Jonathan Horsley
Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to publications including Guitar World, MusicRadar and Total Guitar. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.
Latest articles by Jonathan Horsley
![Sterling By Music Man Intro Series Cutlass: the entry-level double-cut electric is finished in gloss black, has a three-ply white pickguard and a maple fingerboard with black dot inlays.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aut97vnoBbxMm9bUuVRcGQ-320-80.jpg)
“Everything a great beginner guitar should be”: Sterling By Music Man Intro Series Cutlass
By Jonathan Horsley published
The refreshed Cutlass is a sweet-looking vintage-ish S-style, but could this be the next apex predator in the market for entry-level electrics?
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YDN9SKibtHGhAuY7bMdWpg-320-80.jpg)
Best guitar picks 2025: awesome guitar picks to upgrade your playing
By Jonathan Horsley last updated
My expert guide to the best picks for electric, acoustic, and bass guitar
![From left: Gilby Clarke plays a Gibson SG onstage, Orianthi plays her purple PRS signature model, Nita Strauss players her white Ibanez S-style, and Alice Cooper performs onstage. Clarke will now be touring guitarist for Alice Cooper for the rock icon's upcoming dates before Strauss returns to the fold later in the year.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rhFV22HQquN2wfKnyRaCyn-320-80.jpg)
Gilby Clarke to replace Orianthi (who was replacing Nita Strauss) on upcoming Alice Cooper dates
By Jonathan Horsley published
Hello! Hooray! Let the show begin… the former Guns N' Roses guitarist has been drafted in for the Godfather of Shock tour after Orianthi suffered an injury
![Gretsch Professional Series 2025](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rvdnaKirkBMZyMqvBEHg6b-320-80.jpg)
Gretsch refreshes flagship Professional Collection with 5 Japanese-built stunners
By Jonathan Horsley published
Sound the dream guitar klaxon as Gretsch gives a makeover to Falcon, Tennessean and Nashville hollowbodies and positions the Broadkaster LX as a high-end semi for high-gain antics
![Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains plays his iconic "Blue Dress" G&L Rampage onstage in Australia in 2009. Bought in 1985, its eponymous graphic has been worn away after decades of use.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mqxtjYitrkRwLkcezunJ9T-320-80.jpg)
Jerry Cantrell on what really happened when his ‘Blue Dress’ G&L went missing last year – and why he’s happy he “cried wolf”
By Jonathan Horsley published
In a recent interview with Guitar World, Cantrell expresses his relief and gratitude that the ‘Blue Dress’ was found, and admits he thought it was gone for good
![MXR 50th Anniversary Phase 90](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6Sm9EMTwqyXoBpx7tpf5RQ-320-80.jpg)
“It was too good to keep to ourselves”: MXR gives Eddie Van Halen’s favorite orange box the golden touch with its 50th Anniversary Phase 90
By Jonathan Horsley published
You've had the carrot-colored Phase 90. Here's the carat-colored one, available March for a limited time only
![Jackson Pro Seris Pure Metal Limited Edition: The Californian high-performance guitar brand's three new built-for-metal Rhoads, Soloist and Kelly electric guitars, all finished in black with white binding, and photographed in front of a red gradient background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5hkE4N5qewQXfQMktWMuAK-320-80.jpg)
Jackson stealth-launches the Pure Metal range – a trio of limited edition single-pickup shred machines
By Jonathan Horsley published
Finished in Black with Creme binding, this Kelly, Rhoads and Soloist are packing a Fishman Fluence Modern humbucker, a Floyd, and that iconic six-in-line headstock
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NhK8bbBEa9mbeqKAJ2jAqN-320-80.jpg)
Best pedalboards 2025: perfect platforms for your pedals
By Jonathan Horsley last updated
Get the best from your effects with expert-recommended 'boards from Pedaltrain, Voodoo Labs, Boss, and more
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5kA7hGu5VF6q9oPHZdv2dS-320-80.jpg)
Best clip-on guitar tuners 2025: hit the right note with these cost-effective tuners
By Jonathan Horsley last updated
Whether you play acoustic, electric, or bass, these clip-on tuners offer a quick, easy, and affordable way to achieve concert pitch every time
![Walrus Audio M1 MK11 Modulation Machine](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8KMqEfccg3SDbi4JT6Cd6n-320-80.jpg)
Walrus Audio Mako M1 MKII High-Fidelity Modulation Machine review
By Jonathan Horsley published
A studio-quality greatest hits of modulation, now with a two-inch OLED screen
![Guitar World's Guitarists of the Year 2024 [from Left]: Emily Roberts, Dave Navarro, Grace Bowers, Slash and Mdou Moctar.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EjsmvUXTwBRdbcxBJGMipX-320-80.jpg)
Guitarists of the Year 2024 – the players who took 2024 by storm
By Jonathan Horsley published
Slash made a blues record. St. Vincent boggled our minds again. And Grace Bowers blew everyone away… Here we take a look at the players who made 2024 a banner year for the instrument
![Mk.Gee, Gary Clark Jr., Jack White and Emily Roberts](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NxF6GwUoGGruDPzXedNzS5-320-80.jpg)
The best guitar albums of 2024
By Jonathan Horsley published
The guitar albums that had the biggest impact in the guitar world and beyond, as chosen by GW editors and pro players
![St. Vincent, Mk.Gee, Grace Bowers, Gary Clark Jr.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M5SxJg43tyWovyf2ipug7i-320-80.jpg)
The best guitar songs of 2024 – as chosen by Guitar World editors and pro players
By Jonathan Horsley published
With the help of pals including Eric Gales and Vernon Reid, we run down the songs that lit up the guitar-o-sphere this year, including a remarkable hardcore breakthrough, a virtuoso collab for the ages and the prodigy that everyone’s talking about
![Fender American Ultra II Telecaster](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PCBdRMhGEfiiS7bfhTJDG6-320-80.jpg)
“A guitar so playable that you might need to put the brakes on”: Fender American Ultra II Telecaster
By Jonathan Horsley published
The workhorse is newly shod for the modern player but still packs the tones that made it famous
![Composite of Diamond Rowe, Matteo Mancuso, Mdou Moctar and Grace Bowers performing live](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/G4khtqEbGnbV9gAofx5hjn-320-80.jpg)
“This is like Santana’s Soul Sacrifice at Woodstock or Hendrix’s Machine Gun”: The best guitar solos of 2024
By Jonathan Horsley published
From a supernova of tapping and pitch-shifted metal guitar anarchy to all-star team-ups, here is your year in lead guitar – featuring Mdou Moctar, Diamond Rowe and some dudes named Satriani and Vai…
![Blood Incantation's Paul Riedl [left] and Morris Kolontyrsky wear dark sunglasses and hold black BC Rich Ironbirds, a guitar Kolontyrsky says is surprisingly suitable for David Gilmour-style solos.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ss6NubRqf9i7qk4yv287fh-320-80.jpg)
How Blood Incantation fused B.C. Rich, doom and David Gilmour to make one of 2024’s most talked-about metal albums
By Jonathan Horsley published
Metal Hammer named Absolute Elsewhere their album of the year. Paul Riedl and Morris Kolontyrsky explain how they made their masterpiece at the studio beloved by David Bowie, weaving ’70s prog and krautrock into death metal, and how to make a B.C. Rich sound like a Strat
![Close up of the controls on an Ibanez bass guitar](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8pZowHTcKLYMakMBB4zQ5E-320-80.jpg)
Best beginner bass guitars 2025: starter basses for beginners
By Jonathan Horsley last updated
The best beginner basses for young players, newcomers and the budget-conscious – featuring Yamaha, Squier, Ibanez and more
![Rivolta Forma Sferata](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oCywN3E2izMEWAs9c3k3yJ-320-80.jpg)
“From the aesthetics to the feel and the sounds, the Sferata is wholly convincing”: Rivolta Forma Sferata review
By Jonathan Horsley published
Just because Rivolta is Dennis Fano's more affordable brand doesn't mean he keeps his best ideas for Novo...
![Fender Hello Kitty Fuzz](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4YQ7APEcKWYxsUF96BPJi3-320-80.jpg)
"As ridiculous as it might seem to recommend a product with Hello Kitty on the front as a decent option for woolly stoner metal riffs, we’re going to do it": Fender Hello Kitty Fuzz pedal review
By Jonathan Horsley published
Being cute is all well and good but does this pussy cat have the claws to be pick of the litter?
![The Hard Quartet](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EjW2iN5c3e7TifTM7aArdh-320-80.jpg)
How Pavement, Cairo Gang, and Chavez guitarists came brilliantly together on The Hard Quartet's debut album
By Jonathan Horsley published
The first LP from indie supergroup The Hard Quartet brings Pavement, Cairo Gang, and Chavez guitarists brilliantly together
![Steve Howe of Yes wears a floral patterned shirt as he plays his Gibson ES-345 semi-hollow live with Yes.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fESzPHy9MYgzxq8ngw5wPA-320-80.jpg)
Yes icon Steve Howe on why he rarely runs scales, thrashing acoustics – and how he’s still chasing Chet Atkins’ touch
By Jonathan Horsley published
The prog legend checks in to talk all things guitar, from drawing inspiration from his parents' record collection and cutting his teeth on a cheap arch-top to finding his sound on the ES-175 and six-string explorations on Guitarscape
![Devin Townsend](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ovi7o3SZ6EmqVtDuAzg7s9-320-80.jpg)
How Devin Townsend relied on his production process to deliver his new album from the depths of depression and grief
By Jonathan Horsley published
The first of a four-album cycle on death and rebirth involved a serious stack of gear and staggering new speakers – and the Canadian prog-metal maverick says the process was cathartic in its own way
![A Gretsch Jim Dandy acoustic guitar](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dzWwYPDrz79KPGWXU4djdW-320-80.jpg)
Best guitars for kids 2025: top electric and acoustic guitars for children
By Daryl Robertson last updated
The top kid’s guitars available today and everything you need to know to get your child started with the guitar
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