"THE SIMPLE PARTS ARE THE HARDEST TO GET RIGHT”

Lzzy Hale's recipe for meaty arena rock and killer tone

"I'M STILL LEARNING.HONESTLY!”

Matteo Mancuso's guide to mastering fingerstyle and unravelling the mysteries of jazz

“A TONE LIKE MUSICAL ELECTRICITY!"

How the two guitarists in Tesseract are putting a new spin on their progressive metal sound, with smoother tones amid the face-melting riffs...

“I STARTED DOING BENDS AS A JOKE TO MAKE MY FRIENDS LAUGH!"

Post-punk trio Omni are masters of minimalism, but guitarist Frankie Broyles is having fun with classic rock moves and ZZ Top-inspired tones

"CROWDS SING THE RIFFS BACK AT US. IT'S ADAN GREAT FEELING!"

How to write a pop punk anthem - and how to make a solo sing. For Neck Deep guitarists Sam Bowden and Matt West, it's all about finding that one great hook...

"I LIKE REALLY FILTHY, NASTY GUITAR TONES!"

FOR THEIR NOISY NEW SINGLE, WELSH BAND HIMALAYAS HAD A LITTLE HELP FROM AC/DC…

SHERGOLD PROVOCATEUR STANDARD SP12

This charming and affordable electric is sure to provoke a positive reaction

KID KAPICHI

Having been invited to support the likes of Liam Gallagher, Royal Blood and Nothing But Thieves in the space of the last year or so, Hastings quartet Kid Kapichi are fast becoming one of the most exciting rock acts in Britain.

MXR M309 JOSHUA AMBIENT ECHO

Ambient soundscapes and practical delays in one box

GIBSON LES PAUL MODERN LITE

Snappy colours with classic rock tone-let's introduce the Modern Lite!

“IN THE HEAT OF THE BATTLE, WHEN WE’RE PLAYING BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY LIVE AND HAT RIFF COMES ALONG, ’M EXCITED, BUT I’VE GOT TO KEEP A PART OF MY BRAIN COOL JUST TO HANDLE WHERE THE FINGERS HAVE TO GO. IT’S ONE OF THE MOST UNNATURAL RIFFS TO PLAY THAT YOU COULD POSSIBLY IMAGINE!”

BRIAN MAY IS FEELING GOOD.

"YOU CAN'T JUST DO A CIRCULAR RIFF-BECAUSE IT MIGHT NOT MEET UP WHERE YOU NEED IT TO!"

None of what you’ll hear on Yard Act’s thrilling and stylistically audacious sophomore album is what you could call conventional, but on occasion it borrows from convention, perhaps just to leave armchair musicologists with a little mud to grapple around in in search of a label to pin on them. Those we had are out of date.

“WE LIKE HEAVY SOUNDS ON GUITAR!"

Alt-rock trailblazers Sleater-Kinney were making bassless records long before The White Stripes and The Black Keys came along. As co-leader Carrie Brownstein says: “The power comes from the conversation that the two guitars are having with each other…”

"I'M THE PRESIDENT OF OVERDUBS 'R' US!!

As one of the best session players in the business, Marc Ribot has recorded with Tom Waits, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and many more. And when he's creating his own music, anything goes...

KING EDWARD

40 years ago this month, Van Halen had their first and only US number one single with Jump.

"MY GUITAR IS MORE LIKE THE ICING ON THE CAKE"

THE SIX-STRING VIRTUOSO WHO WRITES ON PIANO

"I Wanted to Go Weirder"

Singer-songwriter Grace Potter is putting a new spin on rootsy Americana – with famous friends, oddball gear and a borrowed vintage Martin she wanted to steal…

"It was always going to be extremie..."

A Biffy Clyro and Slayer supergroup? You’d better believe it. Dave Grohl is already a fan of Empire State Bastard – Simon Neil and Mike Vennart’s “mortally raging” metal side project

"The strat sound is the most inspiring”

The Lemon Twigs' power-pop has a new sense of refinement - plus some classic guitar heroics

Foo Fighters: But Here We Are-track by track

"Jangly layers, crunching fuzz, epic sounds..."

JAMES AND THE COLD GUN

Picture the scene: two ultra cool young musicians - both named James - are brought together under one roof during a surreal detention of global proportions and spend the next 18 months writing songs in their garage, cranking their amps and waiting not so patiently to be allowed out to play.

FENDER LTD ED.TOM DELONGE STRAT & STEVE LACY PEOPLE PLEASER STRAT

Fender serves up a heavy dose of pop-punk nostalgia as well as a forward-thinking take on the iconic Stratocaster

MARSHALL STUDIO JTM ST20H HEAD

£1075 - Marshall channels the vintage warmth of iconic JTM amps in its Studio range

TONE PROS - NUNO BETTENCOURT

The Extreme virtuoso weighs in on why, when it comes to tone, your personality always comes first

TONE TIPS - ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PICKUPS

Today, it's harder than ever to describe the sonic characteristics of pickup types - there are so many configurations, both stock and after-market, that blur the lines of each core design.

TONE TIPS JARGON BUSTER

Get the lowdown on the most important terms in all things tone related

BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO TONE

Get the basics of your rig sorted with these fundamental tone-shaping tips

"WE LOVE THE INTENSITY AND THE AGGRESSION!"

The new album from rising stars Saint Agnes is an all-out sonic attack– created by two guitarists with an unorthodox approach to tone

ultra Q

When your dad is one of the most influential figures in punk rock history, it's unlikely that you're going to grow up aspiring to hold down a normal nine-to-five. But, for Jakob Armstrong -youngest son of Green Day's Billie Joe - the moment of realisation that he was destined to follow the family trade didn't arrive until he'd already sampled a more conventional path.

"It's more guitar focused this time"

On their first number one album, Nothing But Thieves mix guitars with synths and prog-rock influences with danceable beats. It’s a sound they call “retro-futuristic”…