Michael Astley-Brown
Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and over a decade's experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.
Latest articles by Michael Astley-Brown
Joe Satriani has modeled his epic amp collection – including some you might not expect
By Michael Astley-Brown published
The shred lord may be best known for high-gain Marshalls, but he has some real gems in his collection – which he has demoed with some unlikely guitars for the IK Multimedia Joe Satriani Amp Vault
Best pedalboard power supplies 2024: juice your ‘board with our recommendations
By Michael Astley-Brown last updated
Make sure your effects are firing on all cylinders with our pick of the best pedal power supplies from Strymon to Ernie Ball
Kiki Wong brings a metal edge to her debut Smashing Pumpkins performance after beating 10,000 guitarists to the gig
By Michael Astley-Brown published
In her first show with the alt-rock icons, the Instagram favorite delivers on her quest to bring out the Pumpkins’ heavy side
Billy Corgan reveals how many guitarists the Smashing Pumpkins auditioned in person – and how they knew Kiki Wong was the one
By Michael Astley-Brown published
The band have also finished a guitar record that will make “the old-school fans happy”
Fender just dropped the biggest Tone Master Pro update since its launch last year
By Michael Astley-Brown published
Plus you can now control Fender’s flagship amp modeler with your phone
“There can be no more fitting sendoff to this uncompromising sonic innovator”: May 2024 Guitar World editors’ picks
By Michael Astley-Brown published
From acoustic wizards to bedroom pop mainstays, prog-metal masters and fallen heroes – here are our standout guitar tracks from the past 31 days
Best reverb pedals 2024: from spring to shimmer, these are our top picks for your pedalboard
By Michael Astley-Brown last updated
Take a deep dive into the cavernous world of 'verb and explore the best reverb pedals for every budget
Electro-Harmonix has reimagined the 1968 effect that launched the brand as a tone-shaping powerhouse
By Michael Astley-Brown published
The LPB-3 Linear Power Booster is loaded with features, and could radically change your guitar sound for the better
Fender brings the Telecaster Thinline to the American Professional II Series and revives the Stratocaster Thinline
By Michael Astley-Brown published
Kitted out in four transparent pastel finishes, the new limited-edition releases rank among Fender’s most enticing launches this year
April 2024 Guitar World editors' picks
By Michael Astley-Brown published
From fast-rising indie rock acts and heavy playing pioneers to Beyoncé and beyond – here are our standout guitar tracks from the past 30 days
“It made me realize how grateful I am to have the guitar in my life”: I applied to be the new Smashing Pumpkins guitarist – I didn’t get the gig, but it was one of the most life-affirming experiences of my musical career
By Michael Astley-Brown published
Kiki Wong deservedly landed the touring guitarist spot, but applying to join one of my all-time favorite bands reignited my teenage dreams – and Billy Corgan should be commended for offering the opportunity to so many players
Kiki Wong announced as new Smashing Pumpkins guitarist after 10,000 applications
By Michael Astley-Brown published
The popular Instagram guitarist will tour the world with the alt-rock legends from June 2024
I played the Tom DeLonge Starcaster – it’s given one of Fender’s most unpopular guitars a new lease of life
By Michael Astley-Brown published
blink-182 taught me how to play the electric guitar 20 years ago, but DeLonge’s long-awaited signature model is no throwback – it might just herald a bright future for the unloved semi-hollow
Best looper pedals 2024: go it alone with the greatest loop pedals for practice, live performance and jamming
By Alex Lynham last updated
Whether you're writing songs or woodshedding solos, using a loop pedal will make you a better guitarist – these are the best looper pedals from Boss, TC Electronic, Line 6 and more
Wrestling with noisy pedals? One simple trick made my pedalboard whisper-quiet – and it didn’t cost me a thing
By Michael Astley-Brown published
Forget buying a noise suppressor – sometimes all your rig needs is some TLC
“Is it just me, or is that Stone Gossard and/or Mike McCready doing The Gojira Pick Scrape™?” March 2024 Guitar World editors’ picks
By Michael Astley-Brown published
From indie folk, full-throttle blues rock and flamenco-meets-fusion to the guitar crossover episode you never knew you needed – here are our standout guitar tracks from the past 30 days
“One small stomp for man… one giant leap for chorus, delays and reverbs”: Zoom updates one of the best-value multi-FX on the market with the MS-70CDR+ MultiStomp
By Michael Astley-Brown published
The original MS-70CDR was a cult classic and a shoegazer’s best friend – and for $149, the new and improved pedal adds a host of long-requested features
“There’s a different dynamic to distorted slide playing – a fully distorted slide guitar is an incredibly noisy beast”: Meet the guitarist fusing Western slide and black metal – with devastating results
By Michael Astley-Brown published
Wayfarer are the self-proclaimed “pre-eminent Western American metal band”, and the roots-infused style of guitarist Joe Strong-Truscelli is integral to their radical fusion. He reveals the unique challenges of playing slide over high-gain metal and why Gilmour is his new guitar god
“It’s one of Boss’ most eagerly anticipated pedals ever – but is this featured-packed reverb worth the wait?” Boss RV-200 Reverb review
By Michael Astley-Brown published
The long-awaited twin-footswitch reverb pedal has taken the flagship RV-500 format and downsized it to pedalboard-friendly proportions, all while adding an all-new Arpverb algorithm
“This song presents a kind of revisionist history where guitar solos were cool after all in the early noughties”: February 2024 Guitar World editors' picks
By Michael Astley-Brown published
From neoclassical tapping clinics to cosmic, spaghetti western-esque guitar soundscapes, this month has provided an embarrassment of six-string riches
“We are so proud to have him in our Gibson family. From a little band called Queen…” Brian May is now working with Gibson – but what does it mean for the Red Special?
By Michael Astley-Brown published
The Queen legend accompanied his old friend Tony Iommi and Jimmy Page at the opening of the Gibson Garage London – and we have our theories as to why
NAMM 2024: the 10 biggest things we discovered at this year's show
By Matt Owen, Matt Parker published
From a new wave of star-studded semi-hollow signature guitars, to the AI invasion, these are the things we saw, heard, and thought at the music-making event of the year
NAMM 2024: “The aim was to be as tonally versatile as possible”: Rabea Massaad on the origins of his long-awaited Ernie Ball Music Man Sabre design – and the crucial refinement that took the most tweaking
By Matt Owen published
An newly-contoured Sabre body and a set of Bare Knuckle Silos headline the eagerly anticipated instrument, which made its official debut at NAMM 2024
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