CATEGORIES

THE LORDS OF LO-FI

GA-20's stripped-down, lo-fi approach has propelled them to the top of the blues charts. As they release their latest album, Crackdown, guitarists Matt Stubbs and Pat Faherty show us the gear that fuels their authentic blues-rock tone.

GOING HORIZONTAL

Want to give the lap steel a go? Here are Megan Lovell's four tips to help you get started.

Gas Supply

Our pick of the month's most delectable and wallet-bothering new gear

EXTRA, SPECIAL

We devote so much thought to big gear purchases but it's the little things that make the difference from day to day, we argue

Cool Cats

There’s no pussyfooting around for new company KittycasterFX as it hits the ground running with a pair of serious tone-shapers

WALTER TROUT

Now in his 70s, having survived rock 'n' roll excess and a debilitating pandemic-induced depression, Walter Trout takes us on the emotional road he travelled to release his 30th solo album, Ride, a record that revisits the trials of his New Jersey childhood and affirms his place in the annals of blues-rock

MXR CUSTOM SHOP CSP039 DUKE OF TONE

Plenty of players would like to get their hands on an Analog Man King Of Tone, the twin-channel stompbox based on heavily modded circuitry from the Marshall Bluesbreaker pedal.

FLOOR AMPS & MULTI-EFFECTS

Compact tone from world-class amps-in-boxes and feature-packed multi-effects processors

Design For Life

This well-appointed single-cut from Vintage might just give the big boys a run for their money

Dish The Dirt

The famous DS-1 has been on sale since 1978, but now here’s a revamped version of Boss’s best-selling compact pedal

Lustre For Glory

A trio of Gibson dreadnoughts with faded satin nitro finishes, vintage appointments and modern-day electronics. Serious players or mere novelty acts? Let the auditions begin...

Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware)

Neville Marten recalls how playing thousands of good and bad instruments has gained him a degree from the guitar university of life’

Under Pressure

This issue, Alex Bishop deals with the twin troubles of tension and playability that you may encounter when building a guitar

ALTER BRIDGE

Guitar duo Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti discuss their new album, custom guitars, the art of crafting long songs, and why you really, really don't want tinnitus...

Albums

The month's best guitar music a hand-picked selection of the finest fretwork on wax

THERE'S A STORM A'COMING

Rising prices are everywhere, including on our cherished guitars. VWWe discuss the background to the ongoing price hikes with the head of PRS Europe, Gavin Mortimer

MAINSTREAM ELECTRICS

Irresistible builds from both sides of the pond

CHARLIE BURCHILL

He's the Glasgow guitar maverick who broke into the 80s stadium league with Simple Minds. Now, as the band return with 18th album, Direction Of The Heart, Charlie Burchill tells us about pushing the envelope, falling for the White Falcon, commandeering The Edge's rig, and why you won't catch him playing powerchords

SUPER 'NAUT

If you can't make the world’s most influential acoustic guitar better, you can always make it bigger, explain Scott Sasser and Tim Teel of Martin

And Custom For All

Fender's Mod Shop offers buyers the chance to custom-build a new guitar andit’s cheaper than going the Custom Shop route. Our editors try it out

AMPS

Portable power with vintage tone, modern features or both you're spoilt for choice

Team Player

Chapman is the latest brand to take advantage of York-based UK Guitar Builders’ manufacturing facility to produce its new flagship model. We plug in the first batch

Voice Leading

Richard Barrett shares some useful gradual transitions between chords around the fretboard

GEAR YEAR OF THE

IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN WE PRESENT OUR PICK OF 2022’S MOST OUTSTANDING GEAR

BLACKSTAR ST JAMES EL34 1x12 COMBO

In recent years we've seen many guitar amplification designs leveraging Class D technology to produce lots of watts from unfeasibly small packages.

THE ACOUSTIC PARADOX

Are there times when a top-ofthe-range acoustic guitar is just foo good to use for the job in hand?

Sound Shapers

Zilla Cabs’ Paul Gough demystifies the humble baffle, and explores how different types can affect your combo’s sound

One For Your Money

Following last year’s release of the award-winning Dept. 10 valve pedals, Blackstar’s multi-function, paperback-sized new tone machine has arrived to cover any need

the Wishlist Dream gear to beg, borrow and steal for...

PRS Robben Ford Limited Edition McCarty £4,995

Gimme Five

Walrus Audio adds to its Five-State range of overdrive and distortion effects with this quintet of fuzzes in one box