Latest articles by Michael Astley-Brown
The best discounts I've seen this Cyber Monday are almost all on bass guitars – with up to 44% off some of our best-reviewed models
Bass discounts eclipse the offers on guitars this year – with almighty savings to be had on Fender, Spector, Guild, Squier, Sterling by Music Man and many more, it's a good time to go bass shopping
I’ve never played a PRS guitar I haven’t liked, but I’ve yet to take the plunge – now the entire SE range has been reduced by 20% for Cyber Monday, I’m seriously tempted
With prices starting at $559, and discounts on everything from the Silver Sky to the Singlecut and Custom 24 – not to mention basses, baritones, 7-strings and acoustics – this is one of the biggest guitar deals you’ll see all year
I love cheap guitars, and trust me: you can get an amazing electric guitar for under $500 – that’s why I think these are this year’s best Cyber Monday deals
New deals! With guitars starting from $149, there are huge discounts on Squier, Gretsch, Epiphone and Sterling by Music Man models this year
I’ve had a DigiTech Whammy on my pedalboard for 20 years – and this is the first time I’ve seen a Black Friday deal on this iconic pedal
One of the most influential pedals of all time, the Whammy is beloved by Tom Morello, Steve Vai and Radiohead – and now you can save $50 on the game-changing stompbox
This year's top beginner acoustic guitar Black Friday deals are right here – including $60 off our favorite Yamaha F335
There has never been a better time to start playing, with Epiphone, Guild and Fender deals starting from just $129
IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube X-Gear range is one of the pedal world’s best kept secrets – and they’re $100 off for Black Friday
The X-Time Delay, X-Space Reverb, X-Vibe Modulation and X-Drive Distortion are IK’s answer to Strymon – and they might just be the most versatile pedals you buy this year
The Fender Player Stratocaster is one of the most popular electric guitars on the market – and with prices starting at $594, this is the cheapest it’s ever been
This year’s Black Friday deals are the best offers we’ve seen on a genuine Fender Strat, and with a massive range of finishes and configurations – and up to $250 off – there’s never been a better time to buy
Fender Japan has developed a rabid cult following, but do its crazy-limited electric guitars live up to the hype? I finally gave in and bought one to find out
The achingly chic Elemental Series is one of Fender Japan’s most lusted-after recent launches. I snapped up the Jazzmaster to discover if MIJ guitars are worthy of their obsessive fandom
Black metal has gone orchestral and nu-disco shred is back, baby: This week’s essential guitar tracks
Unmissable tunes from John Mayer, Dre DiMura, Heriot, Ihsahn, Julian Lage, Porno for Pyros and so many more…
“The Double-Neck Montreal makes me think of the smell of your own burning flesh”: James Hetfield opens up about the agony of his 1992 pyro accident, and how his scorched ESP left a lasting legacy on Metallica
In this exclusive extract from his new book, the Metallica frontman describes the experience of getting torched by pyro while playing guitar, and offers a closer look at the damage done to his ESP double-neck during the band’s fateful 1992 performance in Montreal
Layla gets the two-hand tapping cover treatment and the Spiritbox x Megan Thee Stallion collab you never knew you needed: This week’s essential guitar tracks
Must-hear jams from Marcin, Plini and Tosin Abasi, WILLOW, Robby Krieger, Caligula’s Horse, Ty Segall, The Struts and loads more…
“The game-changing pick you never knew you needed”: Offset fever reaches guitar picks as Fender launches Offset Picks
The offset guitar boom shows no sign of abating, and Fender reckons its wonky shape results in “the most versatile pick ever”
A heavy solo debut from Mick Mars, a double-neck fretless tribute to Eddie Van Halen and a brand-new Beatles song: This week’s essential guitar tracks
Also: massive new singles from Helen Ibe, Spiritbox, Deap Vally, Iron Axxis, Unprocessed… oh, and did we mention the Beatles?
“We pulled a few guitars out – I loved the ’61 Strat immediately. John said, ‘I want you to take that guitar with you – it’s yours”: John Frusciante gave away a prized vintage Fender Stratocaster to a fan who became one of his favorite modern guitarists
This 1961 Olympic White Strat has the rare honor of being played by both Frusciante and Josh Klinghoffer during the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Stadium Arcadium tour – but Frusciante eventually handed it over to a fan who would go on to become one of his favorite contemporary guitar players
I’ve been fitting locking tuners to all my electric guitars for 20 years – and I just found out I’ve been using them wrong the whole time
It turns out there’s a right way to restring locking tuners – and it will make your guitar stay in tune better
“The pedal your ’board has been waiting for”? Zoom unveils the next generation of its cult classic MultiStomp pedal, cramming 100 effects into a $129 compact stompbox
The MS-50G+ multi-FX can be any effect you want it to be, including an amp modeler with impulse responses – and it offers serious competition to the Line 6 HX One
Otherworldly headless shred, and fresh riffs from one of the most underrated guitarists of his generation: This week's essential guitar tracks
Hot new tracks from Plini, Big Wreck, Green Day, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Dance Gavin Dance, Tim Henson, Robby Krieger and so very many more
Legend of Zelda-inspired fret-burner gallops and drunken bends: This week's essential guitar tracks
Usher in the weekend with must-hear cuts from Brittany Howard, Dead Poet Society, Kurt Vile, DragonForce, IDLES and more
“A new interpretation on a responsive classic”: Electro-Harmonix launches its own boutique Bluesbreaker clone – and it’s half the price of Marshall’s recent BB reissue
The Spruce Goose is EHX’s take on the John Mayer-favored pedal, and adds a host of smart, rig-friendly features
This week's essential guitar tracks: Fresh eyebrow-singing solos from Judas Priest, and a former coma patient delivers jaw-dropping Dimebag-meets-EVH shred
The hottest new cuts from Richie Faulkner and co, Moon Tooth, Spiritbox, Tyler Larson, Black Pumas, Lamb of God, Scott Stapp (yes), and many more…
Wolfgang Van Halen’s favorite guitarist tears it up while death metal has never sounded more alive: this week’s essential guitar tracks
Round out the week with our curated list of unmissable songs from Intervals, Alluvial, Sophie Lloyd, Santana, Kvelertak, Sleater-Kinney and more
Fender discontinued its sought-after Blacktop Baritone Telecaster in 2015 – now Schecter has plugged the gap and hot-rodded the format for 2023
The PT EX is heavily inspired by the still in-demand Blacktop Baritone Telecaster, but supercharges the design with a number of smart updates
A Young Guitarist of the Year returns and Toto’s Africa meets extreme metal: This week’s essential guitar tracks
Fresh new tunes you need to check out this week, from Juho Ranta-Maunus and Marnie Stern to U2 and Bernie Marsden
After three years of waiting, Neural DSP reveals Quad Cortex plugin compatibility is finally on the cards
Archetype: Plini will be the first plugin to be compatible with the all-powerful amp modeler, starting next month – well, sort of…
“Years in the making and the first of its kind”: Pigtronix reveals the Cosmosis, an ambient reverb with groundbreaking tones you won’t hear from any other pedal
The radical new stereo reverb features an innovative Morph footswitch, which not only sets it apart from any other ’verb on the market but also promises limitless potential for otherworldly soundscapes
