Joe Bonamassa names the biggest guitar geek he’s ever met By Matt Parker published 16 May 23 The blues rock guitar god and notorious gear head has been discussing the man he considers the guitar community’s “craziest anorak”
DiMarzio partners with Periphery’s Jake Bowen for Mirage signature pickups – a “super-saturated” set that has been tailored to his picking technique By Matt Owen published 16 May 23 The pickups were previously found in Bowen's Ibanez JBM9999 signature guitar, and are said to be the next step in his quest to “push his progressive metal sound forward”
Fender debuts limited-edition British Racing Green finish – but you’ll need to be quick off the line to bag one By Matt Parker published 16 May 23 The firm has launched a European-exclusive Fender Special Run batch – including a Player Series HSS Strat, Tele and P-Bass, alongside a Blues Junior IV amp
Joe Bonamassa unpacks the influence behind his super-premium guitar tone – “It’s the two Erics, Clapton and Johnson” By Jonathan Horsley published 15 May 23 Not too bright, throaty and musical – that's just how Bonamassa likes his tone, and he says a Dumble and a 'Burst are “not a prerequisite” for creating the sound in his head
Reverse tapping virtuoso Luís Kalil channels Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads in one of 2023's most explosive guitar tracks By Matt Owen published 15 May 23 The bar for guitar greatness this year has been set remarkably high, but Red Devil Vortex's latest single, More Luck Than Brains, is most certainly up there
Blues Music Awards 2023: Buddy Guy, Tedeschi Trucks Band, and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram win big as John Primer is inducted into the Hall of Fame By Jonathan Horsley published 15 May 23 The 44th Annual Blues Music Awards also saw Tommy Castro crowned Entertainer of the Year, with Sue Foley and Ruthie Foster picking up awards as well
PRS once made a prototype thinline model for Eric Johnson – and it’s one of the strangest 'what if?' guitar designs you’ll see By Matt Owen published 15 May 23 The quirky guitar was on display at the recent Dallas International Guitar Festival, alongside a particularly intriguing Fender signature model
Gene Simmons: “Eddie Van Halen talked about being a fan of Eric Clapton. I’m sorry, I don’t see that. What he did was closer to classical music” By Matt Parker published 15 May 23 The Kiss frontman has been fretting over the guitar hero’s legacy, sharing concerns that “millennials need to know about the most important musician since Jimi Hendrix”
Mötley Crüe have finished their first studio album with John 5 – and promise it’s “heavier than anything” By Jonathan Horsley published 15 May 23 Nikki Sixx confirms the record is in the can and ready for mixing, while John 5 says we should expect something "heavy and aggressive”
Is this the return of Stella? The first US-made Harmony acoustic guitars for 50 years could be on the way... By Matt Parker published 15 May 23 The brand beloved by Jimmy Page, Dan Auerbach and The Rolling Stones looks set to make a return to its acoustic roots
Nita Strauss announces The Call of the Void – a star-studded new solo album featuring Lzzy Hale, Marty Friedman and Alice Cooper By Matt Owen published 15 May 23 Listen to new single The Golden Trail, which sees Strauss team up with In Flames vocalist Anders Fridén for a full-throttle riff clinic
Andy Timmons and Robert Keeley join forces once more on the Super AT Mod Overdrive – the “ultimate expression” of the virtuoso’s broken-up clean tone By Matt Parker published 12 May 23 Following hot on the heels of the much-lauded Halo comes a clean to mid-gain drive pedal
Eric Clapton releases Jeff Beck collaboration Moon River – an emotional new single showcasing Beck’s masterful guitar work By Matt Owen published 12 May 23 Recorded in January 2022, Moon River is one of the last studio recordings Beck committed to tape, and puts the late guitar legend's six-string excellence on display
Here’s what Mick Mars texted John 5 after he joined Mötley Crüe By Matt Owen published 12 May 23 The Rob Zombie virtuoso was recruited late last year to replace Mars, who reached out to him after his appointment was made official
Ed Sheeran says this is why he never learned to shred By Matt Parker published 12 May 23 The chart-smashing singer-songwriter has been discussing Eric Clapton and guitar playing with Howard Stern, but says he “made a choice when he was younger”
How Jeff Beck sparked Fender’s first Graffiti Yellow finish – and the Strat Plus design that helped revive its ’90s fortunes By Matt Parker published 12 May 23 One of the Fender Custom Shop’s first ever builds, owned and played by Beck, is up for auction. With it comes a tale of the guitar legend’s influential role in the firm’s ’90s output
Tim Henson reveals how his rejection from Berklee inspired Polyphia: “I didn't have a back-up plan” By Matt Owen published 12 May 23 After adopting a “f**k college” mantra, the Polyphia virtuoso went on to become one of today's most influential guitar players
This week's essential guitar tracks: alt-rock heroes return and a virtual metal band team up with a thrash legend By Michael Astley-Brown, Jackson Maxwell, Matt Owen, Matt Parker published 12 May 23 Unmissable new cuts from Queens of the Stone Age, Nili Brosh, Alex Skolnick, Black Stone Cherry, Tash Sultana, Asking Alexandria and… Dolly Parton?!
The worlds of reverb and tremolo come crashing together in Catalinbread's new Tremol8 pedal By Jackson Maxwell published 11 May 23 The Portland, Oregon firm's answer to the Strymon Flint and Fender Tre-Verb was inspired by the Fender Showman, but also features a wide variety of other tremolo/'verb effects, with plenty of tweakability, to boot
Ed Sheeran makes Lowden signature guitars available in the US through Amazon By Daryl Robertson last updated 11 May 23 Sheeran by Lowden Guitars is now available on Amazon with a full complement of models on offer
