Latest articles by Andrew Daly
Brian May on his unlikely guitar kinsmanship with Steve Cropper and Billy Gibbons
Recruited for the recent Cropper tune Too Much Stress, May says the three masters fit together better than you might think
Joe Perry explains how he ditched his Les Pauls and Strats to write one of Aerosmith's best-known riffs
Perry had been eyeing the Fender Bass VI for quite some time – which turned out to be the perfect instrument to write 1976's Back in the Saddle
Steve Morse modded the heck out of his first serious guitar, and it became the blueprint for his signature Ernie Ball Music Man model
Unsatisfied with the limitations of his first proper guitar, Morse took matters into his own hands, a lá Eddie Van Halen
Brian May explains why he was reluctant to share a solo with Billy Gibbons – and what changed his mind
May and Gibbons were recruited by session icon Steve Cropper to add their guitar star power to his latest release, Friendlytown
Yvette Young almost quit making music before taking a radical solo turn – but she’s not done with Covet
Getting over her thoughts of quitting, Young has developed a glitchy sound “like a dying battery,” and moved away from technique-focused shredding to dream pop. However, don’t write off her math rock days just yet...
Richie Kotzen explains why he ditched a regular pedalboard for an all-in-one pedal from the creator of the SansAmp
Once upon a time, Kotzen went into Home Depot and made this bespoke ’board for his effects, but with a little help from Andrew Barta, it is now a very pro all-enclosed unit, and it's pretty much everything he needs
Carlos Alomar on making Fame, Heroes – and Bowie’s Berlin era
The former David Bowie guitarist talks Young Americans, Station to Station and the Berlin Trilogy, plus recording (and co-writing) Fame with John Lennon
Jimmy D. Lane was raised among blues greats, but found his own way, performing with B.B. King, Double Trouble and more
The Strat-wielder’s religious moment with Hendrix’s Hey Joe compelled him to spend all his money on a pawn shop guitar… which led to him performing for Bill Clinton, guesting with B.B. King, working with Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Double Trouble and much more
Bruce Kulick is launching a custom ’80s-style guitar line that pays homage to his Kiss days
With the help of AXN and local artisans, the former Kiss and Grand Funk Railroad guitarist is developing a range of instruments that hark back to his Superstrat adventures
Blackbyrd McKnight on his mysterious Strat and the ’70s jazz-funk explosion
Jazz/funk/fusion veteran DeWayne “Blackbyrd” McKnight recalls his smooth segue from Herbie Hancock sideman to full-on Funkadelic member – plus his ’70s gear and what he learned from Shuggie Otis
Akiro Sakurai has dedicated his life to becoming Jimmy Page – and he received some key advice when he first met the Led Zeppelin legend
Mr. Jimmy has devoted his career to learning the songs and solos of Page's back catalog, and had a fateful encounter with his hero 10 years ago
Keith Urban on working with PRS on a ‘do-it-all’ guitar build – and why SRV is still number one
Country icon reflects the feeling of bonding with a single instrument – and says you should give up playing and become an accountant if you’re missing his special ingredient
Frank Marino on Mahogany Rush’s ‘70s awakening, the Woodstock state of mind, and being “haunted” by Hendrix
The '70s came fast for Mahogany Rush, and as the crowds grew larger, so did Marino's tone. Here he reflects on a decade of abundance and industry challenges, and crazy – truly crazy – rumors of being haunted by Hendrix's ghost
Yvette Young explains why she's rebooting her a solo career – and redefining her guitar playing along the way
Young is temporarily putting aside Covet to lean into different facets of her guitar playing, focusing less on virtuosity and more on melody-driven composition
Joe Perry on Aerosmith’s roaring ’70s, writing Dream On – and being a B.C. Rich early adopter
It was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the ‘70s, the era of TV set defenestration, and Aerosmith got bigger, it began to fall apart. Here, Perry looks back on the decade that made them (and near broke them)
Michelle Malone gave up sax for guitar – and had John Mayer “begging” to join her shows
With her 20th album looming, the raw Americana player looks back on working with Albert King and Blackberry Smoke members, her ever-loving vintage gear and running her own label
Queen’s second guitarist, Jamie Moses, on how Brian May convinced him to switch from a Strat to a Red Special
Jamie Moses toured with Queen for 11 years, and switched up his rig to perform alongside May – and even inspired a new modification for the iconic guitar
Cage The Elephant guitarist Nick Bokrath on his unique guitar grammar – and the innocence of pedal steel
Neon Pill is Cage the sound of Elephant stretching their legs and finding fresh sonic territory to explore, and here, Bokrath explains where that sound is coming from, where it's going and what made it
Mike Campbell on his unorthodox guitar style – and how Tom Petty saved his definitive Breakdown lick
With Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits out now, Campbell reflects on a life in music, from first guitars to success with the Heartbreakers and the Dirty Knobs, and lessons learned along the way
Tom Hamilton reflects on Aerosmith’s past challenges – and why they still have a future
Still finding inspiration, he explains how close the band came to missing out on Sweet Emotion, his near-grudge over Janie’s Got a Gun, why he was glad Joe Perry quit and the development of his video screen bass
Tyler Bryant on the Tele that's rivalling his beloved ‘Pinky’ Strats
The plan? There is no plan, says Bryant. When he gets in a room with the Shakedown they jam until their hungry, eat and repeat, and what comes out the other end comes out... Electrified
“The neck is twice the thickness of many standard necks”: The making of Phil Collen’s monster new Jackson Tele-style
Jackson Master Builder Joe Williams shines a light on the process behind the Def Leppard guitarist’s prototype Jackson T-style, which may well enter production as a future signature model…
Keith Urban is working with PRS on a new Tele-style guitar – and he wants to break the company's rules
The country rock great's go-to guitar since 1989 has been a Fender Telecaster called Clarence, but John Mayer has inspired him to join the PRS ranks – and he's working on a T-type like no other
