“His music was determinedly and insistently unconventional”: Steve Harley, Cockney Rebel singer and guitarist, dies at 73 By Jackson Maxwell published 17 March 24 Harley wrote and sang the glam-rock band's mid-'70s smash, Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)
“I’m now running a dual rig – it’s like hearing Queens of the Stone Age and Guy Ritchie movies mixed together!” Meet Kid Kapichi – the UK beat-punks busting out Chuck Berry moves and opening for Liam Gallagher By Amit Sharma published 17 March 24 Ben Beetham is a pedalboard thrill-seeker whose tones make Kid Kapichi one of the most vital bands on the UK rock scene
“Noel spat on his T-shirt, rubbed off the signature and said, ‘I’ll take it anyway!’”: Noel Gallagher once bought one of Peter Green’s Les Pauls – but erased Green’s signature to get back at the store owner who sold it to him By Matt Owen published 16 March 24 Bill Ryder-Jones, the guitar's current custodian, revealed how the Oasis man came into possession of the storied Les Paul, and stripped it of its notable scrawl
“For the electric player who fancies some nylon sound, with a pick, it’s a simple drive and very fit for purpose”: Godin G-Tour review By Dave Burrluck published 15 March 24 As Canada’s foremost manufacturer of steel- and nylon-string acoustics and electros, not to mention an increasingly broad line of electrics, Godin has combined its past into the G-Tour
Guitar World deals of the week: get Amplitube for just $49.99, a $120 discount on a D'Angelico, plus all the week's best guitar gear deals By Matt McCracken published 15 March 24 Get the low down on the biggest savings and best deals from all the major music retailers
“Furthering Fortnite’s commitment to working with forward-thinking music brands”: Fender teams up with Fornite to bring its Stratocaster and Precision Bass to the digital realm By Phil Weller published 15 March 24 Fender’s collaboration with one of the world’s biggest video games brings the two timeless models to Fortnite’s 221 million players
Best free online guitar lessons 2024: Where learning guitar costs nothing By Simon Fellows published 15 March 24 Many of the finest online guitar tuition sites, apps and channels are yours for free. The only investments you need to make are time and effort!
“Advanced playability for the seasoned professional and the aspiring performer”: Charvel launches its latest Pro-Mod model – rolling out relic’d finishes to its standard range for the first time By Phil Weller published 15 March 24 Giving a worn-in look and feel to its flagship model, the firm looks to marry old and new with a guitar that is said to blend “sophisticated style with assertive tone for maximum playing enjoyment”
Kings of Leon are one of the biggest rock bands on the planet – learn the twin-guitar style that took them from club stalwarts to stadium royalty By Martin Cooper published 15 March 24 The Followill brothers went from Nashville to global stardom via the UK pub circuit on the back of a sound referencing classic, garage and southern rock, and here we give it the tab and audio treatment
“If the mini-humbucker had remained exclusive to Epiphone, it may have been a mere footnote. It developed a following because they ended up in Gibson guitars”: The mini-humbucker’s surprising history – and why it deserves more love By Huw Price published 15 March 24 Often passed over in conversations about the greatest electric guitar pickups, the mini-humbucker has a unique tone of its own, its story inextricably linked to Epiphone and Gibson
“What he did with it, it just brings you to tears”: Jeff Beck’s last-ever recording has been released – as Mark Knopfler’s sensational star-studded charity single finally arrives By Matt Owen published 15 March 24 More than 50 of the world’s finest guitar heroes have joined forces for the track, which has been recorded to raise funds for teenage cancer charities
Best guitar audio interfaces 2024: our top picks for every budget By Chris Schwarten last updated 15 March 24 These are the best audio interfaces for taking your guitar recordings to the next level, regardless of your budget or experience
Best practice amps 2024: 10 great picks for honing your guitar and bass chops at home By Chris Corfield last updated 15 March 24 These are the best practice amps for enabling you to keep the noise down when getting in some essential practice time with your electric guitar or bass
“Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Ry Cooder, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Healey and Buddy Guy... I naturally gravitated towards a Strat because my main influences were all playing them”: Philip Sayce on why the best studio magic is live By David Mead published 15 March 24 Returning with new solo LP The Wolves Are Coming, the blues ace discusses big studio energy during downtime for the world, his enduring guitar heroes, and his exacting standards for the Strat
“I was young, I had never been in the studio, and I had no idea what to expect…I took a lot of inspiration from Tom Scholz’s ’board”: Grand Funk Railroad’s new guitarist Mark Chatfield goes way back with the band By Andrew Daly published 15 March 24 His recently resurrected school band The Godz was produced by Don Brewer, before Chatfield fell in and out with Bob Seger, rejected then embraced Mesa/Boogie, and finally became Brewer’s bandmate in Grand Funk, replacing Bruce Kulick
“We’ve arrived at something that’s really special”: Gibson launches Jimmy Page’s ultra-exclusive Collector’s Edition 1969 EDS-1275 double-neck signature guitar – a meticulous, $50,000 recreation of an enduring rock ’n’ roll symbol By Matt Owen published 14 March 24 Only 50 units exclusive to the Gibson Garage will be made, and each come played and hand-signed by the Led Zeppelin legend himself
“I was scared to death. Miles didn’t say a word to me. Afterwards, I asked what he thought of my playing. He said, simply, ‘It was cool’”: T.M. Stevens on playing with Miles Davis and James Brown – and what went wrong on Vai’s Sex & Religion project By Chris Jisi published 14 March 24 Vai hired the “flashy bassist with the long hair” after spotting him in a Joe Cocker video
“The sound of other guitars is leading the player. With the Stratocaster, the player leads the sound”: Tom Morello explains why the Fender Strat is unlike any other electric guitar By Matt Owen published 14 March 24 The Strat served as Morello's “North Star” and helped him break out of his “sonic safety zone” – and that's because it grants a level of agency that other models simply don't provide
“This slant on the Bluesbreaker offers real flexibility at a manageable price point”: Electro-Harmonix Spruce Goose review By Trevor Curwen published 14 March 24 We have a gander as Electro-Harmonix debuts its enhanced take on Marshall’s Bluesbreaker overdrive sounds
“We lived on a train for 15 days and played 65 shows. The boxcar was a stage, and we would pull into towns that don’t get live music very often”: How Tenille Townes is taking her country sound to the people By Glenn Kimpton published 14 March 24 The Canadian country star's latest EP is a journey in every sense, written on the road as she toured the country, playing boxcar gigs and raising money for a good cause