made by Dean Zelinsky, the bass is the crown jewel of a forthcoming auction of the late Dusty Hill's instrument and memorabilia collection

Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top performs at Thunder Valley Casino Resort on June 04, 2022 in Lincoln, California.

Billy Gibbons gets his pedals on Amazon – and his favorite brand starts at $15

By Jenna Scaramanga published

Larkin Poe’s Rebecca Lovell has revealed that, despite his boutique guitar and amp choices, the ZZ Top icon is obsessed with cheap mini pedals

John Mayer, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and Joe Bonamassa

Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Joe Bonamassa, Buddy Guy, Santana, ZZ Top… Crossroads 2023 might offer the greatest lineup of guitar talent ever assembled

By Matt Parker published

From H.E.R. to John McLaughlin and Marcus King to Stephen Stills and Gary Clark Jr, the LA event takes place this September and features an eclectic, once–in-a-lifetime lineup

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

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

[L-R] Elwood Francis and Jared Dines

The 17-string bass Elwood Francis played during a ZZ Top show was a cheap Chinese knockoff of Jared Dines' 18-string Ormsby

By Sam Roche published

Dines called out the “ripoff” guitar on Instagram, to which Francis responded: “The joke’s on me ‘cause I have to play that bootleg POS!”

Elwood Francis (left) and Billy Gibbons perform onstage in Huntsville, Alabama on November 5, 2022

Watch ZZ Top's Elwood Francis use a 17-string bass guitar onstage for Got Me Under Pressure

By Jackson Maxwell published

The monstrous instrument has a Fender logo on its headstock, though for some reason we can't seem to recall seeing it in the company's product lineup...

Billy Gibbons

Red-hot blues guitar lessons you can learn from ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons

By Guitar Techniques published

Laid back, never rushed, always on point with rhythm and feel, let's go deep into the slinky style of Billy Gibbons, a player who helped define Texas blues and '80s rock

Jeff Beck 2022 US Tour dates

Jeff Beck announces mammoth list of US tour dates, including a string of shows with Ann Wilson and ZZ Top

By Matt Parker published

The shows follow the release of Beck’s collaborative album with Johnny Depp, 18, and kick off in Texas on September 23

J. Rockett El Hombre pedal

J. Rockett Audio Designs El Hombre review

By Trevor Curwen last updated

J. Rockett’s tribute to Billy Gibbons is an overdrive offering amp-like feel in a compact box – for that Texan sound and more

(from left) Frank Beard, Dusty Hill and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top perform at the 2019 Bourbon & Beyond Music Festival at Highland Ground on September 22, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky

ZZ Top announce new live album, Raw

By Jackson Maxwell published

The album captures the Texas trio's bare-bones, 11-song 2019 set at Gruene Hall, “the oldest continually run dance hall in Texas”

Billy Gibbons

Billy Gibbons gives Jingle Bells a blues makeover in his cover of the Christmas classic

By Sam Roche published

Jingle Bell Blues sees the bearded ZZ Top legend serve up some fiery fretboard antics in the hopes of earning a place on wreath-bedecked jukeboxes worldwide

Dusty Hill

Dusty Hill 1949-2021: paying tribute to the bearded boss of bass guitar

By Jamie Blaine published

When the ZZ Top bassist left us on July 27, he left a legacy like few others. We look back at the career of a true bass original

Billy Gibbons

Billy F. Gibbons: “We let off steam by letting it rock... Hardware is a raging rocker but always mindful of the desert’s implicit mystery”

By Alan Paul published

Why the ZZ Top legend headed to the California High Desert to seek rock ’n’ roll inspiration

Billy Gibbons

Billy Gibbons: “I was fearless when I started playing, but learning that agonizing F chord was miserable!”

By Grant Moon last updated

With new solo album Hardware in record stores, the ZZ Top icon sits down with TG to share some hard-earned wisdom

Dusty Hill and Billy Gibbons

Dusty Hill recorded bass and vocal parts for a new ZZ Top album, Billy Gibbons reveals

By Matt Owen published

The late bass guitar great will feature on the yet-to-be-announced record, though his parts are still in need of some "completion work"

[L-R] Elwood Francis, Frank Beard and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top

Watch footage of ZZ Top's first shows since bassist Dusty Hill's death

By Sam Roche published

The band recruited longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis to handle bass duties – with Hill's full blessing, according to frontman Billy Gibbons

Dusty Hill

Dusty Hill, 1949-2021: the guitar world pays tribute

By Matt Owen published

Ozzy Osbourne, Flea, Joe Bonamassa, Zakk Wylde, Paul Stanley, Jason Isbell, David Coverdale and many more pay their respects to the legendary ZZ Top bass player

(left to right) Dusty Hill and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top perform during Super Bowl Live at Root Memorial Square Park in Houston, Texas, on February 4, 2017

Dusty Hill, ZZ Top bassist, dies at 72

By Jackson Maxwell last updated

The legendary bass player died in his sleep at his home in Houston, Texas, the band wrote on social media