About Guitar World

Guitar World writer Richard Bienstock goes guitar shopping with Guns N' Roses legend Slash
Guitar World writer Richard Bienstock goes guitar shopping with Guns N' Roses legend Slash (Image credit: Future)

Guitar World has been the ultimate resource for guitarists since the publication of its very first print issue in July 1980, with online counterpart GuitarWorld.com arriving in 1994. Whether you want to learn the techniques employed by your guitar heroes, read about their latest projects or simply need to know which guitar is the right one to buy, Guitar World is the place to look.

February 2022

(Image credit: Jeff Fasano/Future)

GuitarWorld.com continues the magazine’s rich history online, and is now the home of the world’s greatest authorities on guitar playing, featuring articles not only from Guitar World, but also highly respected publications including Guitarist, Total Guitar, Guitar Techniques and Bass Player. The site reaches 3.8m players each month.

Both the Guitar World print edition and website offer interviews and insights from the hottest new players and the legends of guitar playing, with lessons from some of the world’s greatest tutors, for all levels of guitarist. We host expert reviews of the latest guitars, amps and effects, with classic gear and tones dissected and explained, as well as providing essential buying advice to suit all budgets.

And, naturally, we cover all the breaking news from the world of guitars, making sure you’re up to date with the products, players, tones and techniques you need to know about.

Contact details

Email (for news tips and general editorial enquiries): guitarworld@futurenet.com

Subscription enquiries: help@magazinesdirect.com

New York City, USA
Address: 130 West 42nd Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10036
Telephone: +1 212 378 0448

London, UK
Address: 121 - 141 Westbourne Terrace, Paddington, London W2 6JR
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7042 4000

Bath, UK
Address: Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA
Telephone: +44 (0)1225 442244

Sydney, Australia
Address: Level 10, 89 York Street, Sydney 2000
Telephone: (02) 9955 2677

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Who we are

Michael Astley-Brown
Michael Astley-Brown

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and over a decade's experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.

Damian Fanelli
Damian Fanelli

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor, and his non-Pulitzer-Prize-winning stories have appeared in Guitar Aficionado, Vintage Guitar, Total Guitar and countless other publications, including 13.7 metric tons of daily newspapers. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton and Ty Tabor chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums (one of which appears in the 2015 Disney film 'Tomorrowland' starring George Clooney and Britt Robertson). He's in two NYC-area bands and plays Teles with four-way switches, B-benders and semi-snazzy aftermarket pickups. He quotes Terry-Thomas twice daily.

Jackson Maxwell
Jackson Maxwell

Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.

Matt Owen
Matt Owen

Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.

Matt Parker
Matt Parker

Matt is Features Editor for GuitarWorld.com. Before that he spent 10 years as a freelance music journalist, interviewing artists for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.

Janelle Borg
Janelle Borg

Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.

Paul Riario
Paul Riario

Paul Riario has been the tech/gear editor and online video presence for Guitar World for over 25 years. Paul is one of the few gear editors who has actually played and owned nearly all the original gear that most guitarists wax poetically about, and has survived this long by knowing every useless musical tidbit of classic rock, new wave, hair metal, grunge, and alternative genres. When Paul is not riding his road bike at any given moment, he remains a working musician, playing in two bands called SuperTrans Am and Radio Nashville.

Jimmy Brown
Jimmy Brown

Over the past 30 years, Jimmy Brown has built a reputation as one of the world's finest music educators, through his work as a transcriber and Senior Music Editor for Guitar World magazine and Lessons Editor for its sister publication, Guitar Player. In addition to these roles, Jimmy is also a busy working musician, performing regularly in the greater New York City area. Jimmy earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies and Performance and Music Management from William Paterson University in 1989. He is also an experienced private guitar teacher and an accomplished writer.

Chris Barnes
Chris Barnes

I'm Guitar World's eCommerce Editor. It's my job to manage buyer's guides on the site and help guitarists find the right gear and the best prices. I'm a guitarist and a drummer and I've worked in the music gear industry for 16 years, including 7 years as Editor of the UK's best-selling drum magazine Rhythm, and 5 years as a freelance writer working with brands including Roland, Boss, MusicRadar and Natal.

Daryl Robertson
Daryl Robertson

First and foremost, I'm a guitar enthusiast – a fanatic, some might say. I'm a firm believer that most of the world's problems can be solved with a Gibson SG and a catastrophically loud amp. As Senior Deals Writer on Guitar World, I write about guitars for a living, but in a past life, I worked in music retail for 7 years, advising customers on the right guitars, basses, drums, pianos, and PA systems for their needs. I also have a passion for live sound; I'm a fully qualified sound engineer with experience working in various venues in Scotland, where I live with my wife and dog.

Guitar World author Matt McCracken
Matt McCracken

Matt is a Junior Deals Writer at Guitar World and has been playing guitar as his main instrument for well over 20 years. He also plays drums, bass, and keys producing out of his home studio in Manchester, UK. He has previously worked for Dawsons Music, Northwest Guitars, and freelanced for various magazines and blogs, writing reviews, how-to's, and features. When he's not downloading the latest VSTs or justifying yet another guitar pedal purchase, you'll find him making a racket with Northern noise hounds JACKALS.

Advertising contacts

Robert Dye (Account Executive, US): robert.dye@futurenet.com

Jeff Donnenwerth (Account Executive, US): jeff.donnenwerth@futurenet.com

Tanya Ely (Account Director, UK): tanya.ely@futurenet.com | +44 (0)7517 561 313

Subscription contacts

Email: help@magazinesdirect.com
Guitar World telephone: 1-800-456-6441
UK subscription telephone (Guitarist, Total Guitar, Guitar Techniques): +44(0)330 333 1113
For more information: Magazines Direct

Editorial independence

No outside party determines what products we review or the content of our reviews. Our experienced reviewers have tested countless guitars, amps, pedals and plugins over their decades of playing, enabling us to deliver an honest verdict you can trust.

Affiliate & Advertising disclosure

We always aim to provide unbiased editorial created by our journalists and writers. We also need to pay our teams and website costs so we make money in a number of ways. We sometimes use affiliate links to products and services on retailer sites for which we can receive compensation if you click on those links or make purchases through them.

From time to time we also publish advertorials (paid-for editorial content) and sponsored content on the site. When this is the case the content is clearly marked as sponsored or promoted, so you’ll always know which content is editorial and which is not. You can read more at our guide to content funding on Guitar World.

Future PLC is our parent company and has an in-depth terms and conditions page with a lot more information that you can read right here.

IPSO Regulated 

Guitar World is a member of the IPSO (Independent Press Standards Organisation) which regulates the UK print and digital news industry.

We abide by the Editors’ Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint, please contact legal@futurenet.com.

If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors’ Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk.

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Privacy policy

Guitar World is part of Future PLC. We are both fiercely committed to protecting your privacy. Please take a look at our in-depth privacy policy to find out more.

Community Guidelines

Our comment section is for thoughtful discussion of article topics. Together we’re developing a space where people share your passion and where you can enjoy conversations built on a foundation of respect and common interests.

Our team is dedicated to providing quality content—please keep that in mind and keep disagreements respectful. Not every comment needs to be a debate – it’s fine to just talk! – but please approach all disagreements in a spirit of openness and tolerance.

If you feel like you’re getting too invested, take a deep breath and step away. You are never obligated to reply to a fellow commentator. If someone is breaching our rules or making the comments a less welcoming place then please use the report button so that our Community team can investigate further.

Whenever someone joins the comment section here at Guitar World they should find them welcoming and insightful. We want to build a community that you’re proud to recommend to others and we can only do that together.

Please read our guidelines below to understand what is allowed and how our moderation system works.

Community Guidelines

Note: If your post is removed, it's never a personal attack but a step to maintain a respectful and engaging community in line with our guidelines.

  • Stay on Topic
    • Comments should be relevant to the article or discussion at hand.
    • Posts that stray into unrelated topics like politics or religion will be removed.
  • Respectful Interaction
    • Healthy debate is welcome, but personal attacks, harassment, or demeaning language toward others, including staff, are not permitted.
    • Hate speech or discriminatory language of any kind will result in a ban.
  • Threatening Behaviour
    • Any threats made toward staff, the subjects of articles or other users will be reviewed for what action needs to be taken and you will be banned.
    • If a threat is deemed to be credible we will contact local law enforcement.
  • No Self-Promotion
    • Do not use the comments to advertise personal products or services.
    • Attempts to drive readers to third-party sites will be deleted.
  • Prohibited Content
    • Do not promote or describe illegal activities, including piracy or hacking.
    • Users doing so will be banned.
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    • Do not impersonate other users, influencers, staff members, or any person/organization.
    • Users doing so will be banned.
  • Privacy Matters
    • Never share personal identifying information like email addresses or phone numbers.
    • Do not ask others to provide their personal information or share information (dox) anyone in our comment sections this will lead to an immediate ban.
  • Spam Policy
    • Spam comments will lead to an immediate and permanent ban.
  • Language
    • Comments should be in English to ensure moderators can effectively enforce these guidelines.
  • Respect Moderation Decisions
  • Names
    • All of the above rules apply equally to names and using abusive language, fraudulently claiming to be staff or any other misuse of your display name will lead to a ban.

Our guidelines cannot cover every situation and our moderation team reserve the right to remove any comment at any time. The Guitar World team and Future PLC do not endorse the opinions and views shared by readers in our comment sections.

Pre-moderation: When dealing with a large volume of comments it’s impossible to handle them in real time. Comments may be pre-moderated due to their content, article settings or reports by other users. If you are finding yourself to be consistently pre-moderated then it is not targeted. How you are choosing to post is getting picked up by the system or reported by other users and can usually be fixed by following our guidelines or considering how others might read what you have posted.

Ban Appeals: If you wish to appeal a ban please contact Commentmoderation@futurenet.com. Please include the name of the site you are posting on, your username and respectfully explain why you believe the ban should be overturned.