Latest Updates

Richie Kotzen and Adrian Smith on absurd volume, improv and how long a solo should be
By Jamie Dickson published
We meet Smith and Kotzen pre-show to talk gear, their new album Black Light/White Noise, and find a pair whose chemistry makes this a hard-rock project with legs

75 years of the Telecaster: the evolution of the original solid-body electric guitar that started it all
By Huw Price published
As the Telecaster turns 75, we chart its history – hardware, parts, and all – from the Nocaster days to the Wide Range era

Glenn Tilbrook is still mourning the stolen ’59 Fender he bought from folk-rock royalty
By Matt Owen published
The Squeeze frontman used the prized Strat during the band’s early days – and he’s been missing it ever since

Up close and personal with a '63 Strat and '70s Höfner Violin Bass with Oasis and Ocean Colour Scene connections
By Huw Price published
This 1963 Fender Stratocaster and 70s Höfner 500/1 violin bass guitar recently went under the hammer – and, as it turns out, these were Britrock unicorns for collectors

“Working and being in his presence was magical”: Jerry Jemmott on playing bass with B.B. King
By Andrew Daly published
When Jemmott was drafted to play on the Live & Well sessions in 1969, he would find himself in awe of the King, and joined a band that would produce three albums’ worth of material

The life and times of Mike Vernon, the British blues legend who got Eric Clapton his Bluesbreakers tone
By Henry Yates published
The producer of vintage Fleetwood Mac and Bluesbreakers was one of British blues’ towering figures

The life and times of John P. Hammond, the blues genius who inspired Bonnie Raitt and countless others
By Henry Yates published
The New Yorker will be remembered as a master of acoustic barrelhouse and an interpreter of Delta blues who performed like a man possessed
![Billy Gibbons [left] plays a custom T-style; B.B. King takes a solo on Lucille.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4yzvvUKZ96pjSWVvfNDAxD-320-80.jpg)
Billy Gibbons on how B.B. King changed his life
By Andrew Daly published
At the age of 7, seeing B.B. King lit the path for Gibbons as a blues guitarist. The ZZ Top legend discusses B.B.’s lasting impact

The making of the Blackstar Doug Aldrich Signature DA100 Ruby
By Martin Smith published
Doug Aldrich reveals how decades of vintage amps, real-world touring and close collaboration with Blackstar helped shape his DA100 Ruby signature head

Laura Snowden on how downtuning makes classical guitar “creepy” and what she learned from the great Julian Bream
By Amit Sharma published
The classical guitarist's solo debut, This Changing Sky, is a breathtaking work that finds her exploring altered tunings in search of drama

The life and times of Ralph Towner, the endlessly curious frontiersman of acoustic jazz
By Henry Yates published
Taking influence from Indian classical, Brazilian bossa nova and beyond, this late jazz master’s touch and vision equalled anyone on the fusion scene

How Duesenberg Guitars became a major player with original old-school designs – and a little help from Mike Campbell
By Dave Burrluck published
We check in with Duesenberg Guitars’ co-owners, Dieter Gölsdorf and Ingo Renner, to chart 30 years of its best-selling Starplayer

The life and times of B.B. King
By Henry Yates published
To celebrate the King of the Blues' centenary, we rewind the reels of a life story that’s equal parts pain and redemption…

Decoding the mysteries of the 1967 Martin D-35S with the slotted headstock
By Dave Davidson published
Martin’s slope-shouldered dread style meets innovative three-piece rosewood backs in this slept-on design from an undervalued period in the acoustic brand's storied history

The mistake that led Robben Ford to buy his first great instrument – and how Miles Davis and Jeff Beck took him to the Strat
By David Mead published
As Ford returns with Two Shades of Blue, the Californian guitar legend drops by for a video lesson and to talk all things guitar, from his adventures with big-box jazz models to Strats

B.B. King in his own words – the blues’ greatest guitarist on heroes, influences and his philosophy
By Guitarist editors published
The King of the Blues on amp choice, T-Bone Walker, how he got his vibrato and more

Fatoumata Diawara on Hendrix’s genius, the making of her Epiphone SG – and the message she wants it to send
By Amit Sharma published
With its Malian-inspired graphic finish and expanded switching options, Diawara's signature model is one cool guitar
![Alter Bridge's Mark Tremonti [left] and Myles Kennedy sit on flight cases as they're photographed with their PRS signature guitars.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tCvmamNdQD8gk8Q766rjdh-320-80.jpg)
How recording in Eddie Van Halen’s 5150 Studios inspired Alter Bridge to make their most riff-heavy statement yet
By Amit Sharma published
The latest album from Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy finds Alter Bridge going full-throttle in EVH’s studio

