Steve Vai on the time Eddie Van Halen played him never-before-released material
Vai has also had his say on Steve Lukather's involvement in the much-anticipated new Van Halen record, which will revive old material
Latest News
Steve Vai on the time Eddie Van Halen played him never-before-released material
Vai has also had his say on Steve Lukather's involvement in the much-anticipated new Van Halen record, which will revive old material
A Fender Masterbuilder, who’s made guitars for Mk.gee and Buddy Guy, has started their own guitar company
Levi Perry is the latest Fender Custom Shop alumni to set up his own brand
3 Comments
Eastwood launches Angine de Poitrine-inspired double-neck
The Microtonal Doubleneck 4/6 has already raised more than 233% of its target fund after it was launched as a Guitstarter campaign
The celebrity guitar auction where guitars did not sell for what they should have
Big money changed hands during the 2021 Neal Schon mega-auction but some collectors – Joe Bonamassa included – believed it was “brutal”, and he should have got a lot more
4 Comments
The modern guitars that have held their value best, according to a Reverb expert
Reverb’s data guru crunches the numbers for us, and the stats say a famous player’s name on the headstock bodes well for resale value
How Jeff “Skunk” Baxter took his session guitar experience and inspired a game-changing digital guitar
Skunk was involved in designing Roland and Fender's innovative G-5 – an all-in-one guitar offering a plethora of built-in tones and models
3 Comments
All the new guitar gear that caught my eye this week – featuring EVH shredders and some $99 big fun from JHS Pedals
It was the week when Blackstar upped the ante for mini amps, the TONEX One got a power-up, Dino Cazares got a Kiesel, and Alex Lifeson's chorus went to market
Artists
“I’ve never concerned myself with the Big Four”: Gary Holt and Lee Altus on why Exodus will never be a legacy thrash act
The Bay Area thrash stalwarts return with the face-ripping Goliath, an album that finds them with nothing to prove but Holt's still out for blood anyway
Linda Perry on the enduring success of 4 Non Blondes’ What’s Up?, and the Goldtop she wouldn't sell to Slash
The veteran hitmaker recalls attending guitar class without owning an instrument, and reveals why she decided to re-record the smash she wrote for Christina Aguilera
The difficult birth of The Sisters of Mercy’s trailblazing goth classic
Billy Corgan loved First and Last and Always so much he invited guitarist Wayne Hussey to his home to jam it. Over 40 years on, Hussey and Gary Marx look back on its dark majesty
“Jaco said, ‘If you ever need a sub, call me!” When Chicago’s Peter Cetera met Jaco Pastorius
Peter Cetera tells the story of how he met Jaco – and got to know bass legends Willie Weeks, Carol Kaye and Duck Dunn
How Mike Dirnt honed his signature bass tone for Green Day’s Revolution Radio – and why it all starts with the wrist
Working with Fender, Dirnt built a bass rig that allowed him to ditch distortion pedals and harness his distinctive sound
Jackson Dean on playing in Nashville alongside some of the best
The viral star turned country hero discusses finding space as a picker surrounded by guys like Tom Bukovac, John Osborne, and the sideman who’s been with him since the beginning, Brandon Aksteter
![Tortoise: [from left] John McEntire, Dan Bitney, Jeff Parker, Douglas McCombs and John Hernon.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2YUmuCLFdmw3kARNUmCCBN-840-80.jpg.webp)
Douglas McCombs on the long-awaited return of post-rock trailblazers Tortoise
We had to wait nigh-on a decade for new album Touch but it demonstrates that Douglas McCombs and his six-string lieutenant, Jeff Parker, have not lost theirs, nor for their taste in retro-audio engineering techniques
Gear
Kemper Profiler Head MK2 review
A product that changed the game upon its initial release gets a long-awaited update. But can it keep up with the increased competition?
Best parlor guitars 2026: sofa-friendly acoustics for every budget
The grandfather of acoustic guitars – our top parlor guitar picks from Gibson, Martin, Yamaha, and more
Best guitar cleaning kits and tools 2026: Keep your guitar looking and sounding sweet
Keep your instrument in its prime with my pick of the best cleaning kits and maintenance tools
“As it was going up in the air, I thought, ‘Wow, that looks so cool.’ On the way down, I was thinking, ‘What did I do?!’ Joe Perry on his customized ‘50s Gibson Les Paul Junior that refused to die
The Aerosmith guitarist on the iconic Junior with the custom mother-of-pearl inlay, his desert island guitar – and why he reads Guitar World every month
"Just the thing to fight back against the rise of amp modeling": Two Notes Torpedo Captor X Plus review
Two Notes' uber-popular tube amp companion just got even more powerful thanks to a swathe of additional features
Up close and personal with a '63 Strat and '70s Höfner Violin Bass with Oasis and Ocean Colour Scene connections
This 1963 Fender Stratocaster and 70s Höfner 500/1 violin bass guitar recently went under the hammer – and, as it turns out, these were Britrock unicorns for collectors
“Holy smokes, it’s absolutely stunning in person”: Fender 75th Anniversary American Ultra II Telecaster
The Telecaster has a big birthday this year, commemorated by this golden wonder
Lessons
The simple trick that adds sparkle to your songs: Nashville Tuning explained
David Gilmour, Keith Richards & Taylor Swift all do this…
Spiritbox's Mike Stringer shows you how syncopated bends can add extra spice to your metal playing
Your 21st-century metal workshop is in session, as Stringer shows you how to play Spiritbox's Holy Roller
Dare you join us at the crossroads? Welcome to the acoustic blues masterclass
Inspired by Big Bill Broonzy, Lightnin' Hopkins and the O.G. blues great Robert Johnson, this lesson just requires an acoustic guitar. Heartbreak optional
5 easy open-position alternate chord voicings that will give you extra jangle
James Honeyman-Scott of The Pretenders was a master at creating interesting parts from simple alternate chords. We look at five you can use in your playing
How to introduce hybrid picking into your lead playing
In his inaugural Guitar World column, the great Corey Congilio demonstrates how all players can benefit from a technique borrowed from country players
How to stop burning out before you stop the music
We all know it’s tough to survive in this industry. But do we all know what to do about it? Here are some ways to look after yourself better, suggested by welfare experts
Charlie Starr on the magic of the B-Bender – and 5 bender-inspired licks you can play on any electric
The Blackberry Smoke guitarist gives us a lesson in how to sound like you've got a B-Bender, even if you don't
Reviews
Kemper Profiler Head MK2 review
A product that changed the game upon its initial release gets a long-awaited update. But can it keep up with the increased competition?
"Just the thing to fight back against the rise of amp modeling": Two Notes Torpedo Captor X Plus review
Two Notes' uber-popular tube amp companion just got even more powerful thanks to a swathe of additional features
“Holy smokes, it’s absolutely stunning in person”: Fender 75th Anniversary American Ultra II Telecaster
The Telecaster has a big birthday this year, commemorated by this golden wonder
“Of all the mini practice amps I’ve tried, this is easily my favorite”: Blackstar Beam Mini review
The world of mini practice amps just got serious, with Blackstar's new Beam Mini boasting impressive tones in compact form with some surprising twists
"Who thought we’d look to the kings of gritty bass for silky neo-soul tones?" Neural DSP Darkglass Ultimate review
Neural revisits its origins with an expanded suite of Darkglass emulations that have the power to become your go-to bass plugin
“It does those Spaghetti Western sounds just as well as it does the crushingly heavy stuff”: Sterling by Music Man StingRay Baritone review
The iconic StringRay shape makes its debut in the new world of baritone guitar with some seriously impressive results
“This is the one processor that brings me significantly closer to joining the virtual amp modeling dark side”: Nux MG-50Li review
It’s glaringly apparent that the new comparitvely affordable multi-effects and amp modeler pedal is a significant leap forward for Nux
“The new vibrato only adds to the appeal – it’s easy to see how this guitar could do the business equally well for metal, jazz-fusion or function gigs”: Strandberg Boden Standard N2.6T review
A new vibrato design, on a guitar we loved already – will we be tickled pink?
"The AI-assisted future of guitar effects pedals? In its current form, not quite. But its ambition is massive": Polyend Endless review
NAMM 2026's Best in Show winner promises to provide an immersive insight into the future of guitar effects pedals – but is the potential of this stompbox well and truly endless?
Buying Guides
Best parlor guitars 2026: sofa-friendly acoustics for every budget
The grandfather of acoustic guitars – our top parlor guitar picks from Gibson, Martin, Yamaha, and more
Best guitar cleaning kits and tools 2026: Keep your guitar looking and sounding sweet
Keep your instrument in its prime with my pick of the best cleaning kits and maintenance tools
Best ukuleles 2026: Acoustic and electric ukes for all budgets and playing styles
Get started or find your next upgrade with our pick of the best ukes from Mahalo, Martin and Cordoba, plus a cool Fender Jazzmaster ukulele
Best overdrive pedals 2026: from mid-hump to transparent tone
My pick of the top-rated overdrive pedals will get your gain tones on point
Best multi-effects pedals 2026: replace your entire rig with our top-rated multi-FX units
From the high-end Neural DSP Quad Cortex to the budget NUX MG-300, we’ve tested 17 multi-effects pedals to help you replace your rig with a single unit
Best Telecasters 2026: top Teles for all tastes
Whether it’s your first Telecaster or you’ve walked in the boots of guitar-playing royalty, our top Telecasters will help you get your twang on
Best blues guitars 2026: these six-strings are ideal for all types of electric blues covering various price points
Wondering what the best blues guitars are at the moment? Here we have 10 of the finest options from Gibson, Fender, Guild and more
