CATEGORIES
MYLES KENNEDY
The Alter Bridge guitar man and vocalist recounts how sometimes you can strike gold when working in a music store, and that there is money in horse manure…
THE ORIGINAL BOLT-ON
The Fiore is PRS’s latest bolt-on guitar, but this story began back in 1988 with the short-lived Classic Electric
FLOWER POWER
PRS’s Silver Sky broke the internet with its derivative style and big league artist attachment, so the new Fiore has a lot to live up to. Does it succeed? Oh, yes – and then some
The Shortlist
The result of our home builder competition grows near
Gambling Man
Little Barrie and Primal Scream alumnus Barrie Cadogan admits that the Casino comes with its own quirks, but – as big-name players from the 60s and beyond have shown – if you take a punt on this legendary Epiphone model, it’ll pay you back in spades
Custom Gretsch Pickups
Guns N’ Roses’ Richard Fortus gives us the inside scoop on how he developed the pickups for his forthcoming signature Falcon with Gretsch
THE FUTURE BITES BACK - STEVEN WILSON
GUITAR-BASED MUSIC CONSIGNED TO MUSEUM STATUS, ALBUMS NOTHING MORE THAN ARTIST- CURATED PLAYLISTS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA ALTERING THE COURSE OF EVOLUTION… WHAT THE FRIGGIN’ PROG IS GOING ON, MR WILSON?
Raw Power
We all love our vintage-spec Stratocasters, but if you need to go up a gear or two, the Fender-owned Charvel brand is becoming the place to look
Murphy's Lore
We’ve heard the buzz and seen the online ads, but with a trio of aged Murphy Lab Gibsons actually in our hands, we wonder, was all the hype worth the wait?
SIGNATURE TONE (PART 2)
In the second part of our look at signature pickups, Dave Burrluck gets up close and personal with a beastly tone
The Birth of Jimi's Sound
Effects pioneer Roger Mayer tells Jamie Dickson that Hendrix’s gear choices were shaped by budget as much as tone
Moving On
It’s been quite a ride for Gibson since its new leadership team took the reins in 2018. We catch up with brand president, Cesar Gueikian,to get the backstory on the newly created Murphy Lab
Junior vs Junior
Just how does this made-to-look-old new Murphy Lab Junior compare with a real 1957? We take a close look
IDA MAE
We take a look at the tones of the husband-and-wife duo’s new sophomore album, Click Click Domino, track by track, with guitar sensation Chris Turpin
Gwenifer Raymond
Welsh-born guitarist Gwenifer Raymond recently released her second album, Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain, recorded during lockdown. With that challenge firmly out of the way, she speaks to us about her love of American primitive guitar, the magic of the blues, and how she has evolved as a player in her own right
DIVINE INSPIRATION
Iain Henderson, owner of London-based guitar hire firm God’s Own Guitars, explains how he has turned instrument collecting into a niche business by sharing his love for the guitars of the greats
Torpedos Away
In collaboration with Rabea Massaad, this compact guitar amp from Victory combines versatile high-gain overdrive with world-class cabinet simulations. Stand back!
SIGNATURE TONE
Signature guitars can be odd enough, but signature pickups? If only we could all sound like our heroes by just installing a set of their pickups. Dave Burrluck gives it a try…
ROYAL CHARTER
Queen guitarist Brian May has had his own range of guitars for some time, based around his own Red Special. But now there’s a new addition to the range, designed by US singer and guitarist Arielle
STEVE CROPPER
He infallibly appears on ‘greatest guitarists of all time’ lists, was part of the house band at Stax Records where he backed and wrote for soul legends such as Otis Redding, Sam And Dave and Wilson Pickett, and had huge hits with Green Onions, Time Is Tight and Soul Limbo with his band Booker T & The MG’s. He now has a new solo album, Fire It Up, his first for a decade…
50 Architects Of The Electric Era
Since the earliest ‘Frying Pan’ models of the 1930s, pickup-loaded instruments have undergone constant evolution in the hands of almost a century of innovators. We celebrate the pioneers whose envelope-pushing ideas have changed the face of the electric guitar
Solid Opportunity
They may look almost identical, but it’s the body woods that make all the difference for this trio – and they’re outstandingly affordable, too
Go Big
The HX Stomp XL enters the Line 6 family, answering the call for increased switching flexibility over its smaller sibling, while retaining the powerful core of the larger floor-based Helix devices
How Acoustics Are Born
Taylor’s master luthier Andy Powers takes Jamie Dickson on the journey from prototype to production
Rick 'N' Roll
Martin Kelly, co-author of Fender: The Golden Age 1946-1970, retraces the evolution of Rickenbacker guitars ahead of the release of his new book, which promises to finally nail down the brand’s vital history in full
Tear It Up
A bolt-on addition to the solidbody range? Like us, you might be surprised after hitching a ride with this low-priced Junior Jet Club…
Top Thirty
With a reputation for finely honed, modern and progressive guitars, Vigier is hardly a new maker. And with his Excalibur design celebrating a significant birthday, we take the start-up model out for a spin
The Man Behind The Signature
We catch up with Eric Steckel while he’s hunkered down in LA and waiting to get back on the road
The Rowdy Cousin
As the latest addition to the Acoustasonic family, this Jazzmaster pushed the design team in “different and interesting directions”. Fender’s Tim Shaw talks us through its creation
Ready, Steady…
As musicians gear up to get #BackToLive, Adam Goldsmith explains how he’s honing his practice regime and sight-reading in preparation