Latest articles by Jamie Dickson
“As a kid, I became fascinated: blues, banjo playing, English traditional music, Scots music”: How Martin Simpson is reworking trad Appalachian standards and turning them into folk guitar masterworks
The folk maestro’s latest record, Nothing But Green Willow, is a beautiful collection of songs from the Appalachian Mountains. Here he tells us how he breathed new life into them
The most valuable BOSS pedals ever made
The BOSS compact pedals may be colorful little objects of desire to many, but some of them are more desirable than others...
“We see it as a commitment to serving musicians, music lovers, artists and fans. That’s the Gretsch religion”: Fred W. Gretsch tells the remarkable inside story of the family behind one of electric guitar’s oldest names
Before the guitars, there was a family: as the firm celebrates 140 years of music-making, Gretsch tells us about the people behind the instruments
“We can create sound with more freedom, while maintaining the original quality”: What is BOSS Waza Craft? The Japanese effects giant’s boutique range explained
If classic tones with custom voicings and enhanced functionality is what you’re after, in a package that’s built to the highest possible quality, Waza Craft is for you
“I was expecting to toss it into the pile of unsuccessful builds from the 1960s guitar boom. Boy howdy, was I wrong!” Meet the Martin GT‑75 Moth – the iconic acoustic company’s 1967 semi-hollow electric experiment
An electric guitar from the venerable acoustic brand is a rare thing indeed, but then this was the ‘60s, Bob Dylan had just taken up a Stratocaster, and the times they were a-changing
“I listened to a lot of T-Bone Walker when I was a kid, and to suddenly have one of those guitars in your arms was really special”: In his final interview, Bernie Marsden opens up on selling his guitar collection – with one notable exception
Just days before his unexpected death, we spoke with Bernie Marsden for what was sadly to be the final time. He shared the story behind the guitars he was selling, and the one he finally chose to keep
“Bernie had completely forgotten he had this. He said, ‘Oh, I looked in one of my old storage spaces today and I found another four guitars’”: Up close and personal with some of late guitar hero Bernie Marsden’s rarest vintage instruments
Before he passed away, Whitesnake hero Bernie Marsden put some of his lifelong collection of guitars up for sale. In this feature, written just days before Bernie tragically left us, we joined Mike Long of ATB Guitars to take a closer look
“My Foo Fighters setup is the kind of beast you have when somebody carries your s**t around for you!” Chris Shiflett on his double-life as a jobbing solo artist and lead guitarist in the world’s biggest rock band
The Foo Fighters stalwart tells us about the “blasphemy” of his new backline, holding his breath when he solos and why the kind of guitar playing he loved “became pretty much illegal”
“I sort of flippantly say: ‘All guitars sound the same and go for whatever looks good.’ But that’s not really true”: Kavus Torabi on his greatest gear hits and misses
The frontman of psych prog legends Gong and The Utopia Strong says he’s “pretty monogamous” when it comes to guitars, but nonetheless he’s owned an eclectic mix over the years…
“There was a lot of dissent from the workforce – there was a mindset of Epiphone not being as important or as easy to work on as Gibson”: The history of Epiphone and Gibson’s rollercoaster relationship – and what’s next for the brands
Gibson’s VP of product Mat Koehler on the enduring partnership between two of the biggest brands in guitar, and how the influence has been in both directions through their shared history
“Epiphone will always be Gibson’s older brother, and its history is perhaps the most interesting of any guitar brand”: Celebrating 150 years of Epiphone – from luxury archtop maker to budget builder and rock icon
As Epiphone commemorates a century-and-a-half in business, we enlist the help of vintage guitar experts and Gibson’s own archivists to tell its remarkable history
“Tone is so important to me. Whenever I go to a show and there are good guitar sounds, I soak it in”: For Emily Wolfe, the tone is as important as the hooks – and her Epiphone signature model is key to her explosive sound
Wolfe’s evocative music draws upon both Motown and Zeppelin but has a taut and soulful contemporary edge. We joined the Texan on tour to learn all about it…
“It feels like total blasphemy!” Chris Shiflett on why he joined the modeler movement and switched from tube amps to amp sims
The amp aficionado flipped the script for his recent solo tour, which demanded an entirely new approach to guitar setups from the Foo Fighter
“When I started collecting, the cut-off for desirability was 1965 – anything after that, forget it. That’s all changed completely”: The Fender Stratocaster is the most famous electric guitar of all time – but what was the greatest Strat ever built?
The Stratocaster is the original guitar for all seasons. But which version represents the pinnacle of its evolution? We take a deep dive into Leo’s masterpiece, in the company of experts, to try to find an answer…
“In a funny way, the Super Distortion is the SM57 of the guitar pickup business. It’s got a s***-ton of hits”: Larry DiMarzio on the humbucker that changed the game
In the early ’70s, Larry DiMarzio single-handedly kickstarted the entire aftermarket pickup industry with his hot-output Super Distortion. We met NYC’s king of tone to find out how he did it
“It needs a tune – but we’ll do that free of charge!” Meet the Gibson Firebird that Jimmy Page lost in a drinking game with John Bonham
This heavily modified Non-Reverse Gibson Firebird III is a lost Led Zeppelin guitar with a fascinating history – we get the story behind the Page-owned beauty and the buoyant market for Gibson’s under-appreciated cult hero
Gibson’s Mat Koehler says he rates this guitar among the most “beautiful designs ever to come out of Kalamazoo” – and it’s an Epiphone
“Clearly positioned as the pinnacle flat-top that Gibson made” – the acoustic guitar now has a modern equivalent that Koehler reckons punches well above its weight
“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
“The apocalypse will happen before most of our pickups ever take a dump”: Jason Lollar on what drives him to make better pickups than anything that’s gone before
Jason Lollar, the man behind Lollar Pickups, is one of the most respected pickup makers in the world. He shares his design secrets and guitar tone philosophy
“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
“Ritchie Blackmore’s phrasing is so cool – he just played with so much fire”: Pete Thorn and James Cole on how they replicate iconic solos and tones in The Classic Rock Show
We join the YouTube guitar star and his co-guitarist (and racing car driver) to find out how they’ve nailed the sound of legendary hits from the ’70s and beyond
Vintage resonators, budget rarities and seaweed-hued semi-hollows: inside Peter Green’s guitar collection
With over 100 of his guitars coming up for auction, we examine some gems from the Fleetwood Mac founder’s personal collection – some of which are surprisingly affordable
How to tell a good ’70s Fender Stratocaster from a bad one
Strat expert Julian White of World Guitars urges a cool head and a judicious eye when considering Stratocasters built during the bell-bottom era
