Geek out over The Beatles' classic gear in Australian Guitar #145, out today

More than 50 years since it came out, The Beatles' game-changing 12th album, Let It Be, remains one of the most popular collections of recorded music – and for good reason! Later this month, Disney+ will premiere The Beatles: Get Back, an epic three-part docuseries about the making of, impact and legacy of Let It Be, directed by none other than Peter Jackson (see: The Lord Of The Rings). To celebrate its release, we're taking a deep dive into the iconic gear that went into the recording sessions for Let It Be, touching on some of the most iconic guitars and amps of all time.

"But hold on," you say, "That's not an interview! Australian Guitar's cover stories are always interviews!" Well, not always, but yeah, most of the time they are. So to make up for this one-off editorial shake-up, we've absolutely stuffed the rest of Australian Guitar #145 with interviews. And not just with any small-time names, either – we're talking about genre-defining legends like Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, Tom Morello, Yngwie Malmsteen, Jerry Cantrell and Mark Tremonti... And that's not even half of the artists we've grilled for this issue!  

In the way of local talent, you'll find our one-on-one chats with Courtney Barnett, the Hard-Ons, Parcels, Amyl And The Sniffers, Ruby Fields, Mod Con, Moaning Lisa, Loser and Justin Bernasconi. Across the pond, we've also caught up with Quicksand, Angels & Airwaves, Samantha Fish, The War On Drugs, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram and Dooms Children. 

Elsewhere in this issue, we've cracked the long and convoluted mystery behind the Jackson guitar that Steve Vai played in the classic film Crossroads, gone track-by-track with the man behind the album that changed metal forever – Metallica's Black Album, of course – and unpacked the ins and outs of the almighty guitar synth. We've also looked at 20 classic rock songs that said "so long" to the guitar solo, and detailed everything you'll need to know about getting yourself ready to perform for a crowd (big, small, or stadium-sized). 

Plus – because yes, there is indeed even more in this issue – we've teamed up with Roxane Elfasci for an introduction to classic guitar, waxed lyrical on our ten favourite pieces of signature gear, gone back to the '60s for a look at Fender's classic Vibratone amp, explained why you should invest in a power supply unit, and checked out ten math- and post-rock riffs you need to hear.

If that's still not enough for you, Australian Guitar #145 features lessons on 5th chords, open D tuning, lydian moods and variations on a theme, plus songbook tablature for hits by Green Day, the Foo Fighters and Nirvana, and a practical tutorial based on the king of prog-rock himself, Steven Wilson. You'll also learn how to install TOM weights in our latest DIY feature, and find 12 ways to enhance your home studio space in our latest Technique mini-mag. 

And for all your other gear-frothing needs, we've packed Australian Guitar #145 with a whopping 17 gear reviews – all in addition to our regular Hot Gear and Spotlight columns, plus CD reviews, news and more.

Australian Guitar #145 is available now at newsagents all around the country, and online via TechMags or iSubscribe.

Subscribe to the print edition of Australian Guitar, and you'll enjoy each new issue on the day it's published, delivered straight to your door.