Steve Albini, punk guitar icon, dies at 61 By Jackson Maxwell published 8 May 24 Guitarist and frontman for hard-edged alt-rock titans Big Black and Shellac, Albini was also a famed producer, most famously manning the boards for Nirvana's In Utero
Slipknot's Mick Thomson has just released his much-speculated Fishman Fluence signature pickup set By Janelle Borg published 8 May 24 Mick Thomson's signature pickups come fully equipped with three voicings that reflect the wide array of tones Thomson has employed during his career
Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony sets the record straight on the much-rumored VH tribute project By Janelle Borg published 8 May 24 According to Michael Anthony, internal disputes have ruined the Van Halen tribute project's potential
Mick Mars’ NSFW ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ Kramer has just gone up for auction By Phil Weller published 8 May 24 The guitar was used extensively during Motley Crüe’s 1987-88 Girls, Girls, Girls world tour
“Sharper attack, extended sustain and a warmer tone”: Could brass saddles supercharge your Strat tone? By Phil Weller published 8 May 24 AxLabs Hardware certainly thinks so – its String Surfer brass saddles promise to improve Stratocaster tone and reduce string breakages
B.B. King gifted one of his Lucille guitars to the Pope – it’s now up for auction By Janelle Borg published 8 May 24 After belonging to B.B. King and Pope John Paul II’s Vatican collection, the guitar is expected to fetch more than $80,000 at auction
“Prince was not a guy who would sit around and polish his guitars or even think that much about them – they were tools”: In 2005, Prince’s Cloud 3 sold for $10,000. Now it’s expected to fetch $600,000 at auction By Janelle Borg
Steve Albini, punk guitar icon, dies at 61 By Jackson Maxwell published 8 May 24 Guitarist and frontman for hard-edged alt-rock titans Big Black and Shellac, Albini was also a famed producer, most famously manning the boards for Nirvana's In Utero
Slipknot's Mick Thomson has just released his much-speculated Fishman Fluence signature pickup set By Janelle Borg published 8 May 24 Mick Thomson's signature pickups come fully equipped with three voicings that reflect the wide array of tones Thomson has employed during his career
Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony sets the record straight on the much-rumored VH tribute project By Janelle Borg published 8 May 24 According to Michael Anthony, internal disputes have ruined the Van Halen tribute project's potential
Mick Mars’ NSFW ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ Kramer has just gone up for auction By Phil Weller published 8 May 24 The guitar was used extensively during Motley Crüe’s 1987-88 Girls, Girls, Girls world tour
“Sharper attack, extended sustain and a warmer tone”: Could brass saddles supercharge your Strat tone? By Phil Weller published 8 May 24 AxLabs Hardware certainly thinks so – its String Surfer brass saddles promise to improve Stratocaster tone and reduce string breakages
B.B. King gifted one of his Lucille guitars to the Pope – it’s now up for auction By Janelle Borg published 8 May 24 After belonging to B.B. King and Pope John Paul II’s Vatican collection, the guitar is expected to fetch more than $80,000 at auction
Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson's 1965 Telecaster is up for auction and could fetch up to $700,000 By Phil Weller published 8 May 24 With its black finish stripped down in favor of its natural wood grain, a uniquely installed Bigsby B16 bridge, and decades of history played into it, the guitar is a key highlight in Julien’s upcoming Music Icons auction
Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready falls off stage mid-solo – but doesn’t miss a note By Phil Weller published 8 May 24 The Pearl Jam guitarist disappeared on the first night of the grunge heroes’ tour in Vancouver, but not even falling off stage could stop his shred-fest
Danelectro has brought back its Big Sitar – with some modern upgrades By Janelle Borg published 7 May 24 The new Danelectro model promises to deliver the quintessential electric sitar sound popularized by the likes of Metallica, Steve Howe and Steve Vai
"This American institution has not only changed the face of the guitar forever but has shaped the course of popular music": 5 Fender innovations that changed the world of guitar By Daryl Robertson
Boss Katana:Go vs Fender Mustang Micro: which headphone amp is right for you? By Daryl Robertson published 8 May 24 Two of the world's most popular headphone amps go head to head to see who comes out on top
“I’m never going to out-do Yngwie”: Richie Faulkner on Priest’s new album and why he’s no shredder By Amit Sharma published 8 May 24 Judas Priest's Invincible Shield finds the British metal institution surviving against the odds. Its very own bionic man Richie Faulkner gives us the guitar POV on a venerable work of British steel
Adrian Belew on how King Crimson made an underrated prog classic in “this industrial musical junkyard we created” By Ryan Reed published 8 May 24 Adrian Belew reveals what went on behind the scenes during the making of the band’s dual-personality 10th album, Three of a Perfect Pair – the final studio release from the Fripp/Belew/Levin/Bruford crew
Meet 9 of Fender’s most elusive offset guitars By Jamie Dickson published 7 May 24 From Fender Japan exclusives to mid-’60s unicorns, and a 1958 Sparkle Sunburst Jazzmaster that’s a holy grail in anyone’s book…
Jakob Nowell, son of Sublime’s Bradley, uses late dad’s custom guitar to reunite the band By Andrew Daly published 7 May 24 Jakob Nowell doesn’t sing or play like his father, and spent years trying to avoid riding his coattails – but he’s determined to get the reactivation of the ’90s punk-rock icons right, and in his own way
No Doubt’s Tom Dumont names 10 guitarists (and one genre) that shaped his sound By Gregory Adams published 7 May 24 The No Doubt and Dreamcar guitarist attempted two Rush songs at a seventh-grade talent show, chunked up on Black Sabbath and later named his son after Ace Frehley – but reggae got deepest into his heart
Lou Reed once recorded an avant-garde album consisting solely of guitar feedback By Janelle Borg published 7 May 24 Metal Music Machine nearly cost Reed his reputation… over the years, it became a source of inspiration for Sonic Youth and Neil Young
The Clash's Paul Simonon reflects on that iconic London Calling moment By Nick Wells published 7 May 24 Paul Simonon smashed his Fender P-Bass during a concert at New York’s Palladium on September 20th, 1979
Blondie’s Chris Stein talks folk and jazz influences, fighting with early effects, and his MIDI future By Joe Matera published 6 May 24 The co-founder of one the most beloved bands of the '70s and '80s recalls taking advantage of the time when they could go crazy in the studio, the one guitar he wishes he’d never sold, and another that you’ll recognize if you own it
Muddy Waters is a blues guitar icon who pioneered the sound of electric guitar and invented a new solo language By David Gerrish published 8 May 24 In the smoky clubs of Chicago, Muddy Waters turned up the volume on blues guitar, electrifying it, and then the audience – and his slide and open-tuning approach to Chicago blues was integral to his early success
‘Hammer-ons from nowhere’ can blow your guitar playing wide open By Jamie Hunt published 6 May 24 This Greg Howe and Joe Satriani-favored technique will whip your hammer-ons, pull-offs, tapping, and muting into shape
Build a whole new lickbag with our country-blues masterclass By Andy Saphir published 3 May 24 Learn how you can mix major and minor pentatonics, and add extra notes to give your solos a wide open space to roam in, with this deep dive into country-blues guitar
Learn how to use “call and response” as a phrasing technique with blues maestro Josh Smith By Josh Smith published 2 May 24 In blues maestro Josh Smith's latest GW column, the guitarist draws inspiration from George Benson for a lesson in call and response phrasing
Matteo Mancuso is the hottest guitar player in the world right now – learn four licks in his breathtaking rock fusion style By JTC Guitar published 2 May 24 Put the pick down and take a breath, it's time to take your playing on a journey. Improve your classical picking, legato and string skipping in this video lesson with the man himself
Make like Joni Mitchell and Steve Hackett and freshen up your chords with 5 alternative voicings By Richard Barrett published 30 April 24 By incorporating open strings, you can give your chords more color and keep the ear interested. Here are five voicings that are certified fresh
Johnny Cash’s ‘boom-chick’ acoustic style is worthy of more attention By Stuart Ryan published 29 April 24 Learn the pick and strum style of the legendary Johnny Cash, and make the big-bodied acoustic in your life really sing
Why Bob Dylan and Tom Waits guitarist Duke Robillard is American blues guitar royalty By Andy G Jones published 26 April 24 This lesson in Robillard's improvisational lead guitar style showcases his ability to incorporate melody in solos, and blend blues with jazz
Phrase spellbending blues intro licks in the style of Kenny Wayne Shepherd and John Mayer By Stuart Ryan published 25 April 24 Learn how to phrase spellbending blues intro licks in the style of Kenny Wayne Shepherd and John Mayer