Latest articles by David Mead
Fairport Convention’s Simon Nicol looks back on 55 years of the band that transformed British music
Nicol reflects on a guitar journey that went on to change the country's musical landscape, writing new songs that sounded like they had been recovered from the century before
Hugh Cornwell: “I can’t fathom what the attraction is about a relic guitar. It’s battered and beaten up, and suddenly it’s 10 times the price?”
The ex-Stranglers guitarist confesses to being a bona fide Tele addict and talks about the business of buying and selling gear, including a peach of a deal on a ’64 Silvertone
Nili Brosh: “For me, the playability is big... I don’t think anybody’s wish is to feel like the guitar is fighting them and everything is harder to play”
The shred phenom talks gear philosophy, greatest hits and misses, explains the benefits of the high-performance six-string – and how to get the weird sounds Danny Elfman likes
Julian Lage: “A lot of what you hear on this record is first or second take. I like the tape to be rolling when I'm writing because there's a certain sense of discovery”
The guitarist's new album, View With A Room, is full of his signature virtuoso-level guitar playing with splashes of colour provided by special guest Bill Frisell
Cort Flow-OC and Gold-A6 Bocote review
A pair of contrasting all-solid wood acoustic-electrics from Cort’s Chinese workshop with a host of innovative features to their name
John Petrucci talks buying and selling guitars: “I’m completely illiterate in the world of vintage guitars and Les Pauls and Strats and all that stuff”
Dream Theater’s magus of the fretboard on the Les Paul copy that sparked his love of humbuckers and why he might give Django a run for his money…
Al Di Meola on how a legendary live session with Paco de Lucía and John McLaughlin came to light after 40 years
The sequel to a jazz-fusion guitar classic finally arrives as Saturday Night in San Francisco gets restored for an official release
Robert Fripp in-depth: his quest to combine Hendrix and Bartók, what made King Crimson “problematic” and why he has “no interest in gear at all”
In this exclusive interview, we sit down with the brilliant and divisive progressive guitar icon to discuss the art of Guitar Craft and the highs and lows of King Crimson – and get an intimate look at his guitar collection
John Scofield: “When you’re playing without a band, all kinds of subtleties in your playing come out, maybe good and bad… You really hear what you’re doing”
On his latest album, Solo, the jazz guitar luminary plays alone with just a looper for company, and it turned out to be a learning experience that was a lot of fun too
Eastman E20OOSS/v and E20SS/v review
Two models that hark back to the glory days of acoustic guitar making – but there’s a very subtle twist to the tale...
Andrew Gabbard: “My love for Firebirds comes from Neil Young because he had a Firebird pickup in his Goldtop and they just cut through”
The Black Keys sideman and songwriter says good things come in small packages: namely, mini-humbuckers and Fender amps
Larry McCray: “When I saw Gary Moore’s live show and heard the sound that he was getting, I was like, ‘Man, I’ve got to come up with something a bit more powerful’”
The resurgent bluesman discusses the making of his new record, his love of the Flying V and how, despite his concerns, he had the time of his life in the studio with Joe Bonamassa
John McLaughlin: “I fell in love with the guitar and even started sleeping with it, that’s how much I loved it”
The jazz-fusion guitar legend shares stories, reflections and life lessons from a career spent pushing the envelope
A guide to Martin acoustic guitar body sizes
Get to know the tonal differences between the iconic acoustic company's different body shapes
Furch Yellow Deluxe GC-CR review
It may look like a straightforward Grand Concert cutaway from the outside, but there’s toneful innovation aplenty going on behind the scenes
Eric Gales on why he is not trying to be the next Jimi Hendrix – and why you shouldn’t be either
The king of blues-rock talks influences, signature gear, and the message behind his songs, and explains why any good guitar player must stamp their own personality on their sound
Takamine TC135SC and CRN-TS1 review
As Takamine celebrates its 60th year, we look at two very different models that cover a lot of musical ground…
Kris Barras: “I love the Kemper live for two reasons: stability and consistency. You’re not relying on whoever’s mic’ing the amps up”
The blues-metal guitar powerhouse details the gear it takes to power his juggernaut band, and how the search for his dream guitar might now be complete
Bill Frisell: “The limitations of the guitar invite their own solutions… so there are a lot of different ways people end up playing it”
Guitarist, composer and esotericist Bill Frisell is difficult to pin down to any one musical style. Even he learned something about himself in his new biography Beautiful Dreamer
Mike Campbell: “When the Heartbreakers started out, we had 100-watt Vox Super Beatles – I don’t know how Tom Petty sang over those, but he did!”
The Heartbreakers guitarist on getting the Dirty Knobs back together for an album that mines the tonal gold of small tube combos and captures the magic of recording live
Larrivée D-03R and 000-40 Custom review
Two acoustics from the celebrated Larrivée stable with contrasting spec and very individual personalities. Something for everyone? Let’s find out…
Bryan Adams: “My most prized guitar is a D-18 Martin acoustic that once belonged to Johnny Cash”
A rock legend checks in, and one question hangs in the air like a recently twanged E chord. What has made Bryan Adams so joyful that he titled his new album So Happy It Hurts?
Flamenco guitarist El Amir reveals how he ended up playing on the latest James Bond movie, No Time to Die
He's played with Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller, and now the occasional Kramer-slinger discusses working and touring with legendary film composer Hans Zimmer
