Latest articles by Michael Astley-Brown
“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
’90s alt-rock giants unite and blink-182 make a surprisingly heavy return: this week’s essential guitar tracks
Tasty new guitar tracks that need to be on your radar from Johnny Marr, Yasmin Williams, Art of Anarchy, The Vaccines, Bleachers, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Chelsea Wolfe and more
“We’re doing this because Black Sabbath did it. Neil Young did it. Van Halen did it. Are you going to tell Eddie Van Halen he wasn’t playing guitar properly?” Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil recalls his battles with drop-D trolls
Thayil brought drop-D tuning to the mainstream with the grunge guitar revolution – but he had to contend with “purists and nitwits who would write into guitar magazines saying, ‘Drop D is cheating; you’re not really playing if you do that!’”
“Angry, aggressive, loud and brutal”: Combined, these 36 fuzz pedals are a literal work of art – individually, they sound terrifying
Only the Dead… is the latest jaw-dropping stompbox from Gone Fishing Effects – the brainchild of guitar tech to the stars Richard ‘Churd’ Pratt
Death metal SG tones, the drummer from Slayer and “unabridged hatred in musical form”: get a load of this year’s filthiest riffers Empire State Bastard
Mike Vennart is touring guitarist for Biffy Clyro and former frontman of UK prog heroes Oceansize, but he’s finally let his extreme metal alter ego out – and it’s seriously nasty, as evidenced in this no-holds-barred playthrough
“My original ’60 Stratocaster will always sound the best. This one is right next to the best”: Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready on why he’s playing his more affordable signature guitar live, covering Eruption and embracing digital amps
Now onto his second signature Fender, grunge’s answer to Stevie Ray Vaughan reflects on his greatest Stratocaster moment, how Eddie Van Halen and Chris Cornell inspired his guitar playing, and why you should be excited for the next Pearl Jam album – oh, and his rock opera about the Seattle scene
“A moment for modern guitar playing” that reaches new technical heights and Spinal Tap’s antidote to the Barbie hype: this week’s essential guitar tracks
Hot new cuts courtesy of Unprocessed, Derek Smalls, Meet Me @ The Altar, Wargasm, While She Sleeps, Erja Lyytinen, Wilco, Big Thief and more
“They’re some of the best amps I’ve ever played”: Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready on why he made the switch to Fender’s digital Tone Master amps
The self-confessed tube lover changed up his backline for Pearl Jam’s 2022 US tour – but it wasn’t a decision he took lightly
“Andrew Watt pushed us as hard as we could be pushed”: Pearl Jam’s energetic new album is “just about finished” – but Mike McCready is also working on a rock opera about the Seattle music scene
The lead guitarist shares the first details of his ambitious new musical that honors Chris Cornell and other Seattle legends – and why he used Andrew Watt’s gear rather than his own for the rock veterans’ forthcoming record
Remarkable returns from the Rolling Stones and Måneskin, plus a Tool bassist’s sonic experiments: this week’s essential guitar tracks
Besides stadium and arena mainstays, we’ve got fresh cuts from The Gaslight Anthem, Dead Poet Society, Shylmagoghnar and an eclectic Justin Chancellor side-project
