David Mead
With over 30 years’ experience writing for guitar magazines, including at one time occupying the role of editor for Guitarist and Guitar Techniques, David is also the best-selling author of a number of guitar books for Sanctuary Publishing, Music Sales, Mel Bay and Hal Leonard. As a player he has performed with blues sax legend Dick Heckstall-Smith, played rock ’n’ roll in Marty Wilde’s band, duetted with Martin Taylor and taken part in charity gigs backing Gary Moore, Bernie Marsden and Robbie McIntosh, among others. An avid composer of acoustic guitar instrumentals, he has released two acclaimed albums, Nocturnal and Arboretum.
Latest articles by David Mead

Lowden F-34 review
By David Mead published
A koa and spruce combination for a light and airy tone and a response that will suit a gentle fingerstylist

Guthrie Govan: "Make sure you explore the whole range of your guitar – not only will you become a better player, but also a more informed buyer"
By David Mead published
Bought & Sold: The Aristocrats guitarist on his greatest gear hits and misses, including the most original reason we’ve heard for buying a 335 and an affection for ring modulators

Pierre Bensusan: “The way you tune the strings should not be used to hide a possible lack of imagination, but it should enhance it“
By David Mead published
The French-Algerian DADGAD maestro on letting inspiration find him for new record Azwan – an album inspired by bees

Cort Core-OC Series review
By David Mead published
They may look almost identical, but it’s the body woods that make all the difference for this trio – and they’re outstandingly affordable, too

Brian May and Arielle detail the evolution of the Brian May Guitars Arielle
By David Mead published
The Queen guitarist welcomes a new addition to his BMG range, designed by rising guitar force Arielle

Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr on his greatest gear buys, regrets and why he's an enabler of impulse purchases
By David Mead published
Bought & Sold: the classic rock-loving frontman details why Esquires have more fire than Telecasters, and how he was once gifted a ’58 Gibson Les Paul Custom

John Smith: ”The only way to cope with life is to write songs, for me. As soon as I picked up the pen, the songs started falling out”
By David Mead published
Recorded at Real World studios last September, The Fray finds the acoustic ace exorcising personal turmoil in song – and leaning heavily into electric guitars

Lowden WL-25 & S-23 12-Frets review
By David Mead published
It’s the age of the smaller-bodied acoustic – but being petite doesn’t mean you won’t stand out in a crowd, as these two new 12-fretters from the Lowden workshops set out to prove

Joanna Connor reveals her aversion to baseball-bat guitar necks and regret at trading in a ’64 Fender Twin
By David Mead published
Bought & Sold: the blues guitar maven walks through her hits, misses and rules when buying gear

Taylor's acoustic guitar bracing options explained
By David Mead published
Get to know your C-Class from your V-Class, and what this means for your acoustic guitar tone

Taylor GT 811e review
By David Mead published
Taylor continues the rollout of its brand-new smaller-body Grand Theater acoustics with the latest C-Class bracing system onboard

How Taylor devised its new Grand Theater acoustic body shape
By David Mead published
Taylor’s new acoustic outline is a bold step. We talk to designer-in-chief Andy Powers to get the full story behind it

Corey Congilio on growing out of his hair-metal B.C. Rich Warlock phase and his greatest gear finds
By David Mead published
The Nashville blues dynamo and sessioneer mulls over gear loved and lost, and his mission to support small-’shop builders

Jakko Jakszyk on his greatest gear finds – including a Gibson ES-150D that piqued Robert Fripp's interest
By David Mead published
The King Crimson guitarist walks through the guitars and amps he's loved and lost

Breedlove Premier Concertina CE review
By David Mead published
A hand-built parlor-on-steroids from Breedlove’s Bend, Oregon, facility – and it’s full of surprises…

On the trail of the real Robert Johnson
By David Mead published
Mythologized more than any other figure in modern music, A new book hopes to set the record straight about Johnson's life

The history of Gibson’s L-1 and L-00 acoustics, contemporaries of the legendary Robert Johnson
By David Mead published
Acoustic guitars don't get much cooler than mid-1920s Gibson flat-tops

JD Simo on the best (and worst) guitars he's bought over the years
By David Mead published
The psychedelic blues sensation shares his hard-won advice on how to buy a great guitar and avoid duds

Eddie Van Halen goes deep on his approach to tone, technique and guitar design in this classic 1993 Guitarist interview
By David Mead published
EVH details the advent of Van Hagar, that time he took a belt sander to a 335, and why Neil Young's Cinnamon Girl is one of his favorite solos of all time

Sheeran By Lowden S03 & W02 review
By David Mead published
Ed Sheeran and George Lowden combine forces to produce an affordable acoustic range that's small but perfectly formed

Steve Hackett: ”The wounds never healed from my dad’s guitar. He said, ‘You’ll get calluses’… but I just had fingers that were bleeding!”
By David Mead published
The former Genesis guitarist on the story of his career, from the mouth organ to prog-rock trailblazer

Joe Bonamassa shares his greatest finds from a lifetime of buying and selling guitars
By David Mead published
Here’s a guy who knows a thing or two about buying guitars – and it turns out he’s sold a few, too…
![Gibson's Generation series comprises the G45 Standard [right] and slightly more affordable G45 Studio [left]](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6cUgWjUJXFGCB57kvptbPo-320-80.jpg)
Gibson G-45 Standard and G-45 Studio review
By David Mead published
The Gibson renaissance gathers pace with two brand-new mid-priced acoustics from its Bozeman, Montana factory…
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!