CATEGORIES

SOME KIND OF MONSTER

EVH’S NEW FRANKIE MODEL STRIKES THE BEST BALANCE BETWEEN AUTHENTICITY AND AFFORDABILITY OF ANY FRANKENSTEIN REPLICA TO DATE. HERE, WE TAKE AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK AT THE NEW MODEL, AND EXPLORE THE ORIGINS OF THE GUITAR IT IS BASED ON, WITH HELP FROM EDDIE HIMSELF

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Muse frontman Matt Bellamy on Tom Morello’s unending inspiration, buying Jeff Buckley’s Telecaster, and how Manson guitars will be at the forefront of the instrument’s evolution...

PEOPLE POWER

THE 1975’S NEW ALBUM NOTES ON A CONDITIONAL FORM IS THEIR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE UK NUMBER ONE, AND ANOTHER GENRE‑HOPPING EXTRAVAGANZA. LEAD GUITARIST ADAM HANN EXPLAINS THE THINKING BEHIND THE BAND’S ECLECTIC APPROACH – AND HAILS THE ALBUM’S LEAD SINGLE, PEOPLE, AS “OUR FIRST PROPER ROCK SONG”

Its all in the FINGERS

THE DARKNESS FRONTMAN JUSTIN HAWKINS EXPLAINS THE GENIUS OF AC/DC’S FRATERNAL GUITAR DUO ANGUS AND MALCOLM YOUNG – AND HAILS “THE ULTIMATE ROCK RIFF” IN BACK IN BLACK

ANGUS YOUNG - My life in shorts

THE AC/DC GUITAR HERO ON THE BAND AND BACK IN BLACK, THE PERILS OF GOING ON STAGE IN A SCHOOLBOY INFORM, AND WHAT SHAPED HIM AS A PLAYER – THE POWER OF THE BLUES, AND THE “NASTY” SOUND OF CHUCK BERRY’S GUITAR

A SOUND THAT SHOOK THE WORLD

Created by a band in mourning, Back In Black was the album that resurrected AC/DC. And as Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash said: “It saved rock’n’roll!” From tragedy to triumph, this is the story of AC/DC’s greatest victory...

THE TOP Trailblazers

01 PRINCE The Purple One’s ambition knew no bounds, just as he refused to be restrained by any one genre. An underrated guitarist as well as a songwriter-extraordinaire, here are five things you can learn from his sensational playing.

THE TOP Acoustic PLAYERS

THE TOP Acoustic PLAYERS

THE TOP 5 EARLY INNOVATORS

THE TOP 5 EARLY INNOVATORS

THE TOP 10 Shred PLAYERS

In two interviews, with Guitarist and Classic Rock, the virtuoso talked gear and guitars, revealed the secrets of his creative process, and discussed the art of shredding...

THE TOP 10 BEST PLAYERS RIGHT NOW

THE TOP 10 BEST PLAYERS RIGHT NOW

THE TOP 10 Punk PLAYERS

01 JOHNNY RAMONE Johnny’s style has been in the DNA of every punk band since

THERE BY GRACE

TG Editor Chris Bird reflects on a guitarist who defies categorisation...

THE TOP 15 ALT & Indie PLAYERS

The most influential guitarist of his generation on his evolution from The Smiths to Electronic and Modest Mouse, and why the shortest solos are the best. As told to TG’s Henry Yates

ONE VISION

“It’s about making that guitar sing,” says Brian May, the Queen legend voted Number One Rock Guitarist Of All Time by readers of Total Guitar. In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview, he tells TG Editor Chris Bird how he created his unique sound, and pays tribute to his heroes and friends who placed high in our poll – from Hendrix and Clapton to Eddie Van Halen and Nuno Bettencourt.

THE TOP 10 Jazz & Fusion PLAYERS

These jazz pioneers and fusion virtuosos are essential listening.

9 Ways To Transform Your Tone For Less

Improve your sound and you’ll upgrade your playing. Simple! Here’s how to do it on a budget…

Learn any lick…

Struggling to shred? Use muscle memory to get up to speed

GET VERSATILE! DO MORE WITH YOUR STRAT

There’s so much you can do to improve and mod the guitar you have – here are some of the best ways to start

BUILD YOUR PEDALBOARD

The golden rules of effect order on your ’board… and when it’s okay to break them

Getting Started With…Chords For Solos

Ditch scale shapes and use chord tones for a creative approach to your first guitar solos

POSITIVE GRID SPARK 40

Can nearly 25,000 guitarists be wrong?

The Playlist

Justin Hawkins of The Darkness on being guitar-shamed in front of Nuno Bettencourt, and the genius of Mark Knopfler

THE SOUND THAT JACK BUILT

MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST JACK GARRATT’S SOUND IS A KALEIDOSCOPIC SOUNDSCAPE OF SYNTH PATTERNS AND POP HOOKS WITH A GNARLY STRAT TONE AT THE HEART OF IT. HERE, HE EXPLAINS HOW HE PUTS IT ALL TOGETHER

ORANGE TERROR STAMP

The tiniest Terror yet...

HEAD TO HEAD

A closer inspection of these four new models. Which will take your fancy?

KISS THE SKY

Genius, visionary... Jimi Hendrix was the greatest guitar player that ever lived. With the 50th anniversary of his death arriving on September 18th 2020, Total Guitar celebrates the life and art of the man who reinvented the electric guitar for generations to come…

Frank Turner

HE STARTED OUT AS A PUNK ROCKER, BUT NOW FRANK TURNER IS TAKING INSPIRATION FROM OUTLAW COUNTRY LEGENDS, WRITING SONGS ABOUT POWERFUL WOMEN AND PLAYING ALL OVER THE WORLD WITH HIS ACOUSTIC

EVERYTHING IN ITS RIGHT PLACE

With his debut solo album released this month, Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien welcomes TG into the London studio where the album was recorded, and talks in depth about his creative process, the vast array of guitars and gear he uses, the influences that shaped his new music – from electronica to Keith Richards and Rush – and his role in one of the world’s most important guitar bands...

BALAGUER STANDARD SERIES ESPADA £699

This tricked-out electric rewrites the offset formula for the modern era