Fender’s overhauled American Professional line has officially dropped – Guitar World editors react
It’s the biggest launch of the year for the Big F – and it’s not just a new lick of paint
Latest News
What happened when Tony Iommi played guitar without his prosthetic fingertips
Iommi has spent his life battling the challenges of playing with prosthetic fingertips
Yngwie Malmsteen on turning down David Lee Roth’s band
Malmsteen was on a shortlist that included Steve Stevens and Steve Vai but turned the offer down
Randy Rhoads, Marty Friedman and Scott Ian honored in Jackson’s new Legend Series – celebrating some of the most iconic guitars in the brand's history
Jackson has paid tribute to four firm-defining players with recreations of their most notable axes
Gibson has rolled out its game-changing Baggs acoustic pickup system on four new guitars
Gibson and Baggs might have revolutionized acoustic guitar pickup solutions with the HiFi DNA system
Tetrarch's Diamond Rowe delivers a searing performance of a Metallica classic at an NFL game
Rowe paid homage to the heavy metal greats at the Atlanta Falcons vs. Baltimore Ravens game this past Sunday
“Ozzy said, ‘It’s not an option. It’s what I want. If I miss a few months of my life, I want to go this way’”: Ozzy Osbourne went against medical advice to play his final show
A team of doctors warned Ozzy against performing, but the singer wasn’t interested
JHS Pedals crams the Morning Glory and Notaklön into one unit – and you don’t have to build it yourself
The Wanderer puts the two hugely popular overdrives under one roof with some nifty features to boot
Artists
Bruce Watson on what made Big Country different, and what people get wrong about their late frontman
Big Country were inescapable in the ’80s. Twenty-five years since Stuart Adamson’s tragic passing, we speak to guitarist Bruce Watson about keeping the band’s flag flying
Recently retired after a remarkable career with Judas Priest, Ian Hill reflects on what makes heavy metal tick
Ian Hill earned his stripes across five decades with Judas Priest, the legendary group that helped define the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in the late ’70s
![Left to Die's Rick Rozz [left] and Matt Harvey tear it up onstage.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/abnwM4yi7Nf49TF5VCDtp3-840-80.jpg.webp)
How Left to Die revived death metal icon Chuck Schuldiner’s teenage recordings
Death’s long lost cult demos live again on Initium Mortis. Rick Rozz and Matt Harvey tell GW about the sound of “kids going as sick as they can”
The time Kenny Wayne Shepherd played Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock Stratocaster
From the Archive Shepherd first took to the stage with Hendrix’s beloved Izabella Strat in 2010
The Go-Go's Jane Wiedlin reflects on life as a boundary breaking punk guitar hero
The SG-wielding Wiedlin takes a look back through the triumphant history of the LA punk pioneers and the challenges she faced along the way
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Anthrax’s Jonathan Donais on what it’s like to shred for one of the Big Four
Anthrax’s lead specialist since 2013 talks about his role within the group and having to channel his inner Angus Young
Keanu Reeves and Bret Domrose on pushing air with Dogstar
When Keanu Reeves demanded that Dogstar rock harder, the result was their punchiest album yet. Reeves and Bret Domrose break down how they did it
Gear
"It sounds the business”: Mad Professor Super Black Mini review
Fender fans rejoice – Mad Professor's Super Black is now available in mini form
Best headphone amps for guitar 2026: silent practice solutions
You don’t need to sacrifice tone to practice quietly with my expert pick of the best headphone amps for guitar players
Best bass amps for practice 2026: tried and tested desktop and combo amps for home use
Get the most out of your playing at home with one of these great bass practice amps
“Can this $999 seven-string guitar strike fear in its opposition?”: Cort KX507MS Pale Moon review
The South Korean firm looks to go one better than the metal guitar firms making guitars in its famed Indonesian factory
Best guitars for kids 2026: top electric and acoustic guitars for children
The top kid’s guitars available today and everything you need to know to get your child started with the guitar
Best beginner guitar amps 2026: my top picks from over a decade working in music retail
After nearly 10 years working in a busy high-street music store, I’ve seen which beginner amps truly deliver, offering the best value, most useful features, and long-lasting popularity from brands like Blackstar, Fender, Positive Grid, and more
Best practice amps 2026: combos and mini amps tested by experts
I've tested dozens of the best guitar practice amps to find the ultimate home practice rig, from mini tube combos to digital modeling amps
Lessons
Eric Gales shows you 7 ways to get across the fretboard that unlock his secret to improv
The blues-rock maestro explains how position shifts can shape melodic ideas in his latest lesson column
I’ve been using a violin bow on my guitars for years. Here’s how to make it sound more “ethereal” and less “screeching cat”
Jimmy Page, Adrian Belew, Lee Ranaldo and Sigur Rós popularized the use of the violin bow on guitar, but there’s a knack to making it sound good
Don’t be intimidated by acoustic bluegrass – this lesson is the perfect primer (just watch out for the F6/9!)
Bluegrass folk blues can take many forms, incorporating influences from both sides of the Atlantic, but it all comes down to two hands and the acoustic guitar
How to make your guitar look and sound more vintage – for very little money
Era-specific parts, upgrades and mods can make all the difference
Alex Skolnick shares his legato secrets – and how Holdsworth made the technique his own
Returning as a GW columnist after a 30-year gap, Alex Skolnick is wasting no time with a lesson that'll expand your scalar vocab and work on your legato
Charlie Starr on why choosing the right guitar for the song makes all the difference
The Blackberry Smoke frontman on how sometimes it’s the guitar's tone that’ll unlock the secret to the song
“The most common mistake is thinking it’s an out-of-tune guitar”: What people get wrong about microtonal music
You might think Angine de Poitrine are pioneering a new form of composition. They’re actually popularizing a very ancient approach to creativity
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Reviews
"It sounds the business”: Mad Professor Super Black Mini review
Fender fans rejoice – Mad Professor's Super Black is now available in mini form
“Can this $999 seven-string guitar strike fear in its opposition?”: Cort KX507MS Pale Moon review
The South Korean firm looks to go one better than the metal guitar firms making guitars in its famed Indonesian factory
"What it can do is make a very good guitar rig feel better": OctaKing Burstphonic PAF review
OctaKing takes on the holy grail of guitar tone with its vintage PAF-inspired Burstphonic pedal
"Opting for the ever-popular 60s SlimTaper neck profile, this guitar is a dream to play": Epiphone SG Standard review
Epiphone’s recreation of this '60s powerhouse is sure to leave you Thunderstruck
“At $25, having one in your back pocket to spark ideas seems like a bit of a no-brainer”: Devi Ever : fx Plugins review
Devi Ever is back, at least in plugin form
“An addictively playable, lightweight, lively guitar”: West Valley Fever Rambler review
An old-looking newcomer from UK brand West Valley – will this Fever get the mercury rising?
HeadRush FRFR-12 review
One of the originators of the guitar-focused FRFR speaker finally gets around to updating its offering
Buying Guides
Best headphone amps for guitar 2026: silent practice solutions
You don’t need to sacrifice tone to practice quietly with my expert pick of the best headphone amps for guitar players
Best bass amps for practice 2026: tried and tested desktop and combo amps for home use
Get the most out of your playing at home with one of these great bass practice amps
Best guitars for kids 2026: top electric and acoustic guitars for children
The top kid’s guitars available today and everything you need to know to get your child started with the guitar
Best beginner guitar amps 2026: my top picks from over a decade working in music retail
After nearly 10 years working in a busy high-street music store, I’ve seen which beginner amps truly deliver, offering the best value, most useful features, and long-lasting popularity from brands like Blackstar, Fender, Positive Grid, and more
Best practice amps 2026: combos and mini amps tested by experts
I've tested dozens of the best guitar practice amps to find the ultimate home practice rig, from mini tube combos to digital modeling amps
Best patch cables 2026: top picks for your pedalboard
I put 14 different guitar patch cables, including flat, solderless, and premium options that reclaim pedalboard space and eliminate tone suck
Best beginner electric guitars 2026: top electric models for new players, reviewed and demoed by experts
So you're a budding guitarist? Get started with our pick of the best beginner electric guitars from Squier, Yamaha, and Epiphone
