Latest articles by Jonathan Horsley
“José died and no-one knows where it went”: Legendary amp builder José Arredondo built Eddie Van Halen a mystery amp that might be lost forever
Friedman recalls amp modding wizard José Arredondo showing him a “huge” amp that he had built for Eddie, but after Arredondo’s death in ’94, it has disappeared
“It’s like John Scofield took acid”: Steve Vai’s tech shares the story behind the virtuoso’s psychedelic semi-hollow
Scofield's signature model has had a radical makeover for Vai’s semi-hollow moment – and we're not just talking about that stunning swirled finish
D’Angelico has given its Premier semi-hollows a makeover for 2023 – and they look absolutely stunning
D’Angelico’s SS, DC and Mini DC are all refreshed for 2023 and sport the classic Art Deco features of the storied NY brand and some seriously tasty finishes
“It shows that you’re really smart when you do stuff that’s not 4/4”: Join George Lynch in the studio as he records Guitars at the End of the World
Mr. Scary fans, check out this behind-the-scenes studio doc, because A) The playing is ridiculous and B) a Lynch movie is always worth watching…
Is this the world’s most expensive guitar string? An Epiphone string Paul McCartney used to record the Beatles’ Rubber Soul is expected to fetch over $5,000 at auction
We often talk about the over-heated vintage guitar market, but the madness has come for secondhand strings now Macca’s is headed to the auction block
“We can do things with a Fractal that we can’t do with a real amp”: Kirk Hammett’s guitar tech reveals why Metallica converted to Axe-Fx
The Bay Area metal behemoths’ 2013 Freeze ‘Em All gig in Antarctica opened their eyes – and ears – to the potential of digital amp modeling
Boss releases its first noise suppressor pedal since 1987 – and it’s not just for high-gain metal and djent
The NS-1X uses Multi-Dimensional Processing to kill noise without killing dynamics, and has a trio of modes to suit your style
Tone King unveils the Royalist MkIII, promising a greatest hits of vintage non-master-volume Marshall tube amps
God save the Tone King, cry Marshall enthusiasts as the U.S. boutique builder goes all in with the search for reference-quality British tone
“I play the guitar every day. It’s where I go for solace”: Paul Simon shares the challenges of his unexpected hearing loss
The legendary songwriter said he was beginning to accept his condition but is actively investigating how he can tour and perform his new album, Seven Psalms, onstage
Blackstar just launched some of the most versatile mid-priced tube amps on the market
The HT Venue MKIII lineup borrows the recording-friendly features of the St. James and Amped range to make it a powerhouse option for stage or studio – and the new looks are pretty smart, too
“To embody Jimmy Page, I need the tone, the guitar performance and the emotions to come together”: Akio Sakurai aka Mr. Jimmy has spent 30 years honing the perfect Led Zeppelin guitar sound. As he explains, “tone is the most important thing”
In this exclusive clip from new documentary Mr. Jimmy, Sakurai’s lifelong dedication to mastering Jimmy Page’s tone, playing style and look is laid bare
Joe Bonamassa brings out his legendary Bolin ‘Burst to tear through Deep Purple classics with Glenn Hughes and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith
Fan-shot footage captures Bonamassa joining the Voice of Rock for an epic jam on Mistreated, with Smith’s rhythm powering them all through Burn and Highway Star
“The highly coveted Bourgeois tone is now within reach of more players than ever before”: The Country Boy is US boutique builder Bourgeois’ latest groundbreaking collab with Eastman Guitars in China
Bourgeois Guitars has added a mahogany-bodied orchestra model and dreadnought to its more attainable Touchstone Series
Eluveitie’s Jonas Wolf has a “lean and mean” signature Solar Type V – it’s called the Wolfmaster, has a kill switch, and a headstock to take your eye out
A workhorse in wolf’s clothing, this Type V is not playing around
Gibson SG Standard ’61 Ebony review – an all-time classic, back in black
A truly quintessential version of the guitar beloved by Angus Young, Tony Iommi and Derek Trucks
“I’m just going to keep going till I can’t”: Saxon co-founder and former guitarist Graham Oliver diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease
The NWOBHM pioneer’s guitar career has survived a severed finger and a mini-stroke, and he is not prepared to call time on it now
“I would have gotten bored, and that would have been dangerous”: Marc Ford explains why he turned down Guns N’ Roses in favor of the Black Crowes
Ford says even Slash agreed that it would not have suited him to simply play back-up in GNR when he was asked to replace Izzy Stradlin
Supro just made a 1x12 version of its bedroom, studio and vintage tone-friendly Amulet tube amp
It’s the Amulet you know and love – tube-driven reverb and tremolo, switchable power, mojo off the scale – but now it’s got a 12” Celestion Creamback
“A fully customizable amp-in-a-box experience”: Has Catalinbread’s Dirty Little Secret Deluxe just redefined amp-like overdrive pedals?
The Dirty Little Secret ain’t so little anymore as Catalinbread launches what it calls “the ultimate Marshall Plexi emulation”, complete with onboard boost and preamp tube sim
“115 effects and tools to ignite your imagination and shape your sound”: Native Instruments updates its flagship amp and effects plugin with Guitar Rig Pro 7
There are four new amps, five new pedals, an all-new loop station, and a heap of rackmounted hardware tools for shaping your sound
“What’s a Spark?!” Paul Gilbert was so blown away by his students’ guitar tone, he became a Positive Grid convert – despite his “limited brain power”
We have Gilbert’s army of aspiring shredders to thank for his new limited-edition signature Spark Mini – the super-collectible digital amp for Gilbert and Dio fans
“People were saying, ‘Oh, Led Zeppelin’s gone acoustic.’ Well, what happened to your ears on the first and second album?” How Jimmy Page redefined the role of acoustic guitar in rock
Led Zeppelin might have taken electric guitar to bold new places, but the acoustic was no second-stringer in their sound – and Page’s desire to unplug was there from the start
The Keith Richards riff machine is still in fine working order as the Rolling Stones return with new single Angry
The first single from long-awaited new studio album Hackney Diamonds proves that after all these years no-one does rock 'n' roll guitar quite like the Stones
A 150-year-old Martin acoustic is up for sale on Reverb – and it’s surprisingly attainable and 100 percent playable
The compact 1-21 must have some tales to tell, and it’s in such good condition that it’s got plenty more songs in it yet
“It’s just meant to be a rock machine”: YouTube star Ryan ‘Fluff’ Bruce hooks up with Ernie Ball Music Man for a StingRay signature model that’s more versatile than you might expect
Equipped with Fluff’s signature Fishman pickups, this limited-run StingRay comes in two finishes: Aqua Sparkle and, brilliantly, Tealy Dan
