Matt Owen
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
Latest articles by Matt Owen
Rory Gallagher’s iconic ’61 Fender Stratocaster is heading to auction for the first time ever
By Matt Owen published
As legend has it, Gallagher's Strat was the first to ever reach Irish soil, and it was used by the blues rock ace to cement himself as one of the all-time greats of guitar music
Sam Ash has been acquired by Gonher Music – here’s what that could mean for the retailer
By Matt Owen published
The Mexican firm reportedly acquired Sam Ash Music's assets following a $15.2 million offer
Fender continues the Road Worn line with new vintage-inspired Stratocaster and Telecaster bodies
By Matt Owen published
'50s-style alder bodies continue Fender's popular Road Worn lineage with some artificially aged nitro finishes
This 16-year-old guitar prodigy suffered extreme anxiety, now he's shared a stage with Buddy Guy
By Matt Owen published
Rhys John Stygal's story has been highlighted as part of a new campaign from UK retailer guitarguitar, which puts the spotlight on 20 inspirational guitar stories
Fender’s flagship Bassman pedal series will let you build the basics of any bass ‘board
By Matt Owen published
Designed specifically for bass players, Fender's latest pedal family comprises keenly priced drive, fuzz, compressor, delay and reverb pedals – and there's room to grow
Fender expands the Tone Master range with its first-ever tweed model
By Matt Owen published
The 4x10 Tone Master '59 Bassman revives one of Fender's most iconic guitar amps via digital modeling circuitry
Michael J. Fox plays guitar onstage with Coldplay during their Glastonbury headline set
By Matt Owen published
Fox came out to help Coldplay perform two encore tracks, as the band headlined the UK festival's iconic Pyramid Stage for the fifth time
Ever wanted a private Steve Vai concert? This new app beams the virtuoso into your home
By Matt Owen published
The Zeus in Chains app utilizes augmented reality to project Vai on any backdrop – and the best clips are going to be used in an upcoming video
“Big riff energy is in this kid’s blood – and he might even solo better than his dad…” June 2024 Guitar World editor’s picks
By Michael Astley-Brown published
From all-star offspring to returning noise-rock icons, a punk trailblazer’s first album in 53 years and the future of blues, this month had it all
Paul Reed Smith says the materials used to make a guitar make a difference – but not for the reason you might think
By Matt Owen published
The six-string scientist has once again stressed that certain woods do in fact change the tone of your guitar, and he's drawn attention to an oddly spec'd custom build to prove it
“We used to boil all our strings”: Geezer Butler on how Black Sabbath made ends meet as emerging heavy metal pioneers
By Matt Owen published
Before they made a name for themselves, Sabbath were forced to save cash any way they could – and Butler’s bass strings took the hit
Is this oddball ’60s electric the weirdest custom model Gibson has ever created?
By Matt Owen published
The guitar – reportedly admired by Billy Gibbons – was built in 1966 for Torpedo Joe, and is said to be one of the strangest custom models Gibson has crafted
Brian May turned down the chance to play with Steve Cropper and Billy Gibbons – then his rejection email was used to write a new song
By Matt Owen published
The Queen guitarist trades solos with Gibbons on Too Much Stress, the first taste of session legend Cropper’s new record Friendlytown
Tim Henson brings his virtuosity to the masses as the player who shredded on Netflix’s new blockbuster
By Matt Owen published
Henson used two of his Ibanez signatures to lay down the spectacular guitar lines that soundtracked Ultraman: Rising
Tom Morello shreds Dave Navarro’s PRS – with his teeth –as he joins Jane’s Addiction to tear through Mountain Song
By Matt Owen published
Morello swapped his Soul Power Stratocaster for Navarro's signature Custom 24, and wasted no time getting to grips with the unfamiliar terrain
The 10-year-old viral sensation who wowed Adam Jones just stunned America’s Got Talent with a ripping Last Resort cover
By Matt Owen published
Maya Neelakantan was gifted Jones' signature Gibson Les Paul after dazzling him with her stellar Tool covers. Now she's taken to the stage for the first time ever to rip through the Papa Roach classic
Even Eric Clapton is into lo-fi guitar tones now – and Source Audio’s Artifakt promises all the broken-sounding weirdness you could ever want
By Matt Owen published
The latest high-tech solution to sounding as low-tech as possible is said to be “the ultimate lo-fi experience”
Donner heats up 2024’s best-value guitar race with two high-spec S-style models
By Matt Owen published
The sub-$500 DST-600 and DST-700 models cater to both vintage and contemporary Strat styles, and looks to tempt players with a suite of welcome upgrades
Benson Amps narrowly avoids fire that threatened one of its warehouses
By Matt Owen published
A fire erupted in a building close to where Benson conducts its upholstery and final assembly, and 100 firefighters were called to stop the fire from spreading
Mesa/Boogie and John Petrucci celebrate 40 years of partnership with “the most aggressive” Mark IIC+ ever
By Matt Owen published
The Dream Theater virtuoso's limited-edition signature amp looks to take the Holy Grail metal and rock combo to all-new heights
Scott Gorham nearly lost his 'Holy Grail' 1957 Gibson Les Paul to a customs officer just after he bought it – and he had to go to court to get it back
By Matt Owen published
The Thin Lizzy guitarist bought the vintage guitar while in Boston with the band, but ran into a few issues when trying to take it overseas
Nobody expected Fender to return to NAMM – but it will return to the gear trade show in 2025
By Matt Owen published
Fender last attended NAMM in 2020, and as recently as 2023 the firm's CEO Andy Mooney said a return looked unlikely
Dawner Prince’s Boonar Tube Deluxe was crafted for David Gilmour – and it’s a high-end replica of a legendary echo unit
By Matt Owen published
Gilmour got his hands on the flagship Boonar pedal, then began working with Dawner Prince on a new-and-improved unit that could better integrate with his stage and studio rig
Joe Bonamassa has bought Lowell George’s Dumble Overdrive Special Reverb after a 15-year quest
By Matt Owen published
The amp and its matching cab were last played on June 28, 1979 – the night before the Little Feat legend died at the age of 34
Gibson honors Jeff Beck with a recreation of his 1959 ‘YardBurst’ Les Paul – before he gave it a radical makeover
By Matt Owen published
Beck bought the original model – widely considered to be one of his most iconic instruments – when he replaced Eric Clapton in the Yardbirds, using it extensively both in the studio and on stage
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