Richard Bienstock
Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.
Latest articles by Richard Bienstock
![Alex Lifeson](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/E5WYTC8npLn5dHXr7rJLzZ-320-80.jpg)
Alex Lifeson on making his Epiphone Les Paul Axcess: “My biggest concern was, can we get Custom Shop quality in a guitar that costs quite a bit less? I think we did it”
By Richard Bienstock published
The Rush legend discusses his new signature model, fresh music and collaborations, and the likelihood of once again teaming up with Geddy Lee
![Kirk Hammett and Cesar Gueikian](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JYrRvxH9pZEtUE8kDsEx2S-320-80.jpg)
Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and Gibson’s Cesar Gueikian share the story behind Greeny’s ‘59 Les Paul sibling
By Richard Bienstock published
We all know the story of Greeny, the ‘burst owned by Peter Green, Gary Moore and now Hammett. But there is another, and it resides in the Gibson Brand President's personal collection…
![New Year New Gear 2021](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xpqj66Jj8gTYgdKK5qXUF3-320-80.jpg)
Get 2022 off to a rockin’ start with the sixth installment of Guitar World’s New Year New Gear guide
By Richard Bienstock published
GW’s Paul Riario and Alan Chaput dive into the Epiphone Joan Jett Signature Olympic Special electric, CloudVocal ISOLO GT-10 wireless system and PRS Private Stock Orianthi Limited Edition guitar
![New Year New Gear 2021](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xpqj66Jj8gTYgdKK5qXUF3-320-80.jpg)
Get 2022 off to a rockin’ start with the fifth installment of Guitar World’s New Year New Gear guide
By Richard Bienstock published
GW’s Paul Riario and Alan Chaput dive into the Vola Vasti KJM J1, Lava Music Lava Me 3 and Mooer GTRS guitars
![New Year New Gear 2021](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xpqj66Jj8gTYgdKK5qXUF3-320-80.jpg)
Get 2022 off to a rockin’ start with the third installment of Guitar World’s New Year New Gear guide
By Richard Bienstock published
GW’s Paul Riario and Alan Chaput dive into ESP's LTD Arrow-1000FR, Kramer’s Pacer Classic and PRS’ S2 Custom 24-08 and SE Standard 24-08 guitars
![New Year New Gear 2021](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xpqj66Jj8gTYgdKK5qXUF3-320-80.jpg)
Get 2022 off to a rockin’ start with the second installment of Guitar World’s New Year New Gear guide
By Richard Bienstock published
GW’s Paul Riario and Alan Chaput dive into Dean’s Exile guitars, IK Multimedia AmpliTube X-Gear pedals and Godlyke’s TWA Triskelion Harmonic Energizer Mk. III stompbox
![Ozzy and Zakk Wylde](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JoMZXyu6C8BthRqvaw67XD-320-80.jpg)
Zakk Wylde reflects on three decades of Ozzy Osbourne’s No More Tears
By Richard Bienstock published
The Prince of Darkness’s most successful album was a life-changer – 30 years on, Wylde looks back on an "ass-kicking time"
![New Year New Gear 2021](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xpqj66Jj8gTYgdKK5qXUF3-320-80.jpg)
Get 2022 off to a rockin’ start with Guitar World’s New Year New Gear guide
By Richard Bienstock published
GW’s Paul Riario and Alan Chaput dive into PRS’s SE Silver Sky, Maestro Electronics’ Original Collection of pedals and Gator’s Elite Guitar X Stands
![Gene Simmons (left) and Paul Stanley perform with Kiss at the Mediolanum Forum on May 18, 2010 in Milan, Italy](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pdH6dYbnn6Emng4ujDm7kY-320-80.jpg)
Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons rate Kiss's lead guitarists and reflect on the band's history in this classic 2014 GW interview
By Richard Bienstock published
In their five decades as a band, Kiss have had five lead guitarists. Here, the band's core members reflect on each of them – their strengths, their weaknesses, and how they meshed with the rest of the band
![Zakk Wylde](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wTDCJBZPSvifduvjpJeoyW-320-80.jpg)
Zakk Wylde reflects on 12 musical milestones from a career spanning more than three decades
By Richard Bienstock published
From Ozzy Osbourne’s Miracle Man to Generation Axe’s Highway Star and beyond, Wylde breaks down his finest moments
![[L-R] Zakk Wylde and Dario Lorina of Black Label Society](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/u9rbaMW9LCwSNbpJyGJU9B-320-80.jpg)
Black Label Society: “When you rehearse too much before recording, you take away all the spontaneity, all the magic, all the fire. You suck the life out of the thing”
By Richard Bienstock published
Doom Crew Inc. is the first-ever complete Black Label Society album to feature a second guitarist. Here, guitar duo Zakk Wylde and Dario Lorina escort you deep into the temple of doom...
![(from left) Malcolm Young, Angus Young and Phil Rudd of AC/DC perform live in Munich, Germany](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9G9uUGyHGM6KNnYJkHRXTX-320-80.jpg)
AC/DC's Angus and Malcolm Young: "Most of our early tracks speed up toward the end. After the guitar solo we’d start to take off!"
By Richard Bienstock published
In this classic Guitar World interview from 2003, the brothers Young revisit the albums and songs that made them guitar giants
![PRS SE Hollowbody II Ruben Wan](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9FpGhnkbCqK9XYES67MyTb-320-80.jpg)
Watch Ruben Wan conjure awesome electric and acoustic tones from the PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo guitar
By Richard Bienstock published
First piezo-equipped SE model boasts 58/15 humbuckers, LR Baggs/PRS Piezo system and dual output jacks for a wealth of sounds
![Eventide TriceraChorus Paul Riario](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3magGLk9UYfWfigkhfrdqc-320-80.jpg)
Watch Paul Riario conjure a ‘new species of swirl’ with the Eventide TriceraChorus pedal
By Richard Bienstock published
Innovative stompbox offers bucket brigade-style chorus with MicroPitch detuning, three chorus voices and much more
![Dean MD24 Paul Riario](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7hYfXnwxu8gH66DvSX7szQ-320-80.jpg)
Watch Paul Riario rev up the 'next-level' Dean MD24 Floyd Roasted Maple electric
By Richard Bienstock published
Streamlined shred machine boasts Floyd Rose tremolo, Seymour Duncan humbuckers and roasted maple neck and fingerboard for maximum playing impact
![Martin J-16E 12-string Paul Riario](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6fzxyLw5Hev5iV36sqA7fK-320-80.jpg)
Watch Paul Riario get a big tone from Martin’s new 'crisp and loud' Grand J-16E 12-string acoustic
By Richard Bienstock published
Full-sized jumbo boasts reduced body thickness, high-performance taper neck profile for easy playability
![Blackstar Dept. 10 Nini Brosh demo](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JYwWfmcyJTSoaphbQ8cnZU-320-80.jpg)
Watch guitar ace Nili Brosh crank it up with the new Blackstar Dept. 10 valve-loaded pedals
By Richard Bienstock published
Dual Drive, Dual Distortion and Boost effects feature ECC83 triodes, over 200V of power, Cab Rig sim and more
![OPFXS RJ Ronquillo](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/c47zAinGvYwCkRz33iWbLX-320-80.jpg)
Watch RJ Ronquillo conjure super-personalized tones with the OPFXS V-Uno Reprogrammable Guitar Pedal
By Richard Bienstock published
"It’s like you get to design a pedal from the ground up yourself,” he says about the innovative multi-effects stompbox
![NUX Mighty Air Sophie Burrell](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ecepFJAzeiEGdVbdkxecfL-320-80.jpg)
Watch guitar ace Sophie Burrell try out the "mega-impressive" NUX Mighty Air wireless stereo modeling amp
By Richard Bienstock published
Compact 10-watt powerhouse boasts two modes, seven channels, Bluetooth connectivity, a dedicated app for tone tweaking and much more
![Robben Ford](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bswAJi3BTRxEQo8MEodZKg-320-80.jpg)
Robben Ford on why making an instrumental record was a good excuse to play a lot more music
By Richard Bienstock published
The blues-rock-jazz ace’s latest album, Pure, is a tour de force of compositional imagination, and reminds us he should leave the guitar dojo more often
![Guitar World HUGG](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7J4ncWvM59ECF8pzy26yje-320-80.jpg)
Get the holiday gear fires burning with the final installment of Guitar World’s Holiday Ultimate Gear Guide
By Richard Bienstock published
GW’s Paul Riario and Alan Chaput dive into Gibson’s Generation Collection G-45 acoustic, Gator’s ICON gig bags and TASCAM’s Mixcast 4 Podcast Studio
![IK Multimedia X-Gear Nili Brosh demo](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaAws7i3ask3adAy77JnVS-320-80.jpg)
Watch guitar phenom Nili Brosh smash sonic boundaries with the “powerful” new IK Multimedia AmpliTube X-Gear pedals
By Richard Bienstock published
IK’s first-ever hardware effects line offers overdrive, reverb, modulation and delay pedals, each with 16 all-new algorithms and much more
![Guitar World HUGG](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7J4ncWvM59ECF8pzy26yje-320-80.jpg)
Get the holiday gear fires burning with the third installment of Guitar World’s Holiday Ultimate Gear Guide
By Richard Bienstock published
GW’s Paul Riario and Alan Chaput dive into Baldacci’s Bighorn electric, IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube X-GEAR pedals and Cort’s X-700 Mutility multi-scale guitar
![Jake Dreyer of Witherfall](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZtpQybQcKvGXN4Saktkh99-320-80.jpg)
Witherfall's Jake Dreyer: "We don't sit down and say, ‘We've got to make this the hardest thing to play ever.’ It just happens to sometimes come out that way"
By Richard Bienstock published
The Witherfall guitarist on the eclectic range of influences that forge the band's new album, Curse of Autumn
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