Latest articles by Matt Owen
I went completely ampless for the first time this year – and with huge Black Friday discounts on Line 6 Helix, TONEX, and Quad Cortex modelers, now is the perfect time to join me
Guitar Center and Sweetwater have slashed the prices across its Helix, TONEX and Quad Cortex inventory, so if you’re tempted to take the leap for a rig replacement, now is the perfect time
Black Friday Positive Grid deals 2024: The first-ever Spark 2 discounts are here – plus, ways to save on the rest of the Spark line-up today
The official Black Friday deals are here, with discounts on nearly every smart amp in the line-up, plus big savings on software
John Lennon once wrote to Eric Clapton asking him to help form a new band – now that letter is going up for auction
Lennon sought out Slowhand as he set about establishing a new band, pitching to Clapton they could “make the kind of sound that could bring back the balls in rock 'n' roll”
Guitarist undergoes eight-hour brain surgery – and plays his acoustic during the operation
Colin Miller was woken up part way through the operation to play guitar in order to maintain his left-side motor movements
Gibson introduces the latest evolution of the Hummingbird – giving the acoustic a cutaway overhaul
Gibson’s super-stylish square-shouldered acoustic has largely remained true to its original dimensions. Now, a body cutaway has made a rare re-appearance
$18 million of fake Gibson guitars seized in biggest counterfeit instrument bust on record
Over 3,000 counterfeit Gibsons – along with a handful of fake Fenders, Gretsch guitars, and PRS guitars – were seized after arriving in the US in ocean containers from Asia
George Harrison’s Futurama smashes auction estimate and sets a new record with staggering $1.27 million sale
The oddball electric – which was used during the Beatles’ early years, and saw action in over 300 historic shows – becomes the most expensive electric guitar formerly owned by a Beatle to sell at auction
Blackstar’s St. James 100 looks to set a new benchmark for tube amps – with its most powerful and lightest 100-watt amp yet
The latest evolution of the British amp maker’s pioneering St. James family smashes the sonic ceiling with more output, selectable tubes and a wealth of modern refinements
Boss goes head-to-head with Positive Grid with the $149 Katana-Mini X – one of the firm’s most portable practice amps yet
Could the newest addition to the Katana collective become the go-to desktop amps for players?
Fender just dropped a game-changing Tone Master Pro update
Fender has bolstered its flagship amp modeling multi-effects pedal with its first dedicated bass amps, a host of new functional updates and more
Tom Morello’s ‘Arm the Homeless’ guitar could be revived as a signature run
Morello has already worked with Fender to produce a replica of his iconic Soul Power Strat – and a recreation of his ‘Arm the Homeless’ mod job could be next
Steve Vai lays down a smoking alternative solo for Chicago’s South California Purples at the rock icons’ Live at 55 show
Vai was joined by the likes of Judith Hill and Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram to help mark 55 years Chicago Transit Authority
Fender and Chris Shiflett cut no corners in creating the new signature ‘Cleaver’ Telecaster
The P-90-loaded workhorse was first teased earlier this year, and has been rigorously road-tested over a number of months in order to meet the Foo Fighters guitar maestro’s exacting standards
The original Mary Kaye Strat became one of the most iconic Fender builds of all time – now it’s heading to auction
The 1956 Strat was snapped in an early Fender ad that featured The Mary Kaye Trio – and helped Kaye’s name become synonymous with the instantly recognizable finish
Steve Stevens on following in Eddie Van Halen’s footsteps to record the ‘spiritual successor’ to Beat It
When Jackson and Jones sought to revisit the sound they experimented with on Beat It, they turned to the Billy Idol guitarist for a hard rock edge
Billy Duffy spent his life savings on his first Gretsch – now he’s got a signature model to mark 40 years of The Cult
The Falcon has played a key part in helping Duffy form his signature blend of psychedelic gothic hard rock over the past four decades
Why JHS Pedals is discontinuing Ross Pedals – just over a year after resurrecting the legacy brand
In his announcement, Josh Scott revealed that starting on Friday, November 15, he'd be selling the remaining Ross units – which were revived against the backdrop of much fanfare last year – for $79 apiece
Origin Effects’ Deluxe 55 pedal repurposes the tones of the Fender amp beloved by Neil Young
The Tweed Recreation stompbox was built following close inspection of a genuine Fender 5E3 Tweed Deluxe from 1955
Joe Bonamassa’s “museum-grade” 1941 Martin has been meticulously reissued as a five-figure signature model
Bonamassa purchased the mint condition model in a transaction that saved its former owner’s home – now it’s been reborn as his first Martin signature guitar
Steve Cradock on that time he recorded Come Together with Paul McCartney – using Paul Weller's Epiphone Casino
Cradock and McCartney formed a supergroup with Weller, Noel Gallagher, Steve White and Carleen Anderson during the recording of 1995's The Help Album
Gibson honors trailblazing guitar hero Mary Ford by reviving her one-of-a-kind 1958 Les Paul Standard Goldtop
After helping to shape the ES-295, the legendary recording artist reportedly had a one-off Les Paul built in 1958 that combined aspects of both models
Fender’s viral Hello Kitty Stratocaster is officially back
Fender has revived the internet-breaking Strat – along with a host of other appropriately branded accessories – to mark Hello Kitty's latest milestone
Marshall is returning to NAMM for the first time in 5 years – and has teased some blockbuster launches
After previously hinting that digital amps, modeling software and other advancements were in the works, Marshall is now set to embark on an all-new chapter when NAMM 2025 kicks off
Misha Mansoor on the emergence of offsets in metal music – and why he should have seen it coming
The Periphery guitarist recently worked with Jackson to produce one of 2024's most talked-about custom builds – but he's not the first player to have dragged the offset into heavy territory over the past few years
