Latest articles by Matt Owen
That time one of the fastest shredders in guitar history auditioned to join Ozzy Osbourne’s band
When the Osbourne camp began searching for Jake E. Lee’s replacement, a neo-classical speed shredder featured high up on their list
Fender Japan and J-Pop guitar hero Rei have launched one of the most inventive Strats in recent years
The bold reimagining is a curious mash-up of classic and contemporary specs, resulting in a Strat like no other
Jimmie Vaughan on the only album he and Stevie Ray Vaughan ever made together
In 1990, the Vaughan brothers linked up in the studio to record Family Style, which was released weeks after SRV died
A Norman’s Rare Guitars documentary is launching on Netflix – and some huge names are set to feature
The film will tell the tale of the legendary vintage and rare guitar store, with the help of some big-name guitar players
Gibson’s mystery Metallica-inspired Explorer hasn’t gone to James Hetfield – it’s been gifted to a Hollywood superstar
It was theorized that Gibson was crafting a Custom Shop Explorer inspired by Hetfield’s “So What” model ahead of some signature models, but that wasn't the case...
That time Eddie Van Halen promised Dimebag Darrell a collectible EVH inspired by his beloved Bumblebee
Dimebag had designs on getting his name down for a limited-edition Charvel EVH Art Series guitar, but when Van Halen himself found out, he promised to go one step further
Isaiah Sharkey names his favorite guitar player of all time – and reveals he’s bought one of his most iconic guitars
The revered session player has paid tribute to his favorite guitar player of all time, having recently purchased one of his personal Gibson Johnny Smith models
When rhythm guitar hero Andy Fairweather Low was recruited by a Beatle to play slide – even though he’d never played slide before
Harrison and Fairweather Low had a mutual love for Ry Cooder’s slide guitar playing, and the Beatle convinced the Eric Clapton rhythm guitarist to develop his own slide chops for a Japanese tour
Reverb has revealed its best-selling pedals of 2024 – and it seems we have a winner in this year’s amp modeler race
It’s been a big year for digital amp modelers and regular stompboxes alike, and as Reverb itself notes, it all makes for quite an interesting list
Mark Tremonti on how Paul Reed Smith got him hooked on Dumbles
The Alter Bridge guitarist looks back on how he beat his PRS peers to play the amp of his dreams – and never looked back
Dweezil Zappa shares the surprising beginner guitar lessons he learned from Eddie Van Halen
Zappa first met Van Halen when he was just 12 years old, and it wasn’t long before he was receiving lessons from the guitar god – on his legendary Frankenstein
Jamie Foxx says his daughter saved his life by playing guitar
The Oscar and Grammy winner suffered a serious medical emergency back in April 2023, and recently opened up about the scare in his new Netflix special
“Reveal coming soon”: At long lost, is Gibson finally working on James Hetfield signature guitars?
The Metallica frontman is poised to receive a Gibson Custom Shop creation that pays homage to his famed ‘So What’ 1984 Explorer. Could signature guitars be next?
Reverb reveals its best-selling electric guitars of 2024 – and the previous top-seller has been toppled
The reigning champion of 2022 and 2023 has been ousted, and the best-selling new release of 2024 might surprise you
Steve Vai gives his seal of approval to the viral Hungarian high-schooler who nailed For The Love of God at his school prom
Laci’s flawless performance of the gruelling fretboard workout has attracted the attention of the man who composed it
TC Electronic’s Plethora X1 takes the fight to the Line 6 HX One – and it costs over $100 less
The $179 stompbox delivers some of the firm’s most beloved effects algorithms via a simple, easy-to-use interface
Abigail Ybarra is a legend of the pickup world – but her daughter didn’t realize until she got mobbed by fans
The famed pickup maker worked for Fender for more than 50 years, and her pickups were played by some of the biggest guitar players in the game, including Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton
“I was docked three weeks’ pay”: Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter recalls the questionable guitar deal he made when he first met Jimi Hendrix
A young Baxter was working in a local guitar store when Hendrix came searching for a new guitar
Steve Vai and Joe Satriani have formed a new band together – and will release new music ahead of upcoming tour dates
The two virtuosos hit the road next summer for a string of European dates – and a new original track is set to land shortly before
How Phil Manzanera got his trademark Roxy Music Gibson Firebird
Manzanera’s iconic Firebird has been by his side for much of his career and began life as a custom build from Kalamazoo
Shergold makes one of its most iconic models more affordable with new Masquerader Standard
The newly revived firm continues its renaissance by returning to one of its earliest designs – and giving it a modern-day makeover
Long-awaited Becoming Led Zeppelin documentary gets its first trailer – and hints at the band’s early struggles
The first authorized Led Zeppelin documentary was premiered at the 2021 Venice International Film Festival – and now it’s been given a 2025 release date
Gibson has put an all-new spin on its traditional Les Paul Studio – in response to requests from players
The Studio Session sits on the price scale between the regular Studio and the more expensive Standard – and promises to be “the one guitar you can rely on for any musical genre or scenario”
Why one of David Gilmour’s most iconic Strats disappointed Fender’s CEO – who tried to buy it at auction
Andy Mooney had already attempted to convince the Pink Floyd legend to let Fender reissue his legendary 0001 Strat, not long after he joined the company
The iconic Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ is officially back – 40 years after the holy grail high-gain amp was last produced
Beloved by James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, John Petrucci, Steve Lukather and countless others, the original IIC+ is one of the most coveted amps ever created… and now it has finally been revived
