CATEGORIES

Long Termers

A few months’ gigging, recording and everything that goes with it – welcome to Guitarist ’s longterm test report

The Mexican Connection

American instruments with a Mexican twist: the story of Fender’s journey from Fullerton, California to Baja California

The Hit Parade

The latest in Fender’s ongoing makeovers sees the morphing of the popular Mexican-made Classic and Classic Player guitars into the new decade-specific Vintera series. New name aside, has anything actually changed? We investigate…

Session Diary Happy Together

As the pace slows down a little, Adam spends quality time with his latest go-to guitar

Neville's AdvocAte

This month Nev confesses to buying another strat while trying to convince himself of the many valid reasons to do so

Martin Style 18

From mid-19th-century parlours to MTV, we retrace the history of Martin’s all-American 18-series flat-tops with CF Martin & Co’s museum and archives specialist, Jason Ahner

Larkin Poe

With ecstatic slide guitar and gutsy, juke-joint riffs, sisters Megan and Rebecca Lovell have distilled their own brand of musical moonshine from the tangled roots of American blues – and it’s potent stuff. We joined them on tour to talk Dobros, Deluxes and laying waste to convention…

Crimson Guitars

David Mead hits the road again with a troubled Gibson SG in hand to see if he can learn enough about the luthier’s dark arts to restore it to life and optimum playability

Kickstarter

Brit builder Leigh Dovey is making waves with his PJD Guitars. Barely into his second year of production, a tie-up with a UK store means he’s a busy man

Jakko Jakszyk

It’s been 50 years since King Crimson released seminal album In The Court Of The Crimson King and so, as they prepare to blow out the candles on their celebratory cake, we enlist the services of Jakko Jakszyk to give a personal overview of the legendary band’s half century…

Blues Run The Game

Martin simpson is one of the finest fingerstyle guitarists working today. With a new album, Rooted, in the can, he explains why a chance encounter with a vintage Martin D-28 that belonged to american troubadour Jackson c Frank changed his musical life – and walks us through the vintage and custom guitars that keep inspiration flowing…

Alan Rogan 1951 – 2019

Whitesnake alumnus Bernie Marsden remembers a legendary guitar tech who worked with more major artists than almost any other and became an influential force in guitar in his own right

Woodstock Message To Love

By Turns Shambolic, Historic, Hallucinatory And Majestic, The Woodstock Festival Of August 1969 Marked Both The Pinnacle Of A Revolution In Music – And The Beginning Of Its Fall. It Also Gave Us Some Of The Greatest Moments Of Wild, Unfiltered Guitar Genius The World Has Ever Witnessed. Join Us As We Celebrate Its 50Th Anniversary And Uncover The Six-String Stories Behind The Festival’S Greatest Performances, From Hendrix To Ten Years After…

Pure Custom

Veteran Guitar Maker Chris George Is The Epitome Of The Solo Luthier, Crafting Both Electric And Acoustic Models To Your Taste. We Check Out His Latest Vision…

Seth Baccus Guitars

Last Issue, We Reviewed One Of Seth’S Nautilus Guitars And Were So Impressed We Decided It Was High Time We Headed Off To Cornwall To Meet The Man Himself…

The Other Guys

If You Can’T See Past The Teles And Strats In The Fender Catalogue, Check Out The Latest In The Offset Bloodline, With Their Vintage Looks And Modern Playability

Super Natural

Boutique Feel And Features At A Midmarket Price? We Find Out If Auden’S Poised And Polished Guitars Are Giant Slayers In The ‘Serious Acoustic’ Stakes

Special Relationship

Vox Adds A Limited-Edition Ac15 Featuring A Us Warehouse Loudspeaker To Its Roster. A Different Flavoured Classic? We Find Out…

Lloyd Cole

If Elvis Had Taken A Philosophy Degree, He Might Have Emerged Making Music Like Lloyd Cole’S. Underpinned By The Brash Voice Of His Telecaster, Cole Had A String Of Hits With The Commotions In The 80S And His Thoughtful Journey Into Songcraft Has Only Deepened Since Then. We Join Him To Talk About His New Album, Old Guitars And Lost Weekends

Dave Hill

Dave Hill Shot To Fame In The 70S With National Glam-Rock Treasures Slade As They Exploded In The Uk Charts With No Less Than 13 Top 10 Singles. He Acquired His First Guitar In 1959 At Age 13, And This Year Marks The 60Th Anniversary Of Dave Hill The Guitarist – A Man Who, While Touring With Slade To This Day, Is Still Very Much Feeling The Noize. We Caught Up With Dave On Home Turf In His Native Black Country To Reflect Upon The Glam, The Glitz And The Guitarz…

Good Enough For Jazz

With The Jazzmaster’S Underdog Image Rapidly Fading Into The Past, Guitarist Takes A Step Back In Time With Fender Historian Terry Foster, And Catches Up With Mike Long, Proprietor Of Vintage Specialists Atb Guitars In Cheltenham, To Touch On Its Future…

50 Years After

At 8.15Pm On Sunday 17 August 1969, Ten Years After Took To The Stage At Woodstock To Perform A Set That Would Change The Band’S Fortunes Forever And Propel Alvin Lee On To Guitar Superstardom. This Is The Story Of That Night And Of ‘Big Red’, The Iconic Es-335 That Alvin Bought In A Nottingham Music Shop For A Mere £45 (With Case)…

Session Diary - Better The DI You Know

When it comes to relying on a hired backline, Adam Goldsmtith learns a few lessons the hard way…

Molly Tuttle

Still only in her mid-20s, Molly Tuttle is already festooned with awards for her songwriting and incredible guitar playing. Guitarist caught up with her during a recent UK tour to talk about her new album and record a special video masterclass

Semi-Precious (Part 2)

Cleaned up and checked over, our already modded 80s ibanez as-50 is playing well – so it’s time to delve deeper and consider the electrics. Dave Burrluck has some words of caution…

Richard Fortus

From antique Martins and golden-era Gibsons, to high-spec custom builds and mods, the Guns N’ Roses veteran talks hunting down guitars, nailing his tone and sharing a stage with Slash

Dark Sun

Delay and reverb ambience designed with Periphery’s Mark Holcomb

Made To Measure

We consider the pros and cons of buying a guitar from a small independent maker. It’s not for everyone…

Hot Mods

CUSTOMISING YOUR GUITAR HAS THE POTENTIAL TO TRANSFORM IT FROM A WORKHORSE INTO A THOROUGHBRED. WE ASKED SOME OF THE WORLD’S FINEST CUSTOMISERS TO SHARE THEIR PRO TIPS ON HOW TO UPGRADE YOUR GUITAR’S TONE AND MAXIMISE ITS MOJO…

George Benson

While the jazz legend’s latest album may’ve felt like a departure from his famed style, we discover how rock ’n’ roll is deeply rooted in his legacy – and that it’s really all about the audience