NEWS OF THE (GUITAR) WORLD

SIT BACK AND GET READY TO RELIVE THE BIGGEST, BADDEST AND DOWNRIGHT CRAZIEST GUITARCENTRIC HEADLINES OF 2024

- AMIT SHARMA

SLASH GETS THE BLUES

SURE, HE’S BEEN keeping busy enough with Guns N’ Roses and his solo band (fronted by Myles Kennedy), but when he’s in creative mode, Slash has proven himself to be an unstoppable force. This year’s blues album, announced back in March and titled Orgy of the Damned, ended up being one of the most talkedabout releases of 2024, with the Les Paul devotee roping in star guests like AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson, Gary Clark Jr. and Demi Lovato for modern takes on old-school classics by Robert Johnson, Peter Green and Howlin’ Wolf. “One of the great things about blues is the stories that it tells, especially for people who are struggling,” Slash observed in his September GW cover story. The guitarist also put together the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival tour, enlisting modern luminaries such as Eric Gales, Samantha Fish and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram for a joyous celebration of all things flat five. The top-hatted gunslinger also joined forces with Ryan Gosling and Wolfgang Van Halen for a show-stealing performance of Barbie tune “I’m Just Ken” at this year’s Oscars ceremony.

JIMMY PAGE UNVEILS HIS DOUBLENECK

WHEN WE THINK of the Gibson EDS1275 doubleneck, several players come to mind — from Slash and Don Felder to John McLaughlin and Alex Lifeson. But for most people, it’s Jimmy Page they picture holding the iconic guitar first introduced in 1963, strumming those immortal chords to “Stairway to Heaven” on its upper-half 12-string. The launch of his Gibson Custom/Murphy Lab replica coincided with the opening of the Gibson Garage in London, where Page was joined by fellow guitar greats Tony Iommi and Brian May. But that’s not the only big news from Gibson; Michael Schenker revealed in August that he’s working with the company on a signature Flying V — and a signature model for Lamb of God’s Mark Morton has been teased. Watch this space!