CATEGORIES

BASIC INSTINCTS

The sophisticated range of Swedish-designed guitars made by .strandberg* has lured thousands of players over to the headless side. But the company's new stripped-back Boden Essential model is its strongest play yet for the hearts and minds of mainstream players

Second String

As PRS's more affordable USA-made S2 line moves into its second decade, the series gets a revamp with - at last - USA-made pickups and electronics. What took so long?

PABLO VAN DE POEL

When a band from The Netherlands describes themselves as 'raw, psychedelic Southern rock', it may take a little cognitive processing to work out what that might mean. One listen to DeWolff, however, and you will be duly transported to the 60s for some fuzzed-out rock 'n' roll

THE BERNIE MARSDEN COLLECTION

With a fabulous collection of the late Bernie Marsden's guitars, amps and other highly collectable music gear going under the auctioneer's hammer on 11 June, we were thrilled to have the chance of a sneak preview

LENNY KRAVITZ

Some 35 years since the release of his debut LP, for his 12th record, Blue Electric Light, Lenny Kravitz is back again with equal doses of vigour and vibes, using vintage guitars and the purest valve amps

GEORGE VJESTICA

You may not know him at first glance, but the work of Stoke-on-Trent native George Vjestica has probably impacted some of your favourite albums and movies

DICKEY BETTS

Emerging from the shadow of Duane to write signature hit Ramblin' Man, the Allman Brothers guitarist was a hard-living pioneer of Southern rock

NICK GUPPY

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our highly valued amplifier guru, who died suddenly in April

Lucky Break

Alex Bishop blends old wood with new in an attempt to fix a severely damaged guitar headstock

Tones Behind The Tracks

Cedric Burnside learnt at the knee of his fabled grandfather, but his latest album is a hill country blues masterclass on his own terms

Three's A Charm

Jack White's Third Man Hardware has created a three-effect powerhouse in collaboration with budget brand Donner

Easy Ambience

Walrus Audio adds ambient reverb to the basic building blocks of tone in its Fundamental pedal series

Green Machine

Proudly made in Manchester, Ancoats' guitars mix up retro themes that stand out in the market. We take this third-generation New Islington for a spin

None More Black

Bad Cat's new addition promises much, combining that classic signature sound with a unique new high-gain voicing

The Colour & The Shape

Epiphone has delivered a cut-price replica of Dave Grohl's Trini Lopez-tinged DG-335. Let's see if it can punch above the logo

FOR THE ROSES

Ivison Guitars has only been in business for six years, but its Dakota model has already headlined Glastonbury with Guns N’ Roses star Richard Fortus. We meet founder Neil Ivison to find out how he's making new electrics that evoke the raw spirit of retro tone

HISTORY REPEATING

Gibson's highest-tier replicas of famous Les Pauls are commanding almost as much as vintage guitars these days. We find out what all the fuss is about and examine a rare recreation of Jimmy Page's fiendishly complex #2 Les Paul Standard

WHAT THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR

Off the radar since The Stone Roses reunion burnt out - and largely absent from the studio for two decades - John Squire's collaboration with Liam Gallagher reclaims his place among the greats. He invites us to his studio to talk classic riffs, career-ending injuries, getting snubbed by Gibson, and why music keeps pulling him back in

TELL ME STRAIGHT

Keith Richards, the legendary master of the ageless riff, talks about the magic and loss of Hackney Diamonds, the sparkling new Rolling Stones album

DENNY LAINE 1944-2023

Multi-instrumetlist, singer-songwriter Denny Laine died at the end of last year after a career that saw him top the charts in both The Moody Blues and Wings

Vibe 'n' Drive

Eventide's latest dot9 series pedal combines two independent effects for some classic vintage-rock sounds

Face Lift

Flattley releases an upgraded 1960s-style silicon fuzz with a buffer and extended tonal options

Air Supply

Boss's new Katana addition pumps up the volume - suited to serious players looking for a compact, wireless amp solution

Standard Shimmers

Back in 2023, revitalised Brit-maker PJD rejigged its range to start with the new solidbody hardtail Standards. Need a vibrato? No problem: here comes the Standard Plus

Golden Brown

Last year we were mightily impressed when we looked at builder Rich Jones' Parlour and Orchestra acoustics. This time it's the turn of his entry-level, all-mahogany dreadnought

Power Of Three

Bucking the recent trend for compact heads, PRS goes large with its latest signature amp for Mark Tremonti

150 Years Of Epiphone

Luxury archtop maker, budget brand, rock icon. Epiphone has been so many things to so many people over the years that discovering its true soul as a guitar maker is a difficult task. That's why, as Epiphone celebrates a century-and-a-half in business, we've enlisted the help of vintage-guitar experts, leading artists and Gibson's own archivists to tell its harlequin history. For, when you look beneath the patinated surface of the brand's heritage, there is much that shines

In The Mix

Mixing speakers is relatively common - but mixing speakers of different sizes is a different ballgame. Paul Gough of Zilla Cabs checks out the pros and cons

KAVUS TORABI

The frontman of psychedelic prog legends Gong and The Utopia Strong says he's pretty monogamous' when it comes to guitars but nonetheless he's owned an eclectic mix over the years...

WALK ON THE FYLDE SIDE

Awarded an MBE for services to the music industry back in 2016, Roger Bucknall has cause for further celebration this year as Fylde Guitars reaches its momentous half-century milestone