Photo Gallery: Guitar World Magazine Covers Through the Years — 1986

It was a healthy mix of old and new for Guitar World in 1986.

Billy Gibbons and Edward Van Halen were familiar faces, but readers had yet to see the legendary likenesses of Keith Richards or Jimmy Page on a Guitar World cover. They were in for a particular treat with the July issue, which focused exclusively on Page.

There was also some rookie talent that made its way onto the front page. Yngwie Malmsteen had been making big -- and controversial -- waves in the recording industry since his debut album Rising Force hit store shelves.

And Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens, a man apart from the L.A.-dominated shred-metal army, was dazzling audiences with his creative fretwork, but had already made quite a name for himself in the business as a versatile session player. Both got a chance to define themselves in their first cover stories with Guitar World.

The variety of cover artists clearly enticed readership as this was Guitar World's last six-issue year. Check out next week's gallery, 1987, when we made the big jump to eight issues per year.

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