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December 2024

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128 articles

December 12
- “I was approached to join David Lee Roth’s band, initially… I didn’t want to be Eddie Van Halen part two”: Steve Stevens on laying down the Dirty Diana solo with Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones, recording Rebel Yell – and why Vai got it right with Roth
- “They thought they were going to lose me because my vitals were out of control. That’s when a miracle happened. The nurses were baffled”: Jamie Foxx says his daughter saved his life by playing guitar
- “Reveal coming soon”: Is Gibson working on new James Hetfield signature models?
- “He had one of the greatest finger vibratos of all time”: Jared James Nichols on the guitar genius of Free’s Paul Kossoff
December 11
- “The pick that makes guitar easier”: Introducing the PickTwist – a new 3D pick that will make you a better player… and never slip out your hand
- “I used my P-Bass in the studio and my Jazz Bass live, because it projected a little louder”: Originally recorded as a B-side, this riff-driven blues became a Jimi Hendrix classic – and bassist Billy Cox played a pivotal role
- “Match the tone of the short-pants rock God”: Crazy Tube Circuits bottles Angus Young’s tone in a pedal – including the secret sauce that shaped his guitar sounds (and Kiss, Pink Floyd and Metallica’s, too)
- “I went to Alexander Dumble’s home and plugged into all his amps. He let me play the first one he ever made”: Orianthi’s new signature Orange is inspired by a visit to the most coveted amp maker of them all
- “After leading our overall list for two years, it did not come in No. 1”: Reverb reveals its best-selling electric guitars of 2024 – and the previous top-seller has been toppled
- “There was a time you wouldn’t have touched a Superstrat, at least in my world – that was very illegal. It’s cool to be able to let go of those old feelings and those silly rules”: How Chris Shiflett learned to love his inner shredder
- His cascading melodies are like a pianist using the sustain pedal, while his double-stop lines channel an entire horn section – Rodrigo Gouveia is a neo-soul maestro, and this masterclass in his style will make you a more rounded player
- “The guitar can be your best friend one day and your rival the next – it keeps you on your toes”: London jazz ace Artie Zaitz on why the amp is your second instrument and how he learned to love mistakes
- “Elevating the amplified sound to incredible new heights”: Faith has given its staple Eclipse acoustics a premium reboot – and they’re aiming to be the ultimate stage guitars
- “It works every time… although you'll ruin your pick”: Joe Bonamassa shows you how to get out of a slow blues solo
- “I came across this clip and I enjoyed watching. Great job!” Steve Vai gives his seal of approval to the viral Hungarian high-schooler who nailed For The Love of God at his school prom
December 10
- “It can be whatever pedal you need it to be”: TC Electronic’s Plethora X1 takes the fight to the Line 6 HX One – and it costs over $100 less
- “We love it when Gibson gets it right”: Gibson ES-330 and Les Paul Studio review
- Their ingeniously arranged rhythm guitars fueled one of prog metal's most pioneering bands and gave them an orchestral edge – how Queensrÿche's Michael Wilton and Chris DeGarmo became two of metal's most cerebral riff-masters
- “This pickup could have come out of a late-’50s Gibson. If you had a guitar from that era with these pickups, everyone would be like, ‘Wow. That’s a badass-sounding Les Paul’”: How Adam “Nolly” Getgood and Bare Knuckle reinvented the P.A.F. for a new era
- Harley Benton might just have launched its best-value acoustic yet – a solid spruce/rosewood build that starts from $318
- “From the first chord, we both thought, ‘Wow’ – I quit my band and moved to Denmark”: How husband-and-wife duo the Courettes became one of the most exciting bands in the garage-rock underground
December 9
- “I went to a Fender event with her and they allowed the public into the exhibit. People were losing their minds. It kind of scared me”: Abigail Ybarra is a legend of the pickup world – but her daughter didn’t realize until she got mobbed by fans
- Guns N’ Roses are hitting the road in 2025 – and they’re bringing punk and hip-hop legends with them
- “I played and sang Suffragette City and everyone else was doing Foxy Lady – I was so drunk, I didn’t even know”: The Cure’s Robert Smith on his disastrous first show as a singer and guitarist... when he butchered a Jimi Hendrix classic
- “Jimi Hendrix came in with an old Duo-Sonic. I had just put together a Strat I’d strung up left-handed, and I went, ‘I’ll trade you.’ I was docked three weeks’ pay”: Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter recalls the questionable guitar deal he made when he met Jimi Hendrix
- “I blew it up and replaced it with a black-panel Deluxe. He probably doesn’t know...”: Steve Hill on the time he recorded at Foo Fighters’ studio – and broke Chris Shiflett’s prized Fender Princeton
- “I won seven guitar contests in a row. When I went to enter again, they said, ‘No, don’t even enter – you’re going to judge the next one’”: Dimebag Darrell discusses his love of soloing – even when it was uncool – and dishes advice in his final interview
- “The finest tone we’ve ever achieved. It’s knocking industry titans off pedalboards”: Keeley has launched a new Rotary pedal – and it could be the brand’s most significant launch in some time
- “I was having so much anxiety about getting a great sound that I wasn’t writing songs… I said, ‘I’m gonna stop thinking about it. This is going to be my sound’”: Tom Morello on his tone struggles and what he learned from teaching his son Roman how to play
- “We are both at the top of our game”: Steve Vai and Joe Satriani have formed a new band together – and will release new music ahead of upcoming tour dates
- “I have a Southern accent, and it’s the same on the guitar. I adapted the guitar to do the talking for me when I was too shy”: Marcus King on why your fretboard has its own language – and how mental health became his muse
- “When we learn to improvise, the first thing we pay attention to is where to put our fingers… rarely do any of us pay attention to the rhythm of a melody or lick”: Can’t figure out why your improvised solos don’t feel right? Here’s how to fix them
- “MXR’s claim that Layers will ‘extend the creative potential of your instrument’ is absolutely right”: MXR Layers review
December 8
- “It was just full of guitars, and there was no air in it. No spaces, no gaps”: Bill Wyman reunited with his old Rolling Stones bandmates on their Hackney Diamonds album, but didn't like the track he played on
- “I played a 5-string with Lauryn Hill, but it didn’t feel like a real bass”: Raised on R&B, schooled by fusion, and empowered by punk rock, Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jenifer remains a 4-string purist
December 7
- “Could this be the most impressive tube amp under $700? For simpler needs, we definitely think it’s up there”: Blackstar TV-10 B combo amp review
- “I went to this very posh house in Regent’s Park in London, knocked on the door and this 16-year-old American kid held it up. I said, ‘It’s a red guitar – I’ll have it!’” How Phil Manzanera got his trademark Roxy Music Gibson Firebird
- “Zoom discontinued that pedal because nobody bought it – but bass players are always coming up to me wanting to know how I got those sounds”: Remembering jazz great Victor Bailey, who used an unsung multi-FX pedal for his cover of Prince’s biggest hit
December 6
- “I got really sick, and in the hospital, I decided to teach myself how to play guitar. I was playing piano and violin classically, and it was a little intense”: Yvette Young on why choosing the guitar felt “magical” – and what it represents to her
- “Gilmour says, ‘I want to play on it’ – like, he doesn’t do this’”: Body Count rip through their Comfortably Numb reimagining on the Tonight Show, as Ernie C does his best David Gilmour
- Proggy Pentatonic! How to Use the Good Ol’ Pentatonic Scale in Cool New Ways
- “It’s everything the SLO is, all in a pedal”: Soldano’s SLO Plus could be the new hard rock pedal amp to beat – bringing both channels of the legendary SLO-100 guitar amp to the floor
- “I had a hard time playing in tune. The producer stopped me and said, ‘George, tune up again.’ I didn’t realize the value of that until Breezin’ came out”: How George Benson landed a hit album by breaking the rules – and learning to play in tune
- “Captures the very essence of British rock ’n’ roll”: The Masquerader Standard makes one of cult UK builder Shergold’s most distinctive guitars significantly more affordable
- “I hope that’s cleared up any curiosities about how we run the show”: Sleep Token’s guitar tech finally lifts the lid on IV’s entire live guitar rig – right down to his pick of choice
- “When she asked me if I would come be her lead guitar player, I just was like, ‘Um, how can I say no to Shania?’” Lindsay Ell on the “pinch me moment” she became Shania Twain's lead guitarist
- “This band has allowed me to diversify my playing 10-fold. I would consider myself a one-trick pony prior to joining”: Kiki Wong on how playing with Smashing Pumpkins has made her a better guitar player
- “Even though a Marshall sounded fantastic, I refused to play one. That’s my bad… I had a terrible sound for years”: Punk-grunge icon Donita Sparks on ironic gear choices, L7’s infamous Reading Festival set and why recording with Butch Vig was “maddening”
- “You could tell it was gonna be a good group, but people wouldn’t even book the band”: Long-awaited Becoming Led Zeppelin documentary gets its first trailer – and hints at the band’s early struggles
- “I bought my ’54 Strat from the biggest dealer in Sweden – he was crying when I walked away with the guitar”: Brian May, Steve Vai and Neal Schon have all given Yngwie Malmsteen guitars – but nothing compares to his Fender Strats
December 5
- “An enhanced version of the classic”: Gibson has put an all-new spin on its traditional Les Paul Studio – and it was created in response to requests from players
- “An all-in-one suite for songwriting”: Mooer’s latest pedal is ridiculously light, insanely small… and could be the most portable multi-effects unit out there
- “I didn’t have a bass guitar, so I had to make one. Unknown to me at the time, I built the first fretless bass, about five years before they came out”: Before the Rolling Stones, Bill Wyman needed a good bass guitar – so he created his own
- “A lot of them need to be played. They have souls”: One of California’s top music entrepreneurs has left behind one of the finest vintage guitar collections we’ve ever seen
- “From the aesthetics to the feel and the sounds, the Sferata is wholly convincing”: Rivolta Forma Sferata review
- “I got a chance to play the guitar that David Gilmour owned with serial number 0001 – and I was actually disappointed”: Why one of David Gilmour’s most iconic Strats underwhelmed Fender’s CEO – who tried to buy it at auction
- “If there was ever a time to get off the rollercoaster, it was going to be at the top”: Being in a band is tough – just ask bassist Dirk Lance, who left Incubus at the peak of their powers
- “It was finally time to see if we could do a second build of this revered Boogie”: The iconic Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ is officially back – 40 years after the holy grail high-gain amp was last produced
- “He said, ‘That was a great take, but would you like to do it again?…Are those P-90 pickups?’” That time Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon was a total guitar nerd and solved a pro player’s persistent feedback problem in minutes
- “Trying to emulate these different players was a challenge. Chris Poland to Marty Friedman is like night and day. But that’s what excites me”: Glen Drover grew up idolizing Megadeth and King Diamond’s guitar heroes – then he had to step into their shoes
- His playing had an intensity and drama that even Eric Clapton admired – and it all started with classical guitar: Paul Kossoff was a rare genius with a vibrato to die for
- The glitterball guitar heroes of ’70s funk were masters of rhythm guitar – and learning their string-popping techniques and snappy chord shapes will make you a better player
- “Many players think that the pickups are the main contributor to the way a guitar sounds… But if you change what the string does, that changes the guitar”: How Andy Powers rethought electric guitar design for the Powers Electric A-Type
- “Shockingly good for an instrument at such a low price point”: Squier Affinity Series Starcaster Deluxe review
December 4
- “We made a handwritten tab book. I wanted to make some sort of DIY zine, and I had all these guitar solos from the EP that people were asking about”: Musical polymath Luna Li on blending harps with Fender Jaguars – and the art of arrangement
- “If I was only doing blues, we wouldn’t be sitting here. The mix of what I do is what makes it stand out”: Bonnie Raitt on why pushing beyond the blues was key to her success – that, and making her guitar “sound like bacon smells”
- “Phil and I were both on our knees trying to find this screw”: Scott Gorham's bootleg Les Paul fell apart during his disastrous Thin Lizzy audition, but his struggles inspired a key tweak he now makes to all of his Les Pauls
- “No other company delivers as many innovative and affordable products as we do”: Behringer blasts critics and announces return to NAMM after 10 years away
- “I remember watching Jimi when I was younger, while he was in the room with me. I’d have my social studies book, but I was listening and watching him”: Ernie Isley lived with Jimi Hendrix – then took his place to write hit after hit in his brothers’ band
- “This album has been thousands of years in the making”: 80-year-old blues guitarist and singer-songwriter wins Australia's top music prize – beating Nick Cave and Amyl and the Sniffers
- “What do you say when you meet Vernon Reid by chance at the Memphis airport and he suggests you swap signature guitars? You say, ‘Yes sir, coming right up’”: Jack White and Vernon Reid exchange signature guitars after serendipitous airport encounter
- Fulltone founder allegedly posts and deletes graphic comment encouraging suicide, directed towards Michigan State Senator
- “Gene Simmons used a Grabber for a reason – because they play like nothing else on earth”: Epiphone Grabber Bass review
- “We wanted to carry the torch of the guitar duo – Friedman/Becker, Gilbert/Bouillet – and pay homage to the golden era of shred guitar”: YouTube virtuosos Pete & Vinnie Play started with Racer X covers – now they’ve released their own classic shred single
- Using arpeggios to imply dominant 9th chords in your solos sounds complicated – but Jim Oblon can explain all, and it might be the secret sauce your improvised leads are waiting for
- “I always liked bluegrass a lot because the tempo is a lot closer to a NOFX beat”: Meet the Bad Ups, the Philadelphia punks inspired by country-and-western, reggae and Chet Atkins
- “From metal machines to versatile all-rounders”: Explore the Ibanez GIO range – a powerhouse of the high-performance guitar market that caters to every discerning taste
December 3
- “His guitar work can be heard all over iconic tracks from their internationally acclaimed Mezzanine album”: Massive Attack guitarist Angelo Bruschini's guitars and gear are currently up for auction
- “The Kemper came into play obviously as a convenience. But when I profiled my first Marshall, it sounded identical. I couldn't tell the difference”: Bad Religion's Brian Baker on his switch to a Kemper – and why he swears by it for his live setup
- “Jimmy was the player who defined the EDS-1275 from the day it was delivered to him”: Gibson launches new Custom Shop VOS Jimmy Page 1969 EDS-1275 model – a meticulous recreation of the Led Zeppelin man's iconic double-neck that doesn't cost $50,000
- “I get disrespected before I even play”: Guitar prodigy Grace Bowers on how she’s won over the critics who underestimate her
- “Trump Guitars is not in any way officially connected with Gibson”: Trump Guitars backtracks after Gibson cease and desist and takes Les Paul-style guitars off the market
- I've just scoured the post-Cyber Weekend sales and found 64 guitar gear deals that won't be around much longer
- “A new dimension of creativity”: Controlling your pedalboard with head movements and your breathing? This potentially game-changing new device lets you do just that (sort of)
- “My friend talked to a roadie, and they said to come back the next day to meet at Steve Howe’s hotel room in downtown Detroit”: When he was a teen, Duane Denison tried to sell a vintage jazz box to one of his guitar heroes
- “David Ellefson told me, ‘You got the gig. Oh and by the way, Dave told me to tell you that you played many of the wrong guitar parts’”: Marty Friedman tells the inside story of his auditions with Ozzy Osbourne and Madonna – and landing the Megadeth gig
- How to understand the meaning behind guitar chord names – and why it matters
- “I don’t like brand-new guitars. I’ll see a new guitar and I’m like, ‘That’s gonna look good after I drag it across the driveway’”: Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy spills his tone (and drop tuning) secrets
- “Allows guitarists to use drop tuning while maintaining the same exact feel and comfort of a standard scale guitar”: Reverend Billy Corgan Signature Drop Z review
December 2
- “Whether it’s clean chords or aggressive fuzzed-out solos, this Mustang takes it all in its stride”: Achieve Nirvana for less with this roaring Cyber Monday discount on Fender's Vintera II '70s Competition Mustang
- “Trust me, the Hizumitas isn’t just a pedal – it’s an experience”: I swore off pedals, but Sweetwater’s time-limited 20% off EarthQuaker Devices Cyber Monday sale is too tempting to ignore
- “When I pull up, Ed is standing there with the wah. He goes, ‘Why does John Frusciante want a piece of crap like this?’” Eddie Van Halen’s tech helped John Frusciante track down a rare wah pedal – but the guitar hero didn’t approve of his gear choice
- I built the Lego Fender Stratocaster and the detail blew me away – it just dropped to its lowest EVER price, and I need to tell every guitarist in my life immediately
- I’ve been reviewing this Telecaster/Les Paul mash-up and have fallen in love with it – now the Squier Paranormal Troublemaker is 25% off un the Fender Cyber Week Sale, and I’ve got it in my basket
- I already thought this Sterling by Music Man was the smart buy of the beginner guitar market, but now that it’s under $200 at Sweetwater for Cyber Monday, it’s a no-brainer...
- Guitar Center return policy: Worried about buying a guitar online? Here’s everything you need to know about the retail giant’s return policy
- Fender's first-ever Player II deals sold out fast – but you can still grab a $200 discount on a Stratocaster in one last Cyber Monday offer
- “It’s a great piece for your arsenal. I did some recording with mine and it worked great”: Joe Perry names his new favorite amp company
- Selling a Cry Baby was my worst-ever pedal deal. Now Guitar Center is offering a 20% discount on the classic wah – is it finally time to let go of my very real pain?
- Quick! ALL JHS Pedals are 25% off – they’re selling out fast, but you can still grab some Cyber Monday stompbox bargains
- I’m shocked by how many newly launched guitars, amps and pedals are discounted this Cyber Monday – including my favorite electric guitar release of the year
- I’ll always love my plucky little Yamaha, but I’m in serious need of an acoustic upgrade. These are the Cyber Monday savings I have my eye on
- One of my favorite headphone amps for guitar just got a last-minute discount for Cyber Monday
- Not to be outshined, Guitar Center just dropped the best Cyber Monday deal for Chris Cornell fans: Score $120 off the Epiphone ES-335 Bigsby in gorgeous Olive Drab while stocks last
- This Jim Root-approved hardtail Fender Strat is now 30% off for Cyber Monday – and it's your very last chance to buy this super-rare model
- We think the Boss Gen 3 Katanas are some of the very best amps in the business – and there's still enough time to get up to $150 off these do-it-all amps with this last-minute Cyber Monday deal
- Musician’s Friend’s Cyber Monday 15% off coupon is now live and it applies to thousands of guitars, pedals, amps, accessories and more – but you’ve not got long left to bag yourself some bargain gear
- “The easiest upgrade you can make to your guitar”: I hate restringing guitars, and that’s why I fit locking tuners to all my electrics – and with 26% off Fender locking tuners, you can improve your Strat or Tele for less
- Harley Benton is the champion of cheap guitars and gear, but I just spotted these dirt-cheap Cyber Monday deals that make them even cheaper
- “We have no problem with sampling. If it hadn’t been for that you probably wouldn’t be interviewing us today”: Cymande bassist Steve Scipio on how the funk pioneers were almost buried before crate diggers like De La Soul and the Fugees brought them back
- “I will make sure Steve Vai sees this video”: Hungarian high schooler goes viral with flawless performance of For The Love of God at his prom
- “Everything the modern musician needs to record great-sounding guitars”: Grab a first-ever Cyber Monday deal on one of our top-rated guitar audio interfaces
- The Fender Custom Shop David Gilmour signature’s $10k price tag leaves me uncomfortably numb. Instead, I’d spend $549 on this Limited Edition Player model from Guitar Center – and make my own Black Strat...
- When the band formed, they could barely play their instruments – then their guitarist bought a delay pedal and changed the sound of electric guitar forever
- “Delay isn’t something you really think of when you think of an acoustic guitar, but it works quite well when you’re adding a top line to a loop”: How Yamaha evolved its TransAcoustic tech to create an acoustic guitar with an onboard delay and looper
- “I depended on Mike – on how he maintained my guitars and amps show after show, and hour after hour in the studio”: Joe Satriani pays tribute to his long-time guitar tech with new video
- “A supreme upgrade of the classic ES-335 design, with exceptionally more versatile tonal options”: Gibson ES Supreme review
- "Straight out of the box, the build quality of the D'Angelico Premier Gramercy was immediately impressive, especially considering its price point": Score $160 off one of our top-rated beginner acoustics this Cyber Monday
- “I don't look at the fingerboard, I listen to it. All of my fretless basses have no fret lines. I can't play on a lined fingerboard”: How Bakithi Kumalo’s swung, fretless bassline helped create one of Graceland’s defining sounds
December 1
- Guitar Center just dropped a 15% off coupon for Cyber Monday – and it’s valid on thousands of guitars, pedals, amps and accessories – including one of our favorite signature models, a fire-breathing EVH lunchbox head, and that Hello Kitty strap you wanted
- “I used to sit in the back seat of the rental car while I was on my radio tour at 16 writing songs”: Taylor Swift learned to play guitar on this acoustic – now you or a loved one can too, with $100 off her pint-sized Taylor signature for Cyber Monday
- I’ve been reporting on Cyber Monday guitar pedal deals for 7 years – and I’ve never seen discounts like these
- Cyber Monday Les Paul deals are starting to heat up – and I’ve picked out the best of the bunch so far
- I’ve tried every kind of earplug in my 20 years of gigging – and the best ones I’ve used just received their first-ever discount ahead of Cyber Monday
- Public service announcement: Fender straps have been discounted to as little as $5 for Cyber Monday – but not for much longer
- Fender’s Squier Debut Stratocaster took the fight to cheap Amazon guitars when it arrived earlier this year – now it’s dropped below $100 for the first time ever
- “When I was growing up, everyone said, ‘Oh, bass is just a second guitar.’ Bull! It's an art, man!” How Matt Freeman became one of punk’s most iconic bassists – bringing bass solos, jazz band and Carole King to Rancid
- “We try to schedule shows around school, and if we can’t, we’ll end up skipping… The band is our first priority”: The Linda Lindas are too punk-rock to stay in class – but they’re learning all the time