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August 2023
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249 articles
- August 31
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- Pantera-inspired groove-metal throwdowns and the return of one of the 21st century’s foremost tapping talents: this week’s essential guitar tracks
- “Rocco Prestia could have held that 16th-note pattern in his sleep – it’s airtight” Halestorm bassist Josh Smith picks his top 5 bass albums
- IK Multimedia iRig HD X’s new control layout looks very familiar… So how will it stack up next to the other one-knob wonders of the guitar interface market?
- “Hetfield would say, ‘Dude, get that bass s**t happening!’ It was a breathin'-down-your-neck type of thing...” Jason Newsted on the making of Metallica’s Load album
- “Every rock band is trying to write their own Seven Nation Army riff... It’s nice when you write something powerful that even a beginner could learn”: Simplicity is the key to a good guitar anthem – just ask Skindred’s Mikey Demus
- “This is the one that got him hooked”: Slash’s first Guns N’ Roses Les Paul – the ‘Hunter Burst’ – is going to auction
- “Bonnie allows you to play what you feel and solo the way you like – there’s room for that, and it’s really refreshing”: Meet Duke Levine, the latest guitar ace in Bonnie Raitt’s formidable live lineup
- November 2023 Guitar World lesson videos
- For over six decades, the Gibson Hummingbird has been an acoustic guitar staple. Now country icon Miranda Lambert has reimagined it as the Bluebird – she explains what inspired the radical makeover
- “We’re not taking the p***, playing silly rock riffs. I work hard to honor the original players”: How prog icon Robert Fripp ended up covering – and loving – Megadeth, Metallica and Slipknot
- August 30
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- "Finally!" Jackson cements its relationship with Sepultura guitarist Andreas Kisser with a single-pickup, skull-emblazoned Soloist
- Bernie Marsden guitar auction delayed following guitar hero’s death
- “The thing about the electric guitar is you have an amplifier, so you don’t have to overplay… In fact, it sounds more powerful if you don’t”: Carl Baldassarre on how an academic love of Led Zeppelin inspired his dynamic new album
- There’s no such thing as an ‘acoustic guitar chord’ – but these 12 shapes sound amazing unplugged
- Gibson only made 98 Flying Vs in the 1950s – which makes this ’58 Flying V one of the rarest electric guitars to come out of the company’s factory
- “Perhaps I could have been more open about it to the people watching our YouTube videos”: Lee Anderton responds to questions over Victory Amps ownership
- Josh Homme’s “core tone with the minimum of fuss”: this UK-made pedal sounds like Queens of the Stone Age and looks like it, too – thanks to exclusive Boneface artwork
- “As a kid, I had a hard time making friends. The guitar was a universal way to communicate where I didn’t have to worry about being cool”: For Nita Strauss, the guitar has been a lifelong ally in battling anxiety and addictions
- Epiphone and Adam Jones’ Art Collection of signature Les Pauls is coming to a close – feast your eyes on the ‘Sensation’ model
- “It’s all about your vibrato and phrasing”: Sophie Lloyd's shred version of Stairway To Heaven adds some fiery fretwork to the Led Zeppelin classic
- “Pedals are such an integral part of the music we make – potentially more than the guitar”: Meet BDRMM, the Mogwai-backed stompbox addicts behind one of 2023’s essential shoegaze albums
- August 29
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- “Make a bold statement”: Gibson gives the Les Paul Standard a 2023 makeover with vibrant finishes that are anything but sunburst
- “Spot on… it’s amazing to think that players will be able to honor my dad by playing on a replica that’s so identical”: Fender recreates Waylon Jennings’ leather-clad 1954 Telecaster with $25,000 Custom Shop guitar
- How to assemble the ultimate live acoustic guitar rig
- She started out posting scary-accurate Pantera covers that saw her hailed as the guitar reincarnation of Dimebag Darrell – then Kayla Kent found herself in the running to be the band’s new guitarist
- “In a funny way, the Super Distortion is the SM57 of the guitar pickup business. It’s got a s***-ton of hits”: Larry DiMarzio on the humbucker that changed the game
- Everything you need to know about flying with your guitar
- “Sick”: In 1985, Kurt Cobain carved one word into this Teisco Del-Ray guitar. Now it has sold at auction for $153,000
- DigiTech Trio+ review
- “Guitars were no longer the priority”: Fender had $100 million worth of retail sales canceled in 2022
- Fender harks back to the ‘60s and ‘70s with overhauled and upgraded California Series acoustics – complete with period-accurate specs and aesthetics
- August 28
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- “We all loved Larry Carlton’s guitar, it was just magic… We were all looking for guitars with chunky necks, to try and get the sustain that he had”: Session legend Dean Parks reveals the secrets of his most iconic Steely Dan and Eric Clapton guitar parts
- “As I came off the stage I said, ‘How much do you want for it?' He wanted the princely sum of 600 pounds”: Bernie Marsden plays the blues on “The Beast,” his legendary 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard, and reveals its origin story
- “He completely floored me. I hadn’t been so gung-ho about a guitar player since Jeff Beck”: How David Bowie helped launch Stevie Ray Vaughan’s career – and why their joint tour was canceled at the last minute
- “People tell me my big mistake was not learning guitar right-handed... No, my big mistake was not learning guitar upside-down!” Meet Nat Myers, the Dan Auerbach protégé updating rootsy blues for the post-pandemic era
- “It needs a tune – but we’ll do that free of charge!” Meet the Gibson Firebird that Jimmy Page lost in a drinking game with John Bonham
- John Mayer is one of the most lyrical soloists playing today – learn his tricks to crafting memorable leads
- August 27
- August 26
- August 25
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- Bernie Marsden, former Whitesnake guitarist and giant of blues-rock guitar, has died
- Martin and John Mayer celebrate 20 years of signature models by, quite literally, putting the silver in silverburst
- The ravaged rock wasteland between Endless Boogie and Mötorhead, and a comeback for one of the most influential riffsmiths of his generation: This week's essential guitar tracks
- Guitar Center honors Eric Clapton with 25th Anniversary Crossroads Collection – a selection of guitars inspired by the most iconic instruments throughout his career
- “Where you hold your guitar for the first time is crucial. It signifies how much of a c*** you’re going to be”: Noel Gallagher on how the most stressful day of his life was caused by a guitar strap
- Inside the new issue of Total Guitar: 99 Ways To Better Tone!
- “When I flick the pickup selector, it turns my bass into a Stratocaster!” Mike Kerr on how he broke all the bass rules for his signature Fender Jaguar – and why his “lack of ability” is key to Royal Blood’s astronomical success
- Your solos and rhythm playing will benefit from learning chords across the fretboard – and major 7ths are a great place to start
- Emprize Harrier review – the British-built combo that combines two coveted vintage Fender voices… with spectacular results
- “The inability to play music or access words was quite frightening, but it was interesting… It became a focal point to write around”: Ben Howard feared the worst after suffering two mini-strokes. He returned with his most adventurous album yet
- August 24
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- “Magic is when you command the elements to capture people’s hearts”: the first trailer for new Santana documentary Carlos has arrived
- “It was like watching Old Man Halen”: John Wines returns to America’s Got Talent – and his new routine is even more electrifying
- Fender drops its massive Labor Day sale super early, offering up to 30% off guitars, accessories, and more
- Universal Audio’s latest UAFX pedals trim the size and the price, but still seek to recreate more “timeless” historic effects – including a delay favored by Eddie Van Halen, Brian May and Joe Walsh
- Kramer’s Eruption humbucker aims to bottle Eddie Van Halen’s iconic ’80s guitar tone with the help of his former luthier Jim DeCola
- The Reverend Crosscut is an eye-catching and versatile six-string that “plays like a dream”
- “Trent Reznor and I were very 'f*** you' about guitars – it was the complete antithesis of what was going on with the era”: Filter's Richard Patrick on developing his unorthodox approach to tone – and his reunion with Nine Inch Nails
- Forget humbuckers – there's a triple-coil pickup in Schecter's new Sunset Triad guitar
- “I get the guitar solo and I immediately have to give it away to Robbie!” Eric Clapton reveals the reason he’s not particularly proud of his Last Waltz performance
- PRS Modern Eagle V review – 17 pickup options and a jaw-dropping guitar build that’s impossible to fault
- “I love anything with a killer solo you can jam out to”: Welcome to the Sophie Lloyd masterclass, where the Machine Gun Kelly guitarist and YouTube shred sensation will give your rock chops a serious workout
- “People would tell me, ‘Oh, you sound and play just like Eddie Van Halen.’ It got under my skin enough that I called Eddie”: Vito Bratta, one of the definitive ’80s shredders, looks back on a career of world-beating solos with White Lion
- August 23
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- “It’s the greatest wah, for me, that’s ever been made”: Kirk Hammett owns 200 wah pedals, but this is his studio go-to – and it’s not his signature Cry Baby
- “A guitar that's as unique as the journey it represents”: Epiphone tips its hat to tutor extraordinaire Marty Schwartz with deceptively versatile ES-335 signature guitar
- 15 ways to improve your Fender Stratocaster
- Bourgeois Touchstone Vintage TS OM and TS D review – all the mojo of the golden pre-war era of acoustics with a few modern twists
- “Designed to be something special”: Gibson just made Rick Beato’s signature Les Paul Special Double Cut even more desirable
- “They didn’t know they were making the greatest guitars in the history of the world”: This super-rare Martin OM-45 Deluxe from 1930 is insured for $1,000,000
- “Gibson represented vintage makeup-era Kiss – Paul Stanley wanted me to be part of the new generation of guitar players”: How Bruce Kulick gave Kiss a hair-metal makeover with his iconic ESP ‘Banana’ guitar
- “In soviet Russia, guitar shreds you”: Meet the Torture Eclipse – a W.A.S.P.-inspired electric guitar that incorporates a rotating circular saw blade
- August 22
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- Holy grail Greeny tone from any Les Paul? Gibson just made its Greenybucker pickups available as a standalone set for the first time
- Big Muff vs Fuzz Face: what's the difference?
- “It suddenly made me feel so mature. I remember getting the shivers! It was not death metal”: How Jimmy Page, Stevie Wonder, Grand Theft Auto III and Steven Wilson helped Opeth become modern-day prog icons
- “We had a lot of adrenaline. Sometimes we didn’t remember what we did until the day after”: Inside the psych-surf sound of Teke::Teke – a riptide of antique drive pedals, improvisatory freakouts and needle nose pliers
- “The latest discovery is unbelievable”: Gibson recovers entire lost archive of pre-’70s guitar amp and effects pedal blueprints – after finding them on eBay
- Kramer Dave Mustaine Vanguard review – if shredding is your business... then business is good
- This year’s most unexpected guitar solo? Lil Wayne wields an Eddie Van Halen Frankenstein for a crossover collaboration you probably never expected to see
- “Ladies and gentlemen: Edward... Van... Halen!” EVH’s full nine-minute guitar solo at Van Halen’s legendary 1984 Monsters Of Rock show surfaces online for the first time ever
- August 21
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- “I have had moments where I got the best tone on the cheapest guitar because I spent so much time with them”: Tora Dahle Aagård on the guitar gear in her life
- “Guitars adapt to whoever is playing them. I can play somebody else’s guitar for two weeks and it will change according to how I play it”: Ralph Towner on the sensitivity of the six-string – and why he doesn't use an amp on stage
- “Guys like Andy Timmons told me my playing is a part of his musical DNA. Marty Friedman and Paul Gilbert told me the same thing”: Angel's Punky Meadows on the return of a cult guitar hero
- Gibson’s Mat Koehler says he rates this guitar among the most “beautiful designs ever to come out of Kalamazoo” – and it’s an Epiphone
- Dean Zelinsky has issued another Dimebag Guitarz tease – and it looks like the Stealth is returning
- Best Gretsch guitars 2024: Explore those iconic Gretsch tones with our top picks
- Jackson has reprised a cult electric guitar associated with Jeff Beck for a super-limited Custom Shop run
- “Like playing molten lava”: Is Way Huge’s new Stone Burner Sub Atomic Fuzz its heaviest octave fuzz pedal yet?
- August 20
- August 19
- August 18
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- Gossamer tremolo picking and the stuff of Phrygian nightmares: This week's essential guitar tracks
- “I was playing a Van Halen solo in my mind”: Post Malone trips up during Tiny Desk performance – because he was busy thinking about Eddie Van Halen’s playing
- “I was just trying to play distorted bass – everything had to be on 11!” Napalm Death bassist Shane Embury on writing riffs and fighting nazis
- Pat Metheny is a true master of guitar, and every player can learn from his awe-inspiring fusion approach – expand your chops with these key concepts
- “The fun part is singing over it”: How John Mayer turned a DIY practice routine into “probably the most emo song” he has
- The evolution of the late-‘60s Gibson Les Paul Custom – a near “exact duplicate of the original” that has become a holy grail for collectors
- Origin Effects DCX Boost review – a pedal that simply improves your tone just by being active
- “I hate admitting this but I started bawling like a baby”: Kirk Hammett says his iconic ‘Greeny’ Les Paul recently had another gut-wrenching injury
- Orange O Bass review – this stylish and affordable reissue is a more serious contender than you might think
- “The fact that Fender is so passionate about making the Hellcat still blows my mind”: Tim Armstrong's signature acoustic has a new Checkerboard look
- “An absolute groundbreaker as a player”: His Telecaster mastery was the backbone of records by Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, and countless others – watch James Burton demonstrate his incredible chicken pickin’ technique
- August 17
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- Harley Benton refreshes the CST-24 and CST-24T in all-new finishes to make those figured tops really pop – what else could you want for $238?
- 8 ways to keep your kids interested in playing guitar
- “It’s not about how complex your phrases are, it’s just about your style and stamp”: Sevendust’s John Connolly and Clint Lowery on how they “fell back in love with the art of soloing”
- Furch Violet D-SM review – a first-class build that proves you don't need to spend silly money for a pro-quality dreadnought
- “I’d love to have all vintage stuff. There’s just something different about using an original version of a legendary pedal”: John Notto reveals what’s on his pedalboard
- “We’re going to explore how I shape my signature tone and dig into some of my favorite technical and creative approaches”: Eric Johnson launches TrueFire online masterclass – featuring in-the-works material
- Positive Grid continues its signature Spark Mini spree with a Paul Gilbert amp – and it's joined by custom presets of his “most iconic tones”
- “Every meeting we have, we talk about the Model T”: Sunn confirms a reissue of its most iconic amp is in the works – and it might be more affordable than you think
- For 30 years, this Japanese guitarist has dedicated his life to becoming Jimmy Page – watch the first trailer for Mr. Jimmy, a documentary about his incredible story
- Get Billie Joe Armstrong’s explosive Green Day tone in a compact pedal as MXR brings the Dookie Drive back – again – for a limited time only
- Tom Morello breaks out the Takamine and joins the Hollywood picket line as he plays Woody Guthrie for striking union members
- August 16
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- The Cure’s Simon Gallup has been gigging with 2 gnarly new-look bass guitars – and now Schecter has released them as his latest signature models
- “For 40 years, guitar manufacturers have been trying to get me to flaunt their product”: Lars Ulrich turns his hand to guitar demos for the first time – while Kirk Hammett shreds on a Strat
- Fender Mike Kerr Jaguar Bass review – a short-scale stunner with a unique pickup pairing that handles much more than just rock
- “The notion that there’s a designated lead and rhythm guitarist seems like such an antiquated concept”: For Hail the Sun, guitar duos are a puzzle – and it makes their fretboard-melting riffs all the more compelling
- EarthQuaker Devices Aurelius Tri-Voice Chorus review – all the chorus you could ever need?
- The surprising secret behind Kurt Cobain’s guitar tone on Nirvana’s In Utero has been discovered, 30 years on from its release
- Download and stream the audio from Guitar Techniques 352
- Watch Marty Friedman, Kiko Loureiro and Dave Mustaine rehearse for one of the summer’s biggest festival sets in new Megadeth behind-the-scenes footage
- This year’s most versatile shred machine? Vola’s Maycown Reichembach signature model boasts P-90 and fire-breathing humbucker pickups – and a heck of a lot of switching options
- “It was the classic sob story in school – I was a bit of an outcast and didn’t make friends. The guitar was my release and my escape”: Sophie Lloyd went from filming YouTube covers to touring arenas with Machine Gun Kelly – she recounts her meteoric rise
- Guild makes a major play for the made-in-USA acoustic market with the “no frills, boutique quality” Standard Series
- “It's not a replica or a clone. It’s the actual thing”: JHS Pedals revives influential gear brand Ross Electronics – and recruits John Mayer, Brian Wampler and Robert Keeley for new documentary
- “Joe Perry had hit a block, so I was called in to play on Train Kept a Rollin’. They said, ‘Don't tell anyone – no-one can know’”: From Alice Cooper to Peter Gabriel and Aerosmith, Steve Hunter has led one of session guitar’s most remarkable careers
- “Stephen said, 'Why don't you just play along with my guitar line?' I said: 'Why don't you just p**s off?'” A classic interview with Deftones bassist Chi Cheng
- Coming soon: The Guitar Showcase 2023
- With blistering technique, a great ear for melody and an incredible rhythm guitar pocket, Steve Lukather is one of rock guitar’s all-time greats – upgrade your skills with his must-learn licks
- August 15
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- “I never thought I could actually play a solo on this thing”: YouTuber creates a ‘neckless’ guitar – and even manages to record a song with it
- “All the tone of the classic P-90 pickup without the hum”: Is Seymour Duncan’s new Silencer range the perfect modern P-90 platform?
- Orange OR30 review – a British-built 30W head that can breathe fire onstage… or in the bedroom
- “Classical guitar is often about emulating other people, especially older generations – so I just wanted to do the wildest thing possible”: Marcin Patrzalek is reinventing the nylon-string for a new generation – and going viral while he’s at it
- His liquid jazz-blues playing style made him one of the most sought-after session guitarists of all time – learn the secrets behind Larry Carlton’s most memorable solos
- “A traditional bass player might find it a bit bizarre”: Fender and Royal Blood’s Mike Kerr team up for a signature Jaguar Bass – is this the secret sauce to his heralded tone?
- “Will we see a bass player in the White House one day? Maybe, but it might not be me!” Forrest Gump star Gary Sinise on why he plays bass for veterans
- “For me, a power chord is laziness”: Rolling Stones, U2 and XTC producer Steve Lillywhite explains why certain uses of power chords are “not art”
- “Rhythm playing is the backbone of what a guitar player is trying to say – and it’s become deeply undervalued today”: Adrian Vandenberg is back with one of this year’s biggest rock guitar albums – where melody and rhythm are king
- August 14
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- Download and stream the audio from Total Guitar Annual 2024
- “I have to give credit where it’s due”: How fashion brand Supreme inspired John 5's Fender Ghost Telecaster
- Best impulse response loaders 2024: professionally recorded guitar tones on the go
- No, arpeggios aren’t just for jazz and shred solos – here are 5 ways you can use them to freshen up any style of guitar playing
- Epiphone Dave Mustaine Flying V Prophecy review – the most versatile Mustaine model ever made
- “I'm still slammed with orders. Each B-Bender is made with care and love, just like I did with the first one for Clarence White”: How Gene Parsons reinvented electric guitar playing with the B-Bender
- “Dave Friedman has done it again”: Friedman unveils new Jake E. Lee signature amp head – and it combines 2 specific eras of classic rock tones
- The best-value electric guitar of 2023? Shergold unveils the surprisingly affordable Telstar – and it’s a serious looker
- "Like wrestling an octopus": How to play bass like Les Claypool
- Derek Trucks has been tackling Beck’s Bolero in his own spectacular fashion – watch him nail Jeff Beck’s influential guitar tour de force
- “It felt like I had been training my whole life for that gig”: How Nuno Bettencourt ended up playing with Rihanna
- August 12
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- Best impulse responses 2024: the secret sauce of great recorded guitar tone
- “I was close to being kicked out of school. A therapist suggested guitar playing would help me with my behavior and grades…”: Peruvian shredder Charlie Parra had an unlikely path to success – but Eddie Van Halen was always his guiding light
- August 11
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- Palm-muted gut-punches and Strandberg shred that sounds like Plini meets Mario Kart: This week’s essential guitar tracks
- “An incredible piece of history”: Peter Green’s 1962 Silvertone Speed Demon has just been listed on Reverb
- “What you’re about to see may shock you”: Jason Isbell shows off some of his most prized vintage guitars on Gibson TV’s The Collection
- “It’s like you’re looking at Mozart and you’re like, ‘I’m gonna improvise over this part.’ No. That’s how those songs should be performed”: John 5 shares his approach to learning Mötley Crüe’s back catalog
- Everything you need to know about tube amp attenuation
- “I can’t be a better Paul McCartney. I can’t be a better you. I can only be a better me”: 7 questions with Kat Dyson
- Eddie Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page are some of guitar’s greatest trailblazers – learn their styles and level up your playing with this rock guitar deep-dive
- “Ozzy Osbourne gets in my face and we're doing this dance. Sometimes Kirk and I do it during For Whom the Bell Tolls”: Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo explains the origin of his iconic crab walk
- Boss DS-1 vs Boss DS-2: What’s the difference?
- Inside the new issue of Total Guitar: The 50 Greatest Acoustic Guitar Songs Of All Time
- “Fenders give me so much versatility – I can go from rock to cumbia to funk to salsa to vallenato to metal”: He’s one of Colombia’s biggest-selling artists – now Juanes has a signature Stratocaster as multitalented as he is
- Steve Hackett called him “probably the most proficient tapper out there”: Watch underrated tapping genius Stanley Jordan apply his masterful technique to Stairway to Heaven – on two guitars at once
- “Everything about the design appeals to me”: Jacob Collier on why he created his wild 5-string Strandberg – and how he unlocked a new musical language with its unusual alternate tuning
- August 10
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- "We had no idea we were going to do it": That time Jimmy Page, Jack White and The Edge saluted the Band with a surprise campfire cover of The Weight
- Think kill switches don’t belong on bass? Steve Tréguier’s new metal machine from Vola Guitars is here to prove you wrong
- Seymour Duncan HyperSwitch review – the Bluetooth-equipped pickup selector that opens up a vast world of tonal possibilities
- “I’ve often said I’d rather be a Chet Atkins back-room guy. But I’m an opportunist, too. So, if the spotlight keeps falling on me, I’ll have to rise to the occasion”: Steve Howe reveals what it takes to mastermind a prog institution
- “The Franken V is literally a dream come true. It’s the best guitar I’ve ever had”: Scott Ian always wanted a V-shaped version of Eddie Van Halen’s Frankenstein – and Jackson made it a jaw-dropping reality
- Best amp simulators: lose the amp, keep the tone
- “His effect on the art form was profound and lasting”: Robbie Robertson, 1943-2023 – the guitar world pays tribute
- “Prince was serious about what he wanted. He would turn around, point to you and say, ‘Go!’”: Josh Dunham names the five albums that helped shape his sound with Prince
- Jeff Loomis is one of metal’s most technically audacious players – and learning his techniques can really up your shred game
- “Playing with Bob Dylan was like entering The Twilight Zone of music. You thought, ‘They’re going to wake me up tomorrow because all of this is impossible’”: Robbie Robertson reflects on his remarkable career and the end of the Band
- Affordable Dual Rectifier, JCM800 and 5150 tones for your pedalboard? TC Electronic makes a play for the high-gain sector with 3 new Ampworx pedals
- August 9
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- Robbie Robertson, guitarist for Bob Dylan, the Band, dies at 80
- Sixto Rodriguez, singer-songwriter of Searching for Sugar Man fame, dies at 81
- Chris Rea is an underrated blues-pop force – his soulful slide playing is well worth investigating
- “We’ll play up to 200 songs over the course of a tour… it would drive me crazy to play the same songs every night”: Warren Haynes on what drives Gov’t Mule – and why he’s focusing on writing guitar epics
- “My dad didn’t believe in distortion”: Bill Kelliher took us through his unlikely guitar tone journey – while he cooked us lunch
- “I sold everything I had to buy my first Fender – today, we have a Juanes Stratocaster”: Fender’s Juanes signature Strat boasts an all-new Luna White finish – and one key circuit upgrade
- Unlock a world of tremolo tones with the revolutionary VegaTrem VT2ND Teletrem – a whammy bar that easily equips to any Fender Telecaster
- Nikki Sixx, John 5 and the ongoing Mötley Crüe brouhaha – only in the new Guitar World
- “The kids just went ape”: Link Wray's Rumble inspired Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend and Jeff Beck – and had a guitar tone so aggressive it was banned from the radio
- “With an SG, I can let out my visceral, animalistic side as a player. That’s difficult for me to attain with anything else”: How Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka is embracing primal guitar and blues heroes
- “I don’t want someone coming away from my show thinking, ‘He doesn’t sound any good’”: Buddy Guy opens up on his retirement from the road
- “We never saw it coming that Mick wasn’t going to be able to tour and was going to have to quit the band”: Nikki Sixx offers his own take on the Mötley Crüe drama
- Electro-Harmonix just launched a serious competitor in the mini compressor pedal stakes
- August 8
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- “A dream come true”: Gibson reimagines the Hummingbird as the Bluebird for country star Miranda Lambert
- Why diminished phrases can be your secret weapon in a blues chord progression
- “My guitar playing in itself is crude and extremely simple, but whole sonic worlds grow out of it”: Swans influenced everyone from Nirvana to Tool, but Michael Gira still doesn't see himself as a guitarist
- For decades no-one even knew his name. This month, James Jamerson will have a street named after him
- “A groundbreaking store for all things Gibson”: Gibson to open new flagship Garage outside the US for the first time
- Disneyland-salvaged wood and guitars that literally smell as good as they look: Fender goes big on sustainability for unique California Streetwoods collection
- The Halcyon Gold Overdrive just became the most exciting Klon-inspired pedal on the market – because it’s so much more than just a clone
- “For me, Wish You Were Here is the most satisfying album. I really love it. I'd rather listen to that than Dark Side of the Moon”: David Gilmour opens up on the creative tension that built Pink Floyd's classic records
- August 7
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- Taylor’s 417e is a “modern-classic” acoustic with a “robust and powerful voice”
- “A great testament to the passion, brilliance, talent and ingenuity of the Master Builders”: Fender’s latest Custom Shop Prestige Collection features some of the wildest guitars you’ll see in 2023
- Marty Friedman revisits his thrash heyday once again for ferocious four-song guest spot with Megadeth
- “I think it's fairly impossible to be a guitarist without loving Steve Vai”: Nili Brosh names 10 guitarists who shaped her sound
- Epiphone Dave Mustaine Flying V Custom review – a metal-tailored V that virtually plays itself
- “I'm gonna do this intro all over for you”: Kirk Hammett fluffs the intro to Nothing Else Matters at first show of Metallica's US tour
- Everyone from Charlie Christian to Yngwie Malmsteen has used arpeggios in their guitar solos – here's how you can do it, too
- John Petrucci and Zakk Wylde just shared the stage for the first time ever – and they shredded Black Label Society
- “I don't know whether we played it properly, but the audience loved it”: When Black Sabbath regularly covered Smoke on the Water – and unwittingly inspired Spinal Tap's Stonehenge
- “Guitar geeks’ eyes pop out of their heads”: Introducing Nepco – the stunning indie guitar builds that ask, ‘What if Danelectro made Vs?’
- “That’s just a wacky, fun solo”: Wolfgang Van Halen reveals his favorite Eddie Van Halen guitar solo – and it’s not one you’d expect
- August 6
- August 5
- August 4
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- Sterling by Music Man’s Valentine Chambered guitar is a modern classic “dripping with tone and deep resonance"
- “The nylon-string guitar is obviously the most beautiful instrument in the world”: Norwegian singer-songwriter Juni Habel on making hazy acoustic folk without a steel-string in sight
- Fishman Fluence Tim Henson Signature Series and Scott LePage Custom Series review: Innovative pickups that boast an awesome tonal range
- “The boys are back in town, baby”: Watch Polyphia pay tribute to Thin Lizzy – and their home state – during sublime pro-shot Texas performance
- Johnny Cash’s 1930s Martin makes a comeback – and so does Napster-era crunch: This week's essential guitar tracks
- “The band is stuck in the United States indefinitely”: Mdou Moctar are stranded in the US following a coup in Niger – and need your help raising funds
- Peavey denies using prison labor to build guitar amps following resurfaced George Lynch allegations
- “I was bullied for my technique. I just used that as motivation… keep playing until you smoke the haters”: Meet Snõõper, the Jack White-signed Nashville indie punks making art from 100mph fretwork
- “On a quick trip to interview Paul Reed Smith I was told we were going to the White House so I’d better pack a suit”: Celebrating 500 issues of Guitarist, one of the world’s greatest guitar magazines
- His underrated guitar playing influenced everyone from the Beatles to Nirvana – here's how Lead Belly used his 12-string skills to play his way out of prison
- Wolfgang Van Halen says covering Van Halen made him so nervous he had to change string gauges
- August 3
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- “The agony of choice is over”: Kemper blends profiling and modeling as it launches innovative new Liquid Profiling technology
- “Kurt took the guitar and carved the word ‘SICK’ at the bottom of it”: Two years before he started Nirvana, Kurt Cobain inscribed his friend’s Teisco guitar – now it’s headed for auction
- Introducing HotWax, the 18-year-old grunge enthusiasts named after an unsung overdrive pedal and making ’90s alt-rock anthems for generation Z
- Vox MV50-BM Brian May Limited Edition Set review: a tiny 50W Nutube head fit for Queen
- “Everything you’ve ever wanted and needed out of a reverb”? EarthQuaker Devices launches the Ledges Tri-Dimensional Reverberation Machine
- “A revolutionary approach”: Boss’ latest acoustic guitar amp creates convincing, mic’d-up tones – and all you have to do is plug in
- You've heard it in The Muppets and Ren and Stimpy – now learn Delibes' quirky masterpiece Pizzicato
- “It's not always easy – metal is not a mainstream genre in Japan. But we can expand the range of people who enjoy it”: Lovebites' Midori Tatematsu on her mission to bring 24-fret metal shred to the masses
- “Wings are underrated. It’s difficult to follow The Beatles. It’s like following God”: How Paul McCartney quit the world's biggest band... and triumphed
- August 2
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- Wolfgang Van Halen’s new single has a monster tapping solo – featuring his uncle operating his wah pedal
- “40 minutes of bass solos just ain’t going to work for me”: Meshell Ndgeocello on why she could never be as solo-orientated as Jaco Pastorius
- “I would definitely advise trying classical guitar – it’s really easy to translate classical chord shapes to pop music”: How NY duo The Lemon Twigs are leading the ’70s glam rock guitar revival
- How to play gospel blues guitar and make something original – and thrilling – out of electric guitar's oldest art form
- “We’ve always said genre’s a lie since day one”: Meet Hot Milk, the Manchester punk-rockers who love P-90 pickups and EDM in equal measure, and count Dave Grohl among their fans
- “The apocalypse will happen before most of our pickups ever take a dump”: Jason Lollar on what drives him to make better pickups than anything that’s gone before
- Leo Fender’s lost guitar design, the G&L Espada, has been reborn with one significant tonal twist
- “I'd hear Dave Mustaine aimlessly riffing on the couch, and it's the riffs that ended up on the first two Megadeth – and, frankly, Metallica – records”: Megadeth's first lead guitarist Greg Handevidt on the birth of a metal institution
- “The only headless guitar Gibson has ever produced” actually has a headstock – the 1981 Futura Prototype must be the most intriguing design in the firm’s history
- Sunn’s first official drop revives amps used by Adam Jones, Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix
- He’s one of Japan’s most iconic shredders and plays in a band called Loudness – now Akira Takasaki has an outrageous fuzz-loaded Cry Baby worthy of his reputation
- Mick Thomson confirms he is using Fishman Fluence pickups now, and we reckon a signature set won’t be far off – here’s why
- Paul Gilbert thinks freeform guitar solos are “pretty dangerous” – but he’s brought them back for Mr. Big’s farewell tour anyway
- August 1
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- “The world needs it back”: Sunn Amplifiers – the brand used by Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend and countless doom metal heroes – has been revived with the help of Fender
- “We’ve never wanted to come across like we’re doing things properly”: How Squid overcame imposter syndrome to develop a mesmerizing post-punk guitar sound
- Boss SDE-3000EVH Dual Digital Delay review: an Eddie Van Halen live staple returns in pedal form
- 10 ways to make your guitar chords more interesting
- October 2023 Guitar World lesson videos
- The bizarro novelty hit from 1965 that featured one of the wildest alternate tunings in guitar history – and Lou Reed
- “For the genius of Boygenius: three individual germanium transistor boost pedals in one single enclosure”: Nardwuar nails the ultimate indie trio gift with this custom pedal
- “You bassists who think your bass isn’t loud enough, you’re right! I always want my bass louder in the mix”: How Geddy Lee found his sound with Rush
- Best bass pickups: Improve your bass sound with options from Fender, Aguilar, Seymour Duncan and more
- “It’s one of the most important instruments in rock ‘n’ roll history”: Jim Irsay names his favorite guitar from his billion dollar collection
- “The first guitar that I really fell in love with was a Les Paul – going to Gibson felt very full circle because that’s where I started”: Mark Morton on his future with the guitar giant, his enviable vintage collection and touring with Pantera
