Features archive
September 2023
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75 articles
- September 30
- September 29
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- “It sounds like Lindsey Buckingham meets The Clash!” That time Duff McKagan played bass for the Manic Street Preachers
- “Every guitarist should be in search of their toothpaste tone!” Larkin Poe explain how good guitar tone can make your playing better
- Are your drive pedals sounding the best they could? Here are 19 ways to get more from your overdrives, distortions and fuzzes – and make them work with your rig
- “Rick Rubin is one of the most inspirational guitar players of my childhood. It’s a curveball, isn’t it?!” Justin Hawkins names the 14 guitarists who shaped his sound
- September 28
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- “I think a bass solo can be as exciting as a guitar solo – if not more”: Listen to John Entwistle’s live bass solo on The Who’s 5:15
- 10 times an iconic band swapped out their guitarist for a fresh face
- Types of guitar pickups explained: learn the difference between single coils, humbuckers, P-90s and active designs
- September 27
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- 8 ways to get more from your guitar amp
- “Selective picking, to me, is drumming on guitar. Tosin Abasi brought this technique to the world and it made me excited”: Prog-metal visionary Pomegranate Tiger was ahead of his time. Now he’s tackling cutting-edge technique and AI head-on
- Not sure what all those guitar tone buzz words mean? Get the lowdown with our jargon-buster
- September 26
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- “Know your history. But don’t be cliché and try to do what the guys in Chicago did in the ’60s. We don’t need more of that”: Josh Smith is on a mission to save the blues – he names 10 guitarists who are pushing the genre forward
- How to set up your electric guitar – improve your guitar’s tone and playability with this step-by-step guide
- September 25
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- “I'd never heard somebody play the bass like that”: How Don Blackman’s 1982 classic album inspired a young Marcus Miller
- “Some people equate shred with speed, but that's narrow-minded. The haters will hate because they can't do it themselves”: With Shrapnel Records, Mike Varney invented the technical guitar scene. He reflects on his legacy and the virtuosos of today
- “We know amps and guitars are important, but your own DNA is bigger than that”: Nuno Bettencourt on why, when it comes to tone, your personality always comes first
- Unhappy with your electric guitar sound? Start with these 5 tone tips before you try anything else
- September 24
- September 22
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- Download and stream the audio from Total Guitar 376
- “It was considered a no-no to chain two Fuzz-Tones together. But I saw Hendrix chain five of them!” Billy Gibbons remembers opening for Jimi Hendrix with his pre-ZZ Top band the Moving Sidewalks
- “How far can we push the prog, without sounding like it’s a cliché of a prog album?”: Nothing But Thieves are one of the UK’s breakout guitar bands – but their tonal tastes are anything but conventional
- “Shredding over the top is what all prog-metal does – we have a Pink Floyd approach to lead rather than John Petrucci”: Nobody djents like TesseracT – and two decades in, the tech-metal heroes are making their most mind-bendingly intricate riffs yet
- “You played on Midnight Train to Georgia? You don’t need no other credits!” How Bob Babbitt bolstered a ’70s soul classic with a touch of James Jamerson
- September 21
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- “If Greeny was broccoli then Sunny is mango”: Kirk Hammett is selling a 1960 Gibson Les Paul that ranks among the finest ever made – he reveals how it compares to his most famous ’Burst
- “It’s all about what sounds cool… Not theoretically what you’re supposed to do”: How guitarists from Drug Church, Militarie Gun and Scowl are leading the melodic movement in hardcore punk
- “I started with Strats, but then I got hooked on Les Pauls. I like that I have to pick a fight with them when I'm playing”: How Leilani Kilgore went from aspiring punk player to college dropout playing searing blues-rock for a living
- September 20
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- From the Bat Strat to Arm the Homeless and the Dean from Hell: 10 all-star guitars that defined the ’90s
- “I wanted to play like Johnny Marr, but I lacked the ability – or was too lazy. So we ended up with these big, beautiful drones”: Slowdive are one of shoegaze's most important bands – here's how they shaped a genre (and the pedal market)
- September 19
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- Have you injured yourself playing guitar? New study reveals that musculoskeletal injuries are not related to bad technique – but sadly might be unavoidable
- “Steve Vai is phenomenal – I’m not sure he gets the credit that he should”: Aerosmith’s Joe Perry names 8 guitarists who shaped his sound
- “Kim invited me to join and asked, ‘What do you want to play?’ I said lead guitar – frankly, I was surprised she said yes”: Kelley Deal couldn’t play guitar when she joined the Breeders. A year later, she recorded a ’90s alt-rock masterpiece
- September 18
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- “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
- “Tone is so important to me. Whenever I go to a show and there are good guitar sounds, I soak it in”: For Emily Wolfe, the tone is as important as the hooks – and her Epiphone signature model is key to her explosive sound
- “I get off stage, and Paul and Gene want to talk to me: ‘We think you’d be perfect for Kiss. Would you consider playing a Les Paul?’” White Lion’s Vito Bratta on the time he nearly joined Kiss – and his failed Ozzy Osbourne audition
- September 15
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- “The best way to get the bass sound I wanted was to play like Larry Graham. But it wasn’t fast enough for me”: Victor Wooten sums up his game-changing slap technique
- Steve Vai called him “the evolution of the guitar” while Al Di Meola said his playing was “light years ahead”. We meet Matteo Mancuso, the young guitarist redefining virtuosity
- “In the beginning, I would just rip Tom Morello… Then I realized I could maneuver notes, harmonics and chords. I can do some weird stuff with the Whammy”: How Nick DePirro became one of instrumental metal’s most technically adventurous players
- “I understand the Phil Spector wall-of-sound thing, but there comes a point where less is more”: How Tina Weymouth came up with her unforgettable bass riff on Talking Heads’ Once In A Lifetime
- September 14
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- “If I wanted to play like Geddy Lee I’d play a black-and-white Rickenbacker”: Les Claypool on his bass collection, and the Rickenbacker he bought from John Entwistle
- “It was obvious: John was the guy... we didn’t choose this, but since we had to be put in this position, we’re very happy with where we’re at”: Nikki Sixx opens up on the crisis talks to replace Mick Mars and how John 5 has re-energized Mötley Crüe
- “If you have a semi-hollow with a tube amp and overdrive pedal, and you set it all up correctly, you can get your guitar to ring out forever”: Melanie Faye is bringing a new voice to virtuosic neo-soul guitar – and her own signature chord
- September 13
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- “I looked up Tosin Abasi and Tim Henson, and I was so inspired. I had to stop watching their videos because I wanted to pick up a guitar and try playing their stuff”: Jason Becker opens up on his heroes old and new, career regrets and unreleased music
- Download and stream the audio from Guitar Techniques 353
- “Derek Trucks said my dad was one of those players that’s not afraid to stare directly into the sun – it was a no-brainer to have him on a song”: How Duane Betts combined A-list guest spots, Radiohead and Allman Brothers on his solo debut
- September 12
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- “A completely new and exciting instrument… ”: How the double-necked Gibson EDS-1275 changed the course of rock guitar history
- “It’s a dialogue between the right hand and the left hand, with the right hand doing most of the talking!” Michael Manring explains the origins of his slap technique
- “I tell Bob Marley, this is the bass player I’m bringing up – let him play”: How Robbie Shakespeare wound up playing bass on The Wailers’ Concrete Jungle
- “I kept trying to make it sound like a Gibson. That didn’t work. You have to give in to the Telecaster – it’s not for the faint of heart”: Dwight Yoakam’s former right-hand man Pete Anderson shares his tone and session guitar wisdom
- “It was one of these totally experimental guitars, a complete one of one”: In 1967, Fender toyed with redesigning its most famous electric guitar – this is the secret history of the semi-hollow Stratocaster prototype
- “We had just started playing guitar when we wrote Diary. The alchemy came from us learning to play together”: How Sunny Day Real Estate broke rhythm and lead guitar rules to make their influential emo opus – and what’s next for their reunion
- September 11
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- “I still remember writing the intro to Sweet Jane sitting on a couch in my living room”: How a session guitar legend resurrected Lou Reed’s career with hard-rock lead heroics – and help from Blood, Sweat & Tears’ Steve Katz
- “What has kept me in sessions has not been my playing ability, ever. You have to connect with people before you can have a creative flow”: Black Eyed Peas, Sting, Santana – George Pajon Jr. has built an enviable session resume, but it took more than chops
- “You could be one spin away from something cool. I like that chase”: Strat-toting blues-rocker Jax Hollow sees songwriting as a throw of the dice – and she lives for the thrill
- September 8
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- “I’ll still be playing guitar – I’ll do that until I can’t – but I’m at the age where my heroes passed away. I’ve gotta keep that in mind”: Buddy Guy opens up on his retirement from the road and 70-year career as a true blues original
- “That final show was one of our best gigs. I can still hear that first note Stevie played… that one note will remain with me forever”: Tommy Shannon on his wild ride with Stevie Ray Vaughan – and the “total chaos” that followed his tragic death
- “I play a lot of blues festivals – but I want to make people mosh, grind and flail”: Erin Coburn released her first blues album aged 14. But her love of Sleep Token, Polyphia and 7-strings set her on a heavier path
- September 7
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- Active vs passive pickups: What’s the difference?
- “Just like the Beatles or the Stones were for a lot of people, these songs have been in my head for as long as I can remember”: John 5 shares his Mötley Crüe story so far – and why he still can’t believe he’s landed his dream gig
- “People were saying, ‘Oh, Led Zeppelin’s gone acoustic.’ Well, what happened to your ears on the first and second album?” How Jimmy Page redefined the role of acoustic guitar in rock
- “Quincy Jones said, ‘Man, this song sounds just like Stevie!’” The Richard Bona song Stevie Wonder turned down
- September 6
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- They’re loved by St. Vincent, Dan Auerbach and Ry Cooder – but what’s behind the Gold Foil pickup resurgence?
- “My favorite bands – Pixies, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, Bikini Kill – all had bass players who were women. I thought they were the coolest members”: Emily Retsas on her journey from Australia to A-list gigs with Phoebe Bridgers and Kim Gordon
- The rubber bridge is the hottest trend in indie guitar and a cheap mod to try – here’s how to install one on your electric guitar
- “You know, I've never played slide before, but it just started doing things on its own – I didn’t even have to try”: That time Paul McCartney channeled his inner bluesman – with the help of Nirvana, and a wild 4-string cigar box guitar
- September 5
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- “When I started collecting, the cut-off for desirability was 1965 – anything after that, forget it. That’s all changed completely”: The Fender Stratocaster is the most famous electric guitar of all time – but what was the greatest Strat ever built?
- “A fine guitar is described as having a piano-like tone. The top is actually able to vibrate in all the different ways that strings are able to vibrate”: Dana Bourgeois explains how innovation breeds great acoustic tone
- “To put it simply: no Beatles, no George, no me. I still feel very privileged to have called him a friend”: Bernie Marsden on the genius of George Harrison
- “From the second I got the call to join Foo Fighters, I hit the ground running. This was Dave's band, and I was the new guy – it was about not stepping on toes”: Franz Stahl on his time in the alt-rock institution – and Scream's first album in a decade
- September 4
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- “It’s really taken off – Rabea Massaad has introduced players to a new way of delivering tone from a Strat”: How Bare Knuckle redefined the sound of the Stratocaster with its radical new Triptych single coils
- “Right then we knew: this guitar is going to be epic”: Ana Popovic’s Fender ‘Foggy’ Stratocaster is causing quite a stir – and its back story is as remarkable as its one-of-a-kind finish
- “I've never heard a single person play Hendrix correctly. People always try to rip him off, which is one of the saddest things ever”: Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis names 10 guitarists who shaped his sound
- September 1
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- “I credit half of that bassline to James Jamerson. I’ve always been proud of knowing him”: Listen to Chuck Rainey’s isolated bass on Kid Charlemagne
- “Johnny Cash inspired me to make music. I watched Walk the Line and it changed my life. I started playing guitar that night”: mehro is a self-professed scholar of the human condition – and he channels his thoughts via intricate fingerstyle meditations
- “Dimebag is one of my biggest inspirations for lead guitar. He always knew how to think outside the box”: Sophie Lloyd names 10 records that changed her life
- A staple of Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and Steve Lukather’s ‘80s live rigs, the Roland SDE-3000 was a game-changer for digital delay
