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February 2025
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147 articles
- February 18
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- “Smith has road-tested this guitar, refining its design and tone”: The PRS Charcoal Phoenix is Paul Reed Smith’s personal guitar of choice – and it’s already starred onstage next to John Mayer
- “I would say he’s underrated in the echelons of guitar. Honestly, there’s no-one close”: Steve Vai reveals what it’s like to work side by side with fellow Frank Zappa alum Adrian Belew on the BEAT tour
- “What's incredible about this guitar is that it was Marc Bolan's before. That's a double whammy”: Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells Telecaster has cropped up on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow – after it was bought for $12,500
- “The 12-string I was accustomed to wasn’t performing. Gibson kindly said, ‘We’ll make you something special’”: Brian May’s first Gibson signature is here – and it’s got nothing to do with the Red Special
- “I think Eddie got rubbed up the wrong way because we had another superstar guitar player in our lineup”: Eddie Van Halen apparently left Peavey because it signed a second standout shredder – Joe Satriani
- “We often overlook this humble technique, yet it’s such an important tool for expressive rhythm and lead playing”: Palm muting is an essential guitar technique – but there’s a lot more to it than just chugging. Are you using it to its full potential?
- “Hard to believe that rehearsals begin a week from Monday. We begin again. Every time a rebirth. Every time an adventure”: Another former Smashing Pumpkins bassist is joining Garbage on tour
- “One of the best legitimately new guitars Fender has produced in decades – despite one painfully positioned volume control”: Fender American Ultra II Meteora review
- “That was one thing I wanted to get right with Oliver. I went to his house and made sure he knew how that one had happened”: Robby Krieger sets the record straight on how a Doors classic was really written – and what the controversial movie got wrong
- “A guitar Eddie Van Halen gave me went missing for 18 years. So many really important guitars are stolen or disappear. We rarely get them back”: Jerry Cantrell opens up on his missing guitar fears, pushing beyond his limits – and why AI could never do AIC
- “When you switch something on that’s made with valves, it sounds fine to start with, but after 20 or 25 minutes you suddenly notice it sounding better”: How to get the best from your tube amp
- How to introduce “murder mystery” guitar chords to your playing – without getting your fingers in a twist
- February 17
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- The Line 6 HX Stomp just got a $100 discount at Guitar Center – here's 5 reasons it's been on my 'board for the past two years
- “The moment everyone came to see”: blink-182 reunite with Matt Skiba as Tom DeLonge performs with his successor for the first time at LA wildfires benefit show
- “I was impressed how the DNAfx stood up against my bandmate’s Kemper”: Can a budget Harley Benton prog metal rig rival a Strandberg and Kemper? I took both to a rehearsal room to find out
- “A high-spec instrument at a competitive price”: Manson’s updated M-Series models have been treated to Sustainiac pickups, fresh finishes… and onboard Fuzz Factory upgrades
- “This $2 billion company has assimilated the history of Musitronics as if it was their own”: Behringer blasted by Mu-Tron III maker following the release of $69 replica
- “I sang this song with George Harrison on Saturday Night Live in 1976”: Paul Simon teams up with Sabrina Carpenter for Simon & Garfunkel classic during SNL's 50th anniversary special
- “Alien levels of precision. You can’t believe it until you sit in front of him and you’re like, ‘Whoa’”: We asked Tim Henson and Tosin Abasi who is blowing their minds right now. They both named the same guitarist
- “Arguably the most convenient, immersive Spark product to date”: I've been using Positive Grid's Spark Neo guitar amp headphones for weeks – and while it's not the full Spark experience, it's got me playing guitar a lot more regularly
- “I’m not planning on doing a set with Black Sabbath”: Ozzy Osbourne shares details on his last live performance – and says he’ll be “doing little bits and pieces”
- “A special rendition”: Post Malone proves his guitar hero credentials once again as he fronts Nirvana reunion and nails Smells Like Teen Spirit at SNL50
- “We were given 10 to 15 dates, but we ended up playing only four or five because of conflicting member schedules… I knew I needed a change”: My band has 35 members in five countries – and it’s actually made my musical life easier
- “We appreciate everyone’s concern regarding Don Felder’s abrupt stop to his show last night”: Former Eagles guitarist Don Felder issues statement after being rushed offstage due to medical emergency
- “Some people are pleased to see a British brand reborn and some see it less favorably. I can understand both aspects”: How a forgotten UK guitar brand was given a triumphant second act by one of the country’s most respected luthiers
- “I wanted to capture that destruction and endurance”: A devastating tornado threatened to tear apart Gillian Welch and David Rawlings’ beloved studio. Now they’ve documented the natural disaster – and their Nashville rebirth – on a new album
- I don't think you're going to find much better than $180 off a gig-ready Fender Player II Strat this Presidents' Day
- “Malcolm said, ‘I've got this riff, it's driving me nuts.’ It's three o'clock in the morning and I'm trying to sleep. I said, ‘It sounds fine to me.’ That was Back in Black”: Through 50 years of triumph and tragedy, they remain hard rock's greatest titans
- February 16
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- “I wasn’t with a known band, as opposed to Van Halen, who had a hit record, so he did it, and the world got to hear it”: Harvey Mandel was one of the pioneers of the two-handed tapping technique – yet he claims he was never properly credited for it
- “That move from F to Ab is either a clever allusion… or it’s an accident!” He’s one of the most influential bassists of all time, but did Motown’s James Jamerson make a mistake on this 1969 hit record?
- “Guitar World was putting together this CD... I thought, ‘Guitar players are gonna try to play the most mind-blowing shredding’… So I did an acoustic piece in DADGAD”: The Cars' Elliot Easton considers this lost gem to be one of his best performances
- February 15
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- Quick! Positive Grid's huge $50 Riff audio interface discount ends today – here are 5 reasons it’s worth your money
- “I sold all my stuff. I even left my car out on the street!” When asked by Miles Davis to move to New York and play some shows, bass great Dave Holland didn’t blink
- “He told me it had a reverse headstock, but when we opened the case it turned out to be a left-handed King V”: A labor of love, Wes Borland's beloved custom Jackson King V began life as a factory floor reject
- February 14
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- “I happened to walk in the studio and they just asked me to join the circle, like, ‘Whoa, hey, great.’ I had my guitar, walked in and started playing”: How Nile Rodgers ended up on the latest Coldplay album
- “We kind of dug it, but a lot of places didn’t like Metallica. They were like, ‘What the hell is this?’” When Metallica hit the road for their first national tour, crowds weren’t convinced by their music
- 9 Presidents' Day guitar sales to shop before they’re gone for good
- “They told Gibson four days before the performance. I know they were working on the guitar nonstop”: Chappell Roan’s guitarist reveals the story behind the Grammys’ show-stopping – and last-minute – mirrorball Gibson Les Paul
- “Exploring the creative potential of neural networks in sound design”: Meet the rePEDAL – a free AI overdrive maker that randomly generates digital stompboxes at the click of a button
- Guitar World deals of the week: save $530 on a Fender guitar, $71 on an Earthquaker Devices pedal, plus get a Universal Audio plugin for free
- Get first dibs on Fender’s Presidents' Day savings with big discounts on American-made guitars – including $200 off select American Professional II models and more
- “Somebody will get mad at me, but it’s the closest thing to Beck, Clapton and Page. What was in the water we were all drinking?” Billy Corgan names himself and two other ’90s guitar gods as the ‘metal Yardbirds’
- “A sonically punishing instrument for the most dedicated shred warriors”: Wylde Audio unveils the Blood Skull Berzerker – and it’s got a “visually brutal” new body shape worthy of its name
- “He called and said, ‘Would you have any interest in auditioning for Michael Jackson?’ I was like, ‘Oh my god, yes!’” Nita Strauss once received a call to audition for the King of Pop – and ended up playing funk with his brother
- “I have two sources of sound: the guitar pickups and the one in my hand. The less effects there are, the better I feel”: Thurston Moore hailed Nina Garcia as noise guitar’s secret weapon – and an unusual pickup is key to her otherworldly explorations
- “I cannot play guitar. It feels like I am wearing a pair of gloves when I try”: Brian Setzer can’t play guitar due to autoimmune disease
- “A lot of guitarists who can play killer leads get real sterile on their rhythm stuff – they’re all too careful about playing their chords dead straight”: Dimebag Darrell wrote 42 lesson columns for Guitar World. Here’s the best advice he shared
- “I’ve brought that chef mentality to whatever I do. There’s not a lot of standing around and admiring my work. It’s, ‘Right, this needs to get done’”: Meet JWJ’s Rich Jones, the chef who turned luthier – and is serving up some mighty fine acoustics
- February 13
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- “After a minute, I realize I can’t see the fretboard, I can’t breathe and it’s suddenly 120 degrees in my head”: That time Joe Satriani took a Surfing With the Alien encore a little too far
- “The experience of our work with Jimmy in a vibrant, electric, mystical, and powerful perspective”: Unreleased Jimmy Page/Rich Robinson composition set to feature in upcoming deluxe version of Jimmy Page & the Black Crowes: Live at the Greek
- “It may be loosely inspired by the ES-335, but that’s where any similarity ends… An almost timeless design from the hands and ears of one of the greats”: Lowden GL-J review
- “People usually assume it’s a Rickenbacker, Telecaster or Jaguar. It’s often been this Les Paul”: Gibson and Johnny Marr have recreated the 1984 Les Paul that underpinned The Smiths legend’s entire career
- The best deals of 2025 so far? Save big in the Musician's Friend’s Presidents' Day sale with up to 40% off guitar gear
- “Retaining the tones that made it a game-changer from the start”: The Boss Katana:GO headphone amp is back after it was discontinued – but not as you remember it
- “Metal suffers without dynamics. DADGAD can help without having to think about it. You can play chords that aren’t possible in standard tuning”: John Browne hasn’t played in standard tuning for 20 years. He explains why DADGAD is perfect for modern metal
- “I’ve worked on pop sessions with artists who have a squeaky-clean image, but what’s behind the scenes is a lot darker than people’s perception of the hip-hop world”: How bassist Mike Elizondo brought low-end and soul to Dr. Dre’s superstar productions
- Guitar Center's official Presidents' Day sale is here – score $500 off a Gibson Les Paul, $150 off a striking Gretsch Jet, and so much more
- “Technically, it’s for sale – I’ve priced it at a point where I hope nobody will ever buy it because I know I’ll never see another”: Why the 1960s Fender Bass VI is a tone machine that (almost) defies categorization
- “Someone once gave me an old Danelectro guitar they bought at a garage sale for $10. I still have it and used it on a bunch of my records”: Shred hero Vinnie Moore reveals his greatest gear hits and misses – and why the best guitars are free
- “It took me a long time to feel confident about being the only guitar on stage. I always felt like I needed a rhythm guitar”: Brian May fought to add a rhythm guitarist to Queen in their early years – and several players would eventually grant his wish
- February 12
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- “Brutal looks and razor-sharp tones to push the limits of creativity”: Schecter’s Red Dawn series aims to weaponize a legion of chug-loving metal players
- “Exceeds in playability, looks, and affordability”: Cort promises the pinnacle of affordable acoustic guitars with its $449 Essence series
- April 2025 Guitar World lesson videos and more
- “I auditioned for a guitar commission with a carload of basses! I laid them all out on the floor, and he went, ‘OK, let's make a guitar’”: James Hetfield's luthier on how he went from crafting basses to becoming the Metallica guitarist's go-to axe maker
- “There’s nothing more Spinal Tap than going to one of the epicenters of the blues and drawing zero people”: Joe Bonamassa reflects on the worst show of his career
- “I actually got to the point of doing a show and Ozzy hired me – he said he wanted me to do the gig”: Alex Skolnick looks back on his brief tenure as Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist – and why it only lasted one show
- “Ronnie was a really nice guy – but let’s face it: he ain’t no Mick Taylor, and he’s no Harvey Mandel. He’s what I call a C-plus guitar player”: Harvey Mandel nearly became a Rolling Stone – here’s why he thinks he would have been a better fit
- “My ethos is, ‘Choose any guitar you want.’ It doesn’t matter at the end of the day. I’d rather spend the money on pedals”: Introducing Ditz, the UK post-punks who don’t mind fighting their equipment to achieve their vicious six-string bite
- “We’re not hearing $1,750 difference in the sonic quality, feel or playability. Far from it”: Epiphone Joe Bonamassa 1955 Les Paul Standard and Gibson Les Paul Standard ’50s Mahogany Top review
- “If you just want to see a YouTuber, then fine. But the people who know me, and have watched me for years, know I’m a little bit more than that”: Mary Spender on the tones, tunes and heartache behind her debut breakup album
- February 11
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- “Everything a great beginner $199 guitar should be”: Sterling By Music Man Intro Series Cutlass review
- “I was so exhausted that whole day. But I couldn’t help but light up from the electricity of Iggy Pop’s energy”: Deryck Whibley appeals to Hard Rock Cafe to return his guitar from the Iggy Pop feat. Sum 41 era
- “Some friends helped me get back on my feet. I hadn’t been on stage in a few years and I was scared about performing after losing my hearing”: Former Incubus bassist Ben Kenney returns to the stage for the first time since undergoing brain surgery
- “Loosening your strings before flying is kind of nonsense”: The do’s, don’ts and myths of flying with your guitar, busted by a hard-touring pro musician
- “He went to Guitar Center and did the most humble thing. He bought a $200 Yamaha acoustic. He didn’t show up with a $2,000 guitar and he could have”: Bob Dylan may have played Gibson, but Timothée Chalamet started his transformation with a budget acoustic
- “I stand directly in front of a giant Marshall stack and play so loud. You let it get a little out of control… That’s how we get it super-big and gnarly”: Meet mercury, the wall-of-sound indie-rockers teetering on the edge of chaos
- Embellishing guitar chords is the best way to liven up your rhythm work – and these 5 Eric Johnson-inspired chord voicings will open new harmonic doors in your playing
- “I really don't want to do this this way, but I pretty much have no choice now”: The jury's out on new Pantera material, but Dimebag Darrell-channeling shredder Kayla Kent is making the next-best thing – all she needs is a singer
- February 10
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- “Like all young artists, sometimes you run into somebody that's one of your heroes”: Jerry Cantrell recalls the time he tried – and failed – to pass an Alice in Chains demo tape to Axl Rose
- “It’s becoming harder and harder to see why one guitar made of two lumps of wood bolted together with some basic electrics and hardware can cost $5,000, while one like this is a 10th of that price”: Shergold Masquerader SM11 Standard review
- “I was also able to purchase boards that were cut from a Honduras mahogany so legendary it’s known as ‘The Tree’”: Meet Don Musser, the ‘Dumble of acoustic guitar’ who has made custom builds for Dylan, Eddie Van Halen and Neil Young
- “The ‘industry’ strings you along with these empty accolades but labels paying you on time can keep your life from falling apart”: Beyoncé session guitarist Justus West says awards don't pay the bills – and labels need to take more accountability
- “There’s a lot of power to our band name… we weren’t part of any scene, so it was like, ‘Who are we? We are The Damn Truth’”: Meet the Canadian quartet bringing their raucous sound to the masses – with a little help from Bob Rock
- “I managed to stay behind at The Marquee when everyone had gone home. I asked him, ‘How do you get that sound?’ He said, ‘Well, it’s easy...’” In 1969, a young Brian May hid in a venue to speak to Rory Gallagher – and it led to his tonal breakthrough
- Best guitar plugins 2025: my top plugins to level up your recorded guitar tones
- “Precision-engineered sound and true wireless freedom”: Positive Grid turns the headphone amp market upside down with the wireless, AI-powered Neo
- “It's not a Marvel movie or a Vegas residency – it's rock and roll and it’s a living breathing organism”: Jack White responds to short sets criticism – and explains why you’ll never see him play for three hours
- “It threw me off completely. Here I am in front of 16,000 people, on the stage where Jeff Beck stood, where The Beatles stood, and where Jimi Hendrix stood”: Steve Lukather on wielding Beck’s Strat, jams with George Harrison – and his best solo slip-up
- “Even global stars must follow local rules”: Ed Sheeran’s street performance was brought to an abrupt end after Indian police shut it down – but the songwriter says he did have permission to play
- “I thought I was going to wind up being a mental patient. I was like, ‘If I ever survive this, I swear to God I'm not going to do anything but work on music’”: Marty Friedman’s hellish teen acid trip was the making of his career as a guitarist
- “Sounds just like Slash, doesn't it?”: Slash joins forces with Tom Morello for a three-song cameo at LA Wildfire Relief shows – taking on MC5 and an AC/DC classic
- February 9
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- “I had no idea how he was getting his guitar to sound like that”: Joe Walsh called him one of most underrated guitarists of the '70s and Hendrix said he was a better guitar player than he was – yet this Telecaster icon often remains overlooked
- “If only we could hand out Michelin Stars for guitar-building”: JWJ Parlour Select, Orchestra Select and Slope Shoulder Select review
- February 8
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- “It’s one of our best tunes and one of my best basslines”: When Duran Duran fused Chic and Sex Pistols for one of bassist John Taylor’s standout performances
- “I'm like the Pablo Escobar of bass. If a dude works on my pedalboard, it's almost like I have to kill him after he's done!” With Rage Against the Machine, Tim Commerford pioneered an all-time iconic bass tone. No wonder he's cagey about his setup
- February 7
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- I tested the Boss Katana Mini and Katana Mini X side-by-side to find out which is best and whether it's worth upgrading from the original portable amp
- “You wouldn't have thought that you would see those three guys together”: Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath's final show will play host to a Tool, Rage Against the Machine and Smashing Pumpkins supergroup
- “Used for the Cream reunion shows, arguably one of the biggest rock reunion performances of all time”: Jack Bruce’s Gibson EB-1 is going up for a one-time-only public display
- “This guy comes in, plugs in, and starts playing while we’re talking to another guy. I said, ‘Buddy, you better sit down before I knock you out’”: Ace Frehley interrupted the band when he auditioned for Kiss – and Gene Simmons was ready to throw fists
- “I view the instrument I play not as an object to be mastered, but as a partner with which to share with the listener a meaning”: Pioneering pedal steel guitar virtuoso Susan Alcorn has died aged 71
- “We care as much about this product as the guitars we’ve been building for over 35 years”: James Tyler Guitars will become more affordable than ever as the boutique builder announces China-made JTG Series
- “It had been really poorly refinished with chunks of wood missing. And you know what? It may be the best-sounding Strat I’ve got”: How Andy Timmons gave a bargain guitar a new lease of life – taking inspiration from Hendrix and Beck
- “It puts into context just how far removed digital models are from the real thing”: I played the last Overdrive Special that Dumble worked on – and it completely changed my perspective on the amp of my dreams
- “I said, ‘The only way we can play 40 minutes is if we include Purple Haze.’ This guy grabbed me and said, ‘You got a lot of nerve!’” Billy Gibbons once covered Jimi Hendrix hits while supporting Hendrix on tour – and the guitar hero watched
- “If you’re on stage with Steve Vai, you have to find a way through all the emotions to enjoy the moment”: How Lari Basilio became one of today’s foremost instrumental virtuosos – sharing stages with Joe Satriani, John Petrucci and Lee Sklar along the way
- “It was 5:30am when the phone rang – it was Dime. ‘We’re mastering the album, and I need to re-cut a part this morning. Can you get a Les Paul and a Korg G3 to me by 9am?’” How Dimebag Darrell’s Floods outro was re-recorded at (literally) the last minute
- “I didn’t do a ton of exploration on the f-hole idea. If I had to do it again, I might do it completely differently”: Eric Johnson broke new ground with his first semi-hollow Fender Strat – but he’d take inspiration from Gibson if he ever made another
- “I wanted the design to feel familiar, especially to Fender players, but I also wanted to make a guitar that felt a little more feminine than a lot of guitars do”: Meet West Valley Guitars, the UK brand making offsets like you’ve never seen before
- February 6
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- LD Systems ANNY 8 Compact Bluetooth PA System
- “Watching her on the biggest stage in the world, with the biggest star in the world, blazing solos faster than anybody that I'd ever seen”: Nita Strauss on the guitarist that inspired her to pursue a career in music
- “I’m not going to say that some are ‘better’ at it, but they’re more valuable testers”: D’Addario recruits players to help test its strings – and there's one jazz veteran who is more reliable than most
- “I said to Paul Hamer, ‘The best I can do is just play your guitar.’ I didn't want any money for it, because when I like a guitar, I just like it”: On Gary Moore's full-length tribute to Phil Lynott, Greeny took a backseat to Superstrats
- “There’s a tradition in country music where an older musician – in order to give respect to a younger musician – would give them his guitar. Dad gave Bob Dylan one of his guitars”: Rosanne Cash on her father’s six-string salute to Dylan
- “I suddenly couldn’t control this left arm, it was quite scary. I had no idea what was going on”: Brian May issues update after suffering ‘minor stroke’
- “For someone like Hendrix, who had known poverty, it had to be exhilarating to think, ‘I’m on the cusp of this unimaginable place’”: The remarkable untold story of Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios – from the man who helped him build it
- “It was so close to happening. Then Jeff bailed at the last moment”: Joe Satriani was days away from signing Jeff Beck for G3 – before the Yardbird dropped out and suggested Prince as a replacement
- “I was completely blown away... He’d only just joined the band! He was the same age as me but he totally left me choking in his dust”: Remembering John Sykes, the powerhouse rock journeyman who breathed new life into Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy
- February 5
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- “As opposed to, ‘It’s too much, play less,’ Jon was like, ‘At the end of the solo, can you go full Phil X?’ I was like, ‘OK, but who are you?’” Phil X confirms new Bon Jovi material will feature one seriously ripping solo – and a tour is also in the works
- “It was a total surprise. Prince sang, ‘In the purple…’ and then he pointed at me”: When Donna Grantis joined Prince’s band, she expected the unexpected – but she never thought he’d ask her to take iconic Purple Rain solo
- “We’ve been controlled by the idea that Fender is for Mexico and US models. We’re allowing ourselves to break our own rules”: Why Fender is building its $599 Standard Series in Indonesia – and how its ideological shift delivers better value for players
- “This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever”: Ozzy Osbourne announces his final-ever live performance – featuring an original Black Sabbath lineup reunion and some of the biggest names in heavy music
- “People say, ‘You’re playing the guitar on your lap, you learned from Guitar Hero.’ But it’s taken years to figure out how to write complex compositions”: Yasmin Williams brings lap-tapping and double-neck guitar to late-night TV with Colbert performance
- “There was never any danger of going ‘full Kurt Russell’ with it, but accidents happen… especially around me!” When Chris Buck played a museum-grade Martin from 1928, a high-profile Hollywood guitar scandal played heavy on his mind
- “Do I still enjoy touring? The emphatic answer is ‘mostly, no’. I enjoy travelling and I enjoy playing. It’s a question of having done it intensely for decades”: Eric Bibb never planned to be a roots troubadour, but the blues took hold of his career
- “In many ways, this amp is far more versatile than its tube counterpart”: Fender Tone Master ’59 Bassman review
- February 4
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- “I actually started out as someone who was really afraid of pedals. I was like, ‘Oh, hell no, technology!’” Why Yvette Young was afraid of pedals – then ended up with a signature one
- “Keep your eyes on this man”: Nuno Bettencourt joins Steven Tyler for a mini-set of Aerosmith, Extreme classics at charity gig – and, wait, is that a Les Paul?
- "Casting my eye over its clean and well-applied finish, I'm once again reminded that Gibson is currently producing some of the finest guitars in its history": Gibson Les Paul Studio Session review
- “I’d hear it on the radio as a kid, and now I’m standing beside Don Henley playing it – I had to do both solos, Joe Walsh’s and Steve Lukather’s”: The SatchVai Band is just the latest of many high-profile stops for Pete Thorn
- “I don’t think Metallica wants to say I am an original member”: Why Metallica’s forgotten guitarist believes he isn’t considered the heavy metal legends’ OG guitar player
- “They’ve achieved so much in their careers. I love hearing their stories. Every time we plug in together, I grow as a player”: Lari Basilio reveals what she learned from playing side by side with all-time guitar and session greats
- “I grew up playing bluegrass… it’s taken me years to lighten up my right hand to where I’m not breaking strings every 30 seconds!” Larkin Poe have worked on music together since they were toddlers – and their guitar sisterhood has never been stronger
- “It can be whatever you want it to be at a moment’s notice – a great way to get maximum bang for your buck”: TC Electronic Plethora X1 TonePrint Loader review
- “I got a text asking if he could send my name over to an ‘artist’ for a ‘show.’ It ended up being Chris Martin”: Grace Bowers takes her chops to the biggest stage in music for a surprise Grammys appearance with the Coldplay frontman
- “We’d play at the Palomino under some weird name – we’d just show up, so nobody would know. By halfway through the set, the place was jam-packed”: Steve Lukather on his secret supergroup with Eddie Van Halen, Albert Lee and Steve Morse
- “I plugged into a Marshall stack – and it sounded awful. I could hardly play... Jimi Hendrix came onstage, plugged into the same amp – and it sounded like a cataclysm”: Brian May on the one time he experimented with a Marshall stack
- February 3
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- “Someone told us that guitar was haunted – people who had it had accidents. I’m a Nirvana fan, but it was just a regular guitar to me”: Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt said the Martin museum felt like the “Holy Land,” but one guitar he played there left him cold
- “It’s heavy… Lots of eight-string. We’re playing baritones, too. We’re making new guitars that don’t exist”: Polyphia’s next album is going to be brutal – and some big-name metal artists are already slated for guest appearances
- “We are convinced that Marshall will strengthen its position as the go-to brand for guitarists”: Chinese firm HSG acquires majority stake of Marshall Group in $1.1 billion deal
- “A modernized take on an iconic shape”: Spiritbox’s Mike Stringer wowed metalheads with a custom offset Jackson. Now he’s turned to Aristides for his first signature guitar – a brutal, space-age take on the Jazzmaster
- “There was no way we would cancel the gig, but there were no guitars, amps, pedals, or anything. How am I going to make the show work for Steve Vai?” When Steve Vai’s gear got lost in transit, his tech stepped in to save the day
- “We want to dedicate this award to all the bands that are pushing the boundaries. Support your local artists”: St. Vincent, Andrew Watt and Gojira claim big Grammy wins for guitar music
- “I don’t really listen to Primus. It amazes me that we wrote like that”: Les Claypool looks back on the stomach-churning grooves of Sailing the Seas of Cheese, Primus’ major-label debut and the moment he became a bass superstar
- “He’d lay down 17 tracks and edit them down to one. I was like, ‘Just give me a guitar – I could do it in one take. Come on!’” Devo’s Josh Hager on the most frustrating album sessions of his life – and his wild custom Fender model
- “He was 16 or 17, and he was already jumping on people’s tables with cocktails on them, flipping the guitar backwards while playing it”: Pantera’s road crew share their memories of Dimebag Darrell – and why he was a guitar hero from the very beginning
- February 2
- February 1
