CATEGORIES

Ultimate STRATS

The Strat is the most famous electric of all time - the original guitar for all seasons. But which version represents the pinnacle of its evolution? We take a deep dive into Leo's masterpiece, in the company of experts, to try to find an answer...

Experience In Sound

The sonic adventures of Paul Reed Smith show no signs of slowing down. We drop in for a catch-up, but can we keep up?

Role Model

IK Multimedia's Tonex tone-capturing ecosystem expands with a hardware box to take those sounds on stage

IN THE NAME OF LOVE

When it came to remaking 40 classic U2 tracks for Songs Of Surrender, The Edge was guided by his heart and one grand idea - \"to make intimacy the new version of punk rock\"

VINTAGE ICON

David Davidson of Well Strung Guitars talks us through an experimental 1967 Semi-Hollow Fender Stratocaster Prototype from Fender's R&D department made with zebrawood

Under The Knife

As a last resort, Alex Bishop prepares to operate on a vintage Yamaha acoustic - but will it recover from the ordeal?

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

Fender Mod Shop Telecaster £2,179

Fretbuzz

A monthly look at must-hear artists from all corners of the guitar world, from the roots of their sound to the tracks that matter most

Go For Gold

When is a Telecaster not a Telecaster? When it comes with a pair of mini-humbuckers, a mahogany body and ebony fingerboard like this one!

Gallus

Young Scots on the up, they've already a 'best rock/alternative band' award.

Tones Behind The Tracks

The latest album from jazz guitarist and composer Ralph Towner enchants with beautiful playing on new pieces and jazz standards

Top Drawer Tone

Emprize combines two coveted vintage Fender voices, authentically capturing brown-panel lead tones and black-panel rhythm sounds in one amp

Royal Flash

A highly anticipated signature version of Vox’s unique Nutube micro head, approved by Brian May himself

JIMMY PAGE NON-REVERSE c.1968 GIBSON FIREBIRD III|

A 'Bird in the hand could be worth more than you think - especially if it has a colourful history involving a Led Zeppelin drinking game. We ask vintage specialist Mike Long of ATB Guitars about the provenance of this Page-owned beauty and the buoyant market for Gibson's underloved cult hero

HEAVY TRIP

Bare Knuckle MD Tim Mills on the breakthroughs and bumps in the road behind Rabea Massaad’s seismic new Triptych Strat single coils

Back In Black

While PRS has been making its mark on the bolt-on market, we finally get a new Core model, the shapeshifting modern Eagle V. But is it really new?

Top Notch

We talk to Dana Bourgeois about the new Touchstone range, the importance of tuning in a guitar top, and what lies in the future for the series

Powder Chutes

Three of them might be still at school, but their blending of rock styles is far from just kids' stuff.

THREE-D MERCURY

Brian May's stereo photos collated for new exhibition.

Mick Hutson

Hanging out of helicopters, stopping the New York traffic, sweet-talking kidnappers: a celebration of Mick Hutson, music photographer.

Along For The Ride

With more than 30 studio albums to his name, Canadian guitarist Pat Travers really should be better/more widely known. But, he says, our destiny is not something we have control over.

DISTORTING HISTORY

These days, players can choose from hundreds of replacement pickups. But back in the early 70s Larry DiMarzio single-handedly kickstarted the entire industry with his hot-output Super Distortion humbucker. We met NYC's king of tone to find out more

33% minutes with...Glen Matlock

In stark contrast with the misinformation and backstabbing aimed at Glen Matlock on his departure from the Sex Pistols in 1977, their reunion in 1996 saw the bassist reinstated and his significance in the band’s history re-evaluated. After spending the late 70s and 80s in a succession of shortlived bands, and a stint with Iggy Pop, Matlock channeled the momentum from the Pistols’ 90s revival into an ongoing solo career. On his sixth album, Consequences Coming, his Pistols-era knack for a sharp tune is paired with politically charged lyrics. “It’s a word to the wise,” he tells Record Collector.

"We wanted to sound like Sinatra with a fairlight"

As the UK synthpop scene gathered momentum at the turn of the 80s, a bunch of ambitious modernists from South Yorkshire were thinking bigger. ABC, in a very different yet not entirely unrelated post-punk way to The Human League, Soft Cell, Haircut One Hundred et al, would create a vision of shiny, post-modern pop that endures on their finest recorded hour: The Lexicon Of Love. Leader Martin Fry remembers how, for a short, surreal period, it all went so gloriously right. Alphabet superstar:

Show and Tell

As he releases The Show, Niall Horan reveals how he "lives" for touring, his desire to connect with fans through his songs, and the challenge of going out for chips in his Irish hometown

Bad Bunny conquered the world. Now what?

Bad Bunny conquered the world. Now what?

Janelle Monáe's Pleasure Principle

As she releases her most sumptuous album yet, the triple-threat star goes deep on everything from anxiety to Al to how to "hurry up and live"

The brain behind Barbie

One of Hollywood's most brilliant directors spent the past few years in... Barbieland. Greta Gerwig goes very, very deep on the pinkest movie ever made

The greatest comeback that almost wasn't

At the start of the 80's, Tina Turner was broke, on the run from Ike, and playing cheesy conventions. Here is the inside story of her miraculous second act.

Written in the Stars

The first woman to win Eurovision twice makes Loreen an artist who will go down in music history. Rolling Stone UK meets the curious Libra to talk winning the world's biggest song contest and the inspirational generations of women in her family who all said "Fuck, no" to men