Latest articles by David Mead
“Quite simply one of the best ‘entry level’ acoustic guitars we’ve experienced”: JWJ Guitars “The Hog” review
Last year, we were mightily impressed when we looked at UK builder Rich Jones’ Parlour and Orchestra acoustics. This time it’s the turn of his entry-level, all-mahogany dreadnought
“Rubber-bridge guitar is another sonic hemisphere that existed this whole time but was going untapped. It’s really special”: Ariel Posen on his adventures in tone – and why songwriting is like hitting the gym
Tonemeister Ariel Posen stops by to share his tonal revelations on new album Reasons Why – and the long list of guitars he used to make it happen
“We tried to sell it and the guy in the shop said it was the worst guitar he’d ever seen in his life”: The Pretenders’ James Walbourne on a shocking first guitar, gear regrets and the big sounds of single coils
The Pretenders guitarist recalls leaving a precious acoustic in the back of a taxi and why ’60s SG Juniors rock his world…
“I’ve always found them to be extraordinarily versatile guitars – you can play any kind of music on them”: Rockabilly great Darrel Higham on why he uses only Gretsch guitars – and that time he bought a 6120 he found lying around Jeff Beck’s house
A lifelong Eddie Cochran fan who partnered with Jeff Beck for a tour celebrating the music of Cliff Gallup, Higham tells us why he can’t get enough of That Great Gretsch Sound
“I feel like if you have an expensive amp, you can make any guitar sound good”: Robert Jon & The Wreck’s Henry James Schneekluth on his modded Epiphone workhorse, his best gear buys – and a Dragon Tele that lacks fire
The guitarist with the Orange County rock band says his phone is full of Firebird and Explorer listings but it’s a borrowed ‘60s SG that has caught his ear… for now
“We determined, ‘Boy, with that checked finish, the acoustic guitar – which is a box that vibrates – really rings’”: Gibson's Tom Murphy on how Murphy Lab acoustics are taking aged guitars into new sonic territory
Gibson’s master artisan Tom Murphy has reinvented the process of guitar aging. Now he’s turned his eye and – perhaps, more importantly – his ear, to the firm’s acoustic line
“Gretsch assumed, because he’s in Nashville, Chet Atkins must be into steers, cacti, and round-ups”: Behind the scenes at the new Gretsch museum
Aaron Phillips and and Dr. Matthew Hill give Guitarist a tour of of the Fred and Dinah Gretsch Instrument and Artifact Collection at Georgia Southern University
“I thought to myself, ‘Nobody’s done anything with that for at least 25 years. It looks like a piece of medieval torture instrumentation’”: How G7th revolutionized the guitar capo
The British company has sought to give the humble capo a player-friendly future. As with many great ideas, it evolved from a simple question that designer Nick Campling asked himself while playing an acoustic guitar…
“It’s hard to deliver a gig to a chest of drawers in your bedroom. You worry about technique, then the recording can sound clinical”: How British acoustic great Clive Carroll tackled John Renbourn classics – and the psychological hurdles of home recording
Carroll’s new double-album, The Abbott, sees him perform the late John Renbourn’s work – he explains why and how he did it, and offers an in-depth guide to performing Renbourn’s masterpieces
“I had Hubert Sumlin, Howlin’ Wolf’s guitar player, out on tour with me, and he showed up with a $120 Squier Strat. He played it on stage that night and killed it”: Kenny Wayne Shepherd on why tone is in the hands (but it helps to have a trio of Dumbles)
The blues-rocker shares the story of his decade-long search for a 1960 Les Paul, why his Marshall amps just wouldn’t stop blowing up, and what made him convert to the single-cut after decades of Stratocaster monogamy
"This 10/10 live album that demonstrates he’s got the goods to be a modern-day legend": Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram's Live In London is a joy to hear
Blues guitar hero-in-waiting captured on the live stage
“People have said, ‘Oh, man, you gotta play the Gibson, that’s the real deal.’ But there’s something about the Ibanez… I prefer the evenness of it”: John Scofield on working with Miles Davis, covering Bob Dylan and the agony of writing music
The jazz improv virtuoso returns with Uncle John's Band, an album that finds him covering Bob Dylan, Neil Young and, of course, the Grateful Dead
Turnstone TG review: the most expensive guitar we’ve ever reviewed – but is it worth it?
At £12,240 (nearly $15,000), this premium-level model from the renowned UK-based acoustic builder is the most expensive guitar we have reviewed, but it might also be one of the best. Want to know what a high-end acoustic plays like? Read on…
"When you practice the skills enough, one day, just like magic, the skills turn into music": Tommy Emmanuel's thumbpicking masterclass
Video lesson: Tommy Emmanuel takes us through the basics of how to use a thumbpick so you can play your own version of Elizabeth Cotten’s Freight Train
“I think Leo Fender reinvented the universe when he made the Telecaster because it’s just so simple and perfect”: Jesse Dayton on his greatest gear hits and misses
Dayton reveals his nostalgic yearning for 1980s Ibanez Artist guitars, and shares his biggest gear-buying tip
“Martin Barre had a Strat and it was on the stage one day – I picked it up and plugged it into my amp. Immediately, I thought, ‘I like the voicing of that…’”: Robin Trower looks back on making some of guitar’s most influential recordings
The Stratocaster master reflects on his first encounter with Fender’s finest, and the days when guitar-led power trios shook the foundations with high-decibel progressive rock
“Once I had the Strat, I only used the Strat and I left the Gibson at home”: Robin Trower has spent his entire career almost exclusively playing Fender Stratocasters – here’s why
The Procol Harum hero recalls the first time he discovered the Strat, and explains why it’s been by his side ever since
“A fine guitar is described as having a piano-like tone. The top is actually able to vibrate in all the different ways that strings are able to vibrate”: Dana Bourgeois explains how innovation breeds great acoustic tone
We talk to the Bourgeois Guitars luthier about his new collaboration with Eastman, the importance of tuning in a guitar top, and what lies in the future for the critically acclaimed acoustic brand
Bourgeois Touchstone Vintage TS OM and TS D review – all the mojo of the golden pre-war era of acoustics with a few modern twists
With tops made in Maine, USA, and bodies constructed in China by Eastman, these guitars provide access to a revered builder’s brand at a fraction of the cost
“I have had moments where I got the best tone on the cheapest guitar because I spent so much time with them”: Tora Dahle Aagård on the guitar gear in her life
The Norwegian rocker mourns the theft of her first guitar, while advising fellow players to keep an open mind when buying gear
“Guitars adapt to whoever is playing them. I can play somebody else’s guitar for two weeks and it will change according to how I play it”: Ralph Towner on the sensitivity of the six-string – and why he doesn't use an amp on stage
The latest album from jazz guitarist and composer Ralph Towner is a typically enchanting work, complete with beautiful playing on new pieces and jazz standards
“On a quick trip to interview Paul Reed Smith I was told we were going to the White House so I’d better pack a suit”: Celebrating 500 issues of Guitarist, one of the world’s greatest guitar magazines
From playing Eric Clapton’s Strats to narrowly avoiding knocking out Slash, Guitarist editors past and present share their favourite – and sometimes most embarrassing – memories of working for the esteemed UK publication
“Instead of the toy store, I wanted to go to the guitar store and play all the expensive guitars”: Steve Lukather shares his biggest gear hits and misses
The top sessioneer and Toto stringsman recounts his early six-string experiences, an epic deal on a rare Vox 12-string and why he hasn’t bought a guitar in 30 years…
“As an entry into the brand, you’re getting traditional woods, upgraded hardware and premium pickups”: How the Player Series became Fender’s best-selling guitar line
As the Player Series celebrates its fifth anniversary, Fender’s director of product, Allen Abbassi, tells us its story behind the top-selling range and what the future might hold
