Latest articles by Phil Weller
Blackstar and Jared James Nichols team up for ground-breaking signature amp and plugin launch
The British amp builder says this is the first time an artist signature amp has been launched on the same day as a matching plugin
Boss gives players another reason to give its touchscreen GX-100 amp modeler a try with firmware update
New amps, quality-of-life improvements and some iconic Boss effects help keep the floorboard on top form in the competitive modeler/multi-FX market
With Thick Riff Thursdays, producer Nick Broomhall is teaching guitarists how to nail the sound in their heads
From drill samples to car-captured voice memos, the producer and guitarist behind Thick Riff Thursdays seems to have a supernatural ability to turn ‘head-first’ musical ideas into killer recordings
The home where Jeff Buckley was working right before he died is being made into an Airbnb
Buckley had moved to the tiny home in Memphis almost a year before he died
Dweezil Zappa on the first time he met Eddie Van Halen – after the guitar great unexpectedly called him
A Van Halen-obsessed 12-year-old Dweezil Zappa was minding his own business on a regular school night, when he received a call from the guitar legend himself...
The evolution of selective picking – one of modern guitar’s most expressive techniques
Tosin Abasi crafted it, but in the hands of countless others, selective picking has taken on a life of its own. We explore why it’s become one of the most personal guitar techniques around
How Zeal & Ardor are adding light and shade to black metal with plastic guitars, chunky strings and unlikely tube amps
By taking black metal into a more avant-garde plane, Manuel Gagneux and Tiziano Volante are stretching the definition of heavy. They reveal the tones and tunings behind their evolution
Warren Haynes recalls the first time he witnessed a young Derek Trucks play guitar
Haynes and his Allman Brothers bandmates took a night off to watch an 11-year-old Trucks play – and ended up sharing the stage for an impromptu jam
Mooer just launched a $45 wireless system – is the Air P05 cheap enough to convince you to cut the cord?
Offering a 65-foot range and a rechargeable battery, the Air P05 looks to extend cable-free playing to budget-limited players
Eddie Vedder recalls the time he received his first guitar – and mistook it for a vacuum cleaner
A Christmas to forget quickly became one to remember when a 12-year-old Vedder eventually got the present of his dreams
Mike Shinoda tried to give his daughter guitar advice – but she ignored him
Shinoda's daughter is currently learning the instrument – but only started listening to her father’s wisdom after discovering the extent of his talents
Wes Borland’s Limp Bizkit amps and pedals have made available as a signature Tonality plugin
Featuring three amps, five pedals and some meticulously crafted digital speaker cabinets, the plugin bottles Borland’s live rig for the digital realm
The 1942 Martin D-18 that Lester Flatt used to forge the sound of bluegrass is going up for auction
Legendary fingerpicker Flatt wielded this D-18 while he played with Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys, and used it to help pave the way for traditional bluegrass music
Gibson celebrates its 130th anniversary with limited edition Orville Gibson J-45
The celebratory six-string has been given some ultra-luxurious inlay appointments that pay tribute to the Gibson founder’s earliest instrument designs
Uriah Heep announce extensive farewell tour that could last up to 3 years
The British rock icons will hit the road for a long goodbye next year
The Smiths drummer Mike Joyce launches mural crowd funder for late bassist Andy Rourke
The campaign will finance a mural of the band's late bass player in Manchester, UK, with some of the proceeds also set to go to charity
Vince Gill, John Osborne and Brent Mason team up on all-star tribute to the Telecaster
Tele-Man brings together some of country music’s finest guitarists for a tribute to the genre's finest electric guitar
Sophie Lloyd announces her debut solo US show – and marks the occasion with a shred reimagining of Alice Cooper’s Poison
After selling out her debut solo show in London in just five minutes earlier this year, the superstar shredder is now set to perform at LA’s legendary Whisky A Go Go
Steve Vai and Adrian Belew tackle King Crimson classics as the Beat tour kicks off
The pair have joined forces with Tony Levin and Danny Carey to perform King Crimson’s 1980s albums across a sprawling 65-date tour
Mooer has seriously upgraded Devin Townsend’s wild signature Ocean Machine pedal
The delay, reverb, and looper pedal returns with updated and improved effects and greater connectivity for “endless creative possibilities”
Vernon Reid names the ’70s guitar hero who is still overlooked – despite playing with Hendrix
The Living Color guitarist is used to shining the spotlight on unsung players – and now he's identified another under-rated guitar hero who deserves more praise
Cory Wong’s new signature pedal might be the space-saving stompbox your pedalboard is crying out for
With his Hotone Audio Wong Press, the funk hero hopes to offer a unique solution for cramped ’boards – and kickstart a wah pedal renaissance in the process
Justin Hawkins channels the spirit of Eddie Van Halen’s Frankenstein with his new Atkin signature guitar
Complete with a heavily aged neon finish and an empty middle pickup cavity, this new build seemingly pays homage to Van Halen's iconic axe – with some Hawkins-style touches for good measure
