Yasmin Williams on how Guitar Hero shaped her lap-tapping technique By Janelle Borg published 9 October 24 The fingerstyle virtuoso reveals how the video game inspired her to flip her acoustic onto her lap and fingertap
Joe Bonamassa's 1958 “Amos” Flying V was owned by Norm Harris and featured in Spinal Tap – now it's been recreated by Gibson's Murphy Lab By Jackson Maxwell published 8 October 24 A year and a half in the making, the Collector's Edition “Amos” is limited to just 50 examples, and replicates in molecular detail all of the storied original guitar's quirks
PRS gives its SE range a huge overhaul, introduces the long-awaited lefty John Mayer Silver Sky By Matt Owen published 8 October 24 PRS has rolled out some wholesale changes to its family of Indonesian-made electric and acoustic guitars, and finally brings Mayer's best-selling SE Silver Sky to southpaw players
Mark Hoppus explains why he switched to Kemper and Quad Cortex for blink-182’s mammoth arena shows By Michael Astley-Brown published 8 October 24 The blink-182 bassist conducted tone tests to make sure the modelers could match his previous tube rigs
Amazon who? Sales at Guitar Center, Fender, Positive Grid and Sweetwater are kicking Prime Day to the curb By Chris Barnes published 8 October 24 These US music stores are leaving Amazon's Big Deal Days sale in the dust as far as guitar players are concerned
Steve Morse pays tribute to the late Jeff Beck with a rendition of Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers By Phil Weller published 8 October 24 Morse follows the likes of Gary Clark Jr., Eric Clapton, John McLaughlin and Joe Bonamassa to perform one of Beck’s most well-known recordings in honor of the late guitar great
“He said very politely, ‘Can I get up on stage with you and use your guitar?’ It was very overwhelming to play with a Beatle”: That time Ritchie Blackmore and George Harrison jammed Little Richard at a Deep Purple concert By Matt Owen published 8 October 24 Harrison had decided to check out Deep Purple while in Australia in 1984, and ended up sharing the stage with Blackmore for an eight-minute jam of Lucille
With $200 slashed off the Fender Tone Master Pro, I'm considering ditching the amps and finally going digital By Daryl Robertson published 8 October 24 Unlock a wealth of tones for a lot less with a sizable discount on one of our favorite multi-effects units
Blues veteran Sue Foley on why turnarounds are essential to any great blues solo By Janelle Borg published 8 October 24 Foley names T-Bone Walker, Freddie King and Eddie Taylor as turnaround masters and demonstrates a number of key approaches that blues guitarists should add to their toolkit
How Rick Rubin shaped the sound of Slayer’s first album by ignoring heavy metal norms By Matt Owen published 8 October 24 The 1986 record was the first metal album Rubin produced – and he singled out one of the genre's biggest names when highlighting what he thought shouldn't be done in the studio
Brian May is back on stage following a recent minor stroke By Janelle Borg published 8 October 24 May attended the Red Special Convention in the UK, and treated attendees to a special performance on his trusty guitar
David Gilmour saves Comfortably Numb performance after his Jimi Hendrix guitar strap snaps mid-song By Phil Weller published 7 October 24 Even the greatest guitarists can be blighted with on-stage mishaps – but Gilmour managed to recover in time for song's iconic solo
Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker recount the wild story of Cream, rock's pioneering power trio By John McDermott published 7 October 24 Cream changed rock forever, but within less than three years, internal and external tensions pulled them apart. This is their story, as told from within
Super-producer Raphael Saadiq on why it's challenging to be the lead singer and play bass simultaneously By Janelle Borg published 7 October 24 Saadiq reveals that while he played on Tony! Toni! Toné! records, he felt like he could never sing while playing bass live due to rhythmic differences
Fully functioning aquarium electric guitar becomes reality after luthier brings absurd AI design to life By Phil Weller published 7 October 24 YouTuber Burls Art is at it again, and this time the madcap luthier has brought a meme-worthy fish tank axe to life
How JHS founder Josh Scott built one of the world’s leading pedal firms by recommending his rivals By Matt Parker published 7 October 24 The JHS founder has become the internet’s go-to pedal guru. He tells GW about his pre-pedal days as a pawn-shop gear flipper, the Bad Monkey bubble – and the key to finding genuinely new guitar sounds
“The perfect online guitar lessons platform if you’ve already got some playing under your belt”: Til review By Matt McCracken published 7 October 24 We check out the guitar lessons platform that does things the old way for the new generation
Paul Davids' new signature ambient pedal is inspired by a nuclear power plant By Phil Weller published 7 October 24 Austria’s inactive Zwentendorf nuclear plant plays host to what might be the world’s most awe-inspiring natural reverb, and now its essence has been bottled for Cornerstone’s first signature pedal
Carmen Vandenberg and Rosie Bones explain the joy and challenge of playing with the late, great Jeff Beck By Jonathan Horsley published 7 October 24 In 2019, Jeff Beck broke with tradition and looked for a vocal record to complement his peerless playing, and he looked to Bones UK for collaborators. Here, Vandenberg and Bones look back on a life-changing collab
Super-producer Andrew Watt reveals his secret to convincing music legends to collaborate By Janelle Borg published 7 October 24 From recruiting Paul McCartney and Elton John to play on the latest Rolling Stones album, to scoring a global hit with Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, Watt has quickly established himself as an artist matchmaker
