CATEGORIES

IMPROVE YOUR SWEEP PICKING

In the latest instalment of his series on technique improvement, Simon Barnard showcases the slippery and impressive sound of sweep picking.

VIDEO MASTERCLASS: Daniele Gottardo

In this exclusive video lesson, virtuoso Daniele Gottardo performs on Jason Sidwell's track, The Parade and explains his approaches. Jon Bishop is your guide.

TED NUGENT

This month Martin Cooper checks out the style of a Chicago-raised hard rock guitarist who defies convention by playing a Gibson archtop guitar!

JEFF BECK: 10 TRADEMARK TECHNIQUES AND THREE FULL SOLOS

This month John Wheatcroft pays tribute to Jeff Beck, perhaps the ultimate guitarist's guitarist, who tragically died in January this year of bacterial meningitis.

SIX COUNTRY Pickin' Trailblazers!

In this special feature Jon Bishop looks at six guitarists that defined hot country guitar. If you want to improve your picking then read on, it could be just the ticket!

FERNANDO SOR Etude No.20, Op.29

Declan Zapala explores a charming and vibrant etude by one of the founding fathers of modern classical guitar technique. It's the perfect warm-up for any recital.

JASON ISBELL

Stuart Ryan investigates the playing style of an Alabama-born, Grammy-winning guitar wizard who’s a superstar on the US Americana scene.

JEFF BECK & Jimmy Page

As teenagers, they jammed and traded licks. As young men they changed the sound of rock and roll. In 1999, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page sat down to riff about their history together and apart, for a rare reunion of two rock guitar giants.

BRUSH WITH the Blues

From Cliff Gallup to Buddy Guy, the roots of Jeff Beck's guitar journey are planted in the fertile post-war guitar boom.

EMOTIONAL Rescue

After going quiet in the 1980s, Jeff Beck returned to form with Guitar Shop, beginning a journey of rediscovery that culminated with Jeff.

HI HO, Silver Lining

Jeff Beck had been soundly defeated in his attempts at blues-rock success. With nothing to lose, he turned to jazz-rock fusion. The result was his biggest commercial success: Blow by Blow.

THE BEST OF Jeff Beck...IN HIS OWN WORDS

Brian May called him the Guv'nor. Fellow Yardbird Chris Dreja called him \"a fucking genius\", and he's been enlisted by everyone from Mick Jagger to Stevie Wonder. In 2008, Jeff Beck talked us through his favorite moments from a career that's included stints in the Yardbirds, the Jeff Beck Group and a series of solo albums that redefined what the guitar can do.

BECK, PAGE, MOON & THE BIRTH OF Led Zeppelin

In a small London studio, two Yardbirds, one member of the Who and a pair of passing session maestros united to record a spontaneous instrumental track. This is the story of \"Beck's Bolero.\"

LOUD HALLER

As Jeff Beck prepared for his 2009 Rock Hall honors and show-stopping all-star jam, he sat down for a timely reflection on a life devoted to guitar.

SHAPES of THINGS

They had Eric Clapton. They had Jeff Beck. They had Jimmy Page. In the late '60s no other band could get close to them. And without the Yardbirds there would be no Led Zeppelin.

ALL-STAR Salute

Jeff Beck's friends offer tributes to the guitarist described by his peers as the greatest of them all.

GROUP Therapy

In 1968, Jeff Beck found success on his own terms, with his own group. What came after would be infinitely harder.

Northern Light

A new guitar-making venture in the North East of England promises some boutique-like style at everyday prices

Back To School

Fender's student amp returns in digital guise as part of the brand's exciting and thought-provoking Tone Master series. But can it match the real thing? We take a look

Living The Dream

Taylor describes its American Dream guitars as \"spartan and minimalist\" by design, but does this add up to any shortcomings in tone? Let's find out

California Dreamin'

Taylor's chief designer, president and CEO, Andy Powers, talks us through the choice of body woods for the AD12e

Forgotten Gems

Our obsession with PAF humbuckers and Fender single coils means many pickup designs from the 50s and 60s have long been lost

Hold The Line

Alex Bishop takes extra special care to \"measure twice and cut once\" in the crucial task of neck joining

'Bear Necessities

Jamie Dickson asks Stuart Robson of Sunbear Pickups for advice on getting more from your magnets

ΤΟΝΕ HEAVEN

Sounding great on guitar is about bringing together two things - gear and the player - in such a way that the expressive potential of both is maximised. In the following pages, both top tone-techs and players tell you how to unite gear and technique to reach sonic nirvana...

Tones Behind The Tracks

Blazing instrumentalist Vinnie Moore found himself inspired to include vocals on a solo project for the first time with his latest album

THE ΜΑΝ FROM UTOPIA

A mercurial six-string psychonaut, Kavus Torabi wields his Jazzmaster in some of Britain's most out-there bands, from fronting Gong to sharing stages with Steve Hillage and former snooker champion Steve Davis. We join him on his quest to find musical Utopia...

TOM VERLAINE 1949-2023

Following the death of Television's new wave icon in January, producer and influential ex-Bush guitarist Nigel Pulsford pays a personal tribute

Brand Awareness

Neville Marten recalls moments when his gear, no matter how fantastic its pedigree, was not quite enough to impress certain onlookers

DAVID CROSBY 1941-2023

As the architect of two 60s supergroups - and spokesman for the peace and love generation - David Crosby will be remembered for his contribution to the counterculture, not the darkness in his life