Latest articles by Matt Owen
Billy Corgan names himself and two other ’90s guitar gods as the ‘metal Yardbirds’
The Smashing Pumpkins frontman shared near-identical early experiences with two other players close to his local area, but they all ended up going down different avenues – not unlike the Yardbird legends
That time Joe Satriani took a Surfing With The Alien encore a little too far
One Halloween, Satch decided to emerge for his customary encore wearing a headpiece appropriate for the holiday – but he quickly realized it was a bad idea
Gibson and Johnny Marr have recreated the 1984 Les Paul that underpinned The Smiths legend’s entire career
Exclusive to the Gibson Garage London to mark the store's first anniversary, only 20 examples will be made, and each will be hand-signed by Marr himself
The Boss Katana:GO headphone amp is back after it was discontinued – but not as you remember it
The first-edition Katana:GO was pulled from production mere months after it was unveiled. Now, the second generation is finally here, and it has been given a few tweaks
James Tyler Guitars will become more affordable than ever as the boutique builder announces China-made JTG Series
Two distinct JTG models will be made in China, and each will come loaded with a range of surprisingly premium appointments – from high-quality tonewoods to onboard preamps and custom hardware
I played the last Overdrive Special that Dumble worked on – and it completely changed my perspective on the amp of my dreams
The Dumble Preservation Society went to NAMM with a hall-of-fame amp display, and playing through one of its Overdrive Specials was an eye-opening experience
Eric Johnson broke new ground with his semi-hollow Strat – but he’d take inspiration from Gibson if he made another
Johnson’s 2018 signature model was the first to combine a semi-hollow design with a contoured Strat body, but it didn’t take long for him to settle on a concept
Brian May issues health update after suffering ‘minor stroke’ last year
The Queen guitar hero suffered a health scare late last year, which left him briefly fearing he might not be able to pick up the guitar again
Phil X confirms new Bon Jovi material will feature one seriously ripping solo – and a tour is also in the works
Guitar World caught up with Phil X to discuss rumors of a new Bon Jovi record, and the guitar ace dished out some spoilers on one of his standout contributions
Ozzy Osbourne announces his final-ever live performance – featuring an original Black Sabbath lineup reunion and some of the biggest names in heavy music
Osbourne will be returning this summer for his final show, and is sharing the history-making bill with Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, Anthrax and many, many more
When Chris Buck played a museum-grade Martin from 1928, a high-profile Hollywood guitar scandal played heavy on his mind
The blues rock ace demoed a five-figure Martin 0-42 in the new issue of Guitarist, and couldn't help but think of that infamous Hateful Eight guitar smash
Why Metallica’s forgotten guitarist believes he isn’t considered the heavy metal legends’ OG guitar player
Lloyd Grant jammed with Lars Ulrich and helped record an early demo of Hit the Lights – but isn’t recognized as an original member of Metallica
Grace Bowers takes her chops to the biggest stage in music for surprise Grammys appearance
The guitar wunderkind was approached for the gig last minute, but stole the show with an emotional solo over Coldplay’s All My Love
These are the gear trends that will shape your guitar buying in 2025
NAMM 2025 was one for the history books, with an avalanche of surprise announcements as industry titans broke their own rules, the neck humbucker took a backseat and guitar stars started seeing other companies – here’s what we learned
What’s going on with Dumble Amps – and why was the company at NAMM 2025?
The show’s most surprising exhibitor put on a behind-closed-doors display of some hall-of-fame Dumbles – and gave Guitar World the lowdown on what’s to come
Peter Frampton on how he’s adapting his technique in order to keep playing
The rock legend plans to play guitar for the rest of his life, but it will require an evolving approach in the face of a degenerative disease
“You’re playing that fast that you need to have a satin neck? Wear it down yourself!” Why Johnny Marr isn’t convinced by the satin neck trend
The Smiths icon and vintage gear lover has some choice words for guitarists who prefer satin finish treatments – and anyone who artificially ages their gloss necks
NAMM 2025 live! The biggest guitar news as it happened
All the red-hot gear news and artist goings-ons from the show floor at the world’s biggest guitar gear trade show
NAMM 2025: rumors, predictions and breaking news from the world’s biggest gear show
With the likes of Fender, Gibson and Marshall returning to Anaheim at long last, this year’s event is set to be the biggest in five years – with secrets and surprises to match
We went behind the scenes at Gibson’s exclusive NAMM 2025 booth to check out all of its new releases – here’s everything we saw
From special edition and signature Les Pauls to returning retro bass guitars, Gibson's early 2025 lineups is full of head-turning instruments
MXR honors Mick Ronson with a signature Cry Baby reverse engineered from his vintage Italian wah
The legendary songwriter and guitarist was famed for his cocked-wah tone that helped shape the sound of some of Bowie's biggest hits
MXR officially revives the Rockman – the revolutionary headphone amp used by Joe Satriani, Phil Collen and Boston
The device – considered to be a forerunner to today's multi-effects pedals – revolutionized guitar recording, and can be heard on thousands of hits
The AmpRx Brownie can tweak your amp’s voltage for maximum tone – and it could be your key to finally unlocking Eddie Van Halen’s coveted ‘Brown Sound’
NAMM 2025: Compact tube amp accessory lets players carefully select their desired voltage, promising both tonal and functional results in the process
