Latest articles by Amit Sharma
Kirk Hammett on his favorite Metallica solo and tone – and his most prized purchases from other guitar heroes
The Metallica great is celebrating his remarkable guitar collection in a new Gibson book. He explains how he came to own prized guitars from John Frusciante and Michael Schenker – and why he doesn’t cut cash deals anymore
Kirk Hammett owns over 100 guitars but none of them are PRS. He explains why
The Metallica guitarist has an enviously extensive guitar collection, but it doesn’t feature any of Paul Reed Smith’s builds
Joe Satriani on reuniting with Eric Johnson and Steve Vai and the devil in the detail of Eddie Van Halen's playing
He has the G3 tour, the Best of All Worlds Tour, an album with old friend Steve Vai and the Satch/Vai tour incoming, but somehow Satch found time to check in with GW to talk tone, Van Halen and the danger in Jeff Beck's performances
Kirk Hammett on the time Jack White played the original Greeny onstage
It turns out the two have a history of sharing gear – and White has sent the Metallica guitarist some "totally psycho" kit
“The X100 is very good at what it does – some might say even too good”: MXR Rockman X100 review
The legendary Tom Scholz headphone amp and signal processor gets reborn in pedal form
Slayer’s Tom Araya charts his incredible 4-string journey
From starting on a Paul McCartney Höfner ripoff to pioneering some of the heaviest metal ever committed to tape, Tom Araya admits he's no bass virtuoso… but he “can play fast sometimes”
Joe Satriani reveals the Eddie Van Halen guitar parts he found most difficult to play
Satch also discusses his years-long search for the quintessential Van Halen tone
The story of Peavey and its era-defining Van Halen collaborations – and why they came to an end
Peavey CEO Courtland Gray looks back at the firm’s decades of boundary-pushing products, and what sets the company apart from Fender and Marshall
Jinjer’s Roman Ibramkhalilov on why his drummer’s riffs hit harder, how to confuse people in 4/4, and why Blues Drivers beat Tube Screamers
The Ukrainian metal aces’ latest album is a tour de force of rhythmic pummel and dynamics, and if it sounds difficult to play live then that’s because it is. But Jackson signature artist Ibramkhalilov tells us he’s okay with that
Eddie Van Halen apparently left Peavey because it signed a second superstar shredder – Joe Satriani
Van Halen had developed his Wolfgang and 5150 with Peavey, but the firm’s current CEO reckons Satch’s arrival ultimately convinced him to leave
How Lari Basilio became one of today’s foremost instrumental virtuosos – sharing stages with Joe Satriani, John Petrucci and Lee Sklar along the way
The Ibanez signature artist explains why she makes instrumental music but hardly ever listens to any, where Brazilian music fits in her inspiration, what she loves about her signature pedal and how to develop skills without even knowing it
Behind the rise of Pedal Pawn, the British stompbox brand loved by Eric Gales and SRV fanatics
Chris King Robinson, a vintage gear hunter and tone sleuth, explains how his stompbox brand became a favorite of modern-day blues heroes
The rise of Joe Knaggs: how Paul Reed Smith's right-hand man became one of America’s most respected guitar makers
Having cut his teeth working at the PRS factory, rising from finishing assistant to production manager and head of Private Stock, Knaggs built his brand from the ground up. Here’s his story…
Best Stratocasters 2025: The best Strats for every budget and playing style
Find your fit with our top pick of the best Fender Strats
Best Telecasters 2025: top Teles for every taste
Whether it’s your first Telecaster or you’ve walked in the boots of guitar-playing royalty, our top Telecasters will help you get your twang on
Why Justin Hawkins expects to be playing nothing but Atkin guitars by the end of the year
The Darkness frontman details his journey to Friedman amps via a freaky Laney experience, the success of his musicology podcast series, and the jealousy his band have caused by crossing over to pop
Justin Hawkins explains why technically complex bands like Sleep Token and Polyphia are generating mass appeal
The Darkness frontman and social media commentator claims that there's a new appreciation for a certain brand of virtuosity that, in eras past, might have been perceived as “showing off”
Mateus Asato on discovering his own identity, his big social media mistake and his debut album
Asato leads an amazing double life as pop sideman and virtuoso shredder. He dishes on his big social media mistake, the help he got from Kiko Loureiro, and the last-minute call from Nuno Bettencourt he couldn’t ignore
“Those overdriven cowboy chords and stadium-conquering chorus hooks will be omnipresent throughout 2025”: When Oasis finally returned
2024 Year in Review: The brothers gonna work it out... and they did. Cue the online meltdown for tickets as the Noel and Liam Gallagher get the Mancunion indie rock juggernaut back on the road
“His finest work since The Dark Side of the Moon”: How David Gilmour made a blockbuster comeback with Luck & Strange
2024 Year in Review: The prog icon's mystical solo album was only the start of it – who could have predicted a collaboration with Body Count?
“Joe was great at making me comfortable – he’s such a nice guy”: When Matteo Mancuso jammed with Joe Bonamassa
2024 Year in Review: The Sicilian guitar great joined the blues maestro for one of the year’s fieriest fretboard face-offs
“An end to 100 years of service to the music community”: Why the closure of Sam Ash marked the end of an era
2024 Year in Review: One of America’s best-loved music stores went out of business this year
“Her weapon of choice is, in fact, 45 years older than she is”: The unstoppable rise of Grace Bowers
2024 Year in Review: The teenager's meteoric success continues unabated as her frightening maturity yields magic from her trusty Gibson SG
