Best electric guitars under $500 2024: epic electrics for smaller budgets By Amit Sharma last updated 19 September 24 These budget electric guitars offer fantastic tone and great playability, all within a more wallet-friendly price range
Ed Sheeran grows his gear brand with the Sheeran Busker – a portable PA for aspiring street performers By Matt Owen published 18 September 24 The singer-songwriter kick-started his career by busking on street corners, and now he's developed a purpose-built PA to help aspiring players follow in his footsteps
Michelle Malone on John Mayer's early days and how she ended up becoming his mentor By Janelle Borg published 18 September 24 The Southern rock and Americana veteran gave Mayer the chance to feature on her record and introduced him to her audience before he got his big break
Rainger FX has found a way to make distortion pedals fresh again – fade-in multi-FX By Janelle Borg published 18 September 24 The Pull Focus integrates a ramping chorus, reverb and noise gate for a unique multi-FX take on high-gain distortion
“As a compact amp modeler/cab simulator/Capture device, this is perhaps the best option out there, screen or no screen”: Neural DSP Nano Cortex review By Matt Owen published 18 September 24 The follow-up to the game-changing Quad Cortex is here at last, and with its ultra-powerful Nano Cortex, Neural DSP has set its sights on challenging IK Multimedia and Kemper to offer the ultimate all-in-one rig solution
Neural DSP takes the fight to TONEX and Kemper Profiler Player by unveiling the Nano Cortex – its vision of the ultimate compact all-in-one rig solution By Matt Owen published 18 September 24 The Quad Cortex's first sibling works as an amp modeler, effects processor and IR loader – and lets players model any amp, cab or drive pedal using Neural DSP's celebrated Capture tech
Keith Urban is working with PRS on a new Tele-style guitar – and he wants to break the company's rules By Matt Owen published 18 September 24 The country rock great's go-to guitar since 1989 has been a Fender Telecaster called Clarence, but John Mayer has inspired him to join the PRS ranks – and he's working on a T-type like no other
Seymour Duncan’s Rail Series reimagines its most popular pickups for high-gain setups By Janelle Borg published 17 September 24 The Rail Series promises enhanced versions of some of the brand's top pickups, with a sleek design and more “clarity, tightness and sustain” for 6- and 7-string guitars
Martin’s 'Life is Good' LX1 has been built to “spread good vibes” – and it might be the ultimate campfire acoustic By Matt Owen published 17 September 24 Martin has once again partnered with Life is Good for a special-edition six-string, which gives the gold-standard travel acoustic a fitting makeover
21 ways to get more from your acoustic guitar By Jenna Scaramanga published 17 September 24 Acoustic guitars are arguably simpler than electrics, but there’s still a wealth of details involved in playing like a pro…
Beetronics introduces the Tuna Fuzz – a vintage-style fuzz pedal in a tuna can By Janelle Borg published 17 September 24 The new pedal pays homage to company founder Filipe Pampuri's early days, when limited funds led him to repurpose tuna cans as pedal enclosures
Jack White’s new Fender Signature Collection pushes the boundaries of guitar and amp design – and brings his custom Telecaster to the masses By Matt Owen published 17 September 24 The White Stripes tonal trailblazer has unveiled an entire range of signature Fender products, headlined by the madly spec'd TripleCaster Tele
How shredding dentist Steve Dadaian landed his dream collaboration with Dream Theater’s Jordan Rudess By Michael Astley-Brown published 17 September 24 Steve Dadaian has loved Dream Theater since junior high. So when he had the opportunity to shred with the band’s keyboard wizard, he jumped at the chance to flex his chops
REO Speedwagon to stop touring due to “irreconcilable differences” By Janelle Borg published 17 September 24 The band members will be wrapping up their decades-long career with a string of North American tour dates, concluding on November 23 in Kentucky
Gibson has relaunched its Les Paul Studio – and given the gateway LP its best update yet By Matt Owen published 17 September 24 New finishes, updated electronics and Standard-inspired finishes head up the latest edition of Gibson's $1.6k no-frills workhorse Les Paul
The Smiths drummer Mike Joyce launches mural crowd funder for late bassist Andy Rourke By Phil Weller published 17 September 24 The campaign will finance a mural of the band's late bass player in Manchester, UK, with some of the proceeds also set to go to charity
Vince Gill, John Osborne and Brent Mason team up on all-star tribute to the Telecaster By Phil Weller published 16 September 24 Tele-Man brings together some of country music’s finest guitarists for a tribute to the genre's finest electric guitar
Orange explains why it's not joining the amp modeling race By Janelle Borg published 16 September 24 Charlie Cooper, son of founder Cliff Cooper, confirms that amps are very much Orange's future and that the brand is doubling down on what it does best
Sophie Lloyd announces her debut solo US show – and marks the occasion with a shred reimagining of Alice Cooper’s Poison By Phil Weller published 16 September 24 After selling out her debut solo show in London in just five minutes earlier this year, the superstar shredder is now set to perform at LA’s legendary Whisky A Go Go
Jane’s Addiction cancel remaining tour dates as Dave Navarro says “goodnight” to the group following onstage altercation with Perry Farrell By Michael Astley-Brown published 16 September 24 The future of the reunited alt-rock outfit remains uncertain as members of the band share their concerns over Farrell’s mental health
