CATEGORIES

“The solo is very much in the moment”

Brian May reveals the story behind Queen's 'lost' classic - and the epic guitar solo he created for it

“IT'S COOL TO PLAY WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE"

How the guitarists from My Chemical Romance and Coheed And Cambria find new inspiration in joint project L.S. Dunes

"The band is shifting tonalities all the time"

Three guitarists among 25 musicians playing instrumental jazz-funk: the unlikely success story of Snarky Puppy

THE TOTAL GUITAR CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE 2022

What do you get the player who has everything? Well, more stuff, duh! With a price ceiling of £150, we found 10 presents for the guitarist in your life

FIRST STEPS IN GUITAR...ROCK 'N' ROLL BENDING

Continuing his lessons in lead guitar, Paul is guided through some essential string bending techniques

RIFF OF THE MONTH: DISTURBED Unstoppable

Unstoppable is the second single from the eighth Disturbed studio album Divisive.

MIGHTY BOSS TONE

A classic distortion pedal becomes the next-level Boss

POSITIVE GRID OMNYSS

Positive Grid has debuted OMNYSS, a new guitar plugin suite that promises \"massive tonal exploration\" thanks to three all-new guitar amps and six pedals powered by its Bias 2 platform.

"I USED TO MAKE MY SOUND THICK - NOW, IT'S THE OPPOSITE"

HOW POWER TRIO BRUTUS FOUND A NEW FOCUS

LAVA MUSIC BLUE LAVA

Lava's Smart guitar concept gets more affordable

BOSS DS-1W

The DS-1 is many players' first pedal. Now, it gets the boutique Waza treatment...

MXR DUKE OF TONE

The King is somewhat unavailable. Long live the Duke?

TUK SMITH

Over the last few years, bandleader, guitarist and rock ’n’ roll resurrector Tuk Smith has experienced his share of disappointments.

The Year in Guitar

The return of the mega-gig. The rise of the guitar synth. Amazing new music, surprise comebacks and mindboggling new gear. The story of 2022 has all this and more...

TROPICAL GOTHCLUB

RIFF OF THE MONTH

FIRST STEPS IN GUITAR...MAJOR PENTATONIC ROCK

Paul gets 80s with some big powerchords and melodic bends

"When you detune it feels more subversive!"

How alternative rock stars Bush got heavier than ever before

The 1975 – "In one song there's nine guitar parts going on simultaneously"

How the two-guitar dynamic works in The 1975-by the band's lead player and secret metalhead Adam Hann

Alexisonfire – "For One Solo I Was Using Eight Fuzz Pedals!"

The reunited Alexisonfire are reinventing post-hardcore - with "ancient" effects and blues-inspired solos...

Alter Bridge – "The Guitars Are Breathing"

A deep dive into the heavy new Alter Bridge album - with Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy, two guitarists in perfect balance.

GA-20 – "Some of our songs don't even have a solo"

Two guitarists, zero showboating: inside the retro-chic blues of GA-20

THE GREATEST BLUES GUITARISTS OF ALL TIME

Gospel singer turned blues guitar slinger dubbed the Godmother of rock 'n' roll

CHAPMAN ML2 PRO £999

A revamped modern singlecut that might detach the man from the brand

SQUIER 40TH ANNIVERSARY JAZZMASTER GOLD EDITION £499

The price of gold...

ELECTRO-HARMONIX J MASCIS RAM'S HEAD BIG MUFF

EHX's Ram's Head gets a signature facelift

CANDY

Positioning themselves as the heavier, more chaotic sibling of Pittsburgh metallers Code Orange - which is, indeed, a feat in and of itself - Richmond, Virginia upstarts Candy have made ripples in the underground hardcore and metal scenes since their debut three-track demo in 2017.

VICTORY V1 SERIES

VICTORY AND THORPYFX TEAM-UP FOR A QUINTET OF OVERDRIVE VOICES

SCENE YOUR NEWS IN GUITARS

“WHEN YOU DETUNE IT FEELS MORE SUBVERSIVE!

Tash Sultana – "It's Fully Plugged in!”

Tash Sultana is an artist playing by their own rules. A new Unplugged album features plenty of acoustic guitars - but also a Strat, a Tele and a Whammy pedal

"Playing on one string can almost emulate the human voice"

As the Tedeschi Trucks Band deliver a quadruple album bonanza, slide guitar maestro Derek Trucks reveals the source of his gargantuan tones and emotive power...