Latest articles by Amit Sharma
“This music was born out of pain and suffering. It wasn’t all about guitar solos or ‘my baby left me’! That’s where a lot of people go wrong”: Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram on why the future of blues guitar requires an understanding of its past
The Mississippi blues phenom draws on influences ranging from past masters to Eric Gales and Prince alike – and he says to play the blues, you've got to know where it came from
“I have a Danelectro ’84 Strat copy worth $400 – it’s one of my main guitars, right up there with the $10k Custom Shop SG”: He’s one of the guitar world’s biggest YouTubers. Now Tyler Larson is turning his gear habit into electrifying instrumental rock
Inspired by Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Radiohead, the debut album from the Music is Win mastermind brings his formidable demo chops to full-blown compositions. He explains why anyone can make it as a YouTuber, the elusive formula that makes certain gear so sought-after and whether the Klon Centaur is really worth $5,000…
“There’s no replacement for picking up a guitar, feeling those strings under your fingers and building your calluses”: British shred hero Sophie Lloyd teaches you how to become a better player
As first-call player for Machine Gun Kelly, a YouTube six-string superstar and solo artist, Lloyd is one of the world's fastest-rising guitarists. She shares her tips for getting better faster
“I got the call saying there was a band looking for a player. I said yes before even asking which band it was. Then I got told it was Ghost”: Former Nameless Ghoul Chris Catalyst breaks cover about his time in Tobias Forge’s epic metal project
The UK session guitarist went from marathon tours with Sisters of Mercy and Ugly Kid Joe to massive arena shows with Ghost. He reveals what it takes to cut it in one of metal’s biggest bands, why Noel Gallagher has one of his all-time favorite guitar tones, and how a love of Kempers, hooks and Britpop shaped his new solo album
“Go into your local shop and pick one up… just try not to kill anyone with it”: How Five Finger Death Punch’s Andy James made one of the most dangerous signature guitars of all time
Now armed with the B.C. Rich Assassin and its lethal Pitchfork headstock, the British shredder reveals what made him jump ship from Kiesel and ESP Guitars, what his last-minute FFDP initiation was really like, and why he couldn’t find any tube amps that “sounded as good and dependable as the Kemper”
“I’ve been wanting to do this solo thing for a very long time. I had to do stuff with Mötley… now it’s my time”: Mick Mars opens up about his surprisingly heavy solo debut and life after the Crüe
As he releases the first single from his first-ever solo record, The Other Side of Mars, Mick Mars reflects on his guitar legacy, growing up with Eddie Van Halen and why he thinks Mötley Crüe made a “very, very wise choice” in hiring John 5
“Playing scales up and down is dumb… this isn’t a f**king recital!” We meet the outspoken cartoon shredder who teamed up with Gary Holt, Alex Skolnick and George Lynch for one of this year’s biggest shred guitar albums
Led by a guitarist who claims to be the Bay Area lovechild of James Hetfield, The Shredderz just put out an all-star thrash metal album like no other. We get the lowdown on how a fictional band recruited some of today’s finest soloists for an orgy of sweep picking and searing shred
“What people tend to do is learn licks and then try to stick them into the solos – and that’s not really the way to do it”: Iron Maiden’s Janick Gers shares his tips for better guitar solos
The Iron Maiden stalwart explains why he is a big advocate for guitar solos with the safety off: no soundchecks, no warm-ups, and something different each and every night
“Sometimes bad gear can give you a good idea! I’ll go with whatever’s around. There are no rules”: Code Orange’s Reba Meyers on writing “pure evil” riffs and why she’d rather play a guitar that “sounds a little sh**tier” than a studio classic
New album The Above finds the Pittsburgh metalcore crew pushing at the extremes – but just don't take those clean tones as some kind of '90s revival
“I never have to think about strumming patterns – it’s all taken care of because the motor is always going”: Cory Wong is the modern king of funk guitar – he shares his tips for tightening up your rhythm playing
The maestro of contemporary funk shares what he learned from Nile Rodgers, the classic chord you won’t find in guitar books, and why guitarists have to leave some room for the audience’s imagination
“People forget that great rhythm guitar will help make your solo sound better”: YouTube guitar guru Marty Schwartz on the biggest mistakes aspiring guitarists make – and how to fix them
The star of online guitar teaching on why you should never underestimate the importance of good rhythm guitar, and the best songs to improve your guitar playing fast
“It’s the best front-end amp pedal I’ve ever heard”: Justin and Dan Hawkins have launched their own pedal brand – and its first stompbox is based on their tones from The Darkness’s debut album
The limited-edition unit – built in collaboration with Kirk Hammett's KHDK pedal brand – ushers in the pair's new gear venture, Hawkins Brothers Audio
“We’re trying to do the AC/DC version of a two-pronged attack, especially when we play live”: The Darkness’ Justin and Dan Hawkins on the high-volume twin-guitar secrets behind Permission To Land
To celebrate 20 years of Permission To Land, the Hawkins brothers take us back to the start, and unpack a sound built upon the elemental force of Marshall amps and Gibson Les Pauls
“A lot of folk are ignorant. People watch a couple of Stevie Ray Vaughan videos and think all they need is distortion and fast licks”: Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram on where guitarists “go wrong” when playing the blues
The blues ambassador reflects on the state of the genre in the modern age
“If you sound really good when you’re practicing, that means you’re practicing things you can already do, which isn’t really benefiting you fully”: Guthrie Govan shares his top tips for soloing
The Aristocrats virtuoso is a generational talent – here is his advice for getting the most from your practice
“I’d like to remind all the perfectionist guitar nerds to listen to Jimmy Page’s solo on In the Evening. It sounds like the guitar is falling down the stairs… It’s brilliant”: Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil dissects his “dangerous” approach to guitar playing
The Soundgarden guitarist looks back on his most iconic riffs and solos, as well as the gear and tunings that guided him deep into the creative superunknown
9 ways to get more from your amp modeler and multi-effects pedals
Going digital presents guitarists with more options than ever before. We take a look at some easy ways to exploit DSP power to help you find better tone
“Buckethead made me want to explore the idea of using a kill switch. I love how creative you can get”: How John 5 revolutionized one of Fender’s oldest guitar designs with the Ghost Telecaster
The Mötley Crüe gunslinger explains how fashion brand Supreme inspired his latest signature guitar, what makes his favorite pickups ideal for everything from country to metal – and why no-one is a bigger Buckethead fan than he is
“Every guitarist should be in search of their toothpaste tone!” Larkin Poe explain how good guitar tone can make your playing better
Roots rock sister duo Megan and Rebecca Lovell on what makes drive pedals essential for shaping your soloing, why even blues players shouldn’t dismiss amp modelers – and what toothpaste tone actually is…
8 ways to get more from your guitar amp
How to find new sounds and rekindle your love affair with your amp
“We know amps and guitars are important, but your own DNA is bigger than that”: Nuno Bettencourt on why, when it comes to tone, your personality always comes first
The Extreme guitarist drops some tone wisdom and explains why you should be looking for a rig that gets out of your way and lets you be you
“Hearing Jaco Pastorius changed my life. I took the frets out of my first bass because of Jaco! He could make you like the bass, whether you liked it or not”: Victor Wooten names 10 bassists who shaped his sound
One of the bass guitar’s all-time greats on how Béla Fleck got him into Paul McCartney, the time Stanley Clarke sent him a broken bass string, and why Marcus Miller is “so good, he can play on something and you won’t know it’s him”
“Some of what you practice should sound s**t, because then you know you’re working on something that needs to be worked on”: Guthrie Govan on the art of improvisation – and how to make practice as effective as possible
The Aristocrats virtuoso is one of the finest guitar players of our generation, so when he offers advice on becoming a better player, we listen
“We’re doing this because Black Sabbath did it. Neil Young did it. Van Halen did it. Are you going to tell Eddie Van Halen he wasn’t playing guitar properly?” Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil recalls his battles with drop-D trolls
Thayil brought drop-D tuning to the mainstream with the grunge guitar revolution – but he had to contend with “purists and nitwits who would write into guitar magazines saying, ‘Drop D is cheating; you’re not really playing if you do that!’”
