Latest articles by Phil Weller
When Metallica hit the road for their first national tour, crowds weren’t convinced by their music
James Hetfield and co went on tour with British heavy metal band Raven when they came over to the States in the early 1980s – but they didn’t always win over the audience
Meet the rePEDAL – an AI overdrive maker that generates digital stompboxes at the click of a button
The experimental plugin is in its beta phase and offers a new way to inject a little grit into your tone
Wylde Audio unveils the Blood Skull Berzerker – and it’s got a “visually brutal” new body shape worthy of its name
Zakk Wylde’s gear brand has rolled out yet another new body shape, and it’s quite a sight to behold
Brian Setzer can’t play guitar due to autoimmune disease
The Stray Cats guitar icon says he first experienced hand cramps while on tour last year, but remains defiant despite the diagnosis
John Browne hasn’t played in standard tuning for 20 years. He explains why DADGAD is perfect for modern metal
The tuning is being heralded by a growing number of current greats – we caught up with the Monuments riffer to find out why
Schecter’s Red Dawn series of electric guitars aim to weaponize a legion of chug-loving metal players
Impressive specs and humble price points see the Californian co strengthen its metal guitar offering
Cort “reaches the pinnacle of acoustic guitars” with its Essence series – could it be the perfect Grand Auditorium?
Grand Auditorium and OM Cutaway models feature in the all-new vintage-modern electric-acoustic designs
“There’s nothing more Spinal Tap”: Joe Bonamassa reflects on the worst show of his career
Today, he’s one of the most celebrated blues guitarists in the game, but JoBo faced a harsh reality when he embarked on his first headline tour
Alex Skolnick looks back on his brief tenure as Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist – and why it only lasted one show
The Testament guitarist blames a “management decision” on his short-lived spell, but looks back at the experience positively
The jury's out on new Pantera material, but Dimebag Darrell-channeling shredder Kayla Kent is making the next-best thing – all she needs is a singer
The YouTuber has earned a considerable following for her Dimebag-infused covers, now she wants to find an “aggressive” vocalist to ice her original music
Positive Grid turns the headphone amp market upside down with the wireless, AI-powered Neo
With access to 100,00 tones and cable-free playing, the firm is aiming to take headphone amp technology to new heights
Jack White responds to short sets criticism – and explains why you’ll never see him play for three hours
Recent shows have barely surpassed the hour mark, but White is refusing to bend to the wants of his naysayers
Ed Sheeran’s street performance brought to an abrupt end after Indian police shut it down
The singer/songwriter had taken to the Bengaluru city streets to perform when police brought his show to close
Slash joins forces with Tom Morello at LA Wildfire Relief shows – taking on MC5 and an AC/DC classic, in the process
Morello added an extra Slash to AC/DC – and recruited his guitar-slinging son, plus members of System of a Down, Måneskin, and Wu-Tang Clan for his all-star fundraiser
Jack Bruce’s Gibson EB-1 is going up for a one-time-only public display
Bruce’s iconic EB-1 will go on display for four weeks at the Gibson Garage in London as part of the Gibson Garage Fest later this month
Ace Frehley interrupted the band when he auditioned for Kiss – and Gene Simmons was ready to throw fists
Although the guitarist eventually aced his audition, his relationship with Simmons and the rest of the band got off to a rather rocky start
Billy Gibbons once covered Jimi Hendrix hits while supporting Hendrix on tour
Few players would have had the nerves to cover Hendrix while supporting him on tour, but Gibbons is made of sterner stuff – and the bold move sparked a lasting friendship
Chinese firm HSG acquires majority stake of Marshall in $1.1billion deal
The British amp giant and home audio success story will work closely with HongShan Capital Group to fuel future projects that will “build on Marshall's iconic status”
Spiritbox’s Mike Stringer wowed metalheads with a custom offset Jackson. Now he’s turned to Aristides for his first signature guitar
Soon to be available in six-, seven-, and eight-string formats, the STX brings the offset hype to Aristides’ range of custom builds for the first time
When Steve Vai’s gear got lost in transit, his tech stepped in to save the day
Incredibly, Doug MacArthur sourced a full live rig in just four hours so the show could go on
St. Vincent, Andrew Watt and Gojira claim big Grammy wins for guitar music
Justus West also claimed some notable triumphs with Beyoncé as Gojira underlined the importance of supporting young bands
The IGF Summer School celebrates 30 years of levelling up guitar players with a bumper Bath event
Sponsor Content Created With International Guitar Foundation
Taking place 12-17 August in the historic UK town of Bath, the five-day event will celebrate guitar playing in all its forms, helping players take their talents to new heights
John Lennon’s Hootenanny 12-string sold for $2.8m last year – now Framus has revived the acoustic with the Lennon estate’s approval
One of the most expensive guitars ever sold at auction gets a long-awaited return six decades after John Lennon used it to record Beatles classics
After a 3-year wait, Behringer’s affordable clone of John Frusciante’s favorite chorus pedal is finally here
The Boss CE-1 can be heard all over the Red Hot Chili Peppers catalog, and now Behringer’s Chorus Symphony hopes to deliver its all-analog delights to the budget end of the market
