Latest Features
Steve Vai on BEAT, being a virtuoso in his 60s – and the Fripp riff he just couldn’t master
The virtuoso reflects on how Frank Zappa helped him and Adrian Belew, the value of learning from rather than competing with other players and changing rig for his tour with Joe Satriani. But who’s going to be in the SatchVai band?
Robby Krieger charts the Doors' short, volatile, and hugely influential career
The Doors' ever-versatile and underrated guitar slinger, Robby Krieger, charts the band's career – from the difficulties of working with Jim Morrison, his best guitar solo, and the time they consciously stole from Cream
Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera on how he found his bargain Firebird and why he has no regrets about rendering a ’51 Tele “valueless”
The Roxy Music guitarist invites us into his London studio to take a look at the guitars that he cut five decades of hits with, and tells us how a globe-trotting childhood led him to art-rock Shangri-La in ’70s London
Why today’s guitars are performing better than ever – not that you’d notice from looking at them
From Furch’s innovative bolt-on neck joints to Bare Knuckle’s revelatory pickups, we could be living through a new golden age for guitar innovation
Meet Julian Taylor, the Canadian musical encyclopedia who plays a custom Tele called the ‘Barncaster’
Pathways finds the Canadian singer-songwriter welcoming soul, R&B, blues and folk into the mix and letting his guitar lead the way for the first time
Orianthi on what she learned from Santana and Joe Bonamassa, and why she’s returning to Alice Cooper’s band
With a completely new rig for the Alice Cooper tour, the Aussie virtuoso explains how her approach will differ from Nita Strauss, why she’s donating the PRS guitars she’s playing on the road – and what to expect from her forthcoming Epiphone signature model
The history of the Gretsch 6130 Round-Up and 6121 – and how boozy lunches threatened quality control
Introduced to compete with Gibson, these Gretsch solidbodies weren’t really solid at all – but they sure were cool
Billy Morrison tells the tale of two Les Pauls – one the bargain of the century, the other the one that got away
The Billy Idol guitarist shares his guitar-buying tips and undying love for Gibson guitars and Friedman heads – plus why he can’t be bothered to open his pedal tray…
Chris Impellitteri is one of the fastest guitarists of all time – but he realized there was more to life than shredding
Impellitteri explains why he listens to Albert King and Joe Bonamassa, what he learned from Eddie Van Halen and Ritchie Blackmore, and why he doesn’t regret missing out on the Ozzy Osbourne gig that went to Zakk Wylde
John Myung plays for one of rock’s most ambitious bands, and the Berklee-schooled bassist is tackling the challenge with extraordinary discipline
The Dream Theater maestro explains what every bassist can learn from Bach, how he developed the Bongo 6-string bass with Ernie Ball, and why he runs a Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier on bass…
