Latest articles by David Mead
“Quite possibly the ultimate busker’s tool”: Yamaha TAG3 C TransAcoustic review
Yamaha has expanded its TransAcoustic concept to include more onboard effects, including delay and looping, with fine-tuning and the option to play backing tracks via a dedicated smartphone app
Gordon Giltrap on why Bert Jansch changed his life – and how he ended up with the folk icon’s ’70s acoustic
It's no exaggeration to say that hearing Jansch forever changed Gordon Giltrap. Now that he owns Jansch's guitar, it has offered him a unique perspective on his hero...
Myles Kennedy names the “secret sauce” stompbox he thinks every guitar player should own
The Alter Bridge icon used the sub-$200 octave fuzz pedal on his recent solo record
“How good is a guitar that breaks down into three parts going to sound? As it happens, we were in for a pleasant surprise”: Furch Little Jane LJ 10-SM review
Furch’s travel guitar folds down so you can transport it in its own custom backpack and, the company claims, it returns to pitch when you reassemble it. Innovation or gimmick?
“Cort really is to be congratulated once again for delivering on its Masterpiece promise”: Cort Abstract Delta and Modern Black review
Two acoustics from Cort’s China-based workshop that couldn’t be further apart in style, from the traditional overtones of the Abstract Delta, to the more contemporary Modern Black
“Extremely well-made guitars… bags of character”: Auden 632 Series Chester 000 and Bowman OM review
A new series of short-scale acoustics joins the ranks at Auden – complete with a very smart soundhole preamp
Up close with the 1974 Les Paul Custom that Ian Bairnson used to play the solo on Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights – with his arm in a cast
When he tracked Wuthering Heights, Bairnson had a broken wrist, his arm in plaster, but as Pilot bandmate David Paton says, that wouldn't stop a man like him
“Both these guitars tick practically all the boxes”: Furch Vintage Pure & Violet Deluxe SM review
This pair of finely crafted acoustics from the lower end of the Czech Republic maker’s price band may look simple and stripped back, but they’re fully loaded with tone
Tele loyalist Joanne Shaw Taylor on rewiring her playing with Les Pauls and conquering ADHD in the studio
New album Heavy Soul finds JST pushing her vocals to new limits and pushing tube amps beyond their limits, and it cements her rep as one of the great blues players of our time
Darrel Higham on Gretsch, gear regrets, and what a 21st century rockabilly ace needs in their rig
A stolen treasured Gretsch and an unexpected love/hate relationship with White Falcons are all part of this rock ’n’ roller’s life in gear
“The build quality and voice of a fully fledged professional instrument”: McNally S-32 review
Despite its membership in McNally’s entry-level range, this small-bodied guitar’s spec sheet reads more like an instrument from the major league. Is it as good as it sounds? Let’s find out…
DeWolff’s Pablo van de Poel on the quest to land his literal dream guitar
The Dutch psych-rock maestro checks in to show us his guitars and in the process makes us A) want a Firebird and B) wonder if it's time to have three fuzz pedals on our pedalboards
Joanne Shaw Taylor briefly switched to Les Pauls – and it dramatically improved her guitar playing
Joanna Shaw Taylor is a self-confessed Fender Tele aficionado, but switching to Les Pauls taught her a valuable lesson
“Amazing in practically every respect”: Epiphone 1942 Banner J-45, 1957 SJ-200 and J-180 LS review
Following on from the excellent ‘Inspired By Gibson Custom Shop’ electrics come three high-spec acoustic electrics from the Epiphone brand. How do they measure up?
Inside the Bernie Marsden guitar auction, featuring Squier Strats, a Greeny-esque ES-335 and more
An epic collection of the former Whitesnake member’s guitars, amps and other highly collectable gear has just gone under the hammer – and we got up close and personal with his prized possessions
Taylor Guitars' Andy Powers and Bob Taylor on pushing the envelope of acoustic design
As Taylor Guitars clocks up its 50th year in business, we talk to current CEO and master builder Andy Powers and co-founder Bob Taylor about the current state of the acoustic building industry
It may not be flashy, but Mike Dawes’ acoustic rig is truly mind-bending
A new album, a collaboration with Periphery and a touring schedule that would make many artists weep are all in a day’s work for Mike Dawes, one of the world’s foremost percussive guitar specialists
“I bought a 1964 Vox AC30 for £300 from a friend whose partner had died. She knew it was worth a lot more, but she wanted me to have it as a memory of him”: Troy Redfern on his most emotional gear finds and his biggest guitar-buying mistakes
The one-man blues-rock maelstrom explains why Gold Foil pickups are “the best‑sounding pickup across the board” for him, and how he became a “complete casualty” of Steve Vai’s Passion and Warfare
Folk great John Smith on his life-changing Mulecaster experience and why the Quad Cortex isn’t just for metalheads
As the influential UK folk guitarist gears up to take his new album, The Living Kind, out on the road, he joins us to explain how a shift in his gear and writing process has had a profound effect on his music
Steve Hackett on his Genesis era claustrophobia and why he recorded with a Brian May Red Special
The British guitar icon discusses the tones and techniques behind new album The Circus And The Nightwhale – and reflects on the ’what-ifs’ of his time with prog greats Genesis
“I’ve always favoured humbuckers. They’re what my heroes used – Clapton, BB King and Paul Kossoff”: Connor Selby on his greatest gear hits and misses, and the Gibson ES-125 that was the bargain of the century
The up-and-coming blues ace stops by to talk all things gear: the buying, the selling, and the regrets along the way
“When I struggle with live sound, I think, ‘Oh God, I can play so much better when I’m just in a room and I can hear myself…’ But that’s when I dig in and try harder”: Tommy Emmanuel and Molly Tuttle give a tone, technique and touring masterclass
It’s not often that you find two of the world’s greatest acoustic players on tour together, and we couldn’t resist the opportunity to invite them for an interview and video masterclass…
“Its ability to suit everything from gentle fingerstyle to vigorous strumming would make it a welcome addition to any collection”: Taylor 50th Anniversary 814ce Builder’s Edition review
Taylor celebrates its 50th anniversary with some very special limited-edition instruments, including this superb Grand Auditorium acoustic
“Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Ry Cooder, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Healey and Buddy Guy... I naturally gravitated towards a Strat because my main influences were all playing them”: Philip Sayce on why the best studio magic is live
Returning with new solo LP The Wolves Are Coming, the blues ace discusses big studio energy during downtime for the world, his enduring guitar heroes, and his exacting standards for the Strat
“I have the heaviest boost pedal in existence – it’s a Marshall half-stack that I switch on when the sound needs to be bigger”: DeWolff’s Pablo Van De Poel on his life in gear – and a rig that is not to be trifled with
The DeWolff guitarist recalls a Les Paul that broke his heart and a spectacular deal on a vintage bass
