The Ovation acoustic guitar that began life as a gift for a Beatle
It soon morphed into one of the company’s best sellers, and another guitar legend later made it his own
Latest News
The Ovation acoustic guitar that began life as a gift for a Beatle
It soon morphed into one of the company’s best sellers, and another guitar legend later made it his own
Richard Lloyd, guitarist of influential ’70s New York band Television, dies aged 75
Lloyd, best known for his genre-blending work in Television alongside Tom Verlaine, was diagnosed with bile duct cancer earlier this year
John 5 says he cried “uncontrollably” after making his live debut with Mötley Crüe
Live debuts do not get much more surreal than playing in a mega-rock band and having your heroes from Kiss in the audience
The best new gear this week, ft. a Tele for a session legend and yet more evidence that NAM is taking over
Eye-catching new drops from Fender, Gibson, Positive Grid and more…
50 years ago, a teenage Joe Satriani and Steve Vai recorded a jam together – and you can hear it on their new joint album
The Sea of Emotion is Satriani and Vai’s long-awaited debut album together, and although they recorded it remotely, there were a couple of notable exceptions
Martin honors Gram Parsons with a recreation of his workhorse 00-21 acoustic
The limited-edition acoustic was created after the Martin team closely studied his well-worn original
Ronnie Wood says Keith Richards wants the Rolling Stones to take a break from touring
Ronnie Wood is on tour right now in South America but says his Stones colleague wants some time off from the road – for now
Artists
Derek Frank on juggling gigs with Gwen Stefani and Shania Twain, and why rehearsals are overrated
From touring with Don Felder to a studio hang with Tower of Power bass great Rocco Prestia, Derek Frank has plenty of stories to tell – and a prized Music Man StingRay to show for it
From Kajagoogoo to Steven Wilson, Nick Beggs has made a career of turning up the low-end
While Kajagoogoo made Nick Beggs a fixture of '80s pop, his subsequent work with Porcupine Tree mastermind Steven Wilson reveals a dyed-in-the-wool prog rocker
Stanley Jordan on his imaginary B.B. King collab, technical development and the time he controlled fire with his guitar
The master of the touch technique on his brief encounters with Eddie Van Halen, playing two guitars at once and – wait, did he just tease a metal album?
Inside the mind of Wata, Boris’ high priestess of distortion and feedback
In their own words The guitarist wields feedback, distortion and fuzz on an almost orchestral scale. In a rare interview, she ponders her mastery of the dark arts
![Protest the Hero’s Tim MacMillar [left] and Luke Hoskin.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eJJ4gLF6PTcTt4rJGpANUg-840-80.jpg.webp)
Inside Protest the Hero’s full-throttle (and surprising) return
Riffsmiths Tim MacMillar and Luke Hoskin on the strange yet endearing “it takes a village” approach to recording, touring and covering each other’s blazing guitar parts
Buddy Guy on the most under-appreciated blues guitarist, the problems with his early records, and learning rhythm
From The Archive In this reader questionnaire, the living legend of the blues gave some advice on how to avoid repetition in your playing, and recalled with wonder the Chicago club scene he came up in
Zakk Wylde on his acoustic double life, tonewood myths and Pantera’s future
The Black Label Society frontman is one of the most electric players around and yet with Wylde Audio about to drop its first acoustics, maybe we should rethink that
Gear
"A nitro finish nearly always comes with a high price tag - this changes that": Patina PT-3 review
Patina looks to open the door to nitro-finished guitars for those who are on a budget.
Gary Moore’s Greeny tone in a stompbox? Meet the Burstphonic PAF, the first pedal based on a guitar
The collaboration between Octaking Labs and Moore’s son Jack aims to recreate the Greeny Moore tones in pedal form
Best electric guitars 2026: our top picks for every playing style, ability and budget
Useful buying advice and our expert pick of the best electric guitars for newcomers to pro players
Cort AP550M review – an astonishing parlor acoustic for $209
Can one of the largest manufacturers in the world turn out an instrument at this price that is actually worth buying? Let’s see…
“A terrific pedal that's loaded with character”: Warm Audio WA-C1 Mod Chorus Vibrato review
Warm Audio revisits the CE-1 sound with a smaller footprint and a surprising twist
Strymon La Brea review
Don’t go into the La Brea expecting half a Deco, because this is so much more...
Best acoustic guitars 2026: 10 top options for guitarists of all ages and abilities
Guitar World’s pick of the best acoustic guitars from Fender, Gibson, Martin, Taylor, Epiphone and more
Lessons
The ultimate power chord guide: essential shapes for every genre
Guitarists as diverse as James Hetfield, Brian May, Steve Lukather and George Benson all swear by power chords. Learn the core shapes that will empower you in any genre
Alex Skolnick on how to explore legato – and explains where a little music theory can go a long way
In his second Guitar World column, the Testament guitarist uses a lick from So Many Lies to take us deeper into his Allan Holdsworth-inspired legato style
Drop C tuning: how to get to grips with the earth-shaking tuning used by Metallica and Periphery
Metal’s finest have forged some of their heaviest riffs in Drop C – now you can too
How to nail a blues-rock solo in the style of Eric Johnson
This Eric Johnson lesson serves up a solo split into four. We've got the tab and video, you bring your Strat
Blackberry Smoke's Charlie Starr on the delicate art of overdubbing guitars
Taking Morningside as an example from Blackberry Smoke's You Hear Georgia, Charlie Starr demystifies an approach perfected by Keef
“Starting acoustically is a good foundation for tone”: Jake Kiszka’s top 5 tone tips
The Greta Van Fleet guitarist says it’s time we reconnected with combo amps – and don’t forget that technique is fundamental to tone
People ask me: “How do I get out of the pentatonic rut?” This is what I tell them
10 things we learned from B.B. King, Peter Green, Stevie Ray Vaughan and more that will improve your soloing
“One pickup, two knobs – what more do you need? Well, some of us need a front pickup, too!” Joe Bonamassa compares Les Paul Juniors and demonstrates how they change his playing
Joe Bonamassa explains how not all Juniors are created equal, but they all have something magical about them
Reviews
"A nitro finish nearly always comes with a high price tag - this changes that": Patina PT-3 review
Patina looks to open the door to nitro-finished guitars for those who are on a budget.
Cort AP550M review – an astonishing parlor acoustic for $209
Can one of the largest manufacturers in the world turn out an instrument at this price that is actually worth buying? Let’s see…
“A terrific pedal that's loaded with character”: Warm Audio WA-C1 Mod Chorus Vibrato review
Warm Audio revisits the CE-1 sound with a smaller footprint and a surprising twist
Strymon La Brea review
Don’t go into the La Brea expecting half a Deco, because this is so much more...
“I’m impressed by how clearly it reproduces my layered parts, even as the arrangement becomes busier”: Boss RC-600 Loop Station review
Is this 6-track flagship looper pedal with 32-bit audio and extensive FX still the ultimate live looping tool?
3 Comments
“A great way to build textural ambience into a standard guitar chain”: Walrus Audio Lüm Texture Engine review
Taking its cues from previous Walrus soundscape pedals, the Lüm combines granular textures and atmospheric ambience
"A novel way of learning that may encourage a few more players to get started": Litejam RGB24 review
Litejam introduces the RGB24 - a guitar that aims to make learning the instrument easier.
Buying Guides
Best electric guitars 2026: our top picks for every playing style, ability and budget
Useful buying advice and our expert pick of the best electric guitars for newcomers to pro players
Best acoustic guitars 2026: 10 top options for guitarists of all ages and abilities
Guitar World’s pick of the best acoustic guitars from Fender, Gibson, Martin, Taylor, Epiphone and more
Best Christmas gifts for guitar players 2026: tried and tested gear they actually want
Skip the novelty mugs. We've spent thousands of hours testing gear to bring you the ultimate holiday buyer's guide for guitarists
Best looper pedals 2026: options for practice, songwriting, and live performance – tried and tested by an expert
My pick of the best loop pedals across every budget, including full reviews, in-depth testing, and buying advice
Best FRFR speakers 2026: transparent tone for multi-effects and amp modelers
Get the most out of your modeler with my pick of FRFR speakers, from on-the-go options to arena-filling mammoths – these active speakers from Fender, Laney, IK Multimedia and more are tonally transparent beasts
Best guitar wireless systems 2025: set your playing free, from the rehearsal room to the stage
Fed up with cumbersome cables? Here's my pick of the best wireless guitar systems for every budget
Best pedalboards 2025: perfect platforms for your pedals, tested
I tried out a range of pedalboards from the likes of Fender, D’Addario, Pedaltrain, and more – and these are the best of the bunch
